Chapter Text
beomgyu
beomgyu never hated being a vampire, but as he sat next to taehyun’s hospital bed clutching his hand and waiting for him to wake up, he began to think otherwise. it was his being what he was that had caused taehyun to wind up here. if beomgyu had been human, then taehyun wouldn’t have been prescribed a new drug that blocked the scent of blood. he wouldn’t have taken it, and he wouldn’t have had an allergic reaction. and he wouldn’t be lying unconscious hooked up to wires and tubes and scary-looking equipment.
but beomgyu was a vampire and taehyun did have an allergic reaction, and now beomgyu hated everything about himself. he had never felt a fear quite like that which overcame him after he watched taehyun go into anaphylactic shock, clutching at his throat and gasping for air. he had looked so small, so fragile, so human as his eyes widened with terror and beomgyu had never ran so fast in his existence. he was faster than any ambulance and when he burst through the doors of the emergency room and screamed for help, he barely recognised his own voice.
the nurses had been able to get a shot of epinephrine into taehyun’s system in enough time to reverse the allergic reaction, but he had still gone a couple minutes without oxygen and the offending drug was still in his system and so he was admitted. it had been twelve hours since the initial reaction, and beomgyu hadn’t calmed down even a fraction.
if he had a heart, it’d be pounding against his chest, palms sweaty and mouth dry with anxiety and stress. though his physical body may not have reflected any of those physical symptoms, he still felt the anxiety and stress and grief as real as any human. perhaps heightened, even.
taehyun was currently lying asleep in the hospital bed, undergoing detox. the nurses had explained to beomgyu several times over that it was a slow but effective process and that taehyun was out of danger. his lungs were operating properly, his throat wasn’t swelling shut, and his skin had returned to its normal colour. but beomgyu wouldn’t believe things were truly okay until his precious human finally opened his eyes.
he sat up straight in his chair as he sensed the arrival of his friends. soobin and yeonjun. they were together, which wasn’t entirely unusual, along with kai. beomgyu felt some of his anxiety lift at the presence of his ward. he hadn’t even asked his hyungs (well, technically yeonjun wasn’t his hyung but he never let beomgyu get away with not using the honorific) to pick up kai, but he was glad they’d had the foresight. he needed him. them. all of them.
there was a knock a few seconds later and then the three slipped in. they each wore matching expressions of fear and concern, and kai immediately broke down upon seeing taehyun in the bed, connected to so many machines. he launched himself at beomgyu, and beomgyu wrapped his arms around him, giving him a tight hug. “he’s okay, kai-yah,” he whispered, rubbing his back, his own voice shaky. “he’ll be a-alright.”
yeonjun and soobin approached slowly, soobin reaching out and resting a hand on his shoulder while yeonjun wrapped his arms around everyone. “we’re here, gyu. tell us what happened,” he said.
so beomgyu told them. he explained how taehyun had been researching ways to disguise or hide his scent so other vampires would leave him alone and he’d be better protected if he were by himself, but that the first dose had resulted in a deadly allergic reaction that neither of them were expecting. beomgyu had called yeonjun shortly after taehyun had been admitted.
“i’m sorry for calling like that. w-were you in the middle of something?” he asked as everyone settled into the chairs and couch in the hospital room. yeonjun shared a look with soobin before shaking his head. “you know soobin and i would drop everything for something like this,” he replied. soobin nodded, reaching out to squeeze beomgyu’s knee. “we’re here for you,” he echoed. “have you fed? do you need me to go to the blood bank?”
beomgyu shook his head, turning back to taehyun. kai was on the other side of the bed, holding his hand and stroking through his hair. it calmed beomgyu more, and he reached over to place his hand on top of kai’s. the youngest of their trio gave him a weak smile, before it dropped. “all i want to do is protect him, hyung,” he whispered. beomgyu sighed, staring at taehyun’s serene face. “me too, kai-yah. we’ll have to do the best we can.”
taehyun woke up the next afternoon. beomgyu, kai, and soobin had left briefly in the morning to feed, leaving yeonjun to watch over taehyun. beomgyu was highly reluctant to leave, but his fangs were beginning to swell and itch and soobin convinced him to go on a walk together with him and kai to the blood bank. it helped, getting out of the hospital.
as they walked, kai chattered about his classes, what his sisters had been up to, all in an effort to raise beomgyu’s spirits and return a sense of normalcy. it helped a little, and soobin’s anecdotes cheered him up enough to crack a smile or two. but then he’d immediately want to tell taehyun and he’d be back at square one. he really, really needed him to wake up.
when they returned to the room, beomgyu got his wish.
yeonjun was standing next to the couch, a wide smile on his face as the three walked in, freshly fed. beomgyu zeroed in on his hyung first, before immediately snapping his gaze to the bed. instantly, his dark eyes found taehyun’s, and they were as bright and wide as always. he was smiling too, full teeth on display, and beomgyu let out a cry.
he nearly tripped over himself—vampire agility be damned—running to the bed, and kai was close behind. he slowed as he approached the bed, taehyun’s smile growing the closer he got. he lifted his arms out and beomgyu immediately collapsed into them, clutching taehyun’s hospital gown and burying his face into his neck. “you’re a-awake, you’re awake,” he cried, breathing in his scent and feeling his pulse beneath his lips.
taehyun giggled, slender arms tightening around his torso, cheek rubbing the top of his head. “i’m awake, i’m awake,” he parroted. beomgyu didn’t want to move, not ever again. he finally felt the anxiety leave his system, replaced by a soft and gentle peace, and he inhaled deeply.
he felt an arm leave him, and then kai was on the other side, wrapped up in taehyun, too. “my sweet boys, you must’ve been so worried,” taehyun whispered. “i’m so sorry i scared you like that.” they stayed like that for a moment, before taehyun gently pushed them away, bringing both hands to beomgyu’s cheeks. beomgyu stared into his eyes, seeing all of the life still left in them, and smiled. he brought their lips together, and taehyun kissed back softly, for a quick second.
when they parted, he turned and gestured for yeonjun and soobin to come closer. kai moved around to beomgyu’s side of the bed, pressing against him as the two eldest in the group of five gave taehyun gentle hugs and ruffles of hair. “is that a new necklace, hyung?” taehyun asked yeonjun as he pulled away.
beomgyu dialled in on the artefact, something he hadn’t noticed before, and his eyes widened to saucers as he recognised the pendant for what it was. his jaw dropped as he jerked his head to look at soobin, who was resolutely looking away from him. yeonjun, however, had turned beet red, and was spluttering, unable to clearly answer taehyun’s question.
it was kai who blurted it out.
“oh my god, are you two finally courting?!”
soobin
“you don’t think we’re like, cursed or something?” yeonjun asked, an actual expression of worry on his angelic face. soobin snorted, reclining back on the bed and pulling yeonjun closer. the elder (technically) was turning the pendant of his necklace over and over in his hands, and it sent a thrill through soobin to watch it.
yeonjun was finally his. hopefully forever, if he had his way.
“why would we be cursed?” he replied, fingertips ghosting over the sides of yeonjun’s ribcage. each flutter of his lungs brought a wave of calm over soobin. his perfect human getting the oxygen he needs. said perfect human huffed, an exhalation of minty breath over soobin’s cold collarbones. “because taehyun nearly died right when you asked to court me? shouldn’t that be like…a huge red flag?” he reasoned.
soobin chuckled, jostling the both of them as he moved to sit them up. yeonjun rested in his lap, lips in a pout as soobin held him by his waist. “taehyun is fine. he’s back home with beomgyu and knows now to never take scent-blockers. correlation does not always equal causation, you know,” he said.
yeonjun rolled his eyes. “you know, sometimes you really do sound three hundred years old,” he shot. soobin gasped in mock offence, “excuse you! you’re the one that looks older.” and then he tickled yeonjun’s sides, causing the elder to shriek with laughter, squirming on his lap and fruitlessly attempting to shove soobin’s hands off his body. soobin grinned, tilting until yeonjun fell onto his back, soobin hovering over him.
he ceased the tickling, allowing yeonjun to catch his breath. he was always prettiest like this, soobin thought, out of breath and slightly sweaty. his blood was pumping furiously under his porcelain skin and he smelled so divine he could feel his fangs prick at his gums. yeonjun stared up at him with a hazy smile, hands resting on soobin’s hips.
“you know,” he whispered. “we never got to finish what we started at the record store.” soobin cocked a brow, playing dumb. “what did we start?” yeonjun frowned, pouting his lower lip out as he pulled soobin closer, their hips resting together. “don’t fucking tease me, soobin. i’ve experienced way too many emotions these last two days and i really don’t feel like adding embarrassment to the list,” he said.
soobin laughed, sliding his hands up yeonjun’s thighs and settling around his waist. he leaned closer, their noses brushing. he inhaled, the rich scent of yeonjun’s blood filling his nose. the sweetest scent he would know, all for him. how lucky he was to have found yeonjun. how lucky he was to be able to keep him.
“alright, darling, no teasing then,” he breathed, and then he connected their lips. yeonjun arched underneath him, kissing back with an eager passion from the start, arms wrapping around soobin’s neck and pulling him in closer. he pushed his tongue through his lips and explored his mouth, and soobin was overwhelmed with heat. everything about yeonjun was so warm, and he had never known what cold felt like until now, until experiencing its absence.
he kissed back with a renewed fervour, cradling his human in his arms, inhaling the scent of his blood, and relished in his newfound heaven. perhaps he could just stay here forever.