Archive of Our Own ^beta

i. garlic

Taehyung knew that being a sire meant taking on some responsibilities. Vampires have extremely strict rules when it comes to turning people and taking care of those you have turned, and Taehyung never thought about escaping them.

What the rules didn’t prepare him for was the fact that having an enthusiastic newly-turned fledgling was similar to having an overeager golden retriever.

“Jeongguk, spit that out immediately .”

Jeongguk looks at him with wide eyes and puffed cheeks. It would be cute, if Taehyung didn’t currently feel like murdering him. “What? Why?”

His wide-eyed look and innocent-sounding questions are nothing more than a façade. He knows what he’s doing wrong, the little menace.

“You can’t gouge yourself on pickled garlic. I told you a thousand times. And I’m sure you remember each one perfectly well since you are resorting to doing it hidden in a cupboard while I’m absent.”

“But why ,” bemoans Jeongguk, groaning like a toddler who was denied his favorite toy. As Taehyung pointed out, he’s crammed in a cupboard that is big enough to house him but only just. It’s a part of the pantry where he used to store big sack of flours and other stuff like that, but since Jeongguk declared it his safe haven , it has been empty.

Taehyung accommodated him because he knows fledglings sometimes find comfort in small and dark places. He didn’t know Jeongguk would use it for nefarious purposes.

“There are certain things we can’t eat,” he insists through gritted teeth, the words familiar since he has repeated them constantly during the last days. And then just to be a little petty he adds: “Well I can since I’ve been a vampire for so long. You, on the other hand, are forbidden to.”

“This is tyranny,” grumbles Jeongguk. Despite his glare though, he obediently spits the garlic in the bowl that Taehyung extends to him. He’s more reluctant to hand him the jar with the rest of the toxic snack and Taehyung understands why when he finally manages to wrestle it away from Jeongguk’s slightly sticky hands.

“You ate half of this?”

“Maybe,” lies Jeongguk, looking anywhere but at Taehyung. “And even if I did, look! I’m perfectly fine.”

Taehyung almost crumples the jar between his hands like it’s a piece of paper. He could do it easily too – vampires get stronger the more they live and Taehyung was turned back in the 17th century, so he’s much stronger than both normal humans and the average vampire. He’s very strong, but also calm and collected. He should not destroy an innocent glass jar out of irritation.

“Are you sure the thing about garlic is legit and not an urban legend? Sounds like an urban legend to me.”

Happy thoughts Taehyung. Think happy thoughts.

He puts down the jar on the nearest surface as a safety measure before speaking again. “It is not an urban legend, Jeongguk. I lived as a vampire for almost 400 years, I think I know how this works better than you.”

Jeongguk looks properly chastised now, a bit ashamed of himself too. “I really feel fine though,” he swears, playing with his fingers. His nails are still very human-like and haven’t begun the process that will turn them tougher and sharper, more similar to talons or claws. It’s by seeing them that Taehyung is reminded about how difficult all of this must be for him – humans gain many advantages from turning into vampires, but they also get saddled by rules that are weirdly specific and don’t make much sense.

He sighs, but this time it’s at his own behavior, not Jeongguk’s. “How much a vampire is affected by garlic depends on one’s constitution and time spent as a vampire. There’s a possibility of you being more resistant than others.” Jeongguk perks up at that, like a puppy seeing a tennis ball about to be thrown his way, and Taehyung immediately stops him. “But. We can test that after the most delicate part of your turning is done. In vampire terms you’re still an infant. You need to be patient.”

Predictably enough, Jeongguk’s enthusiasm is dampened by his last words. Curled inside the cupboard and still dejectedly playing with his fingers, he looks so incredibly small. Taehyung feels a pang in his heart.

“No more garlic for you,” he declares, firm and final. “I’m serious. If I catch you again, I’ll make you sign a blood contract.”

Blood contracts are binding for vampires and Jeongguk knows it. It’s one of the first things Taehyung made sure to tell him, because there have been vampires trapped forever in terrible situations because of them. His fledgling must hear how serious he is and murmurs a feeble “alright”, crossing his arms as he keeps sulking inside the cupboard.

Taehyung is too soft. He’s far too soft.

“Let’s make a deal. You don’t eat garlic for the next few weeks and we’ll have an outing in the sun.”

This time Jeongguk doesn’t simply perk up – his eyes sparkle and he finally gets out of his refuge, rising so he’s tall and hopeful before Taehyung. When his fledgling stands in front of him like this, with eyes firm and shoulders squared, he can’t help but think that he should be glad his biggest problem is that he eats garlic. There have been stories of sires killed by their own fledglings and despite Taehyung being old and powerful, Jeongguk is starting to exude a certain aura. When he’s done with the turning process and he’s learnt all the rules, he’ll surely be a force to be reckoned with.

“Are you serious hyung?” He asks it with a voice that’s level, surprisingly somber. Or maybe not so surprisingly – staying away from the sun it’s always the hardest lesson to learn. Permission to be outside is important to Jeongguk.

And Taehyung knows. He sighs, already feeling a headache coming. “I’m serious. But it’s going to be under my strict rules. Understand?”

He didn’t think that Jeongguk’s eyes could get bigger than they already are, but he’s proved wrong when they widen and get filled with stars. “Yes! I’ll behave, promise!”

Jeongguk jumps at him, throwing his arms around his neck with a happy shriek. Taehyung, being a vampire, is stronger than humans and so he squares his feet and tries to survive the onslaught, feeling like he’s facing a golden retriever who just can’t help but greet everyone with too much enthusiasm for his size.

What he fails to take into consideration is that Jeongguk is a vampire too and so he gets knocked down like a bowling pin, both him and his fledgling ending up on the floor.

ii. sun

“Don’t you feel a natural aversion to the sun? An instinct to get away from it?”

It’s the day of their promised outing. He let Jeongguk decide where to go as a reward for his impeccable behavior in the last weeks – seems like all he needed to do to get his fledgling to listen to him was simply some positive reinforcement and the promise of some sort of prize.

Jeongguk chose a simple stroll in the park. The simplicity of his request surprised Taehyung since he expected something outlandish like an amusement park or the beach. The park actually offers some shade, especially since they choose to go late in the afternoon when the sunset is only a few hours away.

“I don’t!” Jeongguk replies, his steps relaxed and bold. Other than being properly bundled up he’s also wearing a cap and a mask under Taehyung’s insistence. “Maybe I’m just immune. Or you’re a bit frail. Do you feel this ‘natural aversion’ for a lot of stuff?”

When Taehyung imagined being a sire in the past, he pictured something very Victorian like him helping an orphan who would be eternally grateful and reverential. Not a brat that keeps insulting him. “Right at this moment? I certainly feel it in your regards.”

Jeongguk pouts at him. “I thought that some fresh air would make you less grumpy.”

Taehyung glares at him from behind his dark sunglasses. “This is my natural state,” he scoffs, adjusting the black umbrella that protects him from the warm autumn sunrays.

His fledgling (the absolute menace ) has the audacity to giggle and hook his arm around his elbow, making them look like an elderly couple. If Taehyung was a weak and puny human, he would probably be blushing furiously at the act of affection. Instead, he only feels his ears getting a bit hot.

Taehyung has to admit that the outing is much better than what he expected. He certainly doesn’t enjoy the sun like Jeongguk seems to do, but it’s a nice hour to be out and the weather is pleasant. He feels himself relax, Jeongguk’s warm body protecting him from the occasional chilly breeze.

“I’m surprised you chose this as your first outing under the sun,” he admits as he observes the other people walking around them. There’s an old woman walking a dog that makes him smile. “I was ready for something outrageous.”

The woman with the dog walks near them and Jeongguk takes his time greeting the puppy before replying. “I used to come walking here a lot, so I missed it. Besides, I doubt you would’ve enjoyed going to Lotte World or something like that.”

Taehyung stops in his tracks. It makes Jeongguk stop as well, since their arms are still linked. “What have I got to do with anything?” he questions, utterly confused. “This is for your reward.”

Jeongguk tugs on his arm so they go back to walking and Taehyung lets him lead them both. “I know,” says Jeongguk, simple and direct, “but if we went out and only I had fun that would’ve been awful. I can picture you insisting on being all miserable in a dark corner, alone.”

For once, Taehyung ignores the truthful but irritating jab at his personality. “Would that have mattered?”

“Of course. Don’t you feel like this is nice? Better than taking up dust in your manor.”

At that, he doesn’t know how to answer. He stays silent and Jeongguk seems to be happy with that as his eyes leave Taehyung to focus on the path before them, their feet treading on the carpet of yellow and red leaves fallen from the surrounding trees.

iii. welcome

When Jeongguk was first told he was going to live the rest of his life as a vampire, he got over the initial trauma of being turned into a bloodthirsty creature of the night rather quickly.

He has always been a flexible guy, able to see the silver lining in pretty much anything, but this was different. Fact is, Jeongguk couldn’t see any negative side to being turned into a fantasy creature who was stronger, faster, and that would live forever.

Of course, in 100 years or so there’s going to be the dilemma of outliving his loved ones but why would he think about it now? He’ll deal with it when the time comes.

For now he’ll enjoy the perks, like being able to lift an adult male only using one arm and meeting cool vampires who have been alive for centuries.

He confidently walks towards the threshold of the house in front of him before a hand grips the back of his collar and yanks him backwards.

“Hyung! You almost strangled me!”

“Permission, Jeongguk.”

Right. Among all vampire’s peculiarities, the one that requires them to ask for permission to enter a home is the most ridiculous. Jeongguk has grown to appreciate doormats that explicitly say “welcome” – the rules are fickle enough that most times that’s sufficient and he doesn’t have to ask the person every time.

“It’s another vampire’s house though. Does the rule apply all the same?”

Taehyung makes the same face he always pulls when Jeongguk questions dumb vampire rules. “It applies as long as it has walls and a door.”

“So if someone leaves in a tepee that doesn’t count.”

Taehyung’s eyebrow twitches. “It doesn’t work like that.”

A different voice joins them. “That’s because what you told him is factually incorrect.”

Jeongguk has begged Taehyung for weeks to meet other vampires. The excuse he gave his sire is that it would be beneficial to see other people living like them as it would make all the rules and norms feel more concrete if he saw someone else being forced to obey them. The real reason is simply that Jeongguk desperately wants to see if stuff like clans, covens, and other vampiric groups are real.

He suspects Taehyung knows his true motives. Yet here they are, knocking at the door of some friends of his.

“Heard that hyung? You feed me lies,” he tells his sire, just to irk him a little bit. For a centuries-old vampire, Taehyung is easy to rile up. Jeongguk can see him opening his mouth to rebuke when they are interrupted by a laugh.

“You got yourself a feisty one.”

“Don’t even mention it, Yoongi-hyung,” grumbles Taehyung in reply. “But since you’re aware, please avoid egging him on.”

Min Yoongi has sharp eyes, but they soften considerably when he smiles. “You want me to gatekeep knowledge? My husband is an historian. I could never betray him and his profession like that.”

Jeongguk oohs at that. “A vampire historian. That must be convenient.”

“You’ll have to ask him that. I’m being so rude though. You’re welcome to come inside.”

Taehyung’s hand is still on his collar but the grip sweetens into a caress on his nape. Taehyung has this interesting contradiction – he seems to be stingy with affection and yet overflowing with it, his hands always near Jeongguk. He tries not to think about the warm, solid weight of Taehyung’s palm on his neck as he finally steps inside Yoongi’s house.

Their visit comes after dinner and there’s a trace of something smelling good still in the air. When Taehyung called Yoongi he remembers overhearing an invite for dinner that his sire politely declined, most likely for Jeongguk’s comfort – he still has troubles extending and retracting his fangs, so eating can be a sloppy, embarrassing affair.

The house is homey and cozy, all wood and ample spaces. It's welcoming in a way that Taehyung's ancient manor utterly fails to be – on purpose, Jeongguk suspects. Taehyung likes to have his personal space and his privacy, and apparently loves to lurk in the shadows of his old fashioned home. Yoongi guides them to a living room, where a tall man is fidgeting a bit awkwardly.

Being a vampire historian, Jeongguk learns, is not that convenient. According to Namjoon, it mostly consists of silent fuming in a corner because you can’t just tell your colleagues that they are wrong and that you know that because you saw it happen before your eyes and it didn’t go down like that. The evening is filled with laughter and interesting stories, and even Taehyung's cool exterior melts as he sips some sweet red wine and gets teased by his hyungs.

Jeongguk is not used to see him like this. He could tell his sire had a playful nature carefully hidden behind his stern facade, but he never really got to see it until now. Taehyung is so preoccupied with being responsible and careful that sometimes he creates a distance between himself and Jeongguk, as if the latter is a child he needs to care for. He understands that it's true in a certain way, but it never fails to irk him.

With Namjoon and Yoongi, Taehyung seems more free. He's childish and bratty, answering back and joking with them in a way that betrays comfortable familiarity.

Getting to know other vampires and hearing their stories is a dream come true. It's almost embarrassing then that the most memorable part of the night for Jeongguk is how Taehyung throws back his head after a loud, unabashed laugh.

iv. bat

“Oh my. I see Jeongguk has mastered the art of bat-shifting.”

“ Mastered is a huge word and completely incorrect in this case.”

Jeongguk, currently nestled in the creases of Taehyung's scarf, wiggles around until he’s near enough to bite at his ear.

“Stop it,” he hisses, making no moves to dislodge the little bat munching on his ear. “It’s true.”

Jimin looks at them quizzically. Taehyung suspects it’s because despite growing used to their uncommon sire/fledgling dynamic, it’s nearly impossible to get used to Jeongguk’s shenanigans. “How long has he been like this?” he asks, one eyebrow raised.

Taehyung heaves out a long sigh. “The whole day. We were practicing this morning.” He turns the page of the book he’s reading as he says so, coloring his words with a certain tired heaviness as if recalling a devastating defeat in battle.

“Already? It’s a bit too soon, don’t you think?”

“Well, someone insisted.” Taehyung rolls his eyes and hears Jimin snort. “And anyway, Jeongguk is very talented. He’ll get the hang of it in no time.”

He doesn't say it as an excuse. He truly believes that Jeongguk is an exceptional student when it comes to learning how to master a new side of his vampiric nature. If only he showed half the enthusiasm and good-will when it came to following rules, he would be a textbook perfect fledgling. Instead he's a reckless little shit.

Taehyung feels him wiggling around once again but this time the bat presses his little face against his cheek and rubs it affectionately, until he can’t restrain a smile.

“Don’t get cocky now. You still need to figure out how to turn back.”

Jeongguk makes the cutest sound ever – a high-pitched squeak followed by some kind of cooing that means he’s very pleased despite Taehyung’s attempt to scale down his enthusiasm. He can feel his tiny claws tickling his jaw and the leather material of his wings brushing against his neck, as if Jeongguk is doing his best to give him a hug.

“Less flattering and more focusing,” he scolds, but his voice is so devoid of any actual edge that Jeongguk only purrs more.

Taehyung feels warm. Maybe it’s because the sun is filtering through the window, maybe it’s thanks to the fleece blanket covering on his legs. But maybe it’s because Jeongguk squeaks and rubs his little bat nose against his cheekbone, and he feels so full of sweetness that it’s like he has gorged himself on cotton candy.

"Look at you. A grandpa and his pet. You're so cute!"

"You're older than me," he scoffs. Jimin has shattered his peaceful reverie, but he can't take away the affection Taehyung feels as his little fledgling gives him kisses on his cheekbone.

Jimin shrugs. "Only by a few months. And unlike you, I don't act like the reclusive old man from Up so I look much younger."

Taehyung wants to glare at him but Jimin kinda does have a point, so he lets it go.

Jimin stays for a while, chatting with Taehyung asking him for legal advice on a few things. It isn't long before the only movement coming from the little bat is the slow fall and rise of his chest as he sleeps.

When Jimin leaves, Taehyung decides against moving to his study despite needing to revise and sign some documents. He can do those later; for now, he's comfortable where he is.

So comfortable that he falls asleep without meaning to. When he wakes Jeongguk is back to his human form, wrapped in a blanket and snoring softly on Taehyung's lap.

Taehyung snuggles closer, burying his head in the curve of his fledgling's shoulder, and goes back to sleep feeling the same warm serenity he has felt all day.

v. poison

“Tae?”

His voice alerts him immediately. It’s meek, with a slight tremble to it. It’s miles far from Jeongguk’s usually boisterous cheerfulness and Taehyung has his eyes on him in a fraction of a second.

“What is it? What’s the matter?”

Jeongguk twists his mouth, like he’s holding back something. “Maybe it’s nothing,” he says, voice uncertain, “but I feel a bit sick.”

He looks pale. Paler than usual, his complexion sicklier than ever. There’s a bead of sweat that dampens his hairline and Taehyung is out of his seat in a blink of an eye, kneeling before him in the crowded restaurant.

“Hey hey, look at me.” Anxiety starts to choke him, filling his chest until he feels like he could throw it up simply by opening his mouth. Jeongguk is still so young for a vampire and there are so many things that could hurt him – the source of his ailment could be something as simple as the sun filtering from the window.

Jeongguk’s pupils are dilated. He’s trembling a bit, either out of fear or out of whatever is happening to him. Taehyung tries to think about it rationally.

He never had problems with the sun or with being in a crowd of people. He tried his noodles when the server brought them, under Jeongguk’s insistence, and he’s sure there was no garlic in it.

It’s when he looks at the bowl that he notices the spoon lying innocently inside the soupy dish.

“When did you get this?” he asks, immediately taking it out and checking the engraved numbers on the handle. The numbers stare at him mockingly.

It’s silver.

“I asked for it when you went to the bathroom,” Jeongguk whispers, eyes filling with tears. “I’m sorry. I messed up.”

Jeongguk sounds seconds away from crying and Taehyung has to make an effort not to let anger slip in his words. “Don’t be silly. You did nothing wrong. If anything, it’s the server who gave you the spoon who should be blamed.”

He says it in earnest, his blood boiling at the thought. He trusted this restaurant because they know about all his “allergies” – his table must not be in direct sunlight, no garlic in his dishes, nothing made of silver has to be used during the cooking or be present at the table. The server who brought the spoon must be a new one, but this doesn’t excuse them.

He’ll deal with them and whoever failed to instruct them. Just not right now, when Jeongguk is in pain.

Jeongguk is sweating and trembling, mouth in a thin line and eyebrows scrunched up in a pained frown. When Taehyung checks his temperature he isn’t running too hot, which is a good sign, but they still need to get home as fast as possible.

“Come on, we need to go.” Lifting Jeongguk up like a baby is not that hard with his unnatural strength but carrying him upstairs is still a challenge. The restaurant is at the top floor of the building and he only needs to use a little bit of persuasion on a member of the staff — eyes turning scarlet and bright for a brief moment — to have access to the rooftop. 

He tells Jeongguk to move as little as possible and his fledgling unexpectedly complies easily, asking nothing and staying mostly still. It’s a good thing that for once Jeongguk is listening, but all Taehyung can think about is how scared he must be to obey with none of his usual questions, his inquisitive nature buried by his sickness.

Taehyung exhales slowly, both to distance himself from thoughts that make his heart ache and to focus on what he needs to do next. It’s been a while since he last did this. 

“Alright love. I need you to hold on tightly.”

Jeongguk comes back to life at his words, his arms and legs squeezing Taehyung. They aren’t far away from home, he can actually see the garden of the mansion from up there. With this distance he can easily make it.

Shifting from bat to human is fairly easy once you get the hang of it. What’s more challenging is to hold a form that’s somewhere in between, both person and animal. It takes ages of practice and sometimes even that isn’t enough – some vampires just can’t inhabit a form that half and half, that naturally doesn’t belong to them.

Luckily, Taehyung always had a predisposition for shapeshifting.

The black wings that sprout from his back tear both his skin and his clothes, but he barely takes notice. He runs towards the edge of the roof and confidently jumps off, the leathery wings keeping him in the air as he bats them once, then twice.

He weighs a little too much with Jeongguk in his arms, but he doesn’t really need to go upwards, just to glide to the mansion as fast as possible. He whizzes through the air like an arrow aiming for bullseye and it’s barely minutes before they land just inside the gate of their home.

“Don’t worry, Ggukkie. I got you.” He says so both to reassure his fledgling and himself. Jeongguk nods against his shoulder and holds him tighter.

The process to rid Jeongguk’s body of poison is a miserable affair. He wishes there was something better but the most efficient way is to make him drink an awful concoction and let him throw up the traces of silver, then rinse and repeat. Taehyung does his best to help, holding back his hair and rubbing his back, but he feels utterly useless.

“I’m sorry hyung,” Jeongguk cries in the moments when he isn’t retching, and Taehyung only feels worse. It’s like his heart is being put through a meat grinder, mercilessly torn apart and shredded.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for.” He says it over and over again, chanting it against Jeongguk’s hair as he kisses his temple. “It’s my fault. I should’ve paid more attention.”

Jeongguk weakly shakes his head. “You always tell me- to be careful-” his words are interrupted when he heaves, nothing coming out of his mouth despite his coughing and rasping.

“I do,” agrees Taehyung as he brushes back his hair, “but accidents happen. The important thing is for you to recover, okay?”

Jeongguk whimpers and cries a little more but later on he sleeps soundly with his head on Taehyung’s lap, his face washed gently with a warm towel.

vi. strength

“What the hell are you doing?”

Jimin is at Taehyung’s house just as much as he’s at his own, so Jeongguk doesn’t even startle at the question. “Weight-lifting,” he replies instead, flashing him a wide grin.

“Reading,” comes his sire’s flatter reply from his perch on Jeongguk’s shoulder.

Jimin narrows his eyes. “Yes, well. My question was specifically about why you’re sitting on Jeongguk’s shoulder like a parrot.”

“Ask the toddler,” he replies, full of snark. Jeongguk knows perfectly well that he is the toddler but he also knows that no matter how caustic Taehyung sounds, in the end he’s just a big softie. The proof of it is the fact that he’s letting Jeongguk carry him around with little to no complaining.

Jimin moves his gaze from Taehyung to Jeongguk, raising an eyebrow as a way to ask for clarifications.

Jeongguk gladly offers an explanation. “Hyung challenged me,” he declares.

“I did not.”

Technically speaking, Taehyung is right. He did not challenge him. But he also said something along the lines of “I’m clearly much stronger than you, little fledgling” and isn’t that the same thing? He isn’t that strong. He certainly isn’t stronger than Jeongguk.

Recovering from the silver poisoning was a quick affair and Jeongguk didn’t spend too much time agonizing over it. He still feels terrible for being such a pain for Taehyung, but the poisoning itself was not too different from having a stomach flu. Not pleasant, but not traumatically painful either.

Mostly, he’s embarrassed. He teases Taehyung a lot for being like a grandpa (he listens to jazz music) but in truth he admires how cool he is. While he definitely comes off as stuck-up sometimes, Taehyung is simply reliable and dutiful beyond comparison. Instead Jeongguk… Well, Jeongguk is a university student who still hasn’t gotten his degree despite spending double the years needed in school. He has no clear direction and no plans for the future.

He doesn’t mind when Taehyung scolds him or has to teach him stuff, because he never does it condescendingly. But having to be spoon-fed and carried around like a literal toddler for a week was a surprisingly big wound for his ego.

So now he wants to show Taehyung he’s useful and strong, that his sire can count on him.

Being able to lift him up with one arm might not be a shining example of reliancy and adulthood, but there’s some gratification in letting Taehyung know that Jeongguk is able to carry his weight with ease, at least in a literal way.

“Maybe you didn’t challenge me,” he concedes, looking up at him. “But if you had done it, I would have won.”

“You’re ridiculous,” grumbles Taehyung, but he doesn't retort.

“Glad to see you’re as sunny as ever, Gukkie.” Jimin says it with a smile that’s wide enough to close his eyes completely, cheeks rosy with mirth. “I can’t believe someone has managed to liven up Mr. Dark And Gloomy here.”

It makes Jeongguk immediately perk up. “It was a real challenge, Jimin-hyung. Honestly it was a nearly hopeless mission.”

“I’m right here.”

“I know hyung.” He looks up at Taehyung’s stern expression with a toothy smile, his fangs peeking out. “Even if you weigh nothing to me, I would never dare to forget about you.”

He pats Taehyung’s thigh absentmindedly, tightening the hold on his legs just a fraction. Taehyung tries to glare at him, but his cheeks are deliciously scarlet and his mouth is twisted in a pout, so it has no effect except endearing Jeongguk to no end.

“On the topic of livening you up, I thought about going to lunch all together.”

“No meals outside for a while,” is Taehyng’s immediate reply. Despite the persisting red on cheeks, now he sounds deadly serious. “Jeongguk hasn’t fully recovered from last time.”

Jimin looks at Jeongguk carrying a full adult person on his shoulder and raises a meaningful eyebrow.

“Even if he looks fine, taking it easy won’t hurt,” instists Taehyung. His hand ends up on Jeongguk’s nape almost as a reflex, his fingers combing through the short hair there.

“Taehyung,” grumbles Jimin, pinching the bridge of his nose, “you can’t just shut your fledgling inside the house just because you’re worried.”

“Actually hyung, I don’t mind eating at home for a while.”

The look on Jimin’s face is comical – with his eyes open wide and his gaping mouth, he looks like he has just heard Jeongguk saying that murdering people is a nice hobby.

“So I lost you too,” he whispers dramatically. “Soon you’ll start wearing grandpa vests and shouting at children to get off your lawn too.”

“I don’t shout at children,” hisses Taehyung. He can’t say anything about the grandpa vests one because he’s currently wearing one.

Jeongguk snorts at Jimin’s sorrowful face. “It’s not like that,” he promises, leaning his head against Taehyung’s warm body. “I get why hyung is worried and it isn’t like I’m obsessed with eating at the restaurant.”

Jimin throws his arms open wide, utterly scandalized. “So what are you going to do? Eat instant ramen for the next month?”

“No, of course not. We just eat some home-cooked meals.” He doesn’t really get Jimin’s train of thought but maybe Taehyung does because he has frozen up, sitting up more stiffly on his shoulder.

“Taehyung hates cooking,” points out Jimin. Jeongguk still doesn’t get why he’s flipping over this.

“I know,” he replies with knotted eyebrows. “That’s why I’m the one who cooks.”

Jimin stops at that and gapes at him. “Taehyung lets you use the kitchen?”

Jeongguk is starting to take into consideration the possibility that maybe Jimin has hit his head really hard before coming into the room.

“Yeah? I use the kitchen,” he articulates slowly, watching with concern as Jimin turns red with indignation.

Said vampire points at Tae with a betrayed snarl. “You hypocrite! You never let anyone near your kitchen!”

Taehyung is noticeably avoiding Jimin’s eyes. Instead he’s looking at the book in his hand, gaze focused on its spine like he’s reading the words there for the first time despite the fact that he has been reading that same book for at least a month. “He lives here,” he mumbles at last, still looking at the book, “of course he uses the kitchen.”

“You made Seokjin cry once because you forbid him to use the oven.”

“Seokjin was drunk,” scoffs Taehyung, “and he cried because he’s a bratty drunk.”

“No no, don’t try to downplay this. You’re one of those clean freaks who wants his kitchen spotless all the time.”

Taehyung does like things to be orderly and tidy. Strangely enough he can be messy when it comes to his room, but the common spaces in the manor must be always clean. Jeongguk doesn’t mind at all and Taehyung never told him to clean up more or better, so he never thought of him as a clean freak.

“I just like my house to be nice,” he hisses in his own defense. He crosses his arms and tries to do the same with his legs, forgetting about his unstable seat. Jeongguk holds him more tightly.

As Jimin and Taehyung bicker about just how obsessed the latter is with no one touching his stuff, Jeongguk finds himself gazing at his sire in silent contemplation. Cooking for Taehyung has become a way for Jeongguk to take care of his sire – Taehyung tends to get absorbed in whatever document or book he’s reading to the point of forgetting to eat and rest. Sure, as a vampire he needs less food and sleep than humans to function, but that doesn’t mean that it’s healthy to go without it for long.

There was already something special in the fact that Taehyung, perfect and aloof, is a disaster in the kitchen. Even more special was the fact that he counted on Jeongguk to deal with their meals.

Now that Jimin has hinted that he never let anyone else do it for him… well, it makes Jeongguk feel warmer. He’s the only one who ever got to use Taehyung’s kitchen. He’s the only one that Taehyung has been willing to compromise for, sacrificing his need for order and cleanliness to let Jeongguk feel more at home.

It’s a little thing. A tiny, minuscule concession.

But Jeongguk has always been a simple man – little things mean a lot for him. When Taehyung glances down at him, Jeongguk greets him with a blinding smile and cheeks scarlet with fondness.

vii. mirrors

“Hyung, put on my earrings for me.”

Taehyung lifts his gaze from the documents scattered before him. Considering how much he dislikes untidiness, the general situation of his study is tragically hilarious – no matter how desperately he tries to keep everything in order, his desk always looks like a hurricane has passed through it.

Perhaps that’s the reason why being in his study for too long gives him a headache and puts him in a foul mood.

“Can’t you do it yourself?” he asks, massaging his temples. Usually he forgives Jeongguk for invading his study, but today he really isn’t in the mood.

“I could,” replies Jeongguk with that tone that makes it perfectly clear that he’s going to sass him back, “but all your mirrors are a bazillion years old and made of silver so I can’t look at my reflection.”

It’s true. Taehyung bought the mansion in the late 19th century and made an effort to never change its interior because he’s a sentimental fool who likes to have reminders of the past all around him. Silver is dangerous to vampires only if it stays in contact with their skin for a prolonged time or if they ingest it, so he never had a real reason to replace his mirrors.

“You managed just fine until now,” he points out, lowering his eyes back on his documents. God, just thinking about the amount of bureaucratic jargon he still has to read makes his brain hurt.

He’s granted a few seconds to think he has successfully driven Jeongguk away before his chair is noisily dragged away from his desk. The sound it makes as it scrapes his precious wooden floor makes his ear explode.

Jeongguk is now before him, looking at him with crossed arms and eyebrows pulled in a frown. It’s a near copy of the condescending expression Yoongi gives him when he’s doing something dumb, which only makes him think that Jeongguk spends too much time with people who openly mock him.

“Getting two seconds away from those won’t kill you.” His fledgling is impatiently tapping his foot on the ground and it’s a sign Taehyung has learnt to recognize – Jeongguk is annoyed. With him, specifically.

Taehyung feels annoyed in return. “I can get away from them once I’m done,” he deadpans, moving to stand up and return the chair to its rightful place.

He’s stopped immediately when Jeongguk sits in his lap.

For some time now Taehyung has come to freely admit that Jeongguk is gorgeous – with his doe eyes and sharp jawline, he’s both soft and intense. It’s a duality that fits him well and that, in some moments, leaves Taehyung pathetically breathless.

“You’ve worked like a madman all day,” Jeongguk tells him softly. “You deserve a little break.”

Taehyung exhales slowly. He lets his eyes close and his head fall back on the cushioned back of his ornate chair, and admits to himself that right now stubbornly burying himself in more work is probably detrimental.

As usual, Jeongguk defeated him with no effort. “Let me see these earrings,” he concedes, putting a hand out so Jeongguk can pass him the jewelry. A bunch of shiny earrings and piercings (all stainless steel and none of them silver, of course) is dropped into his open palm. Jeongguk favors simple designs – hoops and dangling earrings that he has no problems putting on blindly.

“You picked a dumb excuse to bother me.” He voices his accusation with no real edge to his tone and Jeongguk reciprocates with a laugh.

“Not really. Sometimes a functional mirror would be nice, it’s hard to put some of them in.”

Jeongguk has piercings all over – on his eyebrow and on his lip, multiple ones on his ears. Taehyung has none so he never really thought about having troubles putting them on with no mirror.

He lines up all the pieces of jewelry on his desk, mulling over Jeongguk’s words. “I didn’t know,” he admits at last as he picks one hoop earring and closes it with a click, admiring how it dangles from Jeongguk’s ear.

“Don’t worry about it.” Jeongguk points at the next earring, a tiny turquoise gemstone. “Bothering you while you work is much more fun than having a mirror.”

Taehyung puts in the earring and then pinches his cheek. “Brat,” he snorts, the corners of his lips curving up in a smile.

They continue in silence – Jeongguk taps at the desired earring and Taehyung obediently puts them on him, which takes longer than you might think with the number of piercings Jeongguk has on his ears.

“This one on the eyebrow,” he directs when there are only two pieces of jewelry remaining. He closes his eyes and leans down to ease Taehyung’s work.

Taehyung feels his own ears getting hotter as he stares at Jeongguk’s face, his breath washing over his cheeks like a gentle breeze. His hands have been steady and calm until now, so why are they suddenly trembling? It’s just Jeongguk, his fledgling.

He manages to put on the eyebrow piercing. He feels like he has just defused a bomb instead, his fingers still a little shaky.

Jeongguk opens his eyes and blind him with a wide grin. “Last one,” he says as he hands him the last little hoop. Taehyung feels his brain turn to mush as Jeongguk taps the hole just under his bottom lip where the last piercing is missing.

He caresses the spot thoughtlessly and tries not to think too much about it. The feel of Jeongguk’s skin is familiar by now and Taehyung is tempted to justify the fact like he always does – he has been repeating to himself that since his fledgling is so reckless, it’s only natural that he needs to touch him constantly to keep him out of trouble.

Using that reasoning now, after accusing Jeongguk of coming up with dumb excuses , feels a bit too idiotic.

Jeongguk’s skin is soft, petal-like. His lips are naturally pink and Taehyung can’t resist sweeping his thumb over them.

“Hyung?”

The single word takes him back to earth. “Piercing. Yes, right.”

He puts the hoop on his lips as quickly as he can but now his brain is all muddled and he’s sure his face must be cherry red. He silently thanks the heavens for his complexion, far tanner than what you expect from a vampire.

In the end Jeongguk manages to drag him away from his study and they go for a walk outside. The park has become as familiar to him as the feel of Jeongguk’s skin and Taehyung is left to wonder when exactly he started to look forward to going outside, to expose himself to the unforgiving rays of the sun.

As they walk, Taehyung lets his thoughts wander. Where can you buy a new mirror? He doesn’t know. He needs to check.

A week later

Taehyung watches with a certain trepidation as Jeongguk passes by the mirror near the entrance, then stops right before the door to run back to it.

His reflection in the mirror has eyes as wide as plates and a mouth that hangs open in shock.

“Is… is this new?”

“No, you just stopped being a vampire in the time it took to get down the stairs,” he replies sarcastically. “Congratulations.”

Jeongguk’s glare is greatly mitigated by his surprise. “What happened to the old one? Did it break?”

“Nothing happened. I just changed it. You told me it would be nice to have a mirror you can use.”

The more Jeongguk just stares at him in silence with confusion painted all over his face, the more awkward Taehyung feels. Suddenly his eagerness to surprise Jeongguk with this seems utterly stupid and the whole thing a terrible idea.

“It’s just a mirror,” he mumbles, playing with his claw-like nails. “You don’t have to make a big deal out of it.”

In a blink of an eye Jeongguk is in front of him, holding his hands so he stops fidgeting. “But it is a big deal,” he says, eyes shining with something untold. “This is your house. You don’t have to change it for me.”

The words that come out of his mouth next are not deeply thought out or mulled over. Instead he just speaks on instinct.

“I want this to be your house too. I know it’s dreary and dark and maybe you won’t be able to love it like I do but… I want to share it with you.”

He realizes how much he means the words he tells Jeongguk the moment they ring in the air. He can’t even remember when was the last time he wished to share his most personal space with anyone, can’t even tell if there ever was a point in his life where he took into consideration the idea to adapt and change something he cherished just so someone else could enjoy it as well.

Taehyung is fossilized in his habits and routines. He likes them. More than that, he feels secure in them.

Then why is he so eager to disregard them when it comes to Jeongguk?

He’s starting to sweat. He feels awkward and out of place, as if he’s standing on unstable ground. He’s almost dizzy with the force of his own emotions, filled with dread at the thought of what Jeongguk might think of him now.

So deep in his own head, he’s broken out of his reverie only when a pair of warm hands cup his cheeks.

Suddenly Jeongguk’s face is all he can see. His face looks flushed, his eyes teary, and his lips are twisted like he’s trying to hold back something .

Before Taehyung can overthink what might go through his head, Jeongguk kisses him.

It’s a peck more than a kiss. Lips meeting for a single second before coming apart again. Taehyung barely registers the soft feeling of their lips meeting before it’s gone.

Now Jeongguk is cherry red from the tip of his ears to the skin of his neck. “Sorry! I just- I didn’t- I wanted to- sorry.” His words are a clumsy avalanche that stumbles and yet sweeps Taehyung away.

Taehyung stretches his hands forward to reciprocate the kiss, to feel Jeongguk again, but his fledgling disappears with a yelp, leaving him staring at empty air in front of his brand-new, aluminum-made mirror.

viii. blood

Fledglings need to be very careful with their blood intake because their organism is still changing and adapting, turning from human to vampiric. It’s such a slow process that sometimes vampires keep the title of fledgling for years, until they are able to drink humans’ blood with no consequences.

Newly turned fledglings can drink only the blood of their sire. As time goes on they’ll be able to intake other vampires’ blood and then later on humans’ blood.

Nowadays there are no bloodthirsty vampires going on a rampage and killing humans. It’s an outdated concept, one that if told out loud would create in a vampire the same amusement that a human gets when a child asks if there are miniature people inside the television screen.

It’s still true that vampires need blood. It’s especially true if they are injured or if they get sick – their organism needs to be “refreshed” with blood that isn’t their own. Humans’ blood would be the most effective in these terms but of course it isn’t an option for fledglings.

Which means that two weeks ago, Taehyung declared that Jeongguk would have his first bloodrinking session (second, if you consider the moment he was turned) to make sure that he has recuperated fully from the silver poisoning.

No problems. If anything, Jeongguk was excited to do the most vampiric thing ever.

Except that a week and two days ago, Taehyung bought a new mirror and Jeongguk was so overwhelmed with affection that he straight-up kissed them, then ignored him as much as he could for the following days.

Learning to turn into a bat was a quick study once Jeongguk desperately needed to hide from Taehyung for his own sanity. Weirdly enough, after a while avoiding Taehyung started to get… easy. It wasn’t like Taehyung was avoiding him in return, because he still tried to intercept him every time he crossed the hall. However Jeongguk knows that with his powers and his knowledge of the manor Taehyung is perfectly able to corner him whenever he wants.

He never did. Maybe he was giving him space to think. Maybe he didn’t have the patience to chase his fledgling around.

Jeongguk only got more confused.

Today there’s the planned bloodrinking session. He knows Taehyung has no intentions of skipping it because he loudly announced it this morning, using either one of his weird vampiric powers or some hidden trick of his mysterious mansion to make sure that his words were heard in every corner of the house. Or at least in the corner where Jeongguk was hiding.

Drinking blood. He’ll have to bite Taehyung and suck the blood out of the wound. He can’t figure out how to make it not intimate. He’s so screwed.

He is deeply, pathetically in love with his sire. Like a teenager falling head over heels with the older, cooler kid at school, Jeongguk has successfully fallen in love with a person that thinks of him as his own son at worst and a good flatmate at best. Why did he have to kiss him? He’s such an idiot. God he’s so stupid.

He spends the whole day being miserable and trying to figure out how to keep his calm when he’ll be biting and licking Taehyung’s neck. When the time comes, he knocks at the door of Taehyung’s study with the same state of mind of a death-row prisoner living his last day.

Taehyung opens the door with a deadpan expression and raises an eyebrow at him. “I thought I would need to hunt you down,” he remarks, injecting some kind of icy contempt in every syllable.

“Why would you think that? Silly thought.” He pointedly avoids looking at Taehyung’s face as he says so but he can still feel how his sire’s face darkens in a glare.

“Silly me,” drawls Taehyung, voice glacial. He steps out of the study and closes the door behind himself. “Let’s go then.”

In his confusion, Jeongguk forgets that he’s trying not to meet Taehyung’s eyes. “Go where?” he asks, tilting his head to the side.

“To my bedroom. For the bloodrinking.”

Oh. Oh no .

“Can’t we do it in your study?” Wonderful how his voice manages to be small and shrill at the same time.

Taehyung is basically the same height as Jeongguk, but he feels much taller as he glares down at him. “No. We are not going to spill blood all over the very important documents I need for work.”

Among all the rooms in the manor, Taehyung’s bedroom is the only one Jeongguk doesn’t go in and out of as he pleases. His sire didn’t forbid him from entering or anything like that, but it has always felt a little too much to invade such a personal space when Taehyung cares so much about his privacy.

So now Jeongguk is supposed to be in his bedroom, possibly sit on his bed, and deal with the whole drinking blood thing.

He doesn’t even know how to voice his protests so he ends up silently following Taehyung to the mahogany door that hides his bedroom. The door is opened with a creak and his living space is finally revealed to Jeongguk.

It’s exactly how he pictured it: a four-poster bed that dominates the room, heavy curtains filtering the light from outside, a sturdy desk that looks like it comes straight from the 18th century. It’s so typically “vampire” that Jeongguk can’t restrain an amused snort.

Curiosity momentarily prevails over Jeongguk’s anxious thoughts and he steps inside to look around. He’s surprised to see traces of his presence despite this being the first time in the room – the Thrasher hoodie neatly hanging from a hanger is his own and same goes for the sketchbook atop the desk.

Taehyung must notice the direction of his gaze because his next words are: “You keep forgetting your stuff around so it ends up here for safe-keeping.”

“Is that why my hoodie is washed and ironed?”

“Yes,” is the deadpan reply as Taehyung walks towards the giant four-poster bed. He sits on it with his usual composure and pats the space beside him. “Come on,” he beckons, tilting his head.

Crossing the room to get to his bed seems to take both too long and too little. Jeongguk sits beside him and feels his heart climb up to his throat, trying to escape.

“There are two places you can bite,” explains Taehyung with a level voice. Jeongguk keeps looking at his feet. “The most convenient veins to suck blood on are on the thigh and on the neck.”

Jeongguk pictures biting on Taehyung’s naked thigh and promptly chokes on air. “Don’t I have to bite on an artery? Like on the wrist,” he asks, tugging at the collar of his hoodie in an attempt to cool down.

“Yes, if you want to suck me dry and possibly kill me. If your goal is to assassinate me I suggest being more inconspicuous next time.”

He expected Taehyung to be a little angry about his constant fleeing, but he’s still surprised by his venomous sarcasm. “The neck then,” he mutters, stealing a shy glance at his sire.

Taehyung’s face doesn’t betray anything. “Very well,” he says and starts taking off his turtleneck.

Taehyung is lean and tan and utterly gorgeous. Jeongguk has to swallow down loudly as he watches how the muscles of his torso flex while he moves and for a moment his gaze flits downwards, to his clothed thighs.

When his sire looks back at him, Jeongguk is burning with the force of his full-body blush.

To make matters infinitely worse Taehyung lies down fully on the bed, his dark hair creating a halo around his head.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” he tells him softly, abandoning his irked attitude to adopt that low and comforting tone that hypnotizes Jeongguk every single time. “You’re going to do perfectly, like always.”

Jeongguk crawls towards him, his embarrassment forgotten now that he has to face the fact that he has to make Taehyung bleed. “I’m afraid to hurt you,” he whispers, feeling like his words encompass far more than this single moment.

Tan fingers flick his chin. “Silly little bat. I’m too ancient to be scared of your tiny bite.”

It doesn’t get rid of the anxiety brewing in Jeongguk’s chest, but it does help settle it. Between the hotness of his cheeks born out of their compromising position and the queasy feeling cause by what he has to do, Jeongguk feels like a bomb ready to explode.

He leans forward slowly, caging Taehyung’s shoulders between his hands. He shudders when the familiar weight of Taehyung’s hand appears on his nape.

“Don’t bite too high up, the vein splits up around here.” He points at a zone of his neck as he tugs at him carefully. He guides Jeongguk’s head to the base of his neck, where it gently curves into his shoulder.

Now that he has been promised blood, Jeongguk’s vampiric instinct seems to have awakened. He finds himself wanting to bite Taehyung and taste his blood, craving for the feeling of warm scarlet down his throat.

Taehyung’s guidance gives him the courage to let his fangs out and finally bite in the spot that his sire pointed out.

His blood tastes metallic, rich. It has a little of a bitter aftertaste, like one of those fancy red wines that have been left to mature in oak barrels. Immediately, Jeongguk is drunk on it.

He doesn’t only mean metaphorically. The more he drinks the dizzier he feels, but it’s the good kind of dizzy. It’s the vodka-drunkenness that takes him all at once and leaves him euphoric, the room spinning like a merry-go-round.

Taehyung moves – he tenses or flinches, Jeongguk is not able to tell. But it wakes him from his stupor enough to slow down, to appreciate something else other than the blood.

Taehyung’s skin is slightly salty. He’s warm under him, his chest rising and falling gently. His heartbeat is loud under Jeongguk’s lips and suddenly he wants to kiss more than he wants to drink.

“Try to lift your head so you extract your fangs instead of tearing my neck,” comes in Taehyung’s gravelly voice. “You wouldn’t hurt me anyway, but better to learn good etiquette right from the start.”

He tries to follow his advice as best as he can, but he finds it harder than expected with the way his head is deliciously pulsing. He licks his fangs once they are away from Taehyung’s neck and then absolutely and sorely on impulse he licks the wound he left behind on Taehyung’s skin. A shiver goes through Taehyung and Jeongguk tries not to think too much about it.

He feels full and drunk. He collapses on the bed and now appreciates the fact that Taehyung brought them here – he doesn’t think he would be able to stand on his own two legs.

“You didn’t tell me it would feel like this,” he mumbles, eyes stuck on the canopy of Taehyung’s bed.

“Maybe I would’ve done it if we spoke more than two consecutive seconds this last week.”

Jeongguk swallows. There’s a foreboding feeling brewing in his head among the euphoria of the bloodrinking, and it gets confirmed with Taehyung’s next words.

“Why did you kiss me?”

The urge to cry and scream hits him full-force. “Did you wait for this moment knowing I wouldn’t be able to escape?” he asks, watching out of the corner of his eye as Taehyung rises and turns to look at him.

“Yes,” confirms his sire, eyes intense. “Do you have feelings for me?”

Jeongguk groans. “You are so mean. The meanest vampire to ever exist.”

“Jusztina used to impale people,” points out Taehyung, like Jeongguk is just supposed to know whoever he’s mentioning.

“Who the hell is Jusztina.”

“The wife of Vlad III. Far more bloody than him, believe me.”

Maybe it’s the drunkenness, but Jeongguk kinda forgets anything else when he hears the name. “Wait, Vlad? The Dracula guy?” he wonders, genuinely interested.

“Yes. How do you feel about me?”

With a whine, Jeongguk hides his eyes in the crook of his arm and exhales. Taehyung is clearly not giving up on this so he might as well be honest and spill everything. He chose a good moment to corner him – Jeongguk feels drunk and bold, willing to embarrass himself to the end.

“I’m in love with you,” he says, his arm still covering his face, “and I don’t think you remotely feel the same.”

There. It’s out for Taehyung to judge. At least he saw him half-naked before everything inevitably goes to shit.

He feels a tug at his sleeve, but refuses to remove it. He really doesn’t have the strength to look at Taehyung now.

“You’re so dense.” Taehyung sounds half amused and half fond. “I literally told you I wanted to share my house with you.”

“Because I’m your fledgling,” whines Jeongguk, on the verge of tearing up. “I’m your responsibility , or something like that.”

Taehyung’s chuckle is higher in tone than you would expect from his voice. Lilting and airy, like a bird chirping.

“If you only were a responsibility I wouldn’t think about kissing you, Jeongguk.”

That puts a stop to Jeongguk’s thoughts. He steals a peeks at him from under his arm. “And you do?”

Taehyung is smiling. “I do. A little too often for my tastes.”

It’s the euphoria from the bloodrinking. It’s definitely because of that, because there’s no way that Jeongguk would’ve normally felt brave enough to declare: “Prove it then.”

He’s looking straight at Taehyung now. His sire raises an eyebrow and Jeongguk is reminded that, when push comes to shove, Taehyung is actually pretty competitive.

Taehyung leans down and it’s like he’s imitating Jeongguk from just moments before, when he sank his fangs in his neck. Taehyung doesn’t aim for his neck though – he goes straight for his lips, maybe too impatient to take any detour.

There’s still the taste of his blood in Jeongguk’s mouth, but it’s soon washed away when their tongues meet. Taehyung licks inside his mouth, traces his teeth with his tongue, and Jeongguk feels like walking on clouds.

He reciprocated in earnest. He’s uncoordinated and clumsy but makes up for it with the eagerness and fervor he puts into kissing Taehyung. He doesn’t let his sire get away from him even for a second – it comes to the point where Taehyung has to put his palm over Jeongguk’s mouth to take a break to breathe.

“This proof enough?” he asks, panting and grinning. The fact that he has done this, that he is the cause for the flush in his cheeks and the raspiness in his breath, makes something hot pool in Jeongguk’s gut.

“Not really,” he teases, nibbling at Taehyung’s fingers with blunt teeth. “Care to give me another demonstration?”

Taehyung laughs loudly, his smile as blinding as an expanse of white snow hit by the sunlight, and Jeongguk lifts his head just enough to taste the sound straight from the source.