Work Text:
Ryo had met Sakuya because he was late to class. It wasn't a particularly romantic beginning.
There was no rain, no dramatic collision, no books falling to the ground in slow motion. Just Ryo running down the street with his backpack half open, a notebook tucked under one arm, and a coffee he had bought five minutes earlier already spilling over his hand.
He had stayed up too late studying, and then he'd overslept, he'd missed the bus. And now he was going to be late for his first lecture of the semester.
He was halfway across the street when the smell reached him. The smell of coffee, freshly brewed, warm pastries, something really sweet and buttery. He slowed his pace and looked to the side, there was a small café on the corner that he had somehow never noticed before.
It sat between a bookstore and an old clothing shop, its dark green awning almost hidden beneath the trees lining the sidewalk. The windows were fogged slightly from the warmth inside. A small handwritten sign beside the door read: OPEN.
Ryo checked the time, he was already late, there was no reason to stop. He stopped anyway.
Five minutes later, he was sitting by the window with a cup of coffee and a pastry he hadn't planned on buying, he was also staring at the owner.
Sakuya stood behind the counter, he looked young, too young to own the place, Ryo thought. There was something unusual about him, not exactly intimidating. Just... elegant. His clothes were simple, but somehow he looked like he belonged somewhere much older than the little café around him. His blonde hair fell softly around his face, and his movements were quiet and precise as he prepared another cup of coffee.
When he noticed Ryo staring, he raised an eyebrow. Ryo immediately looked down, he pretended to be extremely interested in his notes. "You're going to spill that." Ryo looked at his coffee, he was, in fact, spilling it.
Sakuya smiled, it was the first time Ryo had thought a smile was genuinely beautiful, hypnotic. Something about that smile made him forget he was late.
— ❤︎
He missed the lecture anyway. After that, he started going to the café every morning. At first, he told himself it was because the coffee was good. Then because it was close to the campus, then because the prices were reasonable.
Eventually, he stopped pretending, he reall liked the café, he liked the quiet music that played in the background, he liked the old wooden tables and the shelves filled with books nobody seemed to have touched in years, he liked the smell of cinnamon that lingered near the kitchen. But mostly, he liked Sakuya, Sakuya seemed to remember everything.
After only a week, he knew Ryo's order, after two weeks, he knew which table Ryo preferred. After a month, he knew when Ryo had an exam just by looking at him. And after three months, Ryo realized he had started looking forward to seeing him more than he looked forward to his classes.
It became a routine, Ryo would arrive in the morning, Sakuya would already be there. Their eyes would meet and Sakuya would give him that small smile. And somehow, Ryo's day would immediately become better.
— ❤︎
There were strange things about Sakuya, and had started to Ryo notice them gradually.
Sakuya never seemed tired, no matter how early Ryo arrived, the café was already open, no matter how late Ryo stayed studying, Sakuya never seemed to need a break.
He rarely ate anything, he never seemed interested in the food he sold. He preferred the darkest corners of the café, and he had an almost ridiculous dislike of sunlight.
The café windows were beautiful, but the curtains were always drawn halfway. If sunlight reached the counter, Sakuya would quietly move away from it.
Ryo once joked that he was allergic to the sun, and Sakuya had laughed. "Something like that." the owner said, not really paying attention to it as he kept preparing Ryo's order.
Ryo hadn't thought much of it, there were plenty of eccentric people in the world. Sakuya was simply one of them, at least, that's what Ryo believed.
— ❤︎
They became friends first, then something more, neither of them could pinpoint exactly when it happened. Maybe it was the night Ryo stayed until closing because he had nowhere else to study. Maybe it was when Sakuya started leaving a pastry aside because he knew Ryo would arrive hungry. Maybe it was when Ryo noticed that Sakuya always looked toward the door whenever he heard footsteps, as though he was waiting for someone. Or it was the first time Sakuya laughed so hard that he had to cover his mouth.
Whatever it was, it happened quietly, there was no grand confession. One evening, after the café had closed, they simply found themselves sitting together at one of the tables, the chairs were turned upside down on the others, the lights were dim.
Rain tapped softly against the windows.Ryo was talking about university, and Sakuya was listening attentively.
At some point, Ryo stopped.
"What?" Sakuya asked.
"You were staring."
"I know."
Ryo smiled, "Why?"
Sakuya looked down at his coffee, then back at him "I like looking at you."
Ryo's heart skipped, and that was all it took.
— ❤︎
Their relationship was strangely easy after that.
Sakuya didn't act like someone who had just started dating, he was already familiar with Ryo.
He knew how to calm him down when he was stressed, knew when to leave him alone, he knew exactly how Ryo liked his coffee.
And Ryo slowly learned Sakuya's habits in return, he had learned that Sakuya hated crowded places. That he liked old movies, that he preferred classical music when he was working, that he sometimes spent hours reading books that looked older than both of them combined.
And that he had an inexplicable fondness for blankets.
"You own like twelve."
"I don't."
Ryo pointed at the cupboard. "Those are all yours."
"They're different."
"They're all blankets."
Ryo laughed, and Sakuya smiled. It was the kind of relationship that didn't need much effort, they simply fit.
— ❤︎
A year passed, Ryo had barely noticed. University became familiar, the café became familiar, Sakuya became familiar.
Until one evening, after closing, Sakuya gave him a key. Ryo stared at it, confused, "What is this?" he asked.
"My house."
Ryo looked up at him, Sakuya seemed almost nervous, which was unusual.
"I want you to move in with me."
Ryo blinked, "You're serious?"
Sakuya nodded. "We've been together for a year."
"I know."
"I thought..." He hesitated, "I thought it might be nice."
Ryo looked down at the key in his palm, he had expected to feel nervous. Instead, he felt strangely warm. "Okay."
Sakuya smiled "Okay?"
"Yeah." Ryo closed his fingers around the key,
"I'll move in." He said, standing on tip toes to give Sakuya a tender kiss.
— ❤︎
He expected Sakuya's house to be nice... he did not expect it to be enormous. The first time Ryo saw it, he thought Sakuya had brought him to the wrong place.
The house stood beyond a long iron gate at the end of a road. It was old, not abandoned old, beautiful old, the kind of house that looked like it belonged in a historical painting.
Tall windows, dark walls, Ivy climbing around the edges, a wide staircase leading to the entrance, there was even a small fountain in the front garden.
Ryo stood beside Sakuya, staring. "...You own this?"
Sakuya nodded, "Yes." He simply said.
"You're a café owner."
"Yes."
"How?"
Sakuya looked at him, "Hard work."
Ryo stared "You expect me to believe that?"
Sakuya smiled. "No."
Ryo laughed, then he looked back at the house, there was something beautiful about it. But also something slightly unsettling, the windows were so tall that they seemed almost black from outside, the garden was enormous, and the house itself seemed too quiet.
As Sakuya opened the front door, a cool breeze passed through the entrance, Ryo shivered.
Sakuya looked at him "Cold?"
"A little."
Without saying anything, Sakuya took off his coat and placed it around Ryo's shoulders, and Ryo smiled "Thanks."
Sakuya smiled back, "Welcome home."
Ryo froze, those two words stayed with him. He looked around again, the enormous staircase, the old paintings, the dark wooden floors, the chandeliers. Everything felt unfamiliar, but Sakuya was beside him, so somehow, it already felt like home.
— ❤︎
The first few weeks were wonderful. Ryo slowly filled the house with his things, books appeared on tables, shoes accumulated near the entrance. His university notes began covering one corner of the dining table. A hoodie mysteriously ended up on Sakuya's favorite chair.
The old house gradually stopped feeling like Sakuya's, it became theirs.
And Sakuya seemed happier because of it, Ryo noticed that most of all, the house had always been quiet, now it wasn't. There was laughter, music, the sound of footsteps upstairs. Ryo talking to himself while looking for his phone. Sakuya complaining about the lights being left on.
The ordinary sounds of two people living together. Sometimes, Ryo caught Sakuya standing in the hallway simply listening. As if he was trying to memorize the sound, Ryo never understood why.
There were still strange things, small things. The basement door was always locked, Sakuya never let Ryo go into the room at the end of the west hallway. Certain curtains were always kept closed. There were no mirrors in the upstairs bedrooms, and Sakuya's bedroom had heavy curtains that never opened.
When Ryo asked why, Sakuya always gave him the same answer.
"Old habits."
Ryo accepted it, because he trusted him, because love made strange things seem less strange. And because nothing truly frightening had happened, not yet.
Ryo first noticed that Sakuya never ate after sunset, it was such a small thing that, at first, he didn't think anything of it. They had known each other for a long time by then, long enough for Ryo to become familiar with Sakuya's habits.
Sakuya liked sweet things, he hated bitter coffee, he was strangely particular about the temperature of his room, he slept far too late whenever he could. And, for some reason, he never ate dinner.
Breakfast, sometimes. Lunch, occasionally. But dinner? Never. And Ryo had asked about it once, Sakuya had simply shrugged and said he wasn't hungry. Ryo hadn't questioned him, there were stranger things about people. At least, that was what he told himself, it wasn't until the night of the storm that he began to wonder.
— ❤︎
The rain had started before midnight, by one in the morning, it was pouring. Ryo was awake because the thunder kept shaking the windows, he had been trying to sleep for nearly an hour when he heard something downstairs.
A sound.
Soft, it was almost nothing, then the faint scrape of a door opening. Ryo sat up, for a few seconds, he listened carefully, nothing.
Then a second sound, footsteps, he looked toward their shared bedroom door. Sakuya's room was across the hall, the door was open, and Ryo frowned at that, he remembers that Sakuya had fell asleep with him tonight.
"Sakuya?"
No answer was heard, so he got out of bed. The hallway was dark, lightning briefly illuminated the windows at the end of the corridor, turning everything silver for half a second before plunging it back into darkness.
Ryo walked downstairs, the house was silent, he checked the kitchen and it was empty. The living room, empty as well.
Then he noticed the back door, it was open. Rain blew through the doorway, soaking the wooden floor, Ryo stared, Sakuya never left doors open — he was obsessive about locking them, aways.
Ryo grabbed a jacket, the garden beyond the door was almost completely swallowed by darkness. He stepped outside, cold rain immediately soaked through his clothes.
"Sakuya?"
No answer, he walked farther into the garden. The trees at the edge of the property swayed violently in the wind, then he saw something.
A figure standing beneath the trees, completely still, Ryo's heart jumped.
"Sakuya?"
The figure turned, even from that distance, Ryo recognized him, it was Sakuya.
He was standing in the rain without a coat, without an umbrella, completely motionless.
Ryo took a step toward him, then he stopped, something was wrong. Sakuya wasn't looking at him, he was looking at something on the ground.
Ryo couldn't see what, so he moved closer, the rain grew heavier. And then lightning flashed, for one terrible second, the entire garden became bright.
Ryo saw the animal, a deer, dead. Its body lay twisted among the wet grass, and Sakuya was kneeling beside it. His face was turned downward, his hands were covered in blood.
Ryo froze, when Sakuya lifted his head their eyes met. They weren't the same eyes Ryo knew, they were red, not brown reflecting the lightning, not dark, but red.
Deep, unnatural crimson, and his teeth were covered in blood, with sharp fangs capturing all his attention.
Ryo stumbled backward, Sakuya stood. For a moment, neither moved, the rain fell between them, and Sakuya whispered his name.
Ryo ran.
He didn't remember getting back to the house, he only remembered slamming the door behind him, his hands were shaking, his heart was pounding so hard it hurt.
He locked the door, then the second lock, lastly the chain. He stood there, breathing heavily.
This couldn't be real, there had to be another explanation, there had to be. Maybe Sakuya had been attacked, maybe the deer had been injured, maybe-
A knock came from the other side of the door, Ryo stopped breathing. Three slow knocks, they were not loud, they were almost polite.
"Sakuya?" He asked.
Silence was given to him as an answer.
Then his voice, "Ryo."
Ryo backed away, he didn't answer.
"I know you're there."
Ryo stared at the door, the voice sounded normal, and that was somehow worse.
"I can explain."
Ryo's eyes filled with fear, he wanted to believe him. That was the problem. He had known Sakuya long enough to recognize his voice, his laugh, the way he said Ryo's name, the quiet way he spoke when he was tired. It was still Sakuya standing on the other side of the door.
But now Ryo knew there was something underneath, something ancient, something hungry, something that had been hiding from him. The door handle slowly moved, and Ryo flinched.
Then stopped, the locks hadn't moved. Sakuya wasn't trying to force his way inside, he was just standing there waiting. After a long silence, Ryo heard footsteps retreat, he stayed frozen until he couldn't hear them anymore, only then did he realize he was crying.
— ❤︎
The next morning, Sakuya was gone, his room was empty, his belongings were still there, his bed remained untouched, but he was gone.
Ryo didn't tell anyone what had happened, not yet. Instead, he began searching, he told himself he was looking for an explanation.
But somewhere beneath that excuse was another reason, he wanted to prove himself wrong, he wanted to find something that would make everything normal again.
The first thing he noticed was the photographs, there were dozens of them throughout the house. Old photographs, very old.
Some belonged to Sakuya's family, others were simply framed portraits that had been there for years. Ryo had never really paid attention to them.
Now he did, he stood in front of one, a family portrait. The photograph was dated 1923, and Ryo stared at it, there was a young boy standing near the center.
His face was unmistakable, same eyes, same mouth, same expression, Sakuya.
Ryo's stomach dropped, then he grabbed another photograph, then another.
Sakuya.
Sakuya.
Sakuya.
Every photograph showed him exactly the same, not older, not different, he was the same. Ryo dropped the photographs onto the table, his breathing became shallow. "No..."
He searched through drawers, he found old documents, newspapers, a lot of letters.
Then he found a newspaper clipping, the paper was yellowed with age, and the headline was barely readable.
𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐀 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄.
Ryo read the article, it talked about how a family had vanished from the area almost a century ago, no bodies were found, no explanation, no witnesses.
The only thing left behind was their house, and it was the same house Ryo was standing in, he let the clipping fall.
A cold realization moved through him, Sakuya hadn't been hiding something for a few months, he had been hiding it for decades, maybe centuries.
That evening, Ryo didn't sleep, he sat in the living room with every light turned on, he kept telling himself he would leave in the morning.
That he would pack his things, he would go somewhere far away, he would never see Sakuya again, because that was the sensible thing, the safe thing.
At three in the morning, he heard the window open, Ryo looked up. Sakuya stood on the other side of the room.
He hadn't heard him enter, and Sakuya looked different, paler, if that was even possible, his clothes were damp, his expression was exhausted.
But his eyes were normal, brown, human.. almost.
Ryo stood as he looked at him right in the eyes, neither spoke for a few seconds. Sakuya looked at the newspaper clippings scattered across the table, he understood immediately. "You found them."
Ryo nodded. "How old are you?"
Sakuya didn't answer.
Ryo's voice shook as he asked again, "How old are you?"
Sakuya looked away, "Old." he said.
"That's not an answer."
"I know."
Ryo took a step backward, "Are you a vampire?"
Sakuya closed his eyes, for a long time, there was only silence, then he nodded.
Ryo's chest tightened, the word sounded absurd, like something from a story, something that should only exist in novels and movies.
But the blood on Sakuya's hands had been real.
His eyes had been real, the photographs were real, everything suddenly fit together.
The locked curtains, the strange hours, the untouched food, the cold skin, the way Sakuya never appeared in the only two mirrors of the house, the way he'd once casually mentioned that sunlight gave him headaches and everyone had laughed.
It wasn't a joke, none of it had been a joke.
Ryo whispered, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Sakuya looked at him "Because people don't usually stay."
Something about the way he said it made Ryo stop. There was no threat in his voice, no anger, only exhaustion.
Sakuya looked down at his hands "I thought if you knew, you'd leave."
Ryo didn't know what to say, because he had been planning to, he had been ready to run. But now, standing there and looking at Sakuya, he couldn't bring himself to move.
Sakuya seemed to understand, his expression changed and he took one step backward. "I won't hurt you."
Ryo's throat tightened, "I know."
Sakuya looked surprised.
Ryo didn't understand why he'd said it, he didn't fully believe it. But somehow, he did deep inside.
"You could have hurt me."
Sakuya's gaze dropped. "I know."
"But you didn't."
"No."
"Why?" Ryo asked.
Sakuya looked at him, his eyes were painfully human. "Because you're Ryo."
The answer was so simple that it hurt, Sakuya turned toward the window "I should go."
Ryo's heart suddenly jumped. "Where?"
"Somewhere else."
"Why?"
"So you can be safe."
Ryo stared at him. The vampire walked toward the window, Ryo should have let him.
Instead, he reached out. His fingers caught the back of Sakuya's sleeve, Sakuya stopped.
Neither of them moved, Ryo's hand was shaking, and Sakuya slowly looked down at it. "You don't have to stay," he whispered.
Ryo swallowed. "I know."
Sakuya waited.
Ryo looked at him. "I just...", he couldn't explain it, he was frightened, he was confused, his entire understanding of the world had changed overnight.
But underneath all of it was something that hadn't changed at all, Sakuya was still Sakuya, the same person who stole his snacks, the same person who complained when Ryo left lights on, the same person who laughed too loudly when something was genuinely funny, the same person who had quietly sat beside him during bad days without asking questions.
The same person Ryo had trusted before he knew the truth.
Ryo loosened his grip. "I don't know what you are... exactly. "
Sakuya looked away.
"But I know who you are."
Sakuya's expression broke just slightly. Enough for Ryo to see how badly he'd been trying not to hope.
— ❤︎
After that night, things were never quite the same. Ryo was afraid of Sakuya for a while, and he didn't pretend otherwise, he learned the rules.
He learned what Sakuya could do, what hurt him, and what he needed. He learned that vampires could hear heartbeats from across a room, that Sakuya could see perfectly in complete darkness, that he could move faster than anything Ryo had ever seen.
He learned that Sakuya hated being called scary with all his being. He learned that garlic did almost nothing, and that crosses did even less.
That sunlight, however, was very real. And he learned that Sakuya was terrified of losing control, more terrified than Ryo was of him.
Months later, Ryo would still remember the night he found him in the garden, the heavy rain, the blood, the crimson eyes, the fear.
But when he thought of Sakuya now, that wasn't the image that came first, it was the photograph. Sakuya standing awkwardly in the frame, looking annoyed at the camera, it was Sakuya falling asleep on the couch, Sakuya stealing blankets, Sakuya quietly standing outside Ryo's bedroom when he had nightmares, pretending he had only been passing by.
The vampire in the garden had been terrifying, but the boy sitting beside Ryo near the window three months later, watching the sunrise from beneath a heavy blanket because he couldn't step into the light for much time.
That was Sakuya.
And perhaps that was the strangest part, Ryo had always thought monsters were supposed to reveal themselves by becoming something else, something cruel, something inhuman.
He had never expected to discover that sometimes the monster was simply someone who had been alone for too long.
One night, months after the storm, Ryo found Sakuya standing by the window, the curtains were closed, and the room was dark, moonlight slipped through a tiny gap.
Sakuya looked over, their eyes met, for a moment, Ryo remembered the garden. Then Sakuya smiled, small and almost shy.
Ryo smiled back, and the fear that had once lived between them was no longer there, not completely gone, maybe it never would be. But it had changed, it had become trust, and, eventually, something much more dangerous.
Something neither of them was brave enough to name yet.