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The first step was difficult, but there was a sense of purpose that kept you going.
You wanted to belong somewhere. You wanted to know your place. If you couldn’t have it where you were born, then you wanted to find it elsewhere. No matter what effort it’d take.
That first step was to convince yourself that you can manage to live on your own, that your world doesn’t have to close up on what you’ve experienced until now. You weren’t brave, you didn’t really know if what you’re doing is right. But you had your purpose and you knew that the best advice you can get, is to do exactly what needs to be done.
You pressed your lips together, calming down your breathing. The pretty, elegant clothes you wore suddenly became too tight for your liking, the white shirt pressing on your chest as if it wasn’t heavy enough.
Checking the way your pants fitted in the window’s glass, she stepped inside.
“Hello, I’ve heard you have a vacancy. Could I…”
“What’s your experience?” the woman in her fifties, standing behind the cash register, asked in a bit harsh tone. Some of the customers sitting nearby spared you a glance, making you feel even more nervous.
“It’d be my first job” you replied truthfully.
The woman squinted her eyes at you.
“School?”
“I’m a college student” you admitted.
“Need quick cash, I see.”
You didn’t answer to that, not really wanting to get into details. Her eyes seemed to judge your very existence, and in her head – you could literally hear that – she was making assumptions as to what were you looking for here.
“Sorry, we look for experienced people” she replied thoughtlessly.
“I-I can learn…” you stuttered.
“I won’t take responsibility for a kid running around.”
“I’m not a kid, ma’am…” you tried to explain politely.
“Told you I won’t take you, just go away.”
“Ma’am…”
“Want me to call security?”
You pressed your lips together and forced a strained smile onto your face. Your patience was wearing thin.
“Hope you go bankrupt, ma’am” you exclaimed politely and turned around. It wasn’t the only shop in the city. And surely there were other places that could hire you. Surely.
You left the building and leaned against the wall, exhaling slowly. The conversation unnerved you more than you’d like, the woman’s attitude didn’t leave any doubt that the lack of employees must have been a result of not-too-friendly atmosphere at the workplace. In fact, who would want to work with such a b…
“Hello, you okay?”
The door of the coffee shop opened and a man stepped out, smiling softly. Your upset face did nothing to take him aback, as though he was prepared to see it. At first, you didn’t really believe he was talking to you – but when you quickly proceeded the facts, he must have been a witness to the situation that just took place.
“Oh, I’m alright” you replied quickly, smiling back with your lips pursed. The last thing you wanted to do was to bother strangers with your own problems. It was bad enough that they had to witness the situation.
“Mm, it wasn’t really nice of her” he noticed, closing the door behind himself and leaning against the wall next to you. You glanced at him curiously, but also with a doze of suspicion.
“Well, it’s up to her how she chooses her employers” you shrugged.
“But it doesn’t give her right to treat others like this.”
To that, you only nodded, pressing your lips together. A silence welcomed the two of you as you stared forward, slowly letting the tension flee away from your body. The stranger’s presence seemed peculiarly comforting.
The weather on this day was really pleasant, warm, but not hot, with soft breeze doing a good job at calming you down. You smiled.
“Well, guess it wasn’t meant to be. I’ll go look somewhere else. Thank you” you said, bowing softly.
“Is it true that you need money fast?” he asked, peeking at you from underneath his lashes. His face was a bit more relaxed now, not smiling anymore, but still somewhat welcoming.
You sighed.
“Kinda. I need to pay rent as soon as possible. But I need to have a job in order to afford it later, of course” you explained. Sensing the other’s curiosity, you cleared your throat. You felt just fine sharing with him such brief peeks from your life, but you didn’t want to overwhelm a stranger with your problems. “I barely moved out, so it’s all new to me. I need to settle down.”
The stranger nodded his head understandingly.
“You know, there are ways to get money quickly” he started carefully, glancing at you and watching your expressions, unsure as to how would you react.
The realization of what the man was – in your opinion – implying, made your whole body go stiff, and your mind automatically started imagining the worst case scenario that could occur now.
“I-I’m sorry, I think I’ll be going” you muttered, pushing yourself off the wall. Before you could take a step, a hand wrapped around your wrist, stopping you from going any further. You felt your heart drop.
“Please, hear me out” the man said calmly. “It’s not what you think it is. And I’m not going to force anything upon you. I just think we could help each other out.”
It’s not what you think it is.
Was he truthful now? Could you really trust him? You needed money. Even if you found a job today, you’d still have to wait a long time before getting your first salary. You already borrowed money from your friend to pay the fee, you needed to give it back to her as soon as possible. And you had to get food, too.
You cleared your throat, glancing back at the man. He seemed somehow desperate, and that much you two had in common.
“O-okay. But if it gets fishy, I’m leaving right away.”
He exhaled and nodded quickly.
“Let’s go sit somewhere. There should be some better place nearby” he announced, and you had to admit, the coffee shop was the last place you’d like to spend anymore of your time in.
“Before we go. What’s your name?”
The man smiled gently once again.
“Byun Baekhyun. Nice to meet you.”
You nodded slowly.
“[F/n]” you replied, deciding that it’s too soon to share your last name yet. “Nice to meet you, too. I hope.”
* * *
The two of you ended in some fast food restaurant. Your stomach grumbled at the smell – you didn’t eat much for breakfast, both to save money and because of the stress tied to the task you had. It didn’t look like a proper place for business conversations, but neither of you cared.
“What would you like?” the man asked, eyeing the meal offers sprawled on the screen above the counters. “’I’ll pay. I owe you for coming with me. No big deal.” He smiled warmly. As much as you didn’t want to agree, you weren’t in a position to turn down a free meal.
“It’s up to you then, I’m not picky” you replied. “I’ll go look for seats.”
Once the two of you finally sat down, the atmosphere finally started to get less awkward. The slight smile on the stranger’s face seemed to be nothing but polite now. It was hard to tell what he was thinking – it seemed as though he was doing his best not to scare you away. And you appreciated it. It had some sort of sincerity in it, something that caused you to trust him a little bit more. In fact, even not knowing any details yet, you were almost sure that what he said before was true and he was not going to ask you for anything inappropriate.
Or maybe it was only the facade? A well-prepared way of gaining the others’ trust, learned through years of experience?
You sat in silence, glancing either at him or the surroundings every few seconds, waiting for the order to arrive. The man seemed not to hurry, letting you ease yourself in the situation. When he looked away, you took it as an opportunity to study him a little more. He seemed not much older than you, and, what kind of struck you – he was handsome. His hair seemed strong and fluffy, which you envied instantly. There was nothing about his appearance that’d seem less than perfect and it, in fact, did nothing to ease your suspicion.
Someone called your order’s number and he stood up to get it, not even giving you a chance to do it instead. You waited for him to arrive a few second later and put a tray in front of you. The tray contained two of everything: two cheeseburgers, two packs of fries, two boxes of nuggets and two cups of some sort of drink. Your mouth salivated from the smell that overwhelmed you instantly.
“Cola or juice?” he asked, pointing the cups.
“A-anything will be okay.”
“Then juice, it’s healthier” he said, taking the cola and putting it in front of himself, encouraging you to take the other cup. You couldn’t help but smile at his reasoning.
“Shouldn’t you take the juice for yourself if it’s healthier?”
The man laughed shyly, looking down at his hands. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but eventually decided not to. A pleasant silence fell upon the two of you and you decided to reach for the nuggets. They seemed like the best treat right now.
“So? What’s the deal, Mr Byun?” you asked politely. The man seemed a bit dumbfounded for a few seconds, as if not proceeding what you just said.
“O-oh, please, just call me Baekhyun.”
“W-well then, Baekhyun. What’s the…”
“Have you ever donated blood?” he asked casually, lazily swirling the straw in his cola, whatever the gesture’s purpose was.
You frowned. It was definitely the last question you’d expect to hear.
“I don’t think I’ve had the chance to” you admitted. “But it’s not a problem for me. Why?”
Baekhyun took a sip of his cola, watching you with full interest.
“It’s kind of what I’d like to pay you for” he announced straightforwardly. Your frown only deepened.
“Illegal medicine business?” you asked hesitantly, feeling slightly nervous again. Maybe the idea didn’t sound that bad, it surely was an easy money, but you didn’t want to engage yourself in any sort of illegal stuff. Once again, what if someone decided to use your body in a way you wouldn’t approve?
“Not really” Baekhyun said slowly. “It’s nothing that could get you in trouble.”
“Then what it is?”
The man bit on his lip, not looking away. He must have been thinking of what to tell you and it urged you to stay cautious – who knew how many of his words were true.
“I can show you. But I need you to promise that you won’t walk away once I do.”
You crossed your arms, leaning back.
“I can’t promise you that. I told you I’ll leave as soon as it gets fishy. And it’s already fishy.”
“Please. There’s nothing I could do to harm you now, there’s a lot of people around, and cameras. It’s technically safer than if you were to leave now.”
That was true. You were relatively safe here. If you left though, and he followed you – before you reached home (or the police station) you’d surely be passing through someplace secluded enough to make it easy to harm you. The fact he was the one to point it out made you realize just how aware he was of your doubts.
You exhaled.
“Okay. Fine. I’ll hear out whatever you have to say. But it still doesn’t mean I’ll agree.”
He nodded quickly.
“Just… try not to freak out.” He glanced around quickly, making sure there was no one nearby. He rested his chin on his palm, blocking the view of his face from anyone who could be accidentally looking in his direction. There was only you, with your frown deepening with every second.
And when you were about to ask him what’s the deal about, he blinked, and his eyes suddenly turned red. You stared at him, completely dumbfounded, unsure if your sight wasn’t betraying you now. But the way he looked at you, the way the crimson flickered when he glanced away for a brief second, it only ensured you that – in fact – it was exactly what he wanted you to see.
Your lips parted slightly in shock, still unable to proceed what just happened. Was it some sort of illusion?
Baekhyun licked over his lips briefly. With another blink, the crimson disappeared, exchanged with the previous, dark color.
“U-um…” He looked down, letting his hand fall onto the table. He sipped on his cola again, probably to ease the tension. “So, do you have an idea of what I am?” he asked quietly, seeming slightly self-conscious.
“I… Uh… no” you blurted out.
“Think carefully.”
Was it some sort of a joke? You felt like this situation was somewhat familiar, you’ve read stories, you imagined things like such being real.
You laughed hysterically.
“No, no way.”
You stood up without thought, as if to walk away just like that. You were pretty much ready to ignore the promise you gave earlier. If it, in fact, was a joke, you were only going to embarrass yourself.
But the look on Baekhyun’s face, filled with despair and sincere shame of his own nature, made you realize that in fact, you didn’t want to leave just like this. You felt annoyance at the thought of it being a lie. But no fear, no resistance.
So you sat back down, biting on your lip, crossing your arms and staring forward at the man. His face showed some kind of uncertainty, and he seemed to shrink a little under your bold gaze.
“You gotta tell me more” you exclaimed.
He breathed out, closing his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again and mindlessly swirling the straw in his cup.
“I don’t want to drop too much onto you right now. But tell me what are your thoughts right now. If you don’t want to help me, it’s the right time to say it, and I’ll just let you go. I don’t need you to promise that you won’t tell anyone, because no one would believe you. But I don’t want to tell you too much for nothing” he explained carefully.
You nodded slowly.
“I… In fact, I’m interested” you admitted. “I still need money and if what you’re saying is true, this deal is even less risky than what I originally expected.” You scratched your neck, looking away for a moment before looking at him again. “But I still need to know more. About everything. You need to understand that it’s um… new. Of course I want to know more.”
Baekhyun watched you thoughtfully.
“How about that. I’ll tell you about what we will need to do, and after we do that, I will tell you more about myself. This way, the both of us will have some sort of… security here.”
You nodded. Your eyes landed on the food in front of you. Both of your sets were getting cold already, so you decided to focus on the fries now.
“Technically, we can do it in two ways” Baekhyun started, finally letting go of the straw and starting to eat his fries as well. “I could use the supplies that are usually used for blood donation or… well… do it traditionally.” You gulped and he must have noticed your uncertainty, because he glanced up at you now. “Whichever you prefer. I’ve done it with needles before, you don’t have to worry about it. And you’d be able to see how much exactly I take.”
“Speaking of which. What about my… um, fee?” you suddenly recalled. After all, you were doing it for money.
“I don’t have a specific interest rate, but… Technically, fully recovering the amount of blood I’d need would take your body around two months. How about twice the average monthly salary, then? It should be enough for you to settle down.” Your breath hitched. The average salary is above what you’d expect from a job at a coffee shop. Getting it now would be surely more than enough. You’d be able to settle down. You wouldn’t need to worry about getting a job as soon as possible. And you’d still have time to study.
“Where have you been all my life” you muttered thoughtfully, licking over your lips. “Okay. It’s a deal.”
“Huh-”
“I mean, I agree.”
The man blinked, a bit surprised, but not opposing. Apparently, he could have mentioned the money at the beginning, and it would save him anymore explanation. Okay, then.
“In this case, do you have a free evening?”
In fact, you were supposed to spend all this day hunting for job. But if you were to actually earn money during this time, then it was even better, right?
You nodded eagerly.
“Would you mind coming to my place? I have everything we’ll need.”
“Okay.”
“[F/n]?” You tilted your head to the side, watching as Baekhyun’s expression turned soft, completely concern-ridden. “Thank you. You’re literally a life-saver.”
* * *
You didn’t really know how was it possible that knowing such a peculiar piece of information about someone’s life would be enough for you to trust them so much. After all, the fact of Baekhyun being – in fact – a vampire, should scare you away. Yet, the very moment you made decision to accept it, you found yourself putting all your trust in this mysterious man, completely dismissing just how dangerous could be the thing you were about to do.
“How often do you need to… you know?”
“Around every two weeks, but I can go on for around a month without it.”
“What happens if you starve?”
“Well, I’m… hungry, weaker, unnerved. But I rarely ever let that happen.”
“And when was the last time you drank?”
Baekhyun’s eyebrows furrowed when he glanced at you. These and other questions were asked in the past few minutes of your way from the restaurant to his apartment.
“Isn’t it too many questions? I promised I’ll answer everythingafter we’re done” he muttered. Well, weren’t you a little nuisance to him right now? But he had to tolerate you, you were aware.
“Just this one, and I swear I will shut up” you pleaded.
Baekhyun laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Three weeks, so it’s not that bad yet.”
“And do you always just walk around asking strangers for-”
“It was your last question, wasn’t it?” he smiled, politely cutting you off.
You pouted childishly, but decided to restrain yourself from asking anymore. Apparently, you would still have some time to ask him later.
Baekhyun’s apartment block was an average place, one of many doors in the staircase led to a flat that didn’t stick out at all. It was quite minimalist, with barely a few ornaments on the walls and the space filled mainly with things that were just useful, like a laptop, treadmill, PlayStation, first aid kit. These random things were placed in various places around the house, along with empty pizza boxes, chips bags and energy drink cans.
He seemed to live here alone.
“U-um, sorry for the mess” he muttered, closing the door behind the two of you and taking off his jacket. “Make yourself at home. Hungry?”
“We just ate” you reminded.
“Ah, right. Want some drink though? Juice?”
“Do you really have a juice here?” you doubted, seeing how most of the trash here was after anything but healthy foods.
“I always keep something healthy in the fridge. In case, you know, humans.”
Ah, right. It probably didn’t matter to him what he ate. Did he even need food at all?
“Maybe later” you smiled. “I know I was supposed to ask things later, but I really need to know this one.” The man turned around, looking at you expectantly. “When you asked me about there, it looked like you weren’t really sure how to proceed this. And I don’t think you have to tell someone about yourself every month. How do you usually get blood, then?”
He bit on his lip, a bit unsure. Apparently the topic was something he’d rather avoid, but at the same time – it was the answer he owed you, too.
“Well, we usually have a deal with several people we drink from regularly. Around three humans is usually enough so that if we drink from one, and then from the others, by the time we need to drink from them again their body manages to regenerate. So it doesn’t influence their health.”
“Is that what you’re usually doing?”
“Please, later.” The man’s expression was tense, making you realize that you touched something he anything but wanted you to touch. It made you wonder though – what happened to his donors? Why couldn’t he use their blood now? If they were away for any reason, he could just say that. It wouldn’t cause him to act so tense around this topic. So there definitely had to be something wrong.
But it was none of your business.
“Okay. Sorry.” You nodded, accepting it. You had a feeling that even “later”, he still would be unwilling to share it with you. But how could you blame him – you were here only to earn money, and all he wanted from you was a food supply. You weren’t automatically becoming friends only because he told you something so crucial about his nature.
“Take a seat” he said, pulling over a huge armchair and pushing some cans off. “I’ll prepare everything, so just try to relax, okay?” He glanced at you as you sat, making sure you were still alright. You smiled reassuringly. Your heart skipped slightly, realizing how close you were to the whole ordeal.
“Do you always do that donation thing? I’ve read a book where vampires didn’t actually have fangs and they had to cut their victim with something like a knife to cause bleeding, because their teeth couldn’t really do that” you blabbered. Was it nervousness speaking?
It made a small chuckle escape the man’s lips.
“I told you before that we can do it traditionally. With the use of fangs is exactly what I meant back then.”
“Ah, right.” True, you suddenly recalled what exactly he said back in the restaurant. “Wait, so you could just bite me? Can vampire attacks actually happen in real life, then?”
He smiled wider, clearly amused, sitting by some drawer and starting to pull things out of it.
“Theoretically, they do. But people usually don’t die from it because the amount of blood we take on one go is not lethal. And we usually try to make sure the person won’t tell anyone about it.”
“How so?”
“Vampires are generally pretty good at convincing humans to do what they’d like.”
Seeing you frown deeply, Baekhyun only chuckled.
“Mind games. We can’t really hypnotize people into being completely obedient, but we can influence their emotions.”
You pouted, feeling somewhat offended at the thought.
“Have you used it on me so that I wouldn’t run away back then?”
His smile faltered.
“I didn’t have to. It was your decision to stay. But if you actually tried to run in panic, I’d need to calm you down. Ah… here it is.” He finally took out something from the drawer, some sort of wires and other things, pushed into a plastic bag as if they weren’t, in fact, medical supplies.
“W-wait, it’s not sterile” you noticed. “Is it even clean?”
“Well, I always wash it. If you think dried blood tastes nice, then no, I wouldn’t want to have that either.”
“Wash it with what.”
“Water? And vodka.”
“Do you have fresh needles at least?!”
“…I wash them too.”
Your lips parted in horror. You wouldn’t be surprised if he’d caused his previous donors go sick with such treatment, hence why he couldn’t ask them for help now.
“You ain’t putting that on me.”
“…W-what?”
“No way! I don’t want to die from some infection.”
He put the supplies down, sighing deeply.
“Then there’s only one other possibility. But if you’re getting stressed over a used needle, then you really won’t, won’t like it.”
“Your saliva doesn’t stress me half as much as this” you admitted truthfully.
“…It’ll hurt more, too.”
“I still value my life.”
The corner of his lips turned up and he looked away, smirking.
“Is that why you agreed to go to a stranger’s apartment, knowing he wants to empty your veins?”
“…I still need money” you grumbled in response. “Just stop mocking me and let’s get this done.”
“Sure!”
He stood up and in that moment, the doorbell rang out. The both of you froze, instantly looking in the door’s direction.
You hesitated, glancing at Baekhyun. His finger touched his lip in a silent request for you to stay silent and you nodded, not letting out a single noise.
The man stepped towards the door so quietly you swore he could as well have been a ghost. Not a single sound could be heard and you wondered if – in fact – vampires possessed some sorts of unnatural abilities. Your conversation still hasn’t gone far enough for you to find out that much.
He found himself by the door and you watched silently. The doorbell echoed yet again. But before Baekhyun managed to turn around and tell you what was going on, the door suddenly creaked and fell off the hinges, straight at the man and pushing him inside with such force that he was thrown a few meters into the room and landed by the window with a loud thud. At this point you stood up suddenly, fear sinking through you. The heck was that?!
Two men stepped inside, their calm demeanor sending shivers down your spine. Their presence screamed with danger as they looked around, taking in the surroundings. Their eyes fell on you and you froze.
“Another donor? Thought we’ve found all” one of them spoke, stepping in your direction. With a blink, his eyes turned red and something in you suddenly screamed in fear. If you weren’t already panicking, the look sent you down onto the floor as your trembling knees gave up underneath you.
“Jongin, no.” The other gently placed a hand on his shoulder. The sensation disappeared, leaving you blank and confused. “Just calm her down and we’ll take her home.”
You crawled backwards, trying to escape as far away as possible. The two of them were on your way to the door, which definitely didn’t help you. A quiet whimper echoed from your left and, to your relief, Baekhyun stood up, pushing the door off himself.
A thin trail of blood dropped from his nose, but the attack affected him way less than it’d affect a human. You were sure that if you were the one to be thrown all the way through the room, you’d get some brain damage at least.
“She’s not a donor. Don’t drag her into this” Baekhyun spoke, trying to stay as calm as possible.
“Don’t lie. You’re the one who’s dragging her into this” Jongin spoke, slightly annoyed but – to your surprise – it seemed as though he wasn’t half as hostile as it would seem from what they welcomed Baekhyun with.
“You knew we won’t let you feed until you join us” the other said calmly.
“You want to sabotage me? Would you rather I walk around and drink from random people?”
“That wouldn’t happen. We warned you we’d watch you.”
“Just what are you trying to achieve?!” the man burst out, making you flinch at the harsh tone. Unlike what he was like while talking to you, now he seemed almost furious.
As if he was keeping enormous amounts of rage deep within and now suddenly they erupted, completely reversing his demeanor.
“And you? What do you gain from being alone here? You belong with us. You’re our blood, we’re not going to leave you.”
“I don’t belong to you! And you can’t force me to join you.” With these words, you felt a hand wrap around your fingers tightly and pull you up abruptly. You whimpered, Baekhyun’s fingers dug into your shoulders, keeping you in place. You looked up, at the other two, their faces showing fear you didn’t expect to see. You turned your head briefly, a flash of crimson appearing in the corner of your vision.
You thrashed in panic that suddenly overwhelmed you, but the firm grip mercilessly held you in place.
“Baekhyun, you need to calm down” the man spoke. “You’ll hurt her if you feed from her now.”
“Minseok, he’s going to…”
Sudden pain erupted in the side of your neck, overwhelming your nerves and thoughts. Your lips parted in a silent scream of agony, everything around you mixing suddenly, all the colors, shapes and sounds losing their sense and purpose.
In the next moment, you were harshly pulled away. The rough motion felt as if a part of your body had just been ripped away. The air wouldn’t reach your lungs, you realized, the mixture of hot and cold spilling all over you.
It felt numb. The whole world started to feel numb.
“Fuck. Her trachea…”
“…have you done…?!”
“…didn’t mean…”
“The venom, she needs the…”
“Hurry up…!”
“Please…”
And the last thing you saw, was a flash of three pairs of crimson eyes, staring at you with emotions you couldn’t quite interpret. Then, the world went black.
* * *
Something touched your cheek gently, but the motion seemed to wake you up from your slumber and you groaned lowly, turning your head away from the touch’s source.
“How is she?” some familiar voice could be heard nearby, the touch disappearing soon after.
“The wound seems healed so it surely worked. But we have to feed her as soon as possible. She needs to wake up.”
You groaned again, moving your head as a sign that you, in fact, were already awake. The other voice was unfamiliar, but its soft tone instantly gained your trust. Something shuffled and you didn’t have to open your eyes to sense that theirs were locked on you.
“Can you hear us, [F/n]?” the familiar voice echoed again and you finally forced yourself to raise your eyelids. You were in a room you didn’t recognize. A pair of cat-like eyes stared at you intently. You instantly recognized this face. Was his name Minseok? You briefly remembered someone calling him like this.
You slowly pushed yourself up. Your eyes met yet another gaze – this one belonged to a man you’ve never seen before. Everything seemed hazy in your head, you felt like you were swaying, yet your body felt lighter than ever. Kind of as if you were drunk.
You looked around, expecting to see yet another familiar face. And surely there he was – a tad further from the couch you were laid on, staring at you intently with an inscrutable, serious look on his face.
His shirt was covered in dry, red stains and it made all the memories hit you, forcing you to recall all that happened.
You panicked, your first instinct was to run, but a hand was quickly put on your shoulder, pushing you down gently, yet firmly at the same time. It belonged to the man you didn’t know. The man smiled softly and you calmed down at this.
“Hello.”
You opened your mouth to answer, but no sound would leave you. Your throat felt dry and it hurt from the very attempt to speak.
“Ah, don’t strain yourself. Your body lacks of liquids now, but we’ll fix it.”
You mouthed a silent who are you, and the man chuckled. His voice was pleasant to your ears.
“My name is Yixing, I’m Baekhyun’s friend.”
In the background, you spotted the man roll his eyes and rest his chin on the palm of his hand in visible annoyance. Seeing you feel better than not must have pushed the main concerns off his mind. Then his eyes met yours and he lowered his gaze. From afar, you saw him clear his throat.
“Well then, we will check on you later” Yixing announced suddenly, probably spotting the tension. “Baekhyun, you know what you have to do.”
The both of them – Yixing and Minseok – stood up, smiling at you with something pity-like, which you couldn’t quite comprehend. What exactly happened right before you lost consciousness, was still unknown to you. And when the two left through the room’s door, all you could do was to rely on the one who stayed there.
A weird silence fell upon the two of you. You yourself couldn’t speak, the ache in your throat didn’t subside even a bit. The other seemed to be still dwelling on what to do. You sighed quietly and that was when he finally looked at you. The look in his eyes showed the same kind of pity the others held, but there was something more to it.
He finally stood up and your gaze followed him as he reached under some table and took out a bottle of water. He came over and handed it to you. You bowed thankfully, opening the bottle. Cold liquid filled your throat, giving you some sort of relief. You coughed, discovering that your speech seemed to be no longer missing. You leaned against the couch’s backrest.
“What happened?” you spoke huskily, putting the bottle down on the floor. Baekhyun sat down on the stool Yixing was using barely a minute earlier.
“I bit you” he stated shortly.
“I… remember that much” you admitted, frowning. You remembered the way the pain blossomed from your neck. You couldn’t really make out what kind of pain it was, its intensity blinded you completely. But it could be nothing else.
“…I was angry. And hungry” he continued, words coming out a tad awkward, as if he wasn’t sure what would be the right thing to say. But you didn’t expect anything in particular. Any sort of apology would be nothing but useless right now. What happened, was already done. You could see the regret on his face, an attempt to make up for his mistake.
It still didn’t explain anything, but somewhere in the back of your head, you already knew what happened. Or, to be specific, how was it possible that with your carotid being ripped out you were still alive and feeling more than fine – at least considering the circumstances. Your hand unwittingly traveled to your neck and, just as you thought, your skin was clean. No kind of wound or even scar was there to be felt.
“I, uh… W-we had to…”
“I’m like you now?” you asked, the words coming out lighter than you expected them to.
The man licked over his lips, taking in your whole frame. You seemed to react better than he expected you to. Once again, your ability to accept your situation had taken him aback.
“Not yet. But you will.”
He stood up from his stool, switching to sit on the couch next to you. The proximity was not something you braced yourself for and you moved away a bit, partly to give him space to sit comfortably and partly because you still didn’t know what he’d planned.
“We’ve decided to empty you from blood completely. It’s half of the deed. Minseok’s venom in your system is the only thing keeping you alive now. But it won’t last long before you run out of it” he explained slowly. He raised his hand and you froze, watching him intently. To your surprise, his fingers met your forehead, pushing loose strains of your hair aside. “You’re… something like a zombie now.”
“Gross.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle, but his face turned serious soon after.
“If you drink a vampire’s blood, it’ll mix with the venom and fill your veins. Your body will start to produce your own venom, and then all you’ll need to stay alive will be human blood. That’s long story short on how it works.”
“And if I don’t, I’ll die” you concluded. What he said before about Minseok’s venom made it more than clear that you were still on your deathbed.
“But it won’t happen.” He took his hand away and, without hesitation, bit into his own wrist. You winced at the sound of his fangs going through the flesh as if it was an apple. You cleared your throat, gazing at the blood that started to seep from the wound.
“W-wait…”
He didn’t let you think, thrusting the wound at your mouth. The taste was foul and you instantly coughed, pushing it away.
“I-it’s gross” you whined. “No way I’ll be drinking this all my life.”
Baekhyun rolled his eyes, half-amused.
“It’ll get better. Vampire blood will always taste different than human, but it’ll taste better once your body adjusts. Just deal with it for now.”
You tried to shake your head, but in the next moment, his wrist was back on your lips, his other hand firmly tilting your head back. The blood filled your mouth, running down your throat. The taste was even worse than before, making you sick to the core.
Your head spun from the effort and you finally gave up, resting back and letting the liquid fill your insides.
Everything was burning, but it wasn’t a bad feeling. Except for the gross flavor of the other’s blood, everything else felt ecstatic. You felt dizzy and alive at the same time; your vision was hazy, yet your mind was clear. Somewhat, you quickly connected the feeling with the way liquid filled your throat. And it made you want to drown in it, to take in all you could find, no matter how awful it tasted. You found yourself sucking on the wound greedily, a quiet hiss escaping the man’s lips as your own, blunt teeth bit into the wound, extending it to gather more of the precious thing.
Something in you snapped and you threw yourself at the man, your instinct to bite into his neck taking over. The two of you landed on the floor, but he was fast to react, rolling you two over and pinning your wrists down, a lazy smile curling up the side of his mouth when he squinted his eyes, looking down at you in some sort of dominance.
“Easy there, you’ve had enough” he announced, clicking his tongue. You pursed your lips, resting your head against the carpet underneath you. The whole ordeal costed you a lot of effort and you were panting now – exhausted, but weirdly happy nonetheless.
After he was convinced you wouldn’t go for his neck again, he finally released you and sat you back on the couch. A handkerchief was pressed to your face, wiping off the blood that adored it right now. You thoughtlessly licked over your lips, taking in all you could before it was gone.
Next, he pressed the cloth against his wrist. It all got so messy. You looked up at his face. He seemed slightly dizzy and you supposed that blood loss for a vampire was just as unpleasant as for a human.
“Are you okay?” you asked with worry.
“Yep” Baekhyun brushed you off. “But better don’t attack me again. I know how to use fangs, too.”
You crossed your arms.
“We’ll see about it.”
“Now. We need to talk.”
And then, you talked.
It took a few hours. Baekhyun explained everything that seemed to be important, from how to feed without making a permanent damage on one’s body, through explaining why vampires’ eye color changed in some circumstances, to why the venom in vampire’s system was so important.
He wanted to explain everything to you. When you asked him about it, he told you that he won’t be able to do that later. You didn’t dwell on it.
Thorough the talk, you found yourself becoming more and more tired. It was nothing surprising, in fact, you were surprised you didn’t pass out way earlier. Your body was still accustoming, the dull ache in your skull being the best proof that it still needed rest.
Baekhyun put you down, a blanket finding itself around your frame.
“Are you doing all this because you feel guilty?” you asked suddenly. The question was something you held back before, but you sensed that it was the best moment to ask it.
“Hm… Somewhat, but not only” Baekhyun admitted, brushing some of your loose strands aside. “You see, just as I’m from their blood, you’re from mine. So you’re kind of my kid.”
You snorted at that.
“Is it really so important? It’s just blood.”
“My blood is in your veins. For vampires it’s always something special. I mean, just think about it. You’re my creation, in a way.”
You could somehow understand it. The way he looked at you when you craved his blood, or earlier, when he brushed your hair aside as though it was him it should bother. In a way, you felt like you belonged to him. There was some kind of bond, almost parent-like, but tighter, more intimate.
A yawn escaped you and you felt a chill run down your spine, a feverish feeling making you curl up in the blanket.
“Let’s talk later” you mumbled. A hand touched your head gently, a single pat that lingered on your hair a bit longer than necessary.
“Yeah, let’s. Rest lots, [F/n].”
And once again, you’ve been engulfed by darkness.
* * *
The sound of birds chirping was so vibrant that for a minute after being woken up by it you were ensured that they somehow got inside the room. Only once you finally forced yourself to open your eyes and have a look at the outside world, have you noticed that the windows were closed, and it was only your sharpened senses that could pick up on such small noises.
It took you aback for a moment and you just stared forward, listening to the sounds. Slowly, more of them appeared in the range of your hearing. The walls of the house were thin, it seemed, and the sounds of steps echoed all through. At least three or four pairs of steps mingled together, and you wondered if one of them belongs to Baekhyun.
Slowly, voices emerged as well.
“He said he wouldn’t stay. We can’t keep forcing him. It already has gone too far.”
“We did all we could.”
“It’s still just… not right.”
“Do you think he’ll be fine on his own?”
“He’s a grown up guy, just let him go.”
The words didn’t quite make a sense to you at first, but then, although briefly, you realized that it could be Baekhyun they are talking about. The more you thought, the more sense the idea held.
Was he leaving?
You thought that maybe after all that happened he’d decide to stay with the group. But, truthfully, it was never stated.
Apparently, you weren’t enough of a reason to change his mind. You could understand it, though. Whatever their reason was, they still threatened him in a way, taking away his donors and – pretty much – stalking him all along.
Did it mean that they gave up on trying? Were they letting him go?
You ran out of the room. The sudden speed you managed to reach almost sent you onto the opposite wall. You looked around, the stairs to the ground floor were nearby, and you used it without hesitation. The very moment you found yourself in the main corridor, five men, three of which you already knew, stared at you, as though they’d already known you’d come here before you even stepped down the stairs. And maybe they did, maybe they heard your shuffling just as you heard theirs. They must have had way more experience in figuring out the meaning of noises coming from afar.
But you couldn’t care less right now. One of them stepped in your direction, extending his hand to you in a welcoming gesture, but you didn’t spare it a single glance.
“Where is he?”
A silence filled the hall for a few moments. You could tell what they were thinking – looking at you, almost enraged; you must have felt abandoned, like an orphan.
“Where is he?!”
It was Minseok who stepped out, finally speaking to you.
“He left half hour ago. He told us that he won’t let us find him anymore, and that we shouldn’t even try. He’s probably taking off to another city. Or maybe country.”
You felt your heart drop at that. So that was, in fact, what he meant when he said he wouldn’t be able to talk to you later.
He was leaving you.
“He wanted you to stay with us” someone else said. The man smiled at you reassuringly. “You’re welcome to do so. You’re from our blood, too.”
You bit on your lip, but didn’t really listen anymore.It didn’t take you long before you made your mind.
“Where can he be now?”
“Maybe his flat?” Yixing spoke up.
“But you won’t get there on time. He’s probably already leaving” Minseok noticed. “You won’t find him like this.”
You felt frustration rise within you, a strong urge to move, to go just anywhere to find him.
“You can stay here, you know” the other one spoke again. “You don’t have to chase him.”
The offer seemed to be the simplest of ways. In fact, if you were to stay with them, you wouldn’t have to worry about anything. Neither about getting a job, nor about staying alive with your new nature. You didn’t know them all that well, but in a way, they felt like a family – one you didn’t know you’ve had, but still like someone who you can rely on. Unlike Baekhyun, you didn’t hesitate to admit it.
“Then how can I find him?” you turned your head to Minseok.
The man glanced at the others around him, as if looking for affirmation. No one dared to speak a word though, as if all of them already acknowledged your decision.
“You’re from his blood, you can track him. Go to his apartment and get a hold of his smell.” With a swift move, he tugged off his hoodie and threw it at you. “You’ve got blood on your shirt. Cover it. You’ve got around a week before your body starts to crave for blood, so make sure you won’t take longer than that.”
You pulled the hoodie on. Its smell was already familiar.
“How do I make him come here, though?” you asked, rolling the too-long sleeves up.
“You don’t.” The other man spoke yet again, his calm composure making you stop and look at him. You didn’t realize that before but from the way the others were gathered around him, it seemed as though he was the leader. “If that’s what he wants, don’t force him.” The man’s eyes flickered with bright red, so briefly you almost didn’t catch it. “But no matter what happens, don’t let him leave you. You’re from his blood, and he knows that.”
You cleared your throat and nodded, understandingly.
Minseok’s eyes flickered at that moment, too. You briefly remembered it being a sign, something that connected them, as a family. Your own eyes itched at the thought.
“You belong in his world now. Don’t make him wait.”
That was the last thing you needed to go.
With one, respectful bow towards the others, you left the house.
The familiar aroma was what led you.
The first step was, in fact, difficult. But there was a sense of purpose that kept you going.