A/n:
I wrote the fic title thinking of Beomgyu's eyes but now I think it suits Taehyun's face more. The amount of times he had blushed in this fic is ridiculous like, I got tired of trying to find new ways to describe his rosy complexion. Just think of him as a perpetual tomato, okay?

Without further ado, please enjoy this fic that gave me diabetes while writing; I have genuinely never been more sick of a fic I have written and I mean this in a good way ❤️

°•✿•°

A car honked.

There was someone talking on the phone, but Taehyun couldn't place whose voice it was.

He looked up, only to spot a car coming straight at him. Panic gripped Taehyun and his eyes widened, the phone slipping from his hands just as the car rammed straight into his side–

"AH!"

Taehyun shot up, the movement making him feel dizzy as he breathed heavily. It was a dream. He placed a hand over his heart, feeling the way it was thudding fast, as if he had run a marathon. The dream had felt so real, the adrenaline kick extinguishing all the sleep inside him.

The silver haired boy glanced at the digital clock beside his bed; his alarm had snoozed. He didn't even hear it ringing in his panic. Taehyun dismissed the alarm and closed his eyes to breathe in. It was just a dream.

Deciding that a bath would help him get rid of the remaining adrenaline rush, Taehyun started preparing for a quick dip. The mansion he lived in felt silent, as if no one was living inside it. He knew that wasn't the case; after all, all the servants there lived in the various quarters right next to his room. His room was a servants' quarter too.

Taehyun made his way to the common bathroom, which was now empty since everyone else had probably woken up long ago to prepare breakfast and start cleaning the house. He set the tub's knobs to start filling with hot water while he took a quick shower before slipping inside it.

He stared at the squeaky clean fancy tiles that mirrored his dull face.

Kang Taehyun was the son of two servants that worked under the owners of the famous Choi Enterprises. In the progressive world of vampire and human co-existence, they were one of the first companies to cater to everyone with equality. And of course they would, when it was built by a vampire, who married a human.

Taehyun himself was a mere human and supported the co-existence. To him, it didn't matter whether the other person was a vampire, a human or a halfling. It mattered more whether they were good people. And the Chois were definitely good people.

When Taehyun slipped out of the bathtub, he found out that he had spent a bit too much time inside it and he would be late to his first lecture if he didn't hurry up. The silver haired boy quickly dressed up, grateful when his mother came to drop a bowl with his breakfast in his room.

"I am packing your lunch," she told him before she left. "Make sure to grab it before you leave!"

Taehyun hummed in acknowledgement, his attention more focused on checking if he had packed all the necessary books for today's lecture, while he ate his breakfast at the same time. Satisfied, he made sure to drop the bowl in the kitchen, mumbling his goodbyes to the servants that were inside. He grabbed his lunch from his mother on the way.

When he finally stepped outside in the dining room that the kitchen led to, he found the three Chois having breakfast. The two business owners had a son, Choi Beomgyu, who chose that moment to finish eating too.

"I'll be leaving then," Beomgyu smiled at his parents, not even glancing at Taehyun as the younger boy bowed to them in respect. Both of them nodded, though Taehyun was unsure if it was for him or Beomgyu.

The two boys stepped out of the mansion at the same time, a few servants calling out for both of them to return safely. Taehyun waved back to them before they left the gates. A car was waiting outside to take Beomgyu to their university, and Taehyun just watched him walk over to it without glancing at him.

When he reached it, the older boy turned around and smiled at Taehyun.

"Bye Taehyun," he said, opening the car door. Taehyun simply nodded wordlessly, his heart beating a mile a minute just from the small smile he received. Beomgyu slipped inside and the car drove off, leaving Taehyun staring longingly.

Taehyun and Beomgyu used to be childhood friends, having grown up together as the only children in a mansion that was larger than life. Somewhere along the line, Taehyun fell in love with the dark haired vampire boy, and held hope that maybe someday, Beomgyu would look at him the way Taehyun looked at the older.

But when Beomgyu joined university, he asked Taehyun to act like he doesn't know him when in front of others. Taehyun, who was in his last year of high school then, could only nod and agree even though his heart had shattered at that time.

Beomgyu never gave an explanation or a reason why; he still maintained a friendly face and behaviour outside of university but the avoidance had led to a rift in their friendship that Taehyun wasn't sure how to repair.

His love for Beomgyu overpowered his rational side oftentimes and he was too scared to confront the older boy about the reason behind his actions. What if Beomgyu was simply bored of him? What if he actually didn't ever like Taehyun and thought this was an easy way to nicely let him down? His overactive imagination had certainly made him apprehensive of approaching the topic altogether.

Sighing, Taehyun shook his head clear of those thoughts.

He had a long way to walk and he was already getting late.

❀

Beomgyu wondered if Taehyun was okay.

The human boy had looked a bit exhausted when Beomgyu had said goodbye to him and his expression had troubled Beomgyu's mind the entire ride to university.

The car screeched to a halt and Beomgyu said a quick thanks to the driver before leaving the car. Just as it headed off, the dark haired boy felt a hand slip around his shoulders.

"Ready, BG?" It was Yeonjun, his childhood friend. The other vampire had been his closest confidante since childhood, coming second only to Taehyun. But ever since he distanced from the human boy, Beomgyu had taken to confiding in Yeonjun about everything.

"To sleep? Yes," Beomgyu laughed. The two walked inside the large gates of the university, where their other two friends caught up with them. San, who was also a vampire, grinned at them, his abnormally sharp teeth peeking out. Heeseung, who was a half-ling on the other hand, simply waved at them both and the four started walking to the dance department building.

In the world, there were 4 types of beings you could possibly be. One was, of course, a complete human, the second one being a full vampire. When a human and a vampire gave birth, there was a 25% chance that they could be a human, and a 25% chance they would be a full vampire. But there was also a chance that they could be a half-ling, and even half-lings were of two types.

There were those that were human-leaning, who had super-strength and super speed like vampires but didn't need blood to survive. And then there were vampire-leaning ones like Heeseung, who need blood to survive, though not as frequently as actual vampires. Some had super-strength or super speed, some didn't.

Even with so many categories of what you could be, being a full vampire was still something that was impressive for a lot of the humans. So to have three of them in one group and a vampire-leaning half-ling as well, the four had the eyes of at least half the university on them.

Growing up as children of big industrialists, Beomgyu and Yeonjun were quite used to being stared at, judged and criticised, but it was still overwhelming for San and Heeseung, who always got shy with the attention. It always made Beomgyu smile, seeing them be so unaware of how cute they looked.

"...gyu? Beomgyu!" Yeonjun's voice startled Beomgyu out of his thoughts and he found the older boy clicking his tongue at him in disapproval. "What was I saying?"

"Uhm, that you love me?" Beomgyu said with a nervous, playful grin. Yeonjun rolled his eyes but there was an unmistakable smile ghosting his lips. "Sorry hyung, I wasn't listening. What did you say?"

"Nothing important but you seem out of it today," Yeonjun said, giving him a knowing look. "Is Taehyun okay?"

"He seems okay, a bit tired maybe," Beomgyu frowned, his eyes lingering on San's back as the other vampire pounced on his boyfriend to scare the shit out of him. "It didn't seem like there was anything to worry about particularly."

"But you're still worried," Yeonjun guessed, reading his mind like he always did. "Because you love him."

Beomgyu blushed, but didn't deny. Why would he, when it was true? He figured it out when he was in his first year of high school and Taehyun was still in middle school. The distance made him miss him so much and Beomgyu had always been in touch with his feelings. He wasn't a fool to deny what was obvious.

He was observant too. ("Except when it comes to Taehyun," Yeonjun had commented once. "What does that even mean?" Beomgyu glared at him. A beat of silence. "Nothing," Yeonjun sighed.) He knew what people thought when a vampire stuck around too much with a human. Taehyun hadn't been aware of the rumours and whispers about them in high school but Beomgyu did. To them, Taehyun was taken and unavailable.

And while it made the possessive side of Beomgyu very happy, his more emotional and rational side wasn't happy about it. He did not want to take away Taehyun's choice and freedom. If Beomgyu's existence made it harder for the younger to get a lover, then he would put some distance between them.

It was easier to do it in university since most people didn't even know them. But that distance in front of others had affected their friendship too. Beomgyu regretted that, but it was something he would give up on if it meant that Taehyun wouldn't resent him for taking away the choice he could have had.

To Beomgyu, Taehyun's happiness mattered more than even their relationship.

✿

When his last lecture ended, Taehyun saw a text from his mom that said his father had fallen unconscious and he should come as quickly as he could.

"Shit."

Taehyun's heart dropped at reading the words, panic seizing him. He hoped that his father was okay as he dashed out of the university in a rush; the hospital was a ten minute walk from the university and he could probably make it in five if he ran.

He clutched the handle of his bag as he ran, his other hand clenching around his phone as he dialled his best friend, Kai. The younger boy must have been waiting for him at the canteen so they could have lunch together before they headed back home.

The roads outside the university were empty, not a single car or bike zooming by. Even the sidewalks barely had one or two people since it was just past noon and the sun was too high to be out. Taehyun dashed madly, glad that he would not run into anyone in his haste.

At that moment, Taehyun really wished that he was still friends with Beomgyu. The older boy could have taken him in minutes to the hospital with his car– but he knew it was just wishful thinking. Even then, Beomgyu would be in the middle of his lectures right now. He wouldn't be able to take him to the hospital even if he wanted to.

The phone finally connected to Kai and the familiar cheery voice was drowned out as Taehyun hurriedly told him that his father was in the nearby hospital and he was running there. He was panicking and Kai could tell, so the younger boy started coaxing him to calm down, telling him that his father was going to be okay.

Taehyun realized just how out of character he was behaving just as he started crossing a road. He focused on Kai's words of reassurance, not noticing the red sign for pedestrian crossing in front of him. Somewhere in the background, a car honked, but it took him a few seconds to fully register it.

He froze mid-road, his head turning just in time to see the car screeching right towards him. His mind flashed with the feeling of deja vu but this time, Taehyun tried to jump ahead. It was too late– the car hit his side, sending him flying straight into the traffic signal pole. His head rammed against it, knocking him unconscious and the phone slipped out of his hands right next to him.

Vision blurry, Taehyun felt an excruciating pain in his head as he stared at the phone that was lying a few inches away from his face. Kai's call was still miraculously on, a crack on the phone's screen guard visible from the odd angle. Taehyun barely managed to press the speaker button, hearing Kai's shouts of, "Taehyun?! What's happening?!! Answer me–"

"Ka…i," he managed to say hoarsely before he lost consciousness, the audio of an unfamiliar voice shouting in the background fading away.

❀

Beomgyu was restless.

Usually, he was much more focused in his lectures but for some reason, he just felt off that afternoon. It was nearing 2 o'clock and normally, he would feel drowsy or slow, but it was like today he was filled with restless energy, the minutest movements catching his eye.

The way his professor subtly kept touching his hair, which was obviously a wig. The way the girl two rows ahead of him was staring at the guy diagonally across her. The way the guy next to him was taking notes at record speed. The way Heeseung was uncharacteristically checking his phone in the middle of the lecture.

Beomgyu gave him a side-glance out of curiosity, watching the way the other boy's eyebrows furrowed in tension. The vampire's eyes flickered to where their professor was before he whispered, "Everything okay, Hee?"

"No," Heeseung mumbled back, slipping his phone back inside his pocket as he looked at Beomgyu in worry. "I just got a message from Kai that Taehyun had an accident. He's in the hospital."

Beomgyu stood up so fast, he was sure he had used his super speed without even thinking about it. The whole class turned to stare at him but he couldn't care less as he stared at Heeseung with an almost wild expression.

"Which hospital?" Beomgyu's voice was carefully restrained, as if he was stopping himself from screaming.

"Haneul–"

Heeseung didn't even finish saying before Beomgyu had zapped out of the room with his super speed, his books and bag lying forgotten behind. The entire class was silent for a few seconds before the professor finally asked loudly, "Lee, what was that?"

"Our friend had an accident, professor," Heeseung decided that honesty was the best policy for now. Their professor just stared at his face, as if to see whether he was being honest. The half-ling seemed to pass the test because the older man just nodded. Then he said,

"You were using your phone in class, weren't you?"

Okay, honesty wasn't always the best policy.

•

Beomgyu's immediate reaction as he ran was to call Taehyun's dad. He had made it a point to have the phone numbers of everyone who worked in the mansion and he had never been more grateful for that decision than now.

When the call was picked up, it was his mom that answered.

"Ahjumma, Taehyunnie–" Beomgyu barely managed to say before he was interrupted.

"The doctors are performing a surgery on him right now," she said, trying to sound firm but Beomgyu knew she was nervous. "His father fell unconscious while working so we got him to hospital and just when he was fine and we were about to leave, Taehyun was brought in. But he will be fine."

Beomgyu knew as well as she did that what she said was to convince herself, and not exactly the truth. But he still hoped that it would be true. He let her know that he would be there in two minutes and cut the call. Faster than ever, he made his way to the hospital, the worry for Taehyun oozing out of his every pore.

He barely held back as he told Taehyun's name to the receptionist and almost flew to the third floor where the surgery was happening. Taehyun's parents were nowhere to be seen but Beomgyu recognized Kai, who was sitting outside on the chair with someone on the call. He caught the conversation with his sharp ears as he made his way towards the younger boy.

"...and we were just talking when I heard a car honk loudly and the next second, there was a loud bang and Taehyun stopped responding to me," Kai's voice was wobbly, his eyes full of unshed tears. "Soobin-hyung, I almost wish I wasn't on call with him so he would have focused more on the road in front of him but… what if the car had rammed into him even then? We wouldn't even have found out until maybe it was too l–"

"No!" Beomgyu said loudly, jerking Kai out of his frantic whispers and the younger just stared at the vampire, who suddenly felt embarrassed about his outburst. "Taehyun will be… he will be okay. He has to be okay."

Kai only nodded, whispering a 'talk to you later' to the other person on the call before cutting it. Beomgyu sat down next to him, the silence eating his insides. He hated this feeling, of having something so nerve-wracking in front of him and not being able to do anything to make the situation better. He couldn't do anything for Taehyun but hope that he would be okay.

•

It felt like hours before the doctors came out, but it was probably only minutes after his parents came back from filling in the necessary forms for the surgery and things. Their faces were tense, the apologetic looks on their faces speaking even before they opened their mouths.

"We are sorry, Mr. & Mrs. Kang," the head surgeon said, looking at Taehyun's parents directly. Beomgyu's non-existent heart stopped beating at that moment. "Taehyun has had too much blood loss and it's all we can do to keep him going right now but…"

"How much money do you need?" Beomgyu demanded, walking straight to the doctors who looked at him in shock. "State your price. Just get him the blood, please. I beg you."

"Sir, it's not a problem of money," the other doctor behind the head surgeon said nervously, obviously on edge due to the way Beomgyu's eyes were flashing red with frustration. "We're low on overall blood supply. S- since a lot of the donated blood goes to f- feeding vampires–"

He shut up after that, seeing the way Beomgyu punched the wall next to him. Everyone acted like that hadn't created cracks in the wall but the atmosphere was tense, and the doctors were frantically glancing at Taehyun's parents to do something. Before anybody could say anything, Beomgyu dialled a number on his phone.

They all waited with bated breaths as he turned around, an eerie calmness in his expression as the call connected.

"Mom, is Dad there with you?" Beomgyu's voice didn't shake as he spoke. Everyone in the room just stared, not knowing what was going to happen. "Put the phone on speaker then. Did you do it? Okay. I'm mating with Taehyun."

The nurses behind the doctors gasped and Kai let out a small yelp but Beomgyu ignored the shocked faces to finish what he was saying, as his parents started to protest.

"He's losing blood, Mom. He's going to die if he doesn't get blood. And there is no blood available, do you get me? If I mate with him, that will instantly boost his blood reproduction speed to inhuman levels."

The head surgeon was nodding as he said that and Beomgyu gave him a small smile before his expression turned serious again. His parents were obviously not happy with his decision but there was only one thing on his mind.

"I am not going to let him die when there's something I could do to save his life," he said, his voice steely. "I didn't call you to ask for your permission; I just wanted to let you know about my decision."

And with that, he cut the call and stared straight at the surgeon.

"Take me to him, doctor," Beomgyu said, his voice finally giving away some of the nervousness he was feeling.

"Are you sure?" The surgeon asked carefully. Taehyun's parents were in too much shock to say anything but Beomgyu knew even they had the same question.

"Never been more sure of anything, doctor," Beomgyu said as he followed the nurses inside to where Taehyun was on the operating table. The wound was a mess and even Beomgyu, who drank blood for breakfast once a week, felt like throwing up at the sight. He shook his head, eyes falling to Taehyun's left wrist as he picked it up and ran a thumb over the nerve there.

Mating was something much much much deeper than a wedding– it was tying your life to a human's. Beomgyu was giving up his immortality, and maybe even his life if this failed.

Still, there was only an intense desire to see Taehyun alive and happy again as Beomgyu mouthed at his wrist for a second before sinking his teeth in and forming a mating mark to seal it.

✿

Taehyun's head felt heavy.

He hadn't opened his eyes yet and just took the moment to feel. His entire body felt sluggish and heavy, but his head felt the worst. There was something irritating about the material of the bed beneath him and the pillow was higher than he normally had. This was obviously not his bed.

Someone was in the room; he could hear the sound of someone breathing and moving. When Taehyun opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the white expanse of a ceiling. He couldn't remember how he came there; the last thing he remembered was his music theory lecture.

Taehyun felt a presence to his right and let his eyes rest there to see a sleeping Kai. The younger boy was sitting on a stool but he had slumped over a small part of Taehyun's bed, his head resting on his arms as he slept soundly. The sight brought a smile on Taehyun's face and he wanted to run a hand through Kai's hair but it felt numb. As if it wasn't his own. Probably because of disuse. He tried to speak but it was like his throat was full of cotton– he ended up choking on his spit.

"Here!" A glass of water popped up from the left side and Taehyun turned his head to find Beomgyu staring at him in concern. The sight shocked him, not expecting the older boy to be there but the overwhelming amount of questions only served to make his head hurt much more so he instead attempted to sit up so he could drink the water. "Let me help you."

Beomgyu placed a gentle hand around him as he helped Taehyun sit up. The younger boy looked at the dark haired vampire with wide eyes as he accepted the glass of water and chugged it down. The water felt good, trickling down his dry insides. Taehyun cracked a small smile in gratitude as he returned the glass to Beomgyu.

"Your parents stayed over for two whole weeks while you were unconscious," Beomgyu said as he turned around and filled the glass up with water again. "They wouldn't leave your side for all these days so Kai & I convinced them to take today off and go home while we watch over you."

"Oh," Taehyun said eloquently, as silence fell upon them. It was awkward in Taehyun's head but the atmosphere was mostly relieved. He just digested the information and finally started remembering what had happened two weeks ago. "Thank you."

"Of course, it won't do for them to strain themselves so much," Beomgyu smiled warmly, the same smile that always made Taehyun feel like he was the only one in the universe– like he mattered. Now, it only made Taehyun wonder what had happened because it had been months since he saw that smile.

"What- what are you doing here?" Taehyun finally asked, trying not to sound like he didn't want Beomgyu there. He did, he liked having Beomgyu there but it felt like a dream come true. Like something he had achieved miraculously and he couldn't remember how.

His question made Beomgyu's eager face morph into a nervous one and Taehyun watched the older boy fidget uncomfortably in the chair he was sitting in to Taehyun's left. He seemed hesitant to say something but Taehyun idly thought that he had the time to wait for his answer in the boring hospital room.

"Taehyun!" Kai's bright voice made Taehyun's head snap to the right. The younger boy was awake, the sleep flushed off his face with the sheer joy and relief of seeing Taehyun awake again. "Oh god, you finally woke up! I'm so relieved – the doctors couldn't tell when you would wake up and two whole weeks with no sign from you was so nerve-wracking. I'm so happy to see you are okay. And you know, that entire time your parents and Beomgyu-ssi wouldn't leave your side at all and I barely managed to convince your parents to go get rest but Beomgyu-ssi wouldn't listen to me–"

"Huening Kai!" Beomgyu sputtered, abruptly interrupting the younger, who startled. The brown haired half-ling hadn't realized that Beomgyu was also there in the room and his eyes widened in panic at all he had blurted out.

Kai's eyes landed on the way Beomgyu was looking away from Taehyun like he couldn't meet his eyes and if he had any blood in him, Beomgyu's cheeks would have definitely been coloured pink at that moment. Taehyun on the other hand, looked secretly pleased and confused at the same time, hands clenched around his blanket. Kai had accidentally spoken more than necessary and now the two were awkwardly stealing glances at each other.

"Beomgyu-hyung," Taehyun said after a few minutes of awkward silence. The vampire in question went rigid as he stared at Taehyun. "What are you doing here?"

Taehyun didn't want to admit it, but there was something akin to hope blooming in his chest. He didn't care if near-death was what changed it; he could possibly be having Beomgyu back in his life.

The dark haired boy sighed at the familiar question but this time, he just took Taehyun's left hand and flipped it so his wrist was up. Taehyun's eyes fell on the faded puncture marks that decorated his wrist now; they weren't there before. Before he could question and overthink it, he felt the way Beomgyu's cold hands gently caressed the scar. It made him feel warm inside, like there was something funny going on in his stomach.

"We're mated now," Beomgyu said quietly, almost like he didn't want to break the comfort of the silence. There was a beat of silence as Taehyun blinked blankly, unable to comprehend what the young vampire just said. "You… you lost too much blood and there wasn't any available. You could have died, Taehyun-ah. I couldn't just sit and watch you leave us, so I did what I had to. And, I'm not leaving your side until you're fully cured and okay."

"It's a side effect of fresh mating," Kai's addition startled the two of them, who had almost forgotten the younger was still there. "He will want to be around you for some time. It makes vampires very protective."

Taehyun couldn't handle all this information. His head was pounding now, and his heart was in a turmoil over what had happened. He had forced Beomgyu to mate with him in a do or die situation. But Beomgyu still did it. The two sides inside of Taehyun were warring and he didn't want to think about this right now.

"Taehyun, I- I know this probably isn't what you wanted," Beomgyu said, a little panicked as his finger clasped around Taehyun's wrist, "but, I only did it to save you. I totally understand if you're mad at me–"

"Hyung, no," Taehyun's response was automatic, as he placed his other hand on top of Beomgyu's. It still felt a bit heavy but he wanted to reassure Beomgyu. "I'm not mad at you. Never. You just sacrificed your life for me, how can I get mad at you for that? Thank you so much for saving me."

Beomgyu just searched his eyes before nodding, a nervous smile painting his lips again as he gave a light squeeze to Taehyun's hand. The younger boy sighed and shifted so that he could lie down again.

"I feel really tired," he said apologetically, eyes flickering over both Beomgyu and Kai. "Can we talk about this later?"

The two didn't even think before nodding, making sure that Taehyun was comfortable as he slipped back into sleep– this time with his mind full of both hopeful and negative thoughts.

❀

Mating was perhaps one of the, if not the, most important moments in a vampire's life. A vampire was essentially immortal as long as they had blood to drink– they never fell sick and the human limitations of age didn't exist for them. But of course, there was only so much blood to get from different sources and with nearly 10% of the population now being vampires, there was an obviously huge amount of blood that was supplied to them from blood banks.

By mating with a human, a vampire secretes a certain chemical into the human's body, making them capable of instantly producing blood to the extent that a vampire can just feed off them and need no one else.

But the drawback to mating was that the vampire became unable to drink any other human's blood. If they attempted to do so, it would make them sick and they would eventually die. Compared to that, it was advantageous to the human as only their mated vampire could drink their blood– if any other vampire attempted to drink their blood, it would result in instant death for that vampire. This helped ward off rogue vampire attacks or forced feeding for the human.

Because a mated vampire can only drink their human partner's blood, their lifespan gets tied to the human's. Once the human dies, the vampire cannot take in any other blood and eventually either dies of starvation or by poisoning from drinking other blood.

By mating with Taehyun, Beomgyu had essentially given away his immortality and now tied himself on the most intimate level a vampire could bond with another. He was literally dependent on Taehyun for survival now.

Of course Beomgyu was miserably certain that that thought must make Taehyun anxious and maybe even unhappy. Even so, any seed of doubt and regret in him was squashed immediately; he did what he had to to save Taehyun's life. And he would gladly do it again if he went back in time.

But, if it meant that Taehyun would hate him for taking away his choice and consent, the very thing Beomgyu distanced himself for, then he wouldn't even blame the younger boy. Just, it hurt to think that somewhere inside, Taehyun didn't want this. He didn't want Beomgyu, or to be mated to him like this. It hurt.

Beomgyu's eyes sadly watched the sleeping form of his most favourite human. It was like the exhaustion from the past two weeks had suddenly crashed into him, tied with the fact that he hadn't drunk any blood since Taehyun's accident either. He felt unusually tired, like he could drop asleep the moment his body hits the bed.

"Beomgyu-ssi," Kai's voice was soft, almost understanding. "I think you should go home too."

"I don't want to leave his side," Beomgyu replied quietly, his gaze never leaving the younger's sleeping form as he spoke. "It's a scary thought. To not be there if- if something happens."

"You know he will be okay now," Kai reminded him, his voice firm but still gentle. "Even more than that, I think you need some time to yourself. So that you can sort out your feelings and thoughts before facing Taehyunnie again."

Beomgyu glanced at him in surprise.

"It's scary how you can see through me," Beomgyu admitted, standing up from the chair and stretching his arms. His joints seemed to squeak as Kai started laughing softly.

"Go on then," the half-ling beamed at him. "Go home and get some rest, yeah? I will watch over Taehyun for today."

"I entrust him to you," Beomgyu nodded, grabbing his hoodie that was lying on the back of the chair. Kai responded with an enthusiastic thumbs-up and the vampire finally left the hospital for the first time in two whole weeks.

He squinted in the sunlight, pulling his hoodie up so that his skin doesn't directly meet it. It's not like he would burst into flames from just a little sunlight, but it felt irritating and uncomfortable on his skin so he always wore hoodies with long sleeves.

When he returned home to the mansion, he didn't even look at anyone until he had made his way to his bed. The moment his back hit it, he felt the exhaustion almost double in a full realization of how much he had stretched himself to his limits.

As sleep started to take over his body, Beomgyu hoped that Taehyun wouldn't hate him in the long run; because what if he met another vampire later on and fell in love with them? To not be able to mate with them, to constantly have to cater to Beomgyu… He could end up hating him, and the thought killed Beomgyu inside.

✿

When Taehyun woke up again, Beomgyu wasn't there. Panicking, he shot right  up, regretting the decision immediately when his world started spinning. Kai, who was writing something in a book next to him, jumped up and immediately asked him, "Taehyun? What's wrong?"

"H- hyung?" The silver haired boy looked around, trying to find the vampire there but to no avail. Taehyun's heart sank; was it just a dream?

"You mean Beomgyu-ssi?" Kai asked, rubbing a hand over Taehyun's back to calm him down. Taehyun's head whipped around to meet Kai's understanding eyes. "I sent him home. He didn't step out of the hospital at all for two whole weeks, you know. Now that you woke up and are out of danger, I convinced him to go home and take care of himself."

"How long," Taehyun bit his lip, eyes wandering to the walls in search of a clock until he found it right above the doorway. "It's evening now?"

"Yeah, you woke up in the morning but since you fell asleep again, I just let the doctors know about it," Kai nodded. He pressed a button next to Taehyun's bed. "Messaged your parents too. They said they'll be back to stay the night. I called a nurse to check you."

"Thanks, Kai," Taehyun gave the half-ling a weak smile that Kai just returned brightly. Taehyun's eyes fell to his lap as the questions from the morning plagued him again. His expression didn't go unnoticed by Kai, who sat down in his seat.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked, resting his hand over Taehyun's in concern.

"I just, I feel like I stole something from Beomgyu-hyung," Taehyun said, tears forming in his eyes. "In an attempt to save my life, he ended up feeling like he had to mate with me and now I'm a ticking time bomb for his life. He must hate me for it, right? I took away his immortality, his chance to tie his life with another human instead of… me."

"Taehyun," before Kai could say anything else, the door opened and the nurse entered with a clipboard. The two boys fell silent as she gave them a small smile before starting to note down some things. She asked Taehyun a few questions about how he was feeling in certain areas and overall.

Just as she finished noting the last question, the door opened again and Beomgyu stepped in, his eyes curiously landing on the nurse. She looked up upon his entry and gave a small "ah" of acknowledgement before coming to him.

"If you stay with Kang Taehyun-ssi here for the next two days, he can get discharged," she said with a smile. Taehyun made a small noise of flustered protest at that so she explained, "Since you are both freshly mated, it's natural for your bodies to crave closeness to one another. It also boosts your physical betterment, so the healing process would be quicker if Beomgyu-ssi spent time here."

"Then I will of course stay here as long as he needs me," Beomgyu said, nodding at her. She nodded and left the room, leaving the vampire with the half-ling and the human. Kai cleared his throat at the tension he could feel building up and stood up, grabbing his books and things that were lying around.

"Where are you going?" Taehyun asked, his voice almost a plea but Kai just shot him an amused look.

"I can't stay here the whole time, silly," Kai said, putting all his stuff in his bag. "I missed today's lectures so your parents and Beomgyu-ssi could take a rest without worrying, but I have to take notes for you, don't I?"

Taehyun just nodded, knowing that it was irrational to expect Kai to be there the whole time. He had his limits as a friend too.

"You two talk it out," Kai said, his tone gentle but still somewhat like a reprimand, glancing at Beomgyu too. His eyes flicked back to Taehyun and softened as he said, "I'll come visit you everyday until discharge, okay? I'll even bring Soobin-hyung along. He had a seminar he had to attend today but he dropped by in the afternoon to give me lunch. You were asleep and he didn't want to wake you up but he misses you just as much."

"Hyung is such a worrywart, I wouldn't be surprised if he smothered over my sleeping body until you had to hold him back," Taehyun chuckled. Kai nodded, embarrassed on behalf of the older and that only served to make Taehyun laugh harder. "Thanks Ningning. I really appreciate you being here for me– in all ways."

"Of course," Kai ducked to give him a quick hug before he skipped over to the door. "Bye Taehyunnie, Beomgyu-ssi."

Beomgyu nodded with a smile, calling someone on his phone. Taehyun silently watched the older boy patiently wait for the call to connect until he started talking about Taehyun's discharge date.

"... possibly in two days if everything goes well," Beomgyu explained to the person on the other side, who Taehyun suspected was his mom. The vampire paused, listening to something on the other side before looking at Taehyun. "Do you want to talk to your mom?"

"When's she coming?" He asked, looking at Beomgyu with an eager look. He missed his parents' touch and he needed to know how his father was too. "And dad? How is he?"

"They are both coming in half an hour," Beomgyu let him know once he cut the call with a quick bye. "And your father's completely fine. He had some exhaustion that day from overworking and we made him stop working for three days and with medicines and good meals, he was perfectly fine. Don't worry, Taehyun-ah."

The familiar way of calling nearly sent a jolt inside Taehyun, his chest feeling warm. Beomgyu settled down on the chair to his left again and silence took over the two of them as Taehyun wondered if now was a good time to apologize to Beomgyu.

"I'm so sorry!" Beomgyu bowed fully, startling Taehyun enough for him to jump on his spot in the bed. "I know you did say in the morning that it's fine but, I took away your consent. I didn't even think that there might be another vampire you like or would want to tie yourself to and went ahead and did this. My apology doesn't fix the situation but I hope that you understand."

Beomgyu's eyes were sad when he straightened up again and Taehyun was shaking his head before he even registered the movement.

"No, hyung, I am the one who should apologize," he said, feeling desperate. "I took away your immortality. I am the one your life is tied down to and you didn't even get much of a choice. I feel horrible that you had to do this for me, when you could have chosen someone else that you… loved."

"You don't have to apologize," Beomgyu said, giving him a shy smile. "I never wanted to be immortal, and if I had to tie my life to anyone's… you have always been at the top of my list, you know?"

Taehyun's heart sped up at that and he flushed at the vampire's admission, mind overthinking if this had a deeper meaning. He caught Beomgyu staring at something from the corner of his eye and Taehyun looked up to see the steadily rising heart rate number on the monitor. Beomgyu could literally see the way his heart was jumping.

Embarrassed, Taehyun let out a squeak and pulled the blanket over his face, lying down on the bed to hide himself from the other boy at what just happened.

Talk about embarrassing yourself in front of your crush.

❀

It was easy to fall back into their old routine, as if the year of distance had never occurred. They didn't talk about it and for that, Beomgyu was secretly thankful. He stuck around in Taehyun's room all hours of the day, doing everything that the younger boy even mentioned. The vampire liked doing nothing but taking care of Taehyun; and he did so happily, humming cheerfully.

Taehyun just shot him amused looks of bemusement everytime Beomgyu hummed a song while doing something. Beomgyu hoped that the younger wasn't finding him weird for it. Like this, they didn't even realize when the two days passed. On Taehyun's discharge day, the doctor gave them the go a few hours after lunch with a final check-up.

"You have had an astonishingly fast recovery due to your mate," the doctor had said with a smile. Beomgyu didn't miss the way Taehyun had flushed adorably at that. If he had any blood in him, Beomgyu would have flushed too. But since he didn't, he just gave the doctor an awkward laugh and started packing up to leave the room.

"Your parents will be coming in my car," Beomgyu told him as he helped Taehyun off the bed even though the human was perfectly fine now. The vampire had insisted and the smitten Taehyun was very weak against it, so they ended up shuffling out of the room closer than they needed to be. Beomgyu revelled in the touch, looking pleased about it as he led them out of the hospital.

Outside, Taehyun's parents were waiting in front of Beomgyu's black car. The two of them immediately hugged the younger boy, fussing over him while the black haired vampire got the car started. When everyone had settled in, Beomgyu got the car out of the parking lot and started the short drive towards their home.

"Thank you very much for everything you have done for our Taehyunnie, young master," Taehyun's father said from the backseat. Taehyun, who was sitting shotgun, nodded at that, looking intensely at Beomgyu, who was driving the car. The older boy just laughed and waved it off.

"It's really nothing, ahjusshi," Beomgyu said brightly, eyes on the road as he spoke. "All I did was make it so that Taehyun could have the blood he needed."

It was definitely more than just blood, but the family of three didn't know how to express their gratitude for it. Instead, Taehyun's mother, who was sitting behind Beomgyu, leaned forward so he could hear her.

"We know…," she hesitated, "that your parents are not happy with your decision, young master. It's all our fault that you went to odds with them, that you ended up making such a decision without any consultation with them. I would like to apologise for all the trouble we have cau–"

"Ahjumma," Beomgyu interrupted her, brows furrowing at her words. She stopped talking, looking nervous, so he spoke gently, "Please don't apologize. What I chose to do… It was entirely my own decision. It is no one's fault, but the choice that I made after thinking for a long time."

"But young master," Taehyun's father said, confused, "you made that decision immediately after the doctors told us about the lack of blood supply… When did you think about this?"

"T- That's," Beomgyu failed to answer at first, embarrassed at the slip. He could hardly tell Taehyun that he had been thinking (re: fantasizing) about this for the past four years now, could he? "I mean, I t- thought about it while waiting! I was very w- worried, I had already decided that if it came to it, I would do everything in my power to save Taehyun."

Those words were enough for the boy in question to give him a very cute and fond smile, his eyes turning into half moons. Beomgyu saw it when he gave a side-glance and nearly lost control of the car; it took all of him to not kiss the younger boy right then and there, when he looked this adorable.

The rest of the ride was mostly a silent affair and when they reached the mansion, Taehyun's parents had to immediately leave to go back to work since they had only taken a break so that they could bring him back home. That left the two young boys alone and Beomgyu lightly held his hand as they walked inside the house.

"Taehyun?" Beomgyu paused in his steps, looking at the younger. He let go of the hand when Taehyun looked up, missing the flash of disappointment in the younger's eyes. "There is something we need to talk about so, can you go up to my room and wait there for me? I need to do something before we can talk."

"Of course, hyung," Taehyun reassured him with a warm smile. Beomgyu watched the silver haired boy go up the staircases just in case, to make sure he reached above safely before making his way to the study room where he knew his parents were.

He knocked twice on the door, sharply, and got a sound of muffled affirmation in return from the other side. Beomgyu opened the door and stepped in, shutting it close right after. His parents looked at him warily as he crossed the distance and sat in the armchair opposite the sofa they were both sitting on. His face was blank but his thoughts were a mess.

"I thought it's time we finally talked," Beomgyu said lightly, as if he hadn't ignored all their attempts at talking for the past two weeks while Taehyun was hospitalized. "Why are you two so mad about my decision?"

"Isn't it quite obvious?" Beomgyu's father, a vampire like him, sighed in frustration. He shot his son a glare, that was rewarded only with a raised eyebrow from Beomgyu.

"He's our servant's son, Beomgyu," his mother, a human, frowned in concern. "It was fine while you were just friends. But to mate with someone of a lower social status than us… You know he is too lowly to fit in with us–"

"Excuse me?!" Beomgyu said sharply, eyes flashing red with the angriest look he had ever given either of his parents. The two seemed shocked at it but Beomgyu didn't care after hearing what he just did. "Taehyun has always been my equal. His financial or social status means nothing to me. And it definitely does not matter over his life. Do you both hear yourself right now?"

The two shifted uncomfortably, knowing he was right. After all, Beomgyu had made that decision (as far as they knew) to save Taehyun's life. For them to suggest that he should have let Taehyun die simply because he was of a lower status was cruel of them. They had seen Taehyun grow up in this very mansion too, it wasn't like he was a total stranger. They knew the boy had a good heart. Still…

"I guess, we're not angry, just upset," Beomgyu's mother sighed, eyes looking away guiltily. "Since your father and I had an arranged marriage for my business to flourish, we had thought you would do the same, since you are not that interested in taking over the company…"

"Mom," Beomgyu sighed, disappointed at her words. She knew him better than this. "You know even without the circumstances with Taehyun, I would never really accept an arranged marriage. I'm a romantic at heart. An arranged marriage or mating would never make me happy like real love would."

"But you don't love Taehyun either, son," his father pointed out.

Beomgyu just spared him a flat look and said, raising his eyebrow again, "Don't I?"

He didn't wait to react to his parents' gasps and got up and off the armchair, beelining for the door. Only when he reached it and twisted the knob did he turn his head slightly back to say one last thing.

"I'm happy with my decision... and I would like it if you two would be as well."

✿

It had been more than a year since Taehyun had stepped foot inside Beomgyu's bedroom. The last time had been when the vampire had still been in high school and wanted to show Taehyun the new guitar he had got for his birthday.

That very guitar was now hanging right next to Beomgyu's king sized bed. The room was dark despite it being late afternoon because the velvet red curtains were blocking the light. Still, Taehyun remembered every nook and cranny of this room from the amount of times he had come in here as a child to play. Now, it held a different meaning when he was a teenager with a crush on the owner of this room.

Below where the guitar hung on the wall was a small table. Taehyun inched closer to it when he saw a familiar photo frame sitting there, the sight of himself shocking him. It was the photo taken during Taehyun's elementary school graduation that Beomgyu had missed his class's first out-of-town trip for. Funnily enough, it was that day when Taehyun had realized just how madly in love he was with Beomgyu. It was the last photo they had taken together and to now see it upon Beomgyu's desk…

Hope rekindled in his heart. The silver haired boy traced the carvings on the photo frame and wondered if perhaps his overthinking had been for naught. Maybe Beomgyu never really stopped liking him and missed him just as much as Taehyun did. Nah, that wasn't possible. Taehyun had missed him so much, there was no way Beomgyu had missed him the same amount when he was the one who pushed him away. Still, it was enough to please him at the moment. It was a sign that Beomgyu still cared for him.

The sound of the vampire clearing his throat startled Taehyun and he turned around only to find Beomgyu shyly scratching his cheek in embarrassment. Still, when he saw that Taehyun seemed very happy about the photo, he smiled back just as eagerly.

"You can sit on the bed, get comfortable," Beomgyu suggested, settling himself on the other end. Taehyun was thankful for the dark room hiding his very red cheeks at the thought of sitting on his longtime crush's bed. Nervously, he sat down on the very edge, marvelling at how soft it was. "No seriously, you don't need to be so hesitant, Tyun. Just sit however you are comfortable."

The familiar nickname sent a jolt through the younger, who snapped his head up to look at the vampire who was pouting. Beomgyu didn't seem to find anything weird in calling him that so Taehyun just listened to him and sat more comfortably.

"First of all, I wanted to apologize," Beomgyu started, eyes downcast and sad. Taehyun didn't know that by Beomgyu mating him, he might as well have destroyed the purpose of distancing from Taehyun in the first place.

"For what?" Taehyun didn't really understand what he meant. Beomgyu just looked up in surprise, mouth open. Then he closed immediately and shook his head.

"No, it's nothing," Beomgyu said lightly. Taehyun was curious but didn't push, not wanting to seem too nosy right after they had finally started to get close again. "To the main thing I wanted to talk to you about… With us being mated, I'm sure you must be worried about what changes between us."

Worried wasn't quite the right word, in Taehyun's mind. Excited was more like it. Still, he just nodded to express his curiosity; Beomgyu didn't need to know how long he had fantasized about being mated to the vampire.

"That is to say, nothing that you don't want will change," Beomgyu said immediately, rubbing the back of his neck. "We can still remain friends, you don't have to worry about being forced into a relationship with me! I'm okay with you pursuing a relationship with someone else… That is, if you aren't in one already."

Beomgyu really wasn't okay with it but Taehyun didn't know that. The vampire's words just made him miserable because all his fantasies had just plunged into the Mariana trench.

"Nope, nothing like that," he said, trying his best to not let his disappointment show. He didn't notice the way the older boy brightened at that.

"That's great," Beomgyu said happily before realizing that that sounded kind of mean and remedying it to, "I mean, it's great that I haven't accidentally come in between your lovelife."

How Taehyun wished that Beomgyu knew that the human wanted him to come into his lovelife and bag the role of the other main character.

"As you know, I will have to drink from you periodically now," Beomgyu continued, not noticing Taehyun's subtle pout in the darkness. "So I wanted to give you two options on how we can proceed. I can either feed from you once a week or once every two weeks. Of course, if I drink from you once every two weeks, I will end up taking more blood in one go and that might make you a little dizzy for some while. But I wanted to keep this option open in case it wasn't possible for you to feed me every week."

The vampire paused after that to let Taehyun think over his options. For the human, the choice was obvious and easy. If he chose to do it weekly, he got to see Beomgyu more often.

"I am fine with the weekly option," Taehyun shrugged, doing his best to seem casual. "It would be better if I don't feel too lightheaded or nauseous after the feeding."

"Alright, thank you, Taehyun," Beomgyu smiled warmly at that. For the vampire, the obviously better option was the weekly one and yet he had given Taehyun the choice. Even while Taehyun's heart squeezed in adoration for the other, he noticed how Beomgyu suddenly got shy. "I also wanted to tell you that… feeding directly from a human is a very intimate act for a vampire. If something I do or something in the process itself makes you uncomfortable, you should never hide it from me, okay? During feeding, your needs and comfort are more important than my own for me."

Really, how was Taehyun supposed to not fall in love with him when Beomgyu continued to act this thoughtful without even thinking about it?

❀

Yeonjun was startled when the door to his bedroom burst open, revealing a slightly dishevelled but handsome boy he called his best friend. Choi Beomgyu looked as flush as vampires without blood did, and Yeonjun smirked. It was so obviously about Taehyun.

"How are you doing, my freshly mated best friend?" Yeonjun teased from where he was lying on his stomach on his bed, a bag of chips in his hand. To vampires, mating was a very huge deal; more than Beomgyu tried to play it off as.

"Shut up, hyung," Beomgyu whined, hiding his face in his hands as he made his way over to the bed on autopilot. He flopped down next to Yeonjun, lying spread eagle on his back. "Yeonjun-hyung."

"Hm?"

"He's going to kill me," Beomgyu breathed out, eyes staring widely at the ceiling. Yeonjun let out another hum of interest that hid his snort. Not that Beomgyu missed it, he just chose to ignore it. "Hyung, I'm serious. That's what will be written on my grave; cause of death, Kang Taehyun."

"Hm, I can see it," Yeonjun said thoughtfully, scrunching his nose. "That will be the cause anyway. You're immortal. Well, were immortal until you signed your life away to Mr. Pretty Human so now when he dies, he will take you with him."

"Shut up, you know that's not what I meant," Beomgyu huffed, playfully swatting the older boy. "Yes, I am technically immortal. But he is going to give heart failure to my still heart. He's too adorable. He's everything good in this world, the light of my life, the reason I'm alive."

"Definitely the reason you are alive," Yeonjun mumbled back while searching the bag for any remaining chips.

"He's so going to hate me for this," Beomgyu groaned, choosing to ignore the older's quips. "I mated him without his consent, hyung. Now he will be stuck having me around. Everyone will think we're dating. He will never have a lover because of me."

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Yeonjun said patiently, crumpling up the bag into a ball and shooting it towards the dustbin in his room. Beomgyu sighed. "No, seriously. This is your golden opportunity, Gyu!"

"What do you mean?" Beomgyu dropped his head to the side to stare at the other dark haired vampire. Yeonjun sat up, grin on his face.

"You will be around him all the time; you can finally show him what a good boyfriend you can be," he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Beomgyu swatted the older again, mind reeling from the thought. Because what if it actually worked? What if he managed to make Taehyun fall for him with the excuse of their bond? He whined out loud at that idea, which caused the older vampire to giggle.

"Your crush of 4 years will finally come true," Yeonjun teased, elbowing Beomgyu playfully. The younger sat up, shooting an equally frustrating smirk back at him.

"And what about your crush of 4 months, hm?" Yeonjun's smile dropped immediately and was replaced with very red shiny cheeks. He quietly grabbed Beomgyu's arm and threw him off the bed before pushing him out of the room.

"That's not how you speak to your elders, brat," he hissed. Beomgyu knew he didn't really mean it that angrily so he just gave him a cheeky grin even as Yeonjun shut the door on his face.

"So sorry, I forgot you're a senior citizen now, hyung-nim!"

"DO YOU WANT ME TO WHIP YOUR ASS–?!"

•

A few hours later, when the sun had dipped below the horizon, Beomgyu was preparing to go to sleep. He had finished his dinner, but it wasn't without noting the lack of blood. It had been more than two weeks without blood for him now, and it only made him feel weaker by the day. Still, he didn't want to drink blood from Taehyun so soon after the human had just been discharged from the hospital.

So he was surprised when he heard a knock on his door followed by a tiny "Beomgyu-hyung?" from the other end with his sharp hearing. The sound pierced the older's heart and Beomgyu had to hold back his squeal at how cute Taehyun was.

"Taehyun?" Beomgyu opened the door, surprise and awe on his face at seeing the younger boy again. He could never get tired of seeing Taehyun's face. Said boy shifted on the spot, adorning a shy blush. "What are you doing here at this time?"

"I just thought," he hesitated, "You haven't drank any blood since my accident. That's not good, is it? I didn't want to make you wait any longer. I know you would stay silent till the last second just for my comfort but hyung, just like you told me to tell you if something makes me uncomfortable, you should also tell me when something is wrong and I can help."

"I didn't want to…" Beomgyu failed at explaining himself and just opened the door wider to let the younger inside. "Come in."

"Mm," Taehyun smiled and entered, blush still not leaving his cheeks. "To be honest, I also wanted to know what it's like…"

"What's what like?" Beomgyu asked, distracted by his thoughts.

"Feeding," Taehyun said abruptly, then inched closer to his bed. The word made Beomgyu burst up in metaphorical flames. He really didn't expect to do this so soon, and he was definitely not mentally prepared enough for this. Feeding was, after all, something very intimate.

"Uh, um, T- Taehyun," Beomgyu said suddenly, feeling more flustered than he had since he had had his epiphany of his feelings for the boy in question. Taehyun looked back at him curiously. "You can sit on the bed and um–"

"Okay, hyung," Taehyun plopped down on the bed, looking up at Beomgyu with wide eager eyes that made the vampire feel like they held the entire universe in them. "So, bite me?"

"Taehyun!" Beomgyu flushed, panicking at how his stomach just lurched at the slightly provocative words. The silver haired boy balked when he realized the way his question had come out and hastened to correct himself but Beomgyu beat him before he could speak anything. "Wait for me, okay? I will just be gone for two minutes. Get yourself comfortable. It's going to be… a bit of an experience for you."

'And me' was left unsaid as the vampire rushed out the bedroom before he accidentally blurted out silly things like love confessions.

✿

The moment he was out the door, Taehyun slumped onto the bed, hands fisting the blanket beneath him to control his nerves. He was excited for this moment, after having fantasized about it for years and now it was finally going to happen! He wondered where Beomgyu had gone…

Taehyun's phone pinged from where it was lying in his pocket. The silver haired boy took it out only to find out that it was Soobin and Kai from their group chat. He had messaged them that he was going to ask Beomgyu to feed for the first time and they had finally seen and responded. Though, their responses only served to make him even more flustered…

Captain Bin:
I can finally say it!!

Soulmate:
say what?

Captain Bin:
that Beomgyu sucks…
the blood out of you 😏

Soulmate:
…
that was so terrible hyung

Captain Bin:
the disrespect, istg
BUT!! I really am happy for you Tyun 🥺
have a great time!!

Soulmate:
I will be waiting to hear the details from you~
especially the ones where things other than the biting happens ⁠(⁠ ͡⁠°⁠ ͜⁠ʖ⁠ ͡⁠°⁠)
like,,
kissing–

Taehyun dropped the phone when the door opened suddenly, face burning bright red at the image Kai had just put in his head. He fumbled to turn the screen off and act nonchalant. Beomgyu shut the door behind him, a tray in his other hand.

On the tray, there was a hand towel, a glass of water and a chocolate bar. It was an odd assortment but Taehyun guessed that it must be something to make the process easier. Beomgyu didn't really answer the unasked question, instead opting to place the tray on the bedside table. The vampire settled down across Taehyun and looked at him with wide ink black irises that seemed to be tinged with red at the borders.

"Feeding generally is best at the neck at the junction between the neck and the shoulder," Beomgyu explained as he shifted closer. "For me to feed from that spot comfortably… is it okay if I climb onto your lap? Or you can sit on mine, if that makes your more comfortable!"

"Uh," Taehyun let out a really quiet whimper, blood rushing to his face already. This was going to kill him like a slow torture. "I, I think it's better if I sit on your lap?"

"Alright," Beomgyu smiled warmly in reassurance, shifting backwards to press his back against the headboard. The black haired boy crossed his legs and patted his thighs to let Taehyun know he could come over. The younger boy crawled over and gently deposited himself in Beomgyu's lap, heart beating so fast that he was worried that it would go into overdrive. How was Beomgyu so calm about this?! "Hey, I can feel your heartbeat through the bond."

Taehyun just waited internally at embarrassing himself even more in front of the vampire, not noticing the way Beomgyu was frowning as he said the words.

"Are you scared?" Beomgyu seemed upset at his own words but he continued gently. "It's okay. I know it's your first time and you have never done this before and you might have come across humans who do occasional live feedings saying that it hurts. But we're bonded so I promise the pain will be absolutely minimal and it will be over before you know it. So you don't need to be scared, yeah?"

"Yup," Taehyun just agreed mindlessly, throat feeling parched very suddenly. He couldn't get his heartbeat to stop thumping so fast though, because the proximity and Beomgyu's smell from all around him was intoxicating him; sending weird tingles down his limbs and fluttering in his stomach. Not to mention how Beomgyu kept worrying over him! Seeing him be so gentle and treat him with so much care, like he was fragile– Taehyun secretly liked it.

"Come here," Beomgyu just smiled and gently pulled Taehyun into a comforting hug. The silver haired boy sagged in the hold, almost like he was melting against the vampire. Beomgyu was surprisingly warm for a creature who hadn't had a drop of blood in over two weeks. In his embrace, Taehyun found himself feeling safe and protected, and he started getting drowsy.

The vampire gently placed his left hand around Taehyun's waist to hold him so he wouldn't slip out; and placed the right hand just below the nape. His thumb brushed the skin at his neck, rubbing it to let Taehyun know where exactly he was going to bite. The boy just tilted his head more, offering his neck easily under the drowsy feeling of safety.

The drowsy feeling was broken the moment Beomgyu sank his fangs into the smooth skin. It was a second of pain from where the surface broke but then he started gently sucking the blood and the pain was overridden by pleasure. Taehyun's eyes rolled up and shut. It was different from anything he had ever experienced; he felt light and floaty, like he was not even in the material world anymore.

Taehyun didn't even register his own hands finding purchase in Beomgyu's shirt, clutching on tightly like it was the only thing tethering him. He didn't know how long Beomgyu fed; maybe it was a few seconds, maybe it had been a few minutes but it felt all too less and all too much at the same time.

When Beomgyu finally pulled out, Taehyun opened his eyes weakly. His fangs were usually hidden but now they were out and dipped in crimson blood. But the most distracting feature on his usually gentle and warm face were his eyes; they were now burning red, looking hungry and dark, his pupils blown wide.

The sight of Beomgyu like that did things to Taehyun and he was whining loudly before he realized, pressing himself tightly to the vampire as if he wanted to meld them together into one.

❀

The silver haired human boy looked blissed out, eyes gently shut. He was heaving slightly, like he had lost all breath from his body. It was such a pretty sight that Beomgyu had to physically restrain himself from kissing Taehyun. But it was so so hard when his mind was just chanting 'kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss him, he's your MATE' over and over again.

Shutting down those thoughts, Beomgyu licked his teeth to wipe away the remaining blood. He looked down at Taehyun, who was still whimpering lightly, face contorted in pleasure. It was such a beautiful sight, satisfying some part of him that he made Taehyun look like that. He liked the way the younger was cocooned in his arms but he knew Taehyun.

The human would hate feeling so weak. So Beomgyu slightly jostled him, holding one of his hands to comfort him.

"Mm?" Taehyun didn't look up. He just nuzzled his face into the crook of Beomgyu's neck. The action made the vampire flush a pretty pink since he finally had blood inside him.

"Taehyun," he said quietly, trying hard to make his voice not sound pleased. He picked up the glass of water and pressed it into Taehyun's unresponsive hands. "You should drink some water. And have a bit of chocolate. It will help with the dizziness–"

He abruptly stopped when he felt something– down there. Taehyun shifted in his lap and Beomgyu couldn't help the blush that burned on his cheeks. He knew this was a possible result of the feeding but he couldn't help feeling shy and embarrassed about it anyway because this was his longtime crush!

"Oh," if it wasn't for Beomgyu's vampire sharp hearing, he would have missed the soft sound that came from Taehyun. The boy just grabbed the glass and clambered off his lap, ears red with embarrassment when he realized what had happened. He gulped down the water and placed the glass back, fumbling to get out of the bed. Before Beomgyu could stop him, he had already grabbed the chocolate and ran out with a whispered apology that the vampire would have missed if he wasn't, well, a vampire.

Beomgyu couldn't help the disappointment he felt at that. He had thought that Taehyun would want to stay… and then he would sleep in his bed and maybe they could cuddle or something. Though, now it only seemed like a pipe dream of some sort.

With a sigh, he settled down to sleep, even though the joys of rest evaded him for the next few hours. It was like his mind was wide awake and a broken film projector was showing Taehyun's out of focus and blissed out state to him like it was burned into his mind's eye.

It was only when his tired eyes fell on the clock beside his bed that showed a bright red 03:04 am that it really sunk into him.

He was down bad-bad for Taehyun.

Like, majorly fucked levels of bad-bad.

✿

Even 12 hours later, Taehyun couldn't get over the embarrassment of the previous night. It had been his biggest failure in the 19 years of his life that he had lived and now he could never face the older vampire ever again. Taehyun resembled a tomato every time he was once again reminded of the way he had popped a boner while sitting on Beomgyu's lap while the said boy sucked blood out of him. Why was his life so embarrassing?

So, the answer was simple. Avoid Choi Beomgyu like his life depended on it. Run away at first sight of the dark haired boy. Taehyun made sure to slip out of the house early to get to college so Beomgyu wouldn't accidentally cross paths with him. When he finally reached the college, he was intercepted by his friends, who were sharing glances like they had something to say.

"What?" Taehyun asked, almost afraid to question them. He hadn't yet told them about the… situation from last night, but he frankly wouldn't be surprised if they had somehow figured it out just by the alarmed look he had on his face. His friends were pretty scarily accurate at reading him like that.

"Well…" Soobin hesitated, waving a hand in the air awkwardly for a second. Then he dropped it, glancing at Kai, who was looking around at the people who were staring at them. Well, at Taehyun, to be very specific.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" Taehyun whispered, feeling really weird and exposed. Oh no. Did somehow the whole university find out about how he embarrassed himself in front of Beomgyu?! No, no, that wouldn't happen. How would they know? Only he and Beomgyu knew that and the older boy would never out him like that.

"About that," Kai sighed, tugging the two of them to a secluded corner where others wouldn't hear their conversation. "Taehyun, somehow, word leaked out that you and Beomgyu are mated."

"WHAT?!" Taehyun's yelp silenced the entire corridor, everyone looking over eagerly to find out what's going on. The attention made him wince and he mumbled out quiet apologies in all directions, then snapped back to wrestle out answers out of Kai. "How did it get out?"

"We don't really know," Soobin frowned, eyes locked on all the people who were still staring at them to unnerve them into looking away. "But I suspect it happened because of Beomgyu's friends. You know they have quite the fan following, so people were eavesdropping on their conversation as usual and must have found out."

"Fuck," Taehyun groaned, head hanging limply in his hands. "Just what I needed. Other people's noses in our business when, even we haven't really figured out where we stand. Absolutely lovely."

"There's more," Kai quipped, lips pulled up in a weird mix of amusement and pity. Taehyun's face dropped at that. "There are rumours going around that you two were secretly dating for all this time."

Taehyun didn't grace this with another outward shout of shock; instead he just stared blankly at Kai, trying to decipher just how their fellow classmates had come upon that conclusion.

"Because people generally date before making a decision as big as mating," Soobin supplied, effectively reading his blank confusion. "I guess that part didn't get heard. Nobody knows the secret behind your mating."

"The only saving grace, I suppose," Kai sighed. "Come on, we have to get to class now. Otherwise we'll be late, Taehyun."

"Right," Taehyun said monotonously, body moving on autopilot to follow the taller boy to their classroom. Soobin left them to go to his own class. Silence suspended between the two of them, Kai choosing to let Taehyun brood in his thoughts. But Taehyun, in an attempt to stop his brain from overworking, instead focused on what everyone around them was saying.

"...heard they have been dating since high school…"

"...kinda cute to be honest; ugh, where can I get my own man like him?"

"...don't know who I am more jealous of, to be honest…"

"...do you think they have been sneaking around the campus, kissing and stuff?"

Taehyun promptly flushed at some of the comments, head filled with scarily realistic visuals from his hyperactive imagination. He felt himself grow warm at some of the insinuations and it took all of him to not accidentally retort back to the people.

Taehyun, dating Choi Beomgyu? It was like a dream. Something he had fantasized about for so long and now everyone was saying it like it was the truth and if it didn't secretly feed a part of him that ate up the false rumours like they were the holy grail, then Kang Taehyun would be a liar and a dishonest man.

"I can't look him in the face at all," Taehyun said miserably the moment he had dropped on his seat when they reached class. Kai just looked over, concerned but unable to really understand what he meant.

Avoiding Beomgyu was not as easy as he had thought initially. Somehow, Taehyun kept catching glimpes of the older vampire every time he stepped out of class. He had had to turn around and run the other way too many times that he had lost count of by then. He decided to book it to the library, sure that Beomgyu would never even go that way and thus the younger would successfully avoid him. It was a foolproof plan.

So after his last lecture, while he waited for Kai to be done with his, he hid behind the shelves at the back of the library. Thick dust-free volumes of fantasy romance novels stared back at him challengingly while Taehyun contemplated how long it would take until Kai's class ended.

His thoughts were interrupted by familiar hands caging him on both sides. Taehyun whipped around in shock to see Beomgyu staring down at him, lips just tilted slightly enough to show a peek of amusement. The proximity was enough for Taehyun to feel the slight warmth Beomgyu still exuded from his (his!) blood. It was enough to remind Taehyun of the way he had been in the older's lap and his mind became a hazy mess again.

The silver haired boy tilted his neck easily, offering it to Beomgyu to bite again; his body traitorously craved that feeling of pleasure again. But instead of those veiny hands wrapping around him or Beomgyu's sharp fangs sinking into his neck, there was just silence for a few seconds. It was enough for Taehyun's mind to clear out and he looked up at Beomgyu.

The vampire looked upset, visibly hurt by what Taehyun had done. "Taehyun… Are you scared of me?"

"W- What?" Taehyun stuttered, heart thumping as fast as it always did in Beomgyu's vicinity.

"Your heartbeat is fast," Beomgyu clarified, eyes downcast in sadness. "And you submitted to me by offering your neck…"

"N- No!"  Taehyun blurted out, red decorating his cheeks as he rested his hands on Beomgyu's forearms to draw his attention. "It's not because I'm scared of you–! I just, the last time I had seen you, I–"

Taehyun trailed off, face lighting up in embarrassment at the reminder of the boner. Stupid. Why did he bring that up?!

"I actually came here to talk about that," Beomgyu said shyly, lightly scratching his cheek. "You don't need to be embarrassed about it, Taehyun. I told you before, didn't I? Feeding is a very intimate process and a lot of humans get aroused the first few feedings until they get used to it. Even some vampires get aroused! It's natural and you don't have to worry about it, or me misunderstanding something. I know you… don't feel that way towards me."

Taehyun was too relieved at the moment to correct the last statement; and even if he wasn't, building up the courage to confess was not in the game plan of the day.

"I promise it will stop in a few weeks," Beomgyu added, hands gently holding Taehyun's. "Once you start to relax more in the process, it will not happen again."

Well, then Taehyun was doomed. As long as he was in Beomgyu's lap, with Beomgyu's fangs inside him, it was impossible for Taehyun to relax. Not adding to the fact that he was in love with Beomgyu, so of course he always felt like a newborn calf fumbling around him.

But, all that aside, the younger was just glad that Beomgyu hadn't yet found out about his feelings and didn't suspect him. It was all he could have asked for. "Thanks, hyung. I… promise I won't avoid you anymore."

"Hm," Beomgyu's smile dropped a little after a second. It turned sad, the corners of his lips still held up in a tricky balance. "I also wanted to apologize to you."

"Again?" Taehyun sighed, squeezing Beomgyu's hands patiently to tell him it's okay. "Hyung, I told you. You don't need to apologize for the mating!"

"Not for the mating," the vampire shook his head. Taehyun cocked up an eyebrow in confusion. "For the… rumours. Because of me mating you, everyone is now convinced we are dating and now it will be really hard for you to find a lover because they all think you're taken."

Oh.

"I don't need anyone as long as I have you," Taehyun blurted out, not really thinking the words through. Yet, their effect on Beomgyu was visible even in the dark corners of the shelves. The older boy's mouth had dropped open, cheeks dusted a pretty pink. "I am just… really happy that you are back. That we are close again. I would rather have you back as my best friend than find somebody to date."

It was impulsive but raw. A moment of honesty that was followed by Taehyun immediately pulling Beomgyu into a tight hug, like he was afraid the older would just randomly disappear from his life again. The dark haired vampire didn't resist and just hugged him back. They stayed like that for a few minutes and then Taehyun had to reluctantly let him go because any longer would just give birth to more questions that he wasn't ready to answer. He had done enough confessions for one day.

"Cute," Beomgyu said, giving a small head pat to Taehyun. The action and the word made the younger's heart lurch, a goofy flushed grin overtaking his face again. He watched with wide warm eyes as the older boy left him leaning against the shelves, heart thumping wildly from all that had just happened.

❀

"Rumours going around that Choi Beomgyu, heir to the Choi conglomerate and handsome vampire to boot, that is you, my dearest Gyu," Yeonjun announced loudly after their last lecture was over and the four of them had convened to leave together, "was seen making out with Kang Taehyun, one equally handsome looking human boy also known as your mate, in the back of the library."

Beomgyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Who was coming up with all these ridiculous rumours?! Sure, they all had a base of truth but then they took a ridiculous turn that left Beomgyu half desiring and half derisive.

"I give up," he said, exasperated. The older vampire laughed out loud at that, but next to him, Heeseung just shook his head.

"Don't lie," the vampire leaning halfling said. "I know you are going to flip it off, but I totally believe the rumours."

"You are really going to believe random rumours created by our classmates over my words?" Beomgyu asked, ludicrous. Heeseung sniffed and looked away.

"I asked Taehyun and he didn't deny it, so."

Beomgyu froze at that. Taehyun didn't deny the rumours that were obviously false? Why would he do that? It made him shy to even think of the human boy possibly wanting the rumour to be true, that maybe, just maybe, Taehyun liked him back. It was a heartwarming idea, one that Beomgyu immediately took to.

Yeonjun noticed it, of course. The older boy just nudged him in encouragement.

"Why don't you go pick up Taehyun?" He suggested, eyes flickering over to San and Heeseung. "You can drive him home today, hm?"

"Hyung," Beomgyu pawed at the vampire with dark hair and red tips, feeling shy. "Do you think he would like that?"

"You are such a sap," Yeonjun groaned, shoving him away playfully.

"He totally would," San said in a self-assured tone. "Go get your man already, Beomgyu!"

He didn't need any more encouragement than that. Beomgyu immediately started running over Taehyun's various classrooms, trying to find him. His last class had ended an hour or so ago but the vampire knew that Taehyun usually waited around for Kai and Soobin to be done before he left for home. So there were high chances that he was still on campus.

He found Taehyun in an empty classroom along with Soobin and Kai. The three of them seemed to be talking and Beomgyu lingered outside the door, unsure if he should interrupt. He hovered over the door frame, trying to steal a glimpse of Taehyun from where he was hiding.

"...hyung!" The younger was whining, hiding his face behind his large and adorable sweater paws. "You know the rumours aren't true! I would tell you if something like that had happened–"

"We know how much you want it," Soobin was teasing him. Beomgyu's dead heart skipped a beat at what was implied. It was fueled even more when Taehyun didn't deny it; in fact, he seemed to blush even more heavily at that, hands dabbing at his cheeks that were pulled up from the biggest smile ever. The sight was so cute that Beomgyu couldn't keep in the squeal that left his mouth.

The sound alarmed the other three, who stopped their chattering to look around. Beomgyu cleared his throat and stepped out, embarrassed at the sound he had just accidentally produced.

"Taehyun, are you ready to leave?" He asked, ignoring the way the three of them were glancing at each other with eyes widened in alarm of being caught. "I thought we could drive back home together."

There was silence for a few seconds, while Taehyun stared at him. Beomgyu stared back, careful not to let any part of his face twitch. Taehyun could not know that he had heard that last part. The younger seemed to gauging out whether he had heard or not and after a beat of silence, the older passed the test, because Taehyun stood up and nodded.

"Sure, let's go, hyung."

✿

Taehyun's palms felt clammy. He rubbed them against his jeans as he settled down on the seat next to the driver's, where Beomgyu was revving up the car. Did he know? Did he hear them? Taehyun tried to convince himself that even if he had heard them, it was not explicit. Beomgyu couldn't know about his feelings and would, at worst, maybe suspect him. Which wasn't much better but beggars couldn't be choosers.

"Where's your driver, hyung?" Taehyun asked curiously as Beomgyu drove them out of the parking lot and onto the road.

"Told him to take a day off today because I felt like driving," the older replied, eyes never off the road even as he spoke. Taehyun took a moment to appreciate his handsome side profile before he noticed the happy grin on Beomgyu's face.

"Did something good happen?" He asked. "You look really happy, hyung!"

"Not quite," he laughed, a sound that made Taehyun automatically relax. "I just remembered the rumours in college today. They were just so ridiculous and funny. Don't you agree?"

"Oh," Taehyun didn't know why, but he felt slightly disappointed. He knew that they were just rumours but a part of him was sad that Beomgyu found the rumours funny; didn't that mean that the vampire didn't consider dating him as a serious prospect? "Yeah…"

Taehyun didn't realise just how obvious he was about his disappointment. Beomgyu heard it in his voice and his smile grew into a smirk. Feeling brave, he tilted his head towards Taehyun's direction, eyes still on the road.

"Do you want to make the rumours true?"  Beomgyu's voice had a teasing lilt. Still, the younger boy's face burst in flames at the insinuation. "Wanna make-out in the library, Tyun? Might as well give them a show–"

"Hyung!" Taehyun's muffled cry echoed in the car, from where he was hiding his face in the gap between the seat and the window. The action made Beomgyu burst out laughing.

"Taehyun-ah," his voice came out deeper than usual, a little dark if Taehyun had to describe. "Don't hide your pretty face from me~"

The words only served to make the human boy's heart combust on the spot and he refused to show his face to the older. Beomgyu seemed to realize that his teasing had really embarrassed the silver haired boy so he chuckled under his breath as he said, "Fine, fine. I won't tease you anymore, okay? I promise."

Taehyun didn't say anything, just peeked his head a little bit above so he could gauge out just how much longer it would take until they reached the mansion. He recognised the familiar trees that were on either side of the road to the Choi mansion and straightened up, eager to jump out of the car and away from the boy sitting next to him before his heart literally combusted from how fast it was constantly beating.

The moment Beomgyu pulled the car into its spot and powered it off, the silver haired boy opened its door and jumped out. He slammed the door shut behind him and ran inside, ignoring Beomgyu's shouts to slow down. Only when he threw open the mansion doors and nearly bumped into Mrs. Choi, did he freeze, a little panicked when he noticed her staring.

"Taehyun," she granted him a tiny smile, eyes flickering over his shoulder where she could probably see her son rushing to catch him. "I was hoping to chat with you for a few minutes?"

"Of course, ma'am," Taehyun smiled, a little strained. He had liked her for a long time and he knew she was usually a kind person, but now that he had forced her son to mate with him… he wasn't quite sure if she still harboured kind feelings towards him. Mothers were, after all, quite protective of their children and their feelings.

"Call me mom," she laughed, eyes crinkling in a familiar way that Taehyun always saw on Beomgyu's face. It was enough to make him relax and he nodded. Behind him, Beomgyu cleared his throat, making Taehyun jump. "Shall we go?"

"Yes… mom," Taehyun struggled to say it, not quite comfortable calling her that but unsure if he should tell her. She led him to her study room and he followed quietly, wondering what she wanted to talk about. Was this going to be some sort of an attempt to maybe scare him? He couldn't really see her doing that but then again, she was the co-head of the Choi business, so it wasn't that implausible for her to try to threaten him for her son.

"You can relax," she said when she shut the door to her study room. "And I noticed that you weren't quite comfortable calling me mom. Perhaps we can settle on something else that is not quite as cold as ma'am, then? We're practically related now, with your mating. I wouldn't like you calling me ma'am."

"Oh," Taehyun sighed in relief, pleased that she understood his dilemma. "Does auntie work?"

"Makes me feel old," she pouted, gesturing to him to sit at the sofa next to a small teapoy where a tray of biscuits and tea was resting. "But I suppose that is my age, what with a son who has already mated. Auntie it is, then."

"Thank you," the silver haired boy smiled politely as he sat down. He watched in silence as she poured the two of them some tea and gave him one of the cups. She waited until he had eaten a biscuit and taken a sip of the tea before she spoke.

"I called you today to really ask you about some things," she said lightly, giving the vibe that she was perhaps talking about the weather, but still unmistakably firm enough to assert that it was no joking matter. Taehyun straightened up by instinct, readying himself to answer whatever it was she demanded. "The biggest one perhaps being… what do you feel about, and for, my Beomgyu?"

Oh.

Taehyun bit his lips, hoping against all odds that she doesn't notice the pink dusting his cheeks at the mere mention of Beomgyu. He lightly coughed, placing the teacup back on the teapoy. She waited patiently, unhurried but still watching him carefully. Even then, she seemed gentle and Taehyun decided that it was alright if he told her the truth. If there was anyone who would appreciate his feelings for Beomgyu, it would be his mother.

"I only ask that you don't tell this to Beomgyu," he pleaded quietly. "I wish to tell him this myself."

"Of course," she nodded, reassuring him. The human boy took a deep breath and then exhaled it in one go before speaking.

"I happen to be deeply in love with him," Taehyun replied simply, a smile playing on his lips. "I have been in love with him since I was 13, and there is no one in this world that I would gladly die for."

She must not have expected those words because her jaw dropped in surprise. Taehyun waited to hear her response but it never came because they were interrupted by the door opening, the subject of their conversation barging inside.

❀

"I happen to be deeply in love with him. I have been in love with him since I was 13, and there is no one in this world that I would gladly die for."

Beomgyu didn't mean to hear it. Not again. Vampire super hearing was usually very advantageous but it also made it all the easy to eavesdrop on conversations he was not supposed to hear.

He had been worried that his mom would try to do something that would cause Taehyun to drift away from him again– like paying him to stay away or something soap opera dramatic like that. And so he had just barged in without thinking and accidentally heard it. The weight of the words only sunk in when he had stepped inside and was staring at his mother, gaze calculative.

Taehyun liked him. No, loved him. For the past 6 years, even longer than Beomgyu had loved him.

The vampire suddenly realized just how much his choice to stay away from Taehyun for the past year must have hurt the human boy.

"Mom," Beomgyu squashed down the mess inside his head to focus on the moment. She tilted her head by a centimetre, unnoticeable, perhaps, to the normal human eye but not to hyper focused vampire ones. "Why did you bring Taehyun here for a 'talk'?"

"Because," she shrugged, smiling sadly at the distrust her own son had in her. She knew she had made a mistake by saying all those things before, and this was her attempt to rectify it. "Taehyun is family now. Your father and I, might not have been the most supportive of this decision at first, but you must understand that in our eyes, you just signed away your life to a boy over an accident. For us to hear that your life is now tied to someone else's without you discussing it with us beforehand… Well, we were upset. But looking at the situation now, we both know that there's no point in dwelling on those feelings anymore."

Beomgyu's tense body relaxed a little at the words, internally grateful that she had slipped back into her usual kind and compassionate way. He had grown up seeing her like this so her frustration and distress at his mating had in turn made him wary. It was unlike her.

"Taehyun is going to be a very big part of your life now," she smiled warmly at the said boy, leaning over to gently pat his knee in comfort. The silver haired boy was stiff and frozen, staring slack jawed at Beomgyu in nervousness and fear. She ignored it for his own sake and continued, "So I thought, it would be good to know what his thoughts are. What his dreams are, his goals and ambitions for life. What he holds precious and what he wants to protect. We were just getting to it when you barged in, quite impolitely, by the way, Beomgyu."

She gave him a look at the last line that made him flinch in slight embarrassment.

"I taught you better than this," she sighed, raking a hand through her dark hair. "But no matter. I understand that, with your recent mating, your feelings about a certain someone are more… fluctuating, these days. So it's forgiven."

"Sorry, mom," Beomgyu winced, rubbing the back of his neck at the slight disappointment he could still see in her eyes. "And… sorry for distrusting you."

"I suppose I cannot say I'm completely faultless in that matter," she just gave him another sad smile. "So, I apologize too."

Beomgyu nodded in acknowledgement and then turned to face Taehyun, who was still staring at him all stiff and frozen. The dark haired boy leaned down so his lips were right next to the shell of Taehyun's ears and he whispered, calling forth all the courage, "Just to even things out, I think you deserve to know that I have been madly in love with you since I was 16 too."

Well, momentary bravery is just that. Momentary. Beomgyu didn't give Taehyun a chance to digest the words (the confession) he had uttered and used his super speed to run up to his room. Only when he had shut the door behind him, did he let himself fall on his bed and scream into his pillow because who does that?!

Did he really just respond to Taehyun's confession that he had happened to eavesdrop? So lamely? Instead of doing something romantic or even just somewhere alone and not in front of his mom?!

He was pathetic. Beomgyu miserably thought to himself that Taehyun would never want anything to do with him. How was he supposed to face the love of his life, his mate, after this?!

So, like any sane and smart teenager, Beomgyu chose the best option in front of him. Curl up under his blankets and hide from Taehyun.

He just lay there, staring at the ceiling and thinking back over and over the events of the day, thinking of all the ways he could redo the wonky conversations and awkward actions into something more… smooth and suave. The clock next to his bed showed the passing of the hours to no one, with the room's occupant too busy mentally freaking out.

Dinner, for once, was sent up to his room. Beomgyu made a mental note to thank his mom later, who, for sure, had understood exactly what he needed. Even without talking to him, she knew what he wanted and it was a power that always marvelled him. The dark haired boy ate his dinner in silence, forcing himself to focus on the food instead of Taehyun.

But you must have heard of the saying: Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Well, even though Beomgyu didn't speak of Taehyun, he still had spent the past 3 hours thinking about him so it was only appropriate that the subject of his musing appeared just after he finished eating, with a knock on the door.

Beomgyu stared at him for a few seconds, mentally wondering if it would be too rude to slam the door shut on Taehyun's face. He would understand, right?

No.

Sighing, the vampire shuffled out of the way to let the younger step inside. He shut the door behind him and inhaled sharply.

Here goes nothing.

✿

The silence in the room was deafening but Taehyun chose to just stare at Beomgyu like he had never seen him before.

Really, for all the confessions he had heard today, it did feel like Beomgyu was a stranger. Because what do you mean the vampire had returned his affections for just as long? It sounded impossible but at the same time, Taehyun had spent the past 3 hours dissecting the words and Beomgyu's mom's mysterious smile into all kinds of possibilities. He was done overthinking things.

It was time for answers.

So he quietly settled down on Beomgyu's bed, forming the words inside his mind about how best to approach this situation they had brought upon themselves. Surprisingly, it was Beomgyu who broke the silence.

"I did hear you correctly right?" His voice was shaky, nervous like Taehyun had never heard before. "You do… like me, right? Please tell me I didn't just embarrass myself in front of you."

"It's true," Taehyun finally admitted, feeling oddly relaxed now that the moment had come. If you had told 13 year old Taehyun that he would be relaxed when confessing his feelings to Beomgyu, he would have laughed at you and showed you to a doctor. But it was real, and it was happening and it was, surprisingly, good. Taehyun liked how it felt. The peace from knowing that his feelings were returned was like a blessing. "Beomgyu-hyung. I have liked you for a really, really long time. Loved you, even."

"Me too," Beomgyu blushed, the little blood he had in his body all rushing to his ears and neck and cheeks. His fingers clasped loosely around Taehyun's, seeking comfort and transmitting the relief he was feeling. "God, I can't tell you just how, how happy I am right now."

"You don't need to," Taehyun said quietly, shifting closer so their knees could bump into each other's. "Because I'm feeling it too."

He flushed as he said the words, shyly looking up only to gasp when he noticed the ring of red adorning Beomgyu's dark irises. The older squeezed his hand once, so Taehyun squeezed it back. Then, steeling his heart, he asked the one question he had spent sleepless nights over.

"But then, why did you avoid me for a whole year hyung?" He frowned, trying not to show just how upset it had made him. "I thought maybe you started hating me back then… But if you liked me too, then…?"

"Because I didn't want to take your choice away," Beomgyu frowned down at his own lap, feeling angry at himself. Taehyun felt confused by that but before he could ask, the older boy clarified. "Back when we were in high school, we were always together. You're a human Taehyun, and I'm a vampire. Even if those words meant nothing between us, to the rest of the world, that defined our relationship. If a vampire is so close to a human, they are seen as the vampire's person. All of them thought that you were taken by me."

"I wished so badly that I was, back then," Taehyun admitted, hiding his face in his hands. The action made Beomgyu look up and smile softly.

"It's a sign to other vampires to stay away," Beomgyu continued, slotting his fingers into Taehyun's carefully. "And eventually, it even spreads to humans too. All of them would avoid you unless it was purely platonic. And while I admit that the possessive side of me was very giddy at the thought of having you all to myself, it wasn't fair to you. You deserved to choose who you wanted for yourself. I was too embarrassed to explain the situation back then, afraid that you would see through my feelings. So instead, I decided that if I stayed away from you in university, then you can explore your options. I hoped that even with all those options, I would still be your first choice."

"You were," Taehyun said softly, clambering onto Beomgyu's lap, straddling him. The vampire trapped between the bedrest and his arms only glowed at the action and the words, beaming. "But I wish you had told me this back then. I spent so long thinking that maybe, I had been too obvious about my feelings and disgusted you. That, to protect my feelings and avoiding rejecting me outright, you devised this plan to keep distance."

"No!" Beomgyu immediately replied, head shaking so fast, it almost concerned Taehyun. "Never, Tyun. You are, you are so precious to me. If given the choice, I would never want to be even a metre away from you. But I had to make this choice because I felt like if I didn't, it would have been selfish of me. Even so, you deserve an apology. I should have been upfront with you, instead of playing these unexplained games."

"Thank you, hyung," Taehyun pressed his forehead against Beomgyu's, closing his eyes to just let the burn of the skin-on-skin contact linger in the pits of his stomach. They stayed like that for a few minutes, a comfortable silence enveloping them in a gentle embrace.

"Remember when I said that mating you was a choice that I made after thinking for a long time?" Beomgyu huffed, smiling to himself. Taehyun opened his eyes to look at him curiously. "That's what I meant. I have been dreaming of mating you since I was 16. I spent 4 years thinking about it. Don't you think I spent enough time making this decision?"

"Definitely," Taehyun grinned, hand curling around Beomgyu's collar. The older's eyes started burning red again.

"Wanted to mate you for so long," Beomgyu mumbled, pressing gentle butterfly kisses all over Taehyun's neck. Upon hearing that, the younger blushed a furious red and he whined, playfully swatting his shoulder. Beomgyu caught his arm before it could hit him though and instead he just pulled him even closer, causing their chests to bump. "God, Taehyun, stop being this adorable. Do you know how hard it is for me to keep my hands to myself and not kiss you senseless?"

"Well," Taehyun ran his fingers over Beomgyu's pale neck, ignoring his own red cheeks. The vampire shivered under his hands, making the younger smirk. "Maybe I want you to kiss me senseless, hm?"

Beomgyu didn't need telling twice. In the flash of a second, his large hands pulled Taehyun close, just gently enough to capture his lips. It was like a fire, hungry and taking and taking– Beomgyu all but devoured his lips, and in between pants and moans, Taehyun readily gave and gave.

Only after a few minutes of it did Beomgyu finally stop, pulling Taehyun down to lie next to him on the bed. With a dopey smile, he planted a peck on the silver haired boy's nose and whispered, "I wanted to say this yesterday but you ran away before I could do it. You can stay in my bed as long as you like, after my feeding."

"And what about when you don't feed?" Taehyun asked shyly, still not letting Beomgyu's shirt go. It felt right to hold him like this in his arms.

"Well, if you want to, then your wish is my command, darling," Beomgyu said, lips curling into a smile.

He pulled the younger in for another kiss when Taehyun just nodded brightly.

•

The next day, Taehyun recounted the events of the previous evening to Soobin and Kai through many squeals and a perpetual red coating his entire face. The two were the perfect audience, oohing and aahing at all the right spots and teasing him when he finished.

"I'm so happy for you," Kai's bright smile was blinding as he jumped up and down on the spot.

"I'm glad you both sorted it all out," Soobin bumped Taehyun's shoulder. "Happiness suits you, Taehyunnie."

Taehyun beamed at them, pulling them both into a tight hug. They reciprocated and the three of them stood there hugging in the corner of the corridor. Their happy moment was interrupted when the chatter around them died down.

Beomgyu was walking down the corridor with Yeonjun leading him, talking animatedly with his arms waving around. It felt dramatic to Taehyun, seeing the way the crowd parted to let them through. He flushed down to his toes when he noticed the dark half-lidded eyes pinned on him as Beomgyu walked over to where they were.

"Hey," Beomgyu said, voice husky and smiling. Just the sight of him smiling like that was enough to remind Taehyun of how they had fallen asleep the previous night in each other's arms and he smiled back weakly.

"Hey," he smiled back, cheeks furiously flushed.

"I'm all about your happy relationship, Gyu," Yeonjun's drawl jerked the two out of their own little fantasy world, "but I hope you remember you have a class in–" he checked his voice pointedly "–like, two minutes."

"Right," Beomgyu muttered, shooting an apologetic glance towards Taehyun, who shook his head in understanding. "I'll see you later?"

"Mm!"

The moment they were gone, Kai groaned.

"I hate being a fifth wheel," he rolled his eyes. Taehyun and Soobin froze at those words. The younger glanced curiously at Soobin, who was looking around in panic.

"Hyung?"

"W- What?" Soobin stuttered, shaking his head. "I don't know what Kai means! Don't listen to him, he's just being a little gremlin. Can we go back to talking about Beomgyu and you?"

Taehyun was curious but decided not to push it. Soobin could hold onto his secrets, Kai will tell him all the tea later anyway.

❀

Beomgyu was reminded of something in his last lecture of the day. It sparked an idea in his mind. The rest of the time in the lecture was spent restlessly, praying for the bell to ring already so he could leave.

"Something wrong?" Heeseung asked, five minutes before the bell was set to ring.

"Nope," Beomgyu's tapping foot said otherwise. The other just rewarded him with a raised eyebrow so Beomgyu confessed, "I want to go see Taehyun."

"Ah," Heeseung nodded, turning his head back to the professor who was talking. "Young love."

Beomgyu shot him a flat glare only to catch Heeseung smirking. It didn't last long because when the bell rang, Beomgyu was out of the class before Heeseung could even say goodbye.

The dark haired boy knew that Taehyun would be in the library. The younger had texted him so that they could meet up after his last lecture to go home together. But, well, Beomgyu had an idea so that would have to wait.

The library was a long winding maze but seeing Taehyun at the end of it was worth it. Beside him, Soobin and Kai were doing their own homework, whispering about something even though they were the only ones sitting in the back.

"Taehyun?" Beomgyu's voice startled the boy, who turned around in his chair with a bright smile. "Can you come with me for a second?"

"Okay…?" Taehyun just smiled, a little confused. He followed Beomgyu to the familiar shelves, shooting a shrug to Soobin and Kai, who were watching them leave with curious eyes. Only when they reached the exact spot where Beomgyu had pinned him, did Taehyun look up at him in surprise.

But before he could speak, Beomgyu trapped him in his arms against the shelves again and leaned down to press a gentle kiss right on his lips. The vampire pulled on Taehyun's lower lip, which earned him a tiny moan from the younger. Stepping back, Beomgyu giggled lightly at the dazed expression on his face.

"W- What was that for?" Taehyun asked shyly, feeling the butterflies flutter in his stomach when he saw the way the older's eyes were burning red. Beomgyu rewarded him with another kiss before he answered.

"Just wanted to make some rumours true."

°•❀•°

The End!

A/n:
I am not very happy with the execution of this fic to be honest, because this is personally one of my most favourite fics that I have ever written and I had hoped to do it justice. The outline managed to make me squeal giddily in happiness multiple times, and I wrote it!! I wanted to translate that into the words but I think I failed; even then, this fic has a special place in my heart ❤️

Honest apology for the awkward romance and kiss scenes, please forgive this romance virgin 😂 I hope you enjoyed the fic though, and that it made you smile :) That's the biggest compliment for me, to have been able to invoke happy feelings in you guys! Leave a comment or vote if you enjoyed, it really means a lot to me 💕