Work Text:
Dokja stared into the mirror, a deep frown etched into his expression. Concentration higher than it has ever been, he let the razor slide over his chin, breath held.
He cleaned the blade under the running water, sighing as he brought it up to his face again.
Careful and slow. Careful…
Shit,” he cursed, having nicked himself.
It was hard to shave your beard when you couldn’t even see yourself. Honestly, why is the only mirror in this house that’s made of silver in the bathroom!?
Sure it’s good for him since he never has to be worried about slipping up in the mirrors, but really, he really just looks stupid with all the cuts on his face! For fuck’s sake, he’s 28 years old and he still cuts himself shaving.
Putting the razor away, he washed his face, drying it. He checked his shirt for possible splashes or shaving cream before stepping out of the bathroom.
“Baby, do we still have plasters?” he asked out loud, heading towards the kitchen.
Picking up his cup of coffee, he could hear shuffling, followed by footsteps coming to him. He watched affectionately as his boyfriend walked to him with a box of plaster in his hand.
“Did you cut yourself shaving again?” Joonghyuk asked, already opening the package to fetch a few.
The again stung a bit, but Dokja didn’t let himself be bothered.
“It’s difficult sometimes, I can’t help it. Mistakes happen,” he replied smoothly, placing his mug down as the former started applying the plasters to his face.
“I can help you shave,” the other man suggested as he pressed a bandage to his chin.
“You can’t be helping me all the time. I just have to learn to be better.”
He got a grunt in response as his boyfriend placed the last plaster. Dokja continued to sip on his coffee as he watched Joonghyuk annihilate the breakfast. Pecking his forehead once the man was done, he sent him off to work with a goodbye kiss.
As soon as the door was closed and he could hear the car pull out of the parking lot, the former bolted for the fridge. Nudging his fingers under the back of the fridge, he pushed up the white plastic and accessed his secret compartment.
Grabbing a blood packet, he closed the compartment and the fridge, sinking his fangs into the bag. He absolutely moaned in relief as he sucked the blood into his mouth, feeling and tasting all the nutrients.
Taking hold of the plate of breakfast his boyfriend had made for him with his now free hands, he walked to the bathroom. While he hates doing this, knowing how much the other man puts into these meals, he hates human food with a passion.
He’ll take the small chances to not have to eat it. He already shares dinner with Joonghyuk, the most he can have is this. Pulling the hood of his hoodie over his head, he hides the empty blood bag deep into the trash.
Pulling the straps to hide his face, he stalks close to the windows and pulls the curtains to cover them. Done with that, he sighs in relief and grabs his laptop, beginning his own workday.
Unlike Joonghyuk, Dokja works at home, doing simple coding for some gaming company. It’s not a tiring or a long job as he has quite the grasp on coding, being able to finish way before the former man’s day ends.
As he starts to write his strips of code, he can’t help but let his mind drift.
The two of them have been in a relationship for over a year and a half, a sweet time as he’d like to call it. Out of that time, they’ve been living together for three months, not the most brilliant idea.
He let it happen as he truly loved Joonghyuk and his living situation really wasn’t good. His landlord was actively trying to tie him into a five year contract as his then contract was ending, which was absurd considering the apartment’s faults.
While there hasn’t been many problems with them living together, Dokja is…nervous. Of course this was never his idea to fall in love and date a human, but here he was, head over heels for a mere mortal.
Everything would be fine as he doesn’t think they’re moving particularly fast and the younger man is a sweet and caring person, but, well—
—Dokja was still a vampire.
Something he hasn’t disclosed to the other man. Why would he? He would either be called crazy or shanked in the heart by a wooden stake. He’s way over 500 years old to know not to do that.
So instead he’s in this weird situation where he hides his vampire side while acting completely human. It’s completely his own fault that he’s here.
He knew he should’ve rejected the younger and knew even better he should keep their relationship as nothing more than hook-up buddies, but it was hard to do so when they never hooked-up and instead went on cute dates and murmured how much they loved each other.
It was hard to resist Joonghyuk, the man pulled him in like he was a fish on a hook. Completely helpless in front of the handsome guy.
A now he reaps what he sowed. At least it’s going well so far?
Watching some TV once he was done with work after hours of sitting, he checked the clock every now and then, bouncing up when it was an hour before his boyfriend’s work would end and taking another blood packet.
He enjoys it as much as he could in the time limit, knowing he was about to shove human food down his throat like a good lover should as they have dinner. It didn’t take much longer for the front door to click open.
“Hey baby!” Dokja greeted his boyfriend, going up to him and hugging him once he got off his jacket.
“Hi…” came a tired reply.
Poor Joonghyuk.
“Should we eat dinner or do you want to relax and shower first?” the older asked, not letting the other go.
“We can eat. I think I’ll fall asleep if I shower first.”
Nodding in acknowledgment, the shorter man held the taller’s hand as they made their way to the kitchen, reheating the preprepared food.
“Should we go to the beach?” Joonghyuk asked suddenly, drinking lemonade.
“The beach? Why there?”
“To enjoy summer. I’d love to go swimming this year, can’t let the warm days pass by.”
Humming, Dokja was a bit stumped. That really wasn’t a good situation for him.
“We could go to a spa,” he suggested in the beach’s stead.
“It would cost us, plus my coworkers talked about the sea being warm,” the younger doubled down.
“Yeah, but… Babe, I’ll get burn up. You know how sunburnt I got last time,” the older man pouts out, doing his best to use human lingo.
At least that’s what Joonghyuk says. They’ve gone out a few times, to the beach even, which obviously isn’t a good idea. The sun always feels boiling against Dokja’s pale skin, but he does his best to put up with it for his lover.
Sure the sunscreen the former rubs on his skin helps to protect him from the suns glaring pain a little bit, but it doesn’t completely stop him from being burned.
Every time he’s pulled that stupid stunt, he’ll return home with horribly red skin as if the first layer of it had been peeled off. It wasn’t entirely false either.
The younger man tries to be helpful, rubbing something that would soothe the human’s if they burnt their skin, but it’s simply too weak to work for the older. He doesn’t blame Joonghyuk, he really wishes they could be outside more.
Sun is important for humans, he doesn’t want him to get sick. Turning over to see the man deep in thought, he smiles softly when his boyfriend nods in agreement.
“The spa is a safer bet for your skin. Even SPF 50 doesn’t protect you.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry…” Dokja pitifully replies, plating the food.
“It’s fine. As long as we get to spend time together.”
.
Poking his lunch with disinterest, Dokja felt the portion he already ate trying to crawl its way back up his throat. Damn potatoes, they go down so poorly. As much as he tried to be a good boyfriend, it was tough sometimes.
Joonghyuk glanced towards him often, worry evident as he ate his own food. Lips pulled into a thin line, the former clicked the stainless steel silverware against the porcelain plate, making the baked potatoes look more and more like smashed potatoes.
Speaking of the silverware, he had managed to convince the other to get stainless steel utensils instead. He had listed many benefits and how they were cheaper, and whilst all of that was true, the reason was the fact he was a vampire.
But hey, it was a good finance decision.
“…Are the potatoes mushy?” Joonghyuk asked suddenly.
Snapping out of his daze, Dokja straightened himself in his chair.
“No, no… I’m just— Tired and distracted. Not hungry.”
Poking the potatoes a little more, the latter stood up with an apologetic face.
“Sorry, I’ll eat it later.”
“You don’t have to. The potatoes must’ve come out bad.”
“No, they’re good! I’m just— I don’t know, it might be the climate,” the older poorly excused himself.
In truth it was the fact he was running low on blood packets and with how the younger took a sudden break, he has barely gotten time to go out to buy them let alone eat them. It was pure torture.
Sluggishly pulling himself to fridge, he looked for any highly nutritious human snacks. Even if they barely taste like anything, he’ll get some kind of energy from it. Maybe it’ll keep him more alive looking.
Fingers absently fidgeting with his allergy bracelet, he looked for any fruits. They didn’t have any meats, not even red meat which could’ve helped him slightly. Eyes sweeping over the contents again, he closed the fridge door.
“We should order some meat. Like burgers,” he turned around to tell Joonghyuk.
“I knew the potatoes were bad,” the man chuckled first.
“They’re not, baby. I think I’m just low on…B vitamins.”
Eyebrows raising, the younger looked at him in thought. Said eyes slowly looked at the bracelet the older was fidgeting with before looking him in the face.
“But can we risk it? People don’t take garlic allergies seriously enough,” Joonghyuk said in a sad manner, looking like he was really considering their options.
“I could order a burger without garlic!” Dokja defended himself weakly.
“I think garlic is mostly added into the patties themselves, they wouldn’t check even if we asked them to. Maybe it’ll be better to buy vitamins.”
The latter let slip a sigh of defeat, unable to say anything against that. The action of slumping his shoulders made his body weigh down all together, obviously starving for energy.
“I’ll make you a burger next week,” the younger promised him with sparkling eyes.
“Thank you…”
Though the older doubts next week will be soon enough for him.
.
Dokja sucked on the blood packet like his life depended on it, trying to quench his hunger which has grown tenfold ever since his boyfriend’s vacation started. He hasn’t felt like this in years.
The hunger claws at his stomach, a painful reminder of how spoiled he has become these past years. Blood was so accessible, he couldn’t help but properly eat every day, two times at that.
Haa…
Blood really does wonders to his body. Eyelids fluttering as he drinks up the blood, he completely freezes as the door opens to the apartment. Joonghyuk was back. Already?
He said he’ll be going to the supermarket, it shouldn’t take him that fast. Having been too hazy with the man’s arrival, Dokja couldn’t hide the packet hanging from his mouth as the former stepped into the kitchen.
The confused and suspicious look thrown his way made him want to climb into his grave already.
“What’s that?” the taller man asked, setting the bag down.
“A juice packet,” the shorter lied swiftly, having taken the packet from his mouth.
“Right…”
Willing his fangs to disappear, the latter shifted in discomfort as the former stared at him.
“And the colour..?”
“It’s raspberry flavour.”
That reply came smoother than Dokja could think. What a save.
“It’s red. Raspberry is pinkish.”
Shit.
“…Design choice?”
He must’ve barely escaped the claws of being found out as he watched Joonghyuk start unloading the items from the bag. Quickly drinking up the rest of the blood, he shoved the packet into the trash and hoped his loved would forget about it.
His dreams were crushed as the younger stepped towards him to put away the loaf of bread and turning towards him to get a kiss afterwards. Licking his teeth as clean as he could get them, he hesitated.
The kiss wasn’t deep, a gentle slide of lips, but the way Joonghyuk tasted his own lips with curiosity had him rocking in his bones.
“Tastes metallic.”
“It’s the vitamin C. They’re…vitamins juices!” Dokja explained, his words somewhat true.
Getting a hum in response to his efforts, he watched as the former walked back to the bag.
“I still think it’s strawberry. They’re ripping you off.”
Guessing strawberry is better than blood in his book. He tried to not show how he happy was about passing this time.
.
Tenderly biting his boyfriend’s lower lip, he shamelessly lapped at the blood droplets, enjoying the taste. While he might not get the real thing, this much was enough to have him satiated.
“You brute,” Joonghyuk hissed out as they parted, though his words held no malice.
He liked the slightly roughness of their kisses, as everything else was soft and gentle. Chuckling out a quiet apology, Dokja pecked his lips a final time and finally slipped off into the bathroom.
Standing in front of the sink, he rubbed his hand over his chin, checking how bad his stumble was. It manages to grow so fast, yet it’s never enough to fully grow into a beard. How bothersome.
Splashing water onto his face, he squirted a big dollop of shaving cream onto his palm, spreading it between both of his hands. Bringing them up to his face, his action was disrupted by the door smacking open.
Joonghyuk barged into the room, holding a box of new blades.
“I told you I wan—“
Whatever he was about to say was left there as he ogled at the mirror. Huh? Looking towards it himself, Dokja jerked away from the mirror.
Oh shit, fuck—
“Babe, no— It’s not like that, wait—“
The shocked expression was too prominent for the taller to have not seen how he lacked a reflection. Shrinking in on himself, the shorter took a couple steps back, hands raised.
“Baby?” he called, voice trembling.
He could feel nauseous build up in his throat as he saw Joonghyuk’s face turn from shocked to fury, eyebrows pinched down low. Jaw clenched tightly, the man smacked the blades onto the sink.
“You.”
“Please, I can explain!” Dokja tried, though he knew it was futile.
…Not like this, he grew to love him so much.
“Dokja, you… You’re not sick?”
The venom from those dripped like poison from snake’s fangs.
“N—“
… Wait, what?
“Sick?..” he echoed back, suddenly lost.
Isn’t Joonghyuk gonna break up with him and possibly try to stab him? What does this situation have anything to do with being sick.
“And here I thought you were sick,” the younger complained, sighing a long suffering sigh.
He took a few steps forward, making the vampire tense up.
“Vitamins. You’ve been so focused on vitamins this past month that I thought you got some kind of diagnosis when I wasn’t home,” the human angrily explains, seemingly very pissed off by the situation.
“…Why would I have gotten a diagnosis behind your back?” Dokja asked, eyes squinting in confusion.
“I— I don’t know. That’s just what I thought of…” Joonghyuk quietly answered.
“I’m healthy and fine,” the former said.
Though he didn’t know why he was even trying to calm the person who must be plotting his death. Eyes snapping to the hand taking the box of blades again, he gulped.
“I was gonna ask if I could shave your beard,” the taller admits, opening the box.
“And now?..”
Looking up from the box, the human levelled him a flat stare.
“I will shave your beard. You can’t see what you’re doing.”
“…How— How are you so calm about this?!” Dokja yelled out, his own feelings a jumbled mess.
“I…”
Hand stilling, Joonghyuk stared down at the floor for a few seconds.
“I don’t know. We— We can speak of that tomorrow, when I’m rested. Right now come here, let me shave w and we can go to sleep.”
Glancing at him with hesitation, the former let the silence stretch on for a minute before he stepped up, getting close. Raising his hands to spread the cream onto his face, he looked at the latter switched the blade on the razor.
“Be careful, my chin tends to get cut a lot,” he warns the other man, a slight tremble in his words.
“I’ll be gentle, don’t worry baby.”
With such sweet words, how could Dokja not stand here and let him do what he wanted. Joonghyuk makes him believe they can work it out in the morning.