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atzfilm · 2 months

Text

— from eden; (m) part two (finale)

there's something wretched about this. something so precious about this, oh what a sin

— yeosang/f.reader, seonghwa/f.reader

— vampire!au, angst, smut (16k)

— you never thought you'd fall for your best friend. and yet there you were, stumbling upon him in a lover's embrace. heartbroken, you escape to a quiet bar not far from where you work. a man with a pretty mark on his face distracts you.

— content; mxm content, cussing, blood, blood drinking (it's painful, not sexy 😭) heartache, injuries, anxiety, death, violence, slightly descriptive murder (?), attempted assault (nothing happens aside from brief arm touch), insults, mention of threesome

part one

yeosang and you enter the restaurant, your hands tucked in your pockets. with yeosang’s lack of warmth, he often reaches for your palm in his, but you insisted that for tonight, you stay away from unneeded physical contact. it isn’t like you’re uncomfortable with it - you just want things to go smoothly. yeosang frowned at your suggestion but obliged, knowing you want things to be okay between the three of you. your eyes scan the seats until it lands on the back of seonghwa’s head. you look at yeosang before moving forward, he himself barely a step behind you.

seonghwa stands when he sees the two of you, embracing you with a tight hug before looking at yeosang. you never though you’d see the two of them together, the sight strange as you watch them interact. seonghwa holds out his hand and yeosang shakes it firmly. you can see the gears turn in your best friend’s head as he embraces his hand. it’s similar to the look you’re sure you gave him when you first met. you all sit down, you across from seonghwa and yeosang next to you. they exchange greetings as the waiter comes and places menus in front of you.

“you’re cold yeosang,” seonghwa says after a moment, looking at you briefly. “you’re just like y/n. no gloves?”

“naturally cold,” yeosang murmurs. you haven’t noticed before, but the set of yeosang’s shoulders are a bit tense. likely due to the topic of conversation. you decided together that it would be best to speak to seonghwa about his… condition, in person. depending on how the conversation turns, you want to tell him tonight. not in the restaurant.

“pick what you wanted?” you look at seonghwa, and he mulls over the menu. you envy him in situations like this - he’s quiet, but he never lets the lull of silence bother him.

“yep, the usual.”

oh, maybe not this time. the silence is almost painful.

“i’ve gone here a few times,” yeosang speaks up, glancing over the food. “the last time i came the hamburgers were delightful. fries a bit too soggy for my taste,” he sighs, frowning. “at least the chicken i ordered was crispy.”

“chicken it is then,” you nudge him.

the waiter comes back as you place your orders.

your hands are folded in your lap, holding yourself back from biting your lip. seonghwa wanted the two of you to come for a reason, and though you don’t expect it to be said immediately once you’ve sat down, the anticipation is wearing you down.

“i’ve known birdie since we were kids,” seonghwa begins, taking a sip of his soda. “she probably told you already, but we’ve been best friends since then. it was just recently when i realized that i love her in a romantic sense.”

“she has,” yeosang says simply.

“and you have no problem with that?” seonghwa’s brows furrow as he looks at yeosang. “nothing at all?”

“it might be surprising given the amount of time we’ve been together, but i do love her. and i have no issue with her loving someone else while being in a relationship with me,” yeosang shrugs. “all i want is open communication - if her feelings change or if yours change if we decide to move along with this, we just speak about it. it’s difficult, but that’s how something like this can work.”

seonghwa stares at him, “you’re serious about this? you're willing to share someone you love?”

“hwa,” you frown.

he sighs, “it’s just. i don’t want… i didn’t think i’d ever agree to anything like this,” he whispers. his fingers drag along the indentations of the wooden table, tongue dragging along his lips. “i thought you’d be with someone else and that’s true, it happened. but this?” he looks between you and yeosang. “it… i don’t want to be an afterthought. i don’t want to be treated like someone that could be thrown away. and it might be stupid of me to say anything like this because i know you better than i know myself, birdie. i know you wouldn’t hurt me that way. but it scares me. it fucking terrifies me that one day you will decide that this was stupid and give up on me after some time. that’s what i’m worried about most.”

yeosang does not respond, knowing it’s your chance to speak this time.

“i know how hard this is to wrap your head around,” you say, gaze glued to his face, though he does not meet your eyes. “when i finally confessed to yeosang, we both knew that i haven't moved on from you, and despite my own insistent yeosang encouraged me to settle my feelings before pursuing something with him. and at the time i could imagine my life with him, i really could. but having you not there with me, i don't think i'd ever move on from you, seonghwa. feelings are very fragile, and the very last thing i'd ever think of doing is hurting you. i love you, and i want this to work. between us.”

seonghwa does not say anything, likely digesting the words you say the food arrives moments later. all of you that the waiter for the meal.

“i know my words are less impactful since we are not well acquainted,” yeosang takes a small bite of his fries. “but i would like for you to know something, if i may.”

seonghwa nods.

“when y/n and i arrived here, no, just before, she spoke to me about you. explained your emotions, how you react to certain things and phrases. told me of your likes and dislikes, of topics to tread lightly on and to be aware of. she didn't even want me to hold her hand when we arrived out of fear it would turn you off.”

the temperature in the room grows, your own face warming. he does not mean to embarrass you but you can feel the emotion manifesting.

“she was afraid when i spoke to her about you, when i asked questions. corrected me when my assumption about you was incorrect, scolded me when i said something out of line. these conversations, these little talks between us – from that alone i could tell that y/n loves you more than she even knows. and you and i both know she is kind hearted. her heart is full of love. she loves you truly, without restraint.”

yeosang passes seonghwa his fries, “it would be a shame to not try, at least. see if it is comfortable. we all don't have to be together each time we meet. you can meet separately if it feels strange to have me around. our relationships with one another will be separate.”

“are you interested in men?” seonghwa asks him. yeosang's sweet cheeks lift at the question.

“i don't have a preference, i just enjoy people. but if you wonder if i am attracted to you,” yeosang glances at you for a brief moment. it is something he does often to see if you are uncomfortable. the expression on your face must be neutral enough for him to continue. “you aren't bad on the eyes. i don't anticipate a relationship between us, though. my heart is occupied by y/n right now.”

there is a bit of silence that simmering between the two of you.

“i don’t want to jump into anything right away,” seonghwa starts, thanking yeosang for the fries. “even though i did confess to birdie right when we both met again, i didn’t really know the circumstances of what’s happened over these months. i do, though, want to continue something with her. and seeing as you’re both okay with that, i am too. we can just take it slow, then?”

you can’t hide the smile slowly rising on your face, the softness in seonghwa’s eyes forming as he takes in your expression. “we can,” you agree.

“and you don’t have to not touch each other while i’m around,” seonghwa adds in, chuckling when he sees your movements still. “it doesn’t make me uncomfortable in the slightest, you know.”

“i didn’t want anything to be too much,” you admit beneath your breath. yeosang slides closer to you almost immediately after seonghwa’s blessing, a snort escaping your lips at his enthusiasm. “way to play it cool.”

“i like touching you,” yeosang shrugs.

the night slows down after that, small banter back and forth between the three of you. seonghwa warms up as the hours pass, and soon enough the employees begin cleaning up the cafe, a signal for you to leave. yeosang takes his hand in yours as you stand, the cool temperature of his hand making you shiver. seonghwa follows by your opposing side as you walk out, the cold night more than chilling. the lump in your throat is massive as you look at seonghwa, knowing that you have to tell him what yeosang is. that you can’t hide it from him if you want this to work. yeosang knows this as well, thumb rubbing small circles into your palm.

“seonghwa, before we move things forward there’s something else you need to know,” you start, grip tightening around yeosang’s hands. “it’s important.”

the familiar worried look settles in his eyes as he looks between the both of you. things were moving forward so well, it hurts that you need to bring this up at all. but you trust seonghwa, more than you trust yourself. he wouldn’t tell a soul what he knows if you didn’t want him to.

“better to let it out in the open,” he says slowly.

“would you…” you trail off, gaze moving just behind seonghwa. yeosang steps forward as seonghwa turns around, his hand leaving yours. the sight is hard to watch.

the man’s hands wrapped around the woman’s body, pulling her into him. from a quick glance it would just look like they’re wrapped in a lover’s embrace, but you can see the dark shine on her neck, the way his hands are still around her, the limpness of her body. if she is not dead she is soon to be. even in the night you can see how pale she is from where you stand.

“what’s going on?” seonghwa asks, looking at you. you're unable to respond, yeosang leaving the two of you by yourselves. you can remember how he told you there were no vampires around, rarely do they ever even appear in your town. so seeing one so blatantly suck the life out of a person in front of you allows dread to slide over you. seonghwa takes a step forward but you grip his forearm so tightly, you’re sure to leave a bruise. he looks down at you in confusion, eyes widening when he sees the fear on your face.

“y/n, you have to let me go help-”

the sound resonates around the two of you. your heads whip in the direction of the crime, the woman’s body slumped against the pavement as the two vampires fight. it’s too fast for your eyes to keep up, but you do see it. the wooden stake shoved into yeosang’s chest and sticking out from the back. seonghwa is as stunned as you are, your heart dropping when you see his injury. another loud crack echoes through the air. yeosang falls to his knees, hands pressed against the ground to hold himself up. he moves again, slow enough to see him collapse in the nearby park, hidden behind the thickened bushes.

you let go of seonghwa and run over, first glancing at the woman on the ground. her eyes are open and glazed over, life no longer with her. seonghwa is just behind you, stopping for a moment to gaze at the woman's body. there's nothing the two of you can do – but neither of you reach to dial the police. you move near yeosang, but seonghwa is first.

“birdie, what the hell,” his hand wrapped around your forearm is steel, brows furrowed tightly as he holds you behind his body. his gaze has not left the crouched over body of yeosang, the hole in his chest slowly closing. you watch as the parts begin to mend, muscles stretching across the gap, ribs forming in its absence. the sight itself is gory, your own eyes elsewhere as yeosang dry heaves. it is ironic to say that your own heart is breaking looking at him, but you cannot describe it any other way. you push past your fear and begin moving toward him again but seonghwa does not lose strength in his hold on you.

“hwa, let go.”

“you’re not getting near him. he’s not… he’s–”

“seonghwa. he’s not human, i know,” you interrupt his stuttered words. his head turns immediately to look at you, eyes flicking between yours. hurt and confusion mix together. his hold loosens enough that you pull away from him, crouching next to yeosang. his hand reaches for yours and you grasp it without another word, lips pressed against the back of it. you don’t think of how it’s coated with blood or how it’s not his. no. all you do is wait and watch. his shuddered breaths, trembling lips. eyes closed.

“what’s going on?” seonghwa has not moved from his spot but he has not backed away either, watching the two of you. “is he some type of experiment?”

“a vampire, just like the one that attacked that woman,” you say. “we were going to tell you hwa, until it happened. it was going to be easier to explain.”

“not sure anything like that is easy to explain, y/n,” he moves closer. you hear him crouching down next to you. he is afraid, that you can clearly see. but he does not leave your side, eyes stuck on your crumbled partner. “is he… will he be okay?”

“yes,” you murmur. “i think so. i hope so.”

“is there nothing we can do? to speed up the process?”

it’s surprising how easy he is taking in this information. you glance over for a moment, eyes flicking to his hand that touches yeosang’s free one. their fingers are entwined, seonghwa’s trembling in his hold.

“blood, probably,” you whisper low, hoping that yeosang is too focused on his healing to hear you say it. “but i don’t think–”

“no,” his tone is hoarse as it escapes his blood coated lips, head shaking slightly. “no.”

“no then,” seonghwa says. “we wait?”

yeosang slowly nods. “yes.”

and that is what you do. hidden in the moonless night, tucked beneath the tree seonghwa and you used to rest when you were children, staring at the man you love mending himself.

–

it takes a little more than a hour before yeosang is able to stand up on his own. seonghwa and you help him to his feet. he does not waste any time in letting apologies spill from his body, chest heaving. you silence them with a small smile and a shake of your head. seonghwa shuts it down well, lifting yeosang’s arm to let it wrap around his shoulder. he assists him with walking to yeosang’s car. you climb in the backseat first, helping seonghwa lower him down to the seats, his body lying horizontally, head resting against your thighs. your fingers push his blood soaked locks away from his face, unable to control your own trembling. he turns his head slightly, pressing a small kiss to your pants.

“i’ll be fine, pretty.”

seonghwa climbs into the front seat. he adjusts his mirror to focus on the two of you. your eyes meet in the reflection, your worried gaze meeting his identical one. it is something you love about him. how easy it is for him to care despite the circumstances. he asked you just before if he should call the police but both yeosang and yourself denied the request. there's no way to explain what happened tonight. nothing that would end up letting the three of you leave without question. seonghwa drives slow, apologizing each time the road hits a bump. yeosang murmurs no need as he does it, eventually making it to his complex. the two of you pause for a moment, thinking. how could you bring him through the lobby when he looks like he’s walked out of a murder scene?

“garage has a private entrance. the key is in the glove compartment,” he gestures forward. seonghwa reaches over and takes it out, quickly opening the driver’s door to help yeosang out. the movements are quick as you do so, cameras around the garage increasing your worry. you enter the elevator, seonghwa passing you to the key. you glance at the two of them before shutting the doors, turning the key and hitting the top floor.

yeosang snickers at you, head resting against seonghwa’s shoulder. “you know what they say about vampires not being seen in reflections? works here too.”

“i can see you in the mirror, yeo,” you frown.

“if i let you, yes,” he takes in a long breath, clearing his throat. “i’m able to hide myself enough that outsiders cannot see. so, the guards would just see the two of you carrying around an invisible person. i only suggested the garage because it would be too hard to explain carrying a body they cannot see. i wonder how it would look,” he chuckles, his cough overcoming it. seonghwa and you exchange a worried look as the elevator ascends.

“i’m fine,” he mumbles, clearing his throat. “just a blood bag and rest. you can leave once you drop me off. the both of you.”

“no.” “absolutely not.”

yeosang does not protest, but you can see the disgruntled expression on his face. once he's stable enough, likely after a few more hours, you know he's going to scold you for hanging around while he's like this. it wouldn't be the first time you've run away. but you cannot do such a thing now. your mind would wander if you left him in this apartment. if the attack was truly random maybe you'd be less worried. nevertheless, he's one of your loved ones. you'd never forgive yourself for leaving him alone. and with you staying, seonghwa won't leave. not until he understands everything that's happening.

the elevator doors slide open, your steps matching their slow ones as you enter the apartment. seonghwa helps guide yeosang to his room with instructions. you enter the kitchen, opening the fridge door. the bags line each shelf, cold to the touch. does he want you to warm it up?

“this is true, then?” the stool slides against the hardwood floor as seonghwa sits, eyes on the open refrigerator. “he's really a vampire?”

“as real as he'll ever be,” you play the bag in the microwave, hitting the timer. “i was as shocked as you are now when i found out.”

“and it doesn't scare you?”

you hold your tongue. does it? before, you were downright afraid of being in the same room with him. you've grown used to his true nature, your love superseding any uncomfortable feelings that appeared. but are you still afraid, deep down?

“it did,” you admit, keeping the bag closed. you stare at it, thinking. “but i love him, hwa. if he were a secret dragon or a shape-shifting hybrid creature i'd still love him.” and that is true. there is no hesitancy in your voice. you love him. you tuck the bag beneath your arm, giving seonghwa a quick squeeze on his arm before entering yeosang's room.

he stares at the ceiling, chest rising and falling slowly. he somehow looks paler, the warm amber lamp shining on his skin. he tilts his head, blinking slowly as he smiles at you. you take the bag out of your hand, placing it in his. he pauses as he stares at it, nail tracing around the outline of it.

“thank you,” his tone is low. “you didn’t… when you saw the woman, you were calm.”

you see her sullen, cold face in your mind as he mentions it. it makes your throat tighten a bit, but it's not an unfamiliar sight. ��seonghwa and i, before we had our current jobs, we were in medical school. cadavers were something quite common to see. the only reason why i didn't freak out,” you admit. “i doubt i’d forget anytime soon, though.”

“i'm sorry y/n,” he places the bag to the side of him, hand reaching for yours. you lift yours with ease, letting him entwine your fingers. “i should have told you to leave. i would have been fine alone, i let you see it. i could have done something quicker –”

“you're not blaming this on yourself, are you?” you stare at him in confusion. “you didn't cause her death, yeosang. this isn't your fault in any way.”

“i thought, when we left the restaurant, the smell outside was vaguely familiar. it smelled of death. i pushed past it because i thought it was just me imagining things. if i truly, truly let it settle this wouldn't have happened. i could have saved her.”

“listen to me carefully,” you lift your free hand, resting it against the side of his face. his eyelids close. “you are not at fault, yeosang. this is not your fault. you didn't kill her. you tried your best to save her. you almost died trying, yeo,” your gaze moves to his chest, the open wound merely a smaller hole now. “you did everything you could. sometimes it just doesn't work out the way we want it to.”

“the vampire is still out there,” he whispers.

that is true. wherever it came from, it still roams the streets. and if what yeosang believes is true truly is, there's nothing stopping him from feeding on more innocents. soon enough the murders will raise suspicion, grow fear in the community. it worries you that's for certain.

“there's nothing to be done right now unless you're well.”

his lips tilt downward a bit, but he doesn't say anything to deny your words. “you can go for the night if you'd like, pretty.”

“i'm staying,” you reach for the bag around him, placing it back in his hands. “i'll be in the living room with seonghwa. bother me anytime you want.” you go to stand, but yeosang's grip on your fingers does not loosen. “yeo–?”

“not just my apartment, y/n. if this… if all of this is too much for you, i wouldn't blame you if you decided to leave me.”

“i’ve told you before-”

“and i’m asking you again.” he interrupts you, eyes unblinking. “i love you, and i know this relationship we have will put you in danger. just because i rarely am around vampires does not mean someone won’t appear in the future. i’d never want to put you in harm’s way, and i need you to know now that that will happen. i’ll try my best to protect you, but there may be a time that i won’t be able. i need you to think about this, carefully. i wouldn’t mind if you stayed the night to think it through, and if it takes longer than the night i’ll understand. just, don’t say yes because you care for me. think of your future, of what you’ll be risking if you stay.”

you lean down, lips pressing against his birthmark. “i will. get some rest, okay?”

his nod is shallow, letting go of your arm. you give him one last look before closing the door completely, locking it behind you.

seonghwa sits on the edge of the couch, mindlessly clicking through the channels. his gaze shifts to you once you enter, bored eyes brightening as they move to yours. “is he alright?”

you sit next to him, adjusting yourself on the couch. “he’s as good as he can be. hopefully better tomorrow.”

he nodes slowly, “are you okay?”

that’s a more difficult question to answer. “he was there for me when i let myself drown in my sorrow. i drank so much a few months ago. it made me forget what i lost. seeing him right now, so defeated, i just don’t know what to do to help him. i feel stuck a bit, you know?”

there is no question why you did that, how you ended up that way. it was your own heartache that thought it would be best to mend yourself with alcohol. you’d never blame it on seonghwa and he’d never suggest doing so. but you can see in his eyes, how they grace their gaze on you, how the lump of his adam’s apple tightens as he swallows. you reach over, hand covering his own, a small pinch of skin between your nails.

“it’s better now.”

he nods slowly, lids fluttering. “i hope so.”

“yeosang helped with it,” you say again, gaze subconsciously roaming to his closed bedroom door. “it was a lot to deal with on my own and he was there to pull me out of it. i haven’t touched alcohol since.”

“i’m glad he was there for you,” seonghwa holds your hand, playing with your fingers. “i hope i can be there too.”

“you’re here now even though you don’t need to be,” you say simply. “you're scared of him but you haven't said anything to discourage me. you're scared, and you're still here. i went through a lot back then seonghwa and i have so much more to work on, but i won't do anything like that again. you're here for me, and i will not leave you.”

he takes in a long breath, eyes closing. “i know. but it's nice to hear you say it, birdie.” he tilts his head to look at you. “all we can do right now is wait and see if he needs anything. i can tell from knowing him for a day now, he seems a bit stubborn.”

you frown, “takes one to know one.”

he snickers, tongue dragging across his chapped lips. “ha ha.”

“now there’s two of you i have to deal with?” wooyoung stands there, arms crossed as it flicks between seonghwa and yourself. yeosang did warn you before you slept that he may be dropping by since he told him of the incident, but you didn’t expect it so early in the morning. dawn just breaking. you barely slept, a couple of hours of sleep obvious in the way you stand. seonghwa stands slightly in front of you, unmoving as wooyoung enters the home. his eyes meet yours, questions in their gaze, but there’s nothing to really explain from your side. you know wooyoung as well as he does.

his hair seems a bit longer since the last you saw him, pulled back from his face with a hairband. he throws down the duffle bag on yeosang’s couch, rubbing his face. “you saw the fuck, right?”

with brows knotting together, “excuse me?”

“the immortal, the nightwalker. vampire, whatever. you saw him?” wooyoung turns to look at you, eyes flicking up to seonghwa. “both of you did?”

“yes-”

“did he see you?”

you cannot really remember, but he had to have seen either you or seonghwa. the encounter was brief, but you weren’t too far away to go unnoticed. the possibility of him seeing you rather than not is really high. still, you cannot be too sure of it. “maybe.”

“yes or no, it’s a simple question sweetheart.”

“how the hell are we supposed to know when it was pitch black outside?” harshness etches seonghwa’s words as he frowns at wooyoung.

“easy there, flesh sack,” wooyoung raises his hands, grinning. his canines dig into his lower lip as he does so, turning back around to dig through his back. “if the guy did see you, it means that he knows you hang around the immortal who almost killed him. puts a target on both of your backs. but if he didn’t see you, you’re safe for now. until he comes poking around here, that is,” he pulls several things from his bag - knives, small containers of unknown substances, clothing. he pauses for a moment, thinking. “i think this is enough for the two of you.”

“for what exactly?”

wooyoung grins, brow raised, “for killing a vampire, stupid girl.”

the door to yeosang’s bedroom creaks open just as you're about to retort. you see his pale hand first, fingers outstretched against the wall as he steadies himself. he looks a bit better than last night, hair frazzled, face a bit sunk in. and despite all of that he still looks aggravatingly handsome. life is never fair. he coughs, slowly making his way into the room. he notices how you look at him with worry, lips closed as he meets your gaze. the expression disappears when he looks at wooyoung. annoyance clear.

“haven't i discussed this with you already? you speak to her with dignity, not insults. she's done nothing to you.”

“all humans are stupid, it wasn't just meant for her,” he shrugs, avoiding the look his friend gives him. “but apologies, human. and other brooding human.” the glazed look he gives seonghwa does not go unnoticed by anyone in the room. you grab a pillow and throw it in his face, a whine escaping his lips. “hey–”

“focus, wooyoung,” yeosang merely sighs, but you can see the laughter on the cusp of his stern statement, squeezing your arm. “now's not the time for one of your conquests. we have to kill him.”

he murmurs something beneath his breath, shooting you a glare before sighing. “it won't be as easy as i thought. he's turned.”

defeat settles in yeosang's gaze, “are you for sure?”

“no born acts the way he has. draining a human in public, no care for the consequences? i know you've been preoccupied lately, but there's been a string of murders around here. three dead humans in two weeks. it's unsettling. unsettling enough for others to take notice, yeosang.”

yeosang's lips tighten. “perfect.”

“sorry to interrupt, but would you please explain for the two humans?” you ask. yeosang looks between the both of you, thinking.

“you two must leave town. it's not necessary to take others since they blend in. this town will be crawling with my kind, and they will target you.”

“yeosang, what are you saying–”

“y/n,” wooyoung interrupts. “listen to your immortal lover, okay? newborns causing chaos in a town bring out the born vampires. and not just one or two. they come in groups, they scour the town for the one who has been causing this to stop it. to keep our secret hidden. and we can only last a day or so without a drink. you get what i’m saying?” wooyoung looks at seonghwa. “you're already around a vampire yourself. yeosang has not placed a claim on either of you, but we can smell you. we know. our kind target humans like you first. they may attempt to mark you.”

seeing the confused looks on your faces unmoving, wooyoung turns to yeosang. “have you not explained anything to them?”

“we've been preoccupied with other things as of late.”

wooyoung shakes his head, “we're wasting time like this. look,” wooyoung holds out his arm, sinking his teeth into his skin. dark blood seeps out from the bite, dripping to the wood below your feet. “when we bite, our fangs extract a sort of poison, i suppose. it enters a human's bloodstream. your scent changes, and you become only desirable to the one you have been marked by. it's our way of having our own blood supply at all times. since yeosang has not done that to either of you, you're not safe. others will want you because you smell like a vampire, so it's presumed that you know of us already. they will make you their feeding station. rarely do humans survive more than a week. so, get your little buddy here, grab some knives before you go, and get out of here. far away, preferably. i'm not interested in saving humans who don't listen. and as you can tell, i'm only here for my best friend, not the two of you.”

“kindness will take you far,” yeosang says softly. he looks at you and seonghwa. “can we speak alone for a moment? in my room?”

you follow yeosang, said man stopping briefly when he sees seonghwa not following. “you as well, seonghwa. it's important for both of you to know.”

surprise swallows seonghwa's expression as he follows the two of you into yeosang's room, the door shutting behind him. he pinches the bridge of his nose, a long breath escaping him. neither of you interrupt, letting him settle his train of thoughts instead.

“this is a larger problem than i presumed it to be. if it were an older vampire i would have been able to track it down by myself tonight. as you can see, plans have changed. i… i know its sudden to leave the place you know, but i hope you do. even my apartment now is not safe for the two of you. in another city, farther away from here, you will be okay. you will blend in. this one is too small, and i'll worry. for the both of you.” yeosang looks at seonghwa. “it's important that you take my words seriously when i say this. please leave until i tell you to come back. call off work and use my cards to care for yourselves if you lack funds. wooyoung took the liberty of booking a hotel before he came. it's a suite of some hotel line he often uses. it has enough room for several people if needed.”

“you’ll be okay?” you ask. yeosang steps closer to you, pressing his forehead against yours. the temperature of his skin was always enough to calm you down, but your heart still beats on wildly. if the vampire nearly killed him last night, there’s a chance it could do the same when you go.

“i have backup now, pretty,” his thumbs brushes your cheek, tilting your head to meet his gaze. “do you trust me?”

“of course.”

he presses his lips against your forehead against before stepping back, “seonghwa, stay safe as well. you risked yourself for me yesterday without knowing me for more than a few hours,” his lip tilts, arms resting against his chest. “not many beings in this world would do the same.”

“you’ve done all that you can, yeosang, it’s little for me to give back to you,” seonghwa holds out his hand. yeosang takes it, but instead of a handshake, he pulls him into his body, arms wrapped around his torso as he gives him a hug. the sight is humorous in itself - yeosang isn’t one to initiate embraces wit others. seonghwa looks taken aback for a moment, before patting yeosang’s back. you hold back your laugh, glancing between the two.

“hate to break up the love fest,” wooyoung swings open the door, frowning. “but i can smell them coming. best to leave now rather than later.”

you give yeosang another quick hug before turning around, seonghwa following close behind. his step around wooyoung is obviously keeping a distance between them, wooyoung himself grinning at his actions.

“if you ever grow tired of these two, you always have me loverboy,” wooyoung laughs, an ouch escaping his lips immediately after. you snicker, sliding your hand into seonghwa’s and leaving the two vampires alone.

traveling to the hotel is quiet. you texted hongjoong soon after leaving the condo and explained enough to him - he told you he wouldn’t leave his home no matter the circumstances. it settled your heart enough, trusting his words. seonghwa and yourself were never really much for talking, moreso now since your mind is somewhere else entirely. you trust yeosang. you trust him entirely, but worry has always been at the forefront of your mind. if you could you would have stayed with him. but your presence would only be a hindrance. having him distracted worrying for you while there’s a danger creeping through the streets of your neighborhood is the last thing you want. and despite how much you dislike wooyoung, you’re thankful for him being there. if yeosang trusts him, so do you.

seonghwa is glued to your side the entire way. hand never leaving yours, arm brushing if it must for a brief moment. little space exists between the two of you. being best friends you rarely ever gone a day without speaking, but it feels entirely different now. his touch somehow feels more present in your mind. his gaze heavier as it rests on you. knowing he cares for you the same makes even the brush of his thumb feel different. the way he holds his straw between his lips as he takes a sip, adjusts his jacket, holds the door open for you - it is all alluring.

you rub the sides of your mouth, trying to push those silly thoughts away. now’s not the time to fixate on little things.

“birdie, though i love your trust in me, please keep an eye on where you walk,” seonghwa nudges you slightly, pulling you around the layer crater in the sidewalk. “i’d rather you not hurt yourself while we’re away from home.”

“sorry,”

“no need,” he tucks your arm around his, guiding you down the street. “there’s a lot happening. it’s hard not to concentrate on it.”

“you think he’ll be okay?” the question is more for yourself to answer than seonghwa, but he takes the bait, stopping at a red light.

“from what i’ve seen thus far, i do,” he nods. “and he’s not alone now. he has his friend with him. i’m sure two can take down one.” seonghwa chooses his words carefully, walking around at the change of the signal. “he loves you too much to leave you behind, birdie.”

“i love him too,” you say, and seonghwa smiles.

“i know,” he looks down at his phone, brows furrowing. “this is the hotel?”

the two of you look at the building ahead. it’s tucked between two large business structures, brands you’ve only seen in ads not target towards you. the hotel could be the fanciest place you’ve ever entered. you glance between him and yourself, clothing thrown together at the last minute. neither of you appear wealthy enough to even look at this place, let alone stay in it. you look at the confirmation wooyoung sent over briefly.

“it’s the place,” you sigh. “a warning to look decent would have been nice.”

entering the lobby is surprising. no one gives you strange looks, customer services unlike anything you’ve experienced. you barely get a word out before bell hops take your bags and guide you to an elevator hidden behind the guard’s desk. they bow as the doors close, seonghwa and you matching the gesture as the doors close. all of it is enough to make seonghwa lean against the wall of the elevator, exhaustion coating his features.

“what did that weasel tell the hotel we were? chaebols?”

the thought doesn’t surprise you at all. from what you’ve seen - seen enough - of wooyoung, you don’t doubt he’d be able to convince everyone that you two were that important. the staff almost insisted on giving you a new pair of shoes to wear before you ran away. the elevator door slides open, the room appearing before you. the two of you hesitate before entering.

the decor is obnoxiously expensive, enough so that you doubt anyone has step foot into this place in months. you place your bag on the dating lined chair carefully.

“so he's a pretentious asshole then?” seonghwa murmurs. you snicker, making your way around the room. “i know they've been around for a while, but i just can't imagine having enough money to afford a place like this.” seonghwa touches the bed that lies in the middle of the room. a box full of chocolates sits on top of the towel in the middle, expensive wine resting next to it. seonghwa's brows furrow as he picks it up. “1954, birdie. it's older than our parents.” he places it carefully on the kitchen table, shaking his head. “it's probably worth more than we'd make in thirty years.”

“he has expensive taste,” you murmur, pushing it further to the middle. your phone vibrates, yeosang's contact appears across the screen. you press it without another thought, reading the message quickly.

yeosang: the two of us will be busy tonight – wooyoung told me he left a few things in the fridge and out and about. also said not to worry about the cost :/ i love you, pretty girl. take care of seonghwa. it shouldn't be more than a few days.

you: please be safe, i love you. tell wooyoung to stay safe too.

yeosang: ♡

“he'll be mia?” seonghwa asks, and you nod, plugging your phone into a nearby outlet.

“he said to take care, and to have anything we'd like. i guess wooyoung already paid in advance,” you sit down at the counter, folding your hands. seonghwa takes the chair across from you, carefully sitting down. you can't help but laugh, his cheeks tinting at the sound.

“they won't charge for your ass print in the cloth.”

he narrows his eyes at you, a slight pout forming on his lips. it's endearing, enough to push your worries far behind. if ever so brief.

“it's best to be careful.”

the next few days are uneventful. yeosang sends you updates in the morning and at night, voice messages filling the air as you wait for anything significant. seonghwa and you slowly grow used to the change in your relationship. it's easier for your lips to press against his temple, his on your cheek. nothing is rushed, no one's boundaries pushed. you tell him stories of things you've done while you two weren't speaking, and he tells you the same. your laughter warms up the cold, emotionless hotel room. on the first and second day seonghwa insisted that you take the largest bed in the middle of the room, he himself sleeping on the couch not too far away. there's other bedrooms around but he's never mentioned it. you know it's for the two of you – just because danger is farther away doesn't mean it can't happen. but on the third he sleeps next to you, fingers reaching for the other's. it is on the sixth day, sitting on the couch near each other, when you receive the call. you're too engrossed in the film to hear your phone vibrate, only the second time when there's a bit of silence do you notice.

seonghwa pauses the movie as you place the phone on speaker, yeosang's photo with you coveting the screen.

“hi yeo–”

“hide. now.” wooyoung’s voice speaks through, quick, resolute. “he found you. you have a couple of minutes, maybe less. we're on our way, but he'll make it first.”

the call ends. you freeze, unable to move. seonghwa grips your arm and pulls you, turning off the television and grabbing your phone off the counter. he hurriedly enters a spare bedroom, glancing around quickly before entering the walk-in closet. he digs through the bag wooyoung gave the two of you, passing you a knife. you take it from him, gripping it tightly. neither of you say a word as you wait. your heartbeat throbs against your eardrum, the thought of a vampire wanting to kill you crawling through the hotel room – if you could only cry. seonghwa sprays the mist around the two of you. wooyoung told you it'd hide your scent temporarily.

seonghwa stares at the closet door, his body fully in front of yours. it shakes, but he holds himself with strength. waiting just as you are.

wood cracking against the wall echoes around the suite. you flinch, hand covering your mouth. you concentrate, desperate to not be the one who tells your position, causes the two of you to die.

glass shatters in the kitchen. before you know it, the closet door is thrown open. you can barely blink before the vampire grips seonghwa’s neck, clawing through it completely. your scream is barely heard over the surrounding chaos in the apartment. you chase after, knife in your hands. the vampire looks at you, eyes narrowing once it sees the weapon in your fingers. still holding seonghwa, it moves to you, fist slamming into your stomach and throwing you to the floor.

“shit,” wooyoung grips the vampire’s neck, dragging him off of seonghwa. there’s little skin on him that’s not torn apart, barely much left in front of you. you crawl over to him, hands hovering over his body, unable to figure out what to do. his gaze slides over to you, shaky hand reaching to grip yours. you do so without missing a beat. their fight continues behind you.

“he’s going to die unless i do something,” yeosang appears next to you. his own body is covered with blood, staining his clothing. he doesn’t look at you but instead, cups seonghwa’s chin and turns his gaze to focus on him. “do you want to die, or become one of us?”

“yeosang-”

he ignores you, eyes on seonghwa. “nod yes, move your eyes up and down if you want to. you’re going to die if not. there’s nothing left to save.”

you want to say something, anything. but yeosang would know better than you. if you called an ambulance, there’s still not enough time for them to do anything worthwhile. if seonghwa says no, he dies. he will die.

you look at seonghwa. his eyes flick to the side, to you. before closing. his nod is barely visible but you see it. you see him shake his head up and down. yeosang’s nail drags across his wrist and presses it against seonghwa’s mouth. he leans down, teeth sinking into his neck. you look away, the muffled screams of seonghwa filling your ears.

“human, we need to get away, now.” wooyoung grabs your arm, pulling you to your feet. “it happens fast. newborns kill the first human they see. you can’t be here,” he tugs on you harshly now, throwing your body into his. you feel numb as he guides you away from your two partners, seonghwa’s body thrashing in pain the last thing you see before you’re pulled out the room.

you aren’t too sure the last time you’ve seen yeosang and seonghwa. wooyoung and hongjoong kept you company several times a week - either the nosy vampire or your friendly friend would stay around your apartment or work for hours at a time. it was to make sure you were okay, you know that, but it grew tiresome. they care for you and you’re endless grateful, but their faces popping up reminded you that the people you love are mia. the last time you heard from yeosang - seonghwa and him were across the country in the middle of nowhere. to teach seonghwa how to interact with humans without ripping their necks. wooyoung explained that for newborns it could take a while - from months to years. you’d wait endlessly for them to come back, that you know. but just… a simple video call would settle your heart a bit. even if it was only for a couple of seconds.

or perhaps you were just being selfish.

“surprise!” wooyoung enters your apartment (he somehow has a key?), several bags tucked beneath his arm. he drops them unceremoniously to the floor, the sound echoing around your place. hongjoong pops up in the doorway just behind him, grinning widely. ah, right.

hongjoong’s partner that he’s been interested in? well, the world is quite small. you just didn’t think the one he’s been writing poetry for would be jung wooyoung.

“go away,” you grumble into your coffee, steam fogging up your glasses. you wipe your index finger against the plastic in a windshield wiper motion, placing your cup to the side. “i said i am fine.”

“you’ve been saying that for months now, we know,” hongjoong points out.

your frown sinks into your cheeks. “then why are you here?”

“good news!” wooyoung hops over the suitcases, throwing his arms around you. you whine at the tight hug, struggling to pull away. he pinches your cheek, pulling away. “those stinky vampires of yours are home~!”

your eyes widen, moving around wooyoung to look at hongjoong. he nods in agreement. he holds up a suitcase. “we thought you might want to go and visit right away, so wooyoung grabbed all of my suitcases from my storage and brought them here.” he glances at them scattered about. “even though i told him we only needed maybe two.”

“yeah yeah,” wooyoung rolls his eyes at his partner, looking back at you. “ready to go?”

home isn’t what you expected it to be. what wooyoung meant by home was actually a large structure in the middle of the woods, dozens of miles away from city center. the idea of it being so far was obvious, but it just brings back the reminder of what happened. of what you’ve done to bring him into this situation. the guilt has sunk into you ever since it’s happened. you brought him around you, into this. and this is the end result.

hongjoong stayed behind for also obvious reasons, the car ride filled with wooyoung’s singing voice as he drove. you pull your luggage out of the car, wooyoung helping you with the other.

“he’s not the same as he was, y/n,” wooyoung explained on the way over. “be careful around him. he may look the same as the human you once knew, but he’s not. he’s a predator now. he can be set off at the slightest trigger.”

you grip the handle tightly as you make your way up the steps. you’re sure the two vampires can hear how your heart beats. trying to focus on settling it did nothing but make it go by faster. wooyoung stands rather close to you as you walk up, almost on top of you. precautionary enough.

“don’t mind if i stay with you three for a bit, right?” he asked you this in the car. “just in case.”

the front door swings open before you could ring the below. you barely get a chance to look at yeosang before his arms are around you, face tucked into the curve of your neck. he smells of mint and lavender, the scents filling your nose as you hug him back. he pulls back only slightly to press his lips against yours softly, hands cupping your face.

“i've counted the days i would get to see you again,” is the first thing that falls from his lips, thumb stroking your cheek. “remind me to never leave your side.”

“i've missed you too,” you say, smiling. you reach up, tucking his hair behind his ear to see his pretty mark. “a lot.”

“come inside,” yeosang glances at wooyoung just behind you. “thank you for bringing her safely.”

“you bet!”

you enter the foyer, the ceilings a couple of stories high. it's quite grand. you shouldn't expect anything less from him when you've slept in his apartment, but it still shakes you how wealthy he truly is. an amount of wealth you'd never get to attain in your short life. the whistle of a breeze makes your head turn to the sound, eyes widening slightly .

seonghwa does not move from where he stands, arms resting against his chest. you hold your breath as you look at him, taking the sight of him in. the last time you saw him he was soaked in blood, barely alive. seeing him fully healed makes the anxiety in your heart lessen. he does not move from where he is, but you can see the look in his eyes. desperate. unsure of what exactly, but your guess wouldn't be far off.

he does look different though.

his skin is clear of blemishes, hair healthier, gaze more focused. oddly still, much like yeosang and wooyoung. you've come to realize all vampires have that slight eerie feeling around them. it's something you've grown used to, makes it easier to spot one. yeosang's hand slides to rests on your waist, holding you close to his side. seonghwa follows the movements, brows slightly furrowed.

“you're okay,” you whisper.

he immediately meets your eyes again. he opens his mouth to speak, closing it again. you can see how his eyes shift to yeosang, not saying a word.

“seonghwa is…” yeosang pauses. “he's been around humans to make sure everything is okay but, he still struggles. i told him that you'll be coming and he didn't think he was ready. i pushed him a bit for this, i admit.”

oh.

he didn't want to see you. no wonder he doesn't move from where he is. the disappointment must clearly be on your face, because seonghwa finally speaks for himself.

“i'm sorry,” voice strained, barely above a whisper. “i'm scared of hurting you, y/n.”

y/n. not birdie.

you nod, reaching to grab your bag in the doorway. wooyoung already has it, stepping past you and hongjoong. he nudges seonghwa on his way past him, “help me put this stuff in her room.”

“okay,” he slowly reaches for the handle, delicately wrapping his fingers around it. the sound isn't loud, but you hear the cracks echo around the quiet home. no one says anything. you try to not make any obvious surprised movements, but you suck in your breath ever so slightly. seonghwa turns to look at you.

fear. fear is what you see now.

“i'm sorry, i didn't mean to, i–”

“no worries,” you say quickly. “it's hongjoong's, not mine. im sure he has so many more thrown around his house somewhere.”

he disappears around the corner with wooyoung. once he does, yeosang pulls you outside, shutting the front door behind him. neither of you exchange words as you walk past the car and down the small dirt trail. his hand leaves your waist and slides into your fingers, holding you tightly. far enough away, he glances to you, lips in a straight line.

“this is hard for him. all of it,” yeosang admits, kicking a small rock out of the way as you meander. “in the beginning he was not… he wanted to die, y/n. and i told him to wait a few days, because newborns often feel that way in the beginning. the hunger is neverending for them. for me, i can feel full. newborns, they cannot. with every breath they want to fill what they have lost. that's why vampires rarely turn humans. it is a painful existence for a few years, never truly getting that burning feeling away until a decade or so has passed. if… if it were any other circumstance, i would have told him everything that comes with it. but we had little time, and he was dying. we had to make a decision then.”

“it must be tortuous for him then.”

yeosang nods slowly. “terribly so. which is why he did not want to see you. but he needs to eventually. it is difficult to explain, but we, our kind, feel emotions differently than humans. more intensely. his need to see you would only exemplify as days past. it would become uncontrollable. so me arranging this was for both his safety, yours, and all of us seeing each other again. he hates the idea right now, but it is better than him suddenly entering your home and doing something he may regret.”

“it's that bad? he would have killed me?”

yeosang moves his head up and down again. “he would have. he could still y/n. he could hurt you. that's why wooyoung will be staying with us as well. to watch him with me. just in case things go sideways.”

“too bad, i thought he was starting to like me,” you say cheerily, laughing at yeosang's frown. “listen, him and hongjoong have been bothering me every day you've been gone. if i hear one more joke i might actually lose it.”

yeosang laughs. “i don't doubt it.”

“but yeo,” you stop walking. “thank you. you… didn't need to do anything like this. you've been taking care of him, and i don't know how i’d ever truly let you know how grateful i really am. you saved him. you've taken care of him. i just,” you wrap your arms around him, sinking into his embrace. “i love you.”

“i love you too, pretty girl. and you don't need to thank me for something so simple. i told you i‘d care for anyone you care about.”

“this visit, yeosang,” you murmur into his chest. “if it's a lot too soon, i can leave before the night ends if that'll be better‐”

“no. and you coming wasn't only for him, i missed you too. and i'd rather you stay for a while.”

despite your worry you hum in agreement, tucking yourself further into his body.

—

neither of the two are around when you walk back instead with yeosang. he murmurs something about them in seonghwa's room as he guides you throughout the house. there isn't much decor around, quite empty, but he explains that he will be leaving his lease behind and moving into this home permanently. the drive with wooyoung took several hours of travel – him being so far away weighs on your mind a bit. you doubt there's anything out here that would hire you. which means less time you three would be together.

“the closest town is not too far down the road, just a few kilometers. they have a lot of places looking to hire, and apartments available if someone wanted to move closer,” yeosang notes.

“good to know.”

he opens your bedroom door. your suitcases rest at the foot of the bed. it's grand – similar to the suite you stayed in with seonghwa a few nights. it's a blank slate though, frames empty, dresser clear of items. your hand brushes along the carved design embedded into the wood, listening to yeosang speak.

“we kept it free of everything so you can pit your personal touch. is it okay?”

you turn around, noticing how worried he looks. you haven't really spoke to him throughout his tour, mind elsewhere. you smile at him, truly genuine. “it's more than okay.”

he lets out a low, relieved breath. “good. i grabbed things and put them in the cupboards. if you ever need anything, everything is up for grabs.”

“lunchtime!” wooyoung’s voice swallows the silence, echoing into your room. you let yeosang take the lead, his hand in yours as you walk down the steps. the clattering of plates and laughter are the first things you hear when you enter the kitchen. wooyoung places a bowl of ramyeon on the table as you enter behind yeosang.

“one bowl for the human, blood for the rest,” wine glasses click against the marble table, filled to the brim with the thickened liquid. yeosang sighs and takes it, glancing inside.

“feeding is usually done without y/n around, woo–"

“it’s an innocent drink, yeosang. nothing more.”

“it's fine,” seonghwa appears around the corner. his eyes rest on your hand holding yeosang's, taking his glass and sitting at the table. “i can handle it.”

“still…” yeosang mumbles. you sit in an empty seat, leaving a space between seonghwa and yourself. his hand tightens around the stem of his glass as you do so, wooyoung taking the spot in between both of you.

“i would have made it on my own but yeosang bought a fuck ton and piled them in the closet. would be a pity to let it go to waste.”

“thank you for the meal–”

“anything for my second favorite human,” wooyoung nudges you, downing his glasses.

conversation flows with ease around the table with the help of wooyoung. your flow of words does not come as easy, your demur obvious the more you try to come up with responses. yeosang can see it so you're sure the others can. after a few more minutes or so of this, the shattering of glass stops conversation. seonghwa stares at the pieces that have fallen, the stem crumbled beneath his harsh grip. his gaze flicks to yours.

“am i supposed to pretend this whole time?”

you thought you'd have a chance to speak to him alone about what happened. to somehow fix what's been broken over time. “hwa–”

“this fake conversation is just useless. you barely looked at me when you entered through the door. you don't even want to sit next to me. but youre all over him, your fingers haven't left his hand since we've sat down. you even went on a little stroll with him. is there nothing to say to me? nothing at all, y/n?”

there's so much to say. so so much. “seonghwa, you've been through a lot. i didn't want to spring everything on you when this is the first time we've seen each other in months–”

“you're still not looking at me.”

you look up from your bowl to stare at him. his irises aren't the dark brown you're used to seeing, light brown staring back. brows furrowed, lips downturned. a scowl the longer your eyes rest on his face. there isn't any warmth there as he looks at you. “i'm sorry.”

wooyoung pushes his chair back, slightly angling himself toward you. seonghwa looks at him briefly. “what do you think i'd do?”

“i don't know, newborn. you guys are kind of unpredictable.”

“wooyoung,” yeosang's voice is laced with warning.

“what? am i not allowed to tell the truth now?”

seonghwa scoffs, “no, please do. you'd be the only one saying it around here.”

“how about we all just take a moment, hm?” yeosang glances between the two of you. your hand has slipped from his once seonghwa has mentioned the touch, though the newborn’s eyes still burn on the space between you. “we haven’t see each other in a while. emotions are bound to rise. wooyoung, can you go out for a moment and leave us?”

wooyoung raises his brow at the suggestion but stands, patting seonghwa on the shoulder as he leaves the room. you’re sure he’s within hearing distance of the three of you, but it does bring a semblance of privacy.

“i didn’t… i thought you would have hated me after all of this,” you admit softly. “i’m not scared of you seonghwa, if that’s what you think. i’m just scared that you’ll never forgive me for what i brought you into. you didn’t choose this, you could have still been a human, oblivious to everything that’s happening. you wouldn’t have had to die,” you close your eyes for a moment, taking a long, deep breath. “i’ve just been waiting for you to blow up on me all day.”

“is that what you’d think i’d do?” seonghwa’s brows tighten, head shaking slightly. “is that what you truly think of me?”

“i wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

“birdie,” the way he says the nickname is soft, tender. he does not make a move to get closer to you, but he does shift his body so that it faces yours. “i’ve missed you this whole time. why would i hate you for what i chose? i could have left once i saw that other vampire, but i didn’t. i chose to stay with you, because i want to stay with you. i’d never blame you for it, you didn’t tell that vampire to hurt me. you tried to get it away. we both did. things happened.”

you hear his words, you do. but the longer you look at him, the longer you stare at the faint scar on his neck, the more it hurts. “it could have been prevented.”

“it could have.”

“but it wasn’t.”

he shakes his head, “it wasn’t.”

you stand up from your chair, seonghwa following your movements. you can feel how yeosang watches closely as you move to stand in front of seonghwa, your hand slowly reaching towards his skin. he seems to be holding his breath as you lightly touch his cheek, finger tracing the scar that crosses over his brow, jaggedly curving down to the corner of his lip.

“it hurt,” you whisper. “i could see that it did.”

“it was temporary.”

“you remember the feeling?”

“y/n,” yeosang speaks up this time, but seonghwa ignores him.

he wraps his arms around your waist, tugging you closer to his body. his chest falls at the breath escaping him, hands delicately wrapped around you. your hand does not leave the side of his face as he presses himself into you. “it was the worst pain i’ve ever experienced in my short life. it’s funny how back then i thought nothing would hurt more than you leaving me, and san breaking my heart. it was something so much more different than that.”

his grip around your body slowly tightens. it is not enough to be uncomfortable, but you’re aware of the lost look in his eyes, your fingers dragging around his scalp as he continues.

“i remember seeing you go, i remember yeosang giving me his blood and ending my life. i remember every second i’ve been away from you, every moment i’ve killed an animal because the hunger does not feel like it will end.”

his arms tighten more. this time, yeosang stands up.

“seonghwa, focus.”

he still ignores yeosang’s words, continuing. “every day i thought that you would come, you would call and check on me. but you never came, you never did. i thought that you hated me, i thought you were disgusted with what i’ve become. i thought you gave up on me.”

“i wouldn’t.”

his body shakes. you know from yeosang well that vampires cannot cry, but you feel something wet against the bottom of your sweater. you look down, eyes widening at what you see. instead of tears falling from his eyes, blood seeps through the ducts, dripping down his cheeks, staining the fabric. you try to move his focus but his hold continues to tighten.

it begins to hurt.

“seonghwa–” yeosang grips his arms, ripping them off of your body. you step back only slightly.

it is enough for him to lose himself.

the movements are quick. yeosang holds seonghwa around his waist, wooyoung moving around you to assist. seonghwa continues to sob as he reaches for you around them, jaw tightening, hands gripping their bodies. wooyoung looks back at you with sympathy, before pointing to the corridor.

“my room. now.”

vaguely remembering where it’s located, you quickly make your way to the back of the house. shattered glass and wood cracking echoes around the home as you quickly run up the stairs, entering wooyoung’s room and shutting the door. there’s not much inside aside from his suitcase open, clothes neatly laid out on the sheets.

a body slams against the bedroom door and your heart races, until a painful groan escapes seonghwa’s lips. despite how much you want to look out and see what’s wrong exactly, you don’t. the doorknob clicks and opens, yeosang entering the room and closing it behind him. his body pressed against the closed door as he breathes heavily, fingers running through his blonde hair. he looks at you, sliding down to sit in front of it. you move to sit across from him, gaze flicking between his.

“it was just a small misstep, his emotions are hard to control right now,” yeosang whispers softly, hand reaching for yours. you take it, his shoulders relaxing at your touch. “that subject, that night, it still hasn’t fully settled within him yet.”

“the blood?”

“normal,” he smiles at you. “turned can cry, but their tears make their food supply dwindle. wooyoung took him out to hunt. they’ll be back soon,” he swallows, thinking. “perhaps he was right. this might have been too much for him so soon. i might have been selfishly thinking of seeing you without really settling on what it would have done to him. don’t-” he presses his finger between your brows, rubbing it quickly- “make that face. it is actually my fault this time.”

“what do we do then?”

his head tilts as he leans it against the wood, looking at you. “depends. when they come back wooyoung can bring you back home, though i doubt he’d be amused with driving hours again. or you can stay in your room for the night and we bring you back tomorrow.”

“or…” he leans forward. “we try again. i watch him closely until i know it’s safe enough for you to be with him alone. and we go from there.”

“hm…” you press your finger against your lips, eyes tilted to the ceiling as you pretend to be in thought. yeosang laughs at you, pulling your finger away and pressing his lips against yours.

“i’m not one to assume, but i believe it’s number three?”

“ding!” you grin, and he rolls his eyes.

—

it was easier said than done.

much much easier said than done. wooyoung kept his distance when need be, but he often appeared just when you’ve forgotten him. they went out to feed several times a day, most occurring when yeosang saw a flicker of change in seonghwa when you spent time together. you couldn’t stay forever with them and eventually had to go back home, your weekends spent visiting the two when you could. it worked as good as it could have, though you did miss spontaneously visiting yeosang when you can, the trip now much too far for you to go on a work night. you missed the soft tap of yeosang’s fist against your apartment door, his shy smile as you turned the knob making a tired night less exhausting.

after that first night seonghwa has not crossed a line after it. his touch is often quick and never lingers, but you enjoy it nevertheless. the anger that resided in him became mute, his laughs echoing yours whenever you are around. nothing has really changed in your relationship aside from the lessened amount of touching, but that would grow in time. you’re just enjoying his presence, his light. there isn’t a day that goes by where you don’t video call him, whether it be to complain about your day or listen to his.

“does he miss me?” seonghwa’s voice is light as he asks, though you can feel how heavy the words are.

“he does. you never call him.”

“i know,” he sighs softly. “it’s… it feels different now. i’m not sure what to do if he wants to see me. i don’t know if i’ll be able to handle that.”

“hongjoong would understand, hwa. you know that. him and wooyoung are together almost everyday.”

sometimes you forget yourself how involved they are. until you call hongjoong and hear the recognizable laugh echoing in the back. he's understanding, endlessly, knows how difficult it is for seonghwa to approach him. you look at seonghwa in the call, thinking.

“you have that look on your face.”

“what…” the tone of your voice is pitched, hiding the smile. “we can video call now. if you want.”

“the three of us?”

you wouldn't let him go through it it alone if he didnt want it. “of course.”

dialing hongjoong's number is quick. his grin is wide when he answers, eyes widening when he sees seonghwa on the call as well. there's a brief silence before hongjoong breaks it with a silly joke of his. seonghwa’s laughs, and it moves on from there. eventually you leave them alone to catch up, the weight on your chest lifting. hours pass when you receive a message from the both of them separately.

hwa: im forever grateful for you, birdie. thank you.

hongjoong: dude… now what if i was naked?? at LEast prep me!

—

“there's no reason for you to be so cold!”

“i told you we're fine. aren't you going on a trip with hongjoong in a couple days? go bother him,” yeosang waves wooyoung off, hand pressed against his face as he tries to lean in for an embrace. he sighs, attempt forgotten as he looks at you. he gives you the familiar look – lips protruding, eyes narrowed. it would have worked if you didn't see the glare yeosang sinks into his face, unbeknownst to wooyoung.

so you merely shrug, adjusting yourself into the soft cushions. “he's the boss around here, not me.”

“we both know he listens to anything you say. come on,” wooyoung's frown deepens. “do you not like me around?”

“we've had a large dose of your presence lately, perhaps a few nights away wouldn't hurt. or several. a month wouldn't be so horrible,” yeosang grips wooyoung's luggage, dragging it out and down the hallway. wooyoung’s groans could be heard from where you rest, your amused smile shifting to seonghwa as he walks into the room.

he glances down the hall at the two bickering, shaking his head as he sits neck to you. without prompt, you adjust yourself to make him more comfortable. instead of his usually avoidance of your touch, his hand wraps around your wrist lightly, tugging you. with questions in your eyes you follow his lead, until your body is pressed against his, head resting on his chest. his scent is still as it was when he was human – lavender, a hint of vanilla. his arm wraps around you, hand resting on your arm.

“i found that yeosang has grown tired of wooyoung hanging around everyday.”

“they used to be together, you know,” you point out.

“really?” you nod, sinking further into his body. “can't imagine it, they bicker like lifelong enemies. every time one of them enters the room the other points out something and they get into an argument.”

“ah, no wonder yeosang wants him gone.”

“he's out, finally,” yeosang enters the room, sighing loudly. “can you tell hongjoong to keep him hostage for a while? i don't think i can handle another dose of him anytime soon.”

“i'll send him a text,” you snicker, opening your phone and doing just that. you do not question how seonghwa embraces you, his body relaxed. it's taken so long for him to even kiss you, so this – you could just cry if you thoughts lingered on it anymore.

yeosang sits on the opposite side of you. “good riddance.”

“he's been so nice to have around,” you point out. “even i started getting along with the asshole.”

“nice is an exaggeration,” seonghwa mumbles.

“don't be mean… or else i'll make you walk down that path with him.”

"how will i be able to walk away now that i finally have you here with us?" his brow lifts, a small smile on his lips. "you’ve entrapped me too deeply in your embrace for me to leave. unfortunately for you, you're stuck with me. it will take more than a mere scolding for me to walk away. and i am very sure seonghwa feels the same, no?" yeosang's gaze moves to your lover. the warm expression does not go unnoticed by you, so surely yeosang sees it as well. his grin grows wicked, giggles falling from his lips. "i love when you look unsettled."

"you know i hate the teasing," there's no malice in seonghwa's voice as he says it. "birdie should have chosen someone more tolerable to love. all you do is annoy me."

yeosang nudges his thigh with his foot. "ah ah, you enjoy me too much for her to push me away. and i'm prettier than any of the other men."

seonghwa gasps, widening his eyes. "and you're an asshole!"

"it's the face i was born with, there's nothing i can change about it," he shrugs.

“a pompous asshole, then.”

the jabs back and forth as you watch do nothing but make you ponder. their relationship has evolved over the half year since they first met. their indifference to each other is no longer that. neither has expressed to you that their relationship is anything more than platonic, but the small changes have not gone unnoticed by you. the subtle gazes they send one another, the affection as they tease, the lingering eyes. the eyes are what has stood out to you the most. gazes often wandering to settle on each other's lips. even wooyoung has not let certain moments slip by – teasing often moving into heavy silence. you're not one to push for confesses, but as yeosang has told you two before, if things change, it should be spoken. you wouldn't be bothered if they cared for each other as you do for them, you would just like to know about it. secrets don't settle well, as you've grown to learn.

“can i ask you two a question?” you say between the beat of silence, looking at yeosang. you're unable to directly look at seonghwa due to the position you have settled in, but your hand brushes against his to bring his attention forward. “has something happen between you two? have things changed?”

“in what way?” seonghwa asks simply. and it is a valid retort, though you're sure he knows what you're inferring.

“do you two want a relationship beyond what we have arranged now?”

yeosang is not one to be caught off guard, but you can see how the inquiry has unsettled him, the usually calm demeanor of his stilling. his eyes move to the man that holds you in his embrace. you lean up despite wanting to linger there longer so you're able to gauge their reactions together. seonghwa's eyes are worried as they stare at yeosang, teeth sinking into his lower lip.

“i don't want to push anything if you aren't ready to discuss it, but i can feel that something is happening. i just don't know what exactly.”

yeosang’s fingers comb through his hair, eyes scattered. “it's complicated.” he looks at you, smile small. “it wasn't meant to end up this way.”

“you make it seem like it is the end all be all,” your joke falls flat as you glance between them, the air somehow growing colder. “have you both lost feelings for me?”

“no,” seonghwa says almost immediately, shaking his head. “if anything they’ve grown.”

“then i don’t understand why you’re looking at me like you’ve broken my heart,” you admit. yeosang glances at seonghwa again, before turning his body fully towards you.

“let me preface this all by saying that we haven't been intimate without you knowing, y/n. we would never do such a thing, ever. seonghwa, he and i… since i am the vampire that turned him, we will always be tethered. he will always hold something for me in his heart. i have told him this a few months ago, let him know that if he feels unsettled it's because of this. and we've talked it out, acknowledged it. i didn't think it was necessary to tell you right away since it didn't really affect anything. it wasn't a secret, it just wasn't my first thought. but things began to change recently.”

“how recently?” you ask.

“a couple of weeks ago, i suppose? everything was normal between us. we were still friends. and then things changed overnight for us both. as i’ve stated prior, i have always found seonghwa attractive. but since i was involved with you, and was not interested in anyone but you, that is how far it has ever went. until a few weeks ago. he and i were practicing his restraint in the livingroom,” yeosang looks at him. “it was a simple exercise. i held warm human blood in front of him, forcing him to endure the smell. he’s learned self-control quite well over the past few months, so it was moving along as usual. but as we were conversing, i’m not sure what changed. we began indulging in conversation other than simple small talk, speaking of our lives. i comforted him on the lost of his, embracing his body - and that’s when i felt my own feelings shift a bit. he must have seen the look on my face because we separated after that, and avoided one another for days. wooyoung was the one who forced us into a room together to discuss our feelings.”

“it was hard,” seonghwa murmurs. “i’ve dealt with so much this past year, so this sudden onslaught of feelings was overwhelming, to say the least. i mean, we-” he gestures between the two of you- “haven’t even moved forward in our relationship because of what happened to me. how could i grow feelings for someone else? it just didn’t make sense to me. especially now with this new life of mine. i thought the emotions were stemming from our blood attachment, but i realized it was much more than that. completely different.”

you’re unable to speak, letting their words settle. at another time, maybe, it would be upsetting, knowing that in your absence they began loving each other. the only feeling that you can discern is relief. before that night of terror you didn’t know how this relationship would turn out. if it would even survive past a year. and of course, there is still no guarantee that it would last, but knowing that they care for each other as you care for them is soothing. the only way it’d be hurtful if they hid it from you.

“love is a reach for me right now,” seonghwa says. “but i can very much imagine that feeling emerging in the near future.”

“you humans make things so complicated,” yeosang murmurs.

“i’m not even human anymore!”

“live a few hundred more years and then maybe i’d consider it,” yeosang reaches for you, your hand entwining with his without a word. “pretty girl, you’re silent. tell me what you’re thinking.” seonghwa leans forward as well, hand resting against your thigh.

your lips rise, a small laugh huffed from your lips. “nothing really. i’m just happy.”

yeosang’s brow raises. “happy?”

“i mean, all i wanted was for you two to get along well, maybe become friends. now i don’t really need to worry about that. i was happy that seonghwa had you while he was going through this, and now i’m even more happy that he has you for more than that.”

“us, pretty girl,” yeosang’s fingers squeeze yours. “he has us.”

“you speak as if i’m not here,” seonghwa scowls, looking back at you. “are you sure this is okay with you, birdie. no hidden feelings?”

“none,” and that you’re sure of. there isn’t even an inkling of dismay cast in your thoughts. “is that why you told wooyoung to go away?”

yeosang sighs, “he’s been around for too long, that’s why. we also did want to spend some time together, but we didn’t want to progress any further until you knew of it. and it’s a bonus - now i don’t need to see those eyebrows of his wiggling every time i give seonghwa a glass of wine.”

“wine?” you look back at seonghwa. “you drink wine? you hated wine.”

“i did,” seonghwa agrees. “but it’s disgusting taste quells my hunger for a bit. makes temporarily abstaining from drinking blood easier.”

yeosang laughs at the look on your face. “that’s exactly how i looked at him when he told me the same.”

—

the sounds of your knife sliding through the mango echo around the quiet kitchen. seonghwa’s presence made you jump when you felt his lips press behind your ear, a soft sorry whispered in your ear before he sat at the island, watching you. you haven’t spoken up and neither has he, merely observing as you slurp the fruit, licking the tips of your fingers as you do so. you’re so involved in your own world that you have yet to notice yeosang watching along with him, their eyes glued on your mundane behavior. but soon enough, your gaze glances forward, startled when you see the two vampires’ gazes on yours. you begin to snort, until your irises meet seonghwa’s. the last time you’ve seen a gaze like his is when yeosang feeds, his soft brown eyes completely darkened. you stop in your cutting, gaze moving to yeosang. he is no better than the other, pale hands gripping the back of seonghwa’s chair.

“did i do something wrong?” your voice is barely audible, placing the knife to the side. “are vampires allergic to mangos?” the whine that spills from seonghwa’s lips is so heavy, you still as he places his head in his hands.

“hwa-”

“birdie, you really don’t know your affect on me?” he murmurs, rubbing his hands up and down his face. “it makes me wonder how obtuse you can possibly be?”

“she’s vaguely aware,” yeosang grins, eyes trained on your hands. “but i don’t think she truly knows how in tune we are to her. frustrating, is it not?”

“truly,” seonghwa shakes his head. “am i ready now?”

yeosang tilts his head, thinking. “i cannot tell. it’s been a few weeks now without incident, but again, things can change in an instant.”

it’s as if you’re not there at all. “hello?”

their eyes meet yours briefly, the surly looks enough to quiet you. yeosang has told you how he can hear the pick up of your heartbeats, the smell of you. so you try your best to control your own meandering thoughts, mangos swirling in your mind instead. just as you begin to slide another slice into your mouth, seonghwa stands, grabbing the cutting board and sliding it closer to him. you whine, and he frowns.

“do you not understand how i hunger for you, birdie? you keep on making those noises, and it’s making me desperate.”

oh.

you slowly chew, unable to hold back the grin that draws itself on your lips. “imagining me sucking your dick?”

“an unsexy way of saying that, but yes,” he agrees.

yeosang hums, letting go of the chair. “then we discuss it.”

the look you both give yeosang is enough to make him shrug, sitting down in his chair. “you both have praised me for my open communication!”

“less talking this time, please?” seonghwa nearly begs on his knees as he says the words. “listen to your elders.”

“i’m several hundred years older than you.”

“and you are still frozen at an age younger than me, so who’s really the winner here?”

“i never realized how terrible you are at math, hyung.”

seonghwa’s eyes widen at that, words lost. yeosang merely rolls his eyes, gesturing for you to sit. you follow his instruction as he clears his throat. “the talk is short. actually just a few sentences, really. pretty,” yeosang smiles at you. “seonghwa and i want to make love to you, desperately. due to seonghwa’s nature now, we cannot risk him having sex with you on his own without someone at least listening in. but me standing outside would be too risky, just in case things get out of hand. so…”

“you want to have sex with me together?” you raise your brow.

they both nod.

“okay by me.”

the look on seonghwa’s face is humorous. without another word he stands, pulling you from your seat. you yelp as you’re thrown over his shoulder. his slim figure makes you forget how strong he truly is now, laughing as you’re dragging to another room. yeosang is close behind him, meeting your eyes briefly.

“now?” you say between giggle, patting seonghwa’s back.

“now. i really am sorry i’m so eager, but i’ve waiting nearly a year for this moment, birdie. a bit of enthusiasm from you goes a long way.” you cannot help but let your laugh escape your throat, yeosang matching your tone with ease. your eyes meet one another as seonghwa turns down the hallway, passing by your room in favor of his. you have never felt such warmth spilling from your chest, such hope and love like this.

before meeting yeosang, you didn’t quite believe in anything solid - assuming that with each passing moment something would break, something would hurt. and though you’ve both hurt while you are together, each in different ways, the horrible misery that you’d feel is no longer there. the hurt, the humiliation, the rancid taste in your mouth gone. he helped you, guided you to where you are now. perhaps you knew as you sat at that bar, liquor sitting in your stomach, drowning yourself in alcohol so your thoughts became nothing. maybe you knew then, seeing the soft smile of the stranger next to you hold your gaze.

perhaps you knew that sometimes love is this simple.

#fic: from eden #yeosang x reader #seonghwa x reader #kang yeosang x reader #park seonghwa x reader #ft.#wooyoung x reader #hongjoong x reader #ateez fanfiction #ateez angst #ateez fluff

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