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Seokjin stared at his computer screen, feeling blank and drained on a Friday night. He tapped the down arrow multiple times on his keyboard as he scrolled through the web page he was on. How did research excite people? He was quite thoroughly bored studying the online buying pattern of their competitor’s consumers. He would much rather watch unsolved crime videos on Youtube, or even better, watch stupid conspiracy theories that he can get a laugh out of.
He sighed and looked at the time on the top of his screen. It was 11:45 pm for god’s sake. Why was his boss still in the office? He couldn’t leave until his superior was out of the door. He turned in his chair to look back at the Head of Marketing’s cabin and saw his boss having a serious talk on the phone with the regional manager. Probably not delivering any good news about the sale numbers and customer retention.
Seokjin turned back to the front feeling hopeless. He ran a hand through his purple hair and his eyes went over the various postcards and other smaller posters he had pinned on his cubicle’s walls. He had one photo of his college friend group, some postcards with art of mythical creatures that his friend Jungkook had made for him long ago, back when they thought such creatures didn’t exist. But now Jin knew better. After the disappearance of his best friend Yoongi, he knew better.
‘Okay Jin,’ he heard his boss walk out of the door, wearing his jacket and so Seokjin stood up. ‘You can close up now. Next week is going to be hectic. You should probably send a heads up to the team,’
‘I will,’ Seokjin bowed, ‘Have a good night sir,’
‘You too,’ the man nodded and left out of the door.
Seokjin quickly turned off his system and the lights, locked the office, and headed down to his car.
*
Hoseok nodded to his partner before entering the dark and abandoned bar in the old part of the city. This was the agreed meetup spot with the rival vampire coven. Hoseok was apprehensive of this, he did not trust this coven’s intentions at all. But his leader Taehyung had given them orders and when Taehyung got serious, no one dared question him again. Luckily, Taehyung had ordered his second in command, Namjoon, the one they called the iron dragon, to stay in the vicinity as backup. No one would dare try anything too brave if Namjoon was there. He was one of the most dangerous killers in the city.
Blue light from the streets drained into the bar through the cracks and gaps in the boarded up windows, casting long shadows. Hoseok saw that the other coven had sent three vampires for this and he was quite surprised to see their leader amongst them. The said leader sat on a chair with one leather booted leg over the other and was flanked by his two subordinates. He was the smallest one here but he was also the stealthiest. If Hoseok’s coven had the Iron Dragon, then their rivals had the Silver Snake in the form of their leader, Park Jimin.
‘Ah my favourite,’ the rival leader grinned at Hoseok. ‘Taehyung knows what I like,’
Before Hoseok could retort in annoyance, his partner cut in, ‘Let’s keep it to the point Park. Where are the bullets?’
Park Jimin’s silver eyes looked sharply at her, the grin disappearing. ‘It’s not everyday that I see this one,’ he gestured at Hoseok, ‘And you’re denying me my fun?’
‘Like Aeri said,’ Hoseok spoke now, ‘Let’s keep it the point,’
‘I’m hurt,’ Jimin pouted, and for a moment, his deadly nature was hidden behind soft plump lips, ‘Don’t you want to play with me Hoseok?’
Hoseok rolled his eyes and they heard one of Jimin’s men clear his throat.
‘Park, the bullets,’ Aeri reminded him again. ‘Show them to us now or we leave,’
‘Fine,’ Jimin rolled his eyes too and gestured to the man on his right who stepped forward with a small black case. He opened it to show them 3 large bullets that glowed golden.
‘Fire bullets,’ Jimin said. ‘These can kill us,’
‘Where did you get them?’ Hoseok asked.
‘Why don’t I tell you that over our date?’ Jimin grinned again.
‘Jimin your idea of a date is eating dinner in the graveyard,’ Hoseok said to him.
‘And what’s wrong in that!’ Jimin exclaimed, ‘I’ll get you your favourite blood type,’
Hoseok sighed, choosing not to respond to that and looked at the bullets, ‘We’ll be taking these as samples with us,’
‘Nu-uh,’ Jimin stood up now. ‘I chose to inform your coven about these as a favour to you,’ Jimin said to Hoseok. ‘That’s all,’
‘That’s not all!’ Aeri spoke. ‘These bullets are a threat to every vampire. We have to be united in this,’
‘I said,’ Jimin took a few steps forward and stood in front of his man who was holding the bullet case, ‘No,’ his voice was icy. ‘It is anyways an insult that your leader didn’t show up himself. The least he could do is send his second in command and show some damn respect,’
Hoseok and Aeri glanced at each other and unnoticeably, Hoseok pressed a button on his wristwatch.
The doors of the bar opened and Jimin’s vampires stood in alert, one hand on their respective weapons.
‘Apologies for the delay,’ the tall man who entered spoke in a deep voice. His muscular silhouette walked into the light and everyone saw the man second in command to Taehyung, ‘I was caught up in a hunt,’
‘Kim Namjoon,’ Jimin grinned seeing the handsome vampire, his scarred face reminiscent of his warrior status, silver hair and broad shoulders framed well in a dark coat. ‘Welcome,’
‘Let’s be civil,’ Namjoon said. His voice carried a natural authority and his iron gaze intimidated everyone in the room. ‘I’m sure you wouldn’t want this to turn into a fight,’
Jimin chuckled, ‘How subtle of you… Kim Namjoon the strongest fighter in the entire city,’ he said haughtily, ‘I was hoping you would show up,’
When Jimin said that, Hoseok’s intuition put him on alert. He saw Jimin nod at his man in the most subtle manner and the next thing he knew, a knife was being thrown straight at Namjoon. Hoseok jumped in front of Namjoon, using his armoured forearm to deflect the knife away and now everyone was on their toes. Shots were fired, bar stools thrown. It was clear that their target was Namjoon. There were more vampires in hiding who now jumped at him. With one swing of his arm, Namjoon slammed them to the ground, knocking them unconscious. Jimin climbed on his back, trying to break his neck but Namjoon grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him to the front. He couldn’t kill the rival leader… Taehyung won’t be happy about that. Jimin pulled a dagger from his sock and stuck it forward, stabbing Namjoon somewhere in the torso. Namjoon winced and dropped Jimin before pulling the dagger out of his flesh with a grunt.
Jimin looked at him incredulously at the way Namjoon just pulled the weapon out of him like he was nursing a mosquito bite. ‘That’s it? Dammit, why aren’t you in my gang?’
Namjoon smirked at him, ‘Taehyung is a better negotiator than you,’
‘Joon!’ Hoseok called him from across the bar, showing that he had procured the bullet case, ‘Run!’
Namjoon nodded and ran out of the bar before Jimin could attack him again. The vampires pursued him through the back alley. He decided to head for the busier streets. They won’t be able to attack him with humans around. Just as he heard the noises of people growing louder, he felt something sting his thigh but he had no time to stop and inspect. He kept running, the main street was right ahead, just a step away-
SCREECH!
Namjoon felt a hard impact on his chest and got thrown a few feet over the road.
*
SHIT!
Seokjin froze behind the steering wheel, eyes wide and knuckles white as he gripped the wheel in shock. He had hit someone… fuck. HE HIT SOMEONE!!
He saw a man fallen on the road in front of his car, half of his body in the shadows.
GET UP SEOKJIN! HELP HIM!
After two more seconds of internal yelling, Seokjin scrambled out of his car and ran to the man.
Namjoon was reeling back from the impact, rolling on the asphalt and laying on his back. He felt someone approach him.
‘I am so sorry!’ Seokjin kneeled next to Namjoon. ‘Let me get you to the hospital,’ he pulled out his cellphone to dial the number. Seokjin heard an angry growl from Namjoon and the next thing he knew, his phone was yanked away by the man.
‘No hospital!’ Namjoon growled.
Seokjin saw the man’s angry face, half illuminated from the light of his car and fell back on his butt. His heart pounding fast under the intimidating gaze, he crawled a little away from the dark shadow they were in and felt better in the moonlight where he could see his surroundings and people could see him.
Namjoon’s expression changed. The moment he saw Seokjin’s face in the light, his own eyes softened, his eyebrows smoothened, his lips released the snarl to go back to their rather beautiful shape as Seokjin now noticed.
‘A-Are you okay?’ Seokjin asked in a small voice.
‘Oh,’ Namjoon blinked a few times. In front of Namjoon was the most beautiful man he had ever laid eyes on.
‘Can I have my phone back?’ Seokjin asked softly again.
‘Oh sorry,’ Namjoon held the phone in front of him, ‘I didn’t mean to…’ he averted his gaze a little shyly.
‘No I’m sorry,’ Seokjin said, ‘Please let’s get you checked for injuries?’
‘I’m alright,’ Namjoon replied. He tried to stand up but he felt strangely weak. ‘I’m…’ he was getting dizzy. He looked towards his thigh and saw a dart there. His hand went to pull it out and that’s when Seokjin noticed it too.
‘Wait…’ Seokjin saw the symbol on the dart… a blood drop with a setting sun and rising moon. He knew that symbol. Yoongi wore that symbol. ‘Wait, you’re…’
Namjoon’s head fell unconscious on the ground.
‘...A vampire,’ Seokjin finished his sentence.
*
Namjoon opened his eyes to a small, unfamiliar bedroom and instantly felt a panic. He sat up quickly and heard a yelp from his side.
‘Aa!’ Seokjin almost fell off his chair. ‘Geez, calm down,’
Namjoon felt a sharp pain in his lower back and fell back on the bed, ‘Where am I?’ Namjoon asked him, ‘How did you get me here?’
‘I carried you,’ Seokjin said. ‘I brought you here because you’re injured and you’re refusing to go to the hospital,’
And then Namjoon remembered… the enemy had hit him with a kind of poison. But wait… this human carried him?
‘How did you carry me?’
‘You’re heavy no doubt,’ Seokjin said, ‘But I can manage,’
‘Oh…’ Without thinking, Namjoon’s eyes went to Seokjin’s arms. He looked lanky but Namjoon could see the curves of his biceps peeking below the half sleeve of his white t-shirt. Namjoon gulped and looked away… Even his hands were attractive? What is this man?
‘I’m Seokjin,’ he heard him say. ‘Kim Seokjin,’
‘Namjoon,’
‘So Namjoon, if you don’t want to go to the hospital, is there anywhere else you can get your wounds treated?’
‘Yes…’ Namjoon replied, ‘But I don’t know how I’ll get there, considering I can’t move my body without crying in pain,’
‘I can take you there,’ Seokjin offered.
‘You shouldn’t,’
‘What do you mean?’
Namjoon turned towards him, ‘You’re either really brave or really stupid to take a stranger into your home. A stranger like me on top of that,’
‘I hit you with my car… by accident. And this is the least I could do. And… you’re not that scary,’
That made Namjoon raise an eyebrow, ‘I see,’
‘I mean… yes your first growl was scary, I won’t lie. I thought you’re going to snap my phone in half. But then you apologised so sweetly,’ Seokjin smiled shyly. Namjoon felt his cold skin heat up and he glanced at the man. He realised he shouldn’t have because if Seokjin was incredibly handsome earlier, he was absolutely, devastatingly adorable when shy. He saw Seokjin’s ears turn red and heat radiate from the man’s body and something tickled in Namjoon’s stomach. Seokjin’s scent was spiking up and the vampire gulped, his mouth watering. He licked his tongue over his teeth behind closed lips. This man was a dream… an intoxicating, dangerous dream. Seokjin smelled like roses and the sweetest berries, it was sending currents through Namjoon’s limbs. The only thing he wanted right now was to taste it on his tongue.
‘But to be honest,’ Seokjin spoke and broke Namjoon from his carnal thoughts, ‘There is another reason I brought you here,’
Now Namjoon was incredibly confused, ‘Oh??’
Seokjin held the dart in his hand, which had been shot at Namjoon, ‘Do you know these people?’
Namjoon blinked, not able to believe what he was hearing, ‘Do YOU know these people?’
‘I’m looking for my friend. He’s one of them,’
‘Oh??’
‘You say ‘oh’ a lot,’
Namjoon ducked his head, feeling embarrassed, ‘Yeah I don’t usually do that,’
‘So, do you know them?’
‘I do,’ Namjoon confessed. ‘What exactly do you know about them?’
‘I know you’re a vampire,’
There was silence for many moments. And then Namjoon spoke.
‘You know you’re not supposed to invite vampires into your house,’
‘We’ve been over that Namjoon,’ Seokjin rolled his eyes, ‘I need to find my friend. You’re my only chance,’
‘What’s your friend’s name?’
‘Yoongi,’ Seokjin said and pulled out his phone to show him an image of him and Namjoon looked at it intently, ‘I know he turned… into one of you. I know he joined this group that calls themselves The Duskriders. But I haven’t heard a word from him in six months,’ From Namjoon’s eyes, Seokjin could tell that he recognised Yoongi, ‘Is he… is he alive?’
‘I don’t know if he’s alive,’ Namjoon said.
‘But you know him don’t you?’
Namjoon nodded, ‘He… He was from the rival coven… the Duskriders are our rival. But he and my leader… they somehow fell in love. There was a bad incident and Yoongi ran away from this city to stop any further problems between the two covens,’
Seokjin breathed in with a shiver, ‘I see,’
‘Sorry,’ Namjoon said in a soft voice.
‘You don’t have to say that,’ Seokjin said. ‘So um… what was in this dart?’
‘An inhibiting drug,’ Namjoon said. ‘Which means some of my vampiric powers won’t work for a while,’ saying that, Namjoon lifted his shirt and Seokjin tried not to look but he couldn’t help himself. He saw that there were bruise marks on Namjoon’s sculpted abdomen.
‘Yeah, I’m bruising,’ Namjoon chuckled. ‘From just hitting a car,’
‘Your head is bruised too,’ Seokjin pointed to the left temple. Namjoon noticed how his eyes went round like a doe’s and his lush lips got more plump in a pout. He looked so soft, face framed in purple hair. The currents returned to Namjoon’s stomach. ‘I’ll get you some ice,’
Seokjin returned with a few ice packs and helped Namjoon sit up. He adjusted the pillows behind the vampire and Namjoon went rigid as he hoisted himself on his hands. Seokjin’s body was warm and he could hear his heartbeat, he could see the pulsating spot on his elegant neck and it was driving Namjoon absolutely crazy. All Namjoon would need to do is lean an inch further and sink his teeth into that delicious skin. Namjoon hadn’t fed directly from a human in ages. The resistance didn’t come easy but Namjoon had managed. Yet somehow Seokjin’s existence was currently hellbent on shredding Namjoon’s resolve until there was nothing left but just him satiating his desire. Namjoon tried with all his might not to conjure up images of him biting on this man’s neck. He would do it delicately, he would make sure Seokjin felt good from it, holding him close- no. He had to shut this down right now.
‘Seokjin,’ Namjoon managed to say and then bit his own lip. The human moved back, eyes still doe like on Namjoon.
‘Yes?’
Shit, what was he supposed to say? Don't come near me coz you’re gorgeously delicious? Fuck…
‘Are you okay?’ Seokjin asked again.
‘You… shouldn’t come so close to me,’
‘Oh!’ Seokjin’s eyes widened and a slight panic went through him as he instantly straightened himself. Namjoon felt his body grow cold in fear.
‘I mean…’ Namjoon felt guilty about making him feel horrid, ‘I mean, I don’t… feed on humans but you need to keep a better guard around my kind,’
‘Right,’ Seokjin nodded, ‘Right, you’re right,’
Namjoon chuckled slightly, ‘I’m glad vampires haven’t come across you yet. You’re human instincts don’t seem to be the best,’
‘Oh but they have,’ Seokjin said. ‘I’ve met some of Yoongi’s friends,’
‘You have? Who?’
‘Well, there was this man called Park Jimin-’
‘Him??’ For some reason, Namjoon felt a twinge of anger and… was that a protective feeling? Jimin was notorious. And with a deadly appealing scent like Seokjin around him, how did he not decide to make a prey out of him? Namjoon was relieved Jimin didn’t make that move but just the thought of it made Namjoon angrier.
‘Yeah… he was creepy,’ Seokjin said with a frown. ‘I didn’t want to be around him. I told Yoongi it’s best if I don’t mingle into his vampire life anymore,’
‘Oh,’ Namjoon sighed in relief, ‘That… that was the right choice,’
‘Yoongi told me that his group doesn’t harm humans,’ Seokjin said, ‘But still… I was anxious in in their presence,’
‘That’s the natural instinct,’ Namjoon said, ‘Humans are prey to vampires. No prey should feel comfortable in the presence of their predator,’
When Namjoon said that, Seokjin looked at him in deep thought.
‘Aren’t you a predator too?’
Namjoon looked away from him, ‘I am,’
Seokjin didn’t want to say it out loud… that Namjoon doesn’t make his instincts go on high alert like the other vampires did. ‘Here,’ he handed Namjoon the ice pack, ‘For your forehead. It’s swelling up,’
Namjoon took it in his hand and winced from the pain in his knuckles. Seokjin bent forward on instinct and put the ice pack between the wall and his head, making him lean on it. He stuffed more pillows there so the pack wouldn’t slip. ‘There, you don’t have to use your hand now,’
When he moved back, he saw that Namjoon’s eyes were shut tight and jaw clenched.
‘Did the pain increase?’
‘Not the kind of pain you think,’ Namjoon blurted out. He couldn’t help himself, he needed some release from the frustration he was feeling, from this annoyance that he couldn’t give in to what he wanted.
‘What kind of pain?’
Namjoon chuckled in his misery, ‘You don’t want to know,’
‘You can’t tell me because I’m human?’
Namjoon opened his eyes and looked at him, ‘The pain is because you are a human… an exquisite human,’ he bit his lower lip and looked away, ‘I shouldn’t talk more,’
Seokjin felt his cheeks go hot and that seemed to have made Namjoon’s pain worse without him even looking towards the human. He saw Namjoon squirm and curl his fists tight. He should move away shouldn’t he? He should probably keep a weapon in hand. But he was feeling something else… Was it compassion? Empathy? It was hard to watch Namjoon in pain. And Seokjin wished he could help him feel better though the method of it was clearly making Seokjin panic.
‘How have you all resisted from human blood if it’s so hard?’ he asked.
‘It’s not that hard if we survive on blood bags. Funny thing is,’ Namjoon laughed dryly, ‘I fed enough today because of the task at hand… I fed enough and yet…’
‘Yet you’re in pain?’
Namjoon suddenly looked at him with hooded eyes and Seokjin noticed that the rims of his irises were red. ‘Yet I’m hungry,’
Seokjin felt the shivers again. Namjoon sensed that and closed his eyes, looking to the front again.
The human moved away and that made Namjoon sad… an emotion he wasn’t expecting in this situation. Namjoon thought he would feel relief but he felt upset, he felt guilty or wronging Seokjin in some way… wronging this man he had met perhaps only an hour ago.
‘Is there anything that will help you feel better? Make the effects of the drug go away?’ Seokjin asked.
‘For that I need to get back to my coven,’
‘Oh,’
‘Only human blood can make me better now,’
‘Oh….’
‘Now you’re saying ‘oh’ a lot,’ Namjoon chuckled. Seokjin realised he liked that sound because it felt like it was coming from deep within Namjoon’s chest. His very attractive chest.
‘Actually,’ Namjoon spoke, ‘Do you by any chance have rosemary at home? It’s not a popular herb-’
‘I do,’ Seokjin said, ‘I like experimenting sometimes so I bought some for my pasta,’
‘If you grind some of that with red wine, it can help my cuts,’ Namjoon lifted his hand to see that his skid on the asphalt while being affected by the drug had resulted in bloodless cuts over his knuckles, wrist and forearms. And they were painful… the air hitting them just burned so badly.
‘Sure, I have red wine too,’ Seokjin said and opened his fridge to get the ingredients. The small house was silent except the rustling of plastic and Seokjin’s grinder. He came to Namjoon with the medicine in a bowl.
Namjoon looked at the bowl and smiled. It was a ceramic frog bowl, green and white with a cute frog’s face carved on it. ‘That’s cute,’
Seokjin smiled curiously, ‘The frog bowl? You like it?’
‘Yeah, very cute,’
‘Do you have stuff like this where you live?’
‘Not really,’ Namjoon shrugged, ‘I used to. And then they lessened and disappeared. Weapons, magical artifacts and blood vials replaced them,’
‘You can still keep some between them,’ Seokjin said.
‘I can. Maybe I’ll get some. Can you keep talking to me while you apply this?’ Namjoon asked, ‘Will distract me from the burn,’
‘Okay sure,’ Seokjin nodded and took some of the paste on his finger. He held his palm out for Namjoon to give him his hand. Namjoon gulped, seeing the open palm and slowly placed his hand in it. The touch was as warm as Namjoon had wanted, as soft and comforting, making him yearn for more contact but he held back.
‘So, the Duskrider vampires were chasing you?’ Seokjin asked as he applied the medicine on Namjoon’s cuts, ‘Why?’
‘I think they wanted to abduct me,’ Namjoon said through gritted teeth.
‘Why’s that?’
‘I’m… my coven’s second in command,’
‘Oh… so you’re an important person huh,’
Namjoon chuckled and Seokjin felt warm in the chest.
‘Do they often try to abduct you?’
‘No… there’s no point trying. There’s a reason my leader appointed me as his right hand man. You could say that… it’s not easy to fight me and win,’
‘Wait… your leader… is Taehyung, right?’
Namjoon looked at him, ‘Yeah, Yoongi’s ex. He may have mentioned him to you,’
‘Which means…’ Seokjin’s eyes went wide, ‘If you’re his right hand man… you’re… the iron dragon?’
Namjoon’s eyes went wide in embarrassment.
‘You’re the deadliest killer in the city?’
Namjoon looked away, ‘I don’t know about that. The word killer seems too harsh,’
‘You said you’re an amazing fighter,’
‘I didn’t say it like that…’
‘Huh,’ Seokjin laughed, ‘Are you really the iron dragon?’
Namjoon looked at him, confused as to why he was laughing, ‘What do you mean??’
‘I mean, no doubt you’re strong,’ Seokjin’s eyes went over his curvy muscular arms and broad chest, the pecs outlined over the shirt’s thin fabric. ‘But do dragons get shy?’
‘I’m not shy!’
‘Are you not?’ Seokjin started to laugh wholeheartedly and Namjoon forgot what they were even talking about. His gaze turned soft again like he was just admiring Seokjin with a head devoid of any other thoughts.
‘Okay sorry, I believe you,’ Seokjin winded down from his laughter. ‘You got darted after all, someone was trying very hard to catch you,’
‘I’ll have you know I fought off 8 vampires just before I bumped into you,’ Namjoon said, trying his best to prove that he was worthy of his name.
‘Bumped into me,’ Seokjin started to laugh again, ‘So clever with puns aren’t you?’
Namjoon sighed audibly and then winced as Seokjin dabbed the paste on his wrist.
‘You have a cut there,’ Seokjin pointed at Namjoon’s jaw. ‘Should I?’
Namjoon gulped and looked at his wounded hands. After the initial burn, the herb was working. The pain was almost gone. And so he looked at Seokjin, said a mental prayer of resistance and nodded his head.
Mood Music: Takanashi Yasuharu - Shunjun
Seokjin bent forward, gently dabbing the rosemary and wine on the cut over Namjoon’s jawline.
He smells…. so good? Realised Seokjin. For a moment he was dabbing the same area because his eyes were on Namjoon’s face, taking in his features. Behind this face was a dangerous predator? The most skilled fighter? How was he so alluring then? Why did Seokjin not feel like taking his eyes away from this man’s face?
As if the vampire sensed his thoughts, Namjoon opened his eyes and directly looked at Seokjin. The vampire was not ready to feel this disarmed. Locking eyes with Seokjin was probably the most vulnerable thing he had ever done. Those dark doe eyes could make Namjoon bare his soul in an instant, could make him want to give this man the entire world. It was crazy, Namjoon barely knew Seokjin. But he could not deny how attracted he was to him. How eager he was to know more about him.
Seokjin had not realised that he was involuntarily leaning into Namjoon’s scent. He only sensed it when we saw the red in the Vampire’s eyes spread, like a juicy berry and he saw his nostrils flare. Namjoon suddenly shut his eyes tight and turned his face away and Seokjin was left in an awkward position, as if he was halfway to kiss him and got rejected.
‘I’m sorry,’ Namjoon said with constricted breaths. ‘It’s hard,’
‘No I’m… I don’t know why I…’ Seokjin looked away and hurriedly got up, deciding to detour to the kitchen.
What’s wrong with me? Seokjin wondered. Namjoon was a vampire. A deadly vampire. Vampires feed on humans. Seokjin was the prey here, willingly stepping into the dragon’s lair to be eaten like a foolish sheep. A very foolish sheep. But when he looked at Namjoon, why did he feel foolish for thinking he’s a deadly predator? That man was deep dimples and soft chuckles, with a kind smile and expressive eyes. Not once had he tried to lure Seokjin into letting him feed on him, even though the only way Namjoon could regain strength right now was human blood.
Seokjin guiltily went back to the room to check on the injured vampire. He didn’t want to strain his urges further. He needed to stop acting like a smitten teenager.
Namjoon glanced at him when Seokjin came in and leaned himself against his dressing table.
‘Are you okay?’ He asked Seokjin.
‘I… yeah. Sorry for…’ Seokjin tried to find the right words but there were no right words for this situation. ‘You’re right maybe my instincts don’t work properly…’
‘No on the contrary they do,’ Namjoon said, hoping he can explain it without sounding creepy because Seokjin was beating himself up for no reason, ‘Vampires are… meant to be enticing to humans. Through our voice, our scent, as the most basic things. It’s how we lure humans. But humans also have a protective instinct. When they sense that someone doesn’t have the right intentions towards them, their flight response gets activated. Maybe that’s why you found yourself anxious around Park Jimin,’
‘But he doesn’t harm humans, does he?’
‘By law of his predecessors, he cannot. But I feel like he’s always on the verge of getting unhinged. Like if he sees one crack in the laws, one opportunity he can exploit, he might just jump on that,’
‘Oh,’ Seokjin felt goosebumps and rubbed his palms on his forearms. ‘And… and if I don’t feel anxious around a vampire?’ If I feel pulled towards them instead?
‘You must not have felt any anxiety around your friend Yoongi,’ Namjoon stated and Seokjin nodded.
‘I felt rather safe. Like he’s always taking care of me,’
‘In a hypothetical situation… if Yoongi ever fed on you, you wouldn’t feel any terror. Your bond with him is different. Vampire bites can be… the opposite of being terrifying,’
Seokjin’s eyes widened slightly, ‘What do you mean?’
‘It’s not that isn’t painful,’ Namjoon said and his mind tried really hard to find the right words, ‘But you know sometimes pain feels good?’
Seokjin looked a bit lost.
‘Like… how sometimes a physical workout makes you feel really good even if your muscles strain, how it feels when you stretch your leg muscles, if you’re familiar,’
‘I am,’ Seokjin nodded, ‘Yeah maybe I can understand what you mean,’
‘So… multiply that good feeling by a hundred,’ Namjoon said as he started at his own hands on his lap.
‘Oh?’ Seokjin’s eyes narrowed.
‘It depends on the vampire. Some of them can make you feel good, feel a kind of catharsis. Others can really… give you a sort of euphoria,’
Seokjin could see this topic was making Namjoon embarrassed. He was fiddling with his fingers and not once had he looked up at Seokjin and that made the man blush.
‘What are the common feeding spots?’ Seokjin asked, ‘The neck?’
‘The neck,’ Namjoon sighed, still not meeting Seokjin’s eyes. ‘The wrist. There’s a spot on the inner…’ he cleared his throat, ‘...inner thigh,’
Maybe he knew what Namjoon was getting at. Biting was intimate on its own. Maybe a friend could feed from your wrist. Dire situations maybe the neck. The third spot definitely implied a lot more. And now Seokjin understood what euphoria he was talking about.
‘You’re familiar with all of them?’ Seokjin asked, rather bravely.
Namjoon chucked dryly. ‘I’m familiar with two. I don’t feed on humans, I have but very few times,’
‘Do vampires feed on each other?’
‘Yeah,’ now finally Namjoon looked at Seokjin. ‘Sometimes in dire needs, to heal injuries. We don’t have as much blood inside us as humans do so it cannot become a regular feeding option. And… mated couples like to feed on each other occasionally. The euphoria is even better then,’
Seokjin nodded as if they were having a scientific conversation and all of this wasn’t making Seokjin’s stomach tingle wildly.
‘From what I know, Yoongi and Taehyung used to feed on each other. When he left, it was very hard on Taehyung,’
‘Have you had any feeding mates?’ Seokjin asked and then stopped himself, ‘Sorry that was too personal. You don’t have to answer that,’
‘It’s okay,’ Namjoon found himself saying. ‘I haven’t had anyone long term for that. And we’re a small group. I don’t think I’m compatible with whoever is here. I’ve tried already,’ he chuckled again.
‘You’re not allowed to date anyone other than vampires?’
‘We can,’ Namjoon said. ‘It’s very rare but not unheard of. Humans and witches are the alternate option if not a vampire. If you want to date a werewolf then good luck to you,’ He laughed. Then he looked around the room. ‘I’m sorry I’m occupying your only bed. I’m keeping you from sleeping,’
‘I can sleep on the couch,’ Seokjin said. ‘Would you like to rest now?’
‘Can I request something of you?’ Namjoon asked.
‘Yes?’
‘Can you drive me to the 147th Street in the northern precinct before sunrise? My pain has lessened but I need to get to my coven as soon as possible. Don’t worry, it’s not an unknown place. It’s along one of the public streets. I can walk from there,’
‘Oh right,’ Seokjin nodded. ‘I will. I think we can rest for only about 3 hours then,’ he said, looking at the clock on the wall.
‘Sorry for that,’
‘It’s fine,’ Seokjin said. ‘I’m glad to just… know a bit more about Yoongi,’ he looked at Namjoon like he wanted to add something to that but didn’t speak more. He switched off the lights and left for the living room.
Namjoon adjusted himself and lay down on the bed. The bed smelled of Seokjin too. Namjoon dared to inhale and take in that scent and his senses were on the verge of exploding. Seokjin’s scent could ignite multiple things inside Namjoon. It made his mouth water, made him hungry, it comforted him, gave him a feeling of belonging, and it aroused him to a maddening degree. Namjoon closed his eyes and curled himself into the blanket, palms curling into the sheet, wishing it was the shirt Seokjin was wearing, wishing the pillow was Seokjin’s chest. It was normal to feel attracted to a human’s scent but simple attraction and what Namjoon was feeling had a mile of distance between them. Simple attraction was smelling your favourite food, like walking by a donut shop that was baking a fresh batch. This was much, much more than that and it made Namjoon excited and fearful. This was not something he had felt before.
Seokjin couldn’t sleep. He lay staring at his living room ceiling. His brain felt a mess, he was constantly questioning his gut. Couldn't Namjoon be a normal human so that Seokjin felt less guilty that he’s feeling attracted to someone who’s a predator? But in that sense Yoongi was a predator too. But Seokjin loved his friend deeply. Namjoon would also have been someone’s friend before he was turned. Maybe he was being too harsh on himself about his feelings towards this vampire.
‘Feelings’ Seokjin found himself chuckling. He was indeed acting like a young smitten teenager. But he was incredibly fortunate that Namjoon was not a dangerous vampire. Or Seokjin would’ve been dead by now. That thought made him shiver. He had gambled on his life for some information on his childhood friend. He knew Namjoon could be dangerous when he wanted to. He remembered when the vampire had snatched his phone and snarled at him before he had seen Seokjin. What had changed? Namjoon’s persona just took a completely different take when he saw who was trying to get him up. Maybe it was the fact that he doesn’t hurt humans. And that showed in the way he had behaved with Seokjin so far, never making him feel tricked or afraid. That eased his fear. He felt safe with Namjoon, the way he had with Yoongi.
The alarm rang after three hours and Seokjin got up, making himself some coffee.
‘Can you drink coffee?’ He asked Namjoon who shook his head.
‘Normally I can but right now… the essential first,’
‘Should I help you stand up?’ Seokjin came towards him, careful not to strain his resistance again. Namjoon nodded and pushed himself up. Holding Seokjin’s hand he stood up and groaned, feeling pain spread from his nape till his tail bone.
‘Fuck… fucking hate those Duskriders,’ he winced.
‘I have your jacket. Just hang on, we’ll be there soon,’
They got into the car after some excruciating walking and Seokjin drove them to the spot Namjoon wanted. He knew the area, it had many cafes, studios and restaurants. Everything was bathed in the cool pre-dawn light.
‘You can stop here,’ Namjoon said as they approached a closed shop next to an alley. The car halted and Namjoon got down. He turned back towards Seokjin.
‘Thank you, for everything. I owe you,’
‘Don’t say that,’ Seokjin chuckled. ‘I don’t know how much that means in vampiric terms. So please don’t feel that you owe me,’
Namjoon smiled at him, nodded and then started to walk into the alley. Seokjin watched him go and then suddenly remembered something. He took something out of the holder on his car door and got out of the car.
‘Namjoon?’ He called and the vampire instantly turned. Seokjin jogged towards him with the frog bowl in hand. He had poured in some soil and planted a rosemary sprig in it.
‘Keep this,’ he held it for Namjoon to take.
The vampire’s eyes adorably widened seeing that and he looked at Seokjin, ‘Are you sure? You don’t have to,’
‘You liked it,’ Seokjin said, ‘And… maybe… maybe one day if you find out anything about Yoongi this might remind you to reach out to me,’
‘Oh okay,’ Namjoon nodded. He couldn’t help but let his fingers graze over Seokjin’s one last time when he took the bowl from him. He was going to miss Seokjin’s warm skin very dearly.
A movement in the corner of his eye made him look towards the alley.
‘You’re finally home?’ A man as tall and broad as Namjoon walked towards them. His dark hair was messy, framing his angular face beautifully.
‘Taehyung,’ Namjoon nodded at him curtly.
‘And who’s this?’ Taehyung’s eyes went over Seokjin very curiously. He sniffed once, like a general sniffle but Namjoon knew he was finding out what Seokjin was.
‘He took care of me,’ Namjoon said. ‘I got hit by his car,’
Taehyung gave a very deep chuckle, ‘Thank you for bringing him safe and sound,’ he said to Seokjin who was observing this vampire with some fright. The aura from him was not as comforting as Namjoon’s towards Seokjin. When Taehyung grazed a hand through his dark hair, Seokjin noticed a ring… a golden ring with a blue stone. That was Yoongi’s ring.
‘Let’s go,’ Namjoon said. He smiled one last time at Seokjin, ‘Thank you again. You did a lot for me,’ and then he started to walk away. Taehyung’s eyes fell on the frog pot and the pot and he smiled curiously. He put a hand around Namjoon’s shoulder and walked into the alley with him.
Seokjin walked back to his car and sat behind the steering wheel for a while. He was still trying to process everything from last night. He looked at the empty alley and couldn’t help but hope that he would meet Namjoon again.
*
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Behind The Scenes (brought to you by gummychocers)
jin : well this is a dreadful shot, my hair looks bad
joon: i'm...dying in the bg...
jin: yeah sure but my hair could have been done better
joon: are you going to ignore the fact i was dying there?
jin: but you're alive now. meanwhile my bad hair is forever immortalised in this shot
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hobi: jimin who gave you these pick-up lines?
jm: the director did. look i told him they won't work on you.
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yoongi: why am i sparkling? i am in the sun?? I should be dying?? Hello??
tae: you are.....glossy....get it?..gloss....
jungkook: can the sequel be about me?