Work Text:
The mansion was dark and eerie. At the entrance was a pair of grand doors that had once welcomed various guests and now forgotten with time. From the entrance, there was a large staircase, its steps dusty as were its handrails that were all old with age.
A large painting hung on the centre wall of the grand staircase’s first platform. It captured the picture of a man and woman dancing in a ballroom, blurred faces surrounded them, blending in with the background, making them the main attraction. Pearly white skin, a small face, and delicate features, those were the first few things Chanyeol noted about the woman. All in all, she was beautiful. She wore a red dress that was bold yet elegant at the same time. It looked as if it was really glittering even in the painting. Meanwhile, the man wore a long navy blue jacket, a white frilly shirt, which was probably made out of the finest silk, fitted into a pair of black trousers, and had black boots on. His face was one of joy and tenderness.
“Baekhyun looked so handsome,” Chanyeol thought.
He didn’t know how old the mansion was. Neither did he know which century the painting belonged to. All he knew was that the man in the painting was a man he loved and someone who loved him back now.
While Chanyeol knew that one of the side effects of being a vampire was to never age, he still found himself shock whenever he discovered bits of Baekhyun’s past and saw that the other looked exactly the same as he did in photos from hundreds of years before. This time, it was not an exception.
“Ah, I loved her a lot,” a new voice joined in.
Startled, Chanyeol jumped a little, forgetting that he wasn’t alone in the mansion, causing Baekhyun to chuckle. He turned to Baekhyun to glare but the vampire was waving him off and smiling at the painting. For a moment, Chanyeol thought that Baekhyun must be really happy to see it but then he saw the sadness in Baekhyun’s eyes and he wasn’t so sure anymore. When it came to Baekhyun, he could never be sure about anything.
“You loved her?” Chanyeol decided to start a conversion, albeit one that he didn't really want to have. There was a spark of jealousy growing inside of him. He didn’t want to feel this way and despite the fact that he and Baekhyun were together now, he still felt like he had no rights to be jealous of something like that.
Looking away from the painting, Baekhyun said softly, “I loved before you, you know?”
Of course he did. He was only a few hundred years old. And even if he wasn’t, Baekhyun was gorgeous. People would have been lining up for his affections.
Wordlessly, Chanyeol nodded in understanding, the green-eyed monster gone from his conscious as he stared at Baekhyun. The other had a peculiar look on his face that Chanyeol had never seen before and he wondered what Baekhyun was thinking about. Slowly, Chanyeol was uncovering Baekhyun little by little, like a book waiting to be read. Except this book was drenched; its pages wet and the words blurred. But Chanyeol was going to figure everything out no matter how long it took.
“Meet me at the entrance later?” Baekhyun asked Chanyeol with a smile but before Chanyeol could reply, Baekhyun had already vanished into one of the hallways up the stairs.
Chanyeol grinned wryly, still not used to a vampire’s natural speed and how they flitted. He turned back to the painting to look at Baekhyun and wondered which year it was when the ball happened. The ballroom looked so grand, so majestic, and nothing like Chanyeol had ever seen before in his entire life. There was a ballroom at his university for school functions and formal events but it was nowhere as grand as the one in the painting. Despite the blurred background, Chanyeol could still make out the tiny details of the room. The chandeliers had little crystals on them, each shining brightly setting the place aglow with a soft light. Closing his eyes, Chanyeol could picture the place vividly in his head. He could hear classical music playing, the melody from the string instruments soothing to his ear and he could see the guests dancing.
Sighing, Chanyeol opened his eyes and smiled sadly at the picture, wishing that he was there. Wishing that he had been the one dancing with Baekhyun instead. There was still so much about the vampire that he didn’t know but wanted to know. If Baekhyun let him, Chanyeol would do anything to see the real him and understand him. All Baekhyun had to do was to let him in. But Baekhyun didn’t trust easy, Chanyeol knew so he wasn’t going to force the other. Someday, Baekhyun would tell him, that was what Chanyeol believed.
Stretching his arms, he looked left and right at the two identical flight of stairs leading to separate hallways and a slight shiver ran down his spine at how dark and creepy the place looked. While he hadn’t been afraid previously, he was starting to feel a little scared. Perhaps Baekhyun’s presence had made him braver. But now that he was alone…
Taking a deep breath, Chanyeol told himself, “it’s okay, Chanyeol. You can do this. It’s just a freaking big mansion that had been abandoned for who knows how long.” Then he reminded himself that the place was once Baekhyun’s home and he relaxed slightly.
He looked towards the direction that Baekhyun had vanished off to and wondered how long the other would take. Baekhyun hadn’t mentioned what he was doing here or what he would be doing. If he was going to be quick about it then maybe Chanyeol should just wait at the door. Though if Baekhyun was going to take a very long time then Chanyeol wouldn’t want to waste his time idling by the tall wooden doors.
There was a part of him telling him to explore the place because it wasn’t every day that he got to be in a mansion that was hundreds of years old in an abandoned, out-of-the-way area from the main road. More than that, it wasn’t every day that he got to be in a freaking mansion. Most of all, Chanyeol was curious. So curious about what he would find out about Baekhyun by exploring the hallways that Baekhyun had once walked every single day. What he would find out by looking into the rooms that Baekhyun had once stayed in. There were so many things that Chanyeol could discover.
Steeling himself, Chanyeol went in the opposite direction from Baekhyun, taking the steps up the right side one by one, feeling surprised that they weren’t squeaking from old age.
When he reached the start of the dark hallway, he pulled out his phone and turned out the assistive light. Baekhyun must have forgotten that Chanyeol wasn’t a vampire so he didn’t give him a torch or something. Or Baekhyun was just sadistic and wanted Chanyeol to be creeped out by his old house. Chanyeol was betting more on the second one.
The hallway looked endless but Chanyeol knew that that wasn’t possible. He shone the light onto the carpeted floor and grimaced when he saw stains that he couldn’t identify and quickly moved his phone back to shed light on the corridor.
As Chanyeol walked down the dark hallway, he randomly thought about what he should get for Baekhyun as a present. Christmas was just around the corner and he still had no idea what was a suitable gift for his vampire boyfriend who was hundreds of years old. Baekhyun hadn’t mentioned his real age to Chanyeol before but Chanyeol was guessing that the other was a few hundred years old judging by the things Chanyeol knew about Baekhyun. Did vampires even celebrate Christmas? Would Baekhyun even give him anything? It didn’t matter anyway because this was Chanyeol’s first Christmas with Baekhyun and he was going to give the other something no matter what.
He finally saw a right turn and grinned when he saw some light at the end of the corridor. There were windows lining the next corridor at the turn, shedding light onto the decorated walls that looked worn with age. The carpet there was thankfully clean and Chanyeol turned off his phone’s light.
This was where Baekhyun had used to live. He still couldn’t quite grasp it, especially when he looked around and thought about how expensive everything must have been. How expensive everything probably still was.
“Why did he leave this place?” Chanyeol thought to himself as he neared a wall that was lined with various landscape paintings.
Looking outside the window, he noted that the scenery was different from the one in the painting and again he thought about how much had changed over time and the number of years and experience that stood between himself and Baekhyun. It was a sad thought but one that constantly lingered at the back of his mind.
Pushing those thoughts away, Chanyeol continued to think about an appropriate Christmas present for Baekhyun. The more he thought about it, the more he lost hope. What could he get someone who had used to own all of this? Maybe he should just steal something and give it to the vampire. He doubted that Baekhyun had an inventory stock of all the items that belonged to him. The vampire must have houses just like this one all over the world.
As Chanyeol was about to give up and simply buy a little trinket from one of his neighbourhood’s stores or from the Christmas fairs at his school, a brilliant idea struck him. He was suddenly glad that he had brought his backpack along. Baekhyun had laughed at him and had said that they weren’t going on a school trip but Chanyeol had ignored him and had brought his belongings anyway.
Opening its zip, Chanyeol scanned the bag and his lips stretched into a wide smile when he saw that he had put his cameras inside. It wasn’t his professional camera but a polaroid camera and a digital one would do. Now he just had to find it.
The mansion was huge and Chanyeol didn't know how many turns he had taken or how rooms he had passed. All he knew was that he still couldn’t find the thing that he needed.
Stopping in the middle of a big area with a table in the centre and an empty vase atop it, Chanyeol grimaced when he saw two roads to choose from – keep walking straight or take a left turn. He had been walking straight for the past thirty minutes and there had been nothing but more rooms and more windows. Taking the left turn meant total darkness again but it would definitely be more interesting. Chanyeol doubted that he could find what he needed if he continued walking straight.
With a newfound determination, Chanyeol turned on his flash and turned left.
He knew that he was lost but he had faith that Baekhyun would look for him and find him within a matter of seconds or minutes. It had been his home and it was still his mansion after all. Not to mention with his super hearing, sigh, and vampire speed, finding Chanyeol would be a piece of cake.
Suddenly, Chanyeol saw some light on the floor so he quickened his pace and he found himself standing in front of an open door. He turned off his phone’s light and pocketed the device before taking a step into the room. Standing at the entranceway, he looked around the room and was in awe of its size. It was almost empty save for one large clothed item at the centre of the room, making the place seem larger than it really was. The light shining in from the windows had a soft glow to them and Chanyeol wondered if the windows were slightly tinted or if they were just dusty from the centuries of not being cleaned.
Slowly, Chanyeol approached the middle. Taking a deep breath, he pulled off the cloth. When the piece of fabric fell and revealed what it had been hiding underneath, Chanyeol broke into a grin because he finally found what he had been looking for - a portrait of Baekhyun.
Throwing his bag onto the ground, Chanyeol knelt in front of it to pull out his polaroid camera. He adjusted the settings before standing up to face the portrait.
Baekhyun looked so handsome in the painting. He had black hair in it, like the first painting and the various paintings Chanyeol had seen while wandering the mansion but he still couldn’t get used to it because of how he was so accustomed to seeing brown on Baekhyun’s head.
The vampire was wearing a white shirt with ruffles at the front and he wore a coat that reached the middle of his thighs over it. Gold linings formed patterns on the coat but the overall colour was red and black. He also wore a simple pair of black slacks and knee-high boots. There was a large hat on his head that had feathers in it and he held a long sword in one hand.
Chanyeol briefly wondered if Baekhyun had been a pirate for a period of time but then he remembered how rich the other was and the thought vanished.
Bringing the camera up and positioning it carefully in front of his eyes, he snapped a shot of the portrait and the film was instantly printed out. He held the newly developed film in his hand as he stared at the portrait and admired Baekhyun. This man was truly ethereal and Chanyeol couldn’t believe how lucky he was.
The picture appeared after a while and Chanyeol was happy with how well it turned out. He kept it in his wallet before looking at the painting one last time.
Smiling at the pirate look-a-like, Chanyeol wished he had the chance to see Baekhyun like that before turning around to leave the room.
He held out his phone’s torch again as soon as he was out and turned to the left of the room where there was yet another long stretch of corridor.
Chanyeol didn’t know how much time had passed and his phone was flat so there was no way to figure out the time. The sun wasn't shining as brightly anymore though so Chanyeol guessed that it was around mid-afternoon.
After walking for a while longer, Chanyeol saw some light shedding on the handrails of some stairs and he cheered in his heart. As he got closer to it, he realised that he was on the right side of the first flight of stairs. So he somehow managed to reach the entrance.
Baekhyun was already at the entrance when he reached the bottom of the stairs. The vampire was smiling at him teasingly.
“Took you long enough.”
“Your house is huge,” Chanyeol stressed as he walked over to Baekhyun.
The vampire shrugged. “Fair point. So,” he began as he stared at Chanyeol. “What were you doing?”
“Just exploring,” Chanyeol answered with a smile and Baekhyun hummed. “You own a nice place.”
Grinning, Baekhyun tip-toed and placed a quick kiss on Chanyeol’s lips before opening the doors and walking out as he continued humming.
A lopsided smile appeared on Chanyeol’s face and he watched Baekhyun’s back for a while before following the other out. Byun Baekhyun was still so full of mysteries.
When the sun had set, Baekhyun strolled out of his room lazily, yawning, not bothering to cover his mouth and stretched his hands upwards. It wasn’t that he felt sore or anything from sleeping too long, he just never grew out of the habit of stretching since he had been a human.
There were some books on the coffee table, titles all familiar to Baekhyun – he had jokingly told Chanyeol a few books he wanted to read but the bookstores were always closed by the time he woke up, but he didn’t expect the other to get any of them for him. Eyes scanning the books, he picked up the top book and scoffed at the name - ‘A Vampire’s Love’. He didn’t remember requesting for that one and he had no intentioned to read whatever it was either.
Placing the book back down on the coffee table, something poking out from beneath the stack of books caught Baekhyun’s eye. Curious, Baekhyun pulled out the small object and his eyes widened when he saw a reflection of his own self; his own self a few hundred years ago. He remembered this painting, remembered commissioning it at an exorbitant cost and remembered standing there for hours until the portrait was done. Vanity always came at a price.
He smiled sadly at the photo as memories of his past came flooding into his mind. Shaking the thoughts from his head, he flipped the photograph around and found a post-it note written in Chanyeol’s handwriting.
Merry Christmas. You make a very handsome pirate.
Love, P. Chanyeol.
Baekhyun raised a brow as his grip on the photograph tightened and he flipped it around again. He frowned at the photo. “I wasn’t a pirate,” he grumbled before flipping back to read the post-it again, frown deepening, then turning it back to look at his own photo. “And those clothes were really expensive. It was the ‘in-thing’ back then.”
“And ripped jeans are the ‘in-thing’ now right?” a new voice entered the room and Baekhyun spun around to see Chanyeol walking in.
“I keep up with the times,” Baekhyun answered with a nonchalant shrug. “So this is what you were doing?” He held the polaroid film between his middle and third finger, showing Chanyeol the side where the photo was printed on.
Smiling sheepishly, Chanyeol nodded as he approached Baekhyun. “Since you can’t…you know…” he trailed off and Baekhyun frowned in confusion. “Take photos.” The bewildered expression didn’t leave Baekhyun’s face. “Vampire and all. You can’t take photos because they won’t turn up right? So I’m giving you a picture of yourself!” he exclaimed excitedly with a large smile.
Oh. That.
Seeing how happy Chanyeol was, Baekhyun didn’t have the heart to tell the other that it was just a myth and that he could take photos and that he loved selfies. But that could wait for another day because he didn’t want to burst Chanyeol’s bubble about all the vampire tales he had heard about.
But more than that, he was feeling warm and fuzzy all over because of how sweet Chanyeol was.
“It’s been years, centuries since someone had given me something,” Baekhyun admitted.
Chanyeol’s eyes widened in surprise and Baekhyun nodded.
“I’m six hundred and eight years old, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said suddenly, changing the topic.
“What?”
“You’ve been wondering about my age right?” Baekhyun asked. “I’m six hundred and eight…I didn’t want to tell you because…because…” Baekhyun huffed. “I’m so old and you’re so young. What are you? Twenty-two?”
Chuckling, Chanyeol nodded and made his way over to Baekhyun to cup the vampire’s face. “I don’t care how old you are. But why are you suddenly telling me this? It’s okay if there are some things that you want to keep from me.”
“My age isn’t one of them,” Baekhyun replied simply and Chanyeol’s heart ached a little at the fact that there were things that Baekhyun had to hide from him. “And I told you because I thought that I should give you something.”
Chanyeol raised a questioning brow as his hands dropped to Baekhyun’s shoulders.
“Christmas present,” Baekhyun clarified.
Breaking into a grin, Chanyeol moved in closer to kiss Baekhyun full on the lips. The vampire kissed back immediately and brought his arms up to wrap them around Chanyeol’s neck.
“Merry Christmas,” Baekhyun murmured against Chanyeol’s lips.