Work Text:
This late at night, dull street lights and the low rumble of cars somewhere far away were your only companions as you hurried along the cracked sidewalk, your jean jacket pulled tightly around you. An outside observer might have thought your quick stride had something to do with fear – the time and the infamy of the neighborhood would have made that a decent guess – but in reality you were just late for work. Late and getting later. At least if you sweated enough while practically sprinting by the looming, dark buildings, Namjoon might not be able to smell anything else. And he’d definitely know you’d tried hard to get to the bar quickly.
You glanced at your phone, cursed softly under your breath. Tried, and failed.
Some petty part of you wanted to claim that it was all Hyunwoo’s fault, but in reality, you could have hung up on him at any point in time during your hour-long argument. That didn’t change the fact that he was an asshole, but still, the furious thoughts marching through your head had little holes of guilt in them – guilt and self-loathing. Why the hell did you keep accepting his calls, texting him back? You guys were finished, done, over, and yet some part of your brain seemed to have missed the memo. It was pitiful, and the only thing you could console yourself with was the fact that you’d steadfastly refused to meet with him no matter how often you’d agreed to talk over the phone.
It’d been three weeks since you’d learned he’d cheated on you, and it’d been three weeks since you’d seen him, too.
Your lip curled, hand tightening on your phone, and you were actually happy to see the familiar shadowed sign of your workplace, a vague shape that could have been a wine glass tipping over. There were words that you couldn’t see curling around the glass – it was too dark – but you knew they said The Blood, Sweat and Tears. The bar hardly had enough new costumers to bother with an advertising campaign, but Jin had created a slogan anyways, that ran something like (he kept changing it), ‘Drink our blood, forget your tears and we’ll wipe away the sweat of a long day together.”
It was probably the worst thing you’d ever heard – it would have been more suited as a retirement home’s catch phrase - but telling him that would have been the equivalent of purposefully stepping on one of those dog toys that shrieked and screeched for an indeterminate length of time after you squeezed it. Besides, you suspected he was genuinely, sincerely proud of it, and there was pretty much nothing in the world better at making you feel like a horrible person than Jin’s crestfallen face. The fact that it occurred so rarely probably had something to do with your absolute aversion to being the one to cause it.
Shaking your head at the thought, you skirted around the front door, cut down the alleyway that opened up just next to the bar. Employees were allowed to go through the front, but you wanted a chance to collect yourself into something more presentable before showing up in front of the customers. Wiping delicately at your eyes, desperate not to smudge your mascara but also hoping they weren’t as red-rimmed as when you’d left your apartment, you took a deep breath, trying to calm your staggering heart. Hopefully the kitchen was too loud for those within to have heard your hesitation, although that was probably a long shot.
After a moment, you shoved open the unlocked side door (of course no one would think of breaking into this bar) and stepped into the brightly lit kitchen, not exactly surprised when a voice hailed you over the sizzle of food and clatter of pots and pans banging together.
“Yah, look who decided to show up! Y/N, Namjoon-ah was about to send out a search party for you.”
You raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Jin as the other four chefs in the kitchen chuckled, but of course he just smiled, utterly unrepentant behind the stove he was cooking on. “I’m not that late,” you complained, even as an uncomfortable lurch in your stomach assured you that yes, you were that late, and you should feel terrible about it. More terrible than you already did.
Maybe Jin sensed that, or maybe he just didn’t actually care, because he adjusted the flower print apron around his slender hips and more or less let it drop. “Mmm, it’s not even too busy,” he commented in an offhand manner, tipping the pan he held with an expert flick of his wrist. “The night rush hasn’t started yet, and Hobi-yah stepped out from the bar and served for a little bit to cover you.”
There was a tittering of laughter from the other cooks, which probably meant Hoseok had been his usual extravagant self while serving, but even though the mere thought of your coworker dancing around tables, flinging drinks and generally having a good time usually made you smile, it didn’t do anything for your miserable state today. At least the almost overwhelming profusion of smells rising from the various meals being prepared would stop Jin from noticing anything off about you, which meant at least one awkward conversation avoided. You didn’t feel like being the object of a pity party, not today.
“Joonie will know you’ve arrived,” Jin observed (he was the only one who called Namjoon ‘Joonie’ even during working hours). “He’s…” The man’s head tilted, his body abruptly stilling as he listened intently for something you couldn’t hope to hear. “Ah. He just went into his office. You should probably talk to him before you go out.”
As your breath rushed out in a sigh of trepidation, he smiled sympathetically. “Don’t worry,” Jin said reassuringly, “you’re hardly ever late.” Raising his voice for the benefit of the boss waiting in the office, the head chef added, “He won’t get you in too much trouble. Promise.”
Namjoon and Jin weren’t exactly blatant about their relationship – in fact, you still weren’t even sure what the relationship was, exactly – but despite Namjoon being the owner of the BS&T, if Jin wanted something, wanted it outside of his typical spontaneous appetite, he usually got it. His comment made you feel a bit better, but at the end of the day it wasn’t your lateness that was drawing a tight fist around your lungs and drowning your thoughts in dim, panicky anger every other minute. Trying to leap off that train of thought, you forced a smile, dipped your head in a quick nod. “Thanks, Jin-sshi,” you said quietly.
His answering grin was satisfied and kind, all at once, and it suddenly hurt to look at his too-handsome face, a wash of self-pity and regret making you swallow hard. As you turned away you called with a deliberately light tone, “Okay, I’d better get going. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Of course,” Jin replied, but as you put your shoulder to the swinging doors, he added, “You should get some more sleep, yeah? Maybe you partied too hard on your vacation? If a stranger saw your eyes right about now, they’d think you were a hungry vampire.”
His chuckle chased you out of the kitchen and into the relatively quiet hallway, where you paused, biting at your lip to control the sharp gasps threatening to escape. Further down the narrow corridor was another pair of swinging doors, from which the very, very soft murmur of conversation was coming, but after only a few seconds you turned down an even smaller hallway. It led to the break room, to the stairs that lifted up to the second story apartment Namjoon owned and that he, Jin and Hoseok lived in. It also led to Namjoon’s office.
You didn’t have to knock when you arrived outside the intimidatingly solid door – you’d barely gotten there before a controlled voice was saying, “Come in, Y/N.”
Funny. More than two years of working here and you were largely comfortable with the peculiarities of being around vampires. And yet sometimes… sometimes they still caught you off guard. Like now. Forcing your tight shoulders to relax, you entered the room, barely sparing a glance for the austere surroundings. His office was probably the least interesting thing about Namjoon, though the desk he sat behind gave a small glimpse into his true personality. It was strewn with papers, books and little knick-knacks, and though both Hoseok and Jin urged him to clean it up, he claimed the mess had its own unique filing system.
The man hunched over the papers in a casual business outfit gave an entirely different impression than his clutter, and when he put down the pen he’d been writing with and looked up, you were struck (as you always were) by the quiet force of his personality. When Namjoon looked at you, he really looked, and under the contemplative gaze you immediately started shifting, your hands fidgeting together. It wasn’t that you were scared – Namjoon was an understanding boss, probably the best you’ve ever had, and he wasn’t about to fire you for something like this – but sometimes he just seemed to know things, and you really didn’t want him knowing the details of you and Hyunwoo’s breakup.
“I’m glad you made it, Y/N,” Namjoon eventually said, one eyebrow arching in a lightly inquisitive expression that may as well have been a command.
You complied with the unspoken question, glad your walk had afforded you time to think up a vague excuse. “I’m very sorry, Namjoon-sshi. I’d set my phone to flight mode when I flew back this morning, and I forgot to turn it off, so it didn’t update the time. I just coincidentally turned on the TV and realized what time it actually was…”
As soon as you’d learned what Hyunwoo had done, you’d booked off time and flown back home to be with your parents and sister. They’d been sympathetic, understanding and angry on your behalf, and, his frantic, pleading text messages aside, it had been a relief to collapse away from reality and just let yourself focus on helping your parents with work around the house, with assisting your sister in moving into a small new home with her fiancé. You’d brought most of your schoolwork with you, so you hadn’t fallen too far behind (you hoped), and all in all, you didn’t have many regrets about going.
Except that now, here you were, back to reality, and you’d – stupidly – let Hyunwoo know you were in the city. Cue another series of unanswered phone calls, ringing on and on until you’d eventually given up and stopped ignoring them. Cue apologies that quickly escalated into accusations and insults and words that cut deeper than you ever expected them to.
And here you were, back to reality and late for work on your first day back.
Namjoon leaned forward in his chair, his hands a steeple beneath his chin. It was hard to tell if he could hear the lie or not, but he didn’t call you out on it immediately. “I’m guessing you ran here when you realized,” he stated lightly, not really a question, but you nodded anyways. “Well, I can appreciate that. But you are wearing a rather lot of perfume today.”
You liked perfume, simple floral kinds of fragrances, but working at the BS&T had limited you to avoiding all but your least powerful ones. Vampires had sensitive noses, Namjoon had explained the first day you’d started, and typically preferred not to deal with artificial smells. You’d been a little bit embarrassed, but it’d made sense and you’d largely stopped wearing much when heading to the bar. Today, though, a mixture of desperate need for something comforting as well as something to cover your distress had made you practically drench yourself in a thick lilac perfume that you hadn’t had the chance to try before.
It seemed to have worked a little better than planned. Flushing, you ducked your head. “Sorry Namjoon-sshi,” was all you could think to say.
When he smiled, his dimples flashed in a disarmingly charming way, made more so because he didn’t often smile so widely. “It’s fine, not… overwhelming. If nothing else, Hoseok will enjoy it.” That brought a weak spasm to your own lips, an attempt at a grin. Namjoon’s head tilted, and his smile faded a little. “Of course, I don’t expect you to make a habit of this, Y/N, but I know it’s hard to shake off a vacation sometimes. If you want to stay late to make up the time, you may, otherwise I’ll just edit your hours.”
Relieved to be getting off so easily, you quickly nodded. “I’ll stay late, thank you. And it won’t become a habit, I promise.” A few years ago, the thought of being relieved a vampire wasn’t docking your pay would have been ridiculous, but then again, you’ve learned a lot about what’s really ridiculous this last bit, and a vampire being kind wasn’t one of them.
Namjoon leaned back. “Good,” he said simply. “You can go start serving, then. A few more customers have arrived since you got in.” Of course he’d heard that. You bowed, turned on your heel. His mild voice stopped you. “Y/N… if something is troubling you, something about your family… or Hyunwoo… you know I’m happy to hear about it. Far better if you’re able to leave your worries with me, then have the customers sense them and accidentally… hassle you.”
Vampires weren’t just sensitive to smell. You’d slowly found that they responded to high emotional states, too, be it sadness or fury or happiness. Maybe that was smell, or maybe a stronger heartbeat, or something else humans couldn’t sense, but either way, it tended to rile them up more. Once, when you and Hoseok had been joking about something utterly stupid in the break room, laughing so hard your stomach had started to hurt, you’d abruptly found Hoseok’s laughter cutting off, his body stilling in that chilling way vampires had. And then Yoongi had been there, hauling the lanky bartender away and muttering something about childish impulsiveness.
That hadn’t been the first or last time you’d been struck by the utter otherness of vampires, been reminded that they really weren’t human, but you remembered it best because Hoseok was one of the sunniest individuals you’d ever met. His cold stare that night had been unsettling, and it had taken several weeks before you’d found your easy stance with him again, even after he’d made you your favorite drink every night thereafter.
Your boss’ gentle rebuke had you biting at your lip, fingers curled around the door handle, itching to fling yourself out of the office – out of the bar. “I know,” you said softly. “I… I’m sorry, but talking won’t help right now.” You’d expected Namjoon to notice – dreaded it, really – but now that the moment was actually here, your anxiety swept into your tumultuous emotions, making your worry about the night spike even more. You couldn’t stop yourself from bursting out, “Is it really that noticeable?”
Behind you, a shuffling of papers before Namjoon’s calm reply came. “No, Y/N. It’s not that obvious, especially not with the perfume. Some vampires notice things more than others.” His humble way of saying what you’d always suspected; even among the extraordinary, Namjoon was a standout, in more ways than one. He continued easily, “I’ll let Yoongi know to be alert tonight, but there shouldn’t be any problem. And even if you don’t want to talk about more personal things, I would like to hear about your vacation later on. We’ve missed having you here.”
Touched, both by his discreteness and his words, you felt your lips curl upwards in a tired but happy expression. “Thank you, Namjoon-sshi. I’ve missed being here, too.” And despite your emotional state, that wasn’t a lie. The BS&T had become, probably because of its unusual inhabitants, far more than just a job to you. “I would be happy to tell you about my vacation later.”
That said, you exited out of his office, maybe just a little bit lighter than when you’d entered. You’d seen Namjoon angry only a few times, and it wasn’t something you’ve ever wanted to personally experience. Letting out your breath in one controlled sigh, trying to shake off everything – your relief, your anxiety, your unhappiness – you snagged an apron from the collection of pegs that stuck out of the wall just outside of the actual bar, quickly put it on. Now that the wheel was turning, you just wanted to start, to fling yourself into the job, to have it done before it was even started.
The first thing you were aware of as you entered the bar was, as always, the noise. Or rather, the lack thereof. You’d done waitressing at a popular bar before getting this job, and at the peak hours it was noisy, active, almost overwhelmingly on. Not so the BS&T. Conversations murmured and lapped just below the edge of understanding, and to hear anything as solid as a full sentence was rare, even though the bar could get really full. The three TVs placed around the dark room flickered, almost painfully bright in contrast to the dimness surrounding them, but they too made almost no noise, set to the lowest volume available. Besides the TVs, the only other sources of light were the candles, elegant yet simple sticks that glowed softly on every wooden table.
Later on in the night, if the patrons were interested, some upbeat songs might be played, tables cleared to make a dance area, but even then, the music wouldn’t be loud, the laughter wouldn’t be sharp. Everything about the large room was muted, trenched in soft folds of shadows and quiet.
Well, almost everything. “Y/N!” The delighted voice pealed across the near-silence, unapologetically whipping it away, but you weren’t really embarrassed as the patrons stirred, looked towards you. Most of them were regulars, and by now everyone knew that Hoseok took curtesy towards humans to an entirely different level of loud. You’d tried to explain to the bartender that he didn’t need to scream for you to hear him, but he’d never spoken below a whisper-shout in your presence. It was cute, in some ways, his efforts to make your job easier (sometimes other vampires didn’t try to raise their voices, seeming to expect you to just hear their barely voiced orders), and even if they weren’t always on point, you definitely appreciated his attempts.
Your smile came unbidden to your lips, and you felt another knot loosen at the sight of your friend behind the bar, his hands flying across the collection of bottles and nozzles and containers that was his sole domain. He moved faster than any normal person could, fluid as the liquids he poured, and sometimes he would flip bottles in between chopping limes, catch them behind his back or with his feet, all with an infectious grin that made the monotony speed by. Hoseok didn’t do it for attention, or to show off. He did it because he could, and it made him happy, and it amused the patrons and all the workers, too.
“Hobi!” you replied, not even having to force the gladness into your tone as you weaved easily through the various taken tables to the counter. Hoseok was the only one at work that you’d told about Hyunwoo, a broken phone call that had involved a lot of tears on your part and even more reassurances on his. It felt amazingly good to see him now. “I guess you didn’t burn the bar down while I was away?”
“Not for lack of trying.” The rough but affectionate reply came from the front entrance, where a small man in a hoodie slouched on a stool set close to the wall. Their bouncer gave you a short wave, barely a shift of his hand, but from Yoongi that was practically a benediction. “I’m glad to see you back, Y/N. Hobi was starting to sulk without someone to fool around with.”
As Hoseok straightened in affront, Yoongi laughed, low and relaxed. “Ah, it wasn’t a very pretty sight.”
“You’re not a very pretty sight,” Hoseok shot back, sticking his tongue out, and Yoongi saluted him with his middle finger while a small group near the back of the bar laughed, loud enough for you to hear. Casting them a glance, his indignation miraculously forgotten, Hobi threw a dishtowel over his shoulder in a dramatic motion. “It is nice to see you, Y/N! How are you doing?”
That was a loaded question, his expressive face creased with just a hint of worry, but you just shrugged, trying to ask that he forget it. “I’m good, Hobi. The vacation was exactly what I needed.”
He nodded at that, became abruptly brisk. “I’m glad to hear it, Y/N! We’re getting pretty full tonight, and Seojoon and Hyejung have been running around to keep up. Those two tables just came in,” his chin jerked in the direction, “if you wanna see to them? Then you can tell me more about your vacation and why you smell so nice today!”
His energy seemed to sizzle along your own nerves, and you nodded quickly, gave him a slightly politer salute that he returned with a serious expression which cracked into a grin as you turned away. You nabbed a pen and paper, your nametag, plus a few menus from the rarely used hostess station before swiveling towards the first of the tables. You passed by Hyejung as you did and she smiled, gave a little toss of her hair in greeting (her hands were loaded with plates) before moving on. Hyejung was gorgeous, even by vampire standards, but also very quiet, and she was probably the best at handling the few dissatisfied customers that even the BS&T occasionally produced.
Her customers certainly weren’t dissatisfied tonight – you recognized the people at her tables by face if not name, and they you, with crisp nods that didn’t break their private conversation – and you were glad to see she and Seojoon had managed despite your tardiness. You were going to have to bring in Starbucks or something in the next few days. Across the room, you saw Seojoon taking the orders of a small group of humans you didn’t recognize, and you suspected they’d be relieved to be served by a human even if they’d come here as some kind of dare. Most humans who came to the BS&T came on a dare, yourself and Seojoon excluded.
On the other hand, your customers seemed excited to see you when you got to their table, even if they weren’t of the still-breathing variety. There were three of them, the ones who had laughed at Yoongi’s comment, and they stared at you with eager expressions and bright red eyes that advertised they’d be a demanding bunch. Their clothes – perfectly tailored, a little bit too formal, intimidatingly sleek – made it obvious they weren’t from around here.
(Vampires from out of town always wore suits or dresses. When you’d asked Yoongi about it he’d shrugged and said, “When you’re outta your depth, you dress to impress. Ain’t no vampire worth his fangs that’d look like a homeless person outside of his home.” That seemed a stretch given that Yoongi typically looked like he’d raided the nearest second-hand store for his clothes, but the point still stood. Regulars could be wearing hoodies, jeans, sweats, shorts or skirts, flannel or ballcaps, but those who weren’t regulars… they never, ever did.)
Which, you had to admit as you hitched on a smile and met the gaze of the newest additions to the BS&T, wasn’t exactly hard on the eyes. All vampires were attractive, but these three were exceptionally so, and the sharp suits they wore didn’t hurt that at all. That fact sort of flowed over you – you were used to it by now – and in a bright, consumer friendly voice, you began, “Hello! Welcome to the BS&T. I’m sorry if you had to wait at all.”
The one with the grin sharp enough to cut glass shook his head, waved his hand in enthusiastic dismissal. “Nah, it’s fine!” he said blithely. “We were just talking anyways.”
At least he was speaking clearly. If that deep voice had been quiet, you would have been at a loss. “Oh, good! Well, would you guys like to take a look at the menu?”
For one second you could practically see the wicked gleam behind the guy’s eyes, and frankly, you weren’t in the mood to deal with that sort of stuff tonight. Before he could say anything, you added sweetly, “And I’m so sorry, but servers aren’t on the menu.”
There was a half-second pause, an elongated struggle as the other two tried to understand what you meant and the one who’d spoken first tried to close his mouth. Then one of the others – round faced, silver haired in a black suit, cute in a rather sulky way – abruptly burst out laughing, the ringing delight in his voice making you automatically smile. “Taehyung,” he gasped through his amusement, “you just lost before you even played the game.”
Taehyung was getting red – always an interesting look on too-pale vampire skin – and his mouth worked silently for a few moments before he too broke into a rolling chuckle that was neither as repentant or as embarrassed as his chagrined expression seemed to suggest it should be. Still laughing, he raised his hands, all wounded purity. “Noona,” he protested feebly, “you’ve got the wrong idea. I wouldn’t ever…” But then the one who hadn’t spoken – brown haired, quiet – clouted him on the shoulder and he indignantly sputtered, “Yah, Jungkook!” and then all three of them were laughing too hard to continue for several seconds.
You waited patiently, glad that they weren’t taking it seriously and trying not to feel weird about one of them calling you noona. Beyond being a total stranger, it was highly unlikely any of them were younger than you, even if, looks-wise, they could be. But vampires were odd like that – in their eyes, they stayed the age they were when they were turned, be that a year or a century ago.
Eventually the unnamed one waved one hand, cutting himself and the other two off. “Okay, okay,” he said, regaining some equilibrium. “Sorry about that… Y/N,” he added, his dark eyes flicking to your name tag and back up. You were a bit embarrassed to realize you hadn’t introduced yourself – apparently, a long vacation really was hard to shake off – but no harm, no foul. The silver-haired vampire continued blithely as you smiled and shrugged. “I’ll take a look at the menu. Drinks and food, please.”
As you handed out the thin menus (Jin was a firm believer in quality over quantity), the vampires took them with an overexaggerated gentleness that was probably meant to be polite, but in your current mood it had a scowl tugging at your lips. It felt patronizing. You kept it off your face – you were a pretty good waitress when your boyfriend hadn’t cheated on you – and you didn’t think they noticed.
Without opening his, running one finger contemplatively over the paper, the unnamed one asked, “Do they normally have humans serving in vampire establishments in this city?” His tone wasn’t offensive, merely inquisitive, and his cheeks rounded as he smiled at you, a disarming expression.
That question wasn’t out of the park – you got asked that by a lot of outsiders – and you didn’t really blame them. Your city was one of the first that was actively trying to bridge the gap between the living and the dead, to break down the decades-old habit of ignoring each other until something went wrong (something always went wrong, be it a staking or a draining) and even here, it wasn’t considered the usual to work in a vampire run establishment. Still, it paid incredibly well, more than enough to get you through student loans and expectations. The novelty of it brought in more customers, and Namjoon was glad to pay you for that and the added hazards involved. Your parents had almost put their foot down when you first started, but a meeting with Namjoon and Seokjin had reassured them that this, at least, was an entirely respectable place of business.
You were fairly sure Namjoon hadn’t done… anything… to convince them beyond just speaking to them. Sometimes, with your boss, it was hard to know where the charisma ended and vampire coercion began. Given that influencing an unwilling mind had been declared by both vampire and human laws to be illegal, you were pretty confident he hadn’t nudged your parents, but with Namjoon… with vampires in general… moralities could sometimes go a little grey. Especially because a lot of what they did was as natural as breathing, as instinctive as drinking when thirsty.
Which is why your voice was politely guarded when you replied. “I know of several other places that have part-times, but I believe the Blood, Sweat and Tears is one of the only full-time cooperatives in the city.”
“Wowww, you hear that, Jimin?” That from Taehyung, his eyes rounding and mouth falling open again, menu forgotten in his hands.
Jungkook leaned over, said something that was too quiet for your (totally not snooping) ears to pick up. Jimin frowned at him sternly. “Jungkook-ah, just ask her yourself,” he said, ignoring the frantic cutting motion Jungkook made. He continued. “She doesn’t bite.” His voice did, though, the joke pointed, making Jungkook wince and look at you a trifle panicky.
“Ah, ah,” he began, and you had to admit there weren’t too many things more adorable in the world than a stuttering vampire. “I just – I’m surprised you work here,” Jungkook mumbled, his eyes falling to the table as his fingers twisted around themselves.
If your reply was a trifle sharp, it had nothing to do with the vampires. “Surprised? You and everyone else who comes in. But I like it here, and I’ve never had any problems.” Not the complete truth, but they weren’t here to hear your whole story, and besides, mentioning the few attempts made by other vampires probably wasn’t very tactful.
“Wow,” Taehyung breathed again, and Jungkook nodded. He just seemed relieved that you hadn’t bitten off his head for asking, which was hilarious in its own way.
Jimin shifted, opening his menu, and said idly, “Well, I’m glad. It’s not every day we get to talk with such a pretty human.” Which just meant you weren’t the only one in this conversation that was lying. There were plenty of humans willing to donate to the worthy cause that was a handsome or beautiful vampire – after all, it was in you to give – because it felt freaking wonderful and it often paid well, too. While the daily staple for vampires tended to come from blood bags, it was highly unlikely they hadn’t talked up a meal or two since coming here. As long as all parties involved were willing and informed, there was nothing illegal about drinking blood.
He was glancing at you from the corner of his eye, judging your reaction to the flattery, and you just lifted an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Anyways, can I get you guys anything to drink while you look at the menu? Or would you like a recommendation?” Jimin pouted a little, not looking at you straight on, and you couldn’t help but smirk.
Taehyung, who’d been pouring over the menu and utterly missed the interaction, raised his hand. “Oh, noona, I have a question!” he said brightly, tilting the booklet so you didn’t have to read it upside down. You internally sighed at the too-familiar address, but nonetheless leaned over to inspect the page he’d turned to. Drinks. “What’s the Silver Punch?”
You couldn’t help the slight smile, somehow unsurprised he’d been the one to ask. “It’s a house special. Any type of blood you’d like – prices vary depending on your choice – mixed with small flakes of silver, tabasco sauce, black pepper syrup and bourbon.”
“Wait, really?” In his disbelief Jungkook didn’t even stutter, just snatched the menu from Taehyung in a movement that blurred and stared in intent fascination at the drink. “Hey!” he said excitedly after a moment. “There are a lot of drinks with silver in them!”
“Food, too.” That observation from Jimin, who was obviously trying to be a little more contained than his fellows as he perused the selection. His eyebrows were arched, though, a slight furrow across his brow, and you let yourself enjoy their shock for a few seconds. If humans serving at a bar was surprising, what they served was altogether more so. Namjoon prided himself on appealing to many tastes, and some vampires enjoyed the questionable effects of silver enough to request it on their food or with their alcohol.
Not too much, obviously.
“I’ve never tried the drinks or had silver,” you eventually inserted (the BS&T had a flat ‘no blood for humans’ policy, and eating silver seemed a bit on the unhealthy side), “but the teriyaki burger with garlic fries is pretty good, if you’re interested in trying it out. You can add silver, powdered or flaked.”
“Oh, yes. I’ll get the Silver Punch and the-”
“What does it do? The silver, I mean?” Jimin interrupted Taehyung with a slight frown. “We should probably know that beforehand.” You got the feeling he was typically the one to rein in the excitable boy more than the other way around, and you couldn’t help but approve of the caution, even if the BS&T never put in anywhere near enough to be dangerous.
You shrugged, twirling your pen between your fingers. “It’s like alcohol, but more intense.” Apparently some drugs were a close comparison, but usually without the addiction part. “It also depends on the vampire. Some guys have told me their mouth and throat get a tingling sensation, others feel good or can’t move as smoothly… sometimes it even makes people have a hangover, or get sick.” No one could ever accuse you of trying to lie about what you were selling.
Despite your warning, Taehyung’s bright eyes hadn’t dimmed at all, and he looked pleadingly at Jimin. “Hyung,” he whined, “come on. You know we can’t try that back home! Why’d we go on this trip if we aren’t gonna try some new things?” The other boy, Jungkook, also had a shy smile on his face, his hands fiddling over the menu restlessly.
“Fine,” Jimin sighed, caving at their hopeful expressions. “Do what you want, but don’t blame me if you get poisoned and die.”
“Yes! Thanks, hyung!” Taehyung cheered. He turned to you. “Okay, I’ll get the Silver Punch, A negative, please, and I can order food now, right? Right. Okay, can I have the shredded pork sandwich with fries and gravy, please? Can I get the silver flakes on the side in case I don’t like it?” His excessively anxious expression miraculously cleared as you nodded. “Awesome, thank you!”
Finishing jotting down his order, you glanced inquisitively at the other two. Jungkook cleared his throat before reading studiously from the menu. “Ah, can I please get the Red Caribbean? I’ll try it with silver powder, if that’s alright. And, umm, A positive.” When you nodded again, his eyes flashed back to the page he was staring at. “For food… I’ll take the Thai salad with chicken. Ah…” His smile was a bit self-disparaging. “No silver on that, thanks.”
“Got it. And what can I get…?”
Jimin smiled at you, offering his menu as he spoke. “I’ll get a literal Bloody Mary. O negative. I’d like to try that burger you suggested – the teriyaki? – with the garlic fries. Hold the silver with both, thanks.” He giggled with a careless look at his friends. “Let the kids try the new stuff, right?”
“You said it,” you agreed as Taehyung and Jungkook complained. “Now,” you continued brightly with a wide grin, “could I see all of your I.D.s?”
The looks on their faces was almost enough to make up for your argument with Hyunwoo. Unable to contain your laughter, you waved a feeble hand, barely able to get out, “No, never mind, I was just kidding. I’ll get your orders in right away.” Now there was a joke that never got old.
They were still nonplused as you strode away from their table, chuckling. Hoseok laughed with you as you deposited their drink order on the stand, but then you were whisking yourself away, letting Jin know what to prepare in the kitchen. Seojoon had a big order and you helped him carry it out, setting it in front of the sprawling group of vampires he was serving before going to greet the other new table. They were just looking for drinks and not conversation, and after politely ordering waved you away. Which was fine by you, because you had a few other tables to take over from Seojoon and Hyejung.
All regulars, and you chatted with them off and on as you swept between the tables, topping off waters, grabbing more drinks or delivering food. A few of them stared at you maybe a little bit more sharply than was usual, or commented on your perfume, but beyond that, to your massive relief, no one pursued your scent further. More groups started coming in as the night began in earnest – it was inching close to 11 – mostly vampires, but a few humans, too. One man you’d never seen before took a stool at the bar, silently nursing the rum and coke Hoseok made for him, but he was the only single patron, human or otherwise. After doing one round of the room you picked up the drinks Hoseok had made for your first table and beelined towards them. Hyejung gracefully avoided your single-minded path (a major benefit to working with vampires) and you set down the tray you were holding with a slight flourish.
“Hope you guys enjoy it!” you said sincerely. “Need anything else why I’m here?”
Jimin held out his hand in a halting gesture, his smile wicked. “Let’s see how they like their drinks,” he proposed, pulling his Bloody Mary towards himself. The syrupy, dark red liquid parted sluggishly around his straw as he idly stirred, eyes fixed on the eager Taehyung, who’d snatched up the Silver Punch. You tore your eyes away from the blood (even now, you still felt a little queasy if you stared too long) and looked at the vampire instead, supposing there was no harm in it. Taehyung wiggled with excitement, looking like a kid presented with their favorite milkshake, before putting the glass to his lips.
Once again, the sight of the sloshing blood (not to mention the tabasco) was a little too much, and you cut your gaze away. That didn’t stop you from hearing a choke, a sputter, and when you looked back Jungkook was beating Taehyung on the back, Jimin was curled in on himself, shaking with laughter, and Taehyung’s eyes were watering so badly as he coughed he almost seemed to be crying.
You hadn’t realized how small Jimin was, but as he hunched over, also near tears but for an entirely different reason, it became obvious that he was tiny, especially compared to his tablemates. Tiny and honest-to-God adorable. It was hard for a vampire in a suit to look cute, but Jimin managed it, his laughter high, pitching into a squeak that a mouse wouldn’t have called intimidating, eyes scrunched in such a joyful expression you were a little bit perturbed by how much it made your heart stutter. Yeah, vampires were supposed to be appealing, that was kinda the whole point, but you were supposed to be largely over that. You were over that. It was probably just amusement at how silly Taehyung looked that was softening your outlook.
Or maybe you were missing a certain someone, who’d looked so happy when he’d laughed, too.
It was time to beat a hasty retreat. “Looks like he really enjoyed it,” you threw over your shoulder with a light laugh as you hurried away, totally missing the way Jimin, choking on his laughter, sobered sooner rather than later at your departure.
“It’s okay, hyung,” Jungkook said, leaving Taehyung to catch his breath and take another, slightly more cautious sip of the fiery concoction. His voice was low, too low for anyone at the nearby tables to hear, let alone a human. “You heard her heart, right? She thinks you’re cute.” Jimin shifted, a softly sulky look on his face.
Licking the blood from his lips, Tae looked up from the drink. “Wha? I didn’t hear anything.”
Jimin snorted. “Of course you didn’t. You were too busy trying to swallow that stuff like it was straight from a virgin.”
Utterly unfazed, Taehyung smiled innocently. “Oh, I wouldn’t know what that tastes like, hyung.” His smile became fox-sharp as Jimin growled under his breath. “And if it did come from a virgin, they must have been awfully hot.”
“Aish, you,” Jungkook scolded, swiping at the other vampire as Jimin growled again. “Anyways hyung, really, she seems nice. And, like, not afraid, which is kinda a bonus. Maybe you should get her number.”
“We’ll be your wingmen!” Taehyung added cheekily, beaming fit to kill cancer.
“Yeah, yeah, no,” Jimin huffed. “Besides, can’t you see it? She’s upset about something. I’m guessing she doesn’t want to get hit on by some random right now. You guys can stop trying to get me a rebound date any day now.”
Jungkook shook his head. “Upset? I don’t see it. You’re just making an excuse. Hyung, at this rate you’re gonna be in your grave before you find a new girl.”
Jimin said nothing, but it didn’t escape their notice that his eyes had shifted back to where you stood, leaning on the bar and taking a moment to speak with Hoseok.
You, oblivious, made a face at the bartender, who was teasing you about your mild fear of flying to go see your parents. Hoseok didn’t make fun of you very often, but it was obvious he was determined to cheer you up, even if it meant joking about your phobia. “Serving vampires isn’t the same at all!” you insisted, and his grin stretched across his face.
“You’re right!” Hobi agreed cheerfully. “It’s much, much more dangerous. If I was human you couldn’t have got me within a mile of this place.”
Your snort was loud enough to make the man at the bar look up, and you gave him an apologetic look before lowering your voice. “If you were human, Hoseok, there are a hell of a lot of places you wouldn’t get within a mile of.” Given his gracefully confident movements, unusual even for a vampire, you’d somewhat expected your friend to be, well… not a scaredy-cat. One day at the beach, Hoseok absolutely slathered with sunscreen, had quickly proven how wrong you were, and you hadn’t had to change your views since. Big aggressive dogs, small aggressive dogs, scary movies, swimming pools… you weren’t sure there was an end to the list of things Hobi was afraid of.
He was not ashamed of it. “Hey, nothing wrong with being on your toes. Ask Yoongi-hyung. He looks relaxed, but I once saw some punk try to creep up on him while he was sleeping, and, well…” He made an outrageous face. “Good thing the guy was a vampire, that’s all I can say!”
You rolled your eyes. “Sure, sure. There’s a difference between trying to look cool being ‘on your toes’ and screaming when someone drops a fork behind you, Hoseok.”
From across the room, lifting his head from the wall where he’d looked like he was napping, Yoongi kept his arms crossed as he called, “I don’t try to look cool, Y/N. It’s just natural.”
“As natural as a tanned vampire,” you muttered, and a few of the regulars laughed as you got back to work. It must be admitted that you were stalling getting a certain table their food, but the cooks were probably done by now. Clearing some dishes that had been left by a trio who’d eaten and left quickly but tipped pretty well, you hauled them to the kitchen. Sure enough, the food was plated, and you waved thanks to Jin before bringing it all into the bar.
The boys you were serving all waited patiently enough for you to set the plates down, but their enthusiasm was written clear in the way they snatched up their forks and knives. The eagerness was a bit funny given that vampires didn’t have to eat anything but blood to live, didn’t get hungry for food, but you supposed everyone could be excited to eat something if it tasted good. At least you’ve had a good time stuffing your face with ice cream without ever actually being hungry at all.
Taehyung was flushed, his quick movements just a little unsteady, which meant he was feeling the silver. Vampires could get drunk on alcohol – if they drank enough to kill a small village – but silver was a much, much quicker line to intoxication, and he’d drained his glass. Jimin was finished his drink as well while Jungkook was nursing his, and the brilliant red of their eyes had softened a bit with the blood they’d drank.
“How’re you liking the Caribbean?” you asked Jungkook as you put the ketchup in the middle.
His gaze flickered to the half-full glass, and then he smiled, a surprisingly childlike expression amidst the intense lines of his face. “It’s good. I don’t think I could have another one, though.”
“I could!” Taehyung nearly knocked over his glass as he tried to slide it towards you. Jimin caught it, pushed it and his own glass the rest of the way with a vaguely doubtful expression.
“Okay, I’ll get both of you refills. I’m not sure if you read it on the menu, but we serve a maximum of two silver drinks to each customer, so this’ll be your last,” you told the undeniably disappointed Taehyung, but you were doing him a favor. Silver poisoning was an entirely different monster than overindulging in alcohol, and it wasn’t a pretty one, either.
Jimin sighed in relief. “Good,” he said. “I definitely don’t want to be dragging you to the hotel, Tae, and I doubt the alleyway is super comfortable in the sun.”
“You’re cutting me off?” Taehyung whined, seemingly ignoring Jimin, his eyes round with hurt. “Me?”
“Yes, after this next glass you’re cut off,” you replied firmly, unmoved by his conniving pleading.
He straightened a bit, the reddish amber of his eyes reflecting the glow of the candlelight. “You know I’m a vampire, right? I could kill you for denying me.”
Across the bar you were aware of Yoongi’s head snapping up, all languid disinterest gone, but you’d heard that line enough to know when it was said as a joke and when it was a real threat. Jimin’s huff of embarrassed annoyance was enough to cement your certainty. God, vampires were so high on themselves. “Yeah?” you replied, again maybe a bit more sharply than you should have. “So could another human being. So could a dog. So could a dedicated duck. You aren’t special.”
Not your best customer service moment, but vampires were different in more ways than just their caloric intake and they took a little more abuse than most customers you’ve ever had. A pause in which all of them stared at you, and then a wave of hilarity hit them so hard they didn’t even bother laughing loudly enough for you to hear. Jungkook and Taehyung clutched at each other, trying to steady themselves as they shook, and once again Jimin was bent over, his arms tucked neatly around his middle as he giggled.
When he finally managed to look up your breath caught and you couldn’t even manage to be annoyed. You’d heard the term ‘heart eyes’ before, but damn, you’d never seen anything so close to it in real life before. Swallowing, beating back the urge to laugh simply because his creased eyes looked so, so happy, you gathered up the two glasses. A light, wry smile crossing your lips, you asked, pleased with how dry your voice managed to be, “Can I get you guys anything else?”
Jungkook made a sound and your gaze went to him, but he, still flush with laughter, was looking intently at Jimin. His mouth moved but you didn’t catch any words, and you were pretty sure he’d said something; Jimin’s giggle ended abruptly in a squeak, his eyes flying open in what looked like shock. Taehyung let out a howl of laughter, clapping his hands over his mouth to muffle the sound before quickly adding something that made Jimin scowl. The two younger vampires were utterly undaunted by the threatening motion he made (given his height, you couldn’t blame them) and continued to chatter at him, again too quiet for you to hear.
Eventually he waved them off and they settled back, expectant. Jimin turned to you reluctantly, his thick lips set in an undeniably nervous look. “Ah, I think we’re good for drinks and food…” he said, and normally that would have been enough to set you on your way. But his fingers played nervously along the table, tracing the whorls of the wood, so you waited patiently for him to continue and were rewarded a few seconds later. “Though, I’d like to, I mean, maybe…” He straightened, his hand coming up and sweeping back his silver bangs in one smooth, deliberate motion. “Y/N, could I get your number?”
For a moment the question played and replayed in your ears, distorted by the sickening sense of déja vu that rocked your senses. You’d met Hyunwoo at this same bar, and he’d asked you the exact same question. An instant rejection rose in your throat, ready to be flung out. Except…
Except it wasn’t the exact same, was it? Hyunwoo had been alone, a cocky human playing the brave adventurer in a place he didn’t understand. By now Jimin was red with embarrassment, sinking into his seat and looking smaller by the second. Taehyung and Jungkook looked on, eager for their friend’s sake. You automatically looked behind you; Hoseok was staring, a glass forgotten in his hands. When he saw you watching he grinned, set the glass down and tossed you two thumbs up. As you examined your emotions, there was nothing blurry or suspiciously content there; you’d had vampires try to charm you before, and it didn’t feel like that was happening.
Fleetingly you wondered what your parents would say if they learned you were dating a vampire, but that was getting entirely ahead of yourself. You didn’t even want to date this guy with the heart eyes and rather distant demeanor, not with Hyunwoo’s wound still so raw. Talking, though? You could do talking, couldn’t you? And maybe (best to be honest, if only with yourself), a little bit more than talking, as long as it wasn’t dating.
You flipped open your notepad, scrawled out a quick series of numbers. The sound of the paper tearing seemed too loud in your abruptly sensitive ears, but it felt good to hand the slip over, to see the vaguely incredulous look on Jimin’s face as he accepted it. “I work until 5,” you told him simply, and he just nodded, his expression almost compassionate, and you had the uncomfortably belated thought that maybe he’d sensed your mood sometime tonight and asked you just to be nice.
Which wouldn’t be that big of a deal, either way. Forcing yourself to stop biting your lip, you smiled, broadened the gesture to include the other two as well. “I’ll go get your drinks refilled,” you said, and had a love/hate relationship with the fact that your voice was definitely, definitely lighter than before. “Enjoy your food, guys, and let me know if you need anything else.” This time your departure felt less like a retreat, and Hoseok’s pleased grin as you neared the counter just made it better.
Behind you, Taehyung was about to try to give Jimin a high-five, but Jungkook kicked him underneath the table. “Hey!” he said reproachfully, but Jungkook tilted his head, ignoring him.
“You were right, hyung,” he observed with an amazement that bordered on the offensive. “She was upset about something.”
“Still is,” Jimin pointed out, but he also hadn’t missed the way your presence had – lightened – just a little after you’d given him the number. It was – nice – to have that effect on someone, nice in an embarrassingly pleasant wave that made him want to squirm in his seat. “Definitely thought she was going to say no for a second there,” he added with a self-deprecating chuckle that hid the depth of his mortification at the prospect of that happening.
Taehyung shrugged, seemingly untouched by what had happened, and snagged the ketchup. As he pooled it into a pile on his plate, he said, “I dunno what the Clan’s gonna say when we tell them we’re extending our vacation.”
As one, Jungkook and Jimin blinked at him. “What?”
He happily munched on a fry, considering them innocently. “Well it’s not like we can leave in a few days, not when Y/N just gave you her number. That’d be rude!” Jimin snorted, suspecting ulterior motives, and his skepticism was shortly proven true as Tae continued. “Besides, did you see what the bouncer and bartender were doing when we came in? They had knives! It was that finger game Yugyeom keeps talking about. I bet if we came here enough times they’d let me play.”
“I could play, too!” Jungkook insisted, abruptly focused at the prospect of a game. “I bet I’d be better than you, Taetae.”
They dissolved into squabbling over who would stab themselves first, and Jimin tuned them out as he pulled out his cell. He stared at the lock screen for a second before the thinnest of lines piled up between his brow. A few seconds in settings and the picture was deleted, replaced with one of him, Jungkook and Taehyung. It hurt, a mingling of regret and anger and too-sharp sadness, but it’d been months since she broke up with him. His younger friends were often idiots, but they weren’t wrong when they’d said he needed to move on.
Typical of their age, they inhaled their food almost too fast to taste it, and you were ready to send them on their way with a smile and a wave. Jimin made sure to tip you well, although not ridiculously (humans could be so sensitive about being paid for things) and bowed over your hand at the door, just to be polite. For some reason the bouncer was glaring, so he let you go, smiling softly at the way your heartbeat thrummed faintly at the edge of his hearing. The lilac of your perfume lingered as he assisted Jungkook in pulling Taehyung out into the early morning, and it was still there by the time they got back to the hotel.
He pulled out his phone again as they staggered into their room, looking at the slip of paper you’d handed him hours ago. Then his fingers were skimming over the keys, adding in your contact info, and he opened up a new message, swiftly typed something. A pause, a miniscule hesitation, before he hit send. There was no immediate reaction, but you probably had your phone on silent. That was fine. It wasn’t like Jimin was dying to get your reply or anything. It was a little late for that.
A few hours later, with Jimin and his crew long departed, Taehyung’s arm swung over Jungkook’s shoulder for support as he stumbled, you sat in the break room, enjoying a few minutes to yourself, comfortably off your feet. You took out your phone, checked your notifications. Five new texts.
Three were from Hyunwoo, and with a sudden surge of glaring anger you deleted them. Your hands shook, but after several moments of considering his name, you opened up the options. A bit of blood was leaking from your lip, you were biting it so hard, but selecting ‘block number’ felt like setting down a weight you’d been carrying straight above your head for the last three weeks. An incredible relief that left something hollow and aching in your muscles. You hit the button.
The last were from an unknown number. The first read, ‘Hi this is Jimin :) Sorry if we were annoying you tonight. Thanks for recommending the burger it was great!’ The second said, ‘Hope work goes by fast :) ps, the dedicated duck made it home fine’
You smiled, barely aware of the coppery taste of blood lingering in your mouth, and began to type a reply.