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Soonyoung had always been a bit of a strange kid.
It wasn’t that he did bizarre things, like dig up and eat worms as some odd boys did at the neighborhood playground. And he didn’t talk to himself and claim to see things that weren’t there, like one girl in his homeroom class who all but disappeared one day, her indoor school shoes sitting on the shelf for weeks before the cleaning lady finally tossed them out.
Soonyoung was just a kid that didn’t have much fear at all. About anything, really.
Every year, the school would host a little Halloween party and every time there was a “haunted house” set up that would send kids out screaming bloody murder. There’s always a few sobbers and one year, a kid even threw up out of fear.
But Soonyoung? He found the whole thing a bit funny. The fake, bloody amputated limbs were comical and the teacher who hid behind a black curtain and blew air along the back of their necks only made him thrash around, laughing at how much it tickled.
And darkness and small spaces didn’t spook him either. One day, his best friend Jihoon had dropped his bus pass down a sewer grate about a block from their school. Without any hesitation, he (along with some help from Jihoon) pulled the metal barred frame off and slipped into the hole feet first. It had smelt pretty bad and his shoes and socks were drenched with filthy water, but nothing about the experience was scary. Plus, once he retrieved his friend’s bus card, Jihoon was indebted to him for once and that never happened.
Soonyoung was even used to staying home by himself at night, without his parents or anyone watching him. When he was really little, he had a nanny (who was more like a grandmother to him than anything else) that would be there with him overnight. But once he reached age ten, she had all but disappeared from his life without so much as a goodbye. From then on, Soonyoung was on his own. His mom would fix him something to eat for dinner and they gave him a few chores around the house but besides that, he was left to himself. He had missed the nanny but not because he was too scared to fall asleep home alone or anything; he just really missed her kimchi jjigae.
His parents worked odd hours, which he only knew were odd because his friends had told him so. Jihoon’s mom was a teacher and his dad worked in some big office building near the Blue House; while his dad had to work overtime a lot, they were almost always around on weekends and definitely never left him alone at the apartment by himself, least of all at night.
Jun’s family ran their own Chinese restaurant, so while they sometimes worked late, it was never a big deal because Jun was usually there with them. And they lived directly above the restaurant anyway, so even if he was home alone, he really wasn’t. His parents were just a flight of stairs away.
But Soonyoung’s parents’ jobs were always a bit murkier. He knew that they helped out at his uncle’s bar and that’s where they worked when they were gone all night. His dad also was a musician who would travel around playing shows, sometimes having him be out of town for weeks. His mom did something else during the day too; she even had an “office” in their home that Soonyoung wasn’t supposed to go into. It was locked all the time and he never managed to sneak in, despite his curiosity. He had caught glimpses though when his mom would come in and out. There was a collection of crossbows hung on the wall, which was bizarre, but would explain why his parents didn’t want him venturing in there. While they were easygoing with Soonyoung, no one in their right mind would let a kid play around with something like that.
He learned at a young age that his parents didn’t have very typical jobs and that sometimes (or really, a lot of the time) other parents in their neighborhood looked down on them quite a bit. But it never deterred his love and admiration for them; if anything, he thought it was awesome to have such cool parents who were into things like collecting crossbows and had an extended family and friend circle with matching insignia rings.
Having such cool parents who would disappear often also meant he got to have his friends over pretty much whenever he wanted, which eventually led to throwing parties once he was old enough to realize that dancing and drinking with a bunch of kids was sometimes a bit more fun than lounging around and arguing with Jihoon and Jun about whose fault it was they lost a match during Overwatch.
One of those parties was also how he met Wonwoo for the first time.
Soonyoung and his friends were celebrating the end of college exam season, perhaps the biggest relief any of them had ever experienced, and Soonyoung’s parents were conveniently going to be out until the morning working.
He had intended for it to be a small little thing, maybe eight or so of their closest friends. But of course, someone invited somebody else and they invited their cousin and suddenly the entire high school soccer club and hip-hop dance crew were there.
Soonyoung had been frantically running about that night trying to keep his peers from spilling alcohol on his parents’ rug and breaking up dry-humping make-out sessions on his bed not once, not twice, but three times. And if that wasn’t enough, he had Jihoon yanking him out of the house to the street, where a couple of guys Soonyoung recognized from his school were beating the crap out of another kid he didn’t know.
That guy had been Wonwoo.
Jihoon had used his bravado of a presence while Soonyoung swung around a broom like a katana. And while it eventually scared off the bullies, it wasn’t before a few of them took some swings at Soonyoung himself, leaving him with a busted lip and a sore jaw.
But the main concern on his mind had been the kid those assholes were pummeling, so Soonyoung ignored the metallic taste in his mouth and helped the guy up. Which perhaps wasn't as necessary as Soonyoung thought.
Despite taking a beating (Soonyoung saw it with his own two perfectly functioning eyes) by a group of dudes with broader shoulders and bigger muscles, there wasn't a speck of blood on the other guy's face. His glasses were trashed, sure, and he seemed to be uncomfortably rubbing at his neck, but there wasn't a blemish on his fair, too perfect skin.
"Shit, are you alright?" Soonyoung had asked, pulling his hand away once the guy was upright on his feet. His fingers had been unbelievably cold.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."
Soonyoung had invited him up into his place to join the shenanigans but something about the act of getting walloped on the sidewalk had killed the other's desire to mill around a house party. Understandably so.
What may have been odd about the whole ordeal was that Soonyoung stayed outside with him for a good couple of hours, just chatting and getting to know the guy (whose name was Wonwoo) and, admittedly, admiring his hotness. His skin practically radiated just in the streetlights alone and his jawline had called for Soonyoung to reach out and touch it (which he sadly did not). His voice had a soothing, deep quality to it and his laugh was the kind of sound that had Soonyoung smiling at just the sound of it.
Before Wonwoo insisted he had to go for the evening, Soonyoung had gotten his Kakao and when he finally returned to his own party (that Jihoon had begrudgingly taken over running), no amount of shattered family heirlooms or vomit stains on couches could kill his mood.
That had been the beginning of everything, really.
Soonyoung's infatuation with Wonwoo never waned, even as the two grew closer and became actual friends. He found some things strange, like Wonwoo’s lack of appetite (he’d only snack here and there, but Soonyoung supposed it explained the other’s extremely slender physique) and his inability to wake up before late afternoon (night classes and working night shifts would do that to someone, he reckoned).
But it was all good because Soonyoung liked weird things! He found it oddly flattering when Wonwoo would claim he could smell him a block away and more so sexy than unnerving when Wonwoo would ask why Soonyoung’s heart was suddenly thudding in his chest whenever their hands accidentally brushed.
Really, Soonyoung should have seen it coming from a mile away but it’s not every day one comes face-to-face with a modern day “monster”. Though monster was a word he would never use to describe Wonwoo, even if he was an actual vampire.
There were more pressing issues he was curious about.
“Why do you bother ordering food when we go out? Don’t vampires drink blood? You can eat human stuff like that?”
“You end up picking almost everything off my plate anyway,” Wonwoo had explained with a fond smile. “I do drink blood.”
A part of Soonyoung’s brain told him he should feel uncomfortable, but instead he was curiously turned on.
“Oh, cool,” he had replied, trying to seem casual about the conversation they were having, which he knew was anything but. “Would you ever want to drink some from me?”
Soonyoung’s only wish in the entire world was that he had captured the expression on Wonwoo’s face when he had asked that question.
---
It wasn’t very often that Soonyoung saw Wonwoo nervous.
The four-eyed vampire had seemed a bit uneasy properly meeting Soonyoung’s friends for the first time but it appeared that once he realized that Jun was glued to his phone 96% of the time and Jihoon was usually too busy scarfing down food and Coke to pay him that much seriously focused attention, he relaxed.
It went without saying that Soonyoung hadn't told his friends about Wonwoo's true identity. The pair had noticed the occasional bite mark littered along Soonyoung's arm or neck, but they wrote it off as another "particular" (sexual) quirk their friend seemed to possess. And while they had questioned before why Wonwoo never joined them dining out for lunch or catching a day game at the baseball stadium, the two never seemed to realize that the only activities Wonwoo always missed out on happened during the day. Soonyoung was the only one who knew that while the three friends were gorging themselves on chicken and beer on hot days at Han River or cheering on the LG Twins on a Sunday afternoon, his boyfriend was peacefully asleep in his black-out curtain filled apartment. He'd be awake at dusk, no sooner.
It was kinda fun to have secrets like that.
Meeting Soonyoung's friends seemed like child's play compared to some other feats. Namely when said friends asked why, after nearly a year of dating, Soonyoung still hadn't introduced Wonwoo to his parents.
"What's stopping you? Scared they won't approve of him?" Jun had asked, stealthily sliding his hand towards Jihoon's bottle of Coke across the table.
"No," Soonyoung scoffed, rolling his eyes for good measure. "They'll love him, who wouldn't?"
Of course he wasn't scared his parents would disapprove of Wonwoo. He was intelligent, funny, kind, interesting... never mind the vampire tidbit, his parents didn't need to know that part right away.
The real reason he hadn't brought Wonwoo home to meet his parents was the whole boyfriend-can't-be-out-in-the-sunlight ordeal. With his parents working nights consistently, the timing just never seemed to line up.
That had all changed one day shortly after the couple celebrated their one-year anniversary, when Soonyoung had finally asked his night dwelling boyfriend if he would be interested in meeting his parents properly, over dinner at their place.
"Oh. Well," Wonwoo had cleared his throat, pale face would-be flushing if that were possible for his kind to do, "Of course. I'd love to meet them."
It had taken some convincing for his parents to take a night off from their work that they had always been so dedicated to and relatively secretive about. But once Soonyoung had mentioned how he was looking forward to introducing them to someone "very special" in his life, he hadn't missed the way his father's eyes had softened and his mother had smiled ever so slightly. They only managed to take off part of the night but it was more than enough for him.
So yes, there had never been a time before where he had seen Wonwoo as nervous as he was standing outside his family's apartment building.
---
"This is where we first met," Wonwoo commented, his fingers squeezing Soonyoung's hand so hard that it nearly hurt.
But a bit of pain never faltered Soonyoung. "Right! When I rescued you. Your knight in shining armor," he all but beamed.
Wonwoo snorted. "I wouldn't go that far."
Although Soonyoung had meant his words sincerely (he did save Wonwoo after all), he was simply happy it seemed to bring a smile to his boyfriend's face and be comforting enough to have him stepping towards the door.
Soonyoung counted the number of times Wonwoo had adjusted his glasses on the elevator ride up (fourteen, exactly) and he gazed at the mirrored wall of the lift, eyes honing in on the invisible hand he was still holding in the reflection.
It was a good thing he had miraculously remembered to strategically rearrange the mirrors in their home before tonight.
When he had led them into his home, there hadn’t been any aroma of a home-cooked meal or a warm greeting from his parents who were eagerly waiting to meet their son’s boyfriend. While they had promised to make time for him that night, they still had some work they supposedly needed to take care of, which meant Soonyoung was in charge of preparing dinner and they’d be showing up later, eventually.
As one would expect, Wonwoo wasn’t of much use in the kitchen (considering he rarely consumed “human food”) so while Soonyoung nervously busied himself about making a meal that would be impressive enough for his parents yet light enough that Wonwoo could convincingly eat enough of it, said boyfriend was curiously exploring the place.
The neverending photos of Soonyoung growing up throughout the years had caught his interest in particular. They lined the wall chronologically, starting from a chubby-cheeked infant through some probable awkward years with dreadful haircuts, to Soonyoung at his college graduation ceremony, just a few years back.
It was clear that while his upbringing hadn’t been the most conventional (from what Soonyoung had told him, at least), that his parents still adored the hell out of him. He was their pride and joy, embarrassing middle school taekwondo candids and all.
There was still space on the wall for a few more photos, Wonwoo had noted, his eyes drifting over the empty area and imagining Soonyoung getting married, traveling abroad… Wonwoo wasn’t foolish enough to believe he’d be joining the boy (who he currently heard singing ‘Lucifer’ in the kitchen) in any of those photographs, but it was a nice and fantastical thought anyway.
Beside the line of photos was a doorway half-cracked open, Wonwoo wondering if it was perhaps the other’s room. He nudged the door open and flicked on a light.
Soonyoung had been so caught up in singing and stirring, he hadn’t heard his super stealth boyfriend come up from behind him and grab his upper arm suddenly.
“Hey, you made me spill the soup,” Soonyoung whined, frowning as he looked at the now dirtied and splattered stovetop.
“Soonyoung.”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t make the garlic mistake again.”
“Soonyoung.”
Blinking, Soonyoung finally looked over at his boyfriend. “What?”
“Why do your parents have an extensive collection of crossbows?”
“Oh, that?” Soonyoung laughed lightly. “They’re into some weird stuff.”
“What is it your parents do again?”
“My dad’s a musician and they do some work with some family friends--”
“What kind of work?”
“I don’t know, just stuff. Why does it--”
Wonwoo knocked the spoon from Soonyoung’s hand and he was about to complain again before he noticed the almost panicked expression on his boyfriend’s face.
“They’re gonna kill me.”
“What? Who?”
“Your parents, they’re gonna kill me.”
Soonyoung snorted. “Okay, listen. They love me a lot but you aren’t rebellious enough, given my history, for them to get all angry about--”
“Soonyoung, your parents will want me dead because I'm a vampire. They’re hunters. They kill vampires just like me.”
It was absolutely absurd, completely ridiculous. Until Wonwoo explained his theory in full, the soup boiled too far and vegetables terribly soggy from neglect.
Dinner was the furthest thing from Soonyoung’s mind as he pieced together his parents strange work hours, their elusive nature when he would ask about their careers, the constant overnight trips, the crossbows, the jars of garlic his mother kept in the kitchen… the list went on.
“Holy shit,” Soonyoung breathed, the pair sitting together at the kitchen table. “I swear I had no idea. I promise, Wonwoo.”
“If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t believe them. But I can see you missing this entirely,” Wonwoo replied.
In a normal scenario, Soonyoung would have been offended and argued with the vampire before threatening to withhold his blood in protest. But there were more pressing matters at hand.
“Shit, we need to get out of here. You can’t stay, they’re gonna be here any minute.”
Soonyoung was quick to his feet, pulling Wonwoo up and towards the door.
“What are you going to tell them?” Wonwoo asked as he toed on his shoes.
“I’ll… I’ll lie,” Soonyoung sighed. “I’ll say we fought or something and then we broke up and… they never have to know about your existence.”
“Jesus.”
“I’m not breaking up with you!”
“I know that but you make it sound so... intense.”
“You’re right. I guess it’s not too big of a deal considering my entire family and homelife is evidently built on lies.”
Wonwoo didn’t mean to crack a smile but he did, pulling Soonyoung in for a quick kiss.
“Hey, do you think that’s why I am so into you? Like how kids sometimes like the things their parents hate, just to get a rise out of them? Maybe it was instinctual,” Soonyoung hummed in thought before letting the other go.
“I hope that’s not the case, I don’t want to just be a phase.”
“You are anything but a phase.”
The couple found themselves helplessly smiling at one another, the severity of the situation temporarily lost on them. It took Soonyoung a few swings with his hand to catch the door handle to pull it open because he was so entranced by his boyfriend’s stupidly handsome face. He was half-ready to offer his neck to him then and there.
But Soonyoung sadly came to his senses with a shake of his head. “Okay, you seriously need to go otherwise--”
“Soonyoung!”
The human froze instantly at the familiar call of his name, afraid to look out the door because he knew what he would find.
“And you must be Wonwoo!” an older man greeted him, his smile a clear carbon copy of Soonyoung’s. Beside him was a woman whose eyes bore an unquestionable comparison to Soonyoung’s as well.
“Oh fuck,” Soonyoung muttered, though it was loud for all three of them to hear.
There was a look of confusion that passed over his parents’ faces and Wonwoo had no clue what to do in the moment.
For whatever reason, he just kept imagining a photograph of himself and Soonyoung being hung in the hallway he had just been exploring.
Of course, nothing would go smoothly. He should have expected his first encounter with Soonyoung’s parents to be strange, given how odd the other always had been.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he finally spoke up, giving a low bow.