Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“Why me??”

Jeongin had many plans. Most of which involved lazing around and doing absolutely nothing. Albeit, now having an indefinite forever to get through, he knew his mind would change at some point. He also knew he had forever to decide whatever he wanted to do. 

Such are the side effects of vampirism.

However, what he had not accounted for was his hyungs barely giving him five months of his forever before making him go to college.

“Well, since all of us have valid degrees and you don’t?” Scoffed Minho, flicking open a newspaper with a practised ease.

Well, probably since he’d been around since before newspapers had been invented.

“I don’t know why hyung would put himself through that again and again.”

“Use thine head, young one. Ponder, reflect, and well whatever it is they call it these days. ” He said calmly, face hidden behind the monochromatic sheets. Even though Jeongin had only known him for a few months, he knew the smirk he would find if he made the effort to look behind the paper.

Minho was quite vigilant. He had to be to survive this long. However, he also took pleasure in making Jeongin miserable, which involved using an archaic variation of the many languages he knew. 

“Is hyung sure his degree is valid? Doesn’t seem like you’ve taken an English class since before the bubonic plague.”

“Hmmm. Be lucky I didn't keep it in a bottle just to give it to you when you annoy me, brat. Think about it In-ah. You haven’t been turned long, it’ll be easier to fit in now rather than later. If you don’t do it now, you gotta hide out until everyone who knew you forgets about you, or dies.” He said sharply- but with no real malice -putting a little extra bite in the last word. 

Although Jeongin’s whining had mostly been a joke, he felt a serious air fall over the two of them. The atmosphere was heavy with horrific unspoken experiences that could not help but bleed through Minho’s words.

“Otherwise, what do YOU think will happen when they see you look the same but they grow older with each passing day? Trust me, and take this chance to live with the people who cherish you still, until we must leave them behind.”

Muffled by the weight of his words, Jeongin shifted uncomfortably in his armchair, the manga he was reading long forgotten on his lap.

Since he had been turned six months ago, he had only been allowed to leave and be in the company of humans only a few weeks ago, once he could think beyond the bloodlust.

Having lived with a family of vampires, their scents were distinct as well, but they tended to be far less distorted. In a way, that made their scents stronger, however they never affected Jeongin as badly.

Innie knew, no matter the time, Minho would smell like coffee, Chan like wildflowers, and Changbin like cinnamon. There were no heartbeats or breaths to listen for. However, even now he could hear the footsteps of Chan and Changbin in the floor above him, readying themselves for the day. The small creaks of the doors, the sliding metal of the drawers, and the rush of water from a tap. He had learned how to drown out such sounds, since he had found it was easy to lose focus on conversation if he didn’t.

Even after that, humanity hit him like a truck.

A dyssynchronous and haunting choir of a hundred breaths and a hundred heartbeats struck his ears like a drum. A thousand scents make a revolting mix that would have made him throw up, had he been human. 

It took all his willpower to not fall to the floor and clutch his skull in misery.

At this point, he was far better at controlling it, much to the astonishment of his hyungs who had each taken much longer.

Jeongin had yet to hear much about their past, but he knew they had struggled with controlling their thirst in the beginning.

Well at least he knew that was the case for Chan and Bin.

He knew next to nothing about Minho’s past and the older vampire did not want to relent and tell him anything.

Truthfully, Jeongin had yet to be near a human whose scent he could bear. 

It was probably all the sweat.

He knew vampires had a great sense of smell, but his seemed to be on overdrive. 

Nearly all he had suffered till now were nothing more than nauseating. If he had thought humans stank before, what he smelled now was indescribable.

It was easy to control your thirst when everything you were supposed to be thirsting after just smelled like a load of horse shit. Going outside was bearable when he held his breath, only inhaling to talk since the human body’s mechanism required it.

“Min, I think those words were a little too heavy for our little baby so early in the morning.” Chuckled Chan from the bottom of the marble stairs, making Innie jump.

It was disconcerting how well Chan could hide from even the hearing of a vampire when he wanted to. 

Unlike Minho, who seemed to always look well groomed, Chan seemed to always look a certain level of sleep deprived. His curly pale blond hair was unkempt and stood up at awkward angles, he wore no shirt, and his shorts appeared hastily worn. Chan’s skin and hair was paler than all of them, and Changbin had mentioned it being a side effect of how he was turned. On his bare torso, there were many scars littered, each with their own story no doubt, but Jeongin was in no rush to listen.

They had an eternity together after all, it would be wrong to leave nothing for later. 

“Better words that make him think, rather than seeing him suffer the consequences.” He replied coolly, setting his newspaper aside. 

Jeongin knew better than to reply to that.

No doubt sensing his discomfort, Chan stepped towards him in his ghostly gait, ruffling his hair with an apologetic smile.

“Don’t take it to heart, Innie. He’s just a little paranoid, and rightfully so. But there’s no rush at the moment, so take a few days to consider it.”

If Minho fit many of Jeongin’s notions of a vampire, Chan seemed to defy most of them.

There was always a lively twinkle in his eyes, and he usually spoke to them in a tone so adoring, Innie had a hard time meeting his eyes.

“Yeah, sure hyung.”

Leaning down, Chan nuzzled the top of his head, making his face feel hot, especially since Minho was still studying him intently. With the light behind him, his irises were as dark as his hair, truly giving him the appearance of the hellish entity vampires were considered to be. 

“Lino, don’t be so hard on him.” Cooed Chan, gently rubbing his back as Min gave him a stink eye for the nickname. “You’re scolding him while he knows nothing as to what prompted it. You know he will change his mind, do not make it so difficult for him to be at ease with himself.”

“I only want him to be careful.”

“And he will be. We’re taking care of him after all.”

Huffing indignantly, Minho collapsed back in his chair and Chan pressed a kiss on top of Innie’s head victoriously before moving to the kitchen.

From where he sat, Innie could not see the kitchen since it fell to the other side of the stairs, but he knew by sound and the bitter scent that Chan had poured himself coffee. Innie’s stomach growled, and the other vampires no doubt heard it. However he made no effort to move, unsure of how Minho would react with Chan not around to defend him.

Behind him, he heard Changbin’s soft footsteps on the stairs, and Jeongin’s tensed muscles relaxed into the soft cushions of the chair.  

“Don’t get too foolhardy because Chan defended you.” Said Minho with narrowed eyes, his lips barely pouting since he knew Bin would tease him for it.

“Minho-hyung, the word’s cocky nowadays.” Called Changbin teasingly, pinching Jeongin’s cheek as he went to grab the newspaper out of Minho’s lap. Despite Min snarling viciously, fangs and all, in Bin’s face, he did not even spare him a second glance. 

Pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation, Minho bent over and held his head in his hand.

“That language changes too much.” He sighed, switching to Korean, the switch amusing Changbin even more. 

“Well it’s not like your Korean’s any better, hyung. Your diction is too formal.”

“Do not continue speaking if your words are only meant to scorn me.”

Cackling, Changbin completely ignored the threat, happily sauntering into the kitchen, newspaper in tow.

“Maybe Innie’s got a thing or two to teach you instead, huh Minho-hyung?”

Weakly scoffing, Minho shifted in his chair again, resting his chin on his hand as his expression softened.

“Why don’t you at least go through what university you’d like to attend? Keep it close by, alright?”

Raising his eyebrows at the seemingly defeated vampire, Innie tried to hide the glee of having been freed from another harsh lecture. “What about entrance exams? I didn’t-”

“It will be taken care of.” He dismissed Jeongin tiredly. “Now please go eat something before your stomach makes that infernal sound once more. Tell Chan-hyung to make something for you.”
Grinning, Jeongin sprang up faster than he himself thought possible and practically skipped over to the kitchen.

The scene he walked into was not surprising. Despite there being at least six chairs on the island counter, Chan had his arms around Bin and had the younger vampire sitting on his lap. Although unfinished, his coffee stood abandoned to the side as he instead chose to fall asleep against Changbin’s broad back. Unfazed, Bin was calmly reading the newspaper, his own cup steaming as he took the occasional sip.

Considering he lived with a bunch of ancient vampires, he had expected the house to reflect that. However, the entire house had a pretty modern feel, and the kitchen did not disappoint. It was all pristine dark marble counter tops and gleaming fixtures and appliances, enough to alienate him whenever he stepped into the room.

Minho and Chan on the other hand, could cook practically anything Jeongin could ever ask for. And god did they cook well.

As for Changbin….

Well the less said about Changbin and the kitchen, the better. 

As usual, Changbin was dressed in his workout clothes. His dark grey hair was far neater than Chan’s and orderly fell over his forehead. Considering he worked as an instructor, it was not really surprising that he styled his hair to go to the gym, even though Jeongin personally found it rather amusing.

Jeongin wondered if anyone at the gym noticed Changbin did not sweat.

Of all things, Innie had never really thought about whether vampires sweat or not. The first things that had come to his mind were: food, blood, and sunlight.

Contrary to his initial belief, vampires could eat normal food, but they could not survive without blood. Until a few months ago, Jeongin was used to drinking blood each day, but Minho and Chan had made sure he could survive up to a week without it.

The longer he went without blood, no matter how much he ate, he would become more and more lethargic. This much carried over to the others as well, no matter how old the vampire. 

Despite having a regular feeding schedule, Chan seemed to be more sleepy than anyone Jeongin had ever come across. However, he was also the person most likely to forgo sleep for work as well.

As for food, the idea of vampires being unable to eat or touch garlic was a lie.

This was probably the happiest news he had gotten after he turned. Only second to the fact that he could still go out in the sun and also never tan.

“Channie hyung?” Called out Innie, pouring himself a cup of coffee as well, resisting the urge to inhale the deep aroma. Unlike the other two though, he poured in some milk and sugar as well.

Chan did not even register his question until he sat in front of the two of them and Jeongin repeated himself. He would, like Minho asked, ask him to cook something, but at the moment Chan did not seem lucid enough to tell rice and eggshells apart.
“Hm?”
“Why don’t you just go back up and sleep, it’s not like you have to go to the studio today right?”

“But Binnie’s so nice and soffffft.” He whined softly, voice muffled against Changbin’s hoodie.

“Why is hyung up so early anyway?”

“The big baby’s supposed to go to the gym with me.” Chuckled Chanbin, gently bumping his head against Chan’s. “This hyung doesn’t seem to want to wake up though.”
“Why can we not go a little later?” He whined into Changbin’s back.

“Because, unlike you hyung, I have to go to my job on time and I have sessions booked all day.”

“Of everything, it truly hurts me that you decided to be employed this way.”
“Hey I have a good paycheck!”
“I make more than you.” Reminded Chan, making Bin pout. “AND I get to sleep more.”
“Now why would you bring that up, hyung?” He whined loudly, and Innie resisted the urge to cover his ears.

In the beginning, Minho and Changbin’s loud arguments had been unbearable to the point where Jeongin had quite literally shoved his head between pillows to muffle it. Now that he was a little more used to it, the two of them seemed to only be getting louder as time passed.
“You don’t see me rubbing it in your face when I had a job that paid the bills while you flopped with that book you trie-”

Innie nearly spit out his coffee as Chan burst into nervous laughter and covered Changbin’s mouth just as the conversation piqued Jeongin’s interest. 

“Not this again Changbin-ah. I beg of you, do not mention this again.”

Tearing Chan’s hand off, Changbin shifted enough to glare- with no actual malice- at the older vampire.

“NO! Please, Changbin hyung, just tell me!” Begged Jeongin, but he was ignored by both of them.
“Then don’t whine about the gym, hyung.” He challenged, and Chan did not even hesitate in relenting.

“Wow it must have been a bad book.” Smirked Jeongin, looking at Chan over the edge of his cup as he took a purposely long sip, nearly draining the cup in the process.
“Oh you have no idea.”

Letting out an undignified whine, Chan stood up and left the two of them, shuffling defeatedly up the stairs.

“Hyung?”
“Why do you guys go to the gym? It’s not like we can make muscles anymore.”
Chuckling at his question, he picked up his newspaper again and flipped back to his page.

“Our hyung needs to be kept busy. Otherwise he thinks a little too much about things beyond his control.”

Unsure of what to say, Jeongin sat quietly, fingers gently tapping at the countertop as he tried to alleviate the feeling of awkwardness.

Changbin, however, seemed to be at ease and had a self satisfied smile as he flipped the page.

“So, Innie…”

“Yeah, hyung?”
“Gave in that easily did you?” Grinned Changbin. “It took me months of coaxing, threats, and ultimatums to get me off my ass.”
“Well..”
“However, in your defence I will say that finding a job or even going to university was quite difficult after the war.”

Like a pigeon pecking at hastily dropped breadcrumbs, Jeongin tried not to betray his excitement at the prospect of knowing more about their pasts.
“Wait, which one are you talking about hyung?” He asked plainly, biting the inside of his cheek at the ridiculous question. He was half hoping that Changbin would look at him with confusion and correct him, that there had been only one war in his time.
“First world war.”

“Oh.”
“Either ways, do let me or the other two know if you need us to help you out with anything. I hear the Seoul Institute of Arts is quite good.”

“Oh I-”

“Don’t sing? Liar. I’ve heard you helping Channie hyung with his songs.”

Blushing, Innie drained the last of his coffee, but continued to stare at the cup.

“Either way, don’t go into something too noticeable. Business, commerce, art, those are all safe bets. Don’t risk taking science. People are studied too closely in the sciences, it’s not a great prospect for us. The last time one of us decided to become a doctor, we had to wait 60 years to come back to Korea.”

“60 years?!”

“Yes. We had to wait for the doctors who were with him to retire or die so that no one would call him out. Worst case scenario, we would have to say he’s his own grandfather.” Explained Changbin, dark eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Wouldn’t it be safer to just study business or something?”
“Yeah but singing seems more fun though.”

“I’m not that good.”
“Isn’t the point of university to get better?”

“Yeah I guess so. But you have to be at a certain level to get enrolled in the first place.”

“Oh Lino and Chan hyung will take care of that. Anyway, until we figure out what your gift is, it would be good to try out a lot of things.”

Ah yes, the gifts. 

How could Jeongin forget?

With Minho never using his, and Chan’s being so ingrained into him as normal, Jeongin did not spare much thought towards his own gift. As a matter of fact, he did not even know what Changbin’s was.

As little as he knew about vampirism, he knew gifts were highly personal, and manifestations of a person’s last wish before they turned. Since none of them had a pleasant experience, Jeongin knew it was not to place to ask. 

it was normal for it not to manifest until even a few years after a vampire turns, so he was not really in a hurry for it to come out.

However, he could not deny there was a part of him that lay curiously in wait, hoping something would happen.

With his luck, and lack of talent in any particular field, he would not be surprised if his gift was equally as useless.
Opening his mouth to argue, Innie’s mouth clamped shut as Bin raised his hand to stop him.

“Before we go further with this discussion, at least go take a look.”

Sighing, Jeongin pretended to ignore the gleeful smile on Changbin’s face as he gave in.
“OI CHANGBIN-AH! GIVE INNIE SOMETHING TO EAT!” Yelled Minho from the living room, making Jeongin jump.

Much to his horror, Chanbin sucked in a deep breath to yell back, and Jeongin spoke before thinking.

“We’re all vampires, why do you have to yell?” huffed Innie, covering his ears.

Leaning forward, Changbin pulled his cheek and cooed at him like a baby, even as he swatted him away.

“Akh, hyung stop it!”

“ Aa hyung stop it. ”

Glaring at him, Jeongin narrowed his eyes, and the older vampire relented, albeit quite sadly.

“You’re no fun.”

“And you’re not funny, hyung”

Yelling incoherent disappointments, Changbin made mocking faces and hopped off the chair as Minho walked in.

“Okay, what do you want?” He asked, voice echoing from inside the fridge as he rummaged through it.

“Huh?”

“To eat? What do you want to eat?” 

“Uh, Pancakes.”

Sighing, Minho silently pulled out the ingredients, not making any effort at conversation as he cooked.

Jeongin did not really mind, he wasn’t the talkative type.

Besides, it was quite enjoyable to look at his hyung when he was not yelling or scolding him. 

Minho’s face softened up, eyebrows slightly furrowed and he pouted in concentration as he cooked. 

Being vampires, they could not build muscle after they turned. Minho, Chan, and Changbin had been quite muscular before that, Jeongin however had not.

Due to the vampirism, and even without it no doubt, the alluring aura which they all exuded made it hard for Innie to look away from them. Minho had rolled up his sleeves to cook, and even with the pale skin, it was difficult to ignore the corded muscles that stood out.

Considering that he himself was a vampire, it was easy to ignore the befuddlement since he wasn’t the intended prey. Jeongin could not even begin to imagine how it was for humans. 

“Are you considering it?”

Jeongin was so distracted that even after registering the question he still said, “Huh?”

“The institute of arts. Are you considering it?” Repeated Minho over the sound of the sizzling butter.

There really was no such thing as a private conversation in a house full of vampires.

“I don’t know yet. Can we talk about this later, hyung?” He said sharply, wondering why all of them decided to push this on him today.

But, much to his surprise, Minho did not tell him off for it.

“Ah, yes. My apologies.” He said softly.

Biting his lip, Jeongin felt a lump form in his throat

“I’ll let you know when I’ve made up my mind, hyung.”

“Alright. Just let me know if you need me to accompany you.” He said simply, not meeting Jeongin’s eyes as he set a stack of fluffy chocolate chip pancakes and syrup in front of him. 

“No I- Actually, sure hyung that would be nice.”

Surprised, Minho raised his eyebrows, but before he could say anything, Changbin’s voice rang out from the living room.

“How rude! I wanted to go with our baby too!”

With a self satisfied smirk, Minho slid into the chair, watching Jeongin with soft eyes.

In the aftermath of their harassment, Jeongin remembered that he actually really loved his hyung when he wasn’t yelling at him.

Since they did not need food to survive, the older vampires did not often eat, but they seemed to love indulging Jeongin. Despite the time, they complained when he ordered food without telling them, or scolded him for not telling them he wanted to eat something.

“Jeongin-ah I think you’re drowning them.” he stated, slightly awed as Jeongin continued to pour maple syrup over the pancakes.
“Hey I can’t drown, neither can my pancakes.” Snorted Innie, scraping off a large bite with a fork. “Wait. Hyung, CAN vampires drown?”
Taken aback, Minho blinked blankly at him, eyes eventually moving upwards as he fell into deep thought.

For a few moments, the house was quiet except for the sound of his cutlery and Changbin and Chan’s whisper filled discussion in the living room. 

“To be entirely honest with you, I have never thought about it.” He finally admitted.  “However, do NOT try it out.”

To stop him from asking any more questions, or in an effort to save time, Minho plucked the fork out of his hand and fed him a large bite.
Mouth full of pancakes, he could do nothing but wave his arms to dismiss Minho’s fears. Thankfully, Chan’s voice rang out from the main hallway.

“I don’t think he’s that dumb.”
“Well, not yet.” Added Changbin, and Jeongin heard Chan smack him gently with what could be either a pillow or a shoe, it wasn’t clear enough to tell.

Resisting the urge to tsk, he shoved another large bite into his mouth as Minho studied him.

Although it never happened with him, Jeongin had occasionally seen Min’s ears go red if Chan or Changbin met his eyes when he looked at them this way.

“Bye hyung! Bye Innie-ah! I’ll send Chan back in a couple of hours!”
“Wait! Bin did yo-”

Chan’s panicked voice cut off as Bin shoved him out the door, leaving Jeongin and Minho alone in the house.

“Why doesn’t hyung go to the gym?”

“Why should I?” He asked, raising an eyebrow challengingly. “Seems quite pointless, does it not?”

“Fair enough.” Grinned Jeongin, nearly at the end of his large stack of food.

Since he had not entirely been aware for the first few months of his existence, his memories of the time were quite hazy. Due to this, Jeongin was yet to figure out what Minho did to pass the time, especially since he was so secretive about it.

If he was to guess, it would probably be related to dancing.

Changbin and Chan both had quite an impressively diverse list of professions. Minho however, did not. 

Through Chan he had found out that one of the professions that Minho kept returning to was dancing. So, there was no doubt in him when he thought it to be one of the only things Minho loved in this world.

Jeongin wondered if Minho had ever been on the other end of the discussion for the Seoul Institute of Arts.

“All done?” He asked Jeongin teasingly, peering over at his plate before picking it up to put it in the sink. “Alright go get changed into something appropriate, and I will drive you there.”
Frowning, he looked down at his outfit, a simple hoodie and a pair of black sweatpants and then back up at Minho. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“I refuse to be beside you if you go out dressed this way.”
Rolling his eyes, Jeongin tried to think of a fighting remark. However Minho’s simple but sleek outfit gave him no leeway. The pale blue brought out the dark colour of his hair and eyes, while the silver watch and earrings gave it enough sparkle to make it look like he had put some kind of effort into his outfit. His dark hair was shorter than Jeongin’s, and was styled with bangs that left more of his forehead exposed.

Admittedly, he looked far more put together than Jeongin, and considering he was going to look at a college, he should probably change.

Grumbling, he shuffled up the stairs and to his room, which came after Changbin’s.

Below him, he could hear Minho on the phone, but he did not spare enough attention to figure out the words. 

Minho and Chan’s rooms were on the other side of the landing, and there were four more rooms upstairs. However, those were renovated for different uses.

Like Changbin’s, his own room was quite devoid of decoration, since he spent most of his time in the media room in the basement or with Chan in the studio.

Stepping into the large walk-in closet beside his room, he grabbed the first t-shirt and hoodie with a pair of baggy jeans and changed quickly. 

Most of the racks were empty, since Jeongin remembered nothing about where he came from

after he got turned. All the clothes in his closet had been bought recently, and he felt guilty wearing them. Although they were not that fancy, since Minho said that drew unwanted attention, they were of a high quality and VERY comfortable. Having offhandedly mentioned this, Changbin reassured him that the cost of the clothes did not even make a dent in their reserves of money.

“Iyen-ahhh, hurry upppp.” Whined Minho, and Innie stumbled as he slipped on his pants, smacking his shoulder against one of the wardrobes.

“INNIE-AH ARE YOU OKAY?”

Shaking his head as he smiled in his peculiar way, making a line across his face as he hopped down the stairs.

“You clumsy baby.”

“Hyung didn’t help, yelling like that.”

Rolling his eyes, he put his arm over Jeongin’s shoulder, leading him to the garage. 

Obediently, he slipped into the passenger seat and fiddled with the speaker system as Minho pulled the car out of the garage.

Despite having a brand new Audi A5, Minho barely touched the music system, claiming he enjoyed the silence when he was driving. However everyone around him was aware that he could not figure out how to use bluetooth. 

When they were on the driveway, Jeongin looked back at the house, and despite it having been six months it still took his breath away.

Even on the outside it was surprisingly modern.  Sections of the first and second floors were floor to ceiling windows with stained glass, and the main door matched that as well. The front yard was covered with beautiful exotic plants, the names of which he continued to forget even after asking Changbin repeatedly. There was a tunnel covered with crazily growing vines hiding a carved fountain which was older than most of the city.

“Chan hyung, if we aren’t supposed to draw attention, why is the house so fancy?”

“Innie-yah you would not be complaining if you lived the way we did before this.”

After that Jeongin never asked them again.

“Hyung, have you been there before?”

“Oh, yes.” He smiled fondly. “Chan hyung, Changbin and I have our current degrees from there. They both primarily focused on music, however I majored in dance. But it was a while ago, not long enough that it would be awkward to go back with my face having remained the same.”

“Are you sure it’s okay for you to go back?”

“Do not worry yourself, I am quite sure. Besides, we are simply… looking around, yes?”

“Hyung’s gonna give me a tour.”

“Oh, I’m not sure how the buildings may have changed a-” 

“That’s alright hyung. Let’s look around together.”

Falling silent, Minho stared resolutely at the road, his neck and ears turning red.

Aware that his hyung was likely not going to speak now, he went back to fiddling with the music system.

Despite Minho’s claims, with his elevated hearing, Jeongin could catch bits of him humming the song. He had a specific playlist with the songs he knew Minho liked, and he actively made a mental note to add new ones repeatedly. 

With the lack of any more distinct conversation, the closer they got to the university, the more his fingers scratched against his legs. Although he knew Minho was aware of what he was doing, his hyung did not say anything to stop him.

It was not the tour that made him antsy. It was the fact that he would be exposed to the burning maze of scents for the longest time yet if he chose to attend.

Instead, after he parked in the lot, he held Jeongin’s hand as he stepped out of the car. Almost immediately, he was hit with a thousand scents and he resisted the urge to gag. 

As if sensing his discomfort, even though he hid it quite well, Minho squeezed his hand gently as he began leading him in.

The closer they got, the stronger the scents were as more people milled around them. Since they arrived quite early in the morning, it was likely the busiest time.

Feeling his head spin, he tried to hold in his breath, but ended up inhaling sharply. 

Merely a few steps from the central office building, Jeongin froze in his tracks, tasting acid in the back of his throat. 

“Don’t be nervous. No one will stop you from going anywhere, I have already arranged visiting passes.”

“N-no hyung, it’s not that.” he hissed, stepping off to the side, away from the doors so that he could lean against the wall. “I just-”

Looking over his shoulder, Minho leaned down to meet his eyes, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. He was close enough that Jeongin could see his reflection in the black of his eyes, finding a distorted version of his troubled face staring back at him.

“Hey, look here, look at me. Hold your breath. Don’t breathe, you know you do not have to anymore.”

Ironically, had anyone else come to him, they would have told him the exact opposite.

Forcefully exhaling, Jeongin held his ribs in so that he would not inhale any more air.

Around them, he heard a chorus of whispers as they stared at him with peculiar expressions.

what’s wrong with-

Can’t he walk on his own?

-freaking out before he even go-

What kinda-

“Hey! Iyen-ah, don’t listen to them. Just listen to me. Do you want to return home? We can come back agai-”

“No! No, I'm okay.” He interrupted, feeling slightly pathetic as he tried to shake off the squeamishness. 

Embarrassed, he felt heat rise to his cheeks and fanned at his face. 

What kind of vampire couldn’t handle the smell of humans?

Although this had happened a few times, it was never this bad. Probably since he was already nervous, the scents simply became more unbearable.

His hyungs had seen him this way once or twice, however they assumed it was because he still struggled with controlling his thirst. Partly because he did not want to worry them and partly since he did not want to seem pathetic, he did not tell them the actual reason.

“I’m okay.” He repeated in a hollow attempt at reassurance. “It’s alright, let’s go inside hyung.”

Patting his back reassuringly, Minho put his arm around Jeongin, leading him inside slowly. Thankfully, the building inside was well ventilated, making the air less saturated than Jeongin was expecting.

The lobby looked quite familiar, it could have belonged to any school, except for the large logo plastered behind the receptionist. Stark white walls, the occasional rings of phones, and the tap of footsteps from a variety of shoes were all familiar to him. However, for some reason, he felt a sharp pain in his head as he tried to remember the name of his school.

Brushing the thought out of his mind, he eased his tensed muscles and looked towards his hyung who flashed him a reassuring smile. However, because of this, he registered the anxious footsteps coming from his left a little too late and felt a bony body crash against him.

“Ow!”

Being a vampire, the contact barely fazed him, and he took a mere step back to balance himself. However, the noise of a falling portfolio, brushes, and pencils which crashed all around them.

The boy he had bumped into was not so fortunate.

He sat on the floor, rubbing the side of his hip with a wince. A skateboard, which judging by the splatters of paint belonged to him, lay on its side a few feet away. His shoulder length black hair was messily pulled back by a white hairband splattered with paint, and fell over his face. From where he stood, Jeongin could not see most of his face, but he saw unusually long lashes and pouty lips that looked a little too full on his slender frame. 

Feeling bad, Jeongin leaned down to help, accidentally inhaling sharply when he crouched beside the boy. Instead of the horrible mix he was expecting, it was the soft smell of fabric softener, mixed with linseed oil, a hint of roses, and something distinct he had never experienced before. Curiously, he glanced up from the brushes he was collecting and found the boy’s warm chocolate eyes staring back at him. Even his eyes looked quite large on his face, like the eyes of a baby deer. 

“I-I’m sorry for making you fall.” Jeongin stammered, holding out the art materials to him as the fair skin on the boy’s face darkened with a blush.
“No no I should’ve been looking where I was going! It’s alright!” He said quickly averting his eyes, long and thin fingers fumbling with the art supplies he was trying to gather.

The mole beside his left eye and the top of his lip seemed to be the only indication that the boy in front of him was in fact real, and not some perfect sculpture hand crafted by a god. 

As he leaned forward to take the things from Jeongin’s hand, it took every ounce of his power to not inhale deeper like a creep. 

Brushing himself off, he stood up and offered a hand to the boy which he took with a grateful smile. 

After he stood up, Jeongin took notice of how everything about him was just long and slender. He stood taller than both him and Minho, and his thin frame made him appear even more noticeable. The blue t-shirt and white cardigan were both a little too big and a little too long, making him look even thinner. Unlike his hairband and shoes, there seemed to be not a speck of paint on any other article he wore, which was a little strange.

For half a second, Jeongin considered the possibility of the boy being a vampire. There was no conceivable way he was a human and still just as beautiful as Minho hyung, if not more. However, when he paid enough attention, he could hear the sound of his heartbeat, and feel the heat from his skin still left behind on Jeongin’s palm.

“Jeongin-ah, still clumsy as always.” Chastised Minho, breaking him out of his stupor as he fixed Jeongin’s hair. Thankfully, he had the decency to not call Jeongin out about his flushed cheeks in front of the boy. “At least you helped him with his things.”
“Oh no! It was my fault, I just really wanted to get there early for my class and I-”

“Lino hyung!” Called out a voice from the back, making both Jeongin and Minho turn around faster than they intended.

For Jeongin, he felt the mischievous excitement he had not for a long time, hearing the nickname from someone who was not Chan or Changbin.

As for Minho, there was only shock sprayed across his usually collected face.

Turns out the voice came from a relatively muscular boy, slightly shorter than Minho, with a heart shaped smile who was jogging their way. Although it was cold outside, he wore a sleeveless shirt which clung to him. Instead of wearing it, his white and grey jacket was slung over his arm.

Immediately upon reaching the three of them, he slipped his arm around Minho’s waist and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Jeongin nearly choked.

“S-seungie, what are you doing here? I thought you had rehearsal!” sputtered Minho, his ears far redder than Jeongin had ever seen before.

The shorter boy just giggled, stepping away from Minho and closer to Jeongin to put his hands on his hips dramatically.

“Well I did, hyung. But the dean said to you- Wait Jin what’re YOU doing here?”

Opening his mouth to answer, Jin looked back and forth between Jeongin and Seungie, but Minho gave him no time to answer.

“Oh, is that Hyunjin?” Asked Minho curiously, taking the opportunity to slip his arm over Seungie’s shoulders.

Jeongin resisted the urge to hiss.

“Why haven’t we met before?”
“Wait, you’re Lee Minho??”
Brushing past them, Seungie went and put his arm around Jin, leaning against his shoulder as he started to cry mockingly. As far as humans went, he did not smell bad either. Despite the fact that he was sweaty, he smelled like muscle relaxing spray, and caramel mixed with what Jeongin assumed was his natural scent.

“Yeah yeah, that’s Min, my hot and old boyfriend.” Stated Seungie in a matter of fact way, ignoring Minho’s protests. “You ass, you haven’t shown me your fucking face to me in days!”

“Hey, in my defence I didn’t know how long I was in my room, I had a lot of stuff to work on.”

Jeongin didn’t know if he should be admiring that statement or be highly disturbed.

“Okay fine, but you better not disappear on me again fucker.”

Jin just shrugged.

Turning back towards them, Seungie’s eyes sparkled as he spoke to Minho, and Jeongin itched to hold back a grin when he thought of talking about this with his hyung later.

“Well I did have rehearsal, hyung. It’s over now though ‘cause the dance kids are there. But anyway, the dean said you called and he needed someone for a tour? He pulled me out of rehearsal and put someone else in charge for now.” He said happily, giving Minho a gentle push. 

Frowning, Minho brushed the boy’s long, dark hair away from his eyes, and Jeongin felt a small pang of jealousy, but he was quick to sweep it away. It was just his stupid attachment since Minho had been the one to turn him. 

“I thought they would send someone else, I didn’t want to pull you from rehearsal otherwise I would have asked you anyway.”

Rolling his eyes, Seungie lightly swatted Minho’s hand away. “Akh hyung, don’t touch, I’m really sweaty right now. Aand, it’s not a big deal. I haven’t seen you a lot the past couple of weeks, I don’t really mind, Min hyung.”

Jeongin could practically see Minho melting in front of him when Seungie called him hyung.

Turning towards him, Seungie had a mischievous smile as he looked Jeongin up and down. 

“At least now you can’t hide your precious Jeongin from me.” He said gleefully. “God look at you.. You’re really freakin’ cute, you know that?”
“Uhm…” said Jeongin brilliantly, not knowing what part of his little speech to focus on.

Bursting into laughter at his dumb response, Seungie hid his face in Hyunjin’s sleeve who seemed to be holding back laughter from looking at his friend.

The two of them did not exactly have complimenting scents, however the mix just gave him a hint of dizziness instead of the expectant nausea.

“Okay, okay. Anyway, I’m Han Jisung, and you can call me Han, or Ji, or Seungie whatever you want really. I don’t really care if you call me hyung or not, it’s on you. I’m a music major, but I switched from dance just a few months ago. I’m your hyung’s boyfriend, and VERY excited to meet you.” He said with a ridiculous grin plastered on his face. 

All Jeongin could think of when he shook hands with him was how much Changbin would love him. It also took every ounce of self control not to turn to Minho and grin uncontrollably at the word ‘boyfriend’.

“And this skinny bitch who refuses to meet me-” Jisung started, playfully patting his friend’s back as he furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance.

“Yah! I said I wa-”

“-is Hwang Hyunjin, and he’s majoring in art. Well, visual arts if you couldn’t tell already. But I’ve heard he’s quite the dancer too.” He said teasingly as Hyunjn glared at him.

“Hannie you reall-”

“Anyway I’ll be giving you a tour today, I heard Min wants you to come here. Any idea on what you wanna do?”

Taken aback from the sudden onslaught, Jeongin looked towards Minho, a slightly panicked look on his face and out of habit his hyung came to his side.

“He’s still making up his mind, Ji.”

“Yeah, but I mean he probably knows whether it’s between performing or visu-”

“M-music.” interrupted Jeongin softly, making the three of them turn his way. “So performing arts, I guess.”
Sticking his tongue out at Min, Jisung clung to Hyunjin’s arms as Minho playfully made a biting motion.

Needless to say, Jeongin felt scandalised. 

“Okay, okay I really gotta go now, Ji.” Pleaded Hyunjin, trying to pull his arm out of Han’s grip but he held him firmly.

“Nope, I’m walking you to class, I can show Jeongin around that way, and ALSO make sure you dont fall and die on someone else.”

“You saw th-”

“I’m not blind Jin. I don’t think i’ve seen you blush that much i-”  

Slapping a hand over Han’s mouth, Hyunjin turned to Minho and muttered a scattered apology and jogged away, lugging his skateboard in his hand.

As soon as he was gone, Jeongin could smell his scent fading and he took in one last deep breath to keep in as much of it as he could. 

“Drama queen.” Said Jisung, watching Hyunjin run away. 

Rolling his eyes, Jisung tried to take Minho’s hand but he pulled away.

“No, we aren’t going anywhere until you put on your jacket.”

Whining, but standing still, Jisung let Minho take off his bag and slip him into his jacket. Without saying a word, his hyung slipped Ji’s bag on himself and took his boyfriend’s hand, making him blush.

“I find it unfair that you’re forcing me to wear a jacket while you’re just in a shirt.”

“You get cold easily.”

Shrugging, Jisung gave in and lead them out of the glass doors. 

Innie thought he was imagining it, but Jisung’s caramel scent seemed to get a little stronger. Probably since Hyunjin was no longer here. To avoid another episode like before, Jeongin made sure to keep a little close so that it was pretty much the only thing he could smell.

“Now, let’s go.”

Flustered, Jisung hit his shoulder gently before turning to Jeongin. “C’mon Innie, wait I hope you’re okay if I call you that?”

Jeongin nodded, and Minho raised an eyebrow but said nothing as they stepped out of the building.

“Okay great! So imma take you to the arts building first so that I can piss off Hyunjin a little more, plus there’s another friend I want you to meet who likes the visual arts student lounge more than the other one so we’ll find him there. The other one is in rehearsal with me so you’ll see him last.” He babbled, Jeongin just barely catching all the words. “Min hyung, you’re coming with, right?”

“Er, I was… ”Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, Minho’s words trailed off as Jisung pouted sadly.

“Yeah, hyung’s coming along.” Interrupting Jeongin, chasing away the sadness from Ji’s face.

Grinning, Jisung quite literally pulled him along, while he flashed Jeongin a grateful smile when he followed. 

All around them, trees with blooming flowers danced in the wind, the air being gratifyingly diluted with the wonderful scent. It reminded him of the time Chan and Changbin had taken him on a camping trip about two months after he had become a vampire. Although the smell of pines and the dark soil weren’t nearly as strong as they were back then, it was still quite comforting.

The administrative block they had just walked out of was a relatively older building. There was more brick and foundation seen instead of the glass buildings around it. No doubt the different buildings were likely renovated with the times, and left the admin block a remnant of the original time of construction. 

Now that classes had begun, most of the campus grounds were slightly empty. Spots here and there were occupied with students weidling easels or spiral bound notebooks over which they were hunched over. 

“Okay, Innie, Min hasn’t stopped talking about you for months! I can’t believe he didn’t let me meet you until now.”

“Well, Hannie, you weren’t supposed to meet him yet. Today was…”

“If you say a mistake I will literally break up with you right now.”

“No, not a mistake! Just… I wanted to do this properly.”

It was really adorable how easily Jisung got flustered at the smallest thing when it came to Minho.

“Shut up, hyung.”

Minho, it seemed, had abandoned his earlier reservations around Jeongin and pulled Han closer to press a kiss to the side of his head. Squeaking, Han skipped away, so Jeongin sneaked to Minho’s side.

When he knew Han was out of earshot, he bumped his hyung with his shoulder. 

“So, hyung. When were you gonna tell me you have a boyfriend?”

Grinning shyly, Minho avoided meeting his eyes, pushing him away gently.

“Later, Iyen-ah.”

“Do Chan and Changbin know?”

“Oh, yeah long back.”

“Hey, if you talk like this with Han hyung, why do you talk weird to me at home?”

“I’ll talk any way I want.”

Giggling, he slithered away as Minho tried to rub his head, so Han grabbed hold of him instead.

“When did you start singing, Jeongin-ah?”

“Uh, about five months ago?”

“Really? What were you doing before that?”

As if he had taken a strike to the head, Jeongin suddenly felt a sharp spike of pain behind his forehead. Stopping abruptly in his tracks, he accidentally bumped into Minho as he was coming up behind him.

For some reason, his mind felt… hollow, like an exhibit missing the artifact it meant to display. 

“Woah, you okay??” 

“I-I don-”

“Oh you know, this and that. Innie never really really sat with anything too long.” Interrupted Minho, his hands coming up to support Jeongin from behind. “I’m glad he got into this though.”

Looking back and forth between Jeongin and Minho suspiciously, Han gently held his arm, forcing Jeongin look into his eyes.

From this close, he could hear Jisung’s heartbeat as it sped up from looking at him. He could see every little capillary in the whites of his almond eyes, and see each pore in his golden skin. Even the small breaths he took to speak were filled heavily with the smell of caramel. 

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah I’m fine.” He said, shaking off his confusion with a strained smile. “Don’t worry, hyung.”

The look on Han’s face made Jeongin sure there was no way the boy believed him.

“Why don’t we keep going?” Suggesting Minho, gently pushing the two of them towards the door to the arts building.

“But-”

“Hey every extra minute you spend here is another minute of rehearsal wasted.”

Unwillingly, Han turned around, constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure they were still there as he navigated through the maze of corridors.

The entire building reeked of turpentine, fixative spray, acrylic paint, and clay. Thankfully, these scents were strong enough to cover most, if not all of the human stench.

Unfortunately, that meant Jeongin could not even grasp a little of Hyunjin’s scent from the air. 

Had they been alone, superior senses or no, the two of them would no doubt have gotten lost. 

As they were walking up the stairs, Jeongin dropped his voice just enough for Minho to hear.

“Hyung, what’s wrong with me?”

“Later.” Minho said simply, shooting him a pleading look.

Biting his lip, Jeongin hopped up the steps begrudgingly, following Han as he lipped off the different studios and rooms. Each room smelled a little strongly of one or the other kind of paint, while the sculpture rooms smelled slightly musty. 

On the second floor after rattling off a bunch of rooms, he stopped at the end of the corridor and turned back towards them.

“Alright here we are! Just, even though it’s the lounge, don't touch anything. These art kids will not hesitate in scratching, biting, and/or gouging.”

Wide-eyed, Jeongin looked at Minho, hoping to find a sign that would reassure him that Jisung was kidding.

Between Han’s maniacal grin and Minho’s solemn face, he didn’t know what scared him more.

“Okay let’s go!”

Pulling Jeongin along before he could say anything else, Han threw open the doors and sauntered inside. Preemptively, Jeongin held in his breath as Jisung led him through the throngs of students. 

Everywhere the eye could see were tables scattered with work and innumerable mugs filled or with evidence of coffee. Sketchbooks with half finished sketches, portfolios with a stressed person hovering over them, miniature busts being studied with disapproval.

Almost at every table, there was a student that greeted Jisung like an old friend, even though he seemed visibly uncomfortable meeting some of them.

It was not until they reached a kid sitting away in the corner, headphones resolutely plugged in, that Han’s heartbeat calmed down a little.

The boy had wine red hair, with bangs that nearly covered his eyebrows. The curves of his face were quite soft, making him look younger than what Jeongin expected. His build was closer to Jeongin’s rather than Minho’s or Jisung’s, but even Jeongin seemed to be more muscular than him.

As he was staring resolutely at the laptop screen in front of him, he kept his left hand resolutely on the notebook he seemed to be writing in.

From the side, Jeongin could only make out his slightly open mouth and furrowed brows over lashes that almost put Minho’s to shame. However, they were hidden behind round glasses that hung so close to the tip of his nose, Jeongin resisted the urge to push them up. 

Since he knew he would have to speak, Jeongin took the risk and took in a breath, unintentionally seeking the boy’s scent.

Surprisingly, he smelled like aged paper, nutmeg, and metallic ink. 

“Seungminiee.” Said Jisung in a sing-song voice, tapping the boy on his shoulder so that he would look this way.

Initially relaxed, Seungmin’s heart rate spiked as Han’s hand touched him, but he did not bother to turn their way.

Frowning, Jisung tapped his shoulder again. And once more, he continued working as if he was not there. 

Annoyed, Jisung pulled out one of his earphones, but Seungmin quickly caught it before he could yank the other away.

The way the two behaved, Jeongin assumed this was normal for them. 

“Not now, Han.”

“Bu-”

“Whatever it is, it can wait.”

“Yah, Seungmi-” Han stopped mid sentence as the boy put his earphone back on. “ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS RI-”

Stepping forward, Minho slapped a hand over his mouth and pulled Jisung away, leading him out of the room with a bemused expression.

“C’mon Iyen-ah, let’s go.”

Han made sounds behind Minho’s hand, but his hyung resolutely kept it there until they were almost at the door. Faster than the speed of light, he yanked his hand back, staring at Jisung in disbelief.

“You licked me!”

“Hyung really? You don’t seem to complain when I lick-” 

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence Han Jisung.”

Rolling his eyes, Jisung grabbed Jeongin’s hand and hmphed as he walked away, making Minho trail behind.

“Seungmin’s literally so fucking annoying one of these days I’m really gonna take a go at him. I get why Min stopped me but man was I ready right now.” Growled Jisung, with a hollow attempt at malice. “Anyway, let’s go see if Hyunjin will blush if I make you stand in front of him again. Seriously though what is with everyone putting their hand on my mouth today?”

At this point Jeongin had come to realise that Jisung loved asking questions but never gave enough time for the person to answer them. 

Annoyingly, there was a third floor to the studio building as well, and it contained the largest studios where more general first year classes were held.

The entire boundary of the class was occupied with racks which held countless pieces of art on paper, canvas, glass, mirrors, and even the occasional mannequin with clothes which seemed to have suffered the artistic skill of many amateurs.

There were a few rows of students in the middle of the class, and the professor was leaning beside a girl with dark hair that was long enough to reach her waist. From where he stood, Jeongin did not know what she was working on, but before his interest could be piqued, he sensed Hyunjin in row furthest away from him.

It was the only explanation since his scent seemed to be a little faint where they stood.

Unsure of whether they were allowed to disturb, Jeongin stood frozen in place, however Jisung dragged him along anyway.

The number of times Jisung had touched him, he was glad that he was wearing a sweater so he did not have to explain his cold skin.

“Jiniee.” Sang Han, stopping beside Hyunjin’s canvas as Jeongin tried his best to ignore the weird looks from the other students.

It was adorable to see Hyunjin in his natural element. His full lips were locked in a pout as he placed seemingly calculated but also quite loose strokes on the canvas. A few strands of hair had come loose and Jeongin tried his best not to make a move to tuck them away.

His cardigan was gone- wasn’t he cold? -and he wore an apron which was wrapped around him especially fitted around the waist which was not helping Jeongin concentrate. Against his will, he felt the sharp poke of his fangs against his lower lips and he tried not to breathe in the rosy smell as he prayed for them to retract.

This had happened only once before, just after the first time he had smelled Minho, Chan, and Changbin right after turning. 

The sleeves of his shirt were pushed up, and Innie could see the corded muscle in his forearms whenever Jin moved, and suddenly his throat felt drier than a desert. 

Although he had headphones on, Jin removed them immediately when they stopped beside him. Giving an awkward smile to Jeongin and Minho, he focused on Han.

“Sungie, y’know I don’t like it when you show up during class.”

“Well, yeah no shit. I don’t like it when you do it to me either. But Innie and hyung won’t be here all the time, right?”

Just for a second, it seemed reflexively, Hyunjin’s eyes followed Han’s hand as he waved towards Jeongin and Minho. Against his will, he blushed, and so did Hyunjin, as their eyes made contact.

“R-right.”

“I had to show them this place anyway. And I figured they’d get to meet you nicely too.” He said, mood visibly better as he clapped his hands together. “So, wanna show u-”

Jumping to his feet, Hyunjin put a hand on Ji's chest, making him stay in place. Beside him, Jeongin felt Minho tense up.

“No! No, you can’t see it yet.”
Putting his hands up as if he was surrendering, Jisung laughed nervously and stepped back.

“Woah alright, is there something else I can show them?”
Flustered, Hyunjin dug through his backpack and gave Minho a worn out sketchbook. From the looks of it, it seemed completely filled, its pages heavy with a variety of colours, most of them watercolour.

Back to his original cheer, Hanji wrapped his arms around Jin as he was getting up and pressed a kiss to the back of his head. Bursting into laughter, Hyunjin’s eyes thinned into crescent moons as the smile remained on his face. Jeongin was sure if his heart had been beating, it might have stopped when he saw Jin like that.

“I’ll show you guys more later, but you guys really gotta leave before she comes over here.” He complained, tapping Jisung’s hands to make him pry them off. “Promise Ji. Whenever you want me to meet them, but you gotta go now.”
Squeezing Hyunjin one last time, Jisung squeaked as Minho pulled him away with a sweet smile and a hasty goodbye.

As they left, he could hear Minho and Ji talking, but Jeongin tuned them out.

Left alone with each other the two of them had no choice but to look at each other.

However, in case things got too hard to handle, Joengin was keeping close attention to the sound of the professor’s footsteps. 

“Hyunjin-ssi, I hope you’re alright.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me.” He giggled nervously, tucking his hair behind his ears just to have it slip out a second later. “Jisung and Yongbokie have done a lot worse than you.”

“I don’t want to make it a habit though.”
Eyes sparkling amusedly, Hyunjin smiled at him, tilting his head to the side. His fair cheeks were dusted with a pretty pink, and Jeongin felt a hollow ache in his chest, making him painfully aware of his silent heart.

“I’ll keep you on that promise.”

Jeongin had never been one for art, but at that moment he would have made a thousand portraits of Hyunjin until he could capture the way he smiled at him.

Smiling back at Hyunjin, Jeongin tensed up as the teacher began to move.

“Uh.. I’ll see you around?”

“I’ll ask Ji to give me your number.” He said quietly, his smile growing wider as he turned back his canvas.

Turning on his heel, Jeongin slipped out of the class before the professor could catch him in her sight.

As he got closer to the door, he could not help but hear his hyung and Jisung outside the door. What he did hear made him stop in his tracks. 

“-eek, stop it hyung.” Giggled Han, and he heard Minho’s smile in his words as he replied.

“I haven’t seen you in days and you’re telling me to stop?”

Resisting the urge to gag, Jeongin cleared his throat before opening the door, and the two of them had the decency to separate before he stepped out of the studio.

“Er, Jeongin-ah, let’s go to the performance arts building!” He said, straightening his jacket. 

Jisung’s face was dusted with a deep blush. 

To preserve Han’s last shred of decency, Jeongin ignored the fresh red marks on his neck.

As Han walked ahead of them down the stairs, Jeongin glared at Minho who only bothered with flashing him a self-satisfied smile, lips slightly swollen.

“Hyung, you really held out on me huh?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Uhuh. Sure.” Mocked Jeongin. “Why do you act like you’re still living in the 1800s at home then?”
“Iyen-ah, are you sure this isn’t the act?” 

Taken aback, his steps faltered as he looked at Minho quizzically. 

However, with the teasing smirk his hyung had plastered on his face, he gave a quick huff of disapproval before jogging up to him again.

Rolling his eyes, Minho pushed his shoulder as they followed Han out of the building.

It was a refreshing break to be out with the cold fresh air, since it was devoid of most of the strong scents which the building held. Therefore, Jeongin did not miss the opportunity to take in deep breaths to clear out his lungs.

“Okay, so it’s a five minute walk or something, cause there’s other stuff in between. Exhibition halls, galleries, and the restaurants too. I’ll show you that stuff but we won’t spend too much time there. They’re setting up the galleries for the end of the year exhibition of the kids’ work, so we- well you guys won’t be allowed in.”

Just as he finished talking, the apple watch on his phone blew up with notifications and he began sifting through them, still trying to be a good tour guide.

“Minho, you’ll get Innie along with you for the exhibitions right?”
“Only if he wants to.”
The thought of seeing Hyunjin’s paintings and a chance to see Han perform removed even the remote possibility of not attending it from Jeongin’s mind.

“Yeah, of course I’ll come.”

“Ah, Jeongin-ah don’t expect too much fro-”

“Don’t worry, Jisung’s better than anything you’re expecting.” interrupted Minho, making Han grin uncontrollably.

“You should definitely look forward to Seungmin, Hyunjin, and Felix though. Unlike me those guys stuck with their majors since the beginning so they’re less of a mess than I am.”
“You, however, are a genius.”

“Agh, Min don’t.” he pleaded, hiding his face behind his hands as his hyung rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. “I’m so fucking nervous you really don’t know.”
“It’s normal to be nervous, Ji. But I know you will do the best you can. Anyway, is having fun not the first rule of any performance?”

Peeking out from behind his hands, Han gave him a small smile.

“Promise me you’ll leave if I fuck up.”
“No can do, I’m gonna be recording the whole thing.”

Gently smacking his arm, Han gave him a kiss on the cheek before he started walking again, continuing their tour.

“Personally, if you can afford it, ONLY eat from the restaurants, the cafeteria is shit. Literally I swear Seungmin got food poisoning from the food there once.”

“Alright, avoid the cafeteria, got it.”
“And don’t worry about pocket money or anything, you’ve got me, Lix, Seungmin, and Jin we’ll pay for you whenever. Well between you and me, Jin would probably volunteer to do it anyway.”

Averting his gaze, Jeongin could not help but appreciate how his improved eyesight let him notice the smallest granules in the cobbled path they were walking on.

“Of course, all our little Innie will have to do is assssk.” Teased Han, bursting into laughter at Jeongin’s flushed cheeks. “I haven’t had this much fun since Felix saw Changbin.”
“Wait, Changbin hyung is dating Felix?”

“No, I’m pretty sure they haven’t even said a word to each other.” Said Minho, trying not to laugh. “However, it’s not hard to tell that they find each other attractive.”
“Okay.. Wait, we met Seungmin and Hyunjin, but who are Felix and Yongbok?”

“Oh, who said Yongbok? That’s just Felix’s Korean name. They’re the same person.” explained Han. “I don’t think you’ll be able to meet him today though, since he’s busy with rehearsals right now.”

“It’s a pity, he’s quite likeable. I’m pretty sure he’s gonna love you.” Said Minho, poking Jeongin’s tummy, making him giggle.

 “Okay so, I’m not gonna take you to the recording studios right now, ‘cause it’s just gonna be full of kids running around like screaming chickens for their final projects. So how about I take you to the practice rooms, the dance kids who’re gonna perform are all at the auditorium with Felix, so it’s probably empty. Plus since you’re gonna be doing music, it’ll do you good to see the music rooms too. Sounds good?”
“Uh, I’m okay with anything you decide, hyung.”
Cooing, Han gently shook his fists as he practically jumped up and down. “Awwwwww, you’re so cuuuute Jeonginieeee.” 

However, there was an immediate change in tone as he turned towards his boyfriend and glared. “Min I am literally never gonna forgive you for hiding him from me.”

“Liar.”
“Okay, fine but it’s gonna take a while.”
“You won’t even last a week.”
“Is that a challenge?”

Clearing his throat, Jeongin brought the two of them back from whatever plane of reality they had slipped into as they walked into the building.

“Han!” 

Almost immediately, a scrawny boy about Minho’s height with freckles sprayed across his honeyed skin lunged towards Jisung. Instinctively, Jeongin’s fangs elongated as he was about to hiss. Luckily, Minho grabbed him and turned him to the side so the boy and Jisung would not see.

“Be careful! It’s alright he’s not in danger. That’s just Felix.” Snapped Minho, his predatory eyes unusually cold as he glared at Jeongin. His grip on his arm was like a freezing iron shackle, tightening the longer it was clamped around him. 

Immediately, Innie shrank back, feeling his eyes sting with tears which he tried his best to hold back. “S-sorry, hyung I d-didn’t-”
Minho’s eyes softened, and he could see the regret creeping onto his face as he let go and pressed a fleeting kiss to the side of his head, and whispered in a voice only Jeongin could hear.

“ I’m sorry, Iyen-ah. ”

Too shaken up to say anything, he took in a deep breath, sucking in the smell of coffee from his hyung which had gradually heightened from when it nearly disappeared a moment ago.

He knew when they hunted, to a certain degree vampires could dampen their scent. Chan could erase it entirely. When Jeongin was particularly struggling, Chan always held him without hiding his scent, and so did Changbin. However, in the beginning, the only one whose smell really helped was Minho’s.

Feeling it fade away into the cold nature of his hyung’s more brutal side was a jarring shock to him.

Meanwhile, Felix was nearly doubled over, his white t-shirt clinging to him from sweat as he panted, holding onto Jisung as he caught his breath. Innie was fairly sure he did not even register their presence behind Jisung.

Now that he was calmer, Jeongin registered more of his surroundings, and found that Felix smelled like vanilla and far more strongly of the same spray he had smelled on Jisung in the beginning. Han must have helped put the spray on Felix.

“Han, you gotta come with me. Right now, and I mean right now. Don’t ignore my texts.” Said Felix in rapid fire English, his Australian accent making Jeongin halt a moment to understand what exactly he was saying. 

Considering his dainty angular body, and the adorable freckles across his face, and the fact that he smelled like vanilla, Felix’s voice did not match the rest of him at all. It was deeper than Changbin’s and had Jeongin not seen the boy, it would have been intimidating. 

“The kid you gave the pen drive with the tra-”

“Okay okay, hold up Lix.” Interrupted Jisung, gently patting Felix on his back as he glanced back at them apologetically.

“Hyu-” 

“No, don't apologise love. Go do what you have to. We’ll come back at a better time. I’ll talk to the dean.”

“She really has a soft spot for you.”
“Well I was her favourite at one point.”

Bursting into laughter, Jisung pulled Minho down by the collar and kissed him softly before running off with Felix, yelling a hasty goodbye over his shoulder.

Seemingly still apologetic, Minho put an arm around his shoulders and lead him to the side of the hallway.
“I can take you around right now, or we can come back the day of the exhibitions and have the others come with us, what would you like more?”
“Can we come back later hyung?”

“I guessed you would say that.”

Smiling, Minho ruffled his hair and led him out, his other hand still clutching Hyunjin’s sketchbook. However, when they stepped out of the building, he handed it over to Jeongin.

“Why don’t you go over this in the car? Jisung’s sent me many pictures of Hyunjin’s work before. Don’t tell him though, he tends to get quite shy.”
Clutching it to his chest carefully, Jeongin resisted the urge to open it immediately. The few minutes it took them to get to the car seemed to be the longest in his life, and he was practically vibrating with excitement as he sat inside.

Although, for a moment, he relinquished his excitement to enjoy the blissful smell of air conditioning that circulated Minho’s coffee scent throughout the car, finally putting him at ease. Just within a few moments, he felt the last of his nausea disappear with his deep breaths. 

Before he had a chance to open it, Minho distracted him with an apology he had not really expected.

“Jeongin-ah I’m sorry for acting that way before. With Felix. I was just… scared that yo-”

“That I was going to hurt Jisung.” completed Jeongin, casting his gaze down at his hands, unable to look at his hyung.

“I feel ashamed of acting that way. I really am sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s alright, hyung.”
“No, it really isn’t. I know you have far more restraint and control than any other recently turned vampire I have seen, and I still didn’t trust you even though you haven’t done anything to break my faith in you. Please tell me how I can make it up to you.”
“Well, for starters you could tell me how long hyung and Jisung have been dating.”

“A little over 8 months.”

“Does he know that you’re a vampire?”
“No.” replied Minho immediately. “Not yet, at least.”
“Are you planning on telling him?”
“Well, it is an eventuality… considering-”

“Aw, hyung’s in loove.”
Surprisingly, Minho did not retort, instead only smiled as his ears turned red. 

Knowing his hyung had a bad habit of indulging him, to save him any further embarrassment Jeongin changed the subject.

“Have Chan and Changbin ever dated a human?”
“You know what, I will let you ask them about that.” Scoffed Minho, only making him more curious. “I think it would be better received, coming straight from them.”

“Has hyung dated a human before?”

“Not exactly.”

Considering the cryptic answers, Jeongin knew he had gotten as much out of Minho today as he could. 

To bide his time, Jeongin began flipping through the sketchbook which Hyunjin had given them. Much to his surprise, the first sketch he found was of Felix.

The way Hyunjin had drawn him were all barely controlled and sharp angles, which made the freckled boy look albeit a little terrifying. 

As he flipped through, he found more sketches of Felix, Seungmin, and Jisung as well. There were one or two others whom Jeongin did not know at all, but they were exquisite as well. What they all had in common was dramatic shadows, and strokes of colour which escaped the lines of the sketches. However, no matter the person, their eyes seemed to hold secrets which Jeongin could not hope to decipher even if he stood and stared at the drawings for years.

Just when he thought the sketches had ended, he reached the final few pages which were filled with doodles, no doubt parts he had practised many times to gain perfection. However, what made him stop in his tracks was a hastily made pencil sketch on the back of the final page, for which he had to flip the sketchbook around. 

It was a profile, drawn in his likeness to the point that would make someone believe Hyunjin had known him for years, instead of a few minutes.

Of course it did not mean much. Hyunjin’s sketchbook was filled with drawings of his friends.

So then, why did his stomach still twist nervously as he studied the rough lines, afraid to touch it should it smudge.

“Iyen-ah?”
Quick as lightning, he shut the sketchbook and muttered an acknowledging hmm before Minho could sense anything was wrong.

“Would you like to go look at another university? It’s always good to keep your options open.”

“No, Here. I wanna go here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yup. After all, hyung studied here, it can’t be that bad.”

Smiling victoriously, Minho glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

“Well then, let’s get home. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”