Chapter Text
When Yeonjun agreed to take things slow with Soobin, he didn’t expect to even get to kiss him (again) for several weeks. He imagined some hand-holding, maybe a few cuddles on the bed when they were watching a movie, nothing more. And he was okay with that. He could be very patient if he knew exactly what he was waiting for. He respected Soobin’s wishes, and kept his hands and tongue to himself for the first few official “dates”. Though, they weren’t formal dates, that was too risky. Not because of public outcry, but because neither fancied getting kicked out of their houses for “fraternising with the enemy”. It drove them both crazy, but also motivated them to work harder on the fundraiser.
And so Yeonjun enjoyed what he got, and he accepted the fact that it may be a long time before he could have his way with his human.
However, Soobin surprised him only two weeks after officially starting their courtship (Yeonjun’s term not Soobin’s) by asking if Yeonjun would kiss him again. And from there, it spiralled out of control, both boys clearly demonstrating a desire that they had both been suppressing. Yeonjun didn’t think he’d ever be able to get enough of Soobin, of his body, of the sounds he made, all of it. To hold him close, protect him, make him feel safe, it was everything for Yeonjun. Yeonjun didn’t understand why he had let Soobin’s biological make-up prevent him from possibly having had this for months now. And Soobin appeared to feel the same way, if not slightly less intensely, only because his human mind couldn’t comprehend the emotions Yeonjun was feeling.
The two fell in love faster than two stones drop from a mountain into a river, and it was bliss. But not without its complications and obstacles.
A vampire and human couple was not unheard of. In fact, it was pretty normal outside the closed universe that was Yeonjun’s college campus. Yeonjun had no idea (or care to learn) what the reason was that kept both species at odds with one another. Or maybe the rivalry was only isolated to the two respective frats. No other fraternity and none of the sororities followed such an obsolete concept. Yeonjun and Soobin were an anomaly in their circles, and perhaps it wasn’t surprising they ended up secretly dating.
They were too like-minded to not eventually end up together despite months of resisting. And that’s what they told themselves when they worried about their frat brothers finding them out. It’s not that they weren’t discreet, but trying to spend time together alone in two houses full of young adult men (and vampires who had frozen in their peak however many years ago) was difficult at times. Plus, Yeonjun’s flat was nosy. They weren’t afraid of a pathetic little human (not Yeonjun’s words) in their midst just the way the house of humans tended to avoid the lone vampire that lingered too long after his weekly meetings with Soobin.
And so, more often than not, Yeonjun was at Soobin’s frat. It was more comfortable and felt just the littlest bit safer. There was still the worry that Soobin’s best friend Hueningkai (who did not understand the concept of knocking) would catch them making out or cuddling or, the worst possibility, feeding. Yeonjun didn’t do it often, and not at first, but after Soobin shyly told him he could one night, it had started becoming a semi-regular occurrence. It always made Soobin a little hazy, very pliant, and very sweet. It drove Yeonjun wild, overwhelmed with a strange sense of possession washing over him. He wasn’t sure what it meant, and it was a wholly new feeling even to him, he who had felt nearly every possible emotion by that point in his life.
He considered briefly asking Beomgyu if he felt the same way about his boyfriend Taehyun, but Yeonjun had never actually met the kid before, and so he didn’t know if Beomgyu would be so willing to talk about something so private. Yeonjun was seriously wondering if this Taehyun was simple a figment of Beomgyu’s over-active imagination. Regardless, he knew he had some things to figure out, but he trusted that it would happen naturally as he grew closer to Soobin and understood every facet of his being.
And he did well to reciprocate the knowledge, answering all of Soobin’s questions about his origin, his long life, and things he as a human had trouble processing. Not that all of their conversations were deep, most of the time they centred around their daily lives, their trivial interests, and their own relationship. It was a whirlwind of excitement, and Yeonjun went to sleep with a smile every night. He hoped Soobin did the same. They couldn’t stay the night at each other’s places, an experience Yeonjun tried not to be too bitter over. They remedied it by taking short naps together after their fundraising meetings. Those moments were the most special to Yeonjun.
On one such afternoon, a week before the fundraiser actually occurred (and after weeks of persuading each frat into participating), Soobin and Yeonjun were exhausted. Okay, Soobin was exhausted. Yeonjun felt fine, but he empathised with his human enough to feel a bit of the effects secondhand. Soobin looked tired. His skin was a bit pale, and his eyes had dark shadows underneath. When he stifled his third yawn in a row, Yeonjun ended the meeting, gathering up all of their important materials. “You need to sleep,” he said. He saw Soobin shake his head, and gave him a look. The boy blushed, before nodding, slouching.
Yeonjun smiled, patting his knee, before going and putting the folders in his backpack. He then picked it up, slinging it over his shoulder before going back to his boyfriend. He held out his hand, and when Soobin took it, they walked to his room. The house was quiet, most of its occupants out getting dinner or studying at the library. When Soobin unlocked his door and went inside, Yeonjun followed, placing his bag by Soobin’s desk. He watched as Soobin rubbed his eyes, and then pulled off his jeans and swapped them for sweats. He admired his human, his long long legs, the shine of his eyes in the darkness, and the way his scent infiltrated Yeonjun’s nose from every corner of the room.
“Are you going to just stare at me or are you going to nap with me?” Soobin asked, interrupting Yeonjun’s admiring. The vampire scoffed, before getting rid of his jeans and stealing a pair of Soobin’s sweats. They were only a little big on Yeonjun, and after tying the drawstring, he fell gracefully next to Soobin. Soobin giggled a little, and the two got comfortable. Wrapped around each other, they fell asleep easily.
They woke up several hours past their alarm. Yeonjun woke up first, not feeling groggy or drowsy, thanks to his vampirism. It was simply like a switch flipped, he was unconscious one moment, conscious the next. No transition. Soobin laid next to him, his arm thrown over Yeonjun’s waist, hand curled around his hip. Yeonjun found it only slightly adorable, and smiled to himself as he stroked the younger’s hair. He would never understand how he kept it so soft, but he was glad, because running his fingers through it was one of his favourite habits.
Yeonjun, not having a sense of having overslept, didn’t check the clock for at least fifteen minutes. It was easy for him to lose track of time when its mere existence lost all its effect on him. Being immortal, time faded to irrelevancy. But that didn’t mean the consequences of ignoring it didn’t still affect him. And so when he saw the time as he checked his phone for messages, his gasp was loud enough to wake up Soobin. Well, his gasp and his series of swear words he said after.
His human shot up, blinking fast and in confusion, his brain not catching up to his body. Yeonjun immediately dropped his phone and twisted to look at Soobin. “Fuck, I’m sorry, we overslept,” he said, touching Soobin’s cheek once before throwing the cover back and moving with super vampire speed to get dressed and get his things. Soobin was still trying to wake up when he was finished, and Yeonjun handed him his own clothes, stroking his cheek a few more times. “Get dressed, love, and help me escape,” he instructed. Soobin looked up at him, blinking slowly a few times, before nodding. He yawned as Yeonjun turned away, going to fix his hair so it didn’t look like he had been sleeping.
His grey eyes shone in the darkness, his features always looking better later into the evening. Fitting, he supposed. When he determined he looked perfectly normal, he checked on Soobin. The boy had gotten dressed, and attempted to fix his hair, but he still looked adorably sleepy. Yeonjun swung his backpack over his shoulder, and then went over to Soobin. “We were planning and lost track of time, okay? If anyone asks,” he said. Soobin nodded, yawning again and walking to the door. Yeonjun sighed a bit, staring at his back, before following him out. He really hoped Soobin’s frat brothers bought the lie and didn’t question them. He supposed he was glad this happened at Soobin’s frat and not his own, because he didn’t know if his frat brothers wouldn’t respond with violence.
The couple slipped out of Soobin’s room into an empty hallway, and quietly made their way downstairs. Yeonjun hesitated, eyes slipping closed as he picked up on the heartbeats of several humans below. They weren’t going to be able to be discreet. He shuffled a bit closer to Soobin as they weaved towards the front door. To get to it, they had to pass the large common room, and it was there that they encountered seven other members of the frat. Hueningkai was among them, and the first to see them, and Yeonjun swallowed a groan as he squealed and called their names. “Yeonjun-hyung and Soobin-hyung!” he said, standing up. Six other heads swivelled to look at the couple, who had frozen in place. Soobin was very much awake now, and Yeonjun’s jaw almost dropped when Soobin moved in front of him. Almost as if…as if he wanted to protect Yeonjun. Yeonjun with his indestructability and his super speed and agility, being protected from a bunch of humans by a human.
The action made a new feeling swirl in his stomach, one he didn’t have a name for but felt so strongly he could feel his pupils dilate. But he couldn’t focus on it for long, because he needed to pay attention to what was happening. So he isolated thoughts of what he was feeling to a corner of his brain to ponder later and directed most of his attention to what Soobin was saying. “Hi, Hyuka, Yeonjun-ssi was just helping with the fundraiser,” he said, his voice smooth. Yeonjun couldn’t see his face, but he hoped his expression looked convincing. He scanned the faces of the boys, and felt the metaphorical hairs on the back of his neck stand up. They didn’t believe Soobin.
One of them stood up, raising his brows as he crossed his arms. “You were planning for eight hours? Really?” he asked, voice sickeningly sweet. It was silent for a moment, and Yeonjun thought about intervening, but he didn’t want to fight Soobin’s fight for him. “How would you know how long this shit takes, Baekhyun-ah? Not like you ever volunteer to plan any of our events,” Soobin replied calmly. The boy—Baekhyun’s—eyes widened, and he glared at Soobin, clenching his jaw. Hueningkai had shrunk against the couch, probably feeling guilty for calling attention to the duo, and Yeonjun’s head snapped as another frat member stood up too.
His nostrils flared at the scent of hostility in the air, and he itched to shove Soobin behind him, but he stayed put. If it looked like one of them was going to get physical, he’d would do something. The other boy was just as irritated as Baekhyun, and he took a few steps closer too. “Why are you spending so much time on such a stupid fundraiser? Nobody is gonna donate anything to an equality charity, because nobody else believes that we can co-exist in peace,” he spat. At the insults, Yeonjun’s control wavered even more, and he had to physically bite his tongue to keep himself quiet. It was then that he realised his fangs had descended. It was a natural reaction when he sensed danger.
He could hear Soobin’s heart speed up a bit at the comments, and he heard his inhales grow deeper in an attempt to keep himself calm. “The only people who follow your belief system are standing right here in this room, if you would expand your perspective you’d realise that your beliefs are seriously out of date,” he explained. Yeonjun made eye contact with the other boy, and he could almost taste the disgust in his expression. Yeonjun did his best to keep his own face smooth. He didn’t want to provoke them. He just wanting to fucking leave.
It happened fast. One second yet another kid stood to say something, and the next Yeonjun was pushing Soobin back and hissing at those who had made an advance. His lip curled back over his fangs, and his eyes flickered bright red for a few moments, all defensive mechanisms. Several of the boys had reached out to most likely grab Soobin and Yeonjun’s instincts took over. He had never experienced such an out-of-body reaction, he usually had superb self-control, but he couldn’t have stopped himself then if he tried. It piqued his curiosity somewhere in the back of his mind, but he would think about it later. Right now, all that matter was keeping Soobin safe.
The boys’ reaction was as expected. They all paled and backed away quickly, though they quickly replaced their expressions of fear with ones of revulsion. Yeonjun stood back up straight, retracting his fangs and glaring all of them down. He vaguely registered Soobin’s hand on his shoulder and words being directed towards him, but he blocked it out easily. He had one focus only. “I am not your enemy, but if you ever try and hurt Soobin again, I’ll make sure you never hurt anybody again,” he threatened. The smug looks slowly faded as Yeonjun continue to glare, not faltering. When he deemed them properly shaken, he turned, grabbing Soobin’s hand and walking out the front door.
Soobin struggled a bit, pulling on Yeonjun’s hand. “Hyung, stop!” he said, still pulling on his wrist, which was caught in Yeonjun’s grip. The vampire, still fuming, didn’t let go as they approached the end of the house. “Yeonjun! You’re hurting me, let go!” Soobin cried, and that got Yeonjun’s attention. His eyes widened, and he instantly dropped Soobin’s wrist, turning and looking at him in fear. “Fuck, I’m sorry baby, I didn’t mean to, I…I feel like I’m out of control,” he said, exhaling and slumping against the side of the house. He had never felt out of breath since turning, but he felt exhausted. Maybe it was his emotions, which ran so high sometimes he couldn’t keep up with them.
Soobin stared at him for a moment, before taking a step back. “I’m going to go back, you should go home and calm down,” he said. Yeonjun looked at him, and the sharp pains in his gut made him shake his head and reach out to his human. “No, I don’t think we should be apart, they could hurt you again,” he said, voice shaky. He absolutely did not want to leave Soobin with those humans who now had a reason to harm him. But Soobin took another step back, and Yeonjun would tear up if he could. The hurt washed over him like thousands of tiny daggers, stabbing at his impenetrable skin. “I’m going to talk to the members, and you’re going to go home, hyung, understand?” he directed.
Yeonjun swallowed, staring at Soobin with wide eyes, not knowing what to say. But Soobin didn’t want to wait for an answer, and instead turned and went back inside. Yeonjun had to fight with the very core of his being not to follow him back. And so, before he lost control again, he turned around and sped home. He was there very shortly—thank you super speed—and he yanked the door open as he went inside. He was so distraught he didn’t know how to function. He ran his hands through his hair and he went upstairs. He knew the others would be able to pick up on his distress, but vampires were the least empathetic towards others. They just were too self-centred to take the time to understand someone else’s feelings. Yeonjun used to be that way, until he met Soobin and had the urge to know everything about him, including how he processed emotions.
He knew he wouldn’t be disturbed as he locked himself in his room and attempted to calm down.
A few hours later, there was a knock on the front door, and Yeonjun recognised it. He perked up from his spot on the centre of his bed, and wasted no time before jumping up and running out of his room. He hit the landing gracefully, before going to the door. A couple of his frat brothers were in their living room playing cards, and they looked up in semi-interest as Yeonjun opened the door. He knew that Soobin being here would cause problems, but he didn’t care. He wouldn’t let anyone touch his boyfriend. And when he saw Soobin, and the backpack on his shoulder and the tears on his cheeks, he about lost it. He instantly pulled his human inside, cupping his face and checking for any external injuries. “What did they do? Talk to me, sweetheart,” he said, uncaring of whoever was listening.
Soobin sniffled, opening his mouth to speak, before he looked behind Yeonjun and paled, taking a fearful step back. Yeonjun’s eyes narrowed, and he turned around, fangs descending as he hissed. The other vampires responded to the threat in the same way, standing and prepared to fight. “Nobody fucking touch him,” Yeonjun said, and his voice held so much power and authority it surprised even him. And it definitely surprised the others. They all hesitated, stances faltering a bit, before they stood up straight again and retracted their fangs. Yeonjun continued to glare at them for a moment longer, before turning back to Soobin.
He brushed his hair out of his eyes, before gently taking his hand and pulling him upstairs. The boy stumbled a bit, but Yeonjun held him securely, not letting him fall. When they made it upstairs and started walking towards Yeonjun’s room, they passed Beomgyu. The younger vampire raised his brows, but Yeonjun gave one shake of his head. Beomgyu nodded, and Yeonjun knew he’d stop by later and check on them both. Maybe he could talk to him about his intense feelings. Beomgyu always was the wise one between them.
They made it to Yeonjun’s room, and as soon as the door was closed, Yeonjun wrapped his arms around Soobin, hugging him. The taller sniffled some more, before hugging back, turning and resting his head on Yeonjun’s shoulder. Yeonjun held him for several long moments, listening to his heart and his breathing, doing his best to comfort him. He still didn’t know what happened, but if it was making Soobin this upset he knew it couldn’t be anything good. He leaned back, helping Soobin take off his backpack, and then they both sat on the bed. “What happened?” Yeonjun asked quietly, rubbing Soobin’s knee. The younger took a shaky breath, looking at his hands, before looking at Yeonjun.
“They, um…basically kicked me out,” he said. Yeonjun’s eyes widened and he felt another surge of anger, but he shoved it down. This wasn’t about him. Soobin teared up again, and wiped his eyes as he continued. “After the fundraiser, I h-have to move out,” he expanded. Yeonjun blinked, before gathering his human in his arms and hugging him close. Soobin turned into his chest, crying softly. Yeonjun closed his eyes, feeling the pain and humiliation that his boyfriend was feeling, and it threatened to suffocate him. He couldn’t imagine how Soobin himself was feeling. “Fuck them, they’re just close-minded assholes and that whole fraternity is going to disintegrate without you,” he said.
Soobin didn’t reply, but his cries did quiet just a bit. Yeonjun rubbed his back, kissing the top of his head, before sitting him up. “Why don’t we both just leave? Ditch our frats and go get a place of our own, where we don’t have to sneak around or hide our relationship,” he said, the idea forming quickly in his mind. Money wasn’t a factor—you learned a few tricks after being alive hundreds of years—so it was a definite possibility. Soobin stared at him, nose red and eyes puffy. “But what about r-reforming things?” he asked, voice hoarse. Yeonjun moved closer, mind already developing a plan. “We can still fight for reform, but without the pressures of the people who are supposed to be our family,” he explained.
Soobin sniffled. “Y-You’re my family, hyung,” he whispered. And that made Yeonjun’s body simply lurch. He supposed what he was feeling now was love. What an extraordinary feeling, he mused for a second. The way it electrified every nerve ending and set his whole body on fire. He swallowed down his emotions, and cupped Soobin’s face in his cold hands. “You’re mine,” he breathed. “Let’s do it, Soobin, let’s get our own place,”. Soobin swallowed, before nodding, reaching for Yeonjun.
And the two spent the rest of the night loving each other, soft and slow and sweet under the covers. Yeonjun made sure Soobin felt as loved and special as he was, and when they finally decided to get some rest, the younger curled against Yeonjun’s side, sweaty hair still sticking to his forehead. They fell asleep quickly.
The next morning, the couple stayed in Yeonjun’s room, looking at apartments and doing other domestic activities. It excited Yeonjun, but he didn’t want to overwhelm Soobin, so he kept most of his thoughts to himself. Around lunchtime, he heard Soobin’s stomach grumble, and he stood up to go get him some food from the café a few blocks away. “I’ll have Beomgyu-ah come stay with you, okay?” he said, pulling on his shoes. Soobin looked at him, clearly not liking being left but understanding about it. He nodded, then went back to scrolling through listings. Yeonjun walked over and gave Soobin a quick kiss, letting the younger kiss him again before he leaned away.
He slipped out, stopping by Beomgyu’s room to let him know where he was going and when he’d be back. Beomgyu agreed to stay with Soobin, and Yeonjun left as soon as he saw the younger go to his room. He left the house quickly after that and rushed to the café to get Soobin’s favourite snacks.
When he returned, Beomgyu and Soobin were sitting close, and Soobin was crying again. Yeonjun’s eyes widened and he almost dropped the bag of food he had gotten. “What happened?” he nearly shouted, shutting the door behind him and throwing the bag onto his desk. Beomgyu and Soobin looked at him, before Beomgyu stood up, a small smile on his face. “Nothing, hyung, we were just talking about you and it got a little deep,” he supplied. Yeonjun’s eyes flickered back and forth between the two, confusion clouding his thoughts, but at least he knew Soobin wasn’t hurt or upset.
Beomgyu smiled a bit more, walking up and giving Yeonjun’s shoulder a pat, before leaving. Yeonjun blinked, before grabbing the food and handing it to Soobin. “Um, okay…what did you guys talk about?” he asked as Soobin looked into the bag and pulled out the bowl of ramyeon. Yeonjun saw him blush, and he became even more confused. Soobin took the lid off, throwing it into the bin next to Yeonjun’s bed, and broke apart the chopsticks. He was being extra meticulous, as if he collecting his thoughts. Yeonjun tried hard not to be impatient.
“Did you know that Beomgyu is dating a human too?” he said suddenly. Yeonjun processed the words quickly, and felt his jaw drop. “Wait what? Taehyun is human?” he asked in disbelief. Soobin took a bit of the noodles and nodded, mouth full. Yeonjun blinked a few times, staring at Soobin. He had never actually met or seen Taehyun, only heard of him, because he went to school out of town and never visited. Yeonjun always wondered why, but now that he knew Taehyun was a fucking homosapien it made sense. Beomgyu most likely didn’t want to put him in any danger.
“That actually makes a lot of sense, wow,” Yeonjun said, slumping against the headboard. The soft giggle Soobin gave him in return made his dead heart soar. The boy carefully leaned against the headboard too, blowing on the hot broth of the ramyeon. “He, um…told me what happens to your, uh, species, when you-,” he stopped then, face going so red that it was almost concerning. Yeonjun sat up a bit, softening his expression. “It’s just me, Soobinie,” he reminded. Soobin nodded fast, suddenly finding his ramyeon very interesting as he gathered up another bite and finished his statement. “When you, um, f-fall in love…you develop a stronger emotional sense…and so you feel everything a lot stronger,” he said, growing quieter as he went.
If Yeonjun could blush, he’d be blushing. Even he had to look away at the mention of love, wringing his hands together. It’s not that he didn’t feel it, he just hadn’t even really acknowledged it himself yet. Soobin kept speaking. “And you can lose control of your instincts, b-because your mind d-doesn’t just value your life…it values the life of whoever you f-fall in love with,”. He fell quiet then, and the two sat in awkward silence for a couple minutes. And then Yeonjun cleared his throat, patting his knees. “Well, that’s good to know,” he said stupidly. Soobin glanced at him, before chuckling a little, going back to eating. Yeonjun smiled too, before taking a deep breath, serious again.
“I think Beomgyu may be right,” he confessed, staring at the pattern on his comforter. He heard Soobin’s heart—which was already racing—speed up even more, and the boy set his empty bowl on the nightstand. Yeonjun turned to lock eyes with him, and he could see how wide Soobin’s were. And how he could see a little shimmer of hope. It gave him the confidence to keep talking. “I’m still learning how to control my feelings, or how to process them better,” he explained. Soobin blushed, before nodding a bit. He reached out a hand to rest over Yeonjun’s which were tapping incessantly against his knee.
Yeonjun smiled a bit. “I don’t want to ever scare you,” he whispered. Soobin searched his gaze, before shaking his head a bit, moving closer. “You could never scare me, hyung,” he reassured. Yeonjun chuckled a bit, tickling Soobin’s earlobe. “How are you feeling?” he inquired, leaning back against his headboard. Soobin sighed, slouching over and moving to lean against Yeonjun. Yeonjun welcomed him easily, tossing an arm over his shoulders. “A lot of different things,” Soobin admitted. Yeonjun hummed, running his fingers through Soobin’s hair. The boy relaxed at the touch, leaning closer. “But mostly hope,” he added on, soft.
Yeonjun smiled, looking down at his human. “I’m feeling a lot of hope, too,” he replied. Soobin blushed, but smiled, leaning up to peck Yeonjun’s lips. Yeonjun chuckled, kissing the boy a couple more times. “You should get some rest, sweet boy, we can talk about everything in the morning,” he breathed. Soobin hesitated, before nodding, getting up to quickly change into some pajamas he had stuffed into his backpack. Yeonjun opened up his arms as he returned, and once he was in his favourite position over Yeonjun’s chest, the older turned off the lamp.
Soobin fell asleep quickly, and Yeonjun stayed awake for hours, going over all of the things he had ignored since meeting Soobin and about Beomgyu’s words.