Archive of Our Own

2019

It was nearing dawn and Younghoon was considering not going back to his dingy little apartment in the questionable part of the city. He was watching the sky clear up from Juyeon's opened french windows, not moving an inch, as if frozen in time. The birds were happily chirping today too, the grass outside of the mansion was just as green in October even though some of the tree leaves have started to go various shades of yellow and red. 

"You're welcome to stay here today." Juyeon pulled him out of his reverie and he turned to look at him, glasses resting low on his nose and a book in hand, as usual. His friend hasn't changed much.

"You've known me for 224 years." Younghoon stated matter of factly, that was his entire lifetime.

"Indeed," Juyeon smiled to himself. "Happy birthday, Hoonie." Since Younghoon turned, he stopped celebrating the actual day he was born and only counted the decades since he turned. 

It's not happy at all. Younghoon thought, turning back to the window to enjoy the crisp morning air as long as he could before sunrise and not think about his fate. He didn't want another soulmate, he has lived all his life just fine without meeting the previous two and they were long dead by today.

He heard rustling in the back and then the sound of the TV turning on.

"You know," Younghoon started. "I still remember the time you were reading the newspaper, I almost can't believe you watch the news on TV these days."

"I have been doing that for decades." Juyeon turned the volume up and crossed his legs, sitting properly on the settee.

He truly has, as someone who was supposed to be alive for centuries, Juyeon has learned to be content with his life, unlike Younghoon. He wondered if he was just too immature to realize how yet. Juyeon's age fit him, he thought. He was 525 years old already and that's the exact feeling Younghoon got every time he spoke to him as well. Someone mature, someone you can trust, wise beyond imagination. Someone who has been with him for decades and more to come. Someone who had his back, and looked after him even when he didn't realize it.

Younghoon focused on the news.

A 23 year old man was found dead under City bridge by a passerby last night. Police reports the murder was committed by his soulmate, a 25 years old man, because and I quote, "Who needs love in 2019? All I needed was a few thousand in cash." The-

Juyeon turned off the TV with a sigh. That was one of many similar cases. The sun was just about to show over the horizon at this time, signaling Younghoon to close the windows and drape the thick black curtains back over them.

Younghoon has been alive for a little over two centuries and the amount of greed fueled murders he has heard about were way too many. What if his new soulmate was going to be looking just to murder him like any common other, just so they could receive the money that came with it? As the news report implied, people only cared about money these days, people only cared about money ever since he was born.

"I can almost hear your thoughts.

"You've never told me," Younghoon started, eyebrows put together in thought before he backtracked. "I have also never asked.. Has any of your soulmates ever tried to murder you, Jyu?"

He could see his thoughts fleeting past, bitter memories painting Juyeon's features dark. Out of 6 soulmates, Younghoon should've guessed.

"My fourth soulmate," Juyeon simply stated, devoid of many details. "She tried to poison me after inviting me for tea." He picked back his book and laid down, stretching his legs way past the settee armrest. "You can see how well this worked though." Juyeon smirked and didn't elaborate more.

2021

Devious winds were blowing Sangyeon hard enough to knock him down but he wasn’t falling. He was running ahead on this path of thorns and never stopping. At dawn, the moon was hanging too close in front of his eyes for this to be real so he thought "It must be a dream", a mean dream in which he searched for someone he hadn't even met. Whom he had to reach. Unquestionably. He didn’t seem to care that he was stepping on thorns because it didn’t seem to hurt, and the grass was taller than himself. His feet were bleeding, his skin felt dry and sore, his eyes were bleary and tearing from the heavy winds, yet he kept going, he had to. He had to run. To reach, to find his soulmate. He couldn’t give up until he succeeded. In this dream that was his only purpose. 

Sangyeon woke up as usual, hating that the dream still bothered him even though he's been sporadically getting it for two years now. He knew for a fact he didn't have a soulmate he had to find. He had never once received even a single coin over the past two years. It was impossible for a human being to not even get a paper cut for that time. Hell, he wished it would finally stop and leave him alone to live the life he's made for himself.. or the one he's desperately trying to make for himself. 

"Three iced americanos," Sangyeon repeated to the customer for confirmation. The shaggy teenager nodded, having him start the espresso machine for the hundredth time today.

It was a busy Monday morning even for him and his humble three years of experience. But his tiredness could also be blamed on the lack of sleep, maybe lack of money and the fact that Haknyeon has been paying the rent by himself for the past three months. Or possibly because he had to go and attend his second "job" tomorrow night. For someone who was three years older than his best friend, he wasn't managing his life better. In fact, he felt like he was very close to a monumental breakdown.

Sangyeon put the three Americanos on the counter and rang the boy's card.

Everything felt nagging and uncomfortable today, his apron straps, his dry hands, his coworker who also happened to be his manager today, his hat oh God, his hat. He couldn't wait to get off work and yank it off of his head for the day.

"Sangyeon," He jolted at suddenly being addressed by the manager, almost dropping the filled portafilter but steadied his hand.

"Yeah?" He continued making the latte.

"It's an awkward time and place but I haven't had the opportunity to call you in my office," The other man started carefully. "You've been working double what any other employee has for two months now, are you sure you don't need a day off?"

Since when were managers concerned about your well-being? He thought suddenly, before remembering, he's your friend, Sangyeon. Or sort of friend, he had met the other almost four years ago. He put the latte on the counter. "Enjoy your drink!"

And it was already time to handle another order.

"I'm sure. I need the money, I can't afford resting right now, please understand." The ice rattled subtly as he stirred the iced peach tea to completion.

His manager nodded, dropping it and proceeding with his own remaining orders.

The dashed line separating the road started blurring together as Younghoon sped up, gripping his motorcycle handles tight. In the 1945 United States, he could easily forgo the helmet, let the wind and sometimes rain blow his hair wild. In 2021 in South Korea, he had to follow the law. He had made the mistake of leaving his helmet at the mansion once and while he had met no cops on his little tour back and forth, he sure had met Eric's fawning about how he couldn't just get arrested, I haven't even gone to law school yet, hyung! What if there’s an accident?! Since then, he's been wearing it every time, much to Juyeon's soulmate' glee.

The fancy looking vampire bar he was going to was give or take twenty minutes away from Juyeon's mansion, a cozy place made to look expensive with decent brown leather stools, laminate floors and a few certainly fake 18th century paintings hanging on the dark colored walls. He trusted Juyeon on the fake part of the statement.

Younghoon wasn't looking forward to the cocktails made with blood from plastic banks. He knew other vampires hired humans to drink from on one or multiple occasions, even Juyeon was doing that these days, but the thing was, he didn't really know any humans and going up to a complete stranger seemed a bit... too extroverted for his liking. So he put up with his options, choosing to ignore any other possibilities. 

He slowed down when he spotted the lit neon sign above the door, Maverick, and parked his Harley Davidson in the designated spot.

Heading inside, he was hit with the fresh smell of blood, faintly clouding his senses . It was fairly quiet, no odd sightings, nobody getting their blood drunk in the middle of the salon, as usual, he could see why Juyeon preferred the place.

The bartender was working as any other, mixing cocktails, greeting customers. Some of the drinks were definitely different colors than red and looked fancier than he's seen before first coming here.. but it all contained the same thing anyway. That's why they were all here.

Tonight, he didn't care for flair. "A blood bank with a straw, please." He sat on one of the leather stools beside two others and waited patiently.

"I hope you enjoy your drink." The bartender, Kevin, smiled politely at him, as if he was open to further conversation at any given time. And Younghoon knew for a fact that he was, he's seen the man converse with anyone that chatted him up before. It was part of the etiquette. He sipped his boring drink in silence, the dim interior lights making the atmosphere become more pleasant with every following sip before the conversation beside him piqued his interest, the woman in front of Kevin whispering as if forgetting everyone can hear it and him replying just as quietly.

"...Lee Juyeon's human?" Younghoon paid attention from the end of the sentence only.

"He insists on paying himself, and doesn't want to share." Kevin said.

"I like him though, can you not arrange it for me? I'll pay him well." The woman smirked, tucking lush blond hair behind one ear.

"Lilia, you know how it is," Kevin pressed. "You can't bargain with Juyeon, he's the oldest in the city, he's been here longer than you've been alive. I don't think I can do anything for you."

She crossed her boot-clad feet. "Who mentioned anything about bargaining with Juyeon? I'm telling you to offer the human, if he wants to do it, Juyeon has no say. The contract states it." She was right, if a human could and wanted another vampire to drink their blood for payment, they had the free will to sign up for it.

Younghoon felt like an intruder enough listening in to a conversation about his best friend, so he decided it's enough. What Juyeon did to satisfy his hunger made no difference to him.

"Have a good night." Younghoon nodded politely at Kevin and headed for the door.

"The food's actually good, I can't believe it," Haknyeon mumbled through a mouthful of noodles.

"Chew the food, Haknyeonie," Sangyeon had that disapproving look on his face, the one he also used on little children and him alike, it wasn't intimidating at all and yet it made Haknyeon listen to him every time. 

Tonight, the weather was surprisingly mild for a late October night, they sat outside, jackets on, it was almost a pity Sangyeon had to go to his "job". He had chosen this place because it was ten minutes away from the vampire bar for convenience, hoping his night was going to go fairly well this time too. There was nothing to worry about. He had already done this a few times and the vampire paying him was fair every time, he could even go as far as to call him kind. 

"What's bothering you?" Haknyeon was looking at him over his bowl with an inquiring look. Sangyeon lost his conviction for staying silent about the offer he received earlier today.

"Kevin called me earlier today," Haknyeon nodded slightly in understanding. "He said there was someone else who wanted my… service. And that she was willing to pay me a similar amount or more than my current if I agreed."

Sangyeon could almost guess what Haknyeon was going to say by the look in his eyes alone.

"…I can see you've been thinking it over," He started. "But do you think you're physically capable of it? You're already looking worn out."

"That's because I can't sleep, not because I'm serving as a blood bank once a month." Sangyeon countered, trying to sound as convincing as he could and yet failing even to his own ears. He knew how he looked most of the time, and yet. He also knew he had to do something about his worsening financial situation. He couldn't just take a day off or refuse an offer that could get him rent money for at least one month.

"It's because of both of these things," Haknyeon sighed. "I told you it's okay, my family is insisting on helping me anyway since I'm in college, you can start paying your part of the rent when you're able to, seriously." He gave Sangyeon such an earnest look that if it was a private conversation, he might've teared up. "Besides, if you get hurt, you won't be able to do anything at all. You still buy the groceries. We'll get through this without you having to risk your life."

Sangyeon knew his best friend was right. Haknyeon was kind and wise beyond his years and Sangyeon hated that he couldn't even do his part right now. He was going through his own struggles and offered to carry some of Sangyeon's too anyway, it was unfair and he felt so guilty about it… He knew Haknyeon meant what he was saying, that he didn't expect Sangyeon to find money out of nowhere at the moment but he didn't want to accept it himself. He didn't say anything. Instead chose to sit and wait for Haknyeon to finish his food before he had to leave.

"I'll pay," Sangyeon said, ready to pull his wallet out of his jacket pocket.

"No." Haknyeon felt his pockets, forgetting which one he put his wallet in for a second, his expression changing suddenly. "Oh,"

"What?"

Haknyeon pulled a twenty dollar bill out of his previously empty pocket, staring at it in mild surprise. "That… wasn't here earlier."

"Does that mean…?"

I have a soulmate. 

"Fuck!" Eric wailed, he had dropped the knife right on his foot, it was currently stuck upright, right above his little toe.

"What's going on?"

"Can you even believe my luck?" Eric pointed to his foot, just leaving the knife there for the moment, contemplating his whole existence. Because how did he even manage to be that clumsy.

Juyeon made his way into the kitchen, doing his best not to chuckle at his soulmate's misfortune before leaning down and pulling the knife out.

"Fuck!"

"Youngjae."

"Okay, okay," Eric lifted his hands in surrender. "it doesn't even hurt anymore."

Juyeon was glad about that but the current state of the kitchen did hurt his eyes. Flour was sprinkled all over the granite counters, some of it had even gotten on the floor and in Eric's hair… somehow. Eggshells were dumped next to the sink, the remaining of the whites freely pooling around them, it looked like Eric's organization skills had suddenly declined on him, because Juyeon knew for a fact, Eric didn't even throw his clothes on a chair out of laziness without putting them away.

"What are you doing anyway?" He picked up the eggshells, throwing them in the trash.

"Oh, just baking some cookies for the basketball team, I promised I'll do it after we won the game."

"You don't know how to bake," Juyeon pointed out.

"I know that, thanks." Eric stirred the runny questionable looking mixture of eggs and… whatever else was in it. "I asked one of my teammates for the recipe, he knows how to do that stuff, so if I just follow it, I'll be okay."

"I literally saw you crack an egg outside of the bowl a few minutes ago."

"Keen eye, Juyeon!" Eric scowled, not even a tad bit irritated, his lips forming in a pout. "Hyung." He added a little too late, (he never used the term) laughing at Juyeon's scandalized glare. "Anyway, I'll get back to this, I have to finish it preferably before tomorrow morning."

"Go get it, baby." Juyeon picked up his long emerald green coat off the chair and headed out for dinner.

Haknyeon used his newly acquired cash to pay for their food, telling Sangyeon it didn't matter if he kept it or not, it was just money, nothing special. Even if it was the first amount he'd gotten because of his soulmate hurting themselves. That's just the way he was, he was just going to keep the memory of finding it.

"Drive safe, Haknyeonie." Sangyeon patted his shoulder, smiling faintly.

"I'm pulling an all-nighter tonight, I'll wait for you at home."

"Okay." He ruffled Haknyeon's hair affectionately.

Sangyeon took up a slow pace down the street, noting it took him exactly ten minutes to get to the bar from the restaurant he and Haknyeon ate at.

He entered the dimly lit bar, passing paintings on his way to the bartender. He didn't see anyone looking at him from the bunch of vampires present and he was very glad about that.

"Good evening," Sangyeon greeted politely.

"Number 11, same as before." Kevin handed him a spare key, following protocol.

"Thanks." He pocketed it and went on his way. He used to be nervous meeting Juyeon before but the other had proven to be more easy going than Sangyeon could've ever imagined him to be. It certainly helped calm him down.

He stood in front of the door, remembering what the bartender told him earlier that day, second guessing if he should accept the offer anyway. He grabbed the handle, pressing it down.

"Good evening." He greeted Juyeon the same.

"Good evening, Sangyeon."

Juyeon had his legs crossed and a cocktail in hand already, calm and a little nonchalant. His coat was hanging on the rack close to the door. Even after their few meetings, Sangyeon still felt a little intimidated by his presence with or without pleasantries, it felt difficult not to be when the vampire looked like a book character he’d fall for immediately only for him to turn into the villain in the middle of the story. Not that this was very off-putting to Sangyeon. Juyeon was sitting on the settee as usual, having left the chair in front of him for Sangyeon to take. He took his jacket off, hanging it on the chair and sat down comfortably.

"Are you feeling alright?" Juyeon continued, seeing that Sangyeon intended to sit in silence, staring at his black boots through the glass table.

"I'm fine," Sangyeon answered, a little too eager to convince him that he wasn't feeling like fainting out of exhaustion right at this moment. He could do this. "Just a little tired, there's nothing to worry about. Thanks for asking."

Juyeon hummed, tipping his drink to get the last drop in his mouth. "Come sit next to me then." He moved to the left, leaving enough space for Sangyeon.

He didn't hesitate, sitting next to Juyeon felt familiar already, he was feeling the metaphorical warmth. He was used to looking at him, finding that Juyeon didn't really mind, and it somehow made Sangyeon feel at peace when he was calm and unbothered. He offered his arm as usual and Juyeon took it, an unreadable look in his eyes.

He didn't let Sangyeon wonder what it could mean for too long, soon after he felt Juyeon's fangs breaking skin, lodging themselves deeper, he gripped the armrest without making any sound. Juyeon started off slowly as he usually did, giving him time to adjust and yet this time his head spun. He wished he was on the bed across the room instead. He tried to pace his breathing to a regular pattern, giving no clue about his current state which seemed to work for a while until he felt something shift, he was starting to feel faint. But right before it could escalate, Juyeon pulled his fangs out, bringing a small towel over the wound.

Sangyeon took a deep breath, or what he imagined to be one. He felt so worn out, he knew if he tried to get up, he'd most likely fall back down immediately.

"Never lie to me again, Sangyeon." Juyeon said, resulting in him whipping his head up too fast to look at him, and the room spinning. Sangyeon whined, holding his head with his other arm, doing his best to get ahold of himself even if it was a bit futile at this point.

He saw Juyeon standing up but he was too light headed to realize what he was doing until his feet were off the ground and he was half sitting, half laying on the bed in the corner.

If this was a test, he most probably failed at it. "Don't drop me, please."

"You're sitting down, Sangyeon, there's nowhere for me to drop you from."

"No, I don't.. I mean," Sangyeon leaned back, resting his head on the wall, a glassy look in his eyes. "I want to continue doing this, I'm sorry I lied to you, I just…" Need money. I won't survive much longer if I don't make sure I can. It's so hard for me right now. I'm sorry. 

Juyeon sat down close to him, the same conflicted look on his face as before. Sangyeon wished he knew what he was thinking.

"I won't," Juyeon searched his face for something. "But you need to recover your health first. I won't seek you out for two months. You need to rest."

Sangyeon hated that word. Rest. It almost made him chuckle with how ridiculous it was. Everyone seemed to be telling him to rest these days, ignoring the fact that he couldn't do it. Rest meant death in his eyes. Rest meant he wouldn't have enough money for food, it meant disappointing Haknyeon further and putting a heavier burden on his shoulders when he was already carrying enough. It meant he couldn't help his father with his mother's hospital bills.

However he knew arguing with Juyeon wasn't going to end with the outcome he wanted. He knew why the vampire was saying this but refused to accept it. Still, he nodded silently, hoping he looked convinced enough, hoping Juyeon believed he'd stay put for as long as he was told.

"Did you drive here?"

"I walked." And I probably can't walk long enough to reach the bus stop right now. But Juyeon had already sensed that, if he didn't stop earlier, Sangyeon would've been out like a light.

"I'll drive you back. Stay put for now."

Juyeon would probably have no problem getting him out of this room even in this state but he didn't want to embarrass Sangyeon, so he was going to wait a little even though he knew a few minutes wouldn't make much of a difference.

"Hey," Sangyeon looked at Juyeon, he was worried now. "Do you think I'll be okay tomorrow morning? I have to go to work."

Juyeon threw him an incredulous look, not even believing his ears. The human was talking about work when he could barely stand on his feet in this state, very few things frustrated Juyeon, but Sangyeon was rounding to become one of them. "I was serious earlier when I told you you're going to need rest."

"You didn't specify how long.."

Juyeon pinched the bridge of his nose in despair. "At least a day. I’d recommend more but you don’t look like you’d comply."

Sangyeon sighed in annoyance, he couldn't afford resting for a day, more than a day was out of the question. This was starting to get more frustrating by the second but it wasn't Juyeon's fault. He wasn't the one working him to the bone. He was visibly frustrated either way, he was so tired, if he went to sleep right now, he wasn't even sure he'd wake up tomorrow. He felt like crying, he never cried. This was ridiculous.

"Okay," Sangyeon almost whispered, he didn't trust his voice right now. "Should I go to the doctor or something?" He suddenly felt like a child asking such questions. Juyeon was basically an employer to him, he had no idea why he was getting all sad and mushy in front of him, it wasn't his job to take care of him. He was just here to feed himself, pay him, and let him go. And it was all going perfectly fine until today. 

"You're basically at the doctor right now," Juyeon chuckled. "Only because of your job if you have to, otherwise rest as much as you can, drink a lot of fluids and focus on getting better, that's all."

"...Okay."

"And don't worry about money," Juyeon stared ahead. "I'll pay you double today and expect to continue using your service, if that sounds good to you?"

Relief washed over Sangyeon in an instant, his head had gotten a little clearer, still unsure if he could walk by himself long enough but this made a world of difference to him. "Yes! Of course. You've been nothing but kind to me. I want to continue."

"It's a sealed deal then."

The drive to Sangyeon's apartment was silent, besides the times he had to give Juyeon directions, his dizziness was increasing on every turn and little hole in the asphalt, he was gripping the handle above his head tight and praying he wouldn't get nauseous enough to throw up all over Juyeon's car interior. That would've been beyond ungrateful toward the vampire.

Walking out of the bar was surprisingly easy, nobody cared to ask questions or even spare them a second look, nobody whispered behind their backs even though Juyeon was supporting almost his full weight on the way to his jeep. Sangyeon guessed they've seen such a view a lot before, which made him wonder if walking out happy and healthy all the other times was what looked out of place to them.

He didn't have much time to think it over, noticing they're already in front of the building he lived in. Juyeon stopped to a halt and exited the vehicle.

Before Sangyeon could even realize where the handle was, the door was opened and Juyeon was offering him a hand.

"What floor do you live on?"

"Fourth floor, there's no elevator." Haknyeon would be worried out of his mind to see him in this state. He almost wished he could just not go back and recover somewhere else but that was far fetched. He had nowhere to go and Haknyeon would be freaking out even more if he didn't know where he was.

"Give me your keys." He listened, handing them over, trusting the vampire way more than he probably would if he was in his right mind.

Juyeon looped his arm around his waist again, guiding Sangyeon's over his shoulder to support him, the world was starting to spin after the first few steps he made, making him suddenly stop and fist the fabric of Juyeon's emerald coat hard enough to leave creases.

"That's enough." Juyeon said. "I'm about to lift you, so be ready for that."

Sangyeon's breath was knocked out of him even with the warning when Juyeon picked him up bridal style without an issue."Lean your head on me, it's okay." He added before unlocking the front door and starting to climb the endless stairs to Sangyeon and Haknyeon's floor. He could probably never thank Juyeon enough.

Once Sangyeon was outside of their familiar door, Juyeon put him back down carefully, letting him lean on the wall and unlocked the door himself.

"Sangyeon!"

Haknyeon ran to the door, stopping dead in his tracks by the view. Sangyeon was pale and sickly looking, leaning heavily on the doorframe with a stranger next to him.

"What happened? Who is that?" Haknyeon gave the vampire a once over, he had never seen him before.

"Don't overwork yourself." Juyeon said at last, taking an envelope out of the inside pocket of his coat and handing it to Haknyeon. "The amount is as much as I promised." He said to Sangyeon before walking away and leaving him in the hands of his best friend.

1944

The sweltering July heat left everyone hiding under hats, umbrellas and anything big enough to hold over their heads. Younghoon was sitting in his movie set trailer, spraying water on his face and back of his shirt, currently alone and not even a tiny bit envious of his human colleagues who were sweating buckets outside and inside alike.

He loved Hollywood summers, even if he had to fake sweating from time to time just to seem like a legit human being. Younghoon crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, looking in the vanity mirror. His hair was getting longer now, parted in the middle and styled away from his face, much against his hairstylist' wishes.

Mentioning her now, Younghoon's trailer door opened, and here she was, swinging a pair of barber shears in her wake.

"Hoon!"

Younghoon winced, words of protest already trying to form their way out. "What is it?" He gave her a dubious look through the mirror.

"The director is calling you out, you're filming your final scene next."

Younghoon uncrossed his legs, proceeding to get up, his hair stylist had put the scissors away, in order to hand him a hanger with another white shirt on it.

"Change first, your shirt is sticking to your back, it won't look good on camera."

Younghoon hummed, doing his best not to laugh. "Of course." He took it from her, waiting for her to exit the trailer before changing and going in the sun once again.

"It's a wrap, folks!" The director shouted, putting things to a halt after Younghoon got slapped for the tenth time today by the female lead character. Maybe there were parts of the job he didn't quite like after all. The older looking man was holding script pages over his head in an attempt to shield himself from the sun, giving everyone a proud look.

Everybody was cheering, putting away filming equipment and congratulating each other. After a few months of filming, today was their last day on set, the atmosphere was charged with positive energy even in the sweltering hot weather.

Younghoon was just happy to do the job he'd wanted to do since he was young and still very much a human. He sighed in content, shaking hands with the other actors and staff, receiving pats on the shoulder and words of job well done, he couldn't have wished for anything better.

The lead actress made her way to him, presenting a cheeky smile. "Do I hit too weak?" Her eyes crinkled beautifully when she smiled.

Younghoon gasped animatedly, covering his mouth. "You? Weak?" He snickered. "You had the strength of a man packed into that slap."

She laughed, bending forward a bit. "All ten times? Ah, you must've suffered a lot then." She straightened her back, taking a step away from him. "I had quite a pleasant time filming with you, maybe we'll work together again in the future." She kept her smile in place, regarding him as a friend.

"I'll look forward to it." The vampire nodded with an easy smile of his own, ready to part ways for now, or forever.

Younghoon got on his brand new Harley Davidson he had previously parked under a tree. It was a gift to him by the movie director and a new model not yet on the market that he had pulled some strings to get for him.

He put on his aviator sunglasses and left the helmet untouched, as usual, driving off the empty movie set.

2021

You could find Younghoon half laying, half sitting on the couch in front of the TV a lot these days, watching anything and everything he found interesting thanks to Eric's Netflix subscription. In fact, that's what he was doing right now, three episodes into My Name, too absorbed in the show to care what time it was or pay attention to his surroundings.

He was so immersed in the fighting scene on screen that he almost completely ignored Eric storming in the room, something sharp glinting in his right hand.

"Younghoon," He threw the object, a dart arrow straight at Younghoon.

"What are you doing?" The older vampire caught it right before it could lodge itself right under his collarbone, exhaling in relief. It really would've taken only half a second of distraction and two years of hiding would have perished into nothingness right in front of his eyes.

"I told you not to throw out my peach tea!" Eric took the dart arrow from Younghoon's hand, throwing it at the board on the wall, hitting a perfect score.

"Throw what?" Younghoon got up, tugging on his hair, yeah well maybe he did, after a second thought. "You can't even drink it!"

"I can smell it," Eric said. "Besides, I could in fact drink it, old man. It's perfectly fine even if it has zero nutritional value to me."

Younghoon sometimes tended to forget Eric was in college and he had to play the human friend card with a lot of people, especially since he was a little magnet for people. That pretty much meant he had to drink and eat things he didn't necessarily need in any way. It still wasn't his main concern.

"Younghoon," Eric continued, noticing the change of atmosphere.

"I'm sorry for throwing it out." The older vampire said, sitting back down, feeling a bit defeated now. He didn't want to address anything going on in his mind or outside.

"Listen, it's okay, I really didn't think for a second," Eric sighed, sitting close in the limited space left. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have thrown that at you."

"It's fine." Younghoon decided. It was. Everything was going to be just fine, denial wasn't the worst state he could possibly live in. He's experienced far worse than lying to himself a little and ignoring something he had to probably resolve.

Eric looked at him like he wanted to say something. And Younghoon knew he never held back his words, so it wasn't surprising this time around either.

"I think you should meet your soulmate."

Never. Younghoon wanted to reply right away, he'll never do it. He spent those two years hiding. He didn't want to seek him out even though he'd been keeping an eye on him for a while now. It was just in case. Just in case he got hurt and needed help. The vampire had to remind himself.

"That won't happen, Eric. And you know why," Younghoon sat back down, pausing the TV and rewinding to the scene he was previously on. "I was happy for you and Juyeon and I still am, but I can't do what he did."

Eric sat beside him, a little sad smile dulling his sharp features. In moments like those, he seemed more mature than Younghoon usually gave him credit for. 

"Promise you'll think about it?"

It's been a month since he met with Juyeon, Sangyeon noted. His state hasn't been much different since then, he was still overworking, still tired, but at least not as bad as he had been for nearly two days after their encounter. As much as he hated to admit it, Juyeon was right, and he listened to him, stayed at home and made use of the extra money he had received out of… Sangyeon wasn't really sure why. Out of Juyeon's kind heart? He knew from experience that the other was nice but it still seemed kind of odd, some people that knew him for way longer didn't offer him even a sliver of help in bad situations. 

Sangyeon had just gotten off work, tomorrow was Sunday, the only day off he had because the Café was closed and he was currently walking, their apartment was near enough to not need transportation, unless the weather called for it. Today was a little colder and rainy without any wind, his mind was wandering. He hadn't called Kevin back a month ago and if he hadn't almost passed out, it would've been just about time to visit Juyeon again. He didn't really miss him yet, but he did miss being able to live without having to worry about money every other second.

He gripped his phone in his pocket and continued walking. If he didn't have to pay for his mother's medical bills, he would've been alright. If he had a better job and made more money, he would've been alright. But he couldn't change either of those things, he could only do his little side labor and hope his mother would get better enough to be able to to get on her feet again. And that's exactly what he was going to do.

"Good evening?" He could see his warm breath turning into fog in front of him after saying the words. "It's Lee Sangyeon. Does the offer from last month still stand?"

There was some rustling on the other end, before everything steadied and he was greeted by a woman's voice.

"Hey, my dear pookie," She said, too sweet for Sangyeon's liking. "It still stands, in fact, you can come up right now if you're free."

Sangyeon stayed silent for a few seconds, the rain the only sound. "I'll need about forty minutes to get there."

"Can do. I'll wait for you, pretty."

He hung up, breathing in the chilly air, trying to calm his racing heart. He wasn't thinking of possible consequences, just that he needed the cash. That was all that mattered after all, wasn't it? People killed for money any day, but he'd rather die for it instead of hurting another human or not exactly human being. All he needed was to endure everything until he could. Until better days found him again.

Younghoon sat on the floor of Juyeon's living room, one story of their house of cards currently built.

"Hold your breath!" He stressed when Juyeon got a little too close to the cards, attempting to put two together, starting the second story. Luck worked in his favor, they stayed, signaling Younghoon's turn.

"It's fun," Juyeon said when Younghoon succeeded.

"It is." The younger vampire smiled, watching Juyeon struggle to position the small cards without knocking everything down with his big hands. He felt like a child again, the same as when he was twelve and Juyeon was still his father's good friend, the doctor that had helped his mother have him. It felt like easier times, if he thought about it. Easy until a few years later when Juyeon disappeared and he didn't see him until he was on the brink of death, fighting in a war he hadn't started.

"Your turn," Juyeon leaned back on his hands watching him, they managed to build the second story, it was getting harder now.

Younghoon bent to the left to take the remaining cards when he heard it. A single coin rolling out of his pocket, too loud in the silence to not be noticed by the both of them.

Juyeon frowned, reaching over to take it.

"It's nothing out of the ordinary." Younghoon decided, taking the cards anyway. He leaned to start the third floor when he heard the rustling of paper and coins clinking together, his pockets suddenly getting heavier by the second.

He dropped the cards and stood up, their house of cards collapsing in the process. Younghoon stuck his hands in both his pockets, rummaging through bills and coins, sudden panic freezing him in place.

It was too much. It's never this much. His brain supplied helplessly, frantically looking at the older vampire, who had now gotten up and was already wearing his coat and polished black shoes without Younghoon even noticing the movement.

"Let's go." Juyeon said, tugging on his arm.

"Go where?" The younger one turned to him, his thoughts a mess. "He's dying, Juyeon, I haven't even met him yet and he's dying." He dropped his coat to the floor, the heavy pockets causing a thump. "Fuck, I'm so, I'm so stupid, he's dying,"

"I have met him." The elder vampire said. "And I have an idea where he is, so let's go."

Younghoon's current look of shock could rival any acting performance he's ever put before. He had questions, too many questions to put together. Too little time. He had no time to ask, his soulmate could be living his last day right now. He let Juyeon lead him to his jeep, getting in wordlessly.

The ride felt endlessly long, stray coins clinking in Younghoon's pants pockets now, irritating enough to keep reminding him of the dire situation. The older was driving fast enough to already be above the speed limit, neither of them cared.

Juyeon sped up through a yellow light, making a few people honk as if it were red, suddenly reminding him of what Juyeon said a few minutes ago. At first it came as a surprise, now that he's been sitting in the car for twenty minutes, was it really? The other had saved him from a war once after not meeting for years. He had been his best friend and companion for decades, he had protected him since he was a child. Of course he would've found a way to meet his soulmate too.

Younghoon calmed down a little bit as Juyeon drove through a certain red light, thankfully it was already 10pm and there wasn't that much traffic.

"I'll tell you everything tonight." The older vampire said, without taking his eyes off of the road.

The younger one hummed. "Thank you."

Juyeon side-eyed him, as if taken aback. "When I make sure he'll live another day, then you can thank me."

They arrived at the vampire bar soon after, slamming the car door closed, Younghoon followed Juyeon inside. He'd swear the other was calm a minute ago, now he looked absolutely murderous. The veins under his red eyes pulsating and his fangs barred.

"Kevin. Where's Lee Sangyeon?" Juyeon demanded from the bartender, making everyone present stare at the interaction.

"Room 30." Kevin handed Juyeon the spare key and stayed silent after. He continued drying the cocktail glass he was holding, his fingers trembling around it.

Nobody made a move or spoke, Juyeon swung the key in the lock, opening the door to a sight he or Younghoon shouldn't have had to see at all.

Younghoon noticed her first, the blonde female vampire leaning above his soulmate on the bed and didn't think, just crossed the room and grabbed her by the neck, slamming her against the wall.

"I..I'm sorry... I didn't kno-"

Juyeon went to Sangyeon, holding his handkerchief to the wound on his neck, barbaric. Rarely anyone here used that method unless they were very familiar with each other. 

"There's no use in lying." Juyeon checked Sangyeon in a hurry, the human looked dizzy, eyes glazed over, but he was still awake. He needed to get him out of here as fast as possible. "Hoon, take him to the car, I'm coming right after."

Younghoon hesitated for a second before letting her go and doing what he had to do. Murderous thoughts were running through his mind when he looked at the blonde but he was better than that. He gathered his soulmate in his arms and left the room.

"I swear I stopped when his blood pressure started going down."

The woman, Lilia, insisted when Juyeon grabbed her by the arm and pulled her outside. He walked her to the bar, throwing the room key in front of Kevin.

"Give me a few type A blood banks in a cooler and lock her in the basement after."

Juyeon left hearing Lilia's pathetic mumbling in the back and hurried to the jeep. He got in and started the engine, driving off without preamble.

"Are we taking him to a hospital?"

Younghoon was holding Sangyeon in the back, making sure he wouldn't fall forward.

"No," Juyeon stepped on the gas. "To the mansion. I know how to help."

Younghoon carried his soulmate inside once Juyeon parked the car, careful not to jostle him around too much. He was awake on the whole way there, thankfully. He put him on the bed in Juyeon's makeshift hospital room and let the older vampire start a blood transfusion.

"Sangyeon?" Juyeon addressed, the human hummed, turning to face him. The vampire had a lot to say but he was going to keep it for when Sangyeon was good enough to speak a coherent sentence. He wanted to be mad at him, disappointed that he didn't think about his well-being but Juyeon knew that sometimes it wasn't as simple as that. He should've warned him. He knew and didn't say anything, he thought it wasn't his place when he could've at least tried to prevent this. But there was no going back, now he had to nurture the younger vampire's soulmate back to health, and he would.

Younghoon had left earlier, reasoning that they needed some type of food for later, he had taken Eric with him, since the other was with people every day, he'd probably know better.

"Won't someone worry for him?" Eric asked as they left the store, each carrying one bag. "I don't know, his family? What if he lives with someone, a lot of young people I know have roommates even after college."

Younghoon put his bag in the jeep, having Eric do the same. "Maybe Juyeon would know about that."

He didn't mean to sound bitter, he was thankful but it slipped anyway. It was his own fault for never getting close enough to know about Sangyeon's side hustle. He could've tried to protect him himself but he was too consumed by the past to care even if he checked up on him at times. He thought he could be living just fine without his soulmate, the previous two hardly cared about him, even the first one when he was still a human.

Younghoon tried to avoid it, he couldn't feel anything for someone he didn't really know, and yet he had panicked once the money had started pouring in and out of his pockets, if he had to rely only on himself at that time, he would've been closed up in a room, sitting on the floor and waiting, waiting for it to finally end. Maybe even without him, his soulmate would've survived. Younghoon still couldn't believe his own foolishness, for two centuries, he had learnt nothing. 

Eric didn't try to talk to him anymore, instead choosing to look out the window while Younghoon drove them back.

Haknyeon closed his laptop, it was already past midnight when he finished his assignment, he worked with headphones on, too focused to notice the time passing but he didn't remember Sangyeon ever signaling he was home and it was impossible to miss him when he was on the couch in the living room and the older had to go past him to get to his room.

He went to knock on his door anyway. "Sangyeon?" 

Haknyeon knocked a couple times before entering. Empty. The covers were made, the window closed. He checked the bathroom too, just in case, it was unlike Sangyeon to just not come home, even on a Sunday night. And especially without texting Haknyeon to let him know where he'd gone.

He went back to the living room, checking his phone. No new messages.

For once, he was thankful he made the older install the location tracking app he found on tiktok. He had places such as "home" and "work" marked, along with the store they usually go to and the vampire bar but Sangyeon wasn't in any of the marked locations. Instead his picture was gleaming somewhere that's probably an hour or more away from their apartment by car. He zoomed on the region, realizing it's not even in the city but the outskirts.

Haknyeon wondered if this was the time to start getting worried. It was nearing 1am, the app informed him he had arrived at this location a while ago, and since then he hasn't moved anywhere. It was weird, it was out of character, Sangyeon didn't know anyone out of town. Haknyeon couldn't think of a possible reason he'd need to be there at this time of night.

With new resolve, Haknyeon grabbed the car keys and locked the door behind him. He didn't have a good feeling about this, if he just stayed at home, he doubted he'd be able to sleep tonight.

Once at a red light, Haknyeon checked the app again, it had been around half an hour already and there was no change in location. He dialed Sangyeon's number for the third time since he started driving.

"..Please leave your message after the tone-"

Haknyeon hung up and pocketed his phone then sped up a bit. Fine. Since Sangyeon's phone wasn't off, maybe that was a good sign. Haknyeon hoped it was.

He drove without much thought, out of the city, he was getting closer to the place he had to reach, until he was parking some meters away, looking around, there was nothing in the region besides trees, grass and a mansion three times bigger than Haknyeon's childhood home back in Jeju.

"What the hell am I even doing…"

The front gate was high but the iron pipes had enough space between them for him to be able to slip through. What a faulty design. Who even needed a giant gate and a fence around it if almost anyone could just go through without even needing to climb?

Haknyeon slipped through, once he was on the other side he realized there was a bell at the gate. Maybe he should've thought this through.

The garden looked well-kept, there was a marble fountain to his left and a labyrinth of shrubs to his right, it was shorter than his height, just for the aesthetic, possibly. He didn't look around too much before he was in front of the front door, this time using the door knocker, knocking a few times as hard as he could.

Nobody appeared for a while, which allowed him to realize the only light was coming from one window, the moon wasn't anywhere to be seen, the warmth of his car long gone. He shivered, listening for any incoming noise.

He heard creaking that resembled that of older wooden floors or maybe somebody coming down a staircase before the door opened, revealing a man he's never seen before. Definitely taller, and intimidating enough for Haknyeon to straighten his back but he was already there with a reason and he wasn't just going to run away without finding Sangyeon first.

"Good evening," He tried to look behind him as much as possible, not noticing anything or anyone else seeing as the other didn't close the door yet and was silent. Haknyeon shrugged. "Hello?"

"Who are you?"

"Sangyeon's best friend? Lee Sangyeon? Ring any bells?" Haknyeon pulled out his phone, bringing it closer to the other's face. "If you look at this," He pointed to Sangyeon's still glowing picture. "You'd see his last marked location is right here."

The taller man had an unreadable look on his face, Haknyeon had to admit he was a little intimidated. He was at a far off location, all by himself in the middle of the night, knocking on a stranger's door. And the stranger happened to be living in a huge house without any neighbors nearby. Okay. Maybe he was a little out of his mind. But if he didn't bring his best friend back, he'd have more things to worry about than that. Dying today seemed like a better option than going back to his family without a degree and without his best friend and getting stuck at the pig farm until the rest of his life. Not that it was that terrible, it was his family business, just not something that he-

"Who is it?"

Familiar voice. Haknyeon peered behind the man at the door before the one that had spoken came fully into view.

It was him. The man that brought Sangyeon home last time. The vampire that brought him back. Haknyeon had immediately guessed as much, seen as Sangyeon was at the bar before he was brought back, and then the cash he was handed for sure solidified it.

"Where's Sangyeon?" He asked the vampire, ignoring the stranger that was still brooding next to him.

"He's inside," Juyeon signaled Younghoon to move from the door, inviting Haknyeon in. "We'll explain everything, come in."

Haknyeon took a hesitant step forward before eyeing the both of them, he wanted to say something, introduce himself properly maybe, ask them for their names but it didn't seem like the right time. He walked in.

The mansion from inside looked even bigger than it did from outside, high ceilings, long staircases to the second floor, Haknyeon felt like he was in a period drama. He walked with the vampire silently, his companion following behind them and he was nervous now, it was too quiet for his liking, listening to their footsteps didn't make his heart beat any slower. He chose to ignore it.

"Before we go in," The vampire stopped in front of the door, facing him. "I'd like to inform you that he's asleep right now."

"Did he go to the bar?" Haknyeon asked, voice too quiet to be accusatory, even if a bit hurt.

"He did. But I wasn't the one who caused this."

Okay. Haknyeon chose to trust it, just so he doesn't happen to punch the vampire in the jaw suddenly. It'd probably hurt him more but the satisfaction would be worth it.

Juyeon opened the door, letting the human inside.

Once Haknyeon saw Sangyeon he relaxed a little bit before noticing the blood bank attached to his vein, drip-dropping quietly and he felt helpless. What could he do? All their problems were materialistic. Both him and Sangyeon were doing as much as they could and that's what had landed his friend here in the first place. He hated it.

He knew Sangyeon was out of money again, he tried to assure him it'd be okay but of course the older one didn't listen, he had that habit.

He left the room more tense than he had been coming here in the first place and sat at the kitchen table with the other two. They were nameless as long as a minute after that, the vampire introducing himself as Lee Juyeon, and his stranger companion as Kim Younghoon, Sangyeon's soulmate. This shocked Haknyeon for a little too long at first but he took it as it was.

They told Haknyeon about the bar incident, about the woman that caused it, Juyeon assured him that she'll face the consequences for it later, that he'd take care of Sangyeon properly before he'd let him leave. And deep down Haknyeon was grateful. On the outside, he was hurt, apologetic, if only matters were different.

"What are we going to do about his job though?" Haknyeon asked once everything else was said. "If he's lying here he can't take a sick leave."

"I'll take care of it." Younghoon assured and took his coat from the hanger by the door.

"Right now?"

The vampire nodded and left. Haknyeon didn't question it. He sat silently with Juyeon by his side and wasn't sure what he was supposed to do next.

Go back to their apartment? Skip classes and stay the night? He probably wasn't welcome to do that but he didn't make a move. He heard the front door open and close before the sound of an engine broke the silence for a moment and then it was suffocating once again.

"Juyeon," Eric walked in, with completely different intentions before he noticed the human. He had been doing his assignment, headphones on with music too loud for him to hear anything else. "Who's that?"

Haknyeon turned to the unfamiliar voice, his eyes immediately gluing to the other's hands that were currently glowing in a white color. He froze in place, time started passing differently for him, and it seemed to be the same for his soulmate as well. He wasn't moving, just standing in the doorway, mouth hanging open, staring at Haknyeon's hand that was gripping the chair's back.

Juyeon looked between the two of them, slowly realizing something he already knew was going to happen sooner or later.

"Ju Haknyeon," Juyeon said finally, answering the previous question. "Sangyeon's flatmate."

The moment broke enough for Eric to move and for Haknyeon to turn back to Juyeon, who was looking at him as if he knew exactly what was happening. Even though, there's no way he saw the colors.

"I…" Haknyeon had no idea what to say. He knew he had a soulmate already, knew he'd probably find them someday, if he was lucky enough they'd be a decent person. He never expected it to happen in such circumstances. And if this new stranger lived with Juyeon and Younghoon, then chances were that he also was a vampire just like them.

"Ah," The stranger moved away from the door and sat at the table with the two of them. "Maybe I should introduce myself,"

Haknyeon waited.

"I'm Eric Sohn, it's nice to meet you, Haknyeon." The human accepted the handshake, staring Eric down silently. Soon after, he let his hand down, the colors had faded into nothingness by now, leaving a rather odd fulfilling feeling Haknyeon wasn't sure what to do with.

"I… have classes tomorrow." He mumbled awkwardly, looking around for a clock somewhere, perhaps over the door, on the wall next to the window maybe, so he could solidify his statement that it's already late, it was a pleasant stay but he had to leave, for a moment forgetting why he was there in the first place. Haknyeon winced, circumstances had changed more than he'd ever expected them to. He couldn't take Sangyeon back with him yet, he couldn't stay either. And there was no clock. He turned back to look at Eric, who looked just as unbothered if not more welcoming than a minute ago.

"Oh, me too!" Eric exclaimed, completely ignoring the tense atmosphere and even managing to slightly dissipate it. "I study law, maybe we go to the same college? City college?"

"Right…" He was right. "We do, actually, I.." Haknyeon needed to get himself together right this instant and leave. "I need to go… But can I give any of you my number? So you can text me how Sangyeon's doing."

He was winging it perfectly, he definitely was.

"Yeah, Juyeon's gonna do it," Eric nudged him slightly.

If Haknyeon had to be honest, Juyeon didn't even look like someone who owned a phone.

Which of course was proven false a second later, when he held a smartphone, ready to type in and dial the number.

Once that was done and Haknyeon in turn had Juyeon's number in his contacts, he got up to leave. It was already 2am and he had to drive an hour or so back. Sleeping is a social construct. He decided before driving away.

Once Haknyeon was already back in their apartment, clothes changed, and lying in bed awake at 4am, his phone pinged with a message.

Lee Juyeon??

sangyeon's awake

he'll probably need to spend a few days here

i'll drive him back as soon as i see fit

me

thanks. i trust you on that.

Haknyeon locked his phone and put it down on his chest. He couldn't tell if he was insane or desperate, or both. But he was still safe and sound at home, so he could at least try to count on the other to do what he promised. He hoped he would, he barely had any other choice.

"He's my soulmate,"

It was already dawn and the sky was clearing up, the birds today were chirping just as any other. 

Juyeon took off his glasses and put his novel down, a sense of slight dejavu washing over him.

"So he is," The oldest vampire said. "It makes no difference to me."

Eric stood from his place, sitting on the settee next to his soulmate. He loved Juyeon more than he thought he was capable and the other already knew that.

"Thank you."

When Sangyeon woke up, panic took over him immediately. It gripped his senses tight, tearing through his defenses until he was left gasping and dizzy on his knees on the floor. The room spun violently when he tried to sit up, he was trying to breathe enough to at least stop hyperventilating but he was failing, he wasn't sure how much time had passed since he started struggling but there was someone by his side now

"Breathe with me," The voice that sounded from somewhere far away instructed him. "1,2,3.. that's right,"

Sangyeon followed what he was told as much as he could, eventually his hyperventilating slowing down to soft puffs of air. The weary feeling that set in almost knocked him down on his side but the other person in the room was quick to wrap their arm around his waist, pulling him to sit on the floor for the time being.

"You're better?"

Sangyeon didn't realize he had his eyes closed waiting for the impact until a voice that wasn't Juyeon's reached him.

"Yeah," He opened his eyes, looking at the arm that was still around him, doing a double take. He realized he wasn't all that good for wear but the shining navy blue color couldn't possibly be only in his imagination.

Sangyeon stiffened, staring silently, the color he was seeing looked a little like a galaxy, little specks of white in the blue, making it look just a little bit extraordinary compared to the soulmate stories he's heard before.

It faded too soon, the room wasn't spinning anymore. He straightened his back slowly, daring to look back at the other. At his soulmate.

"Oh," Sangyeon sighed uselessly, it was the same vampire from last night. He remembered being carried out, held in the car, but back then he wasn't looking at hands. Looking at anything was making his head spin so violently, he wasn't even sure how he made it here still awake. Either this or the vampire was wearing gloves. Or both, he couldn't tell at this point in time.

He was still dumbly sitting on the floor in silence until his soulmate got up and offered him a hand, successfully pulling him back up and seating him on the bed. 

Younghoon wished he had made some sort of a plan of how to introduce himself to his soulmate. Buy him food maybe, try to at least look a bit… more civil and welcoming for one. Anything but not this.

Not staring silently at the other, waiting for him to assess the situation. It was too much and too little at the same time. Younghoon hated it. It was his own fault. He had brought on so many faults on himself that he wasn't even sure how to begin unraveling it.

"I'm sorry for making this so awkward." Younghoon said when he noticed Sangyeon was beginning to feel uncomfortable. He didn't know what to say next, or if he should just leave him alone.

Sangyeon looked him in the eyes this time. "At least introduce yourself right." He looked a little reserved but also very tired.

Younghoon could tell Sangyeon had no intention of starting anything but a peaceful conversation.

"I'm Kim Younghoon," The vampire offered his hand. And in any other circumstance, he'd probably say a common pleasantry, keep up the casual talk. But with Sangyeon he wasn't so sure.

It wasn't exactly happiness, what he was feeling to finally introduce himself to the other. It wasn't resentment either. He had spent two years denying and doing his best to avoid meeting him but now that he did, he felt like this was, after all, everything he needed to do the whole time.

"I feel very… content to meet you."

"Oddly enough," The human went, gripping his hand a little tighter. "That's exactly how I feel too. Lee Sangyeon, it's good to meet you."

At this moment it reached Younghoon. The fact that his soulmate had no idea how long he had hidden the truth from him. He couldn't have known. Younghoon felt sick.

He let go of Sangyeon's hand tentatively, hoping his expression didn't betray his inner turmoil for the time being.

"Do you need… Are you hungry?" He entered a safer territory this time, he would tell Sangyeon another time. When he got better. It was decided.

"Now that you mention it, I'm starving."

Younghoon left the room, Sangyeon's genuine if a little guarded smile branded behind his eyelids.

1952 

It was deep in the night when Younghoon was done filming for his fifth movie for ten years in Hollywood. He hopped on his motorcycle like any other day, the chilly November air messing up his previously perfectly styled short hair as he drove back to the expensive house his agent had insisted he buy in cash.

Younghoon parked his Harley Davidson in the garage and headed to the front door.

Unlocked.

He was sure he locked it. There's no way he forgot.

"Oh, look who it is,"

A familiar voice greeted him from his living room couch, the other man lounging comfortably with his legs crossed, supporting his head on one hand in visible boredom. 

"What brings you here?" Younghoon didn't bother locking the door this time. He wouldn't have to.

"You're at the peak of your career, aren't you?" The man drawled, giving him a lazy look. "Though I've known you for five years now," His eyes sharpened, a sudden purposeful look that had Younghoon hate to anticipate what came next. "You haven't aged a single day since I met you, Hoonie."

It can't be. Younghoon thought he was pretending way too well for the other to have figured him out. He kept his composure, sitting on the table in front of the other, towering over but hardly imposing.

"Choi Chanhee," Younghoon smiled. "Maybe that's what happens when you have good genes."

Chanhee leaned back, relaxing against the decorative cushions. "See… I would've believed that in any other situation but I know for sure that's not the case."

The vampire stared at Chanhee, or more accurately, at his soulmate. Piercing enough glare to have the human's nonchalant facade crack for a second. He still didn't believe Chanhee knew anything, he was merely another actor, fighting for good roles along with him. But that was part of the issue. This is why they never learned to get along, and Younghoon wasn't willing to try anyway. Being by himself here had saved him a lot of trouble through his career.

"I think it's time for you to go home," The vampire said slowly. "We have no business being together, we hate each other, remember?"

Chanhee stood up in front of him, if he really knew, he'd look a little fearful. That was the default, wasn't it? Anyone with common sense was afraid of the unknown and someone who was proven to be tougher than them physically. Someone who knew, wouldn't give him the resolved look Chanhee was piercing him with currently. 

"I'd say the same to you but," He paused. "I have no idea where you're from actually." Chanhee reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled out an old picture, beginning to read what was on the back of it. "1899, London, England." He flipped the picture, Younghoon's eyes locked on it, his body freezing over. "Kim Younghoon. Your name's right here with everyone else's, ironically enough."

His late family. All of them had died from one thing or another as soon as barely ten years after the portrait picture was taken.

Younghoon could tell him people with the same name weren't that uncommon. People that resembled each other weren't either.

But people with the same name that resembled each other at the same time? Maybe a little less.

"Where did you even find that picture?"

Chanhee put the picture on the table, next to Younghoon. 

"That's irrelevant. I want you out of the film industry, out of the country," Chanhee sat down, as if the coach surrounded by Younghoon's screaming mind was the most comfortable place he could be. "Or I'm telling everyone your little secret, and I bet you, they will take my word for it. You know what happens when things make their way to the papers."

The life Younghoon was carefully building was about to crumble right in front of his eyes and he hated it. Ten years weren't such a long time for him but it felt like he was really dying this time. Maybe not literally but metaphorically for sure.

"How do you expect me to do that? You think my disappearance won't stir the public? You think they won't start looking for me?"

Chanhee got up, taking his coat that was draped over the couch backrest next to him.

"You have a week to figure it out."

And then his soulmate left, leaving Younghoon in the worst state of dread he had found himself in a few decades.

Five days later, the news was already printed in the papers.

Rising actor Kim Younghoon was found dead in his Hollywood home. 

Read more:

2021

Presently, Younghoon held the picture between two fingers. The picture itself wasn't important, the event attached to it however was what stopped him from wanting to meet Sangyeon any sooner.

He should've let it go, should've realized things have changed since then, nobody was out to get him now. It was a peaceful enough co-existence between humans and vampires. And yet he kept it, the picture and the memory of his late soulmate, successfully preventing himself from doing anything different but what he knew how to do. Running away, hiding. Pretending.

He wanted to burn it now, forget it forever, Chanhee was long deceased, he shouldn't be the one stopping him from being even a little bit happy nearly seventy years later.

Younghoon wished he considered this earlier but he wasn't thinking. He refused to realize anything until he was forced to do it and it hurt more than he would've imagined. He needed to tell Sangyeon everything, hoping that he would forgive him, if he cared, that is. After all, they were still strangers, everything considered.

It was only the second day since Sangyeon was with them, recovering, but Younghoon already wanted to talk to him. He wished to get to know the other now, and hoped he'd want the same.

In his mind, it sounded selfish. It was so selfish. Wanting everything at once after you've realized what you've been missing. It seemed like too much, even for someone like him.

On the seventh day of his stay, Sangyeon felt visibly better, he was almost back to being completely himself, and he saw no reason to stay longer

Haknyeon had visited a few times during that time thanks to Eric's insistence to drive him to the mansion, and brought Sangyeon home cooked food every time.

A knock.

"Are you decent?" Younghoon yelled from outside the door. He was taking precautions after that one time two days ago.

"Come on! It was only one time!" 

"And I'm not trying to make it two!"

The vampire opened the door, sheepishly entering the room. They've familiarized with each other enough the past few days for an easy banter. Younghoon felt like he could finally share some things, do what he had planned in the past. He wondered what order he should do those in. Tell Sangyeon the truth of how he's been ignoring him for two years? Tell him the story of why he's been doing it? Give him the money he's saved every time his pockets clinked with coins and sometimes bills?

Somewhere in his head, there probably was an order but it wasn't an immediate idea.

"How are you today?" Younghoon set for an easy pace, hopefully useful.

"I woke up feeling good, that's the first time for the past few days," Or years, Sangyeon missed to add. "I think I'd be fine to leave soon,"

Younghoon hummed. "Juyeon's going to check on you later just to be sure, until then, you're staying."

He could see Sangyeon wasn't happy with it, he could feel he's been trying his best to stay cool but something bothered him every time. Younghoon had a clear idea what it was.

"Why can't I just go now? I feel like I could even run back without an issue,"

"You're not running a few kilometers distance, Sangyeon."

"I could,"

Younghoon wasn't sure what they were about to argue over but he'd see the end of his plans. As much as he wanted to understand the human, he wasn't going to just let him go back. Not before talking about everything they needed. Maybe Younghoon was too slow with it, but he just knew him for mere days. It wasn't making sense to do it just yet.

"I need to talk to you first," Now or never. "And also give you something."

So he followed his barely there plan. Younghoon decided to tell Sangyeon about his previous soulmate, how he had no other choice but to ask Juyeon to help fake his death and get him out of the country before Chanhee exposed him to everyone, which at the time would've landed him in a very dangerous for him establishments or simply gotten him killed. How he had to leave the whole career he had built, earlier than he wished to.

And then he eased into telling him the truth, of how he'd hidden for two years because of that same reason and Sangyeon listened. Maybe a little too quiet than Younghoon would've preferred but he let it happen.

Once Younghoon was done, Sangyeon spoke like nothing much had happened, making him think that maybe his inner turmoil wasn't needed at all. He couldn't read the human well enough yet.

"What is it that you want to give me?" Sangyeon asked after, almost nonchalantly. Younghoon didn't pry.

He reached into his pocket and retrieved the card. "It has all the money I've gotten from you being clumsy and getting hurt for two years in it," Sangyeon grumbled. "It's yours."

"That's… thoughtful?"

"Sometimes I am,"

"I seriously need to leave now. Today. I have to go back to work,"

Younghoon knew it was rational, he did. But the selfish part of his brain wanted to spend more time with Sangyeon.

"Will you…" I don't want to lose you. I want a chance with you. I want to get to know you. None of it sounded any less demanding than the other. "It's already past noon, I promise to drive you back tonight, after you get your check-up."

"Thank you."

Younghoon had successfully driven himself back to point zero. He left the room in favor of Netflix. Maybe watching a series or a movie would make a difference. Make him forget he had no idea how to tell Sangyeon he wanted him to stay with him. Maybe not literally but stay in his life, give him a chance… Younghoon didn't even know if Sangyeon felt anything besides a little grateful for their service.

Sangyeon was in the kitchen, rummaging through cupboards until he found it. He had no idea what vampire drank original Baileys liquor but he was thankful it was there anyway. That, and a whole bunch of other liquor he wasn't willing to try in that same cabinet.

He grabbed a cup with a printed basketball player design on it, which he'd learned is Eric's, and poured a generous amount of the warm liquor in it. He hadn't gotten drunk in years but maybe the last day of his stay called for it. Sangyeon was positive neither Younghoon nor Juyeon would agree, but his soulmate was invested in a movie and the other vampire wasn't even home. It was okay.

Sangyeon leaned against the counter and took the first sip. It was very sweet but still had a burn to it, it wasn't all that good to drink on its own but it had to do.

It was good enough for him to not realize he had already finished the cup and was currently filling it to the brim again. Pretending he didn't care in front of Younghoon was a little hard for him, two years. He could've had someone besides Haknyeon and he didn't. He understood Younghoon as much as he could but he was still bitter. His knowledge of the vampire was minimal but he didn't mind getting to know him now.

With that thought in mind, me me me, he put the bottle back in the cupboard out of courtesy and then headed for the living room.

Younghoon was still on the couch when Sangyeon found him, invested in whatever he was watching, mindful enough to look at him when Sangyeon sat close to him, the cup cradled to his chest.

"That's not hot chocolate, is it?" Younghoon shook his head, a slight smile plastered on his stupidly handsome face, Sangyeon's already drunk monkey brain supplied. He should've guessed years of not drinking would turn him into a lightweight.

Sangyeon hummed, his throat was pleasantly burning. "What are you watching?"

"Shang-chi,"

"Ah, Haknyeon wanted me to see it with him but I never found the time."

It felt awfully easy for Sangyeon to talk to Younghoon about anything but what he wanted to say. He focused on the movie for a bit, maybe he and Younghoon did have something in common. The inability to communicate.

"Sangyeon,"

Sangyeon was just leaving his empty cup on the table when the other spoke. "Yes?"

"I don't want you to go,"

Sangyeon's eyebrows came together funnily, Younghoon smiled. "What do you mean? I have to go back to work,"

"I want you to stay in my life,"

"Mhm," Sangyeon could feel his consciousness slip away, his eyelids getting heavier. That's one effect he forgot alcohol had on him, it made him sleepy.

"Are you falling asleep?"

Sangyeon leaned his head on Younghoon's shoulder in reply, his eyes falling close. He was gone to the world as the movie kept playing in the background.

About two weeks after leaving the mansion, Sangyeon realized he slept and felt immeasurably better during the few days he spent there than in the past few years, even though he didn't plan the stay. He was happy to live with Haknyeon again, glad to have some semblance of control over his own life but his near insomnia was back now, with a vengeance. He hasn't met with Younghoon or Juyeon since he left. He wouldn't go as far as to say he missed his soulmate. That's not what it was, surely. Sangyeon was completely capable of living his life without him.

That is, if he wanted that.

He felt like he didn't know what he was doing right now, wasn't aware what he had been missing but at the same time confused, because he didn't have any knowledge of what Younghoon had decided. For a moment, he blamed him for being selfish, he blamed himself for being affected as well. What has changed? A week couldn't possibly change his whole life trajectory. And yet it felt like it had. Nothing seemed the same anymore, not even working his job that hadn't changed for a while now.

He couldn't help wishing for things he didn't imagine he could have before.

On a Wednesday afternoon, a familiar face showed up in the Café.

"Morning," Eric greeted with a smile, completely ignoring Sangyeon's raised eyebrows and look of surprise.

"Morning, what brings you here?"

"I've got a two hour break between classes and thought I'd get my order from you instead of the campus Cafe," Eric winked, making his way further. "I hope you don't mind,"

"Of course not,"

"One iced peach tea, please,"

Sangyeon was glad the Café was nearly empty of people, and the few people around already had their orders in hand, so he allowed himself to bring Eric his drink and sit with him for a while too.

"I don't think I've ever seen you around," It didn't feel as nerve wrecking to sit with Eric as Sangyeon thought it naturally would. It was sort of peaceful.

"Yeah, campus is too far from here, it's a special occasion this time though,"

"Is it?"

"Mhm, we're going on a trip together for winter break, me, Younghoon and Juyeon, I already talked to Haknyeon about it too, he's coming."

"He didn't tell me anything,"

"I told him not to, I said I'll invite you myself, since it's not Juyeon's business to do it and Younghoon's too stubborn to come and see you himself,"

Sangyeon was surprised by the bluntness, why wouldn't he come? He wished Younghoon would've come instead, or at least texted him, he could call too, and yet. Sangyeon chased away the doubt and disappointment out of his mind.

"Where are we going?"

"We? Is that a yes?"

"Yes."

Sangyeon wouldn't miss the opportunity. Now that his mother was out of the hospital, feeling better and capable of taking care of her basic needs, he could afford to work less. He was proud of himself for enduring.

The stars shone differently, Younghoon noted, after Sangyeon went back home. They didn't entice him like before, instead it was a dull unsatisfying glow every time he looked at the sky, wondering if Sangyeon was looking too. He couldn't bring himself to meet him yet, he wanted to but something didn't feel right. The way Sangyeon had brushed away Younghoon's worries started feeling wrong after he shared it with Juyeon. You're sure he's okay with it? If I had to put myself in his shoes, I don't think I would've just accepted it. And maybe Juyeon was right, Younghoon kept thinking about it. Sangyeon had left and hadn't contacted him either, they had each other's numbers by now, but neither side spoke first.

Younghoon knew he had to be the initiator after everything he didn't do.

After the third ring, Sangyeon picked up the phone.

"Younghoon? Hey,"

"Hey, I was wondering," Younghoon fidgeted on his feet. "I was wondering if you're free tonight?"

The line stayed silent for a while and if Younghoon was hearing right, there was the sound of wiping a counter or maybe a table.

"I am, I'm just getting off work for the day, why do you ask?"

"I just… wanted to invite you to dinner? I can also pick you up if you don't mind?"

"Sure, you know my address already I assume,"

"Is 7pm okay?"

"Yeah, and Younghoon,"

Younghoon held his breath, he almost couldn't believe this conversation was going as smoothly as it was, but then again, it didn't have a reason not to. Sangyeon was giving him a chance, he had to remind himself that's exactly what he wanted.

"I'd love it if you pick me up on your motorcycle,"

"As you wish."

By the end of the conversation Younghoon had to sit down, fan himself a little, even though he couldn't sweat, it was a habit that he didn't mind keeping. He was going out with Sangyeon. It felt insane. He was finally making a move after being a coward in hiding, he would celebrate but the situation hardly called for it.

He felt so giddy that he didn’t even realize Juyeon was standing in the doorway, looking at him with a knowing smirk.

"What?!" Younghoon threw a decorative pillow at Juyeon, the other vampire easily catching it.

"Nothing, I'm just happy to see you happy,"

"It's not… happiness,"

"It's progress," Juyeon threw the pillow back. "It's pleasant to see, enjoy your date later."

"Thank you," Younghoon said earnestly, it held more meaning than this, and Juyeon knew that. "I have a lot to thank you for."

"You can repay me by staying by my side,"

"For centuries to come." Younghoon nodded, smiling slightly.

Evening came eventually, finding Younghoon in a leather jacket with a baby pink shirt under, black jeans and boots, ready to hop on his bike and speed down the road to Sangyeon's apartment.

He didn't mean to rush it but for once in decades, Younghoon felt like his life was worth living. He didn't expect a soulmate would change that for him, one that he so meticulously dodged every opportunity to meet until recently, he didn't expect for Sangyeon to make a little cozy place for himself in his heart, and yet it looked like he was in the process of doing exactly that. Younghoon looked forward to seeing him, wondered how he was, and felt afraid to make another mistake after not owning up to the past yet. And all of this combined made him want to meet Sangyeon more, talk to him, hope that he'd understand and choose Younghoon too. That he'll stay with him for longer.

Younghoon put his helmet on and drove off, the ride uneventful as usual. It took him a little longer than expected out of following all road regulations but eventually, he found himself in front of Sangyeon's building.

For a moment he wondered if he should call Sangyeon to buzz him in but then he spotted another resident just leaving, giving Younghoon the opportunity to go in right after him before the door closed again. Once he climbed the stairs, it was already 6:55pm.

Standing in front of Sangyeon's door felt like a new beginning Younghoon didn't think he wanted or needed but it was already here. A new page was opened.

He knocked.

Soon after the door opened, revealing Sangyeon in ripped blue jeans. Younghoon was sizing him up and down, forgoing to notice anything else. At least Sangyeon seemed to be in the same state of staring, enough for it to seem normal.

"You look really good-"

"I hope I'm not against dress code-"

They laughed together after speaking over each other, the slight tension dissipating in the air like hot breath on a cold night would. 

"Don't worry," Younghoon started. "The place isn't that high-end, it's okay even if you come out in sweatpants,"

"I would never," Sangyeon locked the door, following Younghoon out of the building.

Sangyeon knew it was a date but found it hard to address it that way in his mind after Younghoon laughed a little too brightly at something he said, or offered him his own food. Technically Sangyeon knew that Younghoon had no use for it but found it sweet anyway… and all of that, all of that only pointed to the fact that it was a date, his brain uselessly supplied. Sangyeon seemed to have left his common sense at home in order to enjoy everything he was presented with tonight.

"You know," Sangyeon whispered conspiratory. "The woman behind you, on your right, has been staring at you since she came in with her boyfriend,"

Younghoon gasped fakely. "And you've been noticing it this long? I'm flattered,"

"She's obvious! You would've noticed it too,"

"I see," Younghoon kept his smile in place, pleased at the random observation, he was glad to have breezy conversations but knew they'd have to talk about less pleasing things. He didn't think he'd mind either, as long as Sangyeon didn't.

And Sangyeon wanted to say it so badly. I lied. When I acted like it didn't bother me that you hid from me for two years, it was all pretense. A wall I thought I needed to protect myself. He didn't say any of it outloud, hoping it would go unsaid but understood soon enough. Sangyeon finished his drink after the food and looked at Younghoon. He didn't remember a date where his date partner paid this much attention to him instead of their phone. He found it wasn't as off-putting as he thought it would be. It was nice instead.

"Do you want to leave?" Younghoon interrupted his thought process gently.

"Yeah,"

Their jackets were back on easily, slipping out of the warm restaurant and back on the cold sidewalk made Sangyeon burrow into his jacket, in an attempt to hide his cold nose.

Younghoon knew he had to do something, say something. It didn't feel right to let Sangyeon go back home, he couldn't be the only one that felt like something was off. They stood next to each other silently, watching the passerbys until then.

"It was nice, the dinner," Sangyeon said after a while.

"Yeah,"

"Drive me back home?"

Younghoon turned his head fast enough to cause himself whiplash. "No. I mean…"

Sangyeon laughed at his expression, Younghoon had no idea what he looked like but it really must've been a funny sight to witness.

"I can't believe you want me to take the bus, after everything I did for you," Sangyeon sighed dramatically. "I split the bill, laughed at your jokes-"

"I'm funny!"

"You're pouting by the way,"

"I," It was a losing battle for Younghoon.

"I think we need to talk more… about other things," Sangyeon said after Younghoon went quiet for too many times to count. He wished he was better at this. He was failing even after telling himself he had to do better.

"We do," Younghoon looked at Sangyeon, slightly shorter but definitely a little better at initiating conversations he knew had to be had. "I want to talk to you too, I just didn't know how to bring it up, I'm sorry,"

"We'll figure it out," And Younghoon, being decades older as he was, didn't have a right to feel as comforted by this as he did. But Sangyeon was starting to have that effect on him, slowly. "I can come over if you don't mind, my morning tomorrow is free, I have an afternoon shift."

"Okay, yes. I'll drive you back home whenever you want."

"Good."

It was a step forward.

It definitely felt different to walk into the mansion of his own volition, Sangyeon wasn't sure what the feeling exactly was but it didn't bother him.

Once inside, he made his way to the living room and sat on the couch, Younghoon shortly followed. 

"Do you want something to drink?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Sangyeon sat comfortably, although he felt a little awkward.

Younghoon stayed put, staring at the black screen of the TV. He wanted to address the tension but at the same time if he pointed it out, it could make it even worse, so he decided to start the conversation in any way even if it might not be the best.

"I realized I was ignorant before," He said. "I really believed it when you acted like it was nothing when I said I hid from you for two years,"

Sangyeon faced Younghoon in surprise, he didn't think he was obvious. "What?"

"I only regret that I never considered how you might've felt during that time," Softer.

Sangyeon didn't want to admit the truth at first, it was better for him to keep up the pretense. He wasn't hurt, it didn't affect him. He was living just fine, handling himself just fine. He didn't have a lot of time to think about romantic love anyway.

"I was a stranger to you, some people don't even care about their own friends," He was pleased anyway. He expected Younghoon to turn away again, even if he knew Sangyeon now, what was the big deal? He could leave any day he wanted. Sangyeon had no say.

"That might be true but I don't want us to be strangers anymore,"

"And you care about your friends?" Sangyeon teased.

"I don't know," Younghoon played along. "We can ask Juyeon about it,"

"We could, we're in his house after all,"

Younghoon laughed, indignant. Sometimes things needed to be a little easier.

"I really want to continue seeing you, Sangyeon,"

"Good," Sangyeon said. "You'll see more of me during the trip you've planned,"

Younghoon hummed. "Eric didn't tell you where we're going, right?"

"He just said it's out of town,"

"Yes, in the mountains, we're visiting our friends for the holidays,"

"Are all of your friends rich by the way?"

"Why? Looking to replace your soulmate?" Younghoon joked.

"Ah, you catch on so quickly! I thought I could hide it from you till we were there at least," Sangyeon faked sadness.

"Too bad," Younghoon pouted. "To answer your question though, yes. They're all around my age or older, you can imagine."

"I can't actually but Juyeon does seem pretty well off,"

"He's taken," Younghoon said quickly.

Sangyeon laughed. It felt easy. Maybe talking to Younghoon wasn’t as difficult as he imagined it to be… Maybe it wasn’t as difficult as Younghoon imagined either. For the nth time, Sangyeon thought about staying with him longer and he let it happen. They talked until midnight about random things they saw or heard, about their past and families, their friends. It seemed like a lot at once but the two of them didn’t mind, soaking up any information about each other they could get. In the end they finished a movie together and Sangyeon felt lighter than he has in quite some time.

After waking up from a nap he didn't realize he'd taken, Sangyeon decided it’s time for him to go home.

“Thanks for trusting me,” Sangyeon smiled.

“I could say the same,” The fond look Younghoon gave him was worth the pain if he’d keep receiving it from now on. “By the way,” The vampire brought the phone out of his pocket. “You might want to stay a little longer…”

Juyeon

Keep Sangyeon with you for now please.

Eric and I have things to discuss with Haknyeon.

“The dots.” Sangyeon emphasized. “He seems serious,”

Younghoon didn’t want to point out the only time Juyeon used dots to end his sentences. He was going to let Sangyeon think they were indeed only talking. But he knew better. Haknyeon and Eric have been hanging out together every day in college and Juyeon’s been joining the both of them regularly.

“Yeah, things between them have been going well, both Juyeon and Eric seem to like Haknyeon a lot,”

Sangyeon hummed. “Haknyeon’s a lot more cheerful these days too,” He was happy for them. And he hoped to be happy for himself too. He was getting there. “Can I stay the night?”

“Oh, yes. Of course, just let me… there’s a guest room,”

“I can sleep on the couch-“

“You’re not sleeping on the couch-“

“It’s okay-“

“Sangyeon-“

“I just need a blanket,”

“There’s a king-sized bed in the room you’ll sleep at,”

Sangyeon got up from the couch immediately, looking around in confusion mixed with amusement. “Nevermind, what couch, I don’t even see a couch here.”

Younghoon laughed loud enough to scare any birds outside if they happened to fly by.

First day of winter break had Haknyeon and Eric tangled together in Haknyeon’s bed, waiting for sunrise, or at least Eric was. He felt almost too giddy to lay still but didn’t want to disturb his peacefully sleeping soulmate. He could see the dawn slowly turning to sunrise as more light crept through the window and wondered for just a moment how he got to be so lucky. Being able to have Haknyeon had felt like he was falling in love all over again and he didn’t think that was possible after Juyeon. Juyeon who was also so soft and kind, who let Eric pursue his feelings without fail every time. Eric knew Juyeon loved him, he loved them both.

As if on cue, Eric heard the front door unlock and close right after, he listened to the rustle of outerwear and shoes being taken off and left aside before soft footsteps followed the way to Haknyeon’s door.

Eric couldn’t help but smile when Juyeon opened the door as quietly as possible and slipped in before closing it again. He made his way to Eric’s side and sat down peering at him through soft eyes.

“I missed you very much,” Juyeon whispered against Eric’s lips before kissing him softly and Eric knew he felt the same way. “I missed you both,”

“Mm,” Eric kissed him again, he wanted to make space for him too but the bed was way too small for them to currently fit in it, so he settled with leaving Juyeon sit without trying to tug him down for more. “How did it go? Did you figure things out with Lilia?”

Juyeon smiled. “Of course,”

“I’m happy she got her punishment for messing with Sangyeon, she should’ve known better,”

“Now she does,” Juyeon tucked Eric’s hair behind his ear, rubbing his temple. “Kevin helped me with it too, she’s out of town now,”

“You’re not mad at Kevin… for giving Sangyeon the offer, are you?”

Eric knew Juyeon has always had a soft spot for Kevin.

“I couldn’t, you know how it is,”

He did. Eric felt Haknyeon stir before sighing sleepily and laying on his side, he didn’t bother opening his eyes before swinging his leg over Eric’s and reaching his hand over his stomach to Juyeon. He didn’t need to say anything, Juyeon took his hand, squeezing it gently and smiling to himself. If hearts could explode, Juyeon’s probably would out of affection for Haknyeon.

Haknyeon opened his eyes a bit to peer at Juyeon. “Can you please close the curtains, Juyo?”

It was funny to watch Juyeon scramble to his feet, if he were still human, Eric bet he’d blush too. With the curtains closed it was dark enough for Haknyeon to go back to sleep if he wanted to.

“You should come back to bed,” Haknyeon said instead, pushing himself as close to Eric as possible to make Juyeon space on his other side. Juyeon lied down, immediately plastering himself to Haknyeon’s back and hugging him tight. “You two are the perfect partners to cuddle, you know,”

“Mm, why is that?” Juyeon mumbled in his neck.

“My blood runs too hot for me to sleep with anyone without sweating all night,” Haknyeon laughed when Eric made a betrayed face.

“I knew it… All this time you were using us because we are cold,” Eric pouted. “And I thought it’s love,” He sighed dramatically and turned his head to the window, ignoring Haknyeon’s eyes.

“I’d love you more if you made me coffee,” Haknyeon teased, laughing as a smile creeped on Eric’s face. He kissed Haknyeon’s face and slipped out of bed, leaving him and Juyeon.

This same afternoon, after Eric and Juyeon had returned to the mansion, Younghoon dropped Sangyeon off at home to pack for their trip. He called home after telling his mother he’s going to be spending Christmas with friends this year but he’ll visit them for New Year. She sounded a bit surprised, in a good way, and told him she loved him and couldn’t wait to see him later. He couldn’t wait to see his mother too, at home and not in a hospital bed for a change. Sangyeon hoped she’d never need to stay at one for this long again.

For once in a long time, he found himself looking forward to something.

Year 2028

The calm night wind was blowing the curtains gently while Sangyeon was writing poems in his galaxy themed notebook.

Seven good years have passed since he met Younghoon and he couldn't have ever imagined he'd end up like this.

Peaceful, calm and in love. Much less things to worry about and no longer lonely.

"What's on your mind?" Younghoon was curled up to his side, doing his best not to disturb Sangyeon's writing routine.

"Just you," Sangyeon closed the notebook, leaving the pen inside.

Younghoon snorted. "If only I knew you were this sappy earlier on,"

Sangyeon turned to look at him. "What? You would've proposed to me?"

"Or ran away,"

"If only I knew you were so childish earlier on," Sangyeon dragged on with amusement.

"What? You would've ran away with one of my friends on Christmas?"

"I don't know, Hyunjae looked pretty rich,"

"Sheesh, you asked for it," Younghoon laughed, swinging a leg over Sangyeon beginning to tickle him until both of them were a heap on the floor laughing through teary eyes and contentment.