Archive of Our Own

Staring at the great expanse of forest in front of him, Namjoon shivered. The trees were dark, looming tall above him with long, crawling fingers of roots stretching just barely into the moonlight. Mist swirled menacingly between the twisting branches of the leafless trees.

“Why am I doing this?” Namjoon muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair before patting down his body to make sure he had everything he needed. His sword, attached at his hip, a knapsack with a few bundles of herbs and salves Seokjin promised would be helpful, and an extra ampule of blood. His clothes were plain and thick, not the usual shiny drapery he normally wore.

“Why would I know?” Taehyung deadpanned, giving Namjoon a dark stare. “I told you I’d go in your stead, Joon. You can still decide that.”

He started, ever so slightly, at the realization that he’d said that out loud. And then he softened. “I know. But these are my people, I have to do this. I can’t have anyone else risking their lives. Certainly not yours.”

“Don’t get yourself killed,” Taehyung told him, more sincere than the words alone were meant to be. “I don’t wanna be out of a job.”

Rolling his eyes, Namjoon extended his hand to his guard. “Thank you for traveling with me up to this point.”

“Oh, all formal now, are we, your highness?” Taehyung retorted with a snort of a laugh, batting away Namjoon’s hand and instead wrapping his arms around the prince.

Sinking into the embrace, Namjoon couldn’t help but let out a shuddering breath. His nerves were bounding in every inch of his body, fluttering in his stomach and tingling in his fingertips. It was far from a pleasant feeling but he’d been trying for the entirety of their walk to the Wood’s edge to rid himself of the feeling. It hadn’t worked yet.

Pulling away, Taehyung kept one hand on his shoulder, his eyes dark and calm.

“You can do this.” His guard’s voice was warm and steadying, reminding Namjoon exactly what he was capable of and why he was even standing at the edge of the forest in the first place.

Namjoon smiled, just enough to show his dimples. “I’ll see you soon,” he promised on a whisper.

“One can only hope, your highness.”

“Who’s getting formal now?” the prince laughed, trying to hide the fear. The fear that maybe he wouldn’t make it back. Wouldn’t see his guard ever again, or anyone he’d said goodbye to hours ago.

But there wasn’t an alternative. This was something he had to do.

So, Namjoon took a deep breath and gave Taehyung a nod of his head and a tight smile. Then he turned around and walked right into the forest.

♤♧♡♢

Okay, so maybe he was scared. It wasn’t exactly a common sensation for a 148 year old vampire prince, but he supposed that was what the tension in the bottom of his stomach and his jaw was indicating.

He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw a figure. The silhouette was hard to make out; Namjoon almost didn’t see him leaning up against a knotted and gnarled old tree. But as he listened closely, he could hear the heartbeat of a human, smell his warmth in the cold lifelessness of the forest.

“Who goes there?” Namjoon called out, straightening himself up and placing a hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Would anyone else be insane enough to meet in the middle of the Dark Woods?” the human asked, voice flat. It reminded Namjoon of the way Taehyung spoke sometimes, dry and brittle with exasperation. And it certainly was not a way the prince was used to being spoken to. Especially not by humans.

“Jeon Jeongguk?”

“The one and only.” The silhouette shifted, taking a step towards him. The monster hunter’s smirk was easy to see, white teeth catching on a glimmer of moonlight filtering through the branches.

The rest of his form was a bit harder to make out, but Namjoon took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them until they were only a couple feet left. He tilted his head to the side slightly, narrowing his eyes as he looked the human up and down.

Jeongguk had dark hair, wavy and falling past his eyes that glimmered a deep brown, caught in a moonbeam. His facial features were sharp and fine, with defined cheekbones and dark, questioning brows. But, if Namjoon was going to be honest, he couldn’t determine much, the human’s form mostly hid behind layers of black clothing. And Namjoon had at least an inch or two over the human, making him seem small but no less powerful.

Especially given the sorts of stories told about the infamous monster hunter.

Still, Namjoon knew he was more than a century older and significantly stronger than Jeongguk, no matter his reputation. Even with the evil gleam in his eye, flecks of gold in the dark iris, Namjoon refused to be intimidated. With a curt nod, he greeted, “I’m Kim Namjoon.”

“I know,” Jeongguk responded with an air of nonchalance that bit through the night air.

Namjoon clenched his jaw and bit back the condescending words he so wanted to unleash on the boy standing in front of him. There was a reason the vampires never asked the humans for help. The lot of them were either sniveling and childish, their short lifespans allowing only for the bolstering of their ego rather than the maturation of their pea-sized brain.

But the prince just let a sigh out through his teeth and tried to remind himself why he’d been forced to turn the monster hunter in the first place, even if he was a human.

He wasn’t going to lose any more of his people to the Beast.

So he squared his shoulders and tried to keep his voice as neutral as possible. “What’s your plan?”

“Woah, calm down there, pretty boy,” Jeongguk retorted, holding up a hand and raising an eyebrow.

Namjoon opened his mouth to snap at this human; he hardly got called his own first name for fear of disrespect and now he had some 20 year old human throwing around demeaning nicknames. But he didn’t get the chance with what Jeongguk said next.

“Where’s my money?”

“You expect me to pay you now? What if you can’t eradicate the Beast?” Namjoon spit out, taking another step towards him, attempting to use the few inches of height he had over the human, wanting to seem intimidating.

“You don’t need to worry your pretty little head,” Jeongguk assured with a cocky smile and a hand on his hip. “I always finish what I start.”

Namjoon rolled his eyes, already fed up with this human within minutes of their meeting. “I don’t even know if you possess the capability to complete this sort of task.”

“You—” he started, an aggressive, ugly sort of snort. “You don’t think I possess the capability? It took me two whole days just to get to the woods! Not to mention that I’ve been standing by this damned tree for hours now waiting for your ass to get here,” Jeongguk shot back, taking a threatening step towards Namjoon. Even in the low light and shadows, he could make out the anger on the human’s face. “Besides, there’s no way in the seven hells you asked for my help without knowing what I’m capable of.”

The prince didn’t dare let himself get flustered. No, instead he took the smallest bit of pride in the fact that he was able to ruffle the nonchalant air surrounding the human until he’d nearly started snarling. It was satisfying, in a way.

But just as soon as he started to relish the emotion, Jeongguk was stepping back. Crossing his arms and shrugging slightly, the human’s voice was even and easy and cold, “Whatever. I refuse to help you at all unless you give me my money. Now.”

Namjoon supposed he’d have to take it as a victory, no matter how small or short. His voice was no less unmoving than Jeongguk’s, “Half.”

“Half?”

“Half now, half after.”

Jeongguk glared. “No.”

“Five thousand is more than enough until you’ve taken care of the problem. And I am a man of my word, you needn’t worry about receiving the rest.” Even though Namjoon’s knapsack was weighed down with the amount of bills and jewels he’d broughten to meet the hefty cost of the monster hunter. He would feel safer to have at least some reason to be kept alive through it all. Not that, of course, he was going to need that sort of insurance.

“I suppose your word is good enough,” the human finally relented. “Pay up.”

♤♧♡♢

Namjoon eyed the human carefully. It had been several hours since he’d met Jeongguk, and the prince was not anywhere close to understanding what went on in his brain.

He’d spent several minutes counting the sum of money Namjoon had given him, which wouldn’t have been odd if he hadn’t been so drastically incorrect about the amount tucked into each bundle. Somehow—even though Jeongguk believed the bundled bills to be almost twice the amount that they were and entirely forgot to account for the fine jewelry and gemstones that he’d also been given—he arrived at the conclusion that the sum was correct.

Next, he’d insisted on making food before he could reveal to Namjoon how exactly they were going to accomplish their task. It was ridiculous to him, just how long could a human go without consuming something? Had he not the time to eat before he left for the woods?

But, nevertheless, once Jeongguk had created a small fire (a comforting light, to be certain) and warmed a silver can of something that reeked, he was finally ready to talk.

“What’s the plan?” Namjoon asked, throwing himself down on the other side of the fire, even though he didn’t need it’s warmth. The light, on the other hand, was comforting.

“Old trees, owl’s nest, the full moon, and a hollow silver bullet.”

Namjoon blinked. “Excuse me?”

Jeongguk repeated himself exactly, ticking them off on his fingers. His voice was slow and calculated, sounding confident even though it didn’t make any sort of sense.

“What in the gods realm does that mean?” Namjoon asked, pressing forward, even as he felt the warmth of the fire close to his face.

Smiling just coy enough so that Namjoon could tell he was holding something back, Jeongguk shrugged. “It’s my plan.”

“What—” he started again, feeling his anger close to overwhelming him. But the cocky look on the humans face showed that was exactly what he wanted. And Namjoon didn’t want to fall right into his trap. So he sighed and backed up a bit. “Slow down. What are we even dealing with?”

Jeongguk looked just a bit taken aback by his question. But it was only a moment before something like satisfaction overtook his features, proving only more fully to Namjoon that this human was toying with him. “You don’t even know what kind of beast has been ravaging your kind for months now?”

“Would I have asked if I knew?” Namjoon’s teeth were grinding.

“It’s a rogue werewolf. Nothing I haven’t handled before.” He shrugged, only emphasizing the nonchalance, the ease of this venture. “Most likely caught in moon lust.”

Sighing, Namjoon leaned back, letting his face dissolve in shadows besides the occasional bright streak from the fire. “It might surprise you, Jeon, but I don’t know what moon lust is.” Namjoon was becoming tired of that look on Jeongguk’s face.

“I suppose you’d have no reason to. It’s not really something their packs like to make public. It’s a sort of sickness, I suppose,” Jeongguk explained, his voice sort of losing its edge. Instead, it gained an element of whimsy. Namjoon wondered if Jeongguk had made a living of being a storyteller in a past life. “The whole idea of being a werewolf hinges on the transformation, right?”

Namjoon found himself nodding, drawn in.

“When they stay too long in their wolf form they can trap themselves there and lose all sense that they were ever a human. They run from their packs and often are found destroying villages or killing vampires, it seems.” He gave Namjoon a knowing look. “He’s a mindless monster. And you’ve hired me to kill him. So I will.”

The conviction in Jeongguk’s voice sent shivers down Namjoon’s spine. He’d only been seeing the overconfident, agitating side of the human. But now he was getting a glimpse of the reason so many people—himself included—knew him as the most successful monster hunter of his time.

“Do you trust me?”

Jeongguk’s question came out of the silence and the crackling of the fire, startling the vampire slightly. “Huh?” he let out before really thinking about what the human had asked.

“Do you trust me?” he repeated, setting his can down and leaning closer to the fire.

“Not yet,” Namjoon answered after a moment. “But I think I have to.” His voice was surprisingly soft and honest. It wasn’t like there was anyone better than Jeongguk for the job. There was no one else to turn to (if there had been, he would never have asked a human in the first place).

Jeongguk’s smile was small as he nodded again. “I can work with that.”

And then he stomped out the fire, breaking the sort of whimsical magic they had brought about.

Namjoon stretched slightly and settled himself against the trunk of a massive tree, the mossy patch at the bottom one of the few that wasn’t knotted with roots and rocks. He figured that Jeongguk would do the same—find a soft patch to rest his fragile, human body.

But instead the human wrapped his arms around a thick branch and jumped enough to hold himself there a moment. Namjoon tilted his head in confusion as he copied himself with another branch. Then the human pulled a long fabric sling from his bag and went about tying the ends to the branches.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to sleep?” Jeongguk responded, as if it were obvious. Namjoon had no idea how his fabric would help him if he tied it to the branches. He didn’t think they made tents that looked like that.

Scrunching his nose, the prince decided it would be best to just ask. If the two of them were to be on a journey through the woods for at least several days, he should at least feel comfortable enough to ask a question of his companion (of sorts). “What is that?”

“What, this? A hammock?” the human tugged on it harshly before evidently assuming it’s safety and climbed into the swinging folds of the fabric

“You sleep there?”

“Uh, yeah,” Jeongguk replied. Namjoon was getting very tired of the dry tone the human often seemed to take with him, even though they’d met no more than a few hours ago. With a sneer, he asked, “Where are you gonna sleep, pretty boy?”

Shrugging, Namjoon settled a bit more to the trunk of the tree. “I’m not going to.”

Jeongguk peeked his head out from the side of the hammock, tilting his head slightly as he squinted his eyes at Namjoon through the darkness. “You’re old?”

“That’s rude,” Namjoon deadpanned, rolling his eyes. He knew, of course, that the human was aware the age of a vampire affected just how many humanlike actions they needed to take. Sleeping, of course, being required nightly only for newborns—Namjoon hardly had to sleep a few hours a month.

“Take it as a compliment. Your pretty face doesn’t look much older than mine,” Jeongguk replied, nonchalant. “I guess I’m just surprised. Thought they’d send some young farm hand or other expendable in case this journey doesn’t end well.”

Namjoon stiffened. He didn’t know exactly how to respond. Seokjin’s words echoed in his head, cautionary. “Do you think some human has any respect for the royalty of our kingdom? I fear most he may find your ransom worth more than the amount you’ve offered for the help. This isn’t an ordinary human you’re dealing with. Be smart, your highness.”

Shaking his head, Namjoon just decided to keep it vague. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll keep watch. You don’t talk in your sleep, do you?”

“Not that I know of.” His voice was thick with confusion, asking with his tone.

“Good. I don’t think I can stand to hear anymore of you.”

“Now who’s the one being rude?”

Namjoon had to keep himself from laughing. “Sleep well.”

He found himself thinking it was a shame the human was all bundled up in the hanging fabric wrap; he’d sort of wanted to take the opportunity to study the planes of his face. He tried to convince himself that it was because human anatomy was just so slightly different than his own, rather than the idea that Jeongguk’s face was simply pleasing to look at.

So he let out a sigh and allowed his thoughts to run over the damned plan the human had presented him with.

Not like he had much to go off of. The kingdom had all but exhausted their resources attempting to eradicate the monster; Namjoon really had no idea what this human was going to come up with.

But he didn’t really have anything else to go with. So he leaned his head back against the tree trunk and let his eyes drift close, wondering what the hell he’d gotten himself into.

♤♧♡♢

The morning light came subtly. The branches above Namjoon were thick and gnarled and heavy with knots; the light could only come through in odd dappled shapes on the moss and dirt of the forest floor.

“Are you still sleeping?” Namjoon asked, eyeing the way the fabric bundle—a hammock, he remembered—had moved slightly with the beginnings of sunlight.

“Not anymore, I guess.” Jeongguk’s tone was dry. And it was getting on Namjoon’s last nerve. He’d been sitting (quite uncomfortably) at the base of the big tree for the last several hours while the human got his evidently necessary sleep. And Jeongguk was the one who decided to be insolent?

Namjoon rolled his eyes, quickly standing and placing both his hands on his hips, hoping he looked just as lordly as usual even without his royal vestige. “Listen, Jeon. I don’t want to spend any more time than necessary to complete this task.” His tone was stern and unmoving. “I’m paying you to help my kingdom, not sleep until the sun shines.”

“Dear gods,” Jeongguk murmured. Groaning, he swung himself out of the hammock, landing quite unceremoniously on his feet. Looking at the way Namjoon was standing, he stifled a laugh and replied, “Alright, your highness. Let’s get moving then.”

It took Namjoon a moment to realize that the name was said with petulance rather than respect. This human had no knowledge of his status, his rank, his power. And it was best kept that way, even if he was to be made fun of by some measly human. So he simply sighed and started walking.

“What did you even do all night?” Jeongguk asked, slinging his pack over his shoulder and taking a few bounding steps to catch up with the vampire.

Namjoon shrugged. “Not much, just attempted to come up with how in the world you’re going to accomplish this feat.”

“Feat?” Jeongguk questioned, sounding impudent. “It’s just a rogue werewolf.”

“He’s killing my people, Jeon. He’s not just anything.”

Jeongguk rolled his eyes. “Humans and vampires are different in a lot of ways, pretty boy. If you didn’t consider yourself better in every way maybe you could appreciate the advantages us humans have over your kind.”

“You really think that’s true?” he scoffed. “In what ways are humans superior?” Namjoon hadn’t meant to sound quite so snobbish, but he was at his end with listening to the boy and putting up with his impudent behavior.

“We can survive a werewolf bite, for starters,” Jeongguk laughed out, unfazed by the biting tone.

And Namjoon wanted nothing more than to shove Jeongguk against a tree by his throat and show him in how many ways vampires were superior over the measly human kind. It was a little surprising, if he was being honest. The prince had striven for years to suppress that sort of nature in him and appear as calm and level-headed as he could manage.

It worked fairly well—when he wasn’t being challenged at every step by Jeon Jeongguk.

“If you can help us, that’s all that matters. I’d appreciate it if you could elaborate your plan,” Namjoon forced out, voice flat and dry.

Jeongguk’s smirk made him want to scream.

“Well,” he started, sidestepping a root and almost pressing up against Namjoon, blinking at him with big brown eyes. “They say the older trees on the west end of the Dark Woods have all died, essentially making it a graveyard of greyed and ashen tree trunks.”

And Namjoon immediately found himself drawn into the darkness of Jeongguk’s voice, going gentle and hushed with the sense of storytelling.

“It’s been said that if you grind up the bark of one of these trees and mix it with a few other ingredients it can be used as a potent charm to ward off monsters. Mix with a bit of the wolfsbane I brought and we should have a pretty good chance to fend off your beast.”

It took a moment for the whimsy of Jeongguk’s voice to wear off. And it only took another moment for the agitation to set in.

“You have seemingly infinite knowledge of these sorts of things and yet yesterday all you explain to me is the basic itinerary of where we’re going?” Namjoon huffed out. “Old trees, owl’s nest, the full moon, and a hollow silver bullet.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Jeongguk sounded slightly annoyed, as if there wasn’t any reason Namjoon should be questioning him. “If I tell you everything about the plan then you won’t need me anymore. I’ve hadn’t it happen to me more than once.”

The vampire opened his mouth to snap a reply but realized he didn’t have much to say. Maybe it was the way the human’s voice dipped with something like sorrow. So he just let out a light sigh and shrugged his shoulders. “How long to the old trees, then?”

“Shouldn’t be more than a day’s walk.”

So they set off, shoulder to shoulder.

And they soon found out that there really wasn’t much to talk about. The only sound was the prince’s sword jangling in his belt and their footsteps on moss and leaves and tree roots.

It was nearly an hour or so of silence before Jeongguk let out a breathy sigh. “Tell me about you or your family or something. I might die of boredom.”

It came as a bit of a surprise to Namjoon, being asked so suddenly. “Uh, well, I have a sister.” He had to remind himself not to mention the whole royal family thing, and he swallowed dryly before continuing. “I’m supposed to take over the, uh, family business once my parents retire. Past that I suppose I’m rather close with my—doctor?” The royal herbalist and physician wasn’t quite a doctor, but the prince didn’t know what else to say.

Jeongguk snorted. “You don’t have any friends other than your doctor?”

“No, I have other friends,” Namjoon defended loudly. “Like, Taehyung and Hoseok. I just thought of Seokjin—my, uh, doctor—because he helped me pack my bag and lended me resources to bring with me.”

“What do you have?” the human questioned, looking at his belt and the knapsack he carried.

Shrugged, Namjoon made a sheepish face. “I’m not entirely sure. I know there’s a few salves in case of injury and a couple bundles of herbs. Hopefully we won’t need them.”

Jeongguk just nodded.

“Taehyung is a close friend, we spend a lot of time together. He accompanied me to the Wood’s edge, even though I told him I’d be fine. Hoseok I don’t spend quite as much time with, but he promised to watch over my sister while I’m gone. I trust them all with my life.” He shrugged, nervous. He wasn’t exactly lying about the royal guards, but he certainly wasn’t telling the whole truth. But, he found, there wasn’t really anyone else he cared to mention or would think as a friend.

It was a bit isolating, at times, being a prince.

“What about you, Jeon?” He hoped the nervousness would ebb if the human started to talk about his own life.

Jeongguk shrugged, hopefully not worried about the anxiety evident in Namjoon’s voice. Thankfully, he began speaking, “I rely on my guild mostly, I suppose. Yoongi and Jimin are like my brothers. We’d do anything for each other.”

There it was again, the soft feathering to the way Jeongguk spoke. Like he was remembering the most fond memories or weaving a beautiful story.

“Are they monster hunters too? Is that what you mean?”

“Yeah. Sometimes a mission requires more than one person, so when my name started getting around, I gathered up all the monster hunters I could find and asked if they wanted to form a guild.” He laughed a little, gaze uncertain, like he was caught in a memory. “Yoongi was mad I wanted to meet you here alone. He thought it would be too much for just one person.”

He spoke with such warmth. It made Namjoon wonder just what sort of person Jeongguk really was.

“Jimin wouldn’t go within 500 meters of the Dark Woods,” he laughed out. “So Jimin helped me convince Yoongi to stay home and I came alone.”

“Do you regret that?” Namjoon asked, voice quiet.

Jeongguk blinked, looking over at the prince with rounded eyes. He let the smallest smile curve his lips before he shifted his gaze in front of him. “No.” And the cocky tone was back on his voice. “I can handle this.”

♤♧♡♢

“This can’t be safe,” Namjoon argued, swinging his leg around the thick branch of the tree. The owl’s nest was only a few feet away from him at this point; a single egg caught just the edge of twilight sun on its shell.

Jeongguk was at the base of the tree, looking up at him. “You’re perfectly fine. Just grab the egg, pretty boy.”

“You say that like it’s—” he huffed, reaching further, “right there.” It was just beyond his fingertips, but he was extended nearly as far as he could be, legs squeezing tightly around the branch. His other hand was pressed into a fork off the trunk, knuckles white.

“It’s just a little further, you can get it,” Jeongguk encouraged, or coerced, Namjoon wasn’t quite sure.

And then they both stopped suddenly as a hoo sounded, far too close and far too angry.

Wide-eyed, Namjoon looked down at Jeongguk and then back at the nest. The owl hooted once more, significantly closer, and significantly scarier. With a small noise of effort, Namjoon pushed himself just far enough to wrap his hand around the egg.

And then fell out of the tree.

It knocked the wind right out of him, making his gasp for breath as he laid on his back in shock. His left shoulder blade was square on the lump of some root, already feeling like a bruise while his one knee twinged terribly in its sideways sort of position. The egg was cradled in his hands, pulled up close to his chest and—miraculously—unbroken.

“Good gods, you okay?” Jeongguk asked breathlessly, extending a hand down towards him.

Namjoon thought he meant to help him up, but the human simply snatched the egg out of his grasp and gently tucked it into a pouch on his belt. The prince rolled his eyes and grunted as he attempted to sit himself up.

But then he dropped himself right back down as the owl swooped at Jeongguk. The human screeched louder than the owl herself. He threw his arms up over his face in protection and fell into a squat. The owl’s talons caught on a beam of dying sunlight—long, sharp, yellow.

“C’mon!” Jeongguk yelled, taking off in the opposite direction than where the bird had flown.

Namjoon stumbled to his feet, hardly having time to note the sorts of pains that ailed him from his fall. Which was probably for the best as he pushed his measly feelings of pain aside and began to run. It was a sprint to keep up with the monster hunter, his lithe form making him fast to dodge between the tree trunks and fly over gnarled roots and mossy rocks. He could only be impressed.

It was nothing short of terrifying, running as his ankle slowly stitched itself back together and his shoulder blade itched with his rapid healing. But he still felt slow, chasing after Jeongguk.

It didn’t help that he knew owls to be silent flyers, so he couldn’t be sure that they’d lost the bird in the first place. There wasn’t a single wing beat or hoot that he could hear. So all he could do was follow Jeongguk.

The pain in his ankle had nearly subsided by the time the monster hunter skidded to a halt, placing a hand onto the rough bark of a tree and breathing heavily. He let his head fall to his chin, his breath loud and ragged.

Jeongguk waited a moment, scanning the dark skies and trying to see the stars peeking through the tangle of branches. “I think we lost her,” he managed out between gasps.

“Is the egg okay?” Namjoon whispered, hoping their efforts weren’t in vain.

The human smirked, pulling the egg from his belt pouch—perfectly intact.

“Are you okay? You fell pretty hard,” Jeongguk asked, his tone poorly concealing the amusement he found in it all.

Shaking his head with a small smile, Namjoon rolled his ankle out and his shoulder back. “I’m fine now. I’m glad it was just a sprain,” he assured, looking down at his ankle.

“And you ran all the way here? Are you crazy?” Jeongguk burst out, taking a step toward Namjoon to blink at his foot. His tone shifted to something almost like worry.

“It’s already healed, Jeon. Don’t worry.”

“Even with running? I know you monsters heal stupidly fast but there’s no way it mended itself while you were making matters worse.” Jeongguk tucked the egg back into the pouch to focus his disapproval onto the vampire in front of him.

Namjoon shrugged. “It feels fine.”

“Let me look.”

Rolling his eyes, the prince complied with a snort, even if it was just to prove the rate of his healing to the human. So he followed Jeongguk’s instructions and sat at the base of a tree, taking off his boot and stocking. The human crouched near his feet and took Namjoon’s ankle in his hands—surprisingly gentle.

His fingers were warm, a stark difference to the cold air. They traced lightly over the whole joint, spreading electricity with the press of his fingertips.

Jeongguk stopped in his ministrations, looking up. But his fingers remained cradling his ankle and resting—fiery hot—on his skin. “You’re jumpy, does it hurt?”

“No, it doesn’t hurt at all,” Namjoon forced out, attempting to blink away whatever had overtaken him. It wasn’t like him to be flustered.

Humming, Jeongguk rolled his ankle slightly, whispering to himself, “Amazing.”

Unable to fight the sparks on his skin any longer, Namjoon brought his knee to his chest, startling Jeongguk just slightly. “I told you I was fine.” His tone was icier than he’d anticipated but he just went about putting his stocking and boot back on and ignoring the sort of feeling that had begun to bloom in his chest.

“We should make camp here,” Jeongguk announced after getting to his feet, scratching the back of his neck in a bashful sort of action he wasn’t used to seeing. “Glad you’re okay.”

Namjoon nodded with a small smile and they went about making a fire and collecting water from a nearby stream.

With the branch from the old tree and the owl egg now successfully in their possession, they only had a few things left to do: make the charm, prep the silver bullet, and wait.

♤♧♡♢

“Do you like those?” Namjoon asked suddenly, unable to keep the disgust from coloring his words.

Jeongguk furrowed his brows, looking down at the can in his hand. “What? These canned beans?”

“They smell awful.” Namjoon wrinkled up his nose, perplexed as to why the human heated something that foul over the fire every night.

“Oh, they are,” Jeongguk laughed out, shoveling another spoonful of them into his mouth. He grimaced just slightly and spoke only after he swallowed, “Do you really not eat?”

Namjoon shook his head, leaning back against the tree he’d settled under. “No, I have no need. I suppose I’m grateful if it smells like that.”

“I don’t really have the option for other stuff,” Jeongguk said with a sort of forced nonchalance. “Especially on a trip.” His voice was uncharacteristically soft.

“I’m paying you ten thousand and you don’t have enough to eat food that doesn’t smell rotten?” The prince laughed out, unsure of how much humans were willing to pay for a necessity. He was a little worried that the human would report his payment wasn’t even enough to buy decent food.

Jeongguk looked down, letting his food rest in his lap as he adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves. “I have some—something else I have to spend my money on.” His voice was so soft the vampire had to strain to hear him over the cracks of the fire

“Oh,” Namjoon said with a knowing nod. “Women.”

“What? No!” Jeongguk yelped, eyes wide and shocked with anger. He opened his mouth before closing it again with a sigh. “Well, one woman. I guess.”

Namjoon raised an eyebrow and leaned closer. “A special friend of yours?”

“No,” Jeongguk bit back. It was confusing to watch the emotions play across his face. They ranged through anger and frustration and something akin to sorrow. His eyes were downcast and his words were whispered, almost brokenly. “My mother.”

Namjoon immediately regretted the playful tone he’d taken just moments before. But there was no way he could’ve known, so he just sat back slowly, letting his hands rest in his lap. And he gave Jeongguk the silence to choose whether or not to share more.

“She’s sick.” Jeongguk put his can on the ground and groaned slightly, running his hands down his face. He shrugged, attempting to prove that he wasn’t too affected. “She’s been sick for a while. I try to get her the best doctor I can, but it’s expensive. So I eat canned beans and hunt beasts while she focuses on feeling better. One of these days it’s going to pay off.” His voice was soft with some mix of fondness and determination.

Namjoon found himself admiring the human. Admiring the sort of dedication he had to sacrifice everything for his family, for someone he loved. “I hope you can put the money from this venture to good use. Don’t worry about receiving the other half, so long as we both make it out alive, you’ll have every penny.”

Shifting slightly, as if he was uncomfortable, Jeongguk coughed lightly. “I’m not worried,” he retorted, tone suddenly cocky and loud.

But all Namjoon could do was smile. “Of course not.”

“You’re with the best monster hunter we mere humans have to offer,” Jeongguk boasted, shoving the last bite of his dinner into his mouth. “You have nothing to worry about. You do trust me, don’t you?”

“You have yet to give me a reason not to,” Namjoon shrugged, trying to hide his smile.

“I suppose that’s good enough.”

♤♧♡♢

Jeongguk was concentrating, eyes trained on the small silver bullet held between his two fingers.

He’d spent the last quarter hour breaking off pieces of the branch they’d gathered from the old trees and crushing it into a fine powder. The shallow, dish-like rock had been trouble enough on it’s own to find at the river bed (Jeongguk’s frustrated yell at his realization that he’d left his mortar and pestle at home was quite amusing, though, he had to admit). Once it was a fine, grey powder, the monster hunter added a few purple petals of wolfsbane to crush and mix in.

There were a few other ingredients that Jeongguk pulled from his bag, but the human had seemed so focused that Namjoon hadn’t asked.

The hard part was getting the powdery mixture inside the hollow bullet. The human had to be precise and calculated, there wasn’t much room for misstep. It wasn’t like he could simply travel back to the old trees or gather more wolfsbane should the mixture be taken away with the next stiff wind.

So it was with great patience and care that Jeongguk pushed the dust into the small casing. Namjoon held his breath. With a quiet click, the monster hunter twisted on the top of the bullet, sealing in the charmed mixture with a satisfied smile.

“Is that it?” Namjoon whispered, afraid to break the magical sort of quiet that had passed over them.

Jeongguk just shook his head slightly, still staring at the tiny closure on the silver bullet. “One more step.”

So Namjoon just rocked back on his heels and watched with a tense sort of anticipation. The human had hardly explained the bare bones of what he was doing with the bullet, much less the desired outcome—although Namjoon could not pretend to be surprised. Instead, the prince just watched.

Jeongguk tilted the bullet to the side, making sure it’s closure was secure. He didn’t look away from the capsule as he turned slightly, facing the fire. Picking up the bowled rock, the human blew gently over its surface, allowing the remnants of the dusty mixture to disperse into the breeze.

He laid the bullet gently into the center of the rock and pushed all but into the fire, the bottom edge of the flames—blue and aggressive—grabbing at the offering.

“Heat-sealed. To make sure it doesn’t explode until buried in our target,” Jeongguk explained in a quiet voice, his eyes trained on the bullet. It had that whimsical sort of quality to it, one that drew Namjoon closer towards him, even as he felt the heat of the fire on his face. “The charm needs to land close to the heart for it to have the best outcome—for us of course. With this, we’ll take him out with one hit.”

Namjoon nodded. “The werewolf.”

“Obviously,” the monster hunter retorted, breaking any sort of magical air they had gathered.

The vampire could only roll his eyes at the stupidity of the interaction. But really, who could blame him? Jeongguk had explained next to nothing to him. He’d even gone up into that ridiculous tree to fetch the owl’s egg and since then it had only remained tucked safely into Jeongguk’s belt or bag.

So he huffed and sat down on the opposite side of the fire, allowing his legs the rest they deserved. “What’s the egg for then?”

“My breakfast.”

Namjoon’s mouth fell open. The absolute impudence of this human to dare risk his life just for the satisfaction of a full belly, the vampire could hardly believe. “You—

“I’m joking,” Jeongguk managed out through his laughter, his smile wide and his eyes bright as he raised a placating hand. “Calm down, calm down.”

Letting out a breath, the prince had to talk himself back down, his tongue still wanting to bite. “You’re ridiculous,” he murmured, trying to let the anger out slowly rather than in a big burst like his instincts wanted him to.

“Sorry, it was too easy.” The human swiped under his eyes, as if he was brought to tears by his own mediocre joke.

“Tell me,” Namjoon demanded. Although, he had to admit, it sounded a bit more like a whine than anything that commanded a sense of respect. Not that he was whining. He’d never beg to get what he wanted.

But, he supposed, it was difficult to not smile in response to the glowing one Jeongguk gave him. And maybe there was something about his laugh—the way it seemed so carefree, regardless of the circumstance. Namjoon couldn’t hold his grudge, not even if he wanted to.

Jeongguk finally finished laughing and pulled the rock from the fire, inspecting the bullet with a small smile still turning the corners of his lips. “I think this is all set.”

“I asked about the egg, Jeon.” Namjoon felt his cheeks turn just slightly pink by the last whiny comment he’d made. He wanted to assure himself more than Jeongguk that he still held some sort of semblance of power. So he made his voice hard and his response authoritarian.

The human just let out a laugh, only making the color in Namjoon’s face darken. “It’s a lure.”

It was strange, the prince thought, how easily Jeongguk could fall into that darkness of his voice, draw the vampire in so quickly, only with a few words. But he wasn’t focusing on that as the human continued, spinning his story so magically.

“I’ve tried it a few times for wolf callings. There isn’t another pack on this side of the woods, but we will have to journey back towards the old trees in order to ascertain that no other wolf is drawn by the spell.”

“With an egg?” Namjoon whispered, a little afraid to break the magical air. But skepticism was heavy.

“Yes,” Jeongguk assured with a bit of a laugh. “The brown spotted owl only lays one egg each year, unlike most other birds. This, in of itself, creates the egg to be of high power and value. Because of that, I can create a lure with a few other ingredients and with a big enough fire, any wolf within leagues drawn to me.”

Namjoon furrowed his brows. “I don’t get it.”

“You don’t have to get it, pretty boy. It doesn’t really come naturally to those who aren’t exactly living,” Jeongguk responded, his voice falling out of the charming tone as he gestured vaguely to Namjoon. “I’m going to break the egg onto a big leaf in a circle of white stones and then build a fire around it and sprinkle the eggshell onto the flames when they get high enough, okay?”

His tone made the prince want to roll his eyes, as if he were speaking with a child. But, if he was being honest, that was the best explanation the human had awarded him thus far. And he was rather grateful for it.

So the prince shrugged. “Okay. And we have to travel past the old trees?”

“Just a ways past it, not too far. Besides, we have to wait for the full moon or the charm on the bullet won’t be nearly as potent.”

“When’s the next full moon?”

“Three nights.” Jeongguk looked over at the prince, brown eyes glinting with determination.

“Three nights,” Namjoon repeated, his voice only just slightly shaking. In three nights, if all goes well, he and his people will be rid of the beast that had been terrorizing them for many moons now. He didn’t dare let relief get the better of him.

If something were to go wrong, it would be within the coming days. The hard part wasn’t even on them yet. So Namjoon would wait until the beast was sure and dead before he could let himself breathe easy.

Looking over the fire at Jeongguk, the vampire found himself caught in the realization that not only will the beast be dead in three nights, but that this journey will also be over. He didn’t quite know what about that made him sad. Shaking his head slightly, Namjoon tried to focus on the hope that everything went as planned.

♤♧♡♢

Namjoon threw himself down at the base of a tree, watching the first rays of sunlight brighten the horizon. The two had been up with the moon preparing for the luring of the beast—the human had been yawning all the while. It hadn’t taken much convincing for Jeongguk to agree to sleep during the daylight hours in order to prepare for the attack under the full moon.

Fidgeting with his hands and the end of his tunic, Namjoon couldn’t help the bubbles of anxiety in his stomach. “Tomorrow’s the full moon?”

Jeongguk sighed, finishing the knot on his hammock tie and pulling sharply on the rope. “Yes. Haven’t I told you a million times already?”

“I think it’s really only been about four.”

“Three too many,” Jeongguk muttered.

Namjoon scoffed, crossing his arms. “It’s not my fault I’ve never done this before.”

“You don’t have to come. You know that, right?” the human asked, voice dry but edged with something prompting. He tied up the other end of the hammock, struggling just slightly with the height of the branch.

And to be honest, Namjoon hadn’t really considered that as an option. The vampire had insisted on accompanying Jeongguk in the first place, unable to trust someone like a human with the important task of securing the safety of his people.

He supposed, though, that he hadn’t needed to assist in any of the monster hunter’s activities (would’ve saved him a fall from a tree, at the very least). And it certainly wasn’t that he doubted Jeongguk’s abilities. No, rather, he would’ve felt quite uneasy without knowing what he was doing or helping at least a little bit.

And there was no way he was going to allow Jeongguk to face the beast that’s been terrorizing his people alone.

“No. I’m by your side, Jeon.”

“Well, I still need the other half of my money,” Jeongguk murmured in response, all but throwing himself into his hammock. Around a yawn he said, “So you better not get yourself killed, pretty boy.”

Namjoon rolled his eyes. “Isn’t this where you say there’s no way that’ll happen because you’ll take down the beast with such speed and success?” His tone was mocking, but he couldn’t ignore the spike of anxiety that went through him at the human’s words.

“Yeah, yeah, exactly.” Jeongguk waved a dismissive hand above the edge of the hammock. “As long as you don’t do anything stupid.” His voice was muffled by the sound of him rolling onto his side, signalling that he was most certainly done with their conversation.

Letting his head drop back against the tree trunk, Namjoon sighed. His eyes fluttered closed, the sun parting through the clouds and falling dappled on his skin. There wasn’t any way to shake the stone of dread that was settling at the bottom of his gut, filling him up with something acidic and poisonous.

He wanted to believe Jeongguk. He wanted to hold onto the idea that the monster hunter was skilled enough to protect them. And to protect all of his people.

It wasn’t just Namjoon’s life on the line here. The kingdom had exhausted their resources on struggling to take down the beast with no success. Jeon Jeongguk had come as a recommendation from someone that traveled to the human city and heard his name. It had been the last resort.

And Namjoon just simply wasn’t used to being out of options.

So there was no way in the seven hells he was going to return to his kingdom without knowing, for certain, that the beast was no longer going to terrorize his people. He’d die trying if he had to.

But hopefully, with Jeongguk’s words from the beginning of the journey ringing in his head, he would be able to trust the human.

♤♧♡♢

“Is this really going to work?” Namjoon whispered, his voice quiet and shaking with poorly-concealed fear.

“You’re just scared. Don’t you start doubting me now, pretty boy.” Jeongguk’s words were meant to be cocky but his tone was far from it.

They were standing in a barren patch in the middle of the old trees, greyed and ashen trunks allowing the moonlight to bathe the clearing. In the center, there was a massive fire. The top of the flames were nearly as tall as Jeongguk himself, who was crushing the owl eggshell in his hand and taking measured steps toward the fire.

With a careful motion, the monster hunter dropped the eggshell into the flames.

Namjoon jumped back as the fire spit and sparked with bright flashes of light. He was almost mesmerized, drawn to the way the flames danced around one another. He took a step forward.

Throwing out his arm, Jeongguk stopped Namjoon almost immediately as the vampire walked right into him. It jolted Namjoon back into the moment, blinking several times before he could focus his gaze onto the human in front of him.

“It’s the spell, it’s a minor calling for most inhuman beings. Ignore it, you’re stronger than it.” Jeongguk’s voice was tough and determined, further grounding Namjoon into the moment.

Nodding, the prince swallowed dryly and took a few steps back from the pyre. “That felt weird,” he whispered, strangely vulnerable. Or maybe it really wasn’t that strange; his fear made him feel weak.

Turning around from the fire completely, Namjoon ran a hand through his hair and then continued down his body to check what he still had with him.

They had agreed to leave their belongings a little ways away in case the werewolf required more of a chase than they were hoping. Jeongguk didn’t want any of his “witchy stuff” to suffer damage due to the enraged wolf.

So all Namjoon had with him was his sword; he ran his hands over the hilt, knowing the weight and security of the weapon well. He really hoped he wouldn’t need to draw it at all, but he would do what he had to. There was no way the werewolf would be coming out alive, even if it did have to be at the end of Namjoon’s sword.

Rolling his shoulders back, Namjoon turned back around and looked at the monster hunter.

Jeongguk was staring at the fire, his arms limp at his side—his spellwork was done. They could only wait now. Wait and hope that the wolf was close enough to heed the call of the fire. It was probably anticipation he saw on Jeongguk’s face. There was no way the human could be frightened, that was foolish to think.

Letting out another breathy sigh, Namjoon couldn’t help but begin going over the plan again, “So, he’s gonna—”

“Namjoon,” Jeongguk bit off harshly, the prince’s name tearing from his lips with a sort of violence that had him stuttering backwards just slightly. It wasn’t lost on Namjoon that it was the first time the monster hunter had said his name; it cracked like a whip over him. “We’ve been over the plan a million times by now.”

Tensing his jaw, the vampire shifted his weight from foot to foot.

“Do you trust me?”

And for the first time, Namjoon nodded. “Yes.”

He was a bit surprised to find the answer didn’t taste like a lie. His reservations about the confrontation going well didn’t rest in his belief of Jeongguk’s capability. It was himself he didn’t know he could trust.

“Good. Now, we’re both going to be just fine.” Jeongguk’s words were determined and unmovable. There wasn’t any room to argue with him, bolstering the confidence for both of them. “You’re with me, did you forget that?”

Blinking, Namjoon reminded himself to take a deep, steadying breath. “Right.” He nodded, more for himself than for Jeongguk. “We’re going to be fine.”

And gods, how wrong they were.

♤♧♡♢

It took Namjoon far too long to realize that the blood was his own.

It was everywhere, sinking into the grooves of his fingers and wetting his hands. It was smeared on the front of him and soaked what was left of the side of his tunic, the fabric torn and the skin such a mess of crimson he could hardly make out the wound. The bite mark in his forearm was deep and gaping, drooling blood so dark it was nearly black.

The blood in his veins was sluggish and minimal, reliant on however recent he had his last feeding. With any other type of wound it would stitch up almost immediately, barely allowing him to lose a drop.

But this was a werewolf.

Their saliva was a venom itself that prevented the process of vampiric healing, leaving Namjoon with wide-open wounds that steadily leaked out his blood supply.

The wolf had been massive. He was just as tall as Namjoon and a matted brown color, muscles obvious in the way he had stalked up to the fire. His snout was long and his mouth was hanging open, exposing his yellowing teeth; long and sharp. His tongue was lolling to the side, whitish foam gathered at the corners of his snarling lips.

He was horrifying. A true beast.

And Jeongguk only had one shot. He couldn’t shoot until he was certain the beast would take it near the heart. So, there wasn’t too much the monster hunter was able to do when the wolf had leapt across the fire and clawed Namjoon to the ground before he even had the chance to draw his sword.

The pain was unlike anything Namjoon had dealt with before. The beast had bitten him several times over before the vampire managed to bury his sword deep into the muscle of his shoulder. The wolf had let out an awful caterwaul and gave Namjoon just enough time to steady himself on a tree.

Proceeding moments were hazy, but Jeongguk’s wide eyes had found his own for a moment, soft words lost in the dizziness, a gentle touch disappeared in numbness. And then Jeongguk was jumping between the trees and screeching, bringing the wolf’s attention away from the tree Namjoon had clung to.

Somehow, the vampire had managed to limp beyond the clearing, leaving a shoe and his sword behind in his attempt to save himself.

It wasn’t until he was slumped against a tree trunk, blearily watching three images of Jeongguk scattered across his vision, that he realized what sort of state he was in. He splayed his fingers a few times, intrigued by the way the dark strands of blood stretched between each knuckle, like spider web. “Oh,” he murmured, feeling something click suddenly into place in his mind. “I’m going to die.”

Then he started laughing. It was just a cold bubble of laughter that burst from his pale lips, sharp teeth dropping from his gums in hopes of supplementing his dangerously low blood supply. But all they served to do was bite into his lip, losing blood from yet another unhealing wound.

He felt like he only blinked maybe a second or two longer than usual, but when he opened them again the entire scene in front of him had changed. Each of the three versions of Jeongguk that Namjoon saw in his sight were holding up the black pistol. He could’ve sworn when he closed his eyes the werewolf was chasing the monster hunter around the barren trees, ducking and dodging in a confusing—and deadly—game of tag.

But now Namjoon was numbly watching the way Jeongguk ricocheted backwards with the force of his shot. And then the beast was crumbling.

It was like something magical, watching the way the ragged wolf stumbled back as the bullet buried itself square in his chest. The vampire could almost see the way the bullet spread its dark charm throughout the beast, stealing his life away with each heavy-chested sigh.

Namjoon smiled this time when he closed his eyes.

He almost couldn’t feel Jeongguk’s fingers digging into his arm, shaking him. Even his head hit against the trunk of the tree with the violence of the human’s motion. “Hey! Don’t you dare die on me.” The voice was loud but somehow sounded far away, like he was yelling from underwater. “Namjoon! Namjoon!”

“Jeongguk?” he managed out, fighting against the heavy feeling that begged him to close his eyes.

“Hey, hey, stay with me, pretty boy.” Jeongguk’s voice was demanding, making Namjoon want to do what he wanted, especially to get that look off his face.

“Who’s the scared one now?” Namjoon asked, a cough breaking up his pathetic words.

Jeongguk let out a broken laugh that may have been a sort of sob—the vampire couldn’t quite tell. And then the human was sliding his hands on either side of Namjoon’s head and kneeling as close to him as possible. “Here. Namjoon, drink.”

It took him a moment to realize that the human was bearing his neck for Namjoon. For Namjoon to bite him. Jeongguk’s hands were warm and firm, guiding his mouth close to his skin.

“No. I could kill you,” Namjoon whispered, not even possessing the strength to pull away. But he was conscious enough to know his own thirst could drain two and a half humans dry in his state.

“So I’m just supposed to let you die? You’ll stop anyway.” The vampire wasn’t sure if Jeongguk’s confident tone was to convince himself or Namjoon. Regardless, he all but pressed the vampire’s lips against his neck, enticing him ever more. “Drink, Namjoon. I’m serious.”

Taking in a deep breath in an attempt to pull away only rewarded him with the sweet scent of Jeongguk and the blood pulsing right in front of him. He knew in the last few days he was becoming weak towards Jeongguk, but with his impaired thought, the offer was all too enticing.

“Drink,” Jeongguk commanded once more, pressing his lips to his skin.

So Namjoon opened his mouth, letting his fangs drop all the way down. And he sank his teeth into the fragile skin of Jeongguk’s neck.

The taste of his blood was overwhelming.

It was sweet and warm and tasted so damn good. It was like he’d never bitten someone before—he’d never tasted something like Jeongguk in his centuries-long life. He found himself enjoying the light gasp that fell from Jeongguk’s lips, his venom making the human’s head fuzzy with something like ecstasy.

As his strength began to slowly return, the fresh blood helping to slowly stitch together the wounds covering him, the prince brought his hands around the human. He pressed even closer. The human’s head was thrown back and he was breathing in light, breathy gasps in sync with Namjoon’s thirsty swallows. The sounds he was making only made the vampire smile.

Namjoon sucked at his neck, licking every stray drop of blood and pressing his lips against his skin to enjoy each gulping swallow of the human’s blood.

He could bleed him dry.

And, horrifyingly detached, he found he wanted to. He wanted to keep his lips pressed deliciously against the soft flesh of the human’s neck and he wanted to keep swallowing down his sweet blood. He wanted more and more and more.

But this wasn’t just some human. This wasn’t a feeder in the palace or a human whore on the street. This was Jeongguk. And he certainly didn’t want to kill Jeongguk. Especially not when he offered his throat to save Namjoon, not condemn himself to death.

Pulling his teeth from the human’s neck took a feat of will so strong it sent a shiver down Namjoon’s spine.

And he was promptly horrified to find Jeongguk limp in his hold, two trickles of blood running down his throat. The human was pale and gaunt, as if he was only holding on by the way his skin stretched over the bones of his face. Checking over him, Namjoon was glad to find that there didn’t seem to be any other wounds on his body—the werewolf hadn’t managed to scratch him, and yet he was limp in Namjoon’s arms. It was terrifying, seeing the way he looked moments from death.

“Jeongguk,” Namjoon started, shaking him slightly. “Jeongguk, please.” His voice broke over his words, pathetic and sad and begging.

Namjoon gasped, pulling Jeongguk’s towards him slightly as the human fluttered his eyes. “You okay?” Jeongguk muttered, barely even able to move his lips.

“Me?” Namjoon laughed, surprising himself with the feeling of tears burning at the corners of his eyes. “I nearly bled you dry and you’re worried about me?”

“Won’t give me the rest—rest of my money if you die,” Jeongguk mumbled, words garbled but determined as always.

Laughing even as the first tear fell from his eye, Namjoon all but crushed the human against his chest, taking solace in his warmth (grateful Namjoon hadn’t stolen that from him too). “You can have anything you want, Jeongguk. As long as you let me take you back to my house before you return home.”

“So you can finish me off there?”

“You’re unbelievable.” Namjoon had meant the words to come out exasperated, so confused at how this human was joking even though he hardly had the strength to open his eyes. But really, his tone was just fond. “Let me help you.”

“I’m fine, I promise,” Jeongguk tried, even though he couldn’t even hold his head up; his attempt had just ended up with his head against his chest rather than thrown back against Namjoon’s arms.

Namjoon just rolled his eyes. “I have some things in my bag that might help.”

So he laid Jeongguk down on the moss of the ground, trying to make sure he was going to be okay for a few moments as he attempted to find where they had left their extra stuff a few meters away from the deemed battle ground.

Digging through his bag, Namjoon cursed at his foresight only to bring a few things to help heal burns or close large vampiric wounds that weren’t healing correctly even with their speedy healing. But he had a roll of bandage and some generic salve Seokjin had promised was a cureall.

So he returned to Jeongguk just to find the human attempting to sit up, the two puncture wounds in his neck drooling blood and staining the collar of his tunic. “Jeongguk!” Namjoon berated, quickly rushing to his side and instinctually kneeling at his head. He paused a moment, wondering if it was really a good idea, but then he realized he didn’t care very much at all, so he placed Jeongguk’s head in his lap.

Jeongguk sighed but let his head loll against his knee anyway, relaxing into him. “I promise I’m fine.”

“I have a salve and a bandage, I’m going to put them on now, okay?” Namjoon explained, brushing the human’s longer hair off his neck, some of it sticky with blood. “I also grabbed your canteen from your bag to wash it a bit. It might sting.”

“I can handle it,” Jeongguk promised. He winced when Namjoon poured the water over his neck, but true to his word he didn’t utter a single word in protest, even throughout the whole process.

Namjoon wasn’t going to lie, it was difficult to clean the blood from his neck without the urge to feed more. He’d had enough to drink to help his wounds (although putting on that extra salve Seokjin had packed was probably a good idea, looking at the damage still on his forearm) but he was far from satisfied. Thankfully, he’d found the extra vial of blood he’d brought along, just enough to curb the craving as he wiped the salve over Jeongguk’s wound.

Wrapping the bandage slowly around Jeongguk’s neck, it was a little lumpy and awkward, but the blood was stopped and Namjoon could only hope it was going to heal properly. “Does that feel okay?” Namjoon asked, tentative, hands sort of floating around the bandage as if he should adjust it or something.

“Much better already, really,” Jeongguk promised, although Namjoon wasn’t convinced. But, he could hold his eyes open longer and his lips were drawn almost into a smile. “I just need some food and water.”

“Oh! Right, I forgot,” Namjoon admitted, grateful that he hadn’t poured out the entirety of the canteen to clean the wound. He helped Jeongguk sit up, soaking in the warmth of the human’s skin and allowing that to comfort him. There was a niggling feeling still that Jeongguk was going to die and it was going to be Namjoon’s fault.

So he watched the human intently as he drank and ate the food he had left, slowly taking bites of his bread and letting the color return slowly to his cheeks. With every moment Jeongguk looked better, Namjoon felt himself calm down, the panicked feeling dissipating.

“But, Jeongguk, really—” Namjoon stopped himself, unsure of how he could make his honesty known in his voice. Swallowing, he placed a hand on the human’s shoulder, waiting until those big brown eyes were focused on him. “Thank you.”

Jeongguk’s smile was worth more than any amount of money Namjoon could have given him. It was something he’d only seen remnants of over their journey. But now Jeongguk was smiling big and broad and Namjoon felt like he was looking right at the sun.

“You’re welcome, Namjoon.”

The sincerity, ridiculously, almost brought tears to the vampire’s eyes.

Shaking his head slightly, Namjoon tried to hide his feelings. “We should probably start heading back to my house so you can heal up properly. It shouldn’t be more than a day to walk.”

“It’s almost night, pretty boy, we can walk in the morning if you let me sleep for a while.”

“You can sleep while I walk.”

Jeongguk tilted his head, the bandages shifting slightly. “Huh?”

“I’m going to carry you.” Namjoon said it like it was fact (because it was, there was no way in hell Jeongguk was going to walk after losing that much blood).

“No way. You’re not going to carry me for a whole day while I sleep on your back.”

“No, of course not. You can sleep in my arms.” Namjoon’s voice was strong and commanding, using his authority to try and take care of the human.

“Namjoon—”

“You’re not walking.”

And to make his point clear, Namjoon stood and scooped Jeongguk up off the ground, an arm under his knees and around his shoulders. The human let out a small yelp and instinctually threw his arms around Namjoon’s neck and buried his face into his collar bone.

Laughing, Namjoon paraded around a little bit, slightly concerned by just how light the human was in his arms. He was also slightly concerned by how close and overwhelming Jeongguk’s scent was. The vampire had already gotten a taste of his blood and gods, he wanted more.

But the way Jeongguk was acting made Namjoon want to protect him. And he was going to.

Taking a moment to gather all their things, Namjoon double checked that they’d actually slayed the beast, before returning back to where he’d left Jeongguk sitting against a tree. “I can’t thank you enough for ending that horrible creature,” Namjoon told Jeongguk with a shudder, picking him up effortlessly.

“If you hadn’t taken all the hits from him and took out his one leg there’s no way I’d have been able to shoot him. So don’t give me all the credit,” Jeongguk replied, surprisingly modest for maybe the first time.

Namjoon just shook his head, unsure of how else he could thank the human without trapping them in a circle of compliments and gratitude. “I’m just glad my people will be safe now.”

Nodding, Jeongguk yawned.

“You can rest,” Namjoon offered, voice going soft as he tried not to let his eyes linger on the human in his arms.

“No, really I can walk on my own,” Jeongguk tried again, squirming a bit in Namjoon’s hold. “I promise I’m feeling much better after some food and water. My body makes more blood unlike some people.”

Namjoon just shook his head, not even looking down at the human in his arms. “I don’t believe that.”

“You don’t—” Jeongguk started, stiffening with disbelief. “Vampires,” he muttered, rolling his eyes and giving up. It made Namjoon happy to feel the human settle a bit more into his arms, letting his head fall against his chest, curled almost into his neck. His hair tickled Namjoon there, and the vampire decided to blame that for bringing the smile to his face.

♤♧♡♢

“Seokjin is the best healer in the kingdom, I promise. He works with humans too so you don’t have to worry at all. He’ll get you all patched up and ready to head home,” Namjoon explained, using his hands a little bit, but not really being able to with his arms occupied holding Jeongguk. “Uh, if you want,” he added, nervously.

It was intoxicating, he had to admit, having Jeongguk so close. His sweet summer grass scent was getting to his head, and Namjoon had to admit that he was becoming rather fond of it. Fond enough that he would probably miss having it around.

Shaking his head, the prince tried to reorganize his thoughts—specifically not to think about the possibility of Jeongguk occupying the bedchamber near his own. “I should have thought to bring more than just one vial of blood with me. Or I should have brought healing salves and such for humans. I didn’t think—”

“Why are we crossing the bridge to the palace?” Jeongguk let out, cutting him off. His gaze was trained ahead of them, on the massive aches and spires of the castle in front of them. The gardens were just to the right, big bushes bright with white and red roses and flowering willows. The palace grounds were surrounded by iron fencing, shaped with intricacies and delicate patterns. Even the pathway under them was a smooth, beautiful stone.

“Oh, I forgot I didn’t tell you,” Namjoon said, wondering why the human had gotten so stiff in his arms. Jeongguk turned his big brown eyes up to Namjoon just in time to see his smirk. “I live here.”

Jeongguk rolled his eyes but brought them back to meet the vampire’s, as if he would be able to catch the lie in his gaze. “What, as a butler or something?”

“I’m the crown prince,” Namjoon revealed with much too cocky of a smile, adoring the way emotions flickered across Jeongguk’s face.

It was amusing, to say the least, that the human kept tilting his head between the vampire and the palace they were quickly approaching. His eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly ajar. If Namjoon wasn’t mistaken, there also may have been a hint of a blush to the tops of his cheeks.

“Oh, fuck,” Jeongguk breathed.

Namjoon just laughed.