Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There was a human in their nest. 

That was all Jeongin could focus on when they returned from getting lunch at Vampbites. The vampire friendly cafe was just far enough away from campus that no student would stumble upon them too close to the cafe but so far that it was inconvenient for them to travel there for more than just their weekly blood order. It was new in town and had quickly gained popularity with the supernatural community. Jeongin, personally, was a fan of their O Negative chocolate lava cakes and had been so distracted by the treat that he’d completely forgotten that their RA had told them of their new roommate. 

The coven knew that, by continuing to live in the dorms, they were opening themselves up to the possibility of a human living with them but that didn’t mean that Jeongin wanted one to live with them. They’d somehow made it through the entirety of the last three years without receiving any last minute additions to their dorm so of course their luck was bound to run out at some point. 

“Ah, hello!” the human greeted, bowing to the seven of them as they filed into the dorm suit that they’d been living in for the last four months blissfully human-free. 

His covenmates all bowed back, Jeongin giving the human a halfhearted bow of his own when Seungmin elbowed him in the ribs knowingly. 

“Hello,” Minho greeted as he straightened back up. “You must be our new roommate.”

The human nodded, wide, blinding smile still stretched across his lips. “Yeah,” he declared. “I’m Bang Chan. I’m in my final year. Sorry for barging in on you guys so late into the semester.”

Minho shook his head. “It’s alright,” he responded diplomatically. “We always knew that an eighth member to the dorm was a possibility. I’m Lee Minho.” Minho gestured to each of his covenmates, introducing them to Bang Chan and it took everything in Jeongin’s power to keep the grimace off of his face when Minho introduced him to the human. 

He gave Bang Chan another halfhearted bow before quickly excusing himself to his room only for his feet to stutter to a stop when he realized that his room— the only single room— was no longer just his. There, on the other side of the room that Minho or Changbin must have cleared out, was a couple of duffel bags and a made-up bed that wreaked of the human’s scent. Jeongin almost backed right back out in protest, though his pride ultimately kept him from doing so. 

He glared at Bang Chan’s things as he stomped over to his bed and flopped face first onto his comforter, refusing to lift his head even as the door opened and someone let themselves into the room. A weight settled down on the mattress next to his hip as a gentle hand carded through his hair, Changbin’s soft scent filling his nose. 

“Want to switch bedrooms, Innie?” he offered softly. 

Jeongin sniffled pathetically, turning his head just enough for Changbin to catch sight of his red rimmed eyes. “You’d do that?”

Changbin rolled his eyes, pinching Jeongin’s exposed cheek fondly. “I’d do anything for you, baby bread,” he murmured. “Why don’t you come sleep with Hyung tonight and tomorrow we can switch our rooms before class.”

Jeongin nodded, shuffling across the bed until he could rest his head in Changbin’s lap, his arms wrapped around the older vampire’s waist. “You’re the best, Binnie-hyung,” he muttered sleepily. “I’m sorry I’m causing problems.”

“You’re not causing problems,” Changbin scolded softly. “No one blames you for not wanting to room with Bang Chan, baby. But can you do something for me? Can you give him a chance? I think this human isn’t like all the others and that you might actually like him if you give him a chance. He seems really sweet.”

Jeongin tilted his head to pout up at the older man. “We’re not telling him, right?”

Changbin shook his head. “Not for a long time, at least,” he assured. “We’ll be completely sure that he won’t take it badly before we even consider telling him that we’re vampires.”

The younger man nodded in agreement and cuddled back into Changbin’s stomach, humming contentedly until their moment was inevitably broken by a hesitant knock on the door. After Changbin gave permission the door opened slowly and Bang Chan guiltily ducked into the room.

“Sorry,” he murmured, bowing in apology to the pair. “I, ah— I have class early tomorrow, so if it’s alright with you, I’m going to head to bed. You can keep talking or whatever! I can sleep through anything so it’s really no bother.”

Changbin shook his head and stood up, gently guiding Jeongin to get up as well. “Don't worry about it, Chan-ssi,” he assured. “Innie isn’t feeling the greatest so he’s going to sleep with me tonight. You’ll have the room to yourself tonight.”

Bang Chan nodded, a concerned frown marring his face. “I hope you feel better, Jeongin-ssi,” he replied. 

Jeongin nodded stiffly and shuffled over to his dresser to pull out the first pair of sleep clothes he touched before making his way out of the room without a word. Most of his hyungs were still in the living room and Jisung immediately opened his arms for Jeongin to fall into the second he caught sight of the younger man. 

“You’re alright, baby,” Jisung cooed. “Chan-ssi is really nice, for a human.”

Jeongin pouted into Jisung’s chest, pressing his face tightly to the soft fabric of the older vampire’s hoodie. “I don't care,” he grunted. “He’s a human.”

“Not all humans are bad, Jeongin-ah,” Minho scolded gently. “Give Bang Chan-ssi a chance and trust that your hyungs won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

“Of course I trust you, hyung,” Jeongin mumbled around Jisung’s sweatshirt. “Doesn't mean I’m gonna trust him.”

“Just— try to be civil, at least,” Minho amended with a sigh. 

Jeongin lifted his head to glare pathetically at his coven leader. “I’ll try,” he promised reluctantly. “But don’t expect me to be friends with him.”

Life continued on after that in relative normalcy. Jeongin switched rooms with Changbin and he ignored the hurt and confused look Bang Chan tried to suppress when he got home from classes that night and found that his roommate had changed. He didn’t say anything about it to Bang Chan and in turn the human didn’t mention it either. Changbin seemed to like rooming with the human, even going so far as to call him hyung which was just insulting considering that the vampire was nearly one hundred and going through college for the third time. 

It made sense to an extent though, considering they weren’t telling Bang Chan that they were vampires and therefore had to go with the ages they’d registered on their human IDs. The only one of them that was actually younger than Bang Chan was Jeongin and he sure as hell wasn’t going to call the human his hyung.

The human didn’t make it easy for him, however, to keep his distance. Bang Chan was unfailingly kind and always had a smile for Jeongin despite the half-formed grimace he inevitably returned it with. The human seemed to get that Jeongin didn’t like him but somehow didn’t hold a grudge. It honestly infuriated him to no end. He wanted to hate Bang Chan— just like he hated all humans on principle— but the human was just too nice.

Nearly a week after Bang Chan had moved in, Jeongin came back to the dorm on his own, stuttering to a stop when he smelled the human inside. He squared his shoulders and forced himself to keep moving, refusing to be pushed out of his own nest by one shrimpy little human. 

“Ah, hello, Jeongin-ssi!” Bang Chan chirped from where he was stirring something on the stove. “I was just making ramen. Would you like some?”

Jeongin swallowed and shook his head. “No thank you,” he muttered as he ducked past the human to put his things away in the room he now shared with Hyunjin. 

“You guys got a package, by the way,” Bang Chan called. “I put it in the fridge.”

Jeongin hummed in acknowledgement, just loud enough for the human to hear him. It took him another few seconds to register Bang Chan’s words and make his way back out to the living area where he frowned at the human in visible confusion. “You put our package in the fridge?” he asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. 

Bang Chan just nodded and pointed towards said fridge with his spoon. “It says to keep refrigerated on it,” he explained with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulder. “I didn’t know how long you guys were going to be out tonight and I didn’t want whatever you ordered to go bad.”

Jeongin hesitantly moved over towards the fridge and opened it only to breathe a sigh of relief when he realized that Bang Chan had just stuck their whole package in the fridge instead of taking the contents out.

“Ah— thank you, Bang Chan-ssi,” he mumbled awkwardly. “I’ll just— take this to my room.”

“You know you guys can store your food in the main fridge, too, right?” Bang Chan offered softly. “I won’t eat anything that’s not mine.”

Jeongin shrugged awkwardly. “This stuff takes up a lot of space,” he hedged. “And it’s not— not food. It’s, um... medicine, so it’s easier to just... have it closer to me.”

Bang Chan nodded his head in understanding, shooting Jeongin one of his kind smiles before turning back to his ramen. “You don’t have to explain if you don’t want to, Jeongin-ssi,” he assured. “But I’m happy to listen if you do.”

Jeongin nodded, hugging the package close to his chest as he stared at Bang Chan for a few more seconds before ducking back into his bedroom. He made sure that the door was shut behind him before opening the box and carefully depositing their blood in his refrigerator. Minho would divide it up later, but for now, at least it was out of Bang Chan’s reach. 

Reluctantly, Jeongin returned to the main area, unwilling to be a hermit and have his hyungs call him out for not being nice to Bang Chan, not that Jeongin suspected the human would rat him out if he wasn’t. 

He grabbed one of the throw blankets and wrapped it around himself as he curled up in the armchair. Bang Chan had turned on some kind of nature documentary and Jeongin was loath to admit that it was one of his favorites. He found himself getting partially sucked into the show, keeping one ear on Bang Chan all the while. The older man was multitasking impressively, eating his ramen and working on some homework while also watching the show. Jeongin was reluctantly impressed. 

Without even meaning to, Jeongin’s eyes started to stray more and more towards the human as he worked, completely absorbed in what he was doing and either not feeling Jeongin’s eyes on him or ignoring them. 

“What happened to your arm?” he blurted out, eyes fixated on the human’s forearm that had been exposed when he’d rolled up his sleeves. The skin was covered with a thick layer of bandages and Jeongin could see how Bang Chan favored the limb and kept it off of the table. 

Bang Chan glanced down at the aforementioned bandage and laughed uncomfortably, carefully tugging his sleeve back down to cover the bandage. “Fire,” he said shortly, though quickly followed it with an easy smile, no doubt trying to ease Jeongin. “I’m alright though.”

“I didn’t ask,” Jeongin bit back before immediately groaning and covering his face with his hands. “Sorry— I... didn’t mean it like that. I’m— I’m glad you’re... okay.”

Bang Chan just grinned brightly and turned back to his homework. “Thank you, Jeongin-ssi,” he said. 

It was quiet for a few more minutes, the only sound being the nature documentary playing softly on the television. “How’d you get burned?” Jeongin blurted out, immediately wanting to facepalm. He didn’t know why he asked that; Jeongin didn’t care what happened to Bang Chan. Or at least that’s what he kept telling himself. 

“A house fire,” Bang Chan explained, somewhat reluctantly. “It’s why I moved in here. My hyungs’ bakery caught on fire and we all lived above it. They’re all alright too but... the place was destroyed. They found a new place but the apartment above it was too small for me too.”

“So they kicked you out?” Jeongin asked, completely baffled. 

Bang Chan shook his head. “No,” he replied hurriedly. “But I didn’t want them to feel like they had to make space for me or give up on this bakery just so I had my own bedroom. I still spend plenty of time there though. I love my hyungs dearly.”

Jeongin nodded, frowning slightly. It didn’t feel like Bang Chan was telling the full truth and he couldn’t help but think that the human was downplaying his separation from his hyungs. It made something tighten in his chest but he knew he wasn’t close enough to press the human for the whole truth; he probably never would be. 

The room fell back into silence and Jeongin was getting ready to make his escape back to his bedroom when the door opened, letting in Seungmin and Minho who paused when they caught sight of Jeongin willingly sitting near Bang Chan. 

“Hey, guys,” Minho greeted cautiously, kicking off his shoes before making his way towards them and climbing into the armchair with Jeongin, sliding in behind him and wrapping his arms around the younger vampire. 

“Hi, Minho-yah,” Bang Chan greeted cheerfully with a little wave. 

Jeongin’s eyes narrowed when the human’s sleeve fell down a bit with the movement, exposing a bit of his bandage. Bang Chan’s eyes caught his gaze and quickly tucked his arm back under the table with a little smile towards Jeongin. 

“You working on your paper, hyung?” Minho asked, resting his chin on Jeongin’s shoulder. 

Bang Chan nodded his head with an exaggerated sigh as he leaned back against the couch. “‘Working’ might be a stretch,” he mused tiredly. “It’s kicking my butt, more like.”

Minho snorted while Seungmin plopped down on the couch close enough for his knee to bump against Bang Chan’s shoulder. The human glanced at Seungmin with a smile and then stretched up to pull a throw blanket off of the back of the couch, draping it over the vampire’s lap.

“Must be cold outside,” he said as he tucked the blanket around Seungmin’s lap. 

Seungmin nodded, clearly trying to bite back his laugh. “Very cold,” he agreed. “Do you need help?”

Bang Chan smiled up at Seungmin before handing him his laptop. “Do your worst,” he challenged. “Don’t hold back with your feedback. I already know it's awful.”

Seungmin chuckled as he sat back, gently resting the laptop on his thighs as he began to proofread while Bang Chan asked Minho about his day. Minho immediately went in on a story involving his professor and three students in his class that caused so much havoc that the professor just gave up teaching entirely and had instead assigned the whole class an extra three essays. 

While he was talking, Jisung, Felix, and Changbin returned home, the oldest vampire immediately going to his and Bang Chan’s bedroom with his backpack and returning a few minutes later in a sweatshirt and hoodie with a relieved sigh as he dropped down onto the couch next to Seungmin, shifting to rest his cheek on the younger man’s shoulder as he closed his eyes. 

“Remind me again why I decided to go back to school?” Changbin lamented, earning giggles from the other vampires and a fond smile from Bang Chan. 

“Because you’re a masochist,” Seungmin intoned before passing the laptop back to Bang Chan. “It’s good, hyung,” he said gently to the human. “I left some comments on where you need to elaborate but for a first draft it’s really well written. It’s a solid B paper right now.”

Bang Chan smiled up at Seungmin as he clicked around on the document, no doubt saving the progress, before closing it and standing up with an exaggerated stretch. “Thank you, Seungmin-ah,” he replied sincerely. “I appreciate you being willing to suffer through my very dull assignment.”

Seungmin shook his head. “I don’t mind, hyung,” he assured. “I actually find the moral ethics of human behavior fascinating so I’m happy to proofread whenever you want me to.”

Bang Chan just smiled again and nodded his head. “I’ll take you up on that,” he promised. “You’re gonna regret that offer when finals roll around. This is my second time taking this class and I don’t understand it any more than I did the first time.”

“I’m happy to help, hyung,” he replied.

“Well, thank you. And with that, I think I’m going to duck out for the night,” Bang Chan declared. “I’m exhausted. Have a good night everyone!”

Most of the coven waved goodbye to the human as he disappeared into his and Changbin’s room. As soon as they were alone, Minho squeezed Jeongin’s midsection tightly, earning a quiet yelp from the younger vampire. 

“What, hyung?” Jeongin whined quietly.

“What do you mean ‘what?’” Minho teased, though everyone could hear the serious tinge to his voice. “You were willingly hanging out with Chan-hyung.”

Jisung gasped, grabbing at his chest exaggeratedly. “He was what?” he exclaimed softly. 

Jeongin scoffed. “I wasn’t doing anything with Bang Chan,” he grumbled. “I was just watching a nature documentary. Don’t make this into something that it’s not. I don’t like him.”

Minho sighed and squeezed Jeongin’s waist gently, softly urging him to lean back against his chest which he did so gratefully. “Okay, Innie,” he placated. “Hyungs are proud of you anyways. It must have taken a lot of courage to stay in the same room as Chan by yourself. You did good and we won’t tease you, love.”

The others all nodded their heads in agreement, shooting Jeongin soft, approving smiles that he did his best to pretend wasn’t happening, lest he die from embarrassment. He huffed and shifted to hide his face in Minho’s chest, shutting down anything they had to say on the matter.

At that moment, the door opened and let in their last coven member. Hyunjin looked around at the group in confusion. “What’d I miss?” he asked as he kicked off his shoes. 

Jeongin took the chance and wiggled out of Minho’s arms before anyone could say anything and wrapped himself around Hyunjin instead. “Hyung!” he exclaimed quietly. “I’m glad you’re home. Let’s go to bed— I’m tired.”

Hyunjin held Jeongin to his chest, no doubt having a silent conversation with the coven over the younger vampire’s head before shrugging and gently starting to herd Jeongin to their shared bedroom. “Alright, Innie,” he cooed. “Let’s go cuddle.”

Jeongin made a face but didn’t deny that was what he wanted. He knew Hyunjin, out of all of his nestmates, would be the one to just silently hold him and not try to prod for answers that Jeongin didn’t even know how to answer himself. 

It was harder to continue ignoring Bang Chan after that. Every time Jeongin was near the human he found himself watching the older man closely, eyes flickering between the still-bandaged arm to his smile and then down to his waist, as if trying to find some reason to still dislike the human. But Bang Chan continued to worm his way under Jeongin’s skin without even trying. 

The scent of a human in his nest still set his teeth on edge but Jeongin was quickly discovering that Bang Chan’s scent in particular was slowly becoming more familiar and comforting as the weeks passed by. He’d even caught himself sniffing one of his sweatshirts that he’d left laying on the back of the couch. 

The worst part was how unfailingly kind Bang Chan was. Even with Jeongin’s dislike for him incredibly obvious, the human didn’t seem deterred but he also never forced himself on Jeongin like some overly kind people. He let Jeongin open up to him at his own pace and it was working. If Jeongin didn’t know better, he’d say that one of his mates had secretly told Bang Chan about their vampirism and Jeongin’s own, personal, aversion to humans. 

Jeongin was the only one of his coven that still looked his age. In human years, he was just shy of twenty-four and he’d barely been a vampire for five years. His father had been a vampire and his mother a human, when they’d met. It was love at first sight and intrigue and hallmark worthy love confessions that Jeongin never got sick of hearing when he’d been growing up. His father had offered to turn his mother then and there but she had insisted on waiting, on giving him children first, and that was how Jeongin and his brother had come into existence. After they were past the breastfeeding age, his father turned his mother so that she wouldn’t age too far past him and they raised their sons together.

The thing about half-blooded vampires like Jeongin and his brother, was that they were born human. While they still needed to be turned when they got old enough to complete the change, as humans, they still had some vampiric traits, such as the need for blood consumption and enhanced hearing. 

It was in Jeongin’s final year of high school that a group of human hunters attacked their home. His older brother had been turned by then so he was the only ‘human’ in his house. The humans spared him at first, making him watch as they killed his family one by one by setting them on fire. It was only once every member of his family was dead that the humans turned their bloodthirsty gazes onto him, calling him an abomination and a freak of nature. 

Minho had been the one to save him. The older vampire had been a friend of his dad’s and had lived nearby and came running when he saw the smoke. Jeongin’s injuries had been too severe and Minho, with little other choice, turned him then and there before taking him home and caring for him. Jeongin had been with the coven ever since. It had taken him nearly two years after that for him to willingly step foot outside of the house and another year for him to be able to walk among the humans. Everywhere he looked all he saw was hatred for his kind in every human’s gaze that he walked past, the echoing maniacal laughter of those that had gleefully murdered his family. 

The problem with Bang Chan was that Jeongin didn’t see that same look reflected in his eyes, the haunting laughter didn’t follow him around with this particular human. He hated that this man didn’t immediately make him want to run in the opposite direction, that he didn’t worry whenever he knew one of his covenmates were home alone with him. 

Jeongin didn’t like him, but he didn’t hate him. 

Which was why, Jeongin couldn’t figure out why he was so anxious. Bang Chan was usually back from classes by now but he was still missing and none of his mates seemed to have noticed his absence yet and if Jeongin said something they’d all look at him like he grew a second head. But the later into the evening it got, the more anxious he got. 

Bang Chan was far too nice for his own good. The likelihood of someone taking advantage of his kind soul was incredibly probable and Jeongin didn’t like the human’s odds one bit. He sighed, roughly dropping his textbook down onto the coffee table before making his way into Minho’s room where his hyung was watching something on his phone— most likely cat videos if Jeongin had to guess. 

He crawled into Minho’s bed with him and wrapped himself around the older man like an octopus, hiding his face in Minho’s chest so that he didn’t have to look at him when he spoke. “Bang Chan’s not home yet.”

Immediately, the video stopped and Minho set his phone on his nightstand in favor of carding his fingers through Jeongin’s hair. 

“Are you worried, baby?” Minho asked softly, only slightly teasing. 

Jeongin huffed and pressed his face further into Minho’s chest. “No,” he grumbled. “I don’t care about him. I just noticed, that’s all.”

Minho hummed, sounding entirely unconvinced. “Well, then there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Hyung,” Jeongin groaned. 

Minho giggled and tugged at Jeongin until the younger vampire lifted his head so that Minho could press a kiss to his lips. “Chan is fine,” he assured. “He texted me to let me know he wasn’t coming home tonight.”

Jeongin frowned. “Where is he then? He’s too nice— what if someone is taking advantage of him?”

“He’s at his hyungs’ house,” Minho explained. 

“The same hyungs who kicked him out?” Jeongin remarked bitterly. 

Minho frowned back and shook his head. “They didn’t kick him out, Innie. The way Chan talks about them is too sincere for there to be any bad blood between them. Whatever happened, it didn’t happen out of malice.”

“Did you see his burn, hyung?” Jeongin pressed. “He said he got it in a house fire but I don’t buy it.”

“You know, it’s okay to admit you care about him, baby,” Minho murmured softly. “He’s an easy guy to like— even for you.”

Jeongin pouted, sitting up just so he could fold his arms across his chest petulantly. “I don’t like him,” he grumbled. 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Minho placated. “Now, if you’re going to be in here, then you need to lay down. You’re cutting into my cat compilation time.”

Jeongin sighed but did as he was told, curling up next to Minho as he rested his head on the older vampire’s shoulder. “Are you sure he’s gonna be alright with his so-called ‘hyungs?’” He whispered after a few moments of silence as Minho tried to find a video that he hadn’t already watched. 

“He’ll be fine, Innie,” he promised as he pulled up a video. “And if he’s not, I’m sure you’ll be able to nurse him back to health.”

“You suck, hyung,” he grumbled.

He could practically hear Minho’s eyes roll. “Well, I’m a vampire, so I’d have a problem if I didn’t.”

“Hyung!”

Chapter Text

Chan, Jeongin noticed, was gone a lot. He was either at work, in class, or hanging out with his mysterious hyungs. And, for some reason, Jeongin didn’t like that at all. His scent had grown fainter in the nest over the last few weeks and it put Jeongin’s teeth on edge. He didn’t know how to go about explaining his feelings because, while he had slowly warmed up to the human over the last couple of months since he moved in, Jeongin could hardly consider him a friend— and he certainly wasn’t about to admit that he missed the older man to any of his hyungs. 

Of course, he should have known he couldn’t hide his weird feelings forever. Hyunjin climbed on top of him where he had been laying on his stomach in his bed, trying to work through the pointless math assignment he was forced to take for his first year prerequisite. 

“You’ve been sulking,” Hyunjin sang softly in his ear. “Do you miss Channie-hyung?”

Jeongin huffed and tried to buck Hyunjin off, though the vampire barely even budged. “Why do you call him hyung? You’re like decades older than him.”

He felt more than saw Hyunjin shrug. “He doesn’t know that though.”

“Yeah but he’s not here now,” he pointed out. 

Hyunjin giggled. “Does it annoy you?” he teased. “That our little resident human is still older than you?”

“Only by one year,” he grumbled. “And no, it doesn't.”

Hyunjin laughed brightly and pressed a flurry of kisses to Jeongin’s nape. “You’re so cute, baby,” he cooed. “But you know, if you actually want Chan around you need to actually be around when he’s here. He only avoids this place so much because he thinks he makes you uncomfortable.”

Jeongin swallowed, turning his head to eye his hyung carefully. “He told you that?” he asked wearily. 

“In not so many words,” Hyunjin replied with a shrug before pushing off of Jeongin and sitting up properly. Jeongin hesitantly followed, already hating the serious energy that had quickly encompassed the room. “Channie is a good guy, In. We’re not going to force you to be around him if you really don’t want to but... we think it’d be a good idea if you did.”

“Do you even know how he feels about vampires?” Jeongin pressed, wringing his hands anxiously. “What if— What if the second he finds out— he completely changes and hurts one of you? He only knows you as humans. What if he doesn’t like us as vampires?”

Hyunjin shook his head. “I don’t believe he would harm us, baby. He’s really— He’s got a really good heart. The others didn’t know whether to tell you this or not but... last week— you know Soobin?”

Jeongin nodded, feeling very confused by the sudden change in topic. “Minho-hyung’s friend,” he replied dutifully. Soobin was another vampire and had a small coven of his own who were just as boisterous and chaotic as his own. The only difference between their covens was that Soobin’s wasn’t hiding that they were vampires.

“Yeah, some idiots had Hyung cornered and were spewing all sorts of slurs at him. Minho-hyung was just about to intervene when Chan did first. He got right between them and started laying into the hecklers. I honestly wish I had seen it, Minho-hyung said it was like something straight out of a movie. I’m telling you this because I don’t think Chan hates vampires. Soobin is very open about his species and his attackers weren’t exactly being subtle, but Chan still stepped in and then made sure Soobin was okay after. From what Minho-hyung said, it sounded like they were even friends.”

Jeongin didn’t know how to respond to that, or if he even should.

“We— all of us— want to tell Chan about who we are,” Hyunjin continued gently. “We won’t do it without your full-hearted consent but... I just wanted to plant the seed now so you have time to process and prepare for when Minho-hyung or Changbin-hyung inevitably bring it up with you. I don’t want you to feel like you have to agree just because we like Chan.”

Jeongin nodded slowly. “He knew Soobin-hyung was a vampire?” he asked softly. 

Hyunjin hummed in the affirmative. “Yeah, and he defended vampires openly. I think he must know some vampires personally because he was very passionate, if I’m honest.”

“I’ll think about it, hyung,” he finally said after a few moments of silence. “He’s not... as bad as most humans, I guess. But I don’t know if I’m ready.”

Hyunjin tugged Jeongin in for a hug. “Take as long as you need, baby,” he murmured. “And know that we’ll always put you first.”

Jeongin swallowed nervously, eyes tracking Chan’s movements as he made himself dinner. They were the only ones in the dorm once again and Jeongin had hidden himself away in his bedroom all afternoon but he felt weird with it now just Chan and him still home. He found himself standing in the doorway to the hallway awkwardly, unsure of what he was supposed to do next. 

Chan ended up making the move for him, glancing over at him with a smile and gesturing to one of the stools at the island. “Hungry?” he asked, pointing to the food on the stove. 

Jeongin shrugged weakly and slid onto one of the bar stools with a guilty half-smile. “I don’t want to take your food,” he finally said after a few moments of silence between them. 

The human just smiled again and shook his head. “There’s plenty for both of us,” he replied easily. “I’m happy to share with you, Jeongin-ssi.”

He swallowed and nodded slowly. “Can I— do you need any help?”

“Wanna grab a couple of bowls?” Chan offered with another smile. “I’m nearly done here. You have good timing.”

Jeongin immediately felt guilty, not wanting Chan to think that he just came out for food, though if he were honest with himself, he didn’t actually know why he came out at all. 

“I’m sorry,” he blurted out as he set the bowls down next to the stove. 

Chan startled before his features softened once more. “What do you think you have to be sorry about?” he asked gently, carefully keeping his eyes on the rice he was dishing up in an attempt to give Jeongin space. 

“I’ve been... really rude to you,” Jeongin confessed, eyes also fixed on the bowls. “And you’ve been nothing but nice.”

“You were scared,” Chan murmured as he handed one of the bowls to Jeongin. “It’s pretty obvious that you’re not comfortable around strangers and I practically invaded your home— your safe space. I’d be an idiot to hold a grudge against you for being uncomfortable with me.” He shrugged and moved to sit down at the island, leaving Jeongin to gape at him while he started to eat. “I have to earn your trust,” he continued between bites. “And I’m patient. We can go at your pace, Jeongin-ah. Hyung’s not upset with you.”

“I can call you that?” Jeongin whispered as he cautiously sat down at the island too, keeping a chair between them. “Hyung? I can call you hyung?”

Chan nodded, taking another bite. “If you feel comfortable,” he replied easily. “No pressure if you don’t though. I won’t be upset either way.”

Jeongin hummed thoughtfully but didn’t respond, instead he took a bite and immediately moaned. The food was good— Jeongin had no clue what it was, some type of meaty rice dish but it was delicious. He didn’t eat human food often, there was no nutritional value in anything but blood for vampires, but that didn’t mean they didn’t enjoy eating it every once in a while. There was a vampire-friendly bakery that had opened up not too long ago that he and the hyungs loved to go to and they’d all made some sup-par meals in their dorm kitchen— though those were mostly to appease Chan and convince him that they were human too. None of them were exactly well versed in the kitchen but Chan clearly was.

“This is good,” he mumbled between bites, practically inhaling the meal. 

Chan just laughed and shook his head fondly. “I’m glad you like it,” he replied. “My hyungs taught me everything I know— especially when it comes to cooking.”

That made Jeongin pause, chopsticks halfway to his mouth. “Your hyungs?” he inquired. “The ones that kicked you out?”

The human burst into bright peals of laughter. “They didn’t kick me out, Jeongin-ah,” he corrected once he’d reeled in his laughter a bit. “They’re good people, I promise.”

Jeongin hummed, unconvinced. “I’ll be the judge of that,” he grumbled, still feeling as though there was something off about Chan’s hyungs. He’d mentioned them a few times but never by name. It was always just ‘the hyungs’ and Jeongin didn’t like it. That, combined with the strange way Chan had suddenly found himself living with them made Jeongin question how good these ‘hyungs’ actually were— if they even existed at all. “What about your parents? What do they think about your hyungs?”

Chan shrugged, expression growing somber. “They never got to meet them,” he confessed. “My parents died when I was a kid. But I’d like to think they would have loved my hyungs.”

Jeongin swallowed uncomfortably, regretting his question immediately. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

Chan shook his head, a soft smile back on his face. “Don’t apologize,” he reassured. “I don’t mind talking about them. It was a long time ago and I know that they’d be proud of the man I’ve become. Makes it easier, you know?”

“Yeah,” Jeongin whispered, his mind quickly drifting to thoughts of his own family and wondering if they’d approve of who he was today, too. “I get you.”

Chan didn’t say anything more, letting Jeongin digest what he’d learned as they finished their dinner before Chan set about doing the dishes. Jeongin tried to help but Chan just waved him off. “You look like you’re in another world,” he said in lieu of an explanation. “I feel like I might have brought up bad memories for you.”

“Not... bad, necessarily,” Jeongin hedged, leaning on the counter as he watched Chan scrub the dishes. “Just... I lost my parents too— a few years ago. Made me wonder if they’d be proud of me.”

Chan shot Jeongin an empathetic smile. “I’m sure they would,” he assured. “You’re a very kind young man.”

Jeongin huffed softly, the sound somewhere between annoyed and amused. “You barely even know me.”

“The others talk about you a lot,” he admitted. “They’re all very fond of you and, I have to admit, it’s easy to see why.”

“Yeah, they’re alright too, I guess,” he grumbled, unable to hide how pleased he was that his hyungs talked about him to Chan even though he’d been so rude to the human. He sighed and pushed off of the counter, aiming to head back to his room so he wouldn’t have to explain himself to the others when they got back. “You’re not half bad either,” he said before immediately scurrying away, not waiting for Chan’s response. 

Feeding Jeongin became a thing Chan did. He never pushed Jeongin to eat or hang out with him while he did, but whenever Jeongin and Chan were home at the same time, regardless of who else was home too, Chan always made sure to cook something and let everyone in the dorm know that they could eat it too. His hyungs had caught onto Chan’s habit too and happily teased Jeongin in private once they knew that the human’s actions didn’t bother him. 

“So, would you say you and Channie-hyung are friends, now?” Hyunjin asked as they laid down for bed one night, nearly a month after the first time Chan and Jeongin ate together. 

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Jeongin grumbled as he pushed Hyunjin’s teasing face out of his. The older vampire giggled and shifted to rest his head on Jeongin’s chest, clearly not planning on going to his own bed any time soon. 

“We’re proud of you, Innie,” he murmured softly. “You know that right? You’ve come so far with Chan and even if you never make it to the friends stage, you still have gotten further with him than you’ve ever gotten with any other human. It’s amazing progress baby.”

Jeongin huffed as he threaded his fingers through Hyunjin’s hair. “He’s not so bad,” he grumbled. “For a human, at least.”

Hyunjin just giggled again and pressed a kiss to the underside of Jeongin’s chin before snuggling in. 

In the morning, Jeongin and Hyunjin got ready for the day and drank their morning blood before leaving their bedroom only to be greeted by the smell of sizzling bacon. 

“Morning!” Chan practically sang, waving his spatula to the pair. “Breakfast?”

Hyunjin grinned, sliding into one of the island chairs as he cupped his face in his hands. “Smells delicious, Hyung” he admitted as he reached out to snag a pancake from the plate on the counter. 

“Help yourself,” the human encouraged. “You too, Jeongin-ah. I made plenty.”

Jeongin nodded to Chan, sliding into the chair next to Hyunjin silently as he took a few pancakes for himself too. Minho came up behind him a few minutes later, wrapping his arms around his chest as he pressed a gentle kiss to Jeongin’s temple before doing the same to Hyunjin. 

“Morning, Channie-hyung,” he greeted as he snagged a pancake from the stack. “Sleep well?”

Chan hummed in the positive, sliding another stack of pancakes next to the other plate before taking a few for himself and leaning against the counter to eat. Jeongin frowned, glancing at the empty chair next to him before kicking it out gently with his foot and nodding towards it when Chan glanced up at him curiously. The human frowned for a second before Jeongin’s silent invitation dawned on him and his face split into a bright grin as he slid into the proffered chair. 

Minho gave Jeongin’s shoulders a proud squeeze before letting him go. “I’ll be back late tonight,” he declared as he slipped his backpack over his shoulder and made his way to the front door to put on his shoes. “Don’t wait up for me.”

Hyunjin snorted and shoved another pancake in his mouth. “When do we ever?” he snarked, immediately yelping and hiding behind Jeongin when Minho took a threatening step towards him. 

Minho sighed and rolled his eyes, turning back to the door. “Thanks for the breakfast, Channie-hyung,” he called before leaving with one final wave to the room. 

Chan finished eating soon after and started on the dishes only for Hyunjin to stop him, batting him away playfully. “You and I both know you don’t have time to do these before you have to leave for class,” he scolded. “I’ll get them. Anyways, you cooked, you shouldn’t have to clean too.”

“I can do them, Hyunjinnie,” Chan argued. “I’ll be okay on time.”

“Just go, hyung,” Jeongin piped up, startling himself when he realized he’d just called Chan ‘hyung’ for the first time. From the looks of it, he’d startled Chan and Hyunjin too. He swallowed and stood up, collecting his and Hyunjin’s dishes as he did his best to pretend like he hadn’t just referred to Chan so familiarly. “Hyunjin-hyung and I can handle the dishes.”

Chan nodded dumbly, letting Hyunjin nudge him back in the direction of his bedroom so that he could grab his backpack. He came back out looking much more put together as he waved to the pair of them, thanking them for doing the dishes as he rushed out the door.

Hyunjin turned to Jeongin once they were alone, a wide mischievous grin spread across his lips. 

“So.... hyung, huh?” Hyunjin teased, bumping their hips together playfully. 

“Not another word, hyung,” Jeongin grunted as he turned to start on the dishes, shutting down the conversation before it could begin. 

Jeongin was pretty sure he was being followed. 

He glanced down at his phone, pressing down on the lock button once more in a valiant attempt to get it to turn on. The screen stayed dark and Jeongin chewed on his bottom lip, willing himself not to cry. He’d decided to stay later at the library than usual to work on a paper and now he regretted it. He could feel the eyes on him and practically feel the steps that followed behind him, putting him on high alert. 

The worst part was that whoever was following him was slowly gaining on him and Jeongin knew that if he still had a heartbeat that it would be jackrabbiting in his chest by now. He didn’t know what to do— his phone was dead and he’d told his hyungs not to wait up for him so he knew that they wouldn’t be worried about his whereabouts for hours. 

He was just about to break into a sprint towards the dorms in the hopes of surprising his stalker when he spotted a familiar figure walking down an adjacent path. “Hyung!” he called, his voice a mix of desperation and relief. 

Chan turned, looking confused for a moment before he spotted Jeongin and smiled, raising his hand in greeting as he diverted his path towards the young vampire. “Hey, Jeongin-ah,” he replied as he got closer. He seemed to immediately pick up on Jeongin’s nervousness because he started to look around critically, clearly trying to find whatever disturbed the younger man. “I was looking for you.”

“You were?” he asked as he wrapped his arm around one of Chan’s, desperate to feel some sort of security, especially since he could still feel the eyes on him. 

“Yeah, I forgot my keys and I didn’t want to wake up any of the others. Were you heading back to the dorm?”

Jeongin nodded his head a bit frantically as he pushed towards the dorm, dragging a willing Chan along with him. The older man gently shifted Jeongin’s hold so that he could wrap his arm around the vampire’s shoulders instead as he ducked his head down to whisper in his ear. “What’s going on, Jeongin-ah?”

Jeongin shivered, hating that he could still feel the eyes on him, though it didn’t sound like they were following him any more. “Someone was following me,” he whispered back. “And my phone is dead so I couldn’t call anyone for help.”

Chan’s grip on his shoulders tightened as he tucked Jeongin closer into his side. “I’ve got you,” he murmured, nearly inaudibly. “Let’s get you home.”

Once they were in their building and the eyes had finally vanished, Jeongin pulled away, silently mourning the loss of Chan’s warm embrace. “You didn’t forget your keys, did you?” he asked as they climbed the stairs together. 

Chan chuckled and pulled out his keys, shaking them gently. “Nope,” he replied. “I was on my way to visit my hyungs.”

Jeongin frowned. “It’s nearly midnight,” he said. 

“They keep weird hours,” he replied with a shrug. “That reminds me, I need to text them and let them know I’m not coming otherwise they’ll worry.” He pulled out his phone, fingers flying across the screen as he typed out a message before pocketing it once again. 

“You can go now if you need to,” Jeongin offered, suddenly feeling guilty knowing that he was keeping Chan from his Friday night plans. “You don’t have to keep babysitting me. It was probably just all in my head anyways.”

Chan rolled his eyes fondly. “I don’t mind,” he replied. “And my hyungs will understand. Besides, I don’t think it was in your head. I felt like we were being watched too. Have you ever noticed anyone watching you before tonight?”

Jeongin sighed and shook his head. “No,” he mumbled as they made their way into their dorm. There was light underneath Felix and Jisung’s door, telling Jeongin that at least those two were still awake. “This was the first time. Though I’m usually not walking around campus alone so that might be why.”

“We’ll have to keep a closer eye on you— just in case,” Chan murmured resolutely as he led Jeongin further into the apartment. “Want me to let Minho know what happened?”

Jeongin shook his head. “No, I can do it,” he promised. “You should go see your hyungs like you planned.”

Chan hummed in uncertainty, glancing between Minho and Seungmin’s closed door and Jeongin before nodding. “If you’re sure you’ll be okay,” he said. 

“I will,” Jeongin replied. “Just— ah... text me— when you get to your hyung’s?”

Chan grinned and dug his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll need your number to do that.”

Jeongin swallowed, feeling embarrassment swell in his chest as he accepted the device and shakily typed his number into it before handing it back as quickly as he could. “I’ll uh... put mine on the charger,” he mumbled as watched Chan slip his shoes back on. “Thanks— for tonight.”

“Any time, Jeongin-ah,” Chan replied sincerely. “I mean it— anytime you need me you can call for me.” 

Jeongin nodded and watched Chan leave before making sure the door was locked. He paused in front of his bedroom door, hesitating for only a moment before diverting his path and making his way into Minho’s bedroom. Seungmin and Minho were both awake, much to his surprise, both of them lying in their beds and messing around on their phones. 

Minho hummed in question when he spotted Jeongin’s figure in the dark, pulling back his covers without question for the younger vampire to crawl in next to him. Jeongin did so, pausing just long enough to steal Minho’s charger for his phone before curling up next to his hyung and burying his nose in Minho’s neck. 

“What’s up, baby?” he murmured softly. “I heard you and Channie come home together. Is everything okay?”

Jeongin nodded and shifted so that he was lying on top of Minho’s chest obnoxiously in an attempt to divert Minho’s line of questioning. “We just ran into each other outside,” he mumbled, deciding not to tell Minho about his stalker— at least not at that moment. Though he promised himself that he’d tell Minho in the morning since he didn’t want to rile his sire up so late at night. For now, though, Jeongin could just let his sire hold him and know that he was safe. 

Minho, predictably, did not take the news of Jeongin’s stalker well. Neither did the rest of his coven for that matter. Chan had been there too, backing up Jeongin’s claims— not that he needed it, his coven would believe anything he said— and had agreed with the rest of his hyungs that he shouldn’t be walking around on his own for the foreseeable future. 

The worst part was that Jeongin could still feel the eyes on him whenever he left the dorms. The stalker definitely wasn’t as brave when his hyungs were with him however, and kept a decent distance between them, never close enough for Jeongin to pick up on their footsteps, just sense them, like a warning pulsing under his skin, screaming at him that he was in danger. 

Jeongin stuttered to a stop when he got out of his evening class, Chan’s presence startling him. 

“Hey, Jeongin-ah,” he called, scratching at the back of his neck awkwardly. They still were weird, still strangers that lived together, albeit a tad closer than before. They were nowhere near close enough for Chan to be waiting for him outside of his class, however. “Changbin-ah asked me to walk you home,” he explained, showing Jeongin the text from his hyung as if to assure him that he wasn’t being tricked. 

Sure enough, when Jeongin checked his phone, he had a similar text from Changbin letting him know that he was tied up in a group project and that Chan would meet him after class to walk him back to the dorm. 

Jeongin nodded, tucking his phone back into his pocket as he nodded towards the door. “Sorry you got roped into babysitting duty,” he mumbled, feeling strangely guilty for taking up Chan’s free time. 

“I don’t mind,” Chan assured as he fell into step next to Jeongin. “I wouldn't want you walking home alone, especially since your stalker hasn’t given up yet.”

Jeongin cocked his head curiously, unconsciously sliding closer to Chan’s warmth. “You can feel it too?”

Chan nodded grimly. “Makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up,” he admitted. “I felt it that first night too. Whoever’s watching you— I don’t think they have good intentions.”

Jeongin shivered, giving in to the urge and lacing his fingers with Chan’s. “Neither do I,” he whispered, tightening his grip when he felt Chan’s fingers flex in his, no doubt assuming Jeongin had grabbed him by accident and didn’t actually want to touch him. Chan was just that considerate, Jeongin was learning. “Don’t let go,” he mumbled, sighing in relief when Chan’s hand relaxed and gently squeezed him back. 

They kept walking towards their dorm, the sidewalk growing less and less populated the farther they went. The darkness didn’t help, now that the days were growing shorter with the upcoming winter, especially when every other streetlight on campus seemed to be broken. Jeongin cursed their luck, tightening his hold on Chan’s hand just as footsteps sounded behind them. They were too faint for Chan to pick up with his human ears but Jeongin heard them loud and clear. Whoever was following them was growing braver. 

“Jeongin-ah,” Chan whispered after a few minutes. In that time the footsteps had grown louder and heavier, Jeongin wouldn’t be surprised if Chan could hear them by now too. “There’s more than one.”

Jeongin nodded subtly, having picked up on the different footsteps too. “What should we do?” he whispered back, trying to keep the trembling out of his voice.

Chan took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders as he adjusted his grip on Jeongin’s hand. ”Run.”

Jeongin took off without question, Chan keeping pace right beside him. The people following them gave up with stealth and started chasing behind them but Jeongin could barely hear them over the roaring in his ears. 

Chan’s hand slipped from his between one streetlight and the next, followed by a grunt and a strangled scream that sounded eerily like Bang Chan’s voice. Jeongin dared to look behind him and immediately wished he hadn’t. There, on the ground, was Chan, blood rushing from his temple with three dark figures on top of him, holding down his struggling body. 

“Hyung!” Jeongin screamed, sprinting back towards the human, desperate to do something— anything— to get his hyung away from their attackers. He didn’t get far before something hit him from behind and he found himself surging towards the ground without his permission. He grunted, landing on his wrist badly in an attempt to catch himself and trying to push off the concrete before anyone could grab him. Someone grabbed a fistful of his hair as he tried to stand, yanking him back down.

Jeongin threw his fists wildly, doing whatever he could to get free of the ever increasing amount of hands holding him down. Eventually, the weight grew too heavy and the punches to his face, his ribs, his everything was just too much to bear and the world started to close in on him, darkness impeding his vision until all he could see was a pinprick of light in front of him, Chan’s bloody face pressed roughly into the concrete under them, until even that, too, faded to black.

Chapter Text

Everything hurt.

That was the first thing that Jeongin registered when he woke up. His face, his hands, his stomach— every part of him felt like someone had taken an over-sized meat tenderizer to him. The second thing he noticed was just how cold the air was. It was nearing December and wherever he was felt like he was laying outside in the chilly weather. Except— there was no wind. There was barely any sound either, just the sound of the slow steady drip of water and ragged, uneven breaths. It took Jeongin longer than he’d care to admit to realize that the breathing was not his own. 

Wearily, he pried his heavy eyelids open, taking in the cold, damp concrete walls surrounding him before his eyes landed on Bang Chan. The human was lying haphazardly on the other side of the room— a cell, more like— as if he’d just been thrown down without a care. The blood on his temple had dried, thick and cakey and had already started to flake off. Most of his visible skin was a splotchy mess of yellowing black and blue bruises and Jeongin knew that there had to be more hiding underneath his clothing. 

With a pained grunt, he pushed himself off of the wall and crawled over to Chan, reaching out to him with shaking hands. His skin was cool to the touch but Jeongin could feel his pulse thrumming away under his fingertips. 

“Hyung?” Jeongin whispered as he carefully carded his fingers through Chan’s matted hair. 

Chan didn’t respond, still knocked out, so Jeongin took the moment to examine the room a bit more thoroughly. The whole room was made out of concrete including the floor and ceiling. The only place that wasn’t was the door which looked to be made out of a thick, reinforced kind of metal— not something that Jeongin would have been able to break down even at full strength. Whoever had kidnapped them must have known they were taking a vampire. What Jeongin didn’t understand was why they took Bang Chan too. 

Chan was so painfully human that there was no way that anyone could have mistaken him as anything but. Which meant that either Chan was collateral or they had intended to capture more than just Jeongin. Either way, it didn’t mean good things.

Unease churned in his gut as his eyes flickered between the door and Chan’s battered body. Jeongin didn’t know what the hell was going on but he was sure that he wasn’t going to let anything else happen to Chan. His roommate was just a human, after all. He hadn’t signed up for any of this. Jeongin did, to some extent. He knew the dangers that went along with being a vampire— had witnessed the pain firsthand. But Chan— Chan had just wanted to go to school, had just wanted to move into the dorms to not be a bother to his hyungs and somehow— for some reason— he’d ended up in Jeongin’s dorm with his coven and had gotten mixed up in their dangerous lifestyle without even knowing it.

“Jeongin?” Chan rasped, coughing immediately afterwards. 

Jeongin bent his head back down to look at Chan, eyes finding his almost instantly. One of Chan’s eyes was swollen shut, no doubt a mean right hook thanks to their kidnappers. “I’m here, hyung,” he whispered, weary of speaking too loudly and letting their captors know that they were awake. 

“Are you... are you hurt?” Chan croaked out, trying to sit up before Jeongin gently held him down, shifting until he could cradle Chan’s head in his lap. 

“Not nearly as hurt as you,” Jeongin admitted. “I’m— I’m sorry, hyung. They were— they were after me.”

Chan rolled his one good eye and reached up with a shaking hand to cradle Jeongin’s cheek clumsily. “I’m aware,” he deadpanned weakly. “But like hell I was going to let them get to you without a fight. I’m sorry I didn’t do better.”

Jeongin shook his head immediately, holding Chan’s hand to his cheek. “You shouldn’t apologize, hyung,” he chastised. “You— there was nothing you could have done. There were so many of them.”

The human sighed and carefully let his hand fall back down onto his chest. “How long have you been awake?”

“Not long,” he assured. “This place is— it’s pretty... secure.”

“Wonder what they want,” Chan replied with a grunt as he stubbornly pushed himself upwards. Jeongin gave up on keeping him down and instead helped him to lean more comfortably against the nearest wall. “Have they come back yet?” 

Jeongin shook his head and carefully leaned against the wall next to Chan, gently resting his head on the top of the older man’s. “No,” he whispered. “I haven’t heard anything.”

Chan sighed and patted his pockets, releasing a soft surprised sound as he dug out his cellphone from his pocket. “They didn’t take our phones?” he asked only to sigh a few seconds later in dejection as he unlocked it. “Ah, no signal. That’s why.”

Jeongin shoved his hand in his own pocket and pulled out his phone, desperate to see if maybe his had service only to be disappointed when his, too, had zero bars. “Maybe we’re underground,” he mused dejectedly as he pushed himself up despite his protesting limbs. Jeongin raised his phone as high as he could, hoping that maybe that would do something. It didn’t and Jeongin sighed in defeat a few moments later when his arm shook too much for him to hold it above his head any longer. 

Just then he heard footsteps, faint but growing closer; a few sets as they neared their cell door. Jeongin immediately took a defensive position in front of Chan, knowing that the older man wouldn’t be able to defend himself in his current state. 

“What is it?” Chan whispered, reaching out to tangle his fingers in the back of Jeongin’s shirt. “What's going on? What do you hear?”

“Someone’s coming,” he whispered back, eyes locked firmly on the door. 

It didn’t take long before the footsteps were upon them and the door was opening. Two of the men toted heavy artillery guns, aimed straight at Jeongin while a third man walked confidently into the cell, stopping just out of arms length from Jeongin.

“What do you want?” Jeongin hissed when it became clear that none of the men were going to speak first. 

The man in front of him grinned maliciously. “Retribution,” he snarled. He only looked to be a couple of years older than Chan, thirty at the absolute oldest, but he carried himself like someone much older and far more burdened. “You’re a hard one to track down, Yang Jeongin.”

Jeongin swallowed thickly. “If it’s— if it’s me you want then— then let my hyung go. He’s not a part of whatever this is.”

“Whatever this is?” the man hissed, reaching towards Jeongin and snatching a handful of his hair. Jeongin yelped, grasping desperately at the man’s wrists as he tried to stop the pain. “This is payback. My father was everything to me— and your father killed him.”

“He would never!” Jeongin yelped, barely able to brace himself in time when the man tossed him to the side. “My father only ever killed in self defense!”

The man laughed and shook his head. “There’s no such thing as ‘self defense’ when you’re a monster,” he berated. “He killed my father in cold blood.”

Jeongin choked back the sobs trying to bubble up his throat as he watched the man step closer to Chan. “Don’t touch him!” he screamed, pushing himself up shakily. He barely got to his feet before he was down again, the ringing in his ears the first indication that one of the other men must have fired their gun. It took him another few seconds for the pain to sink in and he gasped, hands pressing down on the wound in his thigh. 

“Jeongin!” Chan called out, trying to push himself off of the wall. It only took one firm press of the man’s boot to his chest to stop him, Chan already so weak from the beating he’d taken when they were captured. 

“My father meant the world to me,” the man hissed as he reached down to take Chan’s wrist and began dragging him across the floor towards the door. “And this little boy right here means a great deal to you. I’m going to enjoy breaking him— and you.”

Jeongin didn’t know how long Chan had been gone. There was no way to keep track of time after his phone had died but it had to have been days by the time the cell door opened again and Chan’s lifeless body was thrown inside before the door slammed shut again. 

Jeongin crawled over to Chan as quickly as he could, uncaring as to whether or not the gunshot wound reopened as he checked the human for a pulse. He found one and took a steadying breath as he felt Chan’s weak breathing rattling in his chest at the same time. 

“Hyung,” he whimpered as he pressed his face to Chan’s chest, desperate to hear Chan’s heart beating with his own ears. “You’re alive. I’m so— I’m so sorry. You should have never— you— you had no part in this. I’m so sorry, hyung—”

“Not— your— fault,” Chan rasped out, surprising Jeongin as he sat up immediately to check over Chan more thoroughly.

Chan’s other eye was swollen shut now too, all the fingers on his right hand were mangled and swollen, no doubt broken, and Chan’s leg was lying at an unnatural angle. 

“I don’t know why they’re doing this,” he sobbed as he carefully tucked Chan to his chest, wary of hurting the human more but desperate to hold him in his arms. “I’m so sorry you got caught up in this, hyung.”

Chan chuckled weakly, the laugh sounding far more broken than what he was no doubt aiming for. “They’re to blame,” he croaked. “Not you. Whatever happens— it’s not... your fault.”

Jeongin sniffled and pressed his face into Chan’s hair, taking a deep breath. He immediately regretted it when the scent of Chan’s blood filled his senses. Normally he’d be fine with smelling blood and not reacting to it but it had been days without a drop and even the dried blood on Chan’s forehead smelled appetizing. He swallowed and tried to hold his breath but the damage had already been done and Jeongin felt like he was quickly spiraling. 

Chan’s heart beat against his fingertips and against his chest, thrumming through his body and reminding Jeongin that there was a perfectly good food source right in front of him. Except— except this was Chan. This was his roommate— his... possible friend— and he didn’t even know that Jeongin was a vampire, let alone agree to be a donor. It would be so very wrong on every level for Jeongin to drink from him, especially since he’d lost so much blood himself. 

Chan sighed below him, using one hand to pat his chest. “You should eat, Jeongin-ah,” he murmured, sounding almost as if he were scolding Jeongin. “You won’t... heal like—like this.”

“What do you mean, hyung?” Jeongin replied, pressing his face back in Chan’s hair but not breathing. “They haven’t given us any food. What am I supposed to eat?”

Chan sighed again and gently threaded his fingers with Jeongin’s. “You should take some— from me.”

Dread filled Jeongin as he realized the implications of that sentence. “You know, hyung?” Jeongin breathed, trying to pull away only for Chan to follow him, keeping them connected as much as he possibly could in his weak state. “That I’m— that I’m a... vampire?”

“I know, Jeongin-ah,” Chan whispered, pressing his cheek against Jeongin’s still chest and closing his eyes. “I’ve always known.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” Jeongin felt... almost betrayed because what reason would Chan have to hide this from him? Why would he let Jeongin keep thinking that everything was fine when he knew the truth?

“Because you didn’t want me to know yet,” Chan whispered, sounding more and more exhausted with each word.”And I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Jeongin released a weak, choked off laugh. “Has anyone told you that you’re too nice, hyung?” he scolded, unable to hide the relief in his voice. 

Chan huffed softly, probably the closest he could get to laughing in his state. “I may have been told that... once or... twice.”

“You should sleep, hyung,” Jeongin murmured, carefully repositioning them so that Chan was lying more comfortably on top of him. “You need your strength.”

“You... should eat, Innie,” Chan mumbled sleepily. “You... need strength... too...”

Jeongin pressed a kiss to the top of Chan’s head. “I can’t take from you, hyung. You’ve lost too much blood already.”

Jeongin also knew that if he tried to eat from Chan in his current state, he wouldn’t be able to stop. He was slipping into starvation levels fast and the longer he thought about it the more he was able to piece together what their captors were planning. 

The man had said that Jeongin’s father had killed his and that he wanted to break them. He thought that Jeongin and Chan were close— closer than they actually were— which meant that he was planning on hurting Chan more and more until Jeongin was so starving that he wouldn’t be able to differentiate Chan from a blood pouch. 

They were going to force Jeongin to kill Chan. 

And Jeongin didn’t know how to stop it.

Jeongin held out as long as he could. He held Chan to his chest while the older man slept, breathing ragged and pained but alive. Jeongin told himself that he just had to have faith, that his hyungs would find them and rescue them and that everything would be fine in time. 

But when the men came back a few hours later and threw Chan’s limp body over one of their shoulders before leaving again, Jeongin lost it. 

He screamed and tried to chase after them but the bullet hole in his leg prevented him from moving fast enough and he found himself alone in his cell once more. Jeongin felt himself rage as he pounded on the reinforced door, barely making a dent in the metal but unwilling to give up knowing that they must have been taking Chan to torture him again. 

“Take me!” he screamed, banging on the door desperately. “Take me! Don’t hurt him!” 

Jeongin gasped for breath, sagging down against the door as he slammed his head against the door in his frustration. “Don’t hurt him,” he pleaded softly, knowing that his words would only fall on deaf ears. 

A part of Jeongin hoped that they accidentally killed Chan, that he wouldn’t survive this round of torture if only to keep him from anymore pain. 

“Hyungs,” he whispered, gazing up at the concrete ceiling through his tears. “Please save us. Don’t let me kill Channie-hyung.”

Chan only had to have been gone a few hours when they returned him, knocking Jeongin over with the door as they threw the human in before quickly shutting it once again. Jeongin was immediately crawling over to Chan, cradling his head in his hands as he called for him. He was covered in new cuts and bruises and his arm was now broken to match his mangled fingers. 

“Channie-hyung,” Jeongin sobbed, terrified of moving Chan and hurting him more. “What can I do?”

Chan just groaned and pressed his cheek to Jeongin’s palm. “‘m okay... Innie,” he mumbled. “Everything’s... gonna be... okay.”

Jeongin sniffled, carefully laying down next to Chan and bracing the human’s head on his arm as he curled up next to him. “How can you say that?” he whispered. “Hyung— they’re killing you. I can’t— I don’t want to see you die.”

Chan shot Jeongin a weak smile, barely anything more than a twitch of his lips but it was enough. “I’m tougher than I look,” he murmured as he closed his eyes. “And if I do... If I do die— Innie... I don’t... blame you. But you should drink... a bit. One of us— one of us should... keep our strength up.”

“I can’t, hyung,” Jeongin fretted as he shook his head frantically, though he was careful not to disturb Chan. “You— you’ve already lost too much blood, I can’t take anymore.”

“I’m telling you to, Jeongin-ah,” he ordered, the first full sentence he’d been able to say without having to pause to take a breath. “Hyungs will come but you— you need to stay... strong until then.”

Jeongin sniffled, pressing his nose to Chan’s neck. “How can you be so sure, hyung?”

“They left me alone for a bit,” he replied softly. “We’re underground right now.... But... they took me... upstairs. Dropped— dropped my location to— to one of them... can’t remember who but... they know now. We just... gotta survive... until then.”

Jeongin nodded. “I can wait,” he whispered. “I can wait until they come for us. It’s not— it’s not bad yet, hyung.”

Chan patted Jeongin’s head weakly with his good arm. “Don’t want it to... to get bad.”

“I’ll be okay, hyung,” Jeongin assured as he pressed another kiss to Chan’s neck. “You should rest. I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

They took Chan a few more times after that, not nearly as long as the first time but Jeongin had no sense of time except for the few precious hours he could listen to Chan’s heartbeat and the ever-growing hunger raging inside of him. Being such a young vampire, Jeongin already had a pretty small threshold for his hunger so it couldn’t have been more than a week since they’d been taken but in that time, Jeongin had grown to dangerous levels of starvation. He could barely crawl across the cell anymore to saddle up next to Chan’s broken body but he still did it and every time it was harder to keep his teeth from embedding themselves into his neck. 

Jeongin didn’t know how he was going to stop himself from attacking Chan the second they brought him back into their cell but he was wondering if it was even worth it anymore. Chan could barely speak anymore and he had more open wounds than skin at this point and Jeongin was wondering whether draining him would actually be a mercy. 

He knew that Chan had gotten a message out to one of their hyungs but he had no way of knowing if they even got it or if they were coming and he was losing hope fast. It had been hours, if not days, since Chan had told him about dropping his location and it was difficult to believe that he’d actually been able to do it. It was harder, still, to watch those bastards beat the life out of Chan and not be able to do anything to stop it. 

He swallowed, wincing at the dry, inflamed feeling the motion sparked up. He could smell them coming before he heard them. Chan’s scent was stronger than their captors’ scents, his blood always seeping from the multitude of wounds they’d inflicted on him over the past few days. This time, however, another scent joined the three of them. The footsteps sounded familiar and it took Jeongin an embarrassingly long time to piece together that this must be the son, the main kidnapper. 

Jeongin pushed himself up higher against the wall, bracing himself as they opened the door and dragged Chan in. They didn’t throw him down, however, and Jeongin immediately knew that something bad was about to happen with the way the henchmen kept the human propped up between them. 

The son walked in a few steps behind them, stopping just behind Chan as he used one hand to pet his hyung’s hair. “You know, I was wrong about you, Yang Jeongin,” he mused, still petting Chan’s hair. “I thought you cared more about this kid but you really are just a heartless monster, aren’t you? You won’t even put this poor kid out of his misery. You let my men torture him for over a week and not once did you try to end his suffering. You must really hate his guts to not even want to quench that thirst of yours with his blood.” 

The man paused, smirking at Jeongin as he shifted his grip to hold onto a chunk of Chan’s hair, close to his scalp, as he yanked his head back. Chan released a weak groan, both eyes were swollen shut but Jeongin could tell that the human was trying to look for him through his blurry, limited vision. 

“Well, I’m getting bored of this game, so you’re getting an ultimatum, Yang Jeongin,” the son continued. “Tonight, this kid is going to die, either by your hand or mine. And then we’re leaving and you’ll get the privilege of rotting down here with his corpse.”

“No,” Jeongin rasped, trying and failing to push himself up, his limbs too weak to hold his weight for any amount of time. 

“Yes,” the man mocked as he pulled out a dagger and posed it at Chan’s throat. “Now, do you want to do the honors or shall I?”

Jeongin shook his head, hating that he found himself feeling grateful that his tears were blurring his vision to the point that he could barely make out Chan’s form. 

The man chuckled after waiting a few more seconds only for Jeongin to stay silent. “Have it your way then,” he declared before suddenly pulling the knife away from Chan’s neck and driving it into his stomach. 

Chan moaned and fell forward the second the henchmen let go of him. The man just cackled and waved to Jeongin, bloody dagger still dangling from his fingers. “Have a nice life, Yang Jeongin— or, well, slow death actually. Say ‘hi’ to your pops for me.” 

With that he and the henchmen left the cell, the door clanging ominously behind them. The second they were gone Jeongin leapt into action as fast as he could, which was, admittedly, not very fast but he still moved as fast as he could. Jeongin could hear their footsteps fading along with their laughter as he moved to cradle Chan in his arms.

“Hyung,” he sobbed, flinching when he felt his fangs elongate at the smell of the human’s blood. “I’m sorry, hyung. What— what can I do?”

Chan shot Jeongin a sad smile and raised one shaking hand up to cup the vampire’s cheek. “Drink,” he rasped out. “You need... your strength.”

Jeongin shook his head. “Hyung— you— that bastard stabbed you.” He used the hand not holding Chan to him to try to put pressure on the wound, trying to remember his very limited knowledge of human anatomy to figure out how to help Chan— to keep him alive.

“Someone’s... coming, Innie,” Chan gasped out, his hand dropping to tangle in Jeongin’s now-bloody shirt. “You just... need to stay— strong... until then.”

Jeongin couldn’t stop the next sob from escaping his lips even if he’d wanted to. “I can’t, hyung,” he cried. “You’re— you’re bleeding out and I— I won’t be able to stop.”

Chan nodded weakly. “I know,” he mumbled between harsh gasps for breath. “I’m— I’m not... gonna make it, Innie.”

“Don’t say that!” Jeongin scolded desperately, pressing harder to Chan’s stomach, making him groan in pain. “Don’t— you can’t leave me!”

“Please,” Chan whispered, his eyes’s fluttering closed in his exhaustion. “Let me... help you... one last time.”

Jeongin held out for as long as he could but he could hear Chan’s heartbeat slowing, struggling to keep up with how much blood he was losing. Chan was out of options and there was only one thing left to do. If Chan really did get a message out— if the hyungs really were coming— then at least one of them needed to be alive to see it and Chan wouldn’t want Jeongin to die alongside him, not if he didn’t have to. 

With a final sob, Jeongin carefully shifted to cradle Chan against his chest, pressing his trembling mouth to Chan’s vulnerable neck. “I’m so sorry, hyung,” he cried, pressing desperate kisses to the older man’s skin before finally biting down.

Chan released a soft, pained gasp, his fingers tightening slightly in Jeongin’s shirt. “Thank you,” he breathed, his voice barely audible.

Jeongin nearly pulled away knowing that Chan was still awake but the hand that crept up to cradle the back of his neck and hold him to Chan kept him there. This was what Chan wanted, he reminded himself desperately. Chan asked for this— begged him for it. He was saving Jeongin. He wanted to save Jeongin.

Chan’s hands dropped limp after a few minutes, his breathing growing shallower and his heartbeat so slow Jeongin almost missed it. He sobbed, holding Chan as close to his chest as he could, rocking them back and forth frantically. 

Chan had been the first human Jeongin had accepted into his life— into his nest. He’d been so patient and kind with Jeongin, keeping their secret and letting Jeongin come to him at his own pace. Jeongin would never be able to repay that kindness to Chan, never be able to tell him how much Chan meant to him now. 

Because Jeongin had just killed Chan— drained him dry— so Jeongin did the only thing he could now— he screamed.

Chapter Text

When Chan was fourteen, he met his first vampire. Well, to be more specific, he ran into his first vampire. He’d been late for school, having overslept his alarm clock, and had been sprinting down the street when he turned a corner and immediately steamrolled some poor man just trying to carry a stack of boxes into one of the shops that lined the street in his neighborhood. Chan had stuttered out a handful of flurried apologies and tried to help gather the man’s belongings before he heard the sound of his first period bell chime off in the distance and ran off with a curse. 

That evening, after serving an extra long detention to make up for missing first period, Chan had finally been allowed to return home. Exhausted and starving, Chan was more than ready to get home and just collapse, but he still stopped in front of the shop. It didn’t have a sign up yet, clearly the owners had been moving in that morning and were still setting it up, but Chan could see the lights on behind the closed blinds. With cautious steps, Chan diverted his path the few feet needed to reach the front door and knocked. Dread pooled in his stomach the longer he had to wait and just before he was ready to call it and turn away, the door opened, revealing a dangerously beautiful young man who looked just as weary as Chan felt. 

“Ah... hi,” Chan mumbled, suddenly feeling very shy in front of such an intimidating older man. “I, um... I think I might have, ah— run someone over this morning? I was in a rush but that’s no excuse and I wanted to apologize to him properly, if he’d let me.”

The weary look on the man’s face melted some and he opened the door a bit wider, though not enough for Chan to see past him into the shop. “What’s your name?” he asked, voice smooth and deep, cutting through Chan’s anxiety like butter and calming his racing heart within seconds. 

“Um, Chan,” he stuttered, eyes wide. “Bang Chan. I’m really sorry about this morning. And if I broke anything I— well, I don't exactly have any money to pay you back but I could work for it? You’re opening a shop, right? I could wash dishes or mop the floor or—”

The man cut him off with a laugh and opened the door, stepping to the side as he invited Chan in. “Take a breath, kid,” he said instead. “How old are you?”

Chan ducked his head in embarrassment as he stepped inside. “Fourteen,” he admitted. “There really was no excuse for my actions this morning and I’m really sorry—”

“No more apologies,” the man chided, sounding much more fond and at ease now that they were both inside. “The only thing you hurt was Jackson’s pride at being knocked over by a pint-sized human.”

Chan felt his face scrunch in confusion even as he nodded his head in understanding. “Is he here?” he asked, taking a quick glance around the place as he searched for the man he ran into earlier in the day. “I’d like to apologize to him.”

The man in front of him grinned. “I thought I told you not to apologize any more?” he chided playfully before stretching out his hand. “Name’s Jaebeom. Have you eaten dinner yet?”

Chan opened and closed his mouth a few times in shock as he tried to formulate a response before snapping his mouth shut and shaking his head as he shook Jaebeom’s hand. 

“Come eat, then,” he ordered kindly. “And tell Jackson you like his food. That’ll go over much better than an apology.”

Chan could do nothing but nod and let Jaebeom gently lead him up a flight of stairs and into an apartment where six other men were standing around in a semicircle, postures tensed and looking ready to fight until they caught sight of Chan. 

“This is Bang Chan,” Jaebeom announced. “He’ll be joining us for dinner.”

The tallest man raised his eyebrow. “Why?” he asked, sounding more confused than upset. “Who is he?”

Jaebeom grinned and gently squeezed Chan’s shoulder, easing some of the tension that had unknowingly built back up in his own body. “This is the kid that torpedoed into Jackson this morning,” he declared with a chuckle. 

“Wait,” the man barked out merrily as he turned to face another one of the men who was sporting blonde hair and a cool leather jacket that Chan was low key jealous of. “That little pipsqueak is what nearly took you out?” Before the cool man, who Chan assumed to be the aforementioned Jackson, could defend himself, the man burst out into uncontrollable laughter, cackling maniacally as he slapped his knees while bent over in half. 

“I’m not that short,” Chan grumbled halfheartedly. 

“Course you’re not, kiddo,” Jaebeom assured, ruffling his hair without hesitation. “You’re just still fun-sized. I’m sure you’ll grow even taller than Gyeomie some day.”

Jackson snorted and stepped around the still laughing man to hold his hand out for Chan to shake. “Unlikely,” he declared. “There are few buildings taller than Gyeom-ah. I’m Jackson, kid. It’s nice to meet you. No hard feelings, yeah?”

Chan accepted the handshake, absently noting how cold Jackson’s hand was in his. “Yeah,” he replied softly. “I’m still sorry for running into you though. Are you okay?”

Jackson smiled, his entire face melting into one of fond endearment. “I’m right as rain, kiddo. Did you get hurt?”

Chan shrugged and shook his head, not about to admit that he was pretty sure he’d sprained his wrist in the fall. He’d been very careful throughout the day to not move his arm too much and was just grateful that he’d landed wrong on his non-dominant hand instead of the one he used for basically everything. This way, he could just keep his arm tucked close to his body and ride it out until he could get a wrap when he got home. 

All of a sudden five of the seven men, sans ‘Gyeom’ and one of the other younger looking men, lost their amused expressions as they all gazed at Chan in worry. 

“Where are you hurt?” Another man who had stood silently off to the side up until that point asked as he made his way towards them. He was wearing a fuzzy cardigan and his hair looked ruffled as though he’d just rolled out of bed. 

Chan shook his head again. “No,” he hurried to assure the man who looked near-panic as he tried to find any visible wounds on Chan. “I’m fine, I promise!”

“He’s been cradling his wrist,” yet another one of the men declared softly, eyes zeroed in on Chan’s arm he’d kept tucked in his hoodie pocket throughout his detour on his way home. 

Jackson frowned and cautiously held out his hand. “Would you let one of us take a look at it?” he asked. “Just to make sure that you’re really alright?”

Chan sighed and carefully extracted his wrist from his hoodie pocket and pulled up his sleeve to show Jackson the red and purple skin hiding underneath. “It was my own stupidity,” he admitted. “I’ll be fine once I can wrap it up.”

“We have some supplies,” Jaebeom stated before pointing to one of their sofas with a stern gaze, silently telling Chan to sit down. He did so wearily, Jackson following him over and never letting go of his wrist as he sat down next to Chan, carefully cradling Chan’s wrist on his lap. Jaebeom came back with a wrap and an ice pack a few moments later, though Chan didn’t feel the ice pack would be necessary with how chilly Jackson’s hands were. “Ah, no one’s introduced themselves yet,” Jaebeom noted as he began to wrap Chan’s wrist with practiced precision. “I’m sorry about that. Here—” 

He casually gestured around the room as he introduced the rest of the men to a wide eyed, mildly overwhelmed Chan. Jinyoung was the one in the fuzzy cardigan and had been the one who’d asked him where he’d hurt himself, Youngjae the one who’d noticed that it had been his wrist, Yugyeom was the one who’d nearly folded himself laughing at Jackson, and then there was also Mark and Bambam who had stayed silent up until that point as they observed him critically. 

By the time Jaebeom had finished with the introductions he’d also finished wrapping Chan’s wrist and had helped Chan situate the ice pack over his wrist. 

“Chan-ah,” Jinyoung called gently, pulling Chan’s attention to him. “Do you need to call your parents and let them know where you are? I’d hate for them to be worried about you.”

Chan shook his head. “My auntie’s never really home,” he admitted, ducking his head in embarrassment. “So she won’t notice if I’m late.” And it was true, Chan’s aunt rarely was ever at home, but she always made sure that Chan had enough food and spending money for anything he needed between her infrequent stop-ins. 

His aunt was a photographer who’d spent her entire life getting herself to where she was now. Chan had been a wrench thrown in her career plans when his family had died in a house fire when he was ten. Chan had been sleeping over at a friend’s house the night of the fire and had come home to a pile of rubble. His aunt had been his only available guardian and had done her best to do right by him but as Chan had gotten older, she’d started taking larger and larger jobs once again, eager to get back to where she’d once been in her career and Chan was not about to stand in her way even if he did get lonely sometimes because of it. 

Jinyoung frowned sadly before nodding his head as he tried to wipe the morose expression from his face. “Well, then I suppose you can stay for dinner,” he proposed, attempting to sound more upbeat and less like he was pitying Chan. 

Chan swallowed down the instinctual urge to defend his aunt and instead just nodded his head, not wanting to start a conversation that could lead to child protective services being called— Chan liked his home and even if his auntie wasn’t the most present of caregivers she still took care of him where it really mattered. “Thank you,” he murmured. “As long as I’m not bothering you. I really did just come to apologize properly.”

“I told you, Chan-ah,” Jaebeom piped up as he reappeared with a few dishes balanced in his arms that he set down at the small kitchen table. “You’re not allowed to apologize any more. Come eat. You too, Gyeom-ah, Bam-ah.”

Chan got up, holding the ice pack to his wrist as he sat down at the table with only enough chairs for four. It was a bit odd, considering there were seven of them, but Chan assumed that it was highly unlikely that they all lived above the shop. Yugyeom and Bambam joined him at the table along with Jaebeom, though the older man didn’t bother to fill a plate for himself. In fact, there only seemed to be enough food for the three of them and Chan immediately started to chew on his bottom lip in worry. 

“Aren’t you all going to eat?” he fretted as he watched Yugyeom and Bambam begin to eat without waiting for the others. Chan had hoped that they would have reappeared with more dishes from the kitchen for themselves but they all remained sitting on the sofas, not looking put out in the slightest. Even Jaebeom was sitting casually at the table with Chan, his chin resting in one of his hands as he watched Yugyeom and Bambam eat. 

“We ate earlier,” Jackson assured as he joined them at the table, choosing to stand behind Yugyeom as he gently massaged the taller man’s shoulders. “These two were too busy playing video games to join us, however, which is why they’re eating now.”

Bambam opened his mouth to argue but quickly snapped it shut with one intense look from Jaebeom. “Yeah,” he agreed reluctantly. “We can get pretty wrapped up in our games. Luckily our hyungs are always accommodating to us.”

Chan nodded, feeling more confused than before but feeling as though it wasn’t his place to question their obvious lies. He ate quietly, though he did make sure to tell Jackson how much he liked his cooking— he didn’t even have to lie like Jaebeom had implied down in the storefront, it really was good, though maybe that was partially attributed to the fact that Chan didn’t get a lot of home cooked meals that he didn’t have to make himself, so being able to eat someone else’s cooking for once was a nice treat. 

Afterwards, Jaebeom insisted on walking him home. “It’s not safe to be wandering outside at night on your own,” he stated as he slipped on his shoes. “I want to make sure you get home safely— please.”

And Chan could hardly argue with the older man, especially when he had such sincere eyes and led the way back to his home. After that, Chan found himself frequenting the shop to hang out. The guys hadn’t opened it yet but Chan happily helped whoever was around as they renovated the store. He enjoyed building shelves with Mark and Jackson and taking dance breaks with Bambam and Yugyeom. He even enjoyed doing his homework with Jinyoung’s help at their dining table. 

It surprised Chan when he found out that all seven men lived together in the apartment above their shop but they seemed happy with the arrangement so Chan didn’t see the problem with it. He kept growing closer to the group but it quickly became clear that they were hiding something from Chan as their opening day for their shop, that he now knew was a bakery, approached. 

He had suspicions— of course he did. Chan was a fourteen year old kid with very limited supervision. He knew far more about the ‘underground’ species most adults tried to shield kids from than even most adults did. He’d spent far too long researching ghosts and vampires and werewolves and sorcerers in the early hours of the morning when sleep just wouldn’t come to him and he considered himself something of an expert in all things occult, even before he’d run into Jackson. 

Though occults made up nearly twenty five percent of the world’s population, most underground species chose to hide themselves away and blend in with the rest of the humans. There were, of course, those who didn’t choose to hide in the shadows and it was becoming more common to see occults out in the open but it still wasn’t a normal sight. And while Chan had suspected at least some of them were vampires he knew that they couldn’t all be. Bambam and Yugyeom, for example, ate in front of Chan quite regularly and and were much warmer to the touch and while he couldn’t place what occult they were, he figured they had to be something because there was no way they were actually only a handful of years older than Chan himself. Every once in a while he caught them talking in a way that didn’t make sense and using lingo that was decades old so it was easy to assume that they were some type of an occult with an expanded lifespan. 

Though if Chan were honest, he didn’t overall care too much. Jaebeom and his coven— because that’s what they clearly were— were his friends and had never done anything to harm him and so it didn’t matter to him what they were. 

Chan was also aware of the prejudices some people held towards occults. While the majority of humans were happy to coexist in peace, there was a small percentage that fought to dismantle occult rights and to force them back into hiding. Chan had done his best over the past few weeks to subtly hint to his hyungs that he was on their side without calling them out and making them uncomfortable. There was also a part of Chan that still wasn’t convinced what types of occults they were and therefore didn’t want to guess wrong and embarrass himself or them. 

His feet stuttered to a stop the Friday before the coven planned to open their bakery just outside of the storefront. While he’d been in school, they had finally gotten their sign installed above the window and Chan couldn’t help but freeze at seeing his suspicions laid bare. 

Vampbites.

There would be no denying their species now, he realized. His hyungs were declaring to the world that they were vampires and were encouraging other vampires to come out of hiding too. It was bold and brave and so very much like his hyungs that Chan’s chest filled with pride for them. 

“Chan-ah?” Jinyoung called, standing hesitantly in the doorway with an equally nervous Jaebeom at his side. “Are you upset with us? I— I promise you’ll always be safe with us.”

Chan swallowed, his heart breaking at Jinyoung’s obvious distress.

“Channie?” Jaebeom called softly when Chan didn’t respond. “Please let us explain—”

Chan huffed, rolling his eyes before crossing the short distance to wrap his arms around Jaebeom’s waist. “Hyungs can be so dumb sometimes,” he grumbled. “I’ve never felt safer than when I’m with you.” He released Jaebeom to wrap his arms around Jinyoung’s waist instead, pressing his cheek to the older man’s cold chest. “I’m not scared of you, hyung. And besides— I figured you guys out weeks ago.”

Jaebeom snorted and wrapped his arms around Chan from behind, effectively sandwiching the teen between them. “Of course you did, kid,” he replied with a laugh. “You’re too observant for your own good.” He paused, taking a steadying breath before pulling back and gently encouraging Chan to detach from Jinyoung to face them once again. “Are you really okay? With this? With us?”

Chan rolled his eyes and pushed past Jaebeom into the bakery. He weaved through the tables and up the stairs in the backroom to the coven’s apartment, letting himself in and finally stopping in front of the television. He crossed his arms and waited for Jaebeom and Jinyoung to sit down with the rest of their coven before snorting at their combined fretful and weary faces. “You’re my hyungs,” he started, glaring down each of the older men individually. “That’s not going to change just because you finally confirmed what I’d already figured out.”

Youngjae burst out into surprised laughter before getting up from the couch and stopping right in front of Chan. “You’re a smart kid, Chan-ah.” He teased as he opened his arms. “Can I hug you?”

Chan huffed and wrapped himself around Youngjae and gently bit at his neck once he was in his arms. “If you ever ask to hug me again I’m punching you, hyung,” he scolded. “You being vampires doesn’t change anything to me. So stop acting like I’m going to run away. You’re stuck with me.”

Youngjae chuckled and nodded his head, his chin gently bumping against the top of Chan’s head with the movement. “Sorry, Channie,” he replied, dropping a kiss to his hair like he always did whenever they hugged. “We really can be dumb sometimes, can’t we?”

Chan nodded, squeezing Youngjae even tighter. “Yeah,” he agreed. “But luckily I still love you guys anyways.”

Jackson chuckled, joining in on the hug before stealing Chan from Youngjae’s arms to pepper his face with kisses despite the human’s protests. Once Jackson was satiated, he heaved Chan over to the couch and settled him in his lap. 

“Bambam-hyung and Yugyeom-hyung aren’t vampires though, are you?” Chan asked, unconsciously tilting his head to the side for Jackson to rest his chin on his shoulder and sniff at his neck more obviously than he’d done in the past. 

Yugyeom shook his head, a playful smile on his face. “What are we, Chan-ah?”

Chan couldn’t help the pout that spread across his lips. “I don’t know,” he practically whined. 

His hyungs all burst into laughter, Jackson taking the excuse to pinch Chan’s cheeks out of cuteness aggression. 

“They’re humans,” Jaebeom finally admitted once their laughter had died down some. “But we bound them to us— what, a hundred years ago?”

Jinyoung shook his head with a chuckle. “Sixty,” he corrected. 

Chan’s mouth dropped open in shock as he stared at Yugyeom and Bambam in wonder. “But you don’t look that old, haraboji” he mused. He immediately yelped, sliding off of Jackson’s lap to take refuge behind him in the sliver between his back and the couch.

Bambam and Yugyeom were immediately up in arms, theatrically bemoaning Chan’s disrespect and playfully swatting at him around Jackson’s pitiful attempts to guard him. The vampires were all laughing around them and the only reason Yugyeom and Bambam’s assault stopped was because Jaebeom and Mark took them into their own laps and held them in place. 

“How does that work anyways?” Chan asked. “I didn’t find anything about vampires being able to— what was it? Bind? — people.”

Mark smiled and squeezed Bambam’s waist. “It’s a vampire’s best kept secret,” he disclosed. “Mostly because back in the day, some humans mistook binding as enslavement.”

Yugyeom snorted, crossing his arms over Jaebeom’s resting on his stomach. “Humans can be so ignorant,” he grumbled. “I don’t know how someone can look at a vampire’s ultimate gift and call it enslavement. It’s completely ridiculous.”

“Being bound to a vampire is a bit of an... equivalent exchange, one might call it,” Jaebeom explained, patting Yugyeom’s stomach soothingly. “The vampire has access to fresh blood and the human receives protection and an extended lifespan.”

“Extended lifespan?” Chan asked, eyes wide in amazement. He had already guessed based on the fact that Yugyeom and Bambam were undoubtedly in their eighties while still looking like they were in their twenties but it still shocked him. 

Bambam nodded. “We’ll live as long as our mates,” he explained. “I’m bound to Jinyoung-hyung and Gyeommie is connected to Jaebeom-hyung. As long as they’re alive we won’t die from sickness or old age. Our bodies are basically... frozen in time, so to speak.”

“That’s so cool,” Chan breathed. “What made you guys decide to come out? Don’t most vampires like to keep a low profile?”

Mark sighed dramatically, tucking his chin over Bambam’s shoulder. “We decided as a coven that we can’t keep hiding,” he said. “We’d like to one day be able to live in a world where we’re accepted as neighbors and friends. This is our way of helping to build that future.”

Chan smiled and nodded his head in agreement, sinking back into Jackson’s hold. “I want to help you build that future too,” he declared. 

Jackson cooed and pressed a theatrical kiss to Chan’s cheek. “Hyung, we found the cutest kid on the planet,” he declared to Jaebeom.

Chan couldn’t stop the pout from spreading across his lips. “I’m not a kid,” he grumbled petulantly, trying and failing to escape Jackson’s hold. 

“You are,” he teased, pressing another kiss to Chan’s cheek just to annoy him. “Especially compared to us.”

“That’s because you’re a bunch of dinosaurs,” he grunted, somehow wiggling out of Jackson’s arms and escaping to Youngjae’s side. He giggled and slid in behind Youngjae’s back, hiding behind the older man as it was Jackson’s turn to protest dramatically. Eventually, Youngjae got tired of being a shield and swung Chan around in his lap, wrapping his arms around the teenager to keep him in place as his laughter slowly tapered off now that Jackson wasn’t actively antagonizing him. 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Youngjae asked softly. “With all of this— us?”

Chan rolled his eyes and smacked Youngjae’s shoulder. “Of course I am, hyung,” he chided. “Who cares if you drink blood instead of water? You’re my friends and you guys have been nothing but nice to me. That’s all that matters to me.”

Jinyoung chuckled and sat down next to Chan and Youngjae, wrapping his arm around the both of them. “You’re wise beyond your years, Channie,” he teased. “And I will forever be grateful that you nearly knocked Jackson on his ass when we were moving in. I can’t imagine not having you in our lives now that I’ve met you.”

Chan giggled and shifted to press his face against Jinyoung’s cold chest. “Don’t go getting sappy on me now, hyung,” he teased. “...But I’m glad I ran into Jackson-hyung too.”

“So how does this work anyways?” Chan asked, watching Jaebeom and Bambam load ingredients onto the shelves of the bakery while Mark took inventory. The rest of the coven was out in the lobby, assembling the remaining furniture and hanging decorations in preparation for their grand opening the following morning. “I thought vampires didn’t eat human food. What’s the point of opening a bakery?”

Jaebeom chuckled. “That’s true,” he said. “We don’t need to eat human food. But it doesn’t hurt us if we do. Lots of vampires will eat human food to fit in with the humans and hide in plain sight. Our bakery products are infused with blood. Mark and I have spent the last decade perfecting recipes that are both nutritional for vampires and taste good. We also have a non-vampire friendly menu too. The goal of the bakery is to bring species together.”

“And make blood access for vampires easier,” Mark added. “We struck a deal with a local blood supply chain to sell their stock here and in return we share the profits with them. It can be hard, as vampires— especially new vampires— to find a good source of blood and, well, a bakery called ‘Vampbites’ is a bit too on the nose to miss, don’t you think?”

Chan nodded his head with a laugh. “I think it’s awesome,” he declared, “What you’re doing. Do you think I could help? After school? And on the weekends maybe?”

Jaebeom hummed theatrically, pretending to think about it before quickly breaking character and nodding his head as he stepped over to Chan and collected him in a hug. “We’d love the help, Channie,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to Chan’s temple. “You wanna start today?” 

Chan beamed as he pulled back from the hug and hopped off of the counter with a salute. “Put me to work, boss!”

Chan loved the bakery. He loved it so much his hyungs often teased him that he loved the shop more than he loved them which was, in his opinion, just ridiculous because how could he love a store more than his doting hyungs, especially since they were the owners of the store in the first place and it wouldn’t even exist without them. That didn’t, of course, stop Chan from working in the store every chance he got. Mark and Jaebeom taught him recipe after recipe and by the time he was sixteen he was experimenting with his own recipes too.

His hyungs never let him overdo it though, always making sure that he did his homework before putting on an apron and not letting him work past dinner time on school nights. Chan loved every second of it, even when he was just hanging out at one of the tables with one of his hyungs working through his math problems. Even some of the regular patrons would sometimes stop to chat with him or even help him with his homework. 

Jihyo and her coven, especially, always took time to chat with Chan when they came in. There was something about Jihyo that made Chan’s chest ache with fond longing, her kind smile and gentle touch reminiscent of his mother’s which made him love when she came around even more— even if it did also hurt a bit too. 

Nothing compared to Jaebeom’s hugs, however. Chan was convinced that the vampire’s hugs were infused with magic because there was no other way that he could make Chan feel so warm when his skin was always so cold. He wasn’t about to complain though; Jaebeom’s hugs were his favorite part of his after school ritual. 

The coven and the bakery felt like his home and his family. He’d started spending nights in the coven’s apartment here and there, especially around exam season, and by the time he hit his senior year he was practically moved into their home. It had been so long since he’d spent the night at his aunt’s apartment that she actually noticed his absence. That of course prompted her to find out where her nephew was living and inevitably meet his hyungs. 

Chan had been nervous— terrified, even— at the possibility of his aunt not approving of his hyungs and forcing him to stay away from them, but, as it turned out, she had been fine with them, if a little apprehensive at first, and had warmed up to them over the following weeks until she asked Jaebeom if he’d be willing to house Chan so that she could be gone for longer stretches without feeling guilty. 

Jaebeom agreed immediately and had refused the money his aunt tried to give him to take care of Chan, explaining to her that Chan felt like a baby brother to him and that he was honored to care for him. Chan had started crying at that and had dove into Jaebeom’s arms, the vampire catching him readily with a gentle kiss to the top of his head as he helped Chan get more comfortable on his lap. 

Chan officially moved in after that, taking up the guest bedroom he had been unofficially occupying before. Mark and Jackson had even taken him out shopping, excited to get him some new bedding and curtains and other things that he might need that he didn’t already have. 

Everything was going perfectly. Chan had graduated high school with honors and had been accepted into the local college and kept living with the coven and working at the bakery after classes and Chan was happy. 

And then the fire happened. 

Chan woke up to Jinyoung picking him up and smoke filling his lungs. He clung onto his hyung desperately, choking and disoriented as Jinyoung ran through the apartment and down the stairs. The bakery was even worse and Jinyoung pressed Chan’s head to his chest, covering it with his own hand as he stepped through the burning wreckage of their livelihood. 

“Hyung?” Chan croaked when Jinyoung cursed, tightening his hold on Chan. 

“They barricaded the door!” he shouted over his shoulder.

Behind them, Chan heard Jaebeom swear. “The back door’s blocked too!” he shouted back. “Let’s go back upstairs! And cover Chan’s mouth.”

Jinyoung reached between them and yanked the collar of Chan’s shirt up to cover his nose and mouth, Chan quickly took over holding it in place to free up Jinyoung’s hands, knowing that it’d be pointless to remind him that he could walk in that moment. 

Halfway across the bakery, it started raining fire as the ceiling started to break apart and Jinyoung swore again, picking up the pace. Chan felt the heat pressing in on all sides of them, the fire licking at his skin and Chan felt fear start to claw its way up his throat. 

They hurried back up the stairs where the rest of the coven had quickly joined them. Yugyeom and Bambam both had their mouths covered with their shirts too, the hyungs holding them to their chests just as tightly as Jinyoung was holding Chan. 

“What do we do now?” Youngjae asked, fear seeping into his voice. 

Jaebeom swore, turning around and kicking at the closed door to the stairwell. 

“My room,” Chan croaked out, wiggling until Jinyoung reluctantly set him down. “There’s a— a dumpster under my window. We can— we can jump.”

Jaebeom nodded and they all moved to Chan’s room, Mark pushing Chan’s desk out of the way as Jackson threw the window open and stuck his head out. “It’s not a far drop,” he said. “The kids should be able to just hold onto the window and drop down.”

“Go down first,” Jaebeom ordered. “We’ll send the kids out after you.”

Jackson didn’t waste any more time, agilely climbing out of the window and hopping down onto the dumpster below. Jaebeom pushed Bambam towards the window, the human not needing any more prompting to follow his covenmate. Yugyeom quickly followed and then it was Chan’s turn. 

Chan swallowed as he approached the window. As he neared, he caught sight of the photo he always kept on his bedside table. It was one of him and his family, taken the summer before they died and it was the only copy Chan had. He snatched it off of the nightstand and shoved it in the waistband of his pants before climbing out of the window clumsily. 

Jackson was there to catch him, helping him down the few feet his legs couldn’t reach. They climbed off of the dumpster and Yugyeom and Bambam immediately collected Chan in a bone crushing hug between them while Jackson called an all clear up to the rest of the hyungs and the vampires nimbly climbed out of the window, Jaebeom climbing out last and immediately making his way to the three humans and tugging them to his chest as he pressed kisses to each of their heads. 

“Are you all okay?” he asked, one hand cupping Bambam’s cheek while the other hand wrapped around the back of Yugyeom’s neck. 

Bambam nodded, tugging Jaebeom in for a quick kiss. “We’re alright, hyung,” he promised, his voice raspy and weaker than usual but the relief was prevalent. 

“Chan’s not,” Youngjae declared in muted horror, eyes fixated on Chan’s arm. He glanced down, surprised to see the skin red and blistering.

“Oh,” he mumbled, wincing as the pain started to set in now that the adrenaline was fading. “It must have been when we went downstairs.”

Sirens interrupted whatever might have been said next and Mark huffed. “Finally,” he grunted as he stepped over to Chan and tucked him under his arm as they made their way out of the alley to the front of the building where firemen were desperately trying to break through the chains that had been threaded through the front doors, preventing them from opening it. 

“Everyone’s out,” Jaebeom called as he made his way over to the firemen while directing the coven to go across the street where it would be safer. “But my youngest three need medical attention.”

Paramedics raced across the road to check on Chan, Yugyeom, and Bambam, immediately questioning them and pulling out their supplies while the three sat down on the curb. 

“It’s all gone,” Yugyeom whispered despondently, staring up at the blaze that had consumed the whole building as one of the paramedics tried to put an oxygen mask on him. “We lost everything.”

Chan leaned his head on Yugyeom’s shoulder as he pulled the photo out of his pants. “Not everything,” he murmured, staring down at his parents’ smiling faces longingly. “We’re still here. Everything else is just things that can be replaced.”

Chapter Text

The building had been condemned after the fire and Chan and the coven had temporarily moved into a couple of Jihyo’s extra bedrooms while the investigation happened. A week later the people who had set the fire— a few “human rights” activists who had stupidly bragged about their crime on their blog— had been caught and arrested for arson and eight counts of attempted murder, five of which were of a protected species. The coven had finally received their insurance payout and had started the arduous task of finding another building since, as Jaebeom put it, they weren’t going to be scared into not re-opening the bakery. 

Chan even got to tag along to a couple of showings with Mark and Jaebeom and was oohing and ahhing over the big bay windows and crown moulding that he knew Bambam would adore.  

“This is it!” Chan exclaimed, spinning around to face his hyungs and the realtor as they came back down the stairs from checking out the attached apartment above. 

“I think we’re going to pass on it, kiddo,” Jaebeom declared dejectedly, making Chan frown. 

“But why? This place is perfect and yeah the apartment isn’t as big as our last one but— the bakery, hyung. It’d be perfect here! And it’s close to the campus and downtown— there are so many more vampires you could connect with and help here!”

Jaebeom sighed and pulled Chan in for a hug, resting his chin on top of the younger man’s head. “The apartment is the problem,” he said. “It is too small. Maybe when it was just the seven of us it would have been fine but we have to think about you too, Channie. And you need to be able to have your own space too.”

Chan pulled himself out of Jaebeom’s arms, spinning around as he glared at his hyung. “Hyung, you can’t be serious,” he scolded. “This place is perfect— better than your last location too! You can’t pass this up. I can move out— I don’t want to be the reason you don’t get this place, hyung.”

Mark sighed and wrapped his arms around Chan from behind, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek as he did so. “We don’t want to kick you out, Channie,” Mark explained. “We don’t want you to leave. We’ll find a place that can fit all of us.”

Chan sighed and turned in Mark’s arms so that he could hug the elder back. “You wouldn’t be kicking me out, hyung,” he murmured. “I have free room and board from my scholarship that I haven’t been using. It’s not like I’d be homeless. And you know you guys will always be my home, even if I’m sleeping somewhere else. Besides, I’m nearly twenty-four, it’s about time I branch out a bit, don’t you think?”

Jaebeom huffed and joined in on the hug, sandwiching Chan between his two hyungs. “I don’t like the idea of you living apart from us,” he confessed. “You’re basically my kid, Chan-ah.”

Chan chuckled and leaned his cheek on Jaebeom’s shoulder. “And I always will be. Even when I’m old and gray and you’re still your handsome thirty year-old self. I’m not saying I’m going to move across the country, hyung— just to the dorms. It’ll still be closer to you than when I was living at my aunt’s house.”

Jaebeom groaned. “Why do you always have to make so much sense?” he bemoaned. “Are you sure? Like really, one hundred percent sure? Because it’s okay if you’re not, Chan-ah.”

“One hundred percent sure, hyung,” Chan said with a smile. “Besides, I’ve never lived in a dorm before. It sounds fun!”

“You’ll come over every week for dinner,” Mark ordered, sounding as though he were holding back tears. “At least. And you’ll call every night.”

Chan giggled and nodded his head. “And I’ll still be working at the bakery so you’ll see me every day regardless,” he added. “You’ll see me so much you’ll be begging me to go back to my dorm.”

Jaebeom smiled, small with just a little bit of sadness masked behind his overwhelming fondness for the human. “Impossible, Channie-yah,” he murmured. “I could never get sick of you.”

Moving into the dorm was relatively painless. Particularly because Chan still didn’t have a lot of stuff after the fire and only relatively painless because half of the coven had decided they needed to accompany him to his new dorm and help him unpack, all the while acting like overbearing helicopter parents that were never going to see their baby again. The only reason the rest of the guys hadn’t joined them was because someone needed to stay and keep the bakery open which all three of them bemoaned about for days leading up to the day he officially ‘flew the coop,’ as Bambam had declared tearfully. 

The whole thing was honestly quite exhausting and Chan was grateful that none of his new roommates were home while his hyungs were there, saving him from embarrassment when Jackson scooped him up into a rib-crushing hug and sobbed dramatically when it came time to leave. 

Chan just rolled his eyes and patted Jackson’s back until the vampire had gotten it all out of his system, finally pulling back to curl against Mark who continued to console him while looking seconds away from crying himself. 

“I’ll be by the shop tomorrow after my classes, hyungs,” he reminded when it looked like Jaebeom also was about to move in for his own non-human-friendly hug. “It’s getting late, you should probably get back to the shop. Who knows what the troublesome twins are up to.”

“Jinyoung and Youngjae are with them— they’ll be fine. Maybe we should stay,” Jaebeom fretted, eyes flitting around the apartment-style dorm room that Chan was now sharing with seven other strangers. “At least until your roommates get back. What if they’re mean? Hyung doesn’t want you to be bullied, maybe—”

“I’ll be fine, hyung,” Chan assured as he gently pushed Jaebeom towards the door, putting on his best stern expression as he did so. “And I’m sure my roommates are great but they probably won’t appreciate Count Dad-ula hovering around their home. I’ll call you if anything happens— you know I will. So go home, hyung. I’ve got it from here.”

Jaebeom turned around and gently cupped Chan’s cheeks, teary-eyed as he gazed down at Chan with a proud smile. “My baby’s all grown up,” he noted sadly. “I’m proud of you, Channie-yah.”

Chan smiled and tugged Jaebeom in for a hug. “I love you too, hyung,” he replied fondly. “Now get out of here— all of you.”

Reluctantly, the three of them left and then Chan was left alone in his new apartment. He stood in the middle of the living room awkwardly for a few moments before going back to his room, feeling strange in his new space. His side of the room was still painfully blank and he had plans to rectify that problem in the coming weeks but for now, Chan put out what little decorations he had, namely the photo of his family he’d saved from the fire and a newer framed photo of him and his hyungs in front of their new bakery. Chan could just see the bottom sliver of the bright green sign in the photo, a color choice that had had the coven up in arms for days before Chan had hesitantly agreed that he liked the color which had quickly dissolved any argument against the sign’s bright color. He loved that photo of them; Jinyoung had his arms around Chan, holding him to his chest as they smiled at the camera, Jackson had Yugyeom in a playful headlock to the right of them while Jaebeom had an arm around Jinyoung’s waist, Youngjae pressing into his free side with Mark throwing up a peace sign over his shoulder and Bambam pressed in to his free side. All eight of them were smiling so widely that it hurt Chan’s cheeks just looking at the memory. 

His roommate didn’t have any family photos on display when Chan glanced over at the other side of the room. It was an explosion of color, pinks and blues and purples decorated every square inch of the bed and the wall behind it, bits of paper and trinkets and clothes shoved into every nook and cranny possible. His roommate was messy, maybe a bit disorganized, but at least he wasn’t dirty. Chan hoped his personality matched his room and that he was as bright and cheerful as his bedding. 

He’d just wandered back out to the common area to investigate the few photos hung up when the front door opened and seven men spilled in, all conversation cutting off simultaneously as their eyes found Chan’s. 

“Ah... Hello!” Chan greeted, trying to sound upbeat as he bowed to the other men. 

It took the guys a few moments before they hurriedly bowed back, seemingly startled by Chan’s presence and he started to worry that he’d been given the wrong room and had unknowingly moved into the incorrect dorm. He was just about to apologize when one of the shorter men spoke up. 

“Hello,” he replied as he straightened up from his bow, his light brown hair falling into his eyes. “You must be our new roommate.”

Chan felt the ball of anxiety deflate some at those words. “Yeah,” he declared. “I’m Bang Chan. I’m in my final year. Sorry for barging in on you guys so late into the semester.” He did feel bad, knowing that these guys had probably had a routine already firmly in place and here he was barging in and shaking up their system. 

The brunette shook his head. “It’s alright,” he responded diplomatically with a small, polite smile on his face. “We always knew that an eighth member of the dorm was a possibility. I’m Lee Minho.” He then started pointing to each of the men behind him as they slowly started to spread out into the dorm as they were introduced. There was Seo Changbin, a short but burly man who gave Chan a tight smile when Minho pointed him out. Then there was Hwang Hyunjin, tall and model-like with shaggy black hair pulled back into a half up-do. Han Jisung looked a bit mousy and ready to run at a moment's notice even as he shot Chan a bright smile. Lee Felix radiated sunshine at first glance but Chan couldn’t help but feel like there was a darker side of him beneath the surface. His eyes held a passionate sort of fierceness that told Chan that he was not to be messed with and with the way he gazed at the rest of his roommates, it wasn’t hard to put together that they were under his protection too. Kim Seungmin's eyes held that same fierceness and he didn’t bother to try to hide it behind a smile, instead just nodding to Chan when he was introduced with an easy coolness. 

Yang Jeongin was the last to be introduced and the least friendly-looking of the bunch, openly scowling at Chan until Seungmin elbowed him in the ribs. He didn’t bother to look at Chan when he was introduced, keeping his eyes firmly locked on the floor by Chan’s feet instead. The way the rest of the men all subconsciously stood to shield Jeongin from Chan told him that this boy probably had been hurt before and this tight knit group had taken it upon themselves to protect him from further pain. 

As soon as introductions were over, Jeongin excused himself, heading straight towards Chan’s room. A pit formed in Chan’s stomach when he realized that Jeongin was the brightly colored clutter. It was going to be a very tense semester if they had to share a room, especially with the way Jeongin didn’t even want to look at Chan. 

“He had a long day,” Minho explained before gesturing towards the couches. “Come sit. Tell us about yourself.”

Most of the guys followed his lead, dropping down onto the couches and Chan slowly followed, choosing instead to perch in the singular armchair in their living space while Changbin ducked off towards the bedrooms, slipping into Chan and Jeongin’s room without a word. 

“What, ah— what do you want to know?” he asked, rubbing at his knees nervously as he tried to convince himself that this wasn’t some sort of interrogation. “I’m afraid I’m not very interesting.”

“Why November?” Seungmin asked bluntly. “It’s mid-semester— kind of an odd time to move in.”

Chan nodded— that he could answer easily. “There was a fire,” he explained. “Our building burned down and, well, my hyungs found a new building but the apartment didn’t have enough rooms for me to move in too, so I volunteered to just move into dorms so they didn’t feel like they had to pass on it.”

“Building?” Felix asked, cocking his head as he eyed Chan in consideration. 

“Yeah! My hyungs own a bakery,” Chan replied excitedly, always happy to talk up his hyungs’ accomplishments. “The new bakery is in an even better area than our old one. I couldn’t let them pass it up just because there wasn’t room for me in the apartment.”

Hyunjin’s face scrunched in confusion. “You make it sound like...”

“Like my hyungs didn’t want me to move out on my own?” Chan asked with a laugh. “They didn’t— not really. They’ve been my guardians since I was like fourteen. They’re my family and they’re... a bit overprotective. But I figured I was old enough to move out and give them their freedom back— even if they don’t see it that way.”

“Is the fire how you got that?” Jisung asked, eyeing Chan’s arm where his short sleeved shirt showcased his heavily bandaged arm. He really didn’t need that many layers of bandage anymore but Jinyoung had been insistent and Chan didn’t really mind, especially if it made his hyung feel better. 

He nodded, awkwardly trying to cover the bandage with his other hand. “Yeah,” he murmured, mind flashing back to that night, the suffocating heat clawing up his throat until he swallowed it back down. “It’s not even that bad any more, my hyung’s just... overprotective.”

Jisung snorted and leaned against Minho’s shoulder as he slapped the older man’s thigh. “So is this hyung,” he declared. “He’s constantly babying us— well, in between threatening to maim us.”

“Yah,” Minho scolded, flicking Jisung between the eyes and ignoring the responding whine the younger man released. “You’re going to give Chan-ssi the wrong impression.”

Chan just smiled, chuckling softly. “I don't mind if you call me ‘hyung,’” he said. “You’re all younger than me right? I’m the only senior?”

Minho blinked at him, looking perplexed which Chan tried to not take offense to. He was pretty sure that all of his roommates were younger than him— they looked younger at least— and he didn’t think it was too odd to invite his roommates to speak more casually with him. 

Seungmin smiled, though there was something distinctly amused in his expression that made Chan feel like he was probably missing a joke. “Yeah, you’re the only one in senior level classes, hyung,” he said, pleased despite his simmering amusement. “Minho-hyung and Changbin-hyung are in their third year, Jinnie, Lix, Jisung, and I are in our second, and Jeonginnie is in his first.”

Chan nodded and tried to not let the strange looks the others were clearly trying to hide affect him. “Then please call me ‘hyung’ if you feel comfortable,” he said. “We’re going to be living together for the rest of the school year, after all. I hope that we can grow comfortable with one another.”

They chatted for a while longer until Chan glanced at his phone and saw the time. “I should head to bed,” he declared as he stood up and stretched, muscles tight after having sat down for so long. “I have early classes.”

Minho nodded and smiled up at Chan softly. “Good idea, Chan-ssi,” he said. “We’ll be heading to bed soon as well.”

Chan said his goodnights to the boys, watching as they all waved back at him brightly before reluctantly turning towards his door. Neither Changbin nor Jeongin had come out while they’d been chatting in the living room so Chan knew that they’d both be in there. He hoped that their conversation had concluded so that he wouldn’t interrupt them— he already felt like he’d gotten off on the wrong foot with Jeongin no matter how many times he’d told himself that his youngest roommate’s emotions were not something that he could control. 

Hesitantly, Chan knocked on his own bedroom door and waited until Chanbin gave him permission to come in before opening the door and nervously poking his head in, his body following slowly behind him. 

“Sorry,” he murmured, bowing in apology to the pair. “I, ah— I have class early tomorrow, so if it’s alright with you, I’m going to head to bed. You can keep talking or whatever! I can sleep through anything so it’s really no bother.” Chan tried to smile but he wasn’t sure how genuine it looked, especially when he caught sight of Jeongin openly glaring at him from where he was resting against Changbin’s chest on his bed.

Changbin shook his head and stood up, gently guiding Jeongin to get up as well as he shot Chan a soft smile. “Don't worry about it, Chan-ssi,” the younger man assured. “Innie isn’t feeling the greatest so he’s going to sleep with me tonight. You’ll have the room to yourself tonight.”

Chan nodded, unable to hide the concerned frown that quickly took over his face. “I hope you feel better, Jeongin-ssi,” he replied, waving to the pair as they exited the room. He tried not to take it personally when Jeongin didn’t even acknowledge him as he grabbed a change of clothes and left. 

Once he was alone, Chan didn’t know what to do with himself. He felt like an impostor in this room and a part of him wanted nothing more than to pack all of his belongings and run back home with his tail tucked between his legs. But Chan was not a quitter and would not give up so easily, especially on his first night. He needed to prove that he could make it on his own, both for his hyung’s sake and his own. So Chan was not going to run away no matter how much Jeongin glared at him. 

He just hoped that it really was just a bad day and that Jeongin would be happier to meet Chan in the morning.

Jeongin was not, in fact, happier in the morning. Chan almost wanted to cry when Jeongin openly scowled at him until Hyunjin gently thwacked the back of the younger man’s head as he passed him to grab himself some coffee. Jeongin had schooled his expression after that but Chan still felt as though he must have done something to Jeongin and just didn’t remember it— there was no other explanation for such... hatred.  

Needless to say, Chan didn’t stick around for long that first morning, quickly excusing himself and making his way across campus to where his first class was held. He ended up being over an hour early and sat down in the hallway to work on an essay while he waited for his professor to come and open the lecture hall. 

After classes were over for the day, Chan dared to go back to the dorm despite the unease that filled his stomach at the possibility of running into Jeongin again to drop off his backpack and change into his work uniform which was just a pair of black jeans and a solid color t-shirt. He would forever be grateful to his hyungs that they hadn’t chosen some god-awful gaudy uniform and had instead gone for simple and easy, knowing that the majority of their customer base would be repeats and would get to know the staff well enough that they wouldn’t need identifying logos to know who was working. It made walking to work far less embarrassing than some of his other classmates who would sometimes have to come to class in their work uniforms, cheeks red and head ducked low in embarrassment. 

The dorm was empty upon first glance and Chan breathed a sigh of relief, quickly slipping into his and Jeongin’s room only to freeze when he took in the space. Jeongin’s side of the room was empty of his stuff, only the bare mattress and empty dresser to fill the space. Chan had hoped that Jeongin wasn’t actually that upset with Chan’s existence but it appeared that, perhaps, he was. The chances of him being able to become friends with Jeongin was looking bleaker by the hour. 

He swallowed around the lump in his throat and clumsily deposited his backpack on the floor by his desk before changing into his work uniform and throwing on the coat Mark had gotten him. Chan didn’t waste anymore time in his bedroom, ducking out of the room and speed walking towards the front door. 

“Leaving already, Chan-ssi?” Felix called, his deep voice startling Chan so badly that he accidentally stumbled into the wall. 

His eyes found Felix’s, who was perched on the sofa with a steaming mug cradled between his palms and a book open on his lap. “Ah, yeah,” he stuttered out, shoving his hands in his pockets awkwardly. “I got work. Just, uh— just wanted to drop off my backpack so I didn’t have to lug it around, you know?”

Felix nodded, watching Chan closely. It felt like the younger boy’s eyes were peering straight into Chan’s soul and it took everything he had to not shift uncomfortably under Felix’s heavy scrutiny. After a few moments of staring, Felix nodded again and hummed softly. “Be careful on your way home if you get off late, Chan-ssi,” he warned. “It can be dangerous at night.”

Chan smiled and gave Felix a little wave. “I will, Felix-ssi,” he replied, trying to keep his voice light and happy despite the tumultuous tsunami rolling around in his stomach. “Have a good rest of your day!”

With that, Chan ducked out of the dorm as quickly as he could and headed towards Vampbites. He was proud of himself that he only had to pull out his phone twice to check his map app to ensure that he was heading in the right direction. 

“Channie!” Jackson crowed the second Chan walked through the front door of the bakery. Immediately, Chan was scooped up into the older man’s arms, his feet losing purchase with the ground as Jackson twirled him around like a doll. “My baby is home!”

Chan just grunted but otherwise didn’t fight the vampire’s hold, knowing better by now than to try to deny Jackson his cuddles. The older man thrived on physical affection and Chan was one of his favorites to tuck into his arms. 

“How was your first night in the dorms, kiddo?” Jaebeom asked as he made his way over to the pair, patiently waiting until Jackson set Chan back onto his feet to pull the younger man into a hug of his own. “What are your roommates like?”

Chan melted into Jaebeom’s chest, wrapping his own arms around the older man’s back as he sank into the hug. His anxiety over his empty room and Jeongin’s open distaste for him all melted away now that his hyung was holding him again and nothing felt as world-ending as they did that morning. “They’re nice,” he mumbled into Jaebeom’s shoulder, not bothering to lift his head or speak up since he knew that the vampire would be able to hear him regardless. “Got to know them a bit last night. They seem pretty chill.” Chan decided not to tell Jaebeom about his worries, knowing that the second he said anything negative about his living conditions the whole coven would be up in arms and come up with a thousand reasons why Chan should just move back in and that they’d make it work and Chan didn’t want that. His hyungs deserved their freedom and he needed to learn how to live on his own. At least he wasn’t alone like when he’d lived with his aunt, even if he no longer had a roommate. 

Jaebeom hummed and pressed a kiss to Chan’s temple as he pulled away from the hug. “You’ll tell hyung if that changes, though, right?” he asked, worry marring his pretty face. 

“Of course, hyung,” he promised, swallowing down the guilt that bubbled up his throat with the lie. “Did Youngjae-hyung leave me cupcakes to frost?”

Jaebeom chuckled, nodding his head as he motioned towards the kitchen. “Have at it, kiddo,” he declared. “There’s some cakes that need to be done up, too.”

Chan beamed at the older man and skirted into the kitchen cheerfully, happy to be around his hyungs and doing something that he loved instead of worrying about his new roommates.

Chapter Text

Chan ended up sleeping with his hyungs that night. Too tired after a long day of classes and work, he ended up passing out on Jinyoung’s shoulder when they’d sat down to rest and eat a late dinner after they’d closed. He woke up the next morning squished in between Jinyoung and Mark and had nearly fallen back asleep when he remembered that he had classes and had no idea what time it was. 

“Shh,” Mark scolded sleepily. “You still have a few hours, kiddo. Hyung will drive you back to your dorm in a bit. Just relax, you have plenty of time.”

Chan breathed a sigh of relief and melted back down into Mark’s hold, sleep re-claiming him easily.

Chan did, eventually, actually have to wake up and he did so reluctantly, Jinyoung gently prodding him until he cracked open an eye and glared up at him in annoyance. 

“I made breakfast,” Jinyoung cooed and he combed his fingers through Chan’s hair, no doubt making it more of a bird’s nest than it usually was in the mornings. “Come eat before hyung drives you back to your dorm.”

Chan grunted and rolled out of bed, leaning into Jinyoung’s embrace as he walked him out to the kitchen where he sat him down at the table and pushed a plate filled with eggs and sausages in front of him. “Thanks, hyung,” he mumbled around a mouthful of eggs, ducking away from the scolding smack to the back of his head that followed for talking with his mouth full. 

Chan borrowed some clothes from Jaebeom and let everyone in the coven exaggeratedly kiss his cheeks in goodbye before finally leaving with Mark. 

“You sure everything is okay, kid?” the older man asked once they were on their way back to campus. “You’re... I’m not really sure— but you seem off.”

“It’s just different,” Chan admitted, unable to completely lie to his hyung. “But it’s not bad... just an adjustment. You won’t tell the other hyungs will you? Jae-hyung will insist that I move back in if he thinks I’m struggling and I promise it’s really not that bad.”

Mark shot Chan a sad smile and offered his hand over the center console which Chan took and squeezed. “I won’t tell the worrywarts,” he promised. “As long as you promise to tell me if it does get bad.”

“Promise, hyung,” Chan replied sincerely. He knew that, out of all of his overprotective hyungs, Mark was the most levelheaded of the group, except for maybe Youngjae. Mark would let Chan figure this out on his own and silently support him until he asked for help which Chan was very grateful for. 

He gave Mark a quick kiss to the cheek before hopping out of the car when they reached his dorm. He stopped to wave at his hyung as he hurried inside, checking the time on his phone to make sure he wasn’t late for his morning class. With half an hour to grab his backpack and make it to the lecture hall, Chan practically ran up the stairs, his heart feeling much lighter than when he had left the day before. 

It wasn’t until he was standing in front of his door that he remembered that Jeongin had moved all of his things out of their shared room and that there was a weird sort of tense energy that hung over everyone like a cloud whenever Chan was there. His mood damped but Chan tried to ignore it, instead pushing his way inside. Minho’s head shot up the second Chan entered from where he had been standing in the middle of the living room. 

“Morning Minho-ssi!” Chan greeted as he continued towards his bedroom, trying to sound upbeat as he pretended like Minho’s pretty face wasn’t twisted into a scowl. 

“Don’t you ‘Morning Minho’ me, Bang Chan,” Minho snarled, startling Chan and freezing him in place, halfway to his room. “Give me your phone. Now.”

Startled, Chan shakily pulled out his phone and handed it over to a fuming Minho without question, staring wide-eyed as Minho turned the phone to Chan’s face to unlock it before furiously tapping at the screen. 

It took a few minutes but when he was done, Minho looked far less murderous than before, handing it back to Chan with an exasperated sigh. “Text one of us next time you decide not to come home,” he ordered, eyes fixed on Chan as the older man flicked through his phone, seeing six new contacts saved into his phone along with a new group chat. Jeongin’s contact information was notably missing and Chan tried not to take offense to that tidbit.

“Shit,” he hissed, pocketing his phone as he looked up at Minho apologetically. “I’m sorry, Minho-ssi, I fell asleep last night after work and I didn’t— well... I didn’t think you would be worried since we don’t really know each other yet.”

Minho grunted, nodding towards Chan’s bedroom in an invitation for Chan to continue with what he was doing. “I wasn’t worried,” he grumbled unconvincingly as he followed behind Chan into his room. 

Chan froze for the second time that morning when Jeongin’s side was no longer barren. Changbin was sitting on Jeongin’s old bed reading a book with a thick-looking black and purple comforter draped over his shoulders. 

He looked up when Minho and Chan entered, waving to them tiredly. “Mornin,’” he grunted before turning back to his book without further acknowledgement. 

“Ah... morning?” Chan replied, forcing himself to step further into the room and scoop up his backpack and charging block since his phone’s battery was hanging on by a thread, immediately plugging it in before shoving the phone and block into his backpack and slinging the strap over his shoulder. “Um, well... I’ll just, ah— be going then... to— to class.”

Minho nodded, still following Chan as he walked out of the room again. He grabbed Chan when they were next to the kitchen, gripping his sleeve tightly as he dragged the older man over to the wall next to the fridge where there was a very large whiteboard calendar. “Pick a color,” Minho ordered, “When you get back from classes. And put in your schedule. Everyone has a color and we all put in everything we have planned so no one is left wondering where someone is. And if you sleep over at your workplace again. Text someone. Especially if you tell one of us that you’ll be home. Felix didn’t sleep at all last night because of how worried he was for you when you didn’t come home.”

Chan swallowed, guilt swelling up in his chest. “I’m sorry, Minho,” he whispered, eyes fixed on the whiteboard, a rainbow of colors decorating it with everyone’s schedules printed in seven different handwritings. 

“Don’t apologize to me,” Minho scolded. “Apologize to Felix. And don't let it happen again.”

Chan nodded. “I won’t,” he promised. “And I’ll make it up to Felix, I swear.”

Minho hummed in acknowledgement before releasing Chan’s sleeve and pointing towards the front door. “Go to class, hyung,” he ordered. “Do you work tonight too?”

Chan shook his head. “I get done with classes at three,” he reported. “But I have to go to the library after class so I probably won’t be back until five. But... you guys don’t have to worry about me.”

“I’ll see you at five,” Minho said with a note of finality as he gestured once again towards the front door. “You better get to class before you’re tardy, hyung.” 

“Yeah, I’ll— I’ll see you at five,” he stuttered out, slipping on his shoes and practically stumbling back out the front door. Chan walked to his first class in a daze, barely making it on time as he digested everything that had just happened. 

Jeongin had moved out of his room and Changbin had replaced him, Felix had stayed up all night worrying about Chan because he never came back to the dorm, and Minho had also been worried— even if he refused to admit it. Chan felt like getting hit by a bus would have been less disorienting.

As Chan was slowly making his way to the campus cafe to get some lunch and kill time before his next class, he spotted Felix and Jisung. They were on one of the benches outside of the arts building, Felix’s head resting in Jisung’s lap while the other boy carded his fingers through his hair. He paused, watching them for a few moments before making his way over to them. 

Felix squinted up at him when he got close enough while Jisung continued to card his fingers through Felix’s hair without acknowledging Chan at all. He tried not to let his anxiety consume him as he smiled down at the pair. “Hi, Felix-ssi, Jisung-ssi,” he greeted. 

“You’re not dead,” Felix intoned balefully, looking Chan up and down once before turning his head away and closing his eyes once more. 

“I’m sorry about that, Felix-ssi,” Chan replied sincerely. “I didn’t think anyone would wait up for me and... to be completely honest, I didn’t even know I hadn’t made it back until I woke up this morning.”

That made Felix re-open his eyes as he stared at Chan critically. “If you say so,” he finally replied monotonously after a few seconds of intense staring. 

“I want to make it up to you,” Chan continued, doing his best to smile and act like he wasn’t being eaten alive by his guilt. “Let me buy you lunch— you too Jisung-ssi— it’s the least I can do.”

Felix sighed and pushed himself up and off of the bench, pulling Jisung up with him, before turning to face Chan. “I want a hot chocolate too,” he demanded. 

Chan nodded excitedly. “Absolutely,” he agreed without hesitation. “Whatever you want.”

The blonde nodded and gestured towards the cafe. “Let’s go,” he said before pausing. “Unless you have somewhere else to be?”

“Nope,” Chan replied with a hurried shake of his head. “I was on my way there when I saw you.”

Felix nodded and interlaced his fingers with Jisung’s, gently leading the other man towards the cafe and leaving Chan to follow them. He did so, his stomach churning unhappily. 

“So what are you studying, Chan-ssi?” Felix asked, turning his head to glance back at Chan as they walked. 

“Ah, I’m dual majoring in business and culinary arts,” Chan replied shakily, startling slightly when the younger man had addressed him. He had expected that they’d walk in an awkward silence or Felix and Jisung would talk to each other at the most. 

“Two majors?” Jisung gasped, staring at Chan in horror and nearly tripping over a crack in the sidewalk. “You’re crazy, Chan-ssi.”

That made Chan chuckle. “I’ve been told,” he admitted, amusement coloring his tone. “But I want to help my hyungs manage their business in a more professional capacity one day, you know? And maybe I can help them by branching out and opening a second location or something.”

“You must really care for your hyungs if you’re willing to go to school to help their business,” Felix prodded, a bit of worry seeping into his tone. 

“I do,” Chan promised. “They’re— they’re my family. And the bakery is just as much mine as it is theirs, in a sense. I’ve been working there since I was fourteen and it’s always been like a second home to me.”

Jisung opened the door to the cafe, holding it open for Felix and Chan before stepping in himself. Chan breathed a sigh of relief at the warm air that blasted from the vents overhead, having not fully realized how cold it had gotten outside. They made their way up to the order counter and Chan got the boys to order their meals first before ordering himself something small, the anxiety and guilt that was still churning in his stomach having drained most of his appetite. 

Their conversation tapered off while they waited for their food but as soon as they were sitting at one of the tables in the corner with their meals spread out in front of them, Felix spoke up again. “What do your parents think about it?” he asked as he took a bite of his sandwich and eyed Chan’s meager meal in something like disdain. 

Chan swallowed and stared down at his lunch, unable to look at either of the boys in front of him. “They’re, ah... they’re not around anymore,” he admitted. “But I’m sure they’d be proud of me. They always were.”

An awkward silence descended upon the table until Jisung cleared his throat uncomfortably and mumbled out, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Chan was quick to wave away their sympathy, shooting both of the boys a bright, if forced, grin to assure them that he wasn’t upset. “It was a long time ago,” he admitted. “I’m normally fine talking about them. I think the fire just... brought back some unpleasant memories for me. I’m okay though! You don't have to worry about me!” 

Neither Felix nor Jisung looked as reassured by Chan’s words as he had hoped they’d be and he ducked his head to pick at his food for a bit before trying again. “What, ah— what are you two studying?”

“I wanted to try my hand at photography!” Jisung declared brightly. “Third time’s the charm and all that, you know?”

Chan cocked his head, frowning in confusion before understanding dawned on him. “Ah, you struggled to pick your major last year, Jisung-ssi?” he asked with a smile. 

Jisung opened his mouth, looking puzzled but jerked when Felix elbowed him in the ribs, much to Chan’s ever-growing confusion. “Jisungie had a very difficult time choosing a major last year,” Felix confirmed, looking over at his friend who took a moment before he nodded his head in agreement. 

“Yeah,” he hedged, sounding far less excited now. “I guess I’m just really indecisive.”

“I’m majoring in creative writing,” Felix announced before Chan could comment further. “I want to write children’s novels.”

Chan smiled, not about to press anything with these boys if they didn’t want to talk about it. “That’s really cool, Felix-ssi,” he said instead. 

The table descended into silence though it felt slightly less oppressive than before. Chan still felt a bit sick to his stomach though, the guilt over worrying Felix still happily gnawing away at his insides. 

“I really am sorry, Felix-ssi,” he murmured, Jisung jumping slightly at the sound of his voice. “I didn’t mean to worry you last night.”

Felix waved him off. “Don’t stress about it, Chan-ssi,” he said before pointing down at his nearly empty plate. “This made up for it.” He then glanced at Chan’s mostly untouched lunch. “You should eat— before your food goes cold.”

Chan nodded and made a point of taking a large bite to appease Felix, forcing himself to swallow it down around the lump in his throat. Chan hated how much he cared— how much other people’s opinions of him affected him. He was a people-pleaser to his core and just wanted to make everyone around him happy. The coven had been trying to work with him to help him get over some of the ever-present guilt he held over being an inconvenience and he had gotten better but it still affected him— clearly. 

Jisung and Felix started chatting between them as they finished eating, every once in a while pulling Chan back into their conversation with a question or prodding him to take another bite of his lunch which he was slowly forcing down his throat. He ended up apologizing two more times before they returned their dishes to the barista and exited the cafe, of which both times Felix brushed him off. 

“You got another class?” Felix asked Chan as they stood outside of the cafe. 

Chan nodded and pointed in the general direction of the math and science building. “Yeah,” he said. “Got a three hour statistics lecture.”

Felix scrunched his face in disgust. “Gross,” he commented. “Come on, we’ll walk with you. Sungie and I are both done for the day.”

“Oh, you don’t have to,” Chan started hurriedly, not wanting to interrupt either man’s day more than he already had. 

Jisung sighed and stepped over to Chan before hooking their arms together as they started to drag him in the direction of Chan’s class. “We know we don’t,” he huffed scoldingly. “But we are going to anyway— aish.”

Chan nodded, a bit dumbfounded, as he let himself be dragged away, Felix easily keeping pace on his other side. Their easy chatter sparked back up and Chan slowly started to relax a bit in Jisung’s hold. 

“I’m sorry again, Felix-ssi,” Chan said again once they had stopped outside of his building and Jisung had released him. “I promise to be more vigilant in the future so as to not worry you again.”

Felix huffed, his whole face twisting up in annoyance. Before Chan could react— or apologize again— the younger man reached out and snatched Chan, pulling him in for a tight hug. He squeezed Chan, rocking back and forth for a few seconds before releasing him and taking a step back again. “You’re forgiven, hyung,” he scolded. “So you can stop apologizing now.”

Chan nodded, feeling a bit dazed as he stared at Felix. “Right,” he mumbled. “Sorry, Felix-ssi.”

The younger man rolled his eyes and wagged a finger at Chan. “No more,” he scolded again. “If you apologize again, I’m going to be very cross with you. Now go to class before you’re late.”

Chan opened his mouth, an apology already on his lips, before he snapped his jaw shut once again and just nodded his head instead.

Felix smiled, all traces of irritation falling off his face like water as he waved to Chan with one hand and wrapped his arm around Jisung’s waist with the other. “See you tonight, hyung!” he called before turning and walking away without waiting for Chan to respond which was probably wise on his part since he’d left Chan completely speechless. 

Once again, Chan found himself sitting in class completely disoriented by one of his new roommates. Felix was an enigma, that was for sure, and Chan wasn’t entirely sure what to make of him. At least Jisung seemed a bit more straightforward. The brunette was shy but it seemed, once he was comfortable, he could talk a person’s ear off as Chan had seen throughout their lunch together. 

Class wrapped up fifteen minutes after it was supposed to end, not that Chan really minded since he didn’t have any more classes or work after that he had to rush to get to. Instead, he leisurely walked to the library to check out some books he needed for a project, perusing the shelves until his phone vibrated in his pocket. 

Lee Minho:

It’s 5pm 

Chan swore softly, glancing at the time and seeing that it was actually fifteen minutes past five o’clock. He instantly felt horrible, having already failed at being a better roommate. 

Bang Chan:

Sorry, I’m on my way. Class got out late and I’m still at the library. I didn’t realize it was already five.

Minho sent back an eye roll emoji and a thumbs up, skyrocketing Chan’s anxiety as he immediately headed towards the self-checkouts, not wanting Minho to be even more upset with him than he already was. 

He sent another apology text before shoving everything into his backpack and making his way out of the library and back to the dorm at a quick pace. He was slightly out of breath by the time he got back, taking a few seconds to collect himself before opening the door and stepping inside of the apartment. 

Minho looked up when he entered, looking startled before his expression melted into a worried scowl. “Aish,” he grumbled as he made his way over to Chan. “I didn’t mean for you to run all the way back.”

Chan shook his head as he kicked off his shoes, hitching his backpack further up on his shoulder. “No, it was my fault,” he admitted, still slightly out of breath though he tried to hide it with a smile. “I told you I’d be back at five and then I didn’t keep my promise. I felt bad.”

Minho shook his head and brushed some invisible lint off of Chan’s shoulder before heading to the kitchen. “Go take a shower, hyung,” he ordered. “I’ll make you something to eat.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that—” Chan started, eyes wide as he hurriedly tried to explain that Minho didn’t need to cook for him only to be cut off by the younger man. 

“I know I don't have to,” Minho replied succinctly. “But I’m going to anyways. Did you at least get what you needed from the library?”

Chan nodded, humming an affirmative as he watched Minho turn his back to him, a clear dismissal that Chan tried not to take the wrong way. Minho appeared to be quite abrasive but his words never seemed to match his tone so Chan was leaning towards believing that the younger man was used to rounding up and looking after his roommates, especially considering he had been the oldest in the dorm before Chan came around. He figured it was probably difficult to turn off with Chan. 

He quietly excused himself, ducking into his room to drop off his backpack and grab his shower things along with a change of clothes. Changbin wasn’t in their room but at least his stuff was still there so Chan knew that he hadn’t scared away a second member of his dorm by just existing. The shower felt heavenly and by the time Chan exited the bathroom, now dressed in a comfortable pair of sweats and a tank top, he was feeling much better. 

“Aren’t you cold?” Changbin asked, startling Chan with his presence when he re-entered his bedroom. 

“Ah... yes?” Chan stuttered. Changbin was sitting on his bed with Hyunjin, the blonde’s eyes trailing up and down Chan’s body, making him feel exposed and bashful. “Sorry.”

“That looks bad,” Hyunjin noted softly, his eyes fixated on Chan’s unbandaged arm— the whole reason he wasn’t wearing anything more on his upper half. 

Chan shrugged and continued towards his bed, putting his shower caddy back on top of his dresser and his dirty clothes in his hamper before grabbing the first-aid kit Jinyoung had put together for him and settling on top of his own bed. “It looks worse than it actually is,” he explained as he started to smear ointment across his slowly-healing burn. “Should’ve seen my hyung the first time he went to change the bandage after the paramedics patched me up,” he continued with a chuckle, keeping his eyes fixed on his wound. “He nearly fainted.”

“It was bad?” Hyunjin asked. “The fire?”

“Yeah,” Chan murmured as he began to wrap the gauze around his arm. “We lost everything— except for each other, which I’m grateful for. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to one of them.”

Hyunjin huffed out a soft laugh just as Chan finally looked up at the pair. Both of the men's expressions were gentle as they watched Chan, startling him after all the disdain and annoyance he’d received from his other roommates thus far. 

“I know the feeling,” Changbin replied as he wrapped his arm around Hyunjin’s shoulders and pulled him into his chest. “I don’t know what I’d become if something happened to one of my co— one of my friends.”

Chan frowned at Changbin’s stutter, something like alarm bells going off in his head, telling him that he was missing something— something important— but he had no clue what that was so for now he just pushed it aside. He just smiled and nodded, happy to have something, no matter how small, that he could bond with one of the guys about. 

He was saved from having to find something more to talk about by a knock on their door seconds before Minho opened it and stuck his head in. “Come eat, hyung,” he ordered, raising his eyebrow when he caught sight of Chan’s tank top. “And put something warmer on. You’re going to freeze.”

Chan nodded, unable to stop the apology from slipping past his lips as he stood up to do as he was told, grabbing a sweatshirt from his closet as Minho left the room.

“Don’t mind Minho-hyung,” Changbin murmured, sounding amused. “He may sound angry but he just really cares a lot and doesn’t always know how to express it.”

Chan allowed himself a chuckle as he put his first-aid kit away before heading towards the door, pausing when the other two didn’t follow. “Aren’t you coming?” he asked, cocking his head in confusion. 

Changbin and Hyunjin both looked at him equally as confused. “Coming where?” Hyunjin asked. 

“To— to dinner? Minho just told us it was ready?”

Changbin shook his head, the confusion on his face melting into fond amusement. “We already ate,” he explained. “Go eat, Chan-ssi.”

Chan nodded, smiling at the pair weakly as he once again felt like he was missing out on an inside joke. Out in the kitchen, Minho had prepared exactly one serving of bibimbap, making Chan pause in his steps. Minho glanced over his shoulder at Chan as he was washing up his dishes and gestured with his chin towards the food. 

“Eat,” he ordered again. 

Chan slowly made his way over to the table, awkwardly sitting down in front of the bowl. “Um... Minho-ssi? Where’s your food?”

“I already ate,” Minho replied succinctly as he turned his attention back to the dishes. “Go ahead and eat, you’re the only one who hasn’t yet.”

Chan swallowed. “You know— you didn’t have to make me dinner, Minho-ssi,” he tried to explain, feeling as though they’d had some sort of miscommunication. He didn’t want Minho to feel like he expected him to make him dinner or something. 

“I’m aware,” Minho replied blandly. “But I did anyway. So eat it— please. Jisungie said you barely ate any lunch so you must be hungry by now.”

The guilt swelled in Chan’s chest at Minho’s words, feeling like a burden even as he shot the younger man a bright smile and thanked him profusely for the food, silently promising himself that he’d be better about outwardly taking care of himself so that his new roommates didn’t think of him as a burden. 

He ate, making sure to compliment Minho’s cooking which wasn’t hard since the younger man seemed to be quite proficient at making delicious meals. He refused to let Minho take his dishes from him once he was done, insisting on washing at least those by himself. He then excused himself to his room, citing the project he had been working on at the library as his very valid excuse to hide away, especially since Jeongin had come out of his new room and had been openly glaring at Chan for the last ten minutes. Chan had made sure to greet him, though, smiling brightly at him and pretending like he wasn’t affected by the younger man’s open dislike for him. 

Changbin and Hyunjin were still in his room, sharing a pair of earbuds as they watched something on one of their laptops. Chan gave them a wave but didn’t bother trying to talk to them, instead he took out his books and spread out across his bed as he got ready to get into the zone. His project quickly took over all of his thoughts and Chan barely noticed time passing until the lights flickered, startling him enough into looking up at Changbin’s amused face. 

“Sorry,” he said, not sounding apologetic at all. “I didn’t know how else to get your attention. You didn’t respond when I called your name.”

Chan felt his cheeks warm at the call out. “Sorry,” he mumbled, stretching his arms above his head now that he could feel how he had been hunched over for so long, his back muscles screaming at him. “I, um... can get a bit... focused.”

Changbin just laughed and shook his head. “I’m gonna go to bed,” he said. “Do you mind if I turn off the overhead? You can still keep working with your desk lamp or whatever.”

“Go for it,” Chan replied, breathing a sigh of relief once he knew that Changbin wasn’t trying to tell him something bad— like he was moving into one of the other rooms because Chan was just that unbearable to be around. He glanced at his phone, surprised to see that it was already one o’clock in the morning. “I should probably go to bed too,” he admitted as he started to save his documents and pack up his things. “Otherwise I’ll regret it tomorrow.”

He put his backpack by his desk and ducked out of the room to go brush his teeth and wash his face, waving to Felix and Seungmin who appeared to be in a fierce but silent Mario Kart competition. 

By the time he got back to his room, the light was off and Changbin was curled up under his covers. Chan quietly made his way over to his bed, setting his alarm before tucking in for the night, himself.

Chapter Text

Chan woke with a gasp, heart racing in his chest, disoriented as he tried to figure out what had woken him up. He nearly screamed when his eyes focused enough in the low light to see Changbin’s worried face practically over top of his own. 

“You were crying,” Changbin whispered. “I think you were having a nightmare.”

Chan swore softly. “Sorry,” he mumbled, scrubbing at his face and cringing when his hands came away wet. “Shit, I didn’t mean to wake you up, Changbin-ssi.”

Changbin shook his head, placing a gentle hand on Chan’s shoulder and squeezing it for a second before letting him go. “You didn’t do it on purpose. You can’t control your dreams. Do you... do you wanna talk about it?”

“No,” Chan said immediately as he shook his head. “Go back to sleep, Changbin-ssi. Sorry for waking you.” He got up, grabbing one of his blankets to wrap around his shoulders as he ducked out of the room without a backwards glance, hoping that Changbin wouldn’t follow him as he went out to the kitchen and shakily got himself a glass of water before sitting down on the sofa and tucking his knees to his chest. 

Chan had dreamt of the fire but in his dream none of his hyungs had made it out and he was forced to watch them die, over and over again. He wanted to call Jaebeom— just to hear his voice but his phone was still sitting on his nightstand and it was the middle of the night, his hyung was sleeping. Chan didn’t understand why he was having nightmares now weeks after the fire, when he’d been fine up until now. He’d had a nightmare his first night, though not bad enough to wake him up and he hadn’t had any nightmares the night before with Jaebeom and Jinyoung. 

He sighed and hooked his chin over his knees, glaring at the little red numbers below the television, proudly displaying two-thirty in the morning. He didn’t think he was going to be able to get back to sleep and he certainly didn’t want to wake Changbin up again if he did, so he stayed on the couch, eyes focusing and unfocusing as the minutes ticked by. At some point, Chan had ended up on his side, blanket still wrapped around him as the clock turned over to four o’clock in the morning.

“How long have you been out here?” Minho asked, startling Chan out of his stupor some time later. He glanced at the clock, surprised to see that it was now six-thirty. “Why are you out here?”

Chan shrugged, pushing himself back up into a sitting position as he stretched his tired muscles. “Couldn’t sleep,” he confessed with a yawn. “Didn’t want to keep Changbin up.”

Minho hummed, sounding entirely unconvinced. “Changbin-ah’s a heavy sleeper,” he said. “He wouldn’t have woken up to you tossing and turning. Next time stay in bed. You’re going to hurt your back sleeping on the couch.”

Chan nodded, apologizing automatically before standing up to go get ready for the day. Changbin was still sleeping in their room so he was careful not to wake the younger man as he got dressed and grabbed his backpack before heading back out to the living room where Minho was awkwardly standing in the middle of the kitchen as though he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be doing. They had an awkward stare-off for a few moments before Chan gestured to the door awkwardly. 

“I’m just gonna... go,” he mumbled. “Not sure when I’ll be back tonight so don’t let anyone wait up for me please.”

Minho’s odd expression turned into a frown. “You’re not eating?” he accused, sounding far angrier than he had any right to be.

“Not hungry,” Chan admitted. “I’ll eat lunch though, don’t worry about me. Have a good day, Minho-ssi!” 

Before Minho could reply, Chan ducked out the front door, just barely remembering to grab his jacket— he would have been so embarrassed if he had had to come back for it. 

He spent most of the morning at the library working on homework since his first class didn’t start until ten. He was exhausted by the time his morning class ended and he decided to go take a nap back at the dorm before his next class. 

Seungmin appeared to be the only one in the apartment when he got there. He waved tiredly to the younger man, who looked like he had only just woken up, and slipped into his room, set an alarm for fifteen minutes before his class started, and passed out. When his alarm went off, he felt a bit more human than he had that morning and trudged out of his bedroom with his backpack once again slung over his shoulder. 

“Hey, hyung,” Seungmin called, getting Chan’s attention. 

He turned his head to face Seungmin, confused as to what the younger man needed, only to have a container thrust into his hands before Seungmin walked off without a word. Chan frowned down at the little box in his hands, carefully prying off the lid to find kimbap neatly laid out inside. 

“Thank you, Seungmin-ssi,” he called into the apartment as he slipped on his shoes with a sigh. He must have been more of a disaster than he initially thought if all of his roommates felt the need to take care of him— or glare at him, in Jeongin’s case. 

He ate the kimbap on the way to class, his growling stomach thanking him since he’d unintentionally ignored it all morning. 

Bang Chan:

Thank you again, Seungmin-ssi.

Kim Seungmin:

I thought you told us to call you hyung. Why are you speaking so formally to me?

Chan snorted at the younger man’s response. Seungmin was right that Chan had told them that they could and then continued to address them formally, unable to get himself to stop when he felt like they secretly all hated him and were just better at hiding it than Jeongin was. 

Bang Chan:

Ah you’re right. Thank you, Seungmin-ah.

Kim Seungmin:

That's better. You coming home tonight?

Bang Chan:

Yeah but it’ll be late. Don’t let anyone stay up for me, please! Class is starting. Have a good rest of your day!

Chan turned his phone on silent and pulled out his laptop to take notes as his professor dimmed the lights to start her lecture. Class went a lot better for Chan than his morning lecture did even if he was still pretty tired. 

Work went as well as could be expected when he looked so visibly exhausted. He explained away his tiredness as staying up too late working on school work instead of admitting to a nightmare that Chan really didn’t want to talk about. Mark had tried to convince him to go take a nap upstairs instead of working but Chan had refused and promised to go to sleep as soon as he got home from work to make up for his lack of sleep the night prior. 

And he did try to. When Chan got back to the dorm he greeted his roommates cheerfully before immediately getting ready for bed and saying his goodnights to those that were still up, claiming exhaustion and an early morning— both of which were true. 

Changbin was already sleeping by the time he got home, so Chan was careful not to make too much noise when he got ready for bed and gratefully sank into his bedding once he was done.

What Chan hadn’t accounted for was another nightmare waking him up only a few hours after he had fallen asleep. Changbin was standing over him again, face scrunched in worry. 

“Sorry,” he gasped out as he pushed himself out of bed, intent on going to lay down on the couch again only for Changbin to stop him with a gentle hand wrapping around his wrist before he could make it to the door. 

“You have nothing to apologize for, hyung,” he murmured as he led Chan back to his bed. He gently pushed Chan back down so that he was sitting on his mattress with his comforter spread over his lap, before sitting down on the edge of the bed himself.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Changbin asked softly, eyes watching Chan so earnestly it almost hurt. “Is this... normal?”

Chan shook his head immediately. “No it’s— I haven’t had nightmares like this since I was— for a long time,” he admitted, cutting himself off from telling Changbin that he hadn’t had a nightmare since he moved in with his hyungs. “I’m sure it’s just the new environment,” he continued. “I’ll get over it. I’m just sorry I keep waking you up.”

Changbin waved away his apologies. “I’m not worried about that,” he replied dismissively. “But your nightmares— whatever you’re dreaming about— they seem to be really affecting you. You’re still shaking, hyung.”

Chan swallowed around the lump in his throat, willing himself not to cry. “It’s just about... they’re about the fire,” he admitted. “I know everyone got out safe but... now that they’re not just down the hall from me, I guess my brain has decided to come up with the worst case scenarios.” He sighed and leaned his head back to rest against the wall. “I guess the fire just affected me more than I thought it did.”

“Would it help if I laid with you?” Changbin asked, cocking his head slightly as he examined Chan. 

Chan immediately shook his head. “I can’t ask that of you,” he replied. 

Changbin huffed, the breath coming out sounding half annoyed and half amused. “It’s not asking if I’m offering,” he rebutted. “Let’s just try it— I don’t mind cuddling and you didn’t deny that it would help.” 

Without waiting for a response, Changbin nudged Chan over and slid under the covers next to him. Chan sighed and just let it happen, too tired to argue against Changbin babying him, especially when the younger man slipped an arm under Chan’s head and tangled their feet together. 

Almost immediately after he did, however, Chan huffed and sat back up to pull the extra blanket from the end of his bed up and over Changbin, making sure that he was completely covered. Changbin hummed in confusion at the action and Chan just laid back down, letting Changbin cradle his head. 

“You’re cold,” he grumbled, already feeling sleep start to take him once more now that he had a body next to his again. “Don’t want you to get sick.”

Chan felt a ghost of lips against his temple as Changbin murmured a soft thank you as he drifted off to sleep, this time blissfully dream-free.

Sleeping with Changbin became a thing for Chan. They didn’t mention it and, as far as Chan knew, none of their other roommates knew about their sleeping arrangement, but every night, whoever was the last one into the room would climb into the other’s bed and that would be that. Chan felt well rested and whenever he would visit his hyungs they complimented him on how well he appeared to be doing. 

His relationships with his roommates also seemed to be getting better. He’d fallen into a rhythm with them and no longer felt consumed by guilt constantly for feeling like an inconvenience and he took every chance he could to repay their early kindness with home-cooked meals and baked treats whenever he could. Jeongin was still cold to him but his friends had clearly talked to him because he wasn’t as openly hostile towards Chan, even if he still left the room whenever Chan was around. 

There was also something... off about his roommates that Chan just couldn’t put his fingers on and while the mystery bothered him, it wasn’t the end of the world if he didn’t know, especially since the obvious secret didn’t appear to be anything dangerous— at least from what he could tell. 

Chan was, of course, proved wrong when a package was left on their doorstep when he got home. He picked it up, meaning to leave it on the counter inside for when the owner got home when he caught sight of the bright “KEEP REFRIGERATED” sticker slapped on both the top and side of the box. It made Chan look at the package more closely and when he did Chan felt the overwhelming urge to slam his head into the wall because of course his roommates were vampires. The signs had all been there even if they’d tried to hide it. 

Chan felt especially stupid when he remembered that he’d been sleeping next to Changbin all week and hadn’t put together that the man’s cold skin was related to his species. Of course, to the unassuming human, Chan supposed, the coven had been doing well to hide what they were. They were even subscribed to MonstaX’s Subtle Blood Boxes. 

Jaebeom and his coven worked closely with a coven who owned the best blood distribution company in Korea. MonstaX had commercial and residential services with a subtlety service option that allowed covens to order blood from a shell pharmaceutical company that shipped with a more generic-looking package with no references to the contents of the box nor the well known company’s logo.

The only reason Chan had even been able to recognize the logo as MonstaX’s is because he had helped Jooheon design their newest iteration of the logo a few years ago. It was a honeycomb design with a subtle ‘X’ inlaid in one of the honeycombs. They had gone with that design because of their newest line of blood that they’d called “Sweet Like Honey” in honor of Jooheon, himself, who had had O-Negative blood before he’d been turned which, as Chan had learned, was the only blood type that had a naturally sweet flavor to it. 

Chan, also, had O-Negative blood and had asked about incorporating his own blood into the bakery’s dishes more than once only to have his hyungs turn him down immediately because they refused to let him hurt himself which he couldn’t argue against and instead just used the O-Neg blood in their stores to cook with when he was experimenting. 

It really was just luck that Chan had seen the logo on the package as he put it in the fridge. It then brought up the question of whether all of his roommates were vampires or just some of them. He knew that Changbin was a vampire now and the likelihood of Jeongin being one too was very high. It would explain some of the distrust Jeongin held towards Chan, though it didn’t explain why he was so much more openly hostile towards Chan than his other coven members and why he couldn’t seem to stay in the same room with Chan for more than a few minutes. 

For now, Chan decided to put those thoughts on the back burner. Knowing that at least some of his roommates were vampires drastically changed his outlook. Their secret glances and inside jokes made a lot more sense now. 

With his heart a bit lighter, Chan continued on with his afternoon. He put his backpack away in his room and changed into some more comfortable clothes before heading back out the kitchen to make himself an early dinner. He was the only one in the apartment but that didn’t mean that someone else wasn’t going to come home soon so he made sure to make more than enough for anyone else that might come in. Even knowing that some— or all— of his roommates were vampires and didn’t necessarily need to eat wasn’t going to stop him from feeding them however he could. Especially since it was obvious that his roommates didn’t want Chan to know about their vampirism and he didn’t want to force the issue on them before they were ready to tell him, so it only made sense for him to keep up the pretense of him thinking that they were humans too. 

What Chan was not expecting was for Jeongin to be the first one home after him. He was quick to throw on a smile and shout out a cheerful greeting to the younger man. “I was just making ramen,” he continued. “Would you like some?”

Jeongin was quick to shake his head as he, expectedly, declined Chan’s invitation, looking mildly uncomfortable as he quickly ducked past Chan, no doubt heading towards the room he shared with Hyunjin. 

“You guys got a package, by the way,” Chan called before he could disappear. “I put it in the fridge.”

Jeongin replied with a soft hum of acknowledgement as he continued towards his bedroom only to reappear a few moments later sans backpack with a puzzled look on his face. “You put our package in the fridge?” he asked, sounding angry even if he was doing better at hiding his emotions towards Chan than he had a week ago. 

Chan just nodded and pointed towards the fridge with his spoon, trying to keep his voice nonchalant. “It says to keep refrigerated on it,” he explained, shrugging his shoulders for added effect. “I didn’t know how long you guys were going to be out tonight and I didn’t want whatever you ordered to go bad.”

Jeongin moved hesitantly towards the fridge, looking as though he expected Chan to attack him at any second. When he opened the fridge and retrieved the package, he let out a large breath and it took Chan a second to put together that he was most likely relieved that Chan hadn’t opened the package at all and therefore didn’t ‘discover’ their secret. 

“Ah— thank you, Bang Chan-ssi,” he mumbled awkwardly. “I’ll just— take this to my room.”

“You know you guys can store your food in the main fridge, too, right?” Chan offered softly, knowing that Jeongin wouldn’t take him up on it but wanting to put it out there nonetheless. “I won’t eat anything that’s not mine.”

Jeongin shrugged uncomfortably, unconsciously looking over his shoulder as though looking for someone to save him from Chan and their awkward conversation. “This stuff takes up a lot of space,” he hedged. “And it’s not— not food. It’s, um... medicine, so it’s easier to just... have it closer to me.” 

Medicine was a good cover-up for blood deliveries, Chan noted as he nodded his head in understanding, shooting Jeongin another smile that he hoped came across as genuine before turning back to his ramen to give the vampire some semblance of privacy. “You don’t have to explain if you don’t want to, Jeongin-ssi,” he assured. “But I’m happy to listen if you do.”

Jeongin didn’t reply but he must have stared at Chan for a few moments longer before ducking into his room with his package. Chan tried to focus on his dinner once again, humming softly to prevent himself from straining to listen to Jeongin’s movements and give the younger man his privacy.

What surprised Chan was when, a few minutes later, Jeongin came back out. He fully expected for Jeongin to walk right past him and back out the front door but instead the vampire snatched a throw blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around himself before curling up in the arm chair. He didn’t say anything to Chan and just appeared to be staring blankly at the dark television as Chan hesitantly came over with his finished ramen. 

He set his food down on the coffee table before ducking back into his room to retrieve his laptop and settled down on the floor. “Do you... do you mind?” Chan asked hesitantly as he nodded towards the television. 

Jeongin looked confused for a moment before shaking his head.

Chan turned on a nature documentary, figuring that this was the least offensive show that he could put on and would hopefully not aggravate Jeongin while he worked. He quickly became fully immersed in the essay he was working on while simultaneously eating his ramen and keeping tabs on the family of koala bears being narrated about on screen. 

All the while Chan could feel Jeongin’s eyes on him. He figured that Jeongin was just watching him— or glaring at him, but Chan didn’t want to look up to confirm that— and that was all the younger man would do. Which is why Chan visibly startled when Jeongin spoke up.

“What happened to your arm?” the vampire blurted out, sounding just as surprised by his question as Chan was. 

Chan couldn’t help but glance down at his exposed bandaged arm, having rolled up his sleeves at some point which showcased Jinyoung’s handiwork who had re-bandaged Chan’s arm the night prior when he’d seen Chan without a bandage on at all. To be completely honest, Chan didn’t feel as though he needed a bandage anymore, the burn well on its way to healing, but Jinyoung— and the rest of his hyungs— were of the opinion that Chan was underplaying his injury and were more than happy to coddle him any chance they got which included over-bandaging his arm and ordering him to keep it on. 

He laughed uncomfortably, not really wanting to explain his injury to Jeongin, and carefully tugged his sleeve back down to cover up the bandage once again. “Fire,” he explained shortly, immediately cringing on the inside at how abrupt and annoyed he’d sounded. He tried to cover it up with a smile, trying to showcase that he wasn’t upset by Jeongin’s question even if he was a little unhappy about having the fire brought up again. “I’m alright though,” he assured, making sure that his voice sounded more friendly that time. 

“I didn’t ask,” Jeongin bit back, sounding even more put out than Chan did. Surprisingly, Jeongin followed that sentence with an exasperated groan as he buried his face in his hands. “Sorry— I... didn’t mean it like that. I’m— I’m glad you’re... okay.”

While Chan was thrown off by Jeongin’s sudden apology, he tried not to let it show on his face as he gave the younger man a bright grin. “Thank you, Jeongin-ssi,” he said instead before turning back to his homework, figuring that their conversation was over. 

It, indeed, appeared to have been the end of the conversation. At least until Jeongin spoke up again. “How’d you get burned?” he blurted out, looking immediately embarrassed by his impulsive question. 

“A house fire,” Chan explained, somewhat reluctantly. “It’s why I moved in here. My hyungs’ bakery caught on fire and we all lived above it. They’re all alright too but... the place was destroyed. They found a new place but the apartment above it was too small for me too.”

“So they kicked you out?” Jeongin asked, sounding completely baffled. 

Chan shook his head frantically. “No,” he replied hurriedly, not wanting Jeongin to get the wrong idea. “But I didn’t want them to feel like they had to make space for me or give up on this bakery just so I had my own bedroom. I still spend plenty of time there though. I love my hyungs dearly.”

Jeongin nodded as they fell back into silence, a pensive look on his face as he turned back to the nature documentary and Chan turned back to his homework.

Not long after, the front door opened and Minho and Seungmin came in, both of them freezing when they caught sight of Chan and Jeongin in the same room together. It was, admittedly, quite an unusual sight but one Chan hoped that they wouldn't comment on, not wanting to lose the tentative progress that he might have made with Jeongin that evening. 

“Hey, guys,” Minho greeted cautiously as he kicked off his shoes and climbed into the armchair with Jeongin, wrapping himself around the younger man and ignoring his halfhearted protests. 

“Hi, Minho-yah,” Chan replied, making sure to keep his voice light and cheerful. 

He froze when his sleeve slid down to reveal his bandage again, causing Jeongin to glare at his arm. He coughed awkwardly and quickly tucked his arm back down under the table as he shot the vampire a tentative smile in the hopes of easing whatever negative thoughts the man had towards Chan’s injury.

“You working on your paper, hyung?” Minho asked as he hooked his chin over Jeongin’s shoulder, shooting Chan a little wink. 

Chan nodded with an exaggerated sigh as he leaned back against the couch, grateful for the change in subject. “‘Working’ might be a stretch,” he disclosed with a chuckle. “It’s kicking my butt, more like.”

Minho snorted while Seungmin plopped down on the couch next to Chan, close enough for his knee to bump against Chan’s shoulder. He stretched up to pull a throw blanket off of the back of the couch and draped it over Seungmin’s lap. “Must be cold outside,” he noted as he tucked the blanket over Seungmin’s legs and tried not to laugh at the momentary confusion on the vampire’s face before he caught on.

Seungmin nodded, clearly trying to bite back his laugh but Chan didn’t call him out on it. “Very cold,” he agreed. “Do you need help?”

Chan smiled up at Seungmin as he happily handed the other man his laptop. “Do your worst,” he challenged cheerfully. “Don’t hold back with your feedback. I know it’s awful.”

Seungmin chuckled as he sat back, gently resting the laptop on his thighs as he began to proofread while Chan asked Minho about his day. The other man immediately went in on a story involving his professor and three students in his class that caused so much havoc that the professor just gave up teaching entirely and instead assigned the whole class and extra three essays. 

While he was talking, Jisung, Felix, and Changbin returned home, the oldest vampire immediately going to his and Chan’s bedroom with his backpack and returning a few minutes later in a sweatshirt and hoodie with a relieved sigh as he dropped down onto the couch next to Seungmin, shifting to rest his cheek on the younger man’s shoulder as he closed his eyes. 

“Remind me again why I decided to go back to school?” Changbin lamented, earning giggles from the other vampires and a soft smile from Chan who wondered how many times Changbin had gone through college before. 

“Because you’re a masochist,” Seungmin intoned before passing the laptop back to Chan. “It’s good, hyung,” he said gently to the human. “I left some comments on where you need to elaborate but for a first draft it’s really well written. It’s a solid B paper right now.”

Chan smiled up at Seungmin and quickly scrolled through the vampire’s comments before he saved it and closed his laptop. He stood up with an exaggerated stretch and tucked his laptop under his arm with one hand and picked up his dirty dishes with the other. “Thank you, Seungmin-ah,” he replied sincerely. “I appreciate you being willing to suffer through my very dull assignment.”

Seungmin shook his head. “I don’t mind, hyung,” he assured. “I actually find the moral ethics of human behavior fascinating so I’m happy to proofread whenever you want me to.”

Chan just smiled again and nodded his head. “I’ll take you up on that,” he promised. “You’re gonna regret that offer when finals roll around. This is my second time taking this class and I don’t understand it any more than I did the first time.”

“I’m happy to help, hyung,” he replied.

“Well, thank you. And with that, I think I’m going to duck out for the night,” Chan declared. “I’m exhausted. Have a good night everyone!”

Most of the coven waved goodbye to him as he dropped his dishes into the dishwasher and ducked into his and Changbin’s room. He put his laptop back into his bag and grabbed his things to go take a shower. As he was entering the bathroom, he thought he heard Minho say something about how he was proud of Jeongin but he didn’t stick around to listen, knowing that what they talked about in private was none of his business. 

When he got back to his room, Chan glanced over at the empty bed that still had Changbin’s unmade sheets thrown messily on top of it. He couldn’t stop thinking about Jeongin and now that he knew that the other man was a vampire it made him wonder if he was actually the problem after all. He chewed on his lip thoughtfully and he pulled out his phone. 

Channie:

Do humans sometimes smell extra tasty to some vampires? Like in Twilight?

Dad:

??? No??? What happened??

Channie:

Nothing, hyung! Was just wondering. Have a good night! <3

Chan sighed and put his phone face down on his nightstand, ignoring Jaebeom’s reply as he gazed up at the ceiling instead. So it wasn’t his smell that turned Jeongin off, clearly. Which meant it had to be something else. The more he thought about it the more likely it seemed that the vampire probably just didn’t like humans in general. Chan was a little confused to why he was in a college filled with humans if that was the case and why the rest of his coven didn’t appear to hold the same grudge against Chan as Jeongin did but he figured he’d tackle those questions another day, especially considering he had classes and work the following day. 

He closed his eyes in an attempt to go to sleep and had nearly drifted off when Changbin entered the room, he cracked one eye open as he watched the vampire shuffle around on his side of the room before grabbing his comforter and climbing into bed next to Chan. As he wrapped himself around the human, Chan nearly groaned out loud because how hadn’t he put Changbin’s cold skin together with his obvious vampirism?

Changbin just slipped an arm around Chan’s waist, completely unaffected by his inner turmoil and pressed his cold nose to the back of Chan’s neck. He sighed and let himself relax into Changbin’s hold. Just as he was about to drift off once again, a startling thought shocked him back to alertness. 

He’d told the coven to call him hyung. They were all probably centuries older than him and here he was acting as though he was the oldest. God, Chan was so embarrassed. All of their little smirks and secret smiles made so much more sense now and Chan just wanted the ground to swallow him whole. 

Changbin hummed in confusion as he tightened his grip on Chan’s waist. “Hyung?” he mumbled tiredly, rubbing his nose up and down Chan’s neck that he absently found himself wondering if that was a vampire thing since all of his hyungs had done that to him before when they cuddled too. “What’s wrong?”

Chan bit back a whine and shook his head unwilling to spill the beans even if it meant he had to continue suffering through the knowledge that this coven was just humoring their silly little human roommate and his eagerness to be a hyung. “‘m fine,” he mumbled out belatedly as he shoved his face into his pillow. “Go back to sleep, Binnie.”

The vampire just huffed and tugged Chan by the waist until he rolled over the way Changbin wanted him. “You’re a terrible liar, hyung,” he scolded fondly. “But we don’t have to talk about what’s bothering you right now if you don't want to.” He splayed one of his hands across Chan’s back and pressed gently until Chan relented and curled closer to Changbin’s chest, letting the other man tuck him in. 

It was remarkably easy to fall asleep after that, even if he did still want to die from embarrassment every time Changbin called him ‘hyung.’

Chapter Text

Chan regretted ignoring Jaebeom off when he checked his phone the next morning only to be greeted by a barrage of worried messages. 

Channie:

It really was nothing, hyung! I promise. I’ll explain everything to you tonight okay?

Jaebeom’s reply came almost instantly, making Chan wince at how much trouble he undoubtedly was in. 

Dad:

Yes you will. I’ll pick you up after you’re done with classes. 

“You good?” Changbin asked as he glanced worriedly over at Chan, who must have made some kind of audible noise after reading Jaebeom’s text message.

“Yup!” he chirped, throwing on a fake smile as he pocketed his phone and slipped on a hoodie. “Everything’s fine!”

Changbin’s eyes narrowed as he zoned on the pocket that held Chan’s phone but didn’t argue with Chan. They both grabbed their backpacks and headed out to the living room where Minho was cooking something on the stove. 

“Channie-hyung,” Minho called, not bothering to turn around. Had he done that before Chan knew that the man was a vampire he would have been confused but now Chan knew that Minho most likely either smelled him or heard his heartbeat. “Come try this. I can’t decide if it needs more seasoning.”

Chan cautiously stepped over to Minho, eyeing the very red dish in trepidation. “I can’t really handle spicy food, Minho-yah,” he mumbled, ducking his head in embarrassment. 

Minho frowned and looked down at the food and Chan realized that he must have been cooking for him. He just hoped that whoever was their bonded mate liked spicy food so at least it didn’t go to waste. 

“Eh, someone will eat it,” Minho grumbled, making Chan instantly feel guilty. 

“I’m sorry, Minho-yah,” Chan apologized. “I can try—”

“You are not going to eat something you don’t like just to make me happy, Bang Chan,” Minho scolded, even going so far as to point his spoon at Chan threateningly. “The others will eat this just fine. It’s not going to go to waste so get that guilty look off of your face this instant.”

Chan swallowed and ducked his head again as he nodded weakly. “Okay,” he mumbled, doing his best to push down the guilt. 

Minho nodded, seemingly satisfied as he turned back to the spicy dish. “There’s some eggs and rice on the table too,” he said. “No spice. Eat some of that before you leave.”

Chan couldn’t hide his smile as he did as he was told, Changbin following after him eagerly. 

“Hyung, I’ll eat your spicy dish,” Changbin offered with a grin. 

“You’ll eat anything,” Minho rebutted even as he brought the food over to the table and heaped a spoonful onto the vampire’s rice. “You’re a literal bottomless pit.”

Changbin smirked up at Minho. “Yeah but you love my bottomless pit,” he snarked before his words caught up with him and he glanced over at Chan in trepidation. 

“No judgement here,” he said quickly, throwing his hands up in innocence. “I’m gay and my hyungs are in a polyamorous relationship.” Chan knew from living the last decade of his life with vampires that most covens were also polyamorous with each other, at least to some degree, and that, while the concept had grown more common among humans, it still wasn’t seen as normal behavior and therefore most covens-in-hiding didn’t advertise their polyamorous relationships. 

Changbin sank back in his seat, looking relieved while Minho had never looked worried in the first place. “You? Gay?” he mocked with a friendly smirk. “I would have never guessed.”

That made Chan unintentionally pout. “Why’d you say that so sarcastically? I’m not that obvious, am I?”

Minho sighed theatrically and patted his back consolingly. “Sweetheart,” he cooed patronizingly. “No straight man would be caught dead wearing jeans as tight as yours.”

Changbin giggled and nodded his head. 

Chan sighed but didn’t rebut Minho’s statement, knowing that his observation wasn’t really far off the mark once he thought about it. 

“It’s okay,” Changbin faux-whispered. “Everyone in the dorms wears tight pants.”

That made Chan chuckle. “Glad I’m not alone,” he chirped, feeling a little lighter. “Thank you for the breakfast, Minho-yah.”

Minho smiled and gently patted the top of Chan’s head before sitting down himself. “I’ll be sure to make something Chan-hyung-friendly for dinner tonight.”

Chan grunted and poked at his half-eaten rice guiltily. “I won’t be here tonight,” he mumbled. “I’m gonna go over to my hyungs’ after classes... and probably stay the night.”

“That’s fine,” Minho replied with a nod. “Have fun with your hyungs. And just text me whether or not you’re coming home once you know for sure, please.”

Chan breathed a sigh of relief as he nodded his head in agreement. “I can do that,” he promised, having gotten used to Minho’s— sometimes intense— need to know where everyone was at all times. Now that Chan knew about them being a coven it made complete sense, having witnessed and experienced firsthand the same mannerisms from Jaebeom. It made complete sense that Minho was most likely the coven head, and though Chan wasn’t a part of Minho’s coven, he was living in their nest so it made sense to an extent why Minho’s same slightly overbearing habits were also extended to him. 

He glanced down at his phone and softly swore when he saw the time. “I need to go before I’m late for class,” he declared as he stood up to go and quickly wash his plate.

Minho took his dishes from his hands and waved him towards the door. “Go,” he ordered. “I’ve got these. We’ll see you tomorrow if you don’t come home tonight.”

Chan nodded and thanked Minho, knowing better than to try to insist at this point, before racing out the door. 

Classes passed by quickly and Chan had almost forgotten about Jaebeom’s text until he got out of his last class for the day and saw the vampire waiting for him as he leaned against his car. Chan immediately walked over to his hyung and let Jaebeom cup his cheeks as he examined him for a few moments before allowing him to get into the car. 

“I’m sorry for worrying you, hyung,” Chan said once they were both in the car and Jaebeom had started the drive back to the bakery. “I really was just curious.”

Jaebeom released an unconvinced-sounding hum that made Chan sigh. 

“Okay, so I may have just discovered that my roommates are vampires,” he confessed, unable to take Jaebeom’s concerned expression. 

“And?” Jaebeom asked as he spared a second to glance over at Chan with a raised eyebrow. 

“And one of my roommates may be a bit... turned off by me.”

Jaebeom grunted. “I can talk to them,” he declared stiffly, making Chan shake his head. 

“Please don’t,” he begged. “They’re clearly trying to stay under the radar and I don’t want them to know that I know yet... you know?”

“No,” Jaebeom said with a smirk before sighing and shooting Chan a fond smile. “Aish, your heart is too big Channie,” he faux-complained. “You want to wait until they feel safe enough to entrust you with their secret, is that right? So they don’t feel like they’re in danger or exposed?”

Chan nodded and reached across the center console to squeeze Jaebeom’s wrist only for the vampire to immediately snatch his fingers in a tight hold. “I just want them to be comfortable in their nest,” he explained.

Jaebeom smiled and gave his hand another little squeeze. “And what about the one that doesn’t like you?” he asked. “Did he try to drink from you or something? What was with the text?” 

Chan shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure what Jeongin’s deal is, if I’m honest,” he confessed. “He’s been... cold— with me— since the moment we met. He even switched rooms with Changbin so that we weren’t sharing. I thought maybe it had to do with how I smelled or something—”

“Like in Twilight?” Jaebeom asked with a smirk. 

“Yeah, like in Twilight,” Chan agreed with an exasperated sigh. “But now that that’s ruled out I’m not so sure.”

Jaebeom parked the car and got out, rounding the car and throwing an arm over Chan’s shoulders as soon as the younger man joined him on the sidewalk. “You know, Channie,” he murmured softly as they began to walk towards the apartment. “Not every vampire likes humans.”

“Yeah, but why is he in college?” Chan countered. “And why only him? The rest of the coven seem to like me just fine.”

“It’s probably some personal trauma, either something he experienced on his own or trauma from before he joined his coven,” the vampire mused as they headed up the stairs. “As for the college aspect... it is a bit odd, but his coven may be trying some exposure therapy for him? To help him get over his fear?”

Chan frowned and looked over at his hyung. “Fear?” he asked. “Not... dislike?”

All Jaebeom could do was shrug as he led Chan into the living room where he immediately spotted Yugyeom and Youngjae in a fierce video game match. “It might be a bit of both,” he hedged. “But most vampires who have past trauma with humans— especially vampires with covens— tend to lean more on the fear aspect. Hunters can be pretty terrifying— especially when you have to experience them on your own.”

“Hunters?” Chan asked in aghast as he let Youngjae pull him into his lap, video game forgotten now that Yugyeom had clearly won. “I thought those were myths— or like, something from the 1800’s... not present day.”

Youngjae snorted from behind him as he pressed a kiss to Chan’s neck. “Who do you think burned down our last bakery?” he challenged gently. “Hunters are very much still around in this day and age. Rarer than they were a few centuries ago but still not entirely uncommon.”

“Why doesn’t the government stop them?” Chan asked, aghast. 

“Why do people still rob banks?” Jaebeom countered plainly. “There will always be bad people who choose to do bad things no matter how much others try to stop them. The government does what they can but they can’t predict the future.”

Chan frowned but nodded his head. “That makes sense,” he grumbled, not entirely happy with the answer but unable to counter Jaebeom’s logic. “You guys are safe, right?”

“We take every precaution,” the vampire promised. “But there will always be evil in this world that we can’t control. All we can do is control how we react to it and we refuse to hide out of fear.”

“I know,” Chan murmured as he leaned into Youngjae’s comforting hug. “And I’d never ask you to. I think what you guys do is brave and important.”

Yugyeom cooed at him and reached over to pinch Chan’s cheeks, deftly avoiding the younger man’s attempts to keep him away. They quickly devolved into a wrestling match that Youngjae started to referee with exaggerated commentary that had them both in stitches by the time Jinyoung called them for dinner. 

“So, how do I get Jeongin to like me?” Chan asked once they were settled around the dining table and he’d loaded his plate. “Or at least not hate me.”

Jinyoung shrugged as he piled more rice onto Chan’s plate. “You give him space— help him feel safe but continue being yourself. You’re a wonderfully kind and honest person Channie. Jeongin will see it if you give him enough time.”

Chan nodded, not entirely happy that there wasn’t some magical instant fix for Jeongin’s trauma but accepting the answer nonetheless. He made a promise to himself that he’d do everything he could to make sure Jeongin felt safe in his own home, even if that meant he spent more time out of it. 

Chan’s plan had been working well for a few weeks now. He only really hung out in the dorm room when he knew Jeongin either wouldn’t be home or when he knew that everyone would be home so that Jeongin never felt like he was trapped in his nest with just Chan. He thought he’d been subtle about it, claiming projects and essays— that weren’t entirely false— and needing a quiet space to work— which, again, wasn’t entirely untrue, Chan did work better when he wasn’t surrounded by familiar distractions. 

It wasn’t until Minho found him in one of the library’s study rooms that he realized he hadn’t been as slick as he’d thought. The vampire invited himself into the small space and leisurely plopped himself down in one the chair across from Chan. 

“So this is where you’re always running off to,” he mused.

“It’s not running,” Chan mumbled guiltily. “I’m just really busy with classes and stuff.”

Minho just raised an elegant eyebrow at Chan, practically making him squirm in his seat. “And it has nothing to do with you avoiding Jeongin, I’m sure,” he prodded. 

Chan swallowed before sighing in defeat. “I make him uncomfortable,” he confessed. “I just don’t want him to feel like I’m kicking him out of his own home, you know?”

“It’s your home too, Chan-hyung,” Minho scolded gently. “Listen, about Innie... he’s— he’s sensitive and... he doesn’t trust easily but— but playing keep-away with him isn’t going to fix anything.” Minho paused, humming softly. “You know, Jeongin doesn’t hate you right? He’s actually quite fond of you— even if he can’t admit it yet. He’ll learn to open up to you if you give him the chance, Channie-hyung. But you actually have to be around for him to get to know you.”

Chan laughed weakly and nodded his head. “I’ve been a bit obtuse, haven’t I?”

“Overly considerate, more like,” Minho corrected fondly. “You’re a good guy, Channie. Let Jeongin see it.”

“I will,” Chan promised, nodding his head along with the words. 

Minho smiled at Chan proudly and gestured towards his laptop. “You done here?”

Chan laughed awkwardly and closed the computer. “Yeah,” he said as he started to collect his things and returned them to his bag. “I’m sorry. You always seem to be looking after me.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Minho said with a shrug. “And don’t think I don’t see how you look after everyone else in the co— in the dorm. You’re a good Hyung.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Chan replied softly as he slung his backpack over his shoulder. “Wanna get some coffee before we head back?”

Minho gave him a deadpanned look and threw his arm around Chan’s shoulders as he steered him out of the study room. “It’s nine o’clock,” he scolded. “You are not drinking caffeine this late.”

Chan pouted at the vampire theatrically only to break into giggles a few moments later, unable to keep up the act. “That’s fair,” he conceded once his laughter had subsided. Minho just continued to watch him with gentle eyes. It suddenly struck Chan that he was looking at him in a similar way to how Jaebeom and his other hyungs tended to look at him. It made him wonder if maybe Minho— even though Chan “didn’t know” about his species— saw him as a part of his coven too. It would explain a lot of his mother-henning and the fact that he was so insistent on Chan and Jeongin getting along. The thought made something warm bubble in his stomach and brought a smile to his face as he tucked himself closer to Minho. 

He really liked this coven and, even if it was just for the semester, Chan liked the thought of being a part of their coven. 

“How about ice cream?” Minho suggested as they stepped out of the library and into the chilly air. 

Chan laughed. “It’s freezing out!” he exclaimed playfully. “I want cookie dough.”

Minho rolled his eyes fondly and started to steer Chan in the direction of the twenty-four hour corner store on the edge of campus. It was in the opposite direction of their dorm room but neither of them minded as they chatted between themselves on the walk there and as they made their way through the aisles to the frozen section. 

He grabbed enough ice cream for eight, including Chan’s cookie dough which he snatched from the human’s hands and put into his basket despite Chan’s protests that he could pay for himself. Minho just ignored him and pushed him to the side as the cashier rang them up. 

“You didn’t have to pay for mine too, Minho-yah,” Chan grumbled goodnaturedly. 

“I’m aware,” Minho replied airily as he shifted the bag to his other hand and out of Chan’s reach as he threw his arm over the human’s shoulders once more. “You can get our late night treats next time.”

Chan smiled and nodded his head in agreement as he snuck his own arm around Minho’s waist. 

They were halfway back to their dorm when they heard raised voices. Whoever was yelling did not sound friendly and it immediately put Chan on edge. Minho’s grip on him tightened slightly as he glanced around, trying to find where the voices were coming from. 

“It’s Soobin,” he whispered, almost too quietly for Chan to hear. 

Chan knew Soobin— had met him a few times at the bakery and had become quick friends with him and the rest of his coven. Soobin’s coven was newly open, having taken a page from Jaebeom’s book and was the only open coven on campus. They were small and quite young, according to Jaebeom, the oldest, Yeonjun, only being just over one hundred but they appeared to be quite a fearless coven nonetheless. 

But no matter how fearless they were, it sounded like Soobin was quite outnumbered from the amount of angry voices spitting slurs. 

“We should help him,” he said before taking off, not bothering to see if Minho followed him or not. The closer he got, the more Chan was able to hear and the angrier he became because no one should have to be subjected to the type of vitriol Soobin was clearly enduring. 

When he rounded the corner, Chan saw red, immediately running up to the group and yanking the attacker off of Soobin, who was being held off the ground by his neck. He threw the man away and decked another one who decided it’d be a bright idea to go in towards the vampire who had fallen to the ground and was now gasping for breath. 

“You’re all despicable,” he hissed as he pushed another man away from Soobin, putting himself between the vampire and the angry mob. 

“What do you care, Bang?” one of the guys, clearly the self-imposed leader of their little gang, snarled as he helped the man Chan had punched back up. “It’s not like the thing can’t take a bit of rough housing. We were just having a little fun, so why don’t you run on home before you do something you regret.”

“Like hell I will,” Chan exclaimed. “Soobin is just as much a person as you or I and I’m sure as hell not going to let you use him as a punching bag. So why don’t you run on home before I make an example out of you.”

The leader snorted, the vein in his neck twitching as he gritted his teeth in anger before balling his hands into fists, the only warning Chan got before he lunged at him. Luckily, Chan was prepared and, with a few blows, had the idiot lying unconscious at his feet. 

“Anyone else?” he challenged. “Or have you gotten the message?”

The rest of the lackies glanced between their downed leader and Chan nervously before running away without a word. Chan huffed, rolling his eyes at their cowardice before turning and reaching out a hand to Soobin who took it with trembling fingers. 

“Thanks, Chan-ah,” he whispered shakily. “They just— they came out of nowhere.”

“I’ll always have your back, Bin-hyung,” Chan promised as he helped Soobin steady himself before wrapping an arm around the vampire’s waist to support him. “Want me to call Junnie-hyung for you?”

Soobin shook his head. “No, I— I should be okay now. Thank you for helping me.”

Chan rolled his eyes at his hyung fondly. “Don’t be silly. At least let me walk you home, hyung.”

The vampire sighed but nodded his head in consent as he leaned more firmly into Chan’s arms. 

They turned around to start heading out of the alley way and Chan nearly stumbled when he spotted Minho, standing at the mouth of the alley with their ice cream still dangling from his wrist. 

“Sorry, Minho,” he said bashfully, realizing that the vampire had just witnessed him beat up a couple of bullies. “I’m gonna walk Soobin-hyung home. I’ll see you back at the dorm?”

Minho snorted and took the few steps needed to reach the pair before wrapping his arm around Soobin’s other side to help support his weight. “Don’t be an idiot,” he scolded. “Like I’d let you out of my sight after that. Do you have a death wish, Chan-ah?”

Soobin chuckled weakly. “You don’t know the half of it,” he mused. “Channie is always the first one to defend us. He’s a great kid.”

Minho frowned and ducked his head to glance at Chan from around Soobin. “How do you two know each other?” he asked curiously. 

“Oh he wo—”

“Through classes,” Chan interjected urgently, shooting Soobin an apologetic look and pleading with his eyes to go along with it. “We had a few classes last year and became friends that way.”

Soobin nodded his head wearily before pasting on a smile as he turned to Minho. “And how do you two know each other?” he asked. “Minho-yah.”

Chan bit his lip in order to hold back his laugh. It was clear that Soobin was teasing Minho now since all three of them knew that Minho was clearly older than him but because Minho was pretending to be human and obviously thought that Chan didn’t know while Soobin was openly a vampire meant that he got to speak informally to his hyung without repercussions. 

“He’s our new roommate,” Minho replied easily, though Chan could hear the hint of annoyance simmering under his tone at Soobin’s cheek. “And trouble, clearly.”

Soobin laughed brightly. “Ah, don’t be too hard on him,” he sang as he slowly started to get his feet under him again the closer to his apartment they got. “Channie may be trouble, but he’s the good kind of trouble— promise.”

Minho sighed exasperatedly. “I’ve noticed,” he mused fondly. 

“This is me,” Soobin said as he pointed to the apartment in front of them. “Thanks again for helping me.” 

Chan nodded and helped him inside, ignoring Soobin’s insistence that he could make it the rest of the way on his own. 

“Text me when you get home,” Soobin said once they were standing in front of his door, giving Chan a look that Chan knew meant that he needed to explain himself to the vampire later. “So that I know you got home okay.” He then turned to Minho. “Keep a close eye on this one, Minho-yah,” he said cheerily just as the door to his apartment opened. 

“Hyung?” Taehyung exclaimed when he caught sight of Soobin and his battered body. “Oh my god, what the hell happened to you?” He took Soobin from Minho and Chan’s hold and herded him into the apartment without another word. 

“Come on,” Minho grumbled once they were alone once more. “Let’s get you home so I can bandage your knuckles. Idiot.”

Chan glanced down at his hands, surprised to see that they were, indeed, broken open from the fight before looking back up at Minho. “Yah,” he scolded playfully, just because he could. “I’m still your hyung.”

Minho rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around Chan’s shoulders as he led him out of the building and to their own. “Idiot-hyung, then,” he amended exasperatedly. “Taking on six at once. What a moron. You’re lucky I don't have one of your hyungs’ numbers or I’d be tattling on you in an instant.”

Just the thought of Jaebeom— or any of his other hyungs for that matter— finding out about the fight sent chills down his spine causing him to unintentionally shiver. “Ah, I’m lucky then,” he replied with a weak chuckle. 

That night, after they’d gotten home and eaten their half-melted ice cream with the coven, Chan explained himself to Soobin over text before checking in on him again to make sure that he was truly okay. Soobin assured him that there was no lasting damage and that a couple of sips from Beomgyu had fixed him right up, much to Chan’s relief. 

Over the next couple of weeks, Chan started to make more of an effort to spend time at the dorm regardless of who was home at the time. It meant that he had to endure more of Jeongin’s glares and awkward silences when it was just the pair of them but he pushed forward, always greeting the vampire cheerily as he pretended to be unaffected by the man’s obvious cold shoulder. It wasn’t easy, and more than once Chan wanted nothing more than to run away, but he kept trying, kept showing Jeongin that he wasn’t a threat. 

It appeared to slowly be working too since, as the days went on, Jeongin’s glares became less severe and more thoughtful. 

Currently, Chan was making some dinner and it was just him and Jeongin in the apartment at the moment. He could feel Jeongin’s eyes on him from where the vampire was lurking in the doorway. He tried to pretend like he didn’t notice him as he hummed to himself not wanting Jeongin to disappear back into his bedroom again if he could help it. 

Eventually, he had to make a move when he realized that his food was done and he couldn’t keep his back to Jeongin any longer feigning ignorance. “Hungry?” he asked as he turned around with a smile, gesturing in invitation to one of the stools at the island.

Jeongin shrugged weakly and slid into one of the bar stools with a guilty half-smile that shocked Chan though he did his best to hide his reaction. “I don't want to take your food,” he finally replied after a few moments of— admittedly— awkward silence. 

Chan shook his head and smiled at Jeongin again. “There’s plenty for both of us,” he replied, keeping his tone light. “I’m happy to share with you, Jeongin-ssi.”

The vampire visibly swallowed and nodded slowly. “Can I— do you need any help?” 

“Wanna grab a couple of bowls?” he offered, knowing that Jeongin could get that without having to come too close to Chan. “I’m nearly done here. You have good timing.”

Jeongin shuffled over to the cabinet and grabbed some bowls for them, cautiously setting them on the counter next to Chan. 

“I’m sorry,” he blurted out unexpectedly, surprising Chan. 

“What do you think you have to be sorry about?” he asked gently, carefully keeping his eyes on the food he was dishing up in an attempt to give Jeongin space. 

“I’ve been... really rude to you,” the vampire confessed, his head ducked low in obvious guilt. “And you’ve been nothing but nice.”

“You were scared,” Chan murmured honestly as he handed one of the bowls to Jeongin. “It’s pretty obvious that you’re not comfortable around strangers and I practically invaded your home— your safe space. I’d be an idiot to hold a grudge against you for being uncomfortable with me.” He shrugged and moved to sit down at the island, leaving Jeongin to gape at him while he started to eat. “I have to earn your trust,” he continued between bites. “And I’m patient. We can go at your pace, Jeongin-ah. Hyung’s not upset with you.”

“I can call you that?” Jeongin whispered as he cautiously sat down at the island too, keeping a chair between them. “Hyung? I can call you hyung?”

Chan nodded, taking another bite as he tried to pretend like he didn’t want to jump around and rejoice. “If you feel comfortable,” he replied easily. “No pressure if you don’t though. I won’t be upset either way.”

This was an insane amount of progress in a short amount of time and he felt his chest swell with pride for Jeongin and his bravery in approaching Chan. 

“This is good,” Jeongin mumbled a few moments later, practically shoveling the food into his mouth, which honestly surprised Chan.

Chan just laughed and shook his head fondly. “I’m glad you like it. My hyungs taught me everything I know— especially when it comes to cooking.”

That made Jeongin pause, chopsticks halfway to his mouth and for a second Chan worried that he’d said something wrong that upset the vampire. “Your hyungs?” he inquired. “The ones that kicked you out?”

Chan burst into bright peals of laughter both relieved and amused by Jeongin’s response. “They didn’t kick me out, Jeongin-ah,” he corrected once he’d reeled in his laughter a bit, wiping a stray tear from his eye. “They’re good people, I promise.”

Jeongin hummed, seemingly unconvinced. “I’ll be the judge of that,” he grumbled as he shoved another mouthful of meat and rice into his mouth. “What about your parents? What do they think about your hyungs?” he asked once he’d swallowed. 

Chan shrugged, unable to stop a somber smile from taking over his face. “They never got to meet them,” he confessed. “My parents died when I was a kid. But I’d like to think they would have loved my hyungs.”

Jeongin swallowed uncomfortably. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

Chan shook his head and pushed another soft smile back on his face. “Don’t apologize,” he reassured. “I don’t mind talking about them. It was a long time ago and I know that they’d be proud of the man I’ve become. Makes it easier, you know?”

“Yeah,” Jeongin whispered, sounding far away as he appeared to be lost in thought. “I get you.”

Chan didn’t say anything more, letting Jeongin digest what he’d learned as they finished their dinner before he set about doing the dishes. Jeongin tried to help but Chan just waved him off. “You look like you’re in another world,” he said in lieu of an explanation. “I feel like I might have brought up bad memories for you.”

“Not... bad, necessarily,” Jeongin hedged, leaning on the counter as he watched Chan scrub the dishes. “Just... I lost my parents too— a few years ago. Made me wonder if they’d be proud of me.”

Chan shot Jeongin an empathetic smile, his heart breaking for the vampire. “I’m sure they would,” he assured. “You’re a very kind young man.”

Jeongin huffed softly, the sound somewhere between annoyed and amused. “You barely even know me.”

“The others talk about you a lot,” he admitted guiltily, scrubbing at the back of his neck in embarrassment before immediately cringing when he got soap dripping down his shirt from his sudsy hands. “They’re all very fond of you and, I have to admit, it’s easy to see why.”

“Yeah, they’re alright too, I guess,” Jeongin grumbled, though Chan could easily see how pleased he was that his hyungs talked highly about him. He sighed and pushed off of the counter a moment later, turning his body towards his room. “You’re not half bad either,” Jeongin mumbled awkwardly before immediately scurrying away, not waiting for Chan’s response. 

Chan just grinned and continued washing their dishes, excited to tell Minho about their progress when he got home. 

Feeding Jeongin became their thing. For some reason, they always seemed to find themselves alone in the dorm when Chan was making himself food and he always made sure that he had enough for Jeongin— or any of the others, to be honest— in case he wanted to join him. They talked during that time too; not a lot or anything deep but it was something and Chan was practically giddy every time, doing his best to contain his excitement because he didn’t want to scare the other man off. 

“Morning!” Chan sang as he waved his spatula at Hyunjin and Jeongin who had just walked into the kitchen with blurry, half-asleep expressions. “Breakfast?”

Hyunjin grinned tiredly and slid into one of the island chairs as he cradled his face in his hands, looking as though he were about to fall back asleep at any moment. “Smells delicious, Hyung,” he admitted, reaching for a pancake from the stack of them on the counter. 

“Help yourself,” he encouraged. “You too, Jeongin-ah. I made plenty. 

Jeongin nodded to Chan and slid into the chair next to Hyunjin, leaning into his side as he took a few pancakes for himself. A few minutes later, Minho came into the room, wrapping his arms around Jeongin as he kissed his temple before doing the same for Hyunjin, the action warming his heart while simultaneously sending a pang through his chest that he swallowed down, knowing that even if they might have been slowly working their way towards Chan joining their coven, they weren’t anywhere close at the moment, especially since they hadn’t even told him about the coven yet. 

Chan was just lonely and clearly in need of affection which he could easily get by going to visit his hyungs. 

“Morning, Channie-hyung,” Minho greeted as he snagged a pancake from the stack, foregoing a plate as he ate. “Sleep well?”

Chan gave the vampire a soft hum in the positive, both of them knowing that he always slept well when Changbin held him all night— even if he was beyond embarrassed when he learned that Minho knew about their sleeping arrangement.

He put a few pancakes on a plate for himself before leaning back against the counter to eat only for Jeongin to kick the empty chair next to him towards Chan with a firm nod to it when Chan glanced at him curiously. It took him a moment to realize that Jeongin was inviting him to sit next to him, something that— despite all of their shared meals— they’d never done before, always keeping at least one chair between them. He beamed at the vampire and slid into the proffered chair happily. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Minho’s proud expression before he quickly schooled his features once more. “I’ll be back late tonight,” he declared as he made his way to the front door, backpack in hand. “Don't wait up for me.”

Hyunjin snorted and shoved another pancake in his mouth. “When do we ever?” he snarked, immediately yelping and hiding behind Jeongin when Minho took a threatening step back towards him. 

Minho glanced at his phone and sighed, rolling his eyes as he turned back to the door. “Thanks for breakfast, Channie-hyung,” he called before leaving with one final wave to the room. Chan chuckled internally, knowing that Minho barely even eaten any of the food he’d made and yet still thanked him for cooking anyways. It was funny and Chan made a note to tease Minho for not eating a proper breakfast the next time he saw him since the vampire liked to point out— and sometimes force-feed him— whenever Chan missed a meal. 

When he went to go do his dishes after he’d finished eating, Hyunjin playfully pushed him away, taking the plate from his hands. “You and I both know you don’t have time to do these before you have to leave for class,” he scolded sweetly. “I’ll get them. Anyways, you cooked, you shouldn’t have to clean too.”

Chan felt an overwhelming amount of fondness for the man. “I can do them, Hyunjinnie,” he insisted. “I’ll be okay on time.”

Hyunjin spun away from him, not letting him take his dishes back as he giggled. 

“Just go, hyung,” Jeongin piped up, startling Chan. The vampire had never called Chan ‘hyung’ yet and hearing it so suddenly and casually threw him off and he didn’t know how to respond. Jeongin appeared to be shocked by his own words too and, somehow, that just made Chan more endeared to the vampire. Jeongin shifted uncomfortably before standing up and gathering his and Hyunjin’s dishes, clearly doing his best to pretend like what he had just done wasn’t a big deal. “Hyunjin-hyung and I can handle the dishes,” he continued, his voice sounding strained. 

Chan found himself nodding dumbly, allowing Hyunjin to nudge him back in the direction of his bedroom so that he could grab his backpack. He took the moment alone to compose himself as he collected his things before returning to the common area and waving to the pair at the sink cheerfully before running away.

Chapter Text

Chan was leisurely strolling through campus when Jeongin called out to him. He’d been on his way to Jaebeom’s after having spent far too long in the library catching up with Soobin’s coven and certainly hadn’t expected to run into Jeongin, of all people, on his way. Especially since Jeongin had called him ‘Hyung’ and had sounded almost desperate when he’d spotted him. 

He quickly switched directions and started towards the vampire who was looking at him as though he was his savior. Chan didn’t see anyone else around him, most of the campus desolate this late on a Friday night but Jeongin’s unease was nearly palpable with how thick the cloud of nervousness was around him. 

“Hey, Jeongin-ah,” he called back as he got closer, still glancing around for what might have set the other man off. “I was looking for you.”

Jeongin breathed a sigh of relief once Chan was within arms length, immediately latching onto Chan’s arm, nearly making Chan flinch at the sudden physical contact. Jeongin had never touched him before and immediately Chan knew for certain that something was very, very wrong. 

“You were?” Jeongin asked shakily, still holding onto Chan’s arm like it was a lifeline. 

“Yeah,” he replied, trying to keep his voice casual and light as he quickly thought up an excuse. “I forgot my keys and I didn’t want to wake up any of the others. Were you heading back to the dorm?”

Jeongin nodded his head frantically as he started to drag Chan towards the dorm— not that he actually had to drag him, Chan was more than willing to get Jeongin out of the area as quickly as possible. Something just felt... off. Chan couldn’t put his finger on it but it almost felt like there was someone watching them, waiting for something. 

He gently shifted Jeongin’s hold so that he could wrap his arm around the vampire’s shoulders instead as he ducked his head down to whisper in his ear, weary of anyone overhearing them. “What’s going on, Jeongin-ah?” 

He felt Jeongin shiver in his arms and he nearly pulled away, thinking that he’d crossed a line and made the other man uncomfortable, only for Jeongin to lean further into his embrace as they walked. “Someone was following me,” he whispered back. “And my phone is dead so I couldn’t call anyone for help.”

Chan tightened his grip on Jeongin’s shoulder minutely at having his suspicions confirmed, tucking Jeongin closer to him. “I’ve got you,” he murmured, nearly inaudibly. “Let’s get you home.”

The second they were in the building they both breathed a sigh of relief and Jeongin pulled away from Chan. “You didn’t forget your keys, did you?” he asked as they climbed the stairs together. 

Chan chuckled and pulled out his keys, shaking them gently. “Nope,” he replied. “I was on my way to visit my hyungs.”

Jeongin frowned. “It’s nearly midnight,” he said. 

“They keep weird hours,” Chan replied with a shrug which was true, especially his older hyungs who didn’t need as much sleep as their bondmates and Youngjae. “That reminds me, I need to text them and let them know I’m not coming otherwise they’ll worry.” He pulled out his phone and texted Mark. 

Channie:

Something came up. I’m not gonna make it tonight. I’m okay, it’s nothing bad. I’ll tell you all about it later. 

“You can go now if you need to,” Jeongin offered, looking guilty. “You don’t have to keep babysitting me. It was probably just all in my head anyways.”

Chan rolled his eyes fondly. “I don’t mind,” he replied. “And my hyungs will understand. Besides, I don’t think it was in your head. It felt like we were being watched too. Have you ever noticed anyone watching you before tonight?”

Jeongin sighed and shook his head. “No,” he mumbled as they made their way into their dorm. “This was the first time. Though I’m usually not walking around campus alone so that might be why.”

“We’ll have to keep a closer eye on you— just in case,” Chan murmured resolutely as he led Jeongin further into the apartment, feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket. “Want me to let Minho know what happened?”

Jeongin shook his head. “No, I can do it,” he promised. “You should go see your hyungs like you planned.”

Chan hummed in uncertainty, not liking the idea of Jeongin dealing with this on his own as he glanced between Minho and Seungmin’s closed door and Jeongin before reluctantly nodding. “If you’re sure you’ll be okay,” he hedged as he felt another text go off in his pocket, knowing that pushing Jeongin wouldn’t be helpful no matter how worried he was. 

“I will,” Jeongin replied. “Just— ah... text me— when you get to your hyung’s?”

Chan grinned and dug his phone out of his pocket, pulling up the new contact screen and ignoring Mark’s messages for the moment. “I’ll need your number to do that.”

Jeongin accepted the device and shakily typed his number into it before handing it back as quickly as he could, looking seconds away from running away from Chan. “I’ll uh... put mine on the charger,” he mumbled as Chan slipped his shoes back on. “Thanks— for tonight.”

“Anytime, Jeongin-ah,” Chan replied sincerely. “I mean it— anytime you need me you can call for me.” 

Jeongin nodded and walked him back out the door. Chan stood there for a moment once the door was closed, listening to the latch lock into place before heading back down the stairs. He was, admittedly, still pretty freaked out and wasn’t too keen on walking through the city to his hyungs’ place anymore. 

He pulled out his phone and checked Mark’s messages. 

Marky-poo

What happened? Do you need me to come get you?

Marky-poo

Call me as soon as you can please.

Chan clicked on Mark’s contact and hit the call button, the phone barely ringing once before Mark picked up. 

“Chan-ah?” Mark asked wearily. “Do I need to be worried?”

“Not immediately,” Chan hedged. “But if you could come pick me up I’d appreciate it.”

Mark released a soft noise of understanding. “Where are you?”

“In the entry to my building?” he replied with an awkward laugh. “It’s... kinda a long story but I’m okay, I promise.”

Mark growled softly. “If you have a single hair out of place I’ll tear that little coven apart.”

“The coven didn’t do anything to me, hyung,” Chan rushed to assure, not wanting Mark to get the wrong idea. “I ran into Jeongin-ah on my way to come see you. Things happened and I walked him home and now I— I’m a little weary to walk on my own right now. That’s all.”

Mark didn’t sound overly happy with the explanation but he no longer sounded like he was ready to murder Chan’s roommates, which was a plus. “Do you want me to stay on the line?” he asked.

“I’m okay, hyung,” Chan promised. “Just text me when you get here and I’ll come outside.”

They said their goodbyes and Chan hung up, though he didn’t let go of his phone. He was probably being paranoid but a part of him still felt like he was being watched, like the bad aura that had been stalking Jeongin had followed them home. It was off-putting and Chan didn’t know what he should do. 

Luckily, it didn’t take long for Mark to text him and he ran out to meet his hyung, climbing into the car and leaning into the hug the vampire immediately offered once he was inside. 

“You’re okay?” Mark asked as they separated, running his hands up and down Chan’s arms as he gave him a once-over. 

“I’m okay, hyung,” Chan promised. “A bit shaken, but okay. Did you tell the others?”

Mark shot him an exasperated expression. “Of course I did,” he deadpanned. “Be prepared for Jaebeom and Jinyoung.”

Chan chuckled weakly as he rested his head against Mark’s shoulder while he drove. “One can never be prepared for them,” he intoned faux-gravely. “I told you I was okay, hyung.”

“And that usually means you’re either hiding an injury or illness,” Mark rebutted, patting Chan’s knee fondly. “Forgive us if we didn’t believe you this time.”

“Yeah, that’s fair,” Chan mumbled with a sigh. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Jeongin letting him know that his hyung had picked him up before he closed his eyes, figuring he’d get a few moments of peace before the swarm of mother hens that were his hyungs rained down on him. 

Chan didn’t expect to fall asleep but somehow he woke up sometime later with his head on Jinyoung’s chest in their master bedroom with the rest of his hyungs splayed out around him. 

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Jinyoung cooed as he carded his fingers through Chan’s curly hair. “How are you feeling?”

Chan grunted and pressed his face further into Jinyoung’s chest, earning a laugh from the vampire. “‘m not sick,” he grumbled. 

“If you say so,” Jinyoung cajoled. “But then you need to explain what exactly happened last night.”

“I will,” Chan promised as he pushed himself off of Jinyoung’s chest. “Can I have breakfast while we talk?”

Jinyoung snorted and sat up with him, pulling Chan into his lap the second they were both upright. “Jackson is already cooking,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to Chan’s cheek before letting him go. Chan ducked off into the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth, trusting his hyung to get the rest of the coven up in his absence. 

He made his way out to the kitchen, capturing Jackson in a back hug while he was at the stove, making the older man chuckle. “How’d you sleep, baby?” he asked as Chan released him, moving around him to grab dishes for himself, Bambam, and Yugyeom after seeing the amount that Jackson had cooked. 

“Way too good,” he admitted. “Nothing beats bunking with the coven.”

Jackson beamed at him and leaned over to press a kiss to Chan’s forehead. “We love having you in our nest too, kiddo,” he assured. “Come sit with me while you eat. I’ve missed you.”

“Missed you too, hyung,” Chan admitted as he curled up under Jackson’s arm while he ate. A sleep-heavy Bambam and Yugyeom trailed out with the others a few minutes later, joining them at the table. 

“So what happened, Chan-ah?” Jaebeom asked once they were all situated. 

Chan swallowed the rice in his mouth before answering. “I ran into Jeongin on my way to you guys,” he said. “He was— he was being stalked, I think. Whatever it was, it didn’t feel good. I walked him home and was just gonna stay there for the night but he insisted I kept my plans. I’m gonna make sure Minho and the rest of his coven know what happened later today.”

Jaebeom frowned and reached over to hold Chan’s wrist, gently thumbing at his pulse with his thumb. “You’re okay?”

“I’m okay, hyung,” he promised, shifting Jaebeom’s hold so that they were holding hands instead. “I never even saw anyone, just... felt their eyes on us, you know?”

“No more walking here,” Jinyoung declared, glaring at Chan sternly. “One of us will come get you and take you back to your dorm.”

Bambam hummed his agreement. “And you should stick to walking with your classmates on campus,” he added, sounding far more like a hyung than he usually did. 

“I’ll be fine, hyungs,” Chan promised again. “I wasn’t even the one being stalked. I’m more worried about Jeongin. What if someone found out about him being a vampire? What if he’s being targeted?”

“There’s not much you can do without evidence, Chan-ah,” Jaebeom explained gently. “Just look after him and yourself, especially since whoever was after him also saw you.”

Chan nodded. “I’ll be careful, hyung,” he said. It grew quiet as the coven digested exactly what had happened the night prior until Chan piped up again. “Can I help with the shop today?” 

Jaebeom laughed and nodded his head. “I suppose we can allow our best worker to pick up a couple of hours,” he teased. “Speaking of, someone should go down and open.”

“I’ll do it,” Yugyeom declared, immediately followed by Mark standing up with him and offering to join him. The two ducked out the door and downstairs while Chan helped to clear the table with Bambam and the rest of the coven finished getting ready for the day. 

When Chan got home later that day, he discovered that Jeongin had not, in fact, told his hyungs about his stalker. 

“What do you mean, stalker?” Minho hissed, eyes wide and alight with a fury that honestly terrified Chan. 

Chan glanced over at Jeongin who was sitting on the couch looking somewhere between guilty and apprehensive and Chan immediately felt bad that he had just dropped that bomb down on the coven thinking that Jeongin had already told them. 

“I was being followed,” Jeongin started hesitantly, everyone’s eyes snapped over to him. “Last night. My— My phone was dead so I couldn’t call any of you and then I ran into Chan-hyung and he— he walked me home. Nothing— nothing really happened. I guess I just... forgot about it?”

Chan doubted that Jeongin had just ‘forgotten’ about the stalking incident— he certainly hadn’t— and from the looks of it, neither did anyone else in the coven. 

“Do try to remember things like this in the future,” Minho deadpanned. “Hyung would like to know when you’re in danger.”

“Chan-hyung, you were with Innie,” Changbin piped up. “Did you see anyone?”

Chan shook his head. “No but he was definitely being followed. I could feel their eyes on us. It was really... eerie.”

Minho huffed and folded his arms across his chest. “No more walking around campus on your own,” he ordered, turning his gaze back to Jeongin. “At least not until we’re sure you don’t have a stalker anymore.”

Jeongin nodded weakly. Chan could tell that he wasn’t exactly thrilled about essentially being babied but with everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, it was pretty necessary and he seemed to get that too. 

“I’ll start working on a schedule,” Felix offered as he pulled out his laptop. 

Minho and Changbin pulled Jeongin into the older vampire’s room shortly after, no doubt looking for answers that they wouldn’t be able to get with Chan— an ignorant human— in the room with them. 

Over the following weeks, Jeongin was accompanied to and from classes. Chan was... not one of them. He tried not to be hurt by this, knowing that Jeongin’s safety and comfort was the most important thing in this situation— not Chan’s feelings. The incident had brought them closer, but there was still a chasm between them that felt impossible to cross. Jeongin would call him ‘hyung’ now whenever they were together but he also didn’t go out of his way to talk to Chan or spend time with him when they were both in the dorm. It was progress and Chan had to admit that their current situation was far better than when he’d first moved into the dorm. But having gotten a taste of what Jeongin was really like, Chan found it harder and harder to keep him at arms’ length like he so clearly wanted to be. 

He still kept going as normal however, going to classes, working at the bakery, spending the random night at his hyungs, and hanging out with the coven when he was home. They’d started having movie nights when all eight of them were in the dorm and Chan found that he really enjoyed their time together. He’d gotten even closer to each of them, even his and Jeongin’s relationship had benefited from the hangout nights. 

It was a Wednesday evening, Chan having decided to hole himself up in the library for the foreseeable future while he worked on an essay, when Changbin texted him. 

Changbinnie:

Hey, my group is running late and I’m not gonna make it to pick up Innie from his last class. Would you be able to grab him for me?

Chan felt a spur of giddiness rising in his chest. They were trusting him to pick up Jeongin— to look after him and keep him safe— and while he knew it was risky, if the stalkers had picked up on him being human it would be easier for him to be overpowered than one of the vampires, he still wanted to do it. He quickly typed a reply, letting Changbin know that he could do that and he didn’t need to worry about anything. 

He felt a little awkward standing outside of the literature building and more than a few people had given him a curious side eye while he waited but he tried not to let them bother him. The moment Jeongin exited the building he perked up and gave the vampire a little half-wave. 

“Hey, Jeongin-ah,” he called, scratching at the back of his neck awkwardly before dropping his arm back down to his side. Jeongin walked over to him, a confused, slightly apprehensive look on his face. “Changbin-ah asked me to walk you home,” he explained as he showed Jeongin the text. 

Jeongin’s expression softened a bit, especially after he checked his own phone, no doubt having gotten a text from Changbin as well, explaining what had happened. He nodded and tucked his phone back into his pocket. “Sorry you got roped into babysitting duty,” he mumbled as they started the walk home. 

“I don’t mind,” Chan assured as he fell into step next to Jeongin. “I wouldn't want you walking home alone, especially since your stalker hasn’t given up yet.”

Jeongin cocked his head curiously, sliding closer to Chan’s warmth. “You can feel it too?”

Chan nodded grimly. “Makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up,” he admitted. “I felt it that first night too. Whoever’s watching you— I don’t think they have good intentions.”

Jeongin shivered and then did something Chan would have never thought he’d do— he laced his fingers with Chan’s. Chan tried not to freak out as he kept his hand relaxed in Jeongin’s, not wanting to upset the vampire. “Neither do I,” Jeongin whispered as he tightened his grip when Chan had tried to loosen their grip, suddenly struck by the assumption that maybe Jeongin had grabbed his hand by accident or out of habit and didn’t actually want to hold his hand. “Don’t let go,” he mumbled. Jeongin audibly sighed in relief when Chan’s hand relaxed and gently squeezed him back, reassuring him that this was what Jeongin actually wanted. 

The closer they got to the dorm, the less populated the streets became. It was dark and Chan was struggling to keep an eye on their surroundings because of how little light was around. He made a mental note to write a letter to the maintenance department about how many street lights were out around campus. 

He nearly froze when he picked up on the footsteps following them. He was sure Jeongin had heard them long before he did, seeing as the vampire had gotten more and more tense the further they got. 

He immediately started looking around, praying that something would be open close by but nearly eight o’clock on a Wednesday night meant that most classes were done for the day and the faculties were already closed and locked up for the night. The closest place Chan could think of that would be open for sure was the campus cafe but that was farther than their dorm at this point so it only made sense to keep moving forward. 

When he noticed a second set of footsteps, and then a third, Chan wanted to swear because of course there would be more than one. It was looking more and more likely that these stalkers were hunters that had discovered Jeongin’s secret and probably the rest of the coven’s as well. 

“Jeongin-ah,” he whispered, not wanting the hunters to overhear them. “There’s more than one.”

Jeongin nodded slowly. “What should we do?” he whispered back, voice trembling with fear. 

What should they do? What could they do? Chan knew that most of their best options would just tip off the hunters and give them a head start. There was really only one solution and Chan wasn’t overly fond of their odds but with no other choice he squared his shoulders and adjusted his grip on Jeongin’s hand. “Run.”

They took off at the same time, Jeongin having no doubt come to the same conclusion before he’d even asked Chan. The hunters behind them didn’t hesitate to follow them, not even trying to be stealthy any more as they chased the pair across campus. 

Between one streetlight and the next, Chan felt something pierce his calf and he went down, his fingers slipping out from between Jeongin’s. He didn’t have time to catch himself, his head hitting the ground with a sickening thud despite his best efforts. Almost immediately he was surrounded, a body on top of his back, another putting all their weight on his legs— probably more. All Chan felt around him were rough hands and boots and his ears were ringing, his vision blurry. 

He thought he heard Jeongin scream, hoped that the vampire had kept running, hoped that he wasn’t foolish enough to come back for him. Chan tried to tell him to run, to get out of there, but the words never found their way past his lips as his face was shoved roughly into the concrete again. His vision blurred further, darkening around the edges, everything just a confusing cacophony of sound and dark figures and pain.  

Despite the pain and confusion, he kept bucking, trying to throw the hunters off of him with little success. He could hear Jeongin somewhere nearby fighting just as hard as he was but it was a losing battle and that only made Chan fight harder because these were hunters. They weren’t going to pull their punches, they weren’t going to spare Chan because he was a human, they weren’t going to let Jeongin live. 

Someone grabbed his hair and raised his head off of the ground only to smack it back into the cement, making Chan see stars. The hunter immediately did it again and Chan’s vision darkened, his limbs no longer cooperating as he tried and failed to do anything more than twitch in their combined holds. With one more smack to the pavement, Chan’s vision darkened and he knew no more. 

“Time to wake up, sleeping beauty,” a man cooed, sickeningly sweet in his ear seconds before there was a sharp blow to his stomach. 

Chan groaned, trying and failing to push himself off of the cold cement he was lying on. His head hurt and his vision was still just a blur. He was unable to make out any specific shapes and it felt like one of his eyes was swollen shut. Before he could get his bearings, another blow hit his stomach and he fell back onto the ground, the little success that he’d made getting up on his hands and knees quickly rendered useless.

Chan’s chin was grabbed roughly and he was forced to look at one of the men, though he couldn’t make out any defining features. “I can see why the bloodsuckers keep you around,” the man mused. “You’re a pretty little blood bag.”

“What— What do you want?” Chan choked out, gasping when the man’s hand shifted to squeeze his neck instead. 

“For that little leech to suffer,” he hissed, spit splattering across Chan’s face in the process. “And if you’re a good boy and tell me what I want to know you might even get out of this alive.”

Chan felt his blood boil. Whatever this psychopath wanted from him it was nothing good and it would undoubtedly harm the coven. Without thinking, Chan did the stupidest thing he could possibly do in his situation. 

He spit in the madman’s face. 

He immediately regretted his decision as the hunter threw his head away from him. Unable to catch himself, Chan felt the back of his head hit the concrete once more. He didn’t even have time to digest the pain before more blows came. He was being kicked or hit, he wasn’t entirely sure— all he knew was that all he felt was pain. 

Chan pleaded for them to stop, apologizing between grunts and gasps but his words fell on deaf ears. His vision began to darken once more and Chan embraced unconsciousness with open arms.

Chapter Text

Chan woke again to Jeongin’s worried face hovering inches above his own. “Jeongin?” he rasped. His question was quickly followed by a cough as his throat protested.

Jeongin leaned down impossibly closer, eyes wide and fearful as his eyes met Chan’s. “I’m here, hyung,” he whispered weakly, his fingers carding through Chan’s hair gently— so gently.

“Are you... Are you hurt?” Chan asked, doing his best to check over what he could see of Jeongin. He tried to sit up, limbs shaky and throbbing, only to have Jeongin gently hold him down. He guided Chan’s head into his lap and took up carding his fingers through Chan’s hair again. 

Jeongin sniffled, looking close to tears though he was clearly trying to hide it. “Not nearly as hurt as you,” he whimpered. “I’m— I’m sorry, hyung. They were— they were after me.”

Chan rolled his eyes— or well, eye since he still couldn’t open the other one— and reached up with one aching arm to press his shaking hand to Jeongin’s cheek, desperate to give the vampire some comfort. “I’m aware,” he said, trying to bring a little humor into the situation though he was pretty sure his joke fell flat. “But like hell I was going to let them get to you without a fight... I’m sorry I didn’t do better.”

The vampire’s head shook frantically as he cradled Chan’s hand in his, holding it to his cheek. “You shouldn’t apologize, hyung,” he scolded. “You— there was nothing you could have done. There were so many of them...”

Chan sighed and stroked Jeongin’s cheek with the pad of his thumb before laying his hand back down on his chest, unable to hold it up so high any longer even with Jeongin’s help. “How long have you been awake?” he asked. 

“Not long,” Jeongin replied softly. “This place is— it’s pretty... secure.”

Chan could have guessed that. He still couldn’t see clearly but he could see enough to know that wherever they were was dark and solid and cold. “Wonder what they want,” he mused wearily as he pushed himself upwards despite Jeongin’s weak protests to keep him lying down. Jeongin sighed after a few moments and shifted to help him lean more comfortably against the wall instead. “Have they come back yet?”

Jeongin shook his head as he curled up next to Chan, resting his head on top of Chan’s delicately, as if he were afraid of hurting Chan further. “No,” he whispered. “I haven’t heard anything.”

Chan sighed as a thought occurred to him. It was a long shot but may they... He released a soft surprised sound as his fingers felt his phone still in his pocket. “They didn’t take our phones?” he asked as he pulled it out and unlocked it. The screen was cracked in multiple places and the display was glitching in one corner but it turned on and he started to call emergency services when he saw that he had no service. “Ah,” he continued dejectedly. “No signal. That’s why.”

Jeongin immediately sat up and shoved his hand in his own pocket, pulling out his phone and deflating back against the wall just as quickly as he’d sat up. “Maybe we’re underground,” he mumbled before pushing himself up unsteadily. Chan watched as Jeongin held his phone above his head trying to get it to connect before inevitably dropping his arm back down by his side when it didn’t help. 

He suddenly stiffened before pushing himself between Chan and the door. “What is it?” he whispered, unconsciously reaching out to grab a hold of Jeongin’s shirt to keep him close. “What’s going on? What do you hear?”

“Someone’s coming,” Jeongin whispered back without taking his eyes off of the door. 

Not even half a minute later, the door opened. Chan struggled to focus his eyes on the intruding men. There were two of them at first, holding something long and dark. It took Chan longer than he’d like to admit to realize that they were holding guns. 

Another man strolled in after them, even Chan with his limited sight could tell that this hunter was at ease. He knew how much of a disadvantage Chan and Jeongin were currently at. 

“What do you want?” Jeongin hissed after a few moments of tense silence. 

“Retribution,” the man snarled, startling Chan when he recognized the voice. This was the same man who had beat the shit out of him, he was sure of it. He sounded far more cocky now though, less angry and practically giddy even with every word being spit at them with malice. “You’re a hard one to track down, Yang Jeongin.”

Jeongin shuddered, Chan feeling the motion through his back. “If it’s— if it’s me you want then— then let my hyung go. He’s not a part of whatever this is.” 

Chan’s heart hurt. Jeongin was trying to be so brave but it was obvious that he was terrified, and yet he still pleaded for Chan. 

“Whatever this is?” the hunter hissed furiously. Suddenly Jeongin was slipping from Chan’s grasp and he reached out desperately to follow his motion without success. Jeongin yelped, struggling in the hunter’s hold. “This is payback. My father was everything to me— and your father killed him.”

“He would never!” Jeongin yelped before being thrown away by the hunter landing on the ground with a hard thud. “My father only ever killed in self defense!” 

The man laughed though Chan couldn’t find any part of this amusing. “There’s no such thing as ‘self defense’ when you’re a monster. He killed my father in cold blood.”

The hunter then turned his attention to Chan, stalking towards him. Chan tried to back up but with a wall in the way there was little he could do to keep the other man away from him. 

Jeongin screamed seconds before a shot went off, deafening Chan momentarily as he tried to focus on the vampire. “Jeongin!” he shouted, trying to push himself off of the wall only for the hunter to push him roughly back down and hold him in place with a boot to his chest. 

He wheezed under the pressure as dark spots began to swim across his vision. 

“My father meant the world to me,” the hunter hissed, his words sounding muffled and distorted the longer Chan couldn’t breathe. His boot then lifted from Chan’s chest but his wrist was quickly captured in rough hands as he tried to catch his breath. The man pulled Chan by his arm, consuming his every thought with pain as he was dragged out of the room and away from Jeongin. 

The hunter didn’t stop dragging him either and at some point, Chan felt his shoulder pop, making him scream. The hunters around him just laughed and continued dragging him. 

“You know it didn’t have to be like this,” the hunter mused thoughtfully as he dropped Chan’s wrist and other hands picked him up. He was thrown into a chair and his wrists were quickly zip tied to the arms of the chair as he gasped in pain. “You can perhaps win me back over though... for the right price. Tell me everything you know about little Yang Jeongin’s coven and I’ll take all the pain away, little boy.”

Chan huffed out a weak laugh before glaring up at him with his one good eye. “Go to hell, bastard,” he bit out. 

Before he could blink one of his fingers was pulled back until there was a horrible snap, ripping a scream from Chan’s throat. 

“What was that, princess?” the hunter mocked. He grabbed another finger, pulling it back until it snapped as well and all Chan could do was scream as he shook his head and yanked helplessly at his restraints. 

It continued on like that until every finger on Chan’s right hand were sitting at awkward angles and his whole arm was a throbbing mess. Then the man brought out a hammer and Chan’s pleas started to fall on deaf ears as the hunter gleefully took it to Chan’s leg before going over his mangled fingers again. 

Chan screamed until his voice gave out, his begging devolving into unintelligible moans until he was finally consumed by darkness once more.

He woke up to a gentle pressure on his chest accompanied by crying. “Hyung,” Jeongin whimpered as he came back to consciousness. “You’re alive. I’m so— I’m so sorry. You should have never— you— you had no part in this. I’m so sorry, hyung—”

“Not— your— fault,” Chan rasped out, those three words took everything he had but he hoped that he could comfort the vampire, even if just a little bit. 

Jeongin pulled his head away and Chan immediately missed the comforting pressure. “I don’t know why they’re doing this,” Jeongin sobbed as he carefully shifted Chan to rest against his chest instead. It hurt more than Chan wanted to admit but the end result was so much better than the floor that he couldn’t complain. “I’m so sorry you got caught up in this, hyung.”

Chan tried to shake his head only to chuckle weakly when his body didn’t cooperate. “They’re to blame,” he croaked out, every syllable coming up like fire through his throat. “Not you... Whatever happens— it’s not... your fault.”

He felt Jeongin tuck his face against Chan's head and take a deep breath before immediately stiffening. Jeongin stopped breathing and it barely took Chan’s exhausted brain any time at all to realize why. He reached up with his good hand, tapping on Jeongin’s chest to get his attention. “You should eat, Jeongin-ah,” he mumbled. For one delirious moment, Chan could see himself as Jeongin’s stern but loving hyung scolding him for skipping a meal and offering him his wrist. It was a nice thought, if he were honest with himself even if it would probably never get to happen. “You won’t... heal like— like this.”

“What do you mean, hyung?” Jeongin whispered as he pressed his cheek to Chan’s hair, still not breathing. “They haven’t given us any food. What am I supposed to eat?”

Chan sighed and grappled for Jeongin’s hand, threading their fingers together. “You should take some— from me.” 

Jeongin stiffened under him and it took Chan a minute to remember that Jeongin didn’t know that he knew. He was keeping it a secret... because they were— they weren't ready to tell him. But Jeongin was hurt and undoubtedly hungry. “You know, hyung?” Jeongin breathed, immediately trying to pull away only for Chan to stubbornly follow despite the pain it brought. “That I’m— that I’m a... vampire?” 

“I know, Jeongin-ah,” Chan whispered tiredly as he pressed his cheek to Jeongin’s still chest. “I’ve always known.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” Jeongin asked. He sounded... betrayed in a way, and it broke Chan’s heart. 

Chan hummed, tangling his fingers in Jeongin’s shirt as he felt his exhaustion slowly start to creep up on him again. “Because you didn’t want me to know yet,” he slurred out. “And I didn't want to hurt you.”

Jeongin laughed weakly. “Has anyone told you that you’re too nice, hyung?” he scolded, though Chan could hear how relieved he sounded even with has tired and out of it as he was. It made his chest warm. 

He huffed softly, unable to do much more than that as he replied, “I may have been told that... once or... twice.”

Jeongin gently started to shift them until Chan was lying more comfortably across his chest. “You should sleep, hyung,” he murmured. “You need your strength.”

Chan hummed his agreement. They needed all the strength they could get. “You... should eat, Innie,” he mumbled sleepily. “You... need strength... too...”

Jeongin murmured something in reply but Chan was already well on his way to unconsciousness. 

Chan couldn’t keep track of time, fading in and out of consciousness, slipping between bursts of sharp pain and bone-deep throbbing. Sometimes Jeongin was there and sometimes it was the hunters. Everything was just one big blur and Chan found himself wishing for it all just to end. 

In one moment of clarity, Chan noticed that he’d been left alone in what he’d dubbed the torture room. They didn’t even bother tying him down anymore since he could barely lift his non-broken arm. 

But he could lift it. 

Chan took the opportunity, digging in his pocket despite the stabbing pain it brought and pulled out his phone with shaking fingers. He nearly dropped it, just barely holding on. He knew that he probably didn’t have a lot of time— didn’t know how long he’d already been left alone. 

Chan pulled up his messages and clicked on the first contact in the list. The tricky part was dropping his location pin. It took a few tries and a couple of miss-clicks, no doubt spamming the receiver with random button smashed texts. It was also hard to see but he strained his limited vision, focusing on the blurs and where he knew the approximate location on the message app the ‘drop location’ button was until he saw a little map image pop up in the chat history. 

He sighed and roughly shoved his phone back in his pocket before any of the hunters returned, not wanting to find out what they’d do if they knew he’d possibly gotten a hold of someone. Chan thought he heard his phone vibrate in his pocket but he couldn’t be for sure and just hoped that whoever he’d texted had gotten his location and was sending help. 

Moments later, the door opened and the hunters came prowling back in, restarting Chan’s torture and he gratefully let the darkness consume him. 

It was raining on him when he woke up again and Chan, for one delirious moment, thought that maybe they’d made it, that someone had come to save them and they were outside. Then Jeongin’s teary face came into focus and he felt the vampire’s cold hand cupping his face. 

“Channie-hyung,” Jeongin sobbed— and god did Chan love hearing the vampire call him that. “What can I do?”

Chan released an unintelligible noise as he weakly leaned into Jeongin’s hands, grateful for the cool touch when his whole body felt inflamed. “‘m okay... Innie,” he choked out, his words barely anything more than a whisper. “Everything’s... gonna be... okay.”

Jeongin shifted to lay down next to Chan and carefully slipped his arm under Chan’s head, giving him something softer to lie on. “How can you say that?” he whispered scoldingly. “Hyung— they’re killing you. I can’t— I don't want to see you die.”

Chan didn’t want to die either but if it was between him and Jeongin, he’d rather it be him. He knew Jeongin was most likely older than him but he just seemed so young and Chan felt every protective bone in his body surge to take care of him in every moment. And even if he was older, Jeongin was still obviously new to his vampiric life— he was definitely the baby of his coven. 

And that was just it, wasn’t it? 

Jeongin had a coven, he had a people who would move heaven and earth for him and who would become inconsolable if he were to die. Chan had his hyungs but they weren’t his. They have always and would always be each other’s first; Chan was their kid, of course, and he knew they loved him but they also knew that he was human. That he’d never join them in their world— couldn’t— when he saw them as his parents. They were his hyungs but Jaebeom was also the closest thing he had to a father figure and none of them would ever be able to cross that boundary to pursue something more. 

And yes, Chan had started to think of Minho and his coven as his but that didn’t mean they saw him in the same light. He was just the human roommate they got stuck with for the year. To them, Chan knew that he was nothing more than a passing friend, someone who they would think back on from time to time and wonder where he was in life, if he had settled down, had kids, grew old... died. 

Compared to them, Chan’s life was just a moment in time. 

And he was okay with that.

“I’m tougher than I look,” he mumbled as he tried to give Jeongin a reassuring smile though he wasn’t sure how close to the mark he got. “And if I do... If I do die— Innie... I don’t... blame you.” Chan wanted Jeongin to know, more than anything, how much he cared for him, how much he didn’t want Jeongin to remember him with sadness. He didn’t want Jeongin to hold onto his memory with guilt. “But you should drink... a bit. One of us— one of us should... keep our strength up.”

He felt Jeongin shake his head frantically against his shoulder. “I can’t, hyung,” he exclaimed quietly. “You— you’ve already lost too much blood, I can’t take anymore.”

Chan took a deep breath, preparing himself. “I’m telling you to, Jeongin-ah,” he forced out all in one go, needing Jeongin to understand how important this was. He needed to help Jeongin. He could feel himself slowly fading and he didn’t want Jeongin to grow weaker with him. “Hyungs will come but you— you need to stay... strong until then.”

Jeongin pressed his nose to Chan’s neck, sniffling softly. “How can you be so sure, hyung?” 

“They left me alone for a bit,” he explained weakly, vision growing dark around the edges as he tried to keep talking. “We’re underground right now.... But... they took me... upstairs. Dropped— dropped my location to— to one of them... can’t remember who but... they know now. We just... gotta survive... until then.”

Jeongin nodded against his shoulder. “I can wait,” he whispered. “I can wait until they come for us. It’s not— it’s not bad yet, hyung.”

Chan reached up and patted Jeongin’s head weakly with his good arm, using his last remaining strength to comfort the other man. “Don’t want it to... to get bad.” 

“I’ll be okay, hyung,” Jeongin assured as he pressed another kiss to Chan’s neck but not biting down like Chan had been hoping for. “You should rest. I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

Chan sighed and let himself drift into that comforting darkness once more, making a promise to himself that he’d insist Jeongin eat the next time he woke up. 

Chan didn’t know how long they’d been there at this point, only that he had more open wounds than skin and that Jeongin could barely even crawl across the room to join Chan on the floor whenever the sick bastards decided they’d finished torturing him for the day. The vampire still refused to drink from Chan and he knew it was because Jeongin was too afraid of killing him if he did but, honestly, Chan was ready to die. All he knew was pain and he was just so tired. He was starting to worry that perhaps his message hadn’t sent but he had no idea how long ago he’d sent that message and to who, so he just kept hoping and praying that someone would come save them. 

Though he didn’t think he’d last much longer regardless. Chan could feel death closing in on him, and sometimes, when he was floating in that darkness, he could see his mom and dad, his little brother and sister standing by their sides, all of them waving to him invitingly. And he wanted to join them, to feel his mother’s embrace once more, but he couldn’t— not yet. Not until he knew Jeongin would be okay. Not until he had no other choice but to leave the sweet little vampire who still called him hyung even though he was probably decades older than him. 

Chan had to make sure Jeongin was okay first. 

He could feel himself being dragged back to their prison but for once he wasn’t thrown down onto the concrete like yesterday’s garbage. Instead he was propped up, the bastards forcing him on his knees despite the pain it brought him from his broken leg. 

Words were exchanged above his head but Chan couldn’t keep track of anything that was said. He just hoped that it’d be over soon. His wish came, but not in the way he was hoping. Chan’s stomach erupted in pain as something sharp embedded itself in the soft flesh before he was carelessly thrown onto the ground. He heard Jeongin scream above him... or maybe it was him, Chan wasn’t entirely sure anymore. 

What was scarier was how the pain was slowly fading. Chan knew it was because his body was shutting down. Blood was pooling around him and he absently thought that it wasn’t fair. How nothing was fair. And then he thought about how he could make at least something right.

Jeongin’s voice faded into his consciousness, reminding him that he wasn’t alone. “Hyung,” he sobbed. “I’m sorry, hyung. What— what can I do?”

Chan forced himself to open his eyes. Jeongin’s teary face hovered above him, fangs out on full display as he sobbed. “Drink,” he gasped. “You need... your strength.” 

He hoped that Jeongin would finally listen. Would finally understand that it was pointless refraining himself anymore. Chan was a goner, that much was obvious. But maybe Jeongin could make it out of this alive. “Hyung— you— that bastard stabbed you.” Chan felt a pressure on his stomach, not that it hurt him anymore and he was grateful that at least his final moments would be pain-free. That he could just stare up at Jeongin and be grateful that they’d made it this far together. That, in his last moments, he could finally be able to admit that he’d softened the heart of Yang Jeongin. 

“Someone’s... coming, Innie,” Chan gasped out, every word harder to push past his lips than the last but desperate to get Jeongin to see sense. He dropped his hand— and when had he even raised it?— to tangle in Jeongin’s shirt, clinging onto him weakly. “You just... need to stay— strong... until then.”

Jeongin only sobbed harder. “I can’t, hyung. You’re— you’re bleeding out and I— I won’t be able to stop.”

Chan felt himself nod though he felt a bit like his body was out of his hands at this point. “I know,” he admitted. “I’m— I’m not... gonna make it, Innie.”

Jeongin needed to hear it, no matter how much it hurt him. Chan was dying and Jeongin still had a chance— he had to. 

“Don’t say that!” Jeongin scolded as he pressed harder, making Chan unconsciously groan at the added pressure. “Don’t— you can’t leave me!” 

“Please,” Chan whispered. He couldn’t hold his eyelids open anymore and he knew that he was close. He had minutes, if he was lucky. “Let me... help you... one last time.“

He didn’t know how Jeongin responded, only that he eventually felt teeth press against his neck, words whispered against his skin seconds before he felt a sharp pain as Jeongin dug in. He sighed in relief. 

Jeongin would be okay now. The others were coming.

He could let go. 

Chapter Text

Jeongin couldn’t breathe. 

Everything felt like too much, pressing in around him on all sides, and Chan’s heartbeat was getting slower and slower and slower. With every beat, Jeongin felt like another little piece of himself died with Chan. He couldn’t— it couldn’t end like this. He shouldn’t have drank from Chan. He should have died with the human— with Chan.  

Because Chan— Chan didn’t deserve any of this but Jeongin... Jeongin was a monster. He wormed his way into Chan’s heart and then led him to his death. 

“No,” Jeongin moaned as he cradled Chan’s limp body against his own, rocking them back and forth in time with each shallow, staggering breath Chan took. “No, I’m sorry, hyung. I’m sorry. I— I didn’t mean to. Hyung— Don’t leave me, hyung... please, don’t leave me.”

Suddenly, he snarled, something foreign and feral taking over him as he bit into the palm of his hand with a desperate sob, spilling Chan’s blood once again. He didn’t even think about it— couldn’t think about it— as he pressed his bleeding hand to Chan’s neck. 

“Take it back,” he whimpered frantically, rocking faster and faster in his panic. “Take it back— please, hyung— take it back. Don’t— don’t die... please, don’t leave me, hyung— don’t leave me.” He sniffled, pressing his forehead to Chan’s. “I’m sorry... I’m sorry— Channie-hyung—”

He kept rocking, kept holding onto Chan, kept letting his stolen blood soak into Chan’s skin, kept begging for forgiveness from a dead man. 

Kept listening to Chan’s heartbeat. 

A heartbeat that, despite all odds, didn’t stop. It kept going and Jeongin could almost swear it was getting stronger but that didn’t make any sense. Chan was dying— he’d taken too much blood and Jeongin was far too young to be able to turn fledglings of his own. It was all in his head— it had to be. One last final, cruel trick from fate to make him hope. 

Suddenly, the door opened and Jeongin saw red, hissing at the bodies that flooded into the cell, tucking Chan closer to his chest as he snarled and snapped at the hands that reached for them.

No one was taking Chan from him. He would die with his hyung. He wouldn’t leave him— not again. Not ever. 

“Back up,” a voice Jeongin didn’t recognize murmured. This voice was much softer than the hunters, it almost sounded... sad. Jeongin couldn’t really tell and, frankly, he didn’t really care. 

“What’s going on?” And that was Minho— his Minho-hyung— and maybe Jeongin really was dying after all, because there was no way his hyung was there— no way his hyung had waited until Chan died before coming to save them. 

“He’s gone feral,” the other voice explained. And that didn’t make any sense. He was right there, he wasn’t feral. Chan was dead. That’s what had happened!

More words followed, gentle explanations that Jeongin didn’t try to understand as he growled at them again when the Not-Minho tried to approach him. 

“Don't get too close,” the other man warned which Jeongin couldn’t help but agree with. “We’re a threat to him in this state. It doesn’t matter that you’re his sire.”

“Then what do we do?” Not-Minho begged. He looked quite upset and like he’d been crying which Jeongin didn’t know how he’d imagined that seeing as he’d never seen Minho cry before— not this hard anyways. “They’re both— god, they need help.”

“We could try someone who won’t be a threat,” the other vampire said before glancing over at the others still standing in the mouth of the cell. Jeongin thought he could see a few other members of his own coven in the mix but that didn’t make any more sense than Minho being there either so he ignored them in favor of the two men that stepped forward. 

They were both crying, eyes fixed on Chan which Jeongin did not appreciate— Chan was his— but when he sniffed as they approached he could smell the human on them, like Chan. His Chan. His Chan that he’d just killed. 

“We’re not going to touch you,” one of the humans choked out between stifled sobs. “We just— we just want to check on Channie. Can we do that?”

Jeongin glared at the pair, eyeing how close they were to him and not liking it one bit but— but he’d already killed one human today... he didn’t want to kill another. “Look,” he grunted out, pressing his palm more firmly to Chan’s neck and feeling the steady heartbeat underneath his hand that made no sense. “He’s dead.”

The taller one took a cautious step forward. “Can we check? We won’t— we won’t take him from you, Jeongin-ah, we just need to know, okay?” 

The man reached towards Chan carefully and he snapped, snarling at the human as he pulled Chan’s body closer to his chest, shielding him as best he could. “Mine!” he hissed.

“Hyung,” the same man called over his shoulder shakily. “He won’t let us look for a pulse.”

“I can hear it. Chan-ah’s alive. I think they bonded— look at Jeongin’s hand. Chan’ll heal on his own if he did.”

“But we need to be sure,” Not-Minho insisted. Jeongin chanced a glance over at him and that... that really did look like Minho. “Because if he didn’t then Chan won’t last much longer.”

“Minho-ssi,” the vampire murmured. “Chan— Chan likely wouldn’t still be alive if they hadn’t.”

Jeongin nodded along with the strange man. Yes, Chan was dead. He killed him. It was all his fault. Jeongin murdered the one human who had shown him unending kindness. The one human who deserved this fate the least. 

“So what do we do now?”

The other vampire sighed and sank back against the far wall of their prison cell. “We wait,” he announced tiredly. “Feral states don’t tend to last long. He should come back to himself in a few hours.” 

Not-Minho grunted and slid down next to him, never taking his eyes off of Jeongin which set his teeth on edge. “And in the meantime, Jaebeom-ssi?”

“Keep reminding him who you are,” the other vampire— Jaebeom— said. “He probably is struggling to recognize you right now and he doesn’t know my coven well enough for any of us to help with bringing him back.”

Not-Minho nodded determinedly and started talking to Jeongin, telling him all of his favorite moments together. Other members of his coven started to chime in too, until all six of his mates were chatting and laughing softly around him as they reminisced. 

Jeongin didn’t contribute— couldn’t contribute— and instead just sat there, holding Chan’s mangled body and finding comfort in the steady beating of Chan’s heart under the palm of his hand. 

Changbin was in the middle of telling everyone a story of the first time Jeongin had stuffed his cheeks after turning, so excited that his teeth had finally retracted and allowed him to eat human food again that he had shoved three dinner rolls in his mouth at once. 

“That was the first time you called me your baby bread,” Jeongin mumbled, blinking away the tears at the memory of Changbin cradling his face and calling him cute. Slowly, he raised his eyes to meet each member of his coven’s, not bothering to stop the tears that welled in his eyes and slipped down his cheeks. “You’re really here, aren’t you?” he begged weakly as he finally met Minho’s eyes. “You came for us? Just like Channie promised?”

Minho’s own eyes were filled with tears of his own as he nodded. “Of course we did, sweetheart. We will always come for you.” Minho shifted, moving as if he wanted to come closer before stopping himself. “Baby? Can hyung touch you now? Can I make sure you’re both okay?”

Jeongin nodded weakly, though he didn’t let go of Chan to reach for his sire like he wanted to. “Hyung,” he whined softly, the only permission Minho needed before the older vampire was across the room and kneeling in front of them. 

Minho reached out and cupped Jeongin’s cheeks, using the pads of his thumbs to gently brush away his tears. “Everything is okay now, baby. Everything is going to be okay.”

“They stabbed him, hyung,” Jeongin sobbed as he shook his head weakly, shifting his gaze down to Chan’s still form in his arms. “They hurt him so bad. I— I couldn’t stop it. He— he was dying. He— he asked me to— to...”

“Chan-ah’s okay too, love,” Minho promised. “Listen to his heart, Innie. It’s still beating because of you.”

Jeongin sniffled and pressed his nose to Chan’s bruised cheek as he listened to the strong, steady thrumming in Chan’s chest, even his breathing sounded stronger, though still not good. “I don’t understand, hyung,” he mumbled, not bothering to pull away from Chan. “I killed him. I— I drained him.”

“You bonded to him,” another man said. It forced Jeongin to look up only to frown at the vague recognition he felt. A few moments later he was able to place where he knew the man and grew even more confused because why was Lim Jaebeom of Vampbites in his prison cell with them? 

He had only talked to the man a few times and he was very kind and generous but they weren’t close by any means. And Jaebeom wasn’t close to any of his hyungs either so Jeongin really didn’t understand. Until he remembered something Hyunjin had told him a while back— that he suspected that Chan had vampires in his life that he was close to. At first he assumed it was Soobin but... Was this the vampire Chan was close to? 

Jealousy surged in his chest as he unconsciously tucked Chan closer to his chest which only made Jaebeom chuckle. “I won’t take him from you,” he promised gently. “But we do need to get the both of you out of here.” He then turned to Minho. “I held the police off as long as I could, but they’re insisting on investigating now that Jeongin is awake. They did say that they won’t need statements from either of the kids though since the sick bastards recorded everything.”

Jeongin shivered and nodded his head. “I wanna leave,” he whispered. “Please.”

“Of course, baby,” Minho murmured as he pet back Jeongin’s oily bangs. “Can Jaebeom carry Chan-ah so I can pick you up?”

He frowned, tightening his grip before shaking his head. He didn’t know Jaebeom well enough— couldn’t trust the man with Chan. Though, if he were honest with himself, he didn’t know if he could pass Chan off to anyone despite knowing that there was no way he’d be able to carry the human— Was he still even human? What had Jeongin done to him?— out himself. 

“What about me, Innie?” Changbin offered hesitantly. “You trust me with Channie, don’t you?”

Changbin was an option... Changbin took care of Chan all the time. And Jeongin knew how close they’d grown over the last few months. He’d be safe with Changbin. “You’ll give him back?” he asked weakly, fingers clenching and unclenching around Chan as he tried to cope with the idea of letting Chan out of his arms when he was so vulnerable.

“As soon as we’re in the van, baby,” Changbin promised sincerely. 

Jaebeom nodded next to him. “You’re the best medicine for Chan-ah right now, Jeongin-ssi. The more contact you two have the faster he’ll heal. But you two can’t heal down here anymore.”

Jeongin didn’t really understand but nodded nonetheless, tensing when Changbin approached. Letting go of Chan was painful and Jeongin couldn’t suppress the whine that escaped his lips once the human was fully in Changbin’s arms. 

“You’re okay, baby,” Minho murmured as he carefully picked up Jeongin and cradled him to his chest. “You’re both okay now.”

They made an odd procession as the two covens made their way up the stairs and out into the sunlight. Jeongin flinched and hid his face into Minho’s chest the second they were outside. He was already sensitive to the sunlight on a good day, but after being locked in darkness for so long it was even more painful. 

Minho cooed comfortingly to him as he hurried his steps and soon he was being sat down again somewhere warm and dark and foreign smelling. Seconds later, Chan was being laid out on the rest of the seat, his head in Jeongin’s lap. Minho carefully slipped under Chan’s legs and braced his lower body as the car began to move. Jeongin didn’t really care about all of that, however, since the moment he was touching Chan again all of the energy seemed to zap out of him. 

“Rest, sweetheart,” Minho cooed, reaching around the back of the van’s seats to brace Jeongin’s head with his arm, giving him something to lean against. “It’s a long drive home. Hyung’s got you.”

That was all the permission Jeongin needed to finally drift off properly for the first time since they’d been taken, trusting in his coven to take care of them. 

He was startled awake when his world tilted, only for Minho to gently shush him, reassuring him that he was safe and that they were home. 

“Channie,” Jeongin whined, reaching out and grasping into the air for the human that he couldn’t feel any longer. 

“Bin-ah just took him inside,” Minho reassured. “Exactly where I’m taking you.”

Jeongin huffed and redirected his arms to grapple at Minho instead, clumsily holding onto him as his sire carried him up the dim stairs. He chanced a glance outside as they moved past one of the landings and was shocked to see that it was now dark outside which meant that the hunters must have taken Chan and Jeongin much farther away than they’d ever suspected. It was no wonder it took the coven so long to get to them. 

The second Jeongin was laid down in Minho’s bed with Chan, the last of the tension finally uncoiled in his chest and he breathed a sigh of relief as he carefully tucked Chan against his chest. 

Minho gently settled down on the edge of the bed, reaching out to comb his fingers through first Jeongin’s hair and then Chan’s. “You know,” he mused, sounding vaguely amused though he couldn’t hide the distress in his voice either. “This wasn’t how I thought we’d go about inviting Chan-ah into the coven.”

“He already knew about us, hyung,” Jeongin mumbled as he pressed his cheek to the top of Chan’s head. 

“I’m aware,” Minho murmured with a soft chuckle, his eyes were filled with so much gentle adoration when he gazed down at the pair of them that it physically hurt Jeongin to witness such tenderness directed at him. “He wasn’t as subtle as he thought he was.”

Jeongin pouted even as he nuzzled closer to Chan. “I didn’t know,” he grumbled. 

Minho just smiled and wrapped his fingers around Jeongin’s wrist, squeezing lightly. Moments later, Felix came in with a mug cradled between his hands. 

“I brought you some blood,” he whispered, sounding close to tears. It wasn’t surprising that this whole incident hit Felix hard. His hyung had the biggest heart out of all of them and loved everyone with every ounce of it. 

Jeongin smiled but made no move to accept the mug. With one hand being held by Minho and the other cradling Chan, he didn’t exactly have spare hands to take it with, and besides, Jeongin didn’t think he was strong enough to even hold a mug without spilling. Felix seemed to understand this because he made his way over to the bed without prompting, settling on Chan’s other side carefully before slowly bringing the mug to Jeongin’s lips. 

He practically moaned at the taste of the warm blood on his tongue, drinking it down as fast as Felix would let him. Once it was all gone, Jeongin felt sleep start to set in once again. With Minho on one side, Felix on the other, and Chan draped over his chest, Jeongin felt almost content enough to sleep for a week. 

Almost. 

Because now that he was back to himself again nothing really made sense and before he could rest, Jeongin needed to know— at least enough to know that Chan would be alright. “What is he?” he asked as he settled his head on Minho’s shoulder once his sire had laid down next to him properly. “Chan-hyung— what did I do to him?”

“You bonded to him,” Minho stated plainly. “You shared your blood with one another willingly and now— now you two are connected to each other. Permanently.”

“But I didn’t turn him?” Jeongin mumbled. “I don't get it.”

“You shared your life with him,” another voice piped up from the doorway, startling Jeongin. “Kim Yugyeom,” he introduced himself as he took another step into the room, eyes fixed on Chan even as he spoke to Jeongin. “He’s still human, still needs food and sleep and will bleed if he gets hurt, but his life is now connected to yours. As long as you’re alive, he’ll heal from any injury or sickness, he won’t age— he’ll be twenty-five for as long as you are. And in that same regard, his blood will heal you, and by extension your coven, better than any other blood now. You’ll be able to go longer between feedings when you drink from him and you’ll be stronger when Chan-ah’s blood runs through your veins.”

Jeongin frowned and rubbed his cheek against the top of Chan’s head. “So, he’s... he’ll be okay?” he whispered weakly, closing his eyes as exhaustion hit him like a freight train. 

“In time,” Yugyeom assured gently. “He— it looks like he’s been through a lot and— and without being able to fully assess his injuries I don’t— we won’t know how long it’ll take before he even wakes up but— but as long as you’re alive, Jeongin-ssi, Chan-ah will be alright.”

Jeongin could barely nod his head in understanding as sleep started to overtake him. He had his reassurance that Chan would be alright— that he saved him... somehow— and that was enough for Jeongin to allow his tired body to rest. Minho pressed a kiss to the crown of his head and that was all the assurance he needed to finally drop off once more.

The next time Jeongin opened his eyes he actually took notice of the room he was in. The first thing he picked up on was that they hadn’t returned to their dorm like he’d initially thought. They were back in the manor, in the house that Jeongin had spent weekends at, playing in the garden growing up and in the same house that he’d been turned in and spent his first fledgling year in before the coven had brought up the idea of going back to university and moving into the dorms to help Jeongin with getting used to humans after he’d nearly killed their human caretaker. 

He was in Minho’s bedroom— which was actually just the whole coven’s bedroom since everyone typically piled on top of each other in Minho’s oversized bed whenever they were at the manor. 

Jeongin had missed this place— the warmth and familiarity of it all— and something in his chest settled when he finally fully realized that he was home. 

The second thing he noticed was that Chan was no longer on his chest and he shot out of bed instantaneously at that realization. His chest and the sheets were still warm, a good sign that Chan hadn’t been taken far but that didn’t change the fact that Chan wasn’t here and Jeongin knew that nothing good happened to his hyung when they were separated. 

He limped out of the room as fast as he could, desperate to track down Chan’s scent before something bad happened to his human, bracing himself against the wall as he made his way down the hall. 

“Innie?” Seungmin exclaimed as he rounded the corner, immediately rushing over to the other vampire to help support him. “What are you doing out of bed?”

“Chan—” Jeongin gasped out, weakly struggling to escape his mate’s hold only for Seungmin to gently sweep him off his feet and carry him back to Minho’s bedroom. 

“The hyungs took him to the bathroom to clean him up a bit,” he murmured. “He woke up while you were still sleeping. He’s in the en suite, baby. The hyungs didn’t take him far. They just wanted to wash the blood off of him and check out his injuries.” Seungmin carefully laid Jeongin back down on the bed and threw one of their heavy comforters over his body in a silent plea for the younger vampire to stay put. “We cleaned you up while you were still passed out,” Seungmin continued as he perched himself on the edge of the mattress next to Jeongin’s hip and pushed his hair out of his face. “But no one felt comfortable doing the same to Channie without his permission.”

Jeongin swallowed. Seungmin made sense and he knew he could trust his mate to tell him the truth, but he still felt unsettled and anxious with Chan out of sight. “I need to see him,” he breathed out desperately, grasping Seungmin’s fingers and squeezing tightly. “Please, hyung.”

Seungmin sighed and glanced at the door to their en suite bathroom before returning his gaze to Jeongin apprehensively. “You’re just going to try to keep getting to him if I don’t take you, aren’t you?” he asked, sighing again when Jeongin just nodded his head determinedly. “Fine, but I’m throwing you under the bus when Minho-hyung gets upset that you’re out of bed.”

That was fine with Jeongin. He’d deal with a thousand angry sires if it meant he could see Chan again— see that he was okay. Seungmin carefully pulled back the covers and helped Jeongin up before turning around and motioning for the younger vampire to get on his back. Jeongin did so, breathing a sigh of relief once he was off his feet as Seungmin made his way to the bathroom door. 

He knocked on the door softly, waiting for Jisung’s soft acknowledgement before opening the door and entering. Jeongin hooked his chin over Seungmin’s shoulder as his eyes immediately focused on Chan. His hyung was in their obscenely large bathtub, leaning back against Minho’s chest as Hyunjin carefully scrubbed down his bruised and battered body. Jeongin couldn’t stop the whine from bubbling past his lips as he finally saw the full damage done to his human. 

“I’m okay, Innie,” Chan rasped, cracking an eye open as he shot Jeongin a weak smile. “It looks worse than it is.”

Minho growled softly and gently pushed Chan’s hair out of his eyes. “It most definitely is as bad as it looks,” he scolded. “Which is why you aren’t lifting a finger.”  

Chan’s lips crooked up in an amused grin as he let his eye slip closed again. “I’m alive,” he mumbled sleepily. “So... not as bad as it could’a been.”

Jeongin sniffled quietly and pressed his face into Seungmin’s shoulder though he quickly lifted his head back up to keep Chan in his sight— even if his vision was a little blurry. 

“How’re you holding up, Innie?” Chan pressed on, prying one eye open again to examine Jeongin as best he could. 

“He should be in bed,” Minho replied firmly for Jeongin, to which the younger vampire promptly pretended like he never even heard him. 

“‘m okay, hyung,” Jeongin mumbled as he watched Hyunjin rinse the suds from Chan’s body before draining the murky water and refilling it with fresh, clean water. “Just... happy to see you.”

Chan smiled again as he raised his head from Minho’s shoulder for a few seconds before letting it flop back down. “You have no idea how glad I am to see you too, Innie,” he promised, settling something deep in Jeongin’s chest that he hadn’t even known was out of place. 

“I’d be much happier if my fledgling was resting in bed,” Minho grumbled as he pressed a kiss to Chan’s temple. “Innie, you’ve seen Chan-ah is alright now. Can you please let Seungmin take you back to bed? We’ll only be a few more minutes and then we’ll bring Channie right back to you.”

Jeongin frowned at his sire, briefly peeling his eyes away from Chan’s form to glare at the older vampire behind him. “No,” he huffed before returning his gaze to Chan without elaborating further. 

“Innie,” Seungmin murmured, his lips tickling the shell of Jeongin’s ear. “You really shouldn’t be out of bed yet. Chan-ah’s with our coven, baby. You know he’ll be safe with them.”

Jeongin did know this. He wasn’t, however, feeling overly rational at the moment and no amount of reassurances were going to give him enough peace of mind to let his hyung leave his sight. He shook his head and watched as Chan shot him a sad but understanding smile. 

“Why don’t you just keep the door open?” Chan suggested tiredly as he rested his bruised cheek delicately against Minho’s collarbone. “Then Innie can still kinda see what’s going on.”

Minho raised his eyebrow at Jeongin, silently asking him whether that was an acceptable compromise. And Jeongin let himself think about it— actually think about it— before hesitantly nodding his head. It wasn’t a perfect solution, and Jeongin would much rather have Chan in his arms, but at least it was better than nothing and Jeongin couldn’t exactly deny that even the short trek to the bathroom had already tired him out— and he hadn’t even had to walk.  

“Okay,”  he mumbled softly, keeping his eyes trained on Chan as he watched for any uneasiness in his human’s expression but Chan just kept up his small, gentle smile and nodded once to Jeongin. “If you’re sure, Channie-hyung.”

“I’m sure,” Chan murmured softly. “I trust your coven.”

Minho chuckled fondly and pressed another kiss to Chan’s temple before helping him to tilt his head back so that Hyunjin could start rinsing his hair. “We’re your coven now too, Chan-ah,” he corrected gently, as though afraid of upsetting Chan. 

Chan just nodded and smiled up at Minho. “Right,” he mumbled as his eyes fluttered closed in his clear exhaustion. “You promised to explain that.”

“And I will,” Minho assured as he glanced over to Jeongin who had finally allowed Seungmin to slowly start backing out of the room and towards the bed once more. “Once you’re both tucked back into bed I’ll explain everything I know.”

Jeongin sighed in relief when his back finally met the mattress once more, though he quickly adjusted himself to peer into the bathroom. He couldn't see much of Chan directly, but at least he could hear them and watch Hyunjin’s back as he cared for his human. 

Soon enough, Hyunjin drained the tub for the last time and he and Jisung carefully lifted Chan out of the bath with Minho supporting him from underneath. They carefully carried Chan out into the bedroom and laid him down on the bed next to Jeongin before drying him off and helping him into a pair of boxers. Then Minho and Jisung started the arduous process of re-bandaging Chan and helping him fit his broken limbs back into slings and braces. 

“The brakes are healing well,” Minho assured when he caught Jeongin’s worried eyes. “They still need support and Jaebeom-ssi warned us that it’ll still be a few weeks before you’re fully healed but that you’re healing well, Chan-ah, especially considering everything your body was put through.”

“Hyung was here?” Chan asked, seemingly only having picked up on that one part of Minho’s explanation. 

“And he’ll be back,” Minho promised as he gently brushed Chan’s bangs out of his eyes. “They’ve been here every day.”

Jeongin frowned and laced his fingers with Chan’s, grateful that his hyungs had laid Chan down with his unbroken hand closest towards him. “How long have we been out?” he asked wearily. 

Minho sighed and reached across Chan to cup Jeongin’s cheek. “Nearly a week now,” he admitted reluctantly. “I was starting to get worried, if I’m honest.”

“How long— how long were we...” Chan started swallowing thickly as he squeezed Jeongin’s hand as hard as he could, which was, admittedly, not very strong at all. 

“Just under a week,” Minho admitted guiltily. Jeongin knew his sire and he knew that Minho must have taken their abduction hard— especially since Jeongin was his fledgling. “By the time we realized you were missing it was— there was no trace of you anywhere. We tried to trace your cell phones but it wasn’t until— until Chan-ah texted Changbin that we were able to locate you.”

Hyunjin rolled his eyes as he carefully draped himself along the bed on Jeongin’s free side before gently scratching the younger vampire’s scalp soothingly. “We shouldn’t have contacted the police,” he added, looking thoroughly annoyed at the memory. “They made rescuing you two so much more difficult.”

Minho sighed again and shook his head as he settled on Chan’s free side, careful not to disrupt any of his injuries in the process. “It was necessary,” he argued— clearly this was not the first time they had this conversation. “We didn’t know what we were walking into and we wouldn’t have been much help to Jeongin and Chan if we’d gotten ourselves killed.”

“I’m glad you got the police,” Chan added softly as he pressed his cheek into Minho’s hands when the vampire gently pet his face. “I wouldn’t have wanted anything to happen to you.”

Jeongin huffed and released Chan’s hand in order to scoot closer to him despite Hyunjin trying to gently keep him in place. He tucked his arm under Chan’s head and cuddled in close to him, breathing in his scent desperately. He didn’t understand the sudden urge but he wasn’t about to fight it, especially since Chan seemed to melt once he was in his arms, breathing a sigh of relief.

“You two should get some more sleep,” Minho suggested softly as he gently tucked the comforter around the pair of them. 

“But you promised— you promised to explain... things,” Chan mumbled out, his words getting jumbled by the yawn that snuck past his lips. 

“And I will,” Minho soothed gently. “But you’re exhausted, Channie. I’ll wake you up to eat again in a few hours and we can talk then, okay? But for now you two should really rest.”

Jeongin nodded as he pressed his face into Chan’s neck. “You’ll stay?” he asked, though to be honest it sounded more like a statement rather than a question. “Gotta... keep hyung safe.”

Hyunjin cooed softly, leaning over to press a kiss to Jeongin’s cheek which he grumbled at, releasing a quiet growl that made Chan giggle tiredly. 

“We’ll stay and keep watch, Innie,” Minho promised. “You and Chan-ah are safe.”

Jeongin huffed and pressed his mouth to Chan’s neck, his lips meeting the raised scar tissue where his teeth had sunk into the human’s flesh. It made guilt swell uncomfortably in his chest at the reminder of what he had done to Chan but another part of him, the primal, slightly feral, part of him, practically purred at the obvious claim he’d put on his human. Jeongin still didn’t really understand the finer details of what, exactly, he’d done to Chan, Yugyeom’s explanation nothing more than a blurry haze tucked away into a corner of his consciousness. 

What Jeongin did know was that Chan was his now and that he was alive and safe— his coven would keep his human safe when he couldn’t now that they were all back together. Not that he had any plans of letting Chan out of his sight ever again. Even closing his eyes to sleep was proving to be more difficult than he expected, his eyes continuously flickering back down to Chan’s chest as he watched the other man’s steady breaths enter and exit his body. 

Hyunjin gently took Jeongin’s hand and laid it on top of Chan’s chest and sleep came a bit easier after that, the gentle thrumming of Chan’s heartbeat soothing him to sleep faster than he would have thought possible.

Chapter Text

Jeongin woke to a stranger’s voice. Chan was, thankfully, still in his arms and chatting softly with someone else who’s voice Jeongin didn’t recognize. He growled, tucking Chan closer to his chest as he cracked his eyes open to glare at the intruder. 

The man sitting in the chair next to their bed was decidedly not one of his mates and the knowledge that he was essentially left alone with Chan made his metaphorical hackles rise. 

“Innie,” Chan called gently, reaching up with his good hand to pet Jeongin’s cheek. “This is Jackson-hyung. He’s okay. He’s one of mine.”

“Mine,” Jeongin growled, eyes still fixed on the now-named Jackson.

Jackson just laughed and nodded his head. “Man, I forgot how territorial new bonds could get.”

That made Chan giggle even as he nuzzled under Jeongin’s chin, pulling a barely-there purr from the vampire. “Were Jaebeom-hyung and Jinyoung-hyung like this too?” He asked cheerfully. 

“Worse,” Jackson disclosed sagely. “So much worse.”

Jeongin frowned as their words passed over him, still trying to reconcile with the knowledge that there was a stranger in his nest. But, the more he watched Jackson, the more familiar he appeared. “I know you,” he mumbled even as he glared at Jackson, much to the other vampire’s amusement. 

“You do,” Jackson replied with a nod of his head. “We aren’t close but we have spoken before. I talked you into buying the chocolate lava blood cake last month.”

“That was good,” he mumbled, pressing his lips to Chan’s neck as he breathed in his hyung’s scent. “One of my favorites.”

Jackson laughed. “That one’s Chan-ah’s recipe,” he whispered, smirking like he was revealing a juicy secret. “He created it himself.”

Jeongin hummed, frowning as he tried to put the pieces together. “You work at Vampbites, hyung?” he asked. 

Chan nodded and squeezed Jeongin’s hand. “Sorry I didn’t tell you,” he murmured guiltily, making Jeongin frown again before nipping Chan’s neck softly in reprimand, though he was careful not to break the skin. 

“You were being nice,” he scolded. “You didn’t tell me because you knew I wasn’t ready to hear it.” He then turned his attention back to Jackson, weary of taking his eyes off of the unfamiliar vampire for too long. “So you’re one of Channie-hyung’s mysterious hyungs?”

Jackson cackled, throwing himself back in his chair as he slapped his knee. “Chan-ah,” he crowed between laughs. “I knew you were keeping us a secret but not even giving us names?”

Chan whined and turned his head to bury it into Jeongin’s chest to the best of his ability with the limited mobility he had. “I didn’t mean to,” he grumbled. “Just... no one asked so I didn’t say anything either.”

“I didn’t think they were real,” he huffed as he combed his fingers through Chan’s hair. “Or, well... I thought that they might be... bad.”

“Bad?” Chan asked aghast. “What could have given you that idea?”

Jeongin shrugged halfheartedly. “I don't know,” he mumbled. “The way you moved in and— and that burn on your arm... and you’re just— you’re too nice. I wouldn’t have been surprised if someone took advantage of that.”

“Were you worried about me?” Chan teased. Even though Jeongin couldn’t see his face in their current position, he could still hear the smile stretched across his lips. 

“No,” he bit out even as he hid his face in Chan’s hair to hide from Jackson’s knowing and amused eyes.

Chan giggled softly but didn’t press Jeongin, nuzzling his cheek against the vampire’s chest as he restarted his conversation with Jackson happily. Seeing Chan so comfortable with Jackson eased some of the tightness in Jeongin’s chest and allowed him to relax just a bit. A part of him still didn’t trust Jackson enough to take his eyes off of him but he didn’t feel as tense as when he’d first woke up and was therefore happy to just listen to the two older men chat. 

He found himself tucking his nose to Chan’s neck as they talked, getting more and more lost in his human’s scent until suddenly the door to their bedroom opened and Jeongin practically threw himself upright, on guard once more as the door opened fully and Minho walked in with a tray in hand. 

Jeongin deflated like a balloon at seeing his sire, pressing his cheek to the side of Chan’s head in relief. 

“Time for breakfast,” Minho announced as he brought the tray over to the bed and set it down on the nightstand before reaching over to help Jeongin sit up properly. 

Jackson got up to help Chan in the same manner but froze when Jeongin snarled at him. “Ah, maybe you should help Channie, Minho-yah,” he said with a laugh, completely unbothered by Jeongin’s hostility. 

Jeongin swallowed down the next growl and shook his head. “No,” he choked out. “It’s— it’s fine. You’re his— you’re his hyung.” 

“Your reactions are normal, Jeongin-ah,” Jackson reassured as he backed away a few paces. “Channie-yah is a new member of your coven and your bondmate, at that. No one is surprised or offended by your possessiveness.”

Jeongin didn’t respond— didn’t really know what to say, if he was honest— and even if Jackson’s words comforted him some, guilt still bubbled uncomfortably in his stomach. He didn’t want Chan’s hyungs to hate him because he couldn’t control his reactions. And while they allowed it now, Jeongin feared what they would do if he growled at them one too many times. Would they take his hyung away? Deem him unfit to be around their friend?

Just the thought alone turned Jeongin’s stomach and he unconsciously tangled his fingers with Chan’s. His human gently squeezed his hand back and shot him a reassuring smile as Minho helped him sit up properly as well. Jackson was sitting back in the chair next to the bed when Jeongin forced himself to look away from Chan once again. 

His attention was quickly caught, however, by Minho holding out a steaming mug for him to take. He did so, breathing in the scent of blood and chocolate before taking a deep gulp. 

“Hot chocolate?” he asked, cocking his head in confusion. Minho, while a great cook, had never tried his hand at cooking with blood since it could be so finicky and he didn’t want to waste blood on something that could ruin it if he did it wrong.

“Mark-ssi taught me how to make it,” his sire confessed as he set a tray on Chan’s lap before picking up the chopsticks and feeding their human himself instead of letting him do it. 

Chan looked ready to protest but something on Minho’s face had him swallowing his words and accepting the rice without a fuss. They ate in relative silence and once they were both done, Minho cleared their dishes, leaving them alone with Jackson for a few minutes before coming back and sitting down on Chan’s open side. He wrapped his arm around Chan’s waist and carefully maneuvered him so that he was resting against his chest. 

Jeongin followed his movements and curled against Chan’s other side, though he was careful to not put pressure on any of his human’s injuries in the process. 

“When you drained Chan-ah,” Minho started wearily, eyes fixed on Jeongin as he watched for his reaction. “You bonded to him. It’s not something widely done anymore but it’s not anything bad.”

Jeongin unconsciously slipped his fingers between Chan’s and squeezed. Chan squeezed them back, shooting Jeongin a reassuring smile that eased some of the tension in his chest. “I offered you my blood,” Chan continued, seemingly already knowing where this explanation was headed. “In order to bond with a human it’s an exchange of blood that’s willingly given.”

That made Jeongin frown. “But... we didn’t know that was what we were doing?” he asked. “I’m not— I’m glad you’re still alive but I don’t... I don’t understand how.”

“Chan-ah gave you his blood to save you,” Jackson said as he took over the explanation. “He may not have given you his blood with the intention of bonding but he did give it willingly. And when we found you, you had bitten your hand open and appeared to be trying to give his blood back. You unintentionally completed the bond by doing that.”

“Chan-ah is your bondmate now,” Minho continued. “Which means he’s also a part of our coven.”

Jackson laughed and shook his head. “Stole our kid from us,” he teased. “We were planning on offering him the bite when he finished college.”

Chan smiled and shook his head. “Don’t make Jeongin feel bad,” he scolded fondly. “I’m not upset with this outcome and neither are you.”

Jackson grinned. “You’re not wrong,” he confessed cheerfully. “You kept my boy alive, Jeongin-ah. And now I know he’ll always be safe. Channie can be painfully independent at times so him having a coven of his own is a relief.” 

“Hyung,” Chan bemoaned as he tucked his face into Minho’s shoulder. 

“I’m not wrong,” he teased. “I’m grateful my baby has more people looking out for him now.”

“Your lives are now entangled,” Minho pressed on as he redirected the conversation. “Chan-ah will live for as long as you do.” 

Jackson nodded. “Once Channie’s healed more, the rest of your coven can bond to him too, if they wish. We’re technically all bonded to both of our humans though the initial bond will always be the strongest.”

“What does it do?” Minho asked. “If we were all to bond to Chan?”

“It’d give me more protection,” Chan murmured. “My life would be tied to everyone I bonded with instead of just Jeongin. And I’d be able to pull from all of you to heal.”

Minho nodded determinedly. “Then we’ll definitely do that,” he said assuredly. 

Jeongin had to swallow down his growl at the idea of someone else— even if it was his coven— bonding with his human. Minho seemed to see his inner conflict and just chuckled. 

“Don’t worry, baby,” he cooed. “We won’t take your human from you.”

Both Chan and Jeongin whined at that which only made Jackson and Minho laugh brighter. 

“The possessiveness will fade in a few days,” Jackson reassured once he’d stopped laughing. 

“Like Jinyoung-hyung and Jaebeom-hyung?” Chan deadpanned which made Jackson laugh again.

Jeongin, who wasn’t in on the joke, just frowned at the pair and tucked his nose to Chan’s cheek, breathing in Chan’s scent and trying to convince himself that he wasn’t being made fun of as he processed everything he had learned. 

Chan was his now. For forever. 

Guilt churned uneasily in his stomach at that thought. He had essentially done what his kidnappers had wanted him to do in the first place— he took Chan’s life— but instead of killing him and sending his soul onto his next life, Jeongin had tethered Chan to him. He’d stolen Chan’s life and freedom. He’d made Chan his slave. 

“Hey,” Chan whispered in his ear with a gentle nudge to his shoulder as he broke Jeongin from his rampaging thoughts. “Whatever’s going on in your head... it’s not true, okay?”

Jeongin released a pained, choked off laugh. “Can you read my mind now too?” he asked a bit hysterically. “Is that a part of our bond?”

Chan giggled softly and shook his head, the tips of his hair tickling the side of Jeongin’s face in the process. “No,” he sang softly. “You’re just really easy to read. I’m not upset with you, I want you to know that, okay? I always knew that this was a possibility, maybe I didn’t consciously offer you my blood with the expectation of a bond, but it’s honestly the best thing that could have come out of everything that we’ve been through. I’m thankful you completed our bond and let me become a part of you.”

Jeongin shuddered at the stark reminder that Chan was his. “But I— I tied you to me,” he stuttered out, hating that his mouth was moving to convince Chan of his wrongdoing without his brain’s say-so. “You’re— you’re basically my slave or something.”

“Do you plan on treating me like one?” Chan asked plainly, making Jeongin flinch. 

“No,” he hissed in horror, pulling back slightly so that he could look directly into Chan’s eyes to communicate his sincerity. “I would never.”

“Then I’m not a slave,” Chan replied easily with a nonchalant shrug of his good shoulder. “This is a symbiotic relationship, Jeongin-ah. I gain just as much— if not more than— you do. So unless you decide to suddenly keep me prisoner I think I’ll be fine. Besides, it’s not like Jaebeom-hyung’s or your coven would let you do that in the first place.”

Jeongin huffed and leaned in to press his cheek to the top of Chan’s head once again. “They’re yours too,” he grumbled halfheartedly. At Chan’s confused hum, he elaborated. “They’re your coven too,” he explained. “Even though they had no say in it.”

A gentle thwack ot the back of his head startled Jeongin so badly that he flinched as he glanced up at Minho glaring down at him. He had honestly forgotten that they weren’t alone in the bedroom and immediately tried to find where Jackson was only to see that the man had left at some point. “We aren’t upset with you either,” Minho scolded firmly. “We were headed towards inviting Chan-ah to join our coven anyways. You just took the express route.” He bent down and nipped at the tip of Jeongin’s nose, making him start to pull away only to remember that Chan was between them and if he moved too abruptly he could hurt his human. He froze and was forced to let Minho complete the motion while Chan giggled between them. 

Minho grinned triumphantly and shifted to press a quick kiss to Chan’s cheek before getting up. “I’m going to check on the rest of the coven,” he declared. “They’re far too rowdy to be left alone for too long. I’ll try to keep at least some of them at bay so that you aren’t bombarded with all five of them at once but don’t be surprised if the door caves in.”

Once they were alone, Jeongin sighed and pressed his cheek to the top of Chan’s head. “I’m sorry,” he murmured into the human’s hair. 

“I’m not upset with you,” Chan reassured softly. “Whatever you think you need to apologize for— you don’t. You saved my life, Innie. And I don’t mind being bound to you, you’re quite sweet now that you aren’t trying to keep me at arms length.”

Jeongin whined and turned his face to press his nose into Chan’s hair instead, futilely trying to hide from the older man. “I was so mean to you,” he bemoaned, only to have Chan laugh brightly. 

“You weren’t as mean as you thought you were,” Chan teased. “Your eyes always give you away.”

“Don’t tease me, hyung,” he grumbled halfheartedly, secretly enjoying how nice it was to joke around with Chan. 

Chan giggled and patted Jeongin’s thigh. “You know you don’t have to keep calling me ‘hyung,’ right?” he replied lightly. “You can just call me Chan. We don’t need to keep up the farce of me being the older one between the two of us any more.”

Jeongin whined again and ducked his head in embarrassment. “It’s not a farce,” he whispered so quietly that Chan had to ask him to repeat himself. “It’s not a farce,” he repeated a bit louder. “You’re— you’re actually a year older than me.”

Chan forced Jeongin to release him slightly so that he could turn his head to face Jeongin with wide eyes. “I really am your hyung?” he breathed, looking amazed. 

Jeongin nodded guiltily. “You’re a year older than me. I was only turned a few years ago.”

“I’m still your hyung,” he whispered happily. “What about the others?” 

That made Jeongin laugh as he shook his head. “They’re a bunch of ajussies,” he confessed cheerfully, which made Chan laugh as well. “We’re the only ones that look our age.”

“Hey, I still feel like I’m twenty-three,” Jisung interrupted, bursting the quiet bubble Jeongin and Chan had gotten themselves lost in. Jisung grinned at the pair of them as he stepped into the room. “It’s nice to see you both awake and talking for a change.”

He climbed onto the end of the bed and reached out to gently squeeze both of their ankles, leaving his hand resting on them as though to reassure himself that they really were still there in front of him. 

It was only a few moments before the door opened again and Felix and Hyunjin let themselves into the room, the two of them climbing onto the bed to bracket either side of Chan and Jeongin. 

“How are you two feeling?” Hyunjin asked as he combed his fingers through Jeongin’s hair and pressed a kiss to his temple. Felix was giving Chan the same level of attention on his other side and Jeongin couldn’t help but reach out to thread their fingers together again, silently showing his claim on their human. 

“Much better,” Chan confessed as he squeezed Jeongin’s had back. “Bonded healing is no joke.”

“Clearly,” Felix agreed as he carefully inspected Chan’s bandages. “You look better than when we first brought you home. Still look like a punching bag, mind you, but at least you don’t look like you’re going to snap if we hold you.”

Chan ducked his head in embarrassment and Jeongin leaned over to press his cheek to his. 

“I might snap if you hold him,” Jeongin grumbled good-naturedly as he tucked Chan to his chest, even as Felix followed with him. 

“You could never snap at me,” Felix sang as he nuzzled daringly into Chan’s neck. “You looooove me.”

Jeongin swallowed around the snarl bubbling up in his throat. “Try me,” he bit out much to Felix’s obvious glee. His hyung always loved to rile him up knowing that he really was weak for him. Except, now, Jeongin didn’t feel particularly weak for him while he was rubbing up against his human. 

Chan seemed to sense Jeongin’s slipping grip on his self-control and gently nudged Felix’s face away from him. “Today might not be the day to test your theory, Felix-hyung,” he warned softly. Felix pulled back the rest of the way with a smug grin aimed towards Jeongin and opened his mouth only for Chan to hold his broken hand up in front of the vampire’s face. “Please refrain from teasing Innie for a few days,” he pleaded exasperatedly. “He’s been through enough and he’s allowed to feel possessive of me right now.”

That seemed to sober Felix up some as he nodded his head in understanding and shifted to cuddle Chan once more, though this time he kept his face away from Chan’s vulnerable neck and instead hooked his chin over the top of his head. 

Jeongin huffed, more than annoyed with Felix to a degree, but settled back down with Chan now that his hyung had silently promised to behave. On his other side, Hyunjin was still petting him and Jeongin allowed it, knowing how sensitive the older vampire was and that Jeongin disappearing had no doubt affected him quite a bit. 

His covenmates chatted around him softly, filling him and Chan in on what had been going on and how well they’d gotten along with Jaebeom and his coven. 

“I think we’ve been adopted,” Jisung confessed with wide, wonder-filled eyes. 

Chan laughed softly with a nod of his head. “Yeah, they do that,” he chirped. “You should have seen them when they first met me. Overbearing mother hens.”

Hyunjin giggled, covering his hand with his mouth. “What I wouldn’t give to meet little baby Channie just once,” he bemoaned playfully. “Mark-hyung shared your baby pictures with us and you were just so cute!”

Jeongin couldn’t stop the pout from stretching across his lips at that statement. He wanted to see Chan as a kid too. 

Hyunjin, as always, was scarily in tune with him and nudged his shoulder gently. “Don’t worry, baby,” he cooed conspiratorially. “Mark-hyung sent them all to me. I’ll show you later.”

Beside them, Chan groaned goodnaturedly. “Oh god no, I was such an awkward child,” he bemoaned. “Please look at them when I’m not around.”

The group erupted with laughter and Jeongin watched as Chan slowly drifted off to sleep amidst their next round of chatter. Jeongin held out for a bit longer, relishing in the comfort of having so many members of his coven close by but inevitably surrendered to sleep with Hyunjin’s fingers still carding rhythmically through his hair. 

When Jeongin woke next it was to a gentle knock on the door. His covenmates were gone but Chan was still tucked snugly in his arms so he wasn’t too worried. He grunted softly, knowing that whoever was on the other side of the door would probably be able to hear him and let themselves in without him having to greet them properly. He was surprised when it was Changbin that opened the door instead of someone from Jaebeom’s coven. It made no sense for Changbin, of all people, to knock and wait for permission to enter their nest and the revelation didn’t sit well with Jeongin. 

Changbin ducked inside the door silently, head tucked low and shoulders hunched, as though he were expecting a blow to come which just worried Jeongin more. This was Changbin-hyung. This was his smiley, loving hyung who always knew what to say and stood tall and strong in every situation. To see him like this— like he was guilty and afraid— turned Jeongin’s stomach. 

“Hyung,” he called softly, stretching out his free hand to reach for Changbin. His hyung came quietly, setting down the tray in his hands on the side table before clasping his hand with Jeongin’s. “I missed you.”

Changbin swallowed thickly, a shiny sheen covering his eyes that showed Jeongin how upset he really was. “I missed you too, Innie,” he choked out, clearly doing his best not to cry. “I missed you— both of you— so much.”

Jeongin nodded and tugged his hand gently, urging Changbin to sit down on the bed with them. The older vampire did so stiffly, clearly uncomfortable though he did his best to hide it. 

“I— I brought some dinner,” Changbin stuttered out. “For— for you and— and Chan.”

“Thank you, hyung,” Jeongin murmured as he squeezed Changbin’s hand before turning his attention to rousing Chan. His human groaned and pressed his face into Jeongin’s chest when he tried to wake him up making Jeongin chuckle at his antics though, he noted somberly, Changbin didn’t even crack a smile as he watched the proceedings with a grave expression. 

It took Chan a few minutes to wake up enough to sit up properly but the second he did, Changbin carefully set the tray in his lap before handing Jeongin his mug of blood. Almost immediately after, Changbin stood up and made to leave the room only to freeze at Chan’s soft whine of protest. 

“Why are you leaving?” he complained. “You just got here.”

Changbin’s mouth opened and shut rapidly, floundering like a fish for a few moments as he stared at Chan in confusion before turning his gaze to Jeongin wearily.

“Sit, hyung,” Jeongin insisted as he patted the mattress next to him, an edge of confusion in his voice. “We’ve both missed you.”

Changbin sat back down, clearly uncomfortable though Jeongin couldn’t fathom why and from the looks Chan was shooting his way, his human didn’t know the cause either. They ate awkwardly as a tense silence blanketed the trio, neither of them knowing how to approach Changbin when he was so clearly uncomfortable. 

Chan was nearly done with his dinner when Changbin finally blurted out a hurried “I’m sorry” before ducking his head as though he expected one— or both— of them to lash out. 

“Pardon?” Chan asked, looking between Changbin and Jeongin in complete bewilderment. Jeongin shrugged, feeling just as confused as Chan was.

“I’m sorry,” Changbin repeated, softer and slower than before though no less distressed. “I should have never asked you to pick up Jeongin for me.”

Chan and Jeongin both glanced at one another again as they tried to piece together what he was talking about. It only took a few moments for Jeongin to remember back to that night and recall how Changbin had texted Chan and asked him to pick up Jeongin in his place. 

“Hyung,” Jeongin scolded. “Is that why you’ve been acting like a kicked puppy? We don’t blame you! They would have attacked that night regardless of who was with me.”

Chan nodded beside him. “This was probably the best outcome,” he admitted. “Had it been you and Jeongin, his attackers wouldn’t have had a reason to play ‘How-long-can-Jeongin-keep-his-fangs-out-of-the-human’ and you both probably would have been killed before anyone could have found you.”

“But you got hurt,” Changbin argued weakly, not bothering to stop the tears from making their way down his cheeks. “You— you nearly died.”

“But I didn’t,” Chan replied with a shrug. “And now you’re stuck with me. And I swear to God, Binnie-hyung, if you keep moping around like this because of things out of your control I’ll never forgive you. Neither of us want to get stuck in the what-could-have-beens. We both just want to move on and heal and we can’t do that if you’re sitting here blaming yourself for no good reason.”

Changbin watched both of their faces intensely, looking for any indication that what Chan had said wasn’t true before finally huffing a soft laugh, the noise somewhere between distressed and relieved. “How are you two still so good?” he complained. “Most people wouldn’t forgive so easily.”

“Lucky we’re your maknaes then, aye?” Jeongin teased before pointing to Chan’s free side. “Now come cuddle. You’ve tired Channie-hyung out.”

Chan looked like he was going to protest being tired for a few moments before he caught onto what Jeongin had actually intended with his order and offered his good arm to Changbin. Like everyone else in the world, Changbin was incapable of denying Chan anything and soon shifted to lay down under the covers on their human’s free side, carefully pressing his nose to the younger man’s neck for just a moment as he breathed in Chan’s scent before pulling his head away to a more respectable distance that wouldn’t trigger Jeongin’s new-found possessiveness. 

The three of them chatted softly to one another for the rest of the evening. Other members of their coven came and went, sometimes hanging out with them for a bit while others just came to get their empty dishes or deliver clean blankets. Noticeably, any time someone else was in the room with them, Changbin distanced himself from Chan, sitting stiffly against the headboard, eyes on his lap and not saying a word, until their visitor left again. 

Jeongin and Chan glanced at one another silently agreeing that they needed to address this tension with the whole coven because it was clear that something had happened between the rest of their mates while they’d been gone and it hadn’t ended well for Changbin. 

Unfortunately, their conversation clearly wasn’t going to happen that night considering that Chan could barely keep his eyes open and Jeongin wasn’t far behind him. Jeongin pressed his nose to Chan’s cheek, the older man already dozing off in his arms, as he threaded his fingers through Changbin’s, silently asking him to stay the night with them. Changbin squeezed back and Jeongin sighed in relief, finally allowing himself to fall asleep knowing that Changbin would stay. 

The next morning, Jeongin woke to hissed whispers. He kept still as he listened. Changbin’s hand was noticeably missing from his but he could still smell him close by which only soothed him slightly. 

“You have no business here,” someone hissed. It took Jeongin a moment to realize that it had been Minho’s voice, his sire’s normally loving voice laced with real anger for whoever he was talking to. 

“Jeongin-ah asked me to stay,” Changbin whispered back, sounding far smaller than Jeongin had ever heard before. 

It set his teeth on edge. That Minho was the one making him feel that small only angered Jeongin more. 

“I don’t care,” Minho continued furiously. “Just because they say they forgive you doesn’t mean I will. We nearly lost them both because of you.”

It was silent for a few moments before Jeongin heard a soft sniffle. He cracked his eye open, spotting Minho and Changbin standing off to the side of the bed, a tray of food in Minho’s hands and Changbin hunched over with wet cheeks as he cried softly. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Chan snarled blurrily before Jeongin had a chance though he did sit up properly, helping Chan to do the same as they both glared at Minho while the older vampire quickly schooled his expression into a gentle smile. 

“Babies,” he started, side stepping a still-crying Changbin to get closer to the pair of them. “Good morning, sweetheart.”

He made to set the tray down on Chan’s lap but their human shoved it away with a fierce glare that froze Minho in his tracks. “Don’t come near me,” he snapped. “I don’t know what the hell has gotten into you but you don’t speak to your mate like that. Get out.”

Minho gaped at Chan, his mouth opening and closing a few times as he scrambled for a response. “It’s not— it’s not what it looked like, baby,” he tried to soothe. “You don’t know the full context.”

“Well it looked like you were blaming Binnie-hyung for what happened to us when, last I checked, he doesn’t have control over other people’s actions or the ability to tell the future,” Jeongin piped up, just as angry at his hyung as Chan was. “Which would be completely ridiculous for someone to be blamed for something out of their control, so why don’t you explain what the hell you think you’re doing.”

“Yang Jeongin,” Minho started, looking somewhere between baffled and furious. “I am still your sire. You will not speak to me that way.”

Jeongin rolled his eyes. “Then why are you speaking to your mate like that?” he countered bitterly before reaching out his hand towards Changbin. His hyung sniffled once more before rounding the bed and cautiously sitting down on the mattress next to Jeongin, letting the younger vampire thread their fingers together once more. 

“It’s no more Changbin’s fault than it is ours for not running fast enough,” Chan continued, still glaring at Minho. He reached blindly across Jeongin’s lap to gently rest his hand on Changbin’s thigh. 

Beside him, Changbin shuddered and pressed closer to Jeongin. His cheek found a home on Jeongin’s shoulder and Jeongin reflexively released his hand to wrap his arm around his hyung’s waist instead. 

“You should go, hyung,” Jeongin said softly, though he was sure his expression was far less gentle as he glared at his shocked sire still standing in front of them. “You can come back when you’re ready to apologize to Binnie-hyung. But right now, I can’t even look at you.”

Minho floundered for a moment more before cautiously stepping forward to set the tray on the bed next to Chan. “Alright,” he murmured, sounding small and defeated as he backed away from the trio. “Just... eat— at least. You need to keep up your strength.”

Jeongin nodded stiffly and watched as Minho ducked out the door without another word. 

Changbin shuddered once more, clearly trying to repress the sobs that had been on the brink of spilling over since before Jeongin and Chan had even woken up. 

“He’s right,” Changbin whispered, so quietly Jeongin had to strain to hear him. 

“He’s upset,” Jeongin retorted as he tucked Changbin closer to his side. “And scared but that doesn’t excuse his behavior. He shouldn’t have lashed out at you, hyung.”

Changbin shuddered and pressed a kiss to Jeongin’s cheek before pulling away just enough to grab Minho’s abandoned tray. He set it on Chan’s lap carefully and handed Jeongin the steaming mug of blood. “You shouldn’t lash out at your sire either, Innie,” he scolded weakly as he pressed another kiss to Jeongin’s cheek. “Minho-hyung is just looking out for you.”

Jeongin rolled his eyes and took a sip. “He doesn’t need to protect either of us from you, Hyung,” he bit back. 

Beside him, Chan nodded his head fervently. “Minho-hyung was out of line,” Chan insisted. “You’re staying here, hyung. Until we can be sure Minho-hyung won’t let his stupid over-protective sire instincts hurt you, you’ll stay with us so that we can protect you.”

Changbin laughed weakly and gently reached over to brush a stray grain of rice from Chan’s lips. “My maknaes are going to protect me from our sire,” he mused with another laugh that sounded somewhere between astounded and strained. “Didn’t have that on my bingo card for the week.”

Jeongin rolled his eyes. “We’ll always protect you, Binnie-hyung,” he scolded fondly as he passed his now-empty mug to his hyung who set it gently on the bedside table. “Just like I know you’ll always protect us.” He pointed to the dark television on the other side of the room. “Now find us a good movie to watch,” he ordered. 

Minho slunk back into their room sometime in the mid-afternoon, his head ducked low and looking thoroughly chastised. He looked almost timid as he stood just inside of the threshold of the door. 

“Can I talk to Changbin-ah?” He asked meekly. 

Jeongin glowered at his sire and tightened his grip on his hyung, tucking him closer to his side. “You can talk to him,” he replied reluctantly. “But he’s not leaving.”

“Does he get a choice in this?” Changbin asked in fond amusement. It had taken the pair of them nearly the whole day to bring back the Changbin they knew and loved and hearing his hyung joke around, no matter how subdued, warmed Jeongin’s chest. 

Chan reached over Jeongin’s lap to thread his fingers through Changbin’s hand. “No,” their human grumbled with a cute little pout that settled the discussion.  

That made Changbin laugh softly though the sound was much more muted than the other laughs they had coerced out of him throughout the day.

In front of them, Minho swallowed audibly and took a hesitant step towards them, letting the door swing shut softly behind him. “I was out of line,” he started. “It wasn’t fair of me to blame you for what happened. You couldn’t have known and for me to— for me to treat you so... horribly, I— I let my protectiveness over Jeongin and Chan get the best of me and blinded me to how I was treating my other mate— how I was hurting you.”

Changbin shook his head immediately and stretched out his free hand to Minho who took the few steps needed to reach him and threaded their fingers together. “If our situations had been reversed, I would have blamed you too,” Changbin admitted. “I still blame myself. I should have never asked Chan to pick up Jeongin. I should have— I should have tried harder to reach one of your or— or told him to stay put— or— god, I should have just skipped my group project. I’m four hundred, for god's sake. I—”

“I would have done the same thing, Bin-ah,” Minho murmured brokenly as he squeezed their conjoined hands tighter. “I would have— I wouldn’t have thought twice about asking Channie to look after our mate because... because he’s our mate too. Even if he wasn’t officially ours yet.”

Changbin sniffled and leaned forward to press his forehead to Minho’s shoulder, sinking into the other vampire’s embrace when Minho shifted to wrap his arms around him and hold him close. “They could have died,” Changbin sobbed into Minho’s sweater as his fingers dug into the fabric desperately. “They nearly died and it— it would have been all my fault.”

Minho shook his head, his own tears escaping down his cheeks as he buried his face into Changbin’s hair. “No, baby,” he cried. “No— the only ones to blame are the bastard hunters who attacked them in the first place. I should have never— I should have never placed the blame on your shoulders. I love you— so, so much. I’m so sorry, baby.”

“I love you too,” Changbin whispered raggedly when their tears eventually slowed. 

At some point, Minho had shifted their bodies so that he was resting against the headboard of the bed with Changbin draped across his lap, the slightly younger vampire staring at the wall just past Jeongin’s head without ever really seeing it. 

“I’m sorry, babies,” Minho murmured, eyes now fixed on Jeongin and Chan who had been silently watching up until that point. “I should have never let my emotions get the better of me and I should have never tried to push our mate away from you.”

“No, you shouldn’t have,” Chan murmured, though by now all of the residual anger had evaporated from his voice leaving his tone gentle and understanding. His hyung voice. It made Jeongin smile, knowing that even when he knew he wasn’t the oldest in the room, he still defaulted to that particular cadence of his. 

Minho sighed and released Changbin with one hand to interlace his fingers with Jeongin’s, silently asking for his fledgling’s acceptance of his apology. 

“I love you, hyung,” Jeongin said, squeezing Minho’s hand back. “Even when you’re being an overprotective idiot and need the sense knocked back into you again.”

That made Minho laugh weakly and tilt his head to rest it on top of Jeongin’s. “How are you two feeling?” he asked instead, no doubt ready to change the subject and move past his mistakes. “How are you healing?”

“We’re getting better,” Jeongin reassured. 

Beside him, Chan nodded his head in agreement. “I’m pretty sure I can walk to the bathroom on my own now,” he piped up cheerily. “I’m feeling great.”

Jeongin raised his eyebrow challengingly. “Don’t push your luck, hyung,” he scolded. “You’re lucky you’re allowed to sit up at all. You’re not going anywhere out of my sight for a long time.”

Chan rolled his eyes but didn’t fight Jeongin’s declaration which made the vampire preen at his human’s obedience. 

“Are my hyungs still hanging around?” Chan asked instead, earning an unamused snort from Minho.

“Can’t get rid of them,” he grumbled without any real heat to his words. “They’re practically living in our guest rooms at this point. Though I suppose that’s a better alternative than when they were actively trying to kill us.”

Chan choked on his spit, sitting up in shock until Jeongin gently maneuvered him back down to resting against his chest once again. “What do you mean they were trying to kill you?” he asked aghast. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

Beside him, Minho sighed exaggeratedly. “If only,” he bemoaned dramatically, though careful not to disturb Changbin still resting on his chest. “They were ready to tear us to pieces when they showed up at the dorm looking for you after that first night.”

“Oh god,” Chan breathed, wincing sympathetically at what the coven had no doubt had to endure in the wake of his hyungs. “I’m so sorry, hyung.”

Minho waved off his apologies blithely. “Can’t say I was much better,” he admitted. “We all bonded pretty quickly after we realized the other wasn’t our enemy. Especially since we had no leads up until you dropped your location to Changbinnie.”

Chan’s eyes widened slightly. “Ah, it was Changbin?” he asked. “I had no idea who I was messaging to be honest. I couldn’t really see, you know? But I’m glad it was you, hyung. I can always count on you.”

Changbin’s eyes flitted over to Chan, blinking once, twice, three times, before a small hesitant smile stretched across his lips. “Like when you call me your hyung,” he mumbled softly before closing his eyes. “Love you.”

Chapter Text

Jeongin sighed, tugging Chan against his chest stubbornly, making his human laugh.

“Innie,” he sang, twisting around in Jeongin’s arms until they were practically nose to nose. “You have to let me go. I have work.”

Jeongin huffed and leaned down to scrape his teeth against the column off Chan’s neck in warning. “You don’t have to go,” he grumbled. “I can call Jaebeom-hyung. He’ll agree with me. You’re not ready to leave yet.”

“Are you sure it's not you who’s not ready for me to leave yet?” Chan teased fondly. 

“So what if I’m not,” Jeongin admitted reluctantly as he scooped Chan up under his thighs and carried him over to the couch. He plopped down, keeping Chan in his lap and ignoring Jisung’s amused expression to his left. “I don’t like having you out of my sight.”

Chan cooed and cupped Jeongin’s cheek, leaning forward to press a few daring kisses to his cheeks. The human had gotten more comfortable with showing the coven affection over the last few weeks and was getting bolder with where he was dropping kisses every day. Jeongin would be a liar if he said he wasn’t excited for the day Chan finally kissed him on the lips. 

“You know you can’t keep our little human prisoner in your arms for all eternity, right, baby?” Jisung teased. 

“Watch me,” Jeongin grumbled as he ducked his head to hide his face in Chan’s neck. 

Chan, the wonderfully understanding hyung that he was, just carded his fingers through Jeongin’s hair and released soft reassuring hums. “Don't tease him, Sung-ah,” Chan scolded fondly. “It’s okay if you’re not ready for me to leave the nest yet, baby. I can call Jaebeom-hyung.”

Jeongin frowned, pulling away from Chan’s neck to look at his human properly. Chan had been so kind and understanding about Jeongin’s clingyness since they had been rescued. Even after his major injuries had healed and he could walk around without a limp, Chan still didn’t try to push for independence with Jeongin when the younger man felt he wasn't ready. But when Chan had brought up returning to work the night before, Jeongin had agreed to it because he thought he could handle a bit of separation, especially since he knew that Jaebeom’s coven would drive Chan to and from their house and he’d never be alone there. But now, faced with Chan dressed for work and attempting to get his shoes, Jeongin suddenly didn’t feel ready in the slightest. 

And he felt so guilty. Because Chan was always so accommodating for him but he couldn’t give Chan this one thing. He was a horrible mate. 

“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours, Innie?” Chan cooed as he combed his fingers through Jeongin’s hair a couple of times. 

“You should go,” Jeongin forced out, the words coming up his throat like acid. “Like ripping off a band-aid, right?”

Chan frowned in front of him and carefully cupped Jeongin’s cheeks, forcing the vampire to look into his eyes. “I don't have to leave yet,” Chan stated firmly. “Not if you’re not honestly ready for us to be apart.”

Jeongin swallowed thickly, his gut churning uneasily. “What if I’m never ready?” he whispered, hating how shaky his voice was. “What if I’m always— what if I can never let you go?”

“Then I’ll stay right here by your side,” Chan promised, eyes so sincere it hurt to look directly into them. “But it won’t always be like this, Innie. What you went through— what we went through— it’s not going to heal overnight. And you shouldn’t feel as though you have to force yourself to be okay when you’re not. I know I'm not okay yet. But I know that I’m safe with you and my hyungs and that’s enough for me for now.”

Jeongin clenched his teeth as he wound his arms around Chan’s waist again, tucking his face back into his human’s neck and breathing in his soothing scent. “I don’t like it when you’re out of my sight,” he confessed weakly. “You always get hurt the worst when I can’t see you.”

Chan’s fingers met Jeongin’s hair again, petting him gently. “Then I’ll stay where you can see me,” he promised, making everything sound so simple when Jeongin knew that it wasn’t. “How do you feel about coming to work with me? You can be my official taste tester.”

That didn’t sound horrible when Jeongin allowed himself to contemplate that option. “Will your hyungs be okay with me tagging along?” he asked.

Chan snorted and scooted off of Jeongin’s lap before holding out his hand for the younger man to take. “You mean will our hyungs be disappointed that their favorite dongsaeng brought their second favorite dongsaeng to work with him?” he reiterated with a smirk, making Jeongin blush at the reminder that Jaebeom’s coven loved him and his coven almost as much as they loved Chan nowadays. Jeongin in particular was one of their favorites for reasons unbeknownst to him but he suspected it had something to do with either the fact that Chan was still alive because of his bond or his affectionately named ‘bread cheeks’ that all of his hyungs raved about on a weekly basis.

Jeongin huffed but didn’t refute Chan’s statement, instead letting himself be dragged to the door so that they could both slip on their shoes. From behind them, Jisung sniffled dramatically, reminding them of his presence. 

“My babies are all grown up,” he bemoaned theatrically. “Leaving the nest to spread their wings all on their own!” 

Jeongin rolled his eyes and broke away from Chan just long enough to thwack Jisung on the arm, pulling a startled yelp from his hyung who immediately started hollering for someone to give him sympathy. 

Changbin came to his rescue, tucking Jisung to his chest and slapping his hand over the younger vampire’s mouth to muffle his whining as he smiled at the pair standing at the door. “Have fun today, babies,” he sang, readjusting his grip when Jisung tried to worm his way out of his hold. “Call us if you need anything and please don’t leave the cafe without one of the hyungs.”

Jeongin huffed and leaned into Chan’s side, letting his hyung wrap his arm around his waist. “You could have at least pretended to be surprised that I was going with Channie-hyung,” he grumbled, which made Changbin laugh.

“Baby, literally no one is surprised this was the outcome,” he teased. “We are proud of you though,” he continued more seriously. “You’re being far more brave than I would have been in your position. If you need to come home early just tell one of the hyungs and I’m sure they’ll drive you home, otherwise we’re happy to come get you ourselves.”

Jeongin ducked his head bashfully before nodding in understanding. “I will hyung,” he promised, knowing better by now than to try to deny that needing to come home might be a real possibility. “Love you.”

Changbin smiled at the pair fondly. “I love you both too,” he replied. A few moments later there was a honk outside and he nodded towards the door. “Best not keep hyung waiting,” he sang. “I have to go deal with this one. Have fun!”

With that he heaved Jisung over his shoulder and disappeared up the stairs, ignoring the younger vampire’s whining at being manhandled. 

Chan turned to Jeongin once they were gone and gestured towards the door. “You ready?” he asked, eyes wide and filled with understanding, silently reminding Jeongin that it was okay if he wasn’t ready to leave the house yet. 

Jeongin squared his shoulders and nodded, not willing to ruin Chan’s day out with his own insecurities. And it wasn’t like they’d be walking through a dark campus; they were going out to one of the hyung’s cars and driving to the cafe where they’d stay until they were driven back. They wouldn’t be alone. 

Jeongin wouldn’t have to protect Chan on his own if something were to happen. That thought alone eased a bit of the tension in his chest. He had hyungs with him to help him keep Chan safe. As long as Chan was safe everything would be alright. 

Chan grinned and threaded their hands together before opening the door and making his way to the black Lexus idling in their driveway. “Hi, hyung,” Chan greeted as they neared the car, waving to Jinyoung who had rolled the window down when they got close enough.

“Hey, kiddo,” Jinyoung replied, smiling softly at the pair. “Hi, Jeongin-ah.”

Jeongin ducked his head guiltily, feeling as though he were intruding on their time together. “Hi, Jinyoung-hyung.”

Jinyoung just continued smiling and gestured towards the back seat. “Hop in,” he ordered cheerfully. “I’m your chauffeur for the day.”

Beside him, Chan giggled and opened the back door, sliding in and pulling Jeongin in next to him. “Thanks for the lift, hyung,” he chirped. 

“Happy to be of service,” Jinyoung replied back just as cheerfully. “Now, catch me up. What’s your little coven been up to since we moved out.”

It was weird seeing the cafe from the other side of the counter, Jeongin mused. When he’d first arrived— after ample over-affectionate hugs from the hyungs— he’d settled down on one of the bar stools near the end of the counter so that he could keep Chan in his sights without being in the way. But as the cafe grew busier, Jeongin had found himself growing more and more uncomfortable, especially when a few female vampires had squealed at the sight of Chan and had nearly pulled him across the counter to hug him in their excitement. 

Jeongin had snarled so loudly at that display that for a few moments the whole cafe had fallen silent before Jaebeom had laughed and gently chided the girls. “You should know better than to go hugging someone recently bonded,” he teased, much to the girls’ embarrassment. “His bondmate is right there.”  

The women looked properly chastised and bowed in apology to Jeongin while Chan made his way over to him. His human tugged him up and into his arms, nuzzling Jeongin’s neck and pulling a hesitant purr from his lips. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Jeongin pulled back and glanced around the cafe, surprised to see that everyone was minding their own business and leaving them alone. 

“You alright, Innie?” Chan asked softly. “Need a break?” 

Jeongin shook his head immediately before pausing and nodding his head more slowly. “Can I— just a sip? To— to... you know?”

Chan smiled and nodded in understanding, gesturing to someone over Jeongin’s shoulder before leading the vampire to a little office tucked off to the side behind the counter. Chan plopped down on the plush love seat with ease before patting his lap and tilting his head to the side. Jeongin didn’t need any more encouragement and dove into his hyung’s lap. He pressed a few kisses to Chan’s neck before piercing the skin with now-practiced ease. 

He didn’t take much, not wanting to tire Chan out. It was more about the instinctual need to stake his claim and remind himself that Chan was his. His human seemed to understand that even better than he did, gently cooing reassurances that he was Jeongin’s and that no one could ever take him away from him again. 

After a few minutes, Jeongin pulled back, licking the wound closed as he did so before leaning back to check on his human. “Thank you, hyung,” he rasped out once he had assured himself that he hadn’t taken too much and that Chan was still fine. 

Chan smiled and leaned in to press a quick peck to the corner of Jeongin’s mouth, surprising him. “I’m always happy to help, Innie-yah,” he murmured. “Do you need a couple of more minutes?”

Jeongin shook his head and forced himself to stand up as he tried to ignore the steady thrum of want that pulse under his skin from Chan’s almost-kiss. “No,” he stuttered out. “I’m okay, now. But... Can I— is there anyway I can be closer to you?”

“Of course you can,” Chan assured softly. “You just stay as close to me as you need and if at any point you need to escape let me know and we can duck upstairs and cuddle on the hyungs’ couch.”

Cuddling sounded nice but Jeongin was determined to stick it out— or at least as long as he could take the stress— and nodded his head in understanding before happily taking Chan’s hand in his as he was led back out into the cafe which was how he ended up watching Chan make drinks by his side while the patrons kindly pretended like he wasn’t clinging to their favorite barista. 

At some point, Youngjae came out from the kitchen to switch places with Chan seemingly seconds after a large coven came through the doors and spiked Jeongin’s anxiety. He gently patted Chan on the shoulder and nodded towards the kitchen. Chan grinned and nodded back, reaching down to thread his fingers through Jeongin’s as he led the way past Yugyeom who wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at the pair. 

“Shut up,” Chan grumbled, though there was no real heat to the words. 

Yugyeom’s smirk widened. “I didn’t say anything!” he crowed cheerfully. 

Chan just rolled his eyes and led Jeongin into the kitchen, throwing a casual, “Let’s keep it that way,” over his shoulder. 

Jeongin tried and failed to muffle his laughter as the door closed behind them. 

They weren’t, it turned out, despite Yugyeom’s implication, alone in the kitchen. Jackson and Mark were both in the room as well and waved at the pair when they entered. 

“Need some help?” Chan asked as he rolled up his sleeves and donned an apron. 

“Please,” Mark replied as he nodded towards a cooling rack filled with bare cupcakes. “You know I’m shit at frosting.”

Chan grinned and nodded before turning to face Jeongin, plucking a spare apron from a hook on the wall and fitting it over Jeongin’s head before he could protest. 

“I can’t cook, hyung,” he begged as Chan spun him around in order to tie the apron behind Jeongin’s back. “Honest— you really shouldn’t trust me in a kitchen like this.”

Chan just spun Jeongin back around and just kept grinning at him as he led him over to the sink, gesturing for him to wash his hands. Helplessly, Jeongin did as he was told and went through the motions of washing his hands before following Chan over to the table in front of the rack. 

“You're my taste tester, remember, Innie?” Chan teased as he poured an obscene amount of powdered sugar into a bowl. 

Jeongin watched in amazement as Chan turned the enormous bowl of powder into a creamy frosting before adding a few tablespoons of blood to it. He mixed it all together before grabbing a tiny disposable spoon from a dish and scooped up a small amount. 

“Try,” Chan ordered as he held the spoon up to Jeongin’s lips. 

Jeongin opened his mouth immediately, allowing Chan to feed him the frosting. He immediately moaned as he savored the taste on his tongue. 

“Is it good?” Chan asked critically. “Is the blood too overpowering?”

He immediately shook his head, opening his eyes when he realized he had shut them. “It’s good, hyung,” he confessed in earnest. “Tastes nearly as good as you do.”

Chan blushed and ducked his head in embarrassment but he wasn’t fast enough to hide the pleased smile from Jeongin. 

After that, Jeongin didn’t do much in the way of helping, instead just watching Chan pipe the blood-frosting on cupcake after cupcake until Jackson invited him over to a nearby table, claiming that he needed help with measuring ingredients. Jeongin did so wearily, terrified of messing up and ruining his hyung’s hard work but Jackson was so kind and patient with him that his worries soon faded into the background as the four of them fell into easy conversation while they baked. 

Before he knew it, Jinyoung was rapping on the door frame of the kitchen with a fond smile painted across his lips. “Closing time, boys,” he announced cheerfully. “Time to head home.”

Jeongin surprised himself when he felt a surge of sadness well in his chest at the thought of leaving the kitchen and his hyungs behind and he quickly tried to hide it, though he wasn’t sure how successful he was considering the sympathetic look Jinyoung shot him. 

“I’d invite you both to stay for dinner but I think your coven is probably pretty antsy to get the pair of you back,” the older vampire confessed with a teasing little smirk.

Jeongin nodded his head, knowing that Jinyoung wasn’t wrong and that he and Chan were lucky that their whole coven hadn’t followed them to work. The only reason they hadn’t was most likely because they trusted Jaebeom’s coven well enough to look after the pair in their absence. “You’re probably right, hyung,” Jeongin declared, though he couldn’t hide the morose twinge to his tone at the idea of leaving. 

“Don't worry, Innie,” Chan murmured into his ear as he wrapped his arm around the vampire’s waist. “You can come work with me whenever you want. I had a lot of fun baking with you.”

“Me too,” Jeongin whispered back as he let the human lead him to the door, stopping to hang up their aprons on the way. 

“Next time you can stay for dinner too,” Jinyoung promised as he walked with them. They paused in the lobby of the cafe to say goodbye to the rest of the coven before they headed to Jinyoung’s car, Chan and Jeongin both taking the backseat together again. 

“Thank you for letting me tag along, Jinyoung-hyung,” Jeongin piped up a few minutes into the ride back. 

Jinyoung smiled at him through the rear view mirror. “You’re welcome any time, kid,” he replied easily. “Don't be a stranger, okay?”

Jeongin nodded his head easily, making a small affirmative sound when he remembered that Jinyoung couldn’t see him. 

They pulled up to the coven’s home soon after and Jeongin and Chan both gave Jinyoung hugs goodbye before walking up to Minho who had come out to welcome them home. His sire immediately pulled Jeongin into a tight hug, pressing a kiss behind his ear before pulling back and giving the same treatment to Chan. 

“Did you two have fun?” Minho asked as he ushered them inside where the rest of the coven were waiting for them. Jeongin relaxed into Felix’s arms when his hyung wrapped them around him, breathing in his familiar scent. 

“We made brownies,” he replied, his words only slightly muffled by Felix’s sweater. “And Chan-hyung made these cupcakes that were so good. I could have eaten the whole tray.”

Beside him Chan snorted fondly. “You would have made yourself sick if I’d let you do that,” he teased. 

“Still would’a ate them,” Jeongin grumbled, pulling back from Felix just enough to pout at Chan. 

His hyung just smiled and leaned in to press a gentle kiss to Jeongin’s cheek before doing the same to Felix who beamed the second their human’s lips touched his skin. 

“Did the hyungs feed you, Channie?” Minho asked, already making his way to the kitchen. 

“No,” Chan replied as he followed the vampire. “They were worried you would hunt us down if we were gone for much longer.”

Jeongin could practically feel the eye roll that Minho gave the human as he opened the fridge. 

“I would have called first,” Minho retorted petulantly as he grabbed some food. 

Before Chan could move to help him, Jisung snagged him around the waist and tugged him onto his lap on one of the bar stools with an overly pleased grin when Chan yelped in surprise but didn’t try to fight his hold. 

Jeongin swallowed down the instinctive growl that bubbled up in his throat at the action, still fighting the overprotective urges that lingered from his and Chan’s bonding. He’d gotten better about physical affection towards Chan, especially from his coven, but the possessiveness still caught him off guard from time to time. Felix pressed a kiss to his temple in quiet praise before leading him over to the island as well and settling down on his lap in the chair next to Jisung. 

“Where's everyone else?” Chan asked as he relaxed back against Jisung’s chest to watch Minho cook him dinner. 

“Hyunjinnie kidnapped Changbin-hyung for a nap,” Jisung reported as he hooked his chin over Chan’s shoulder. “And Minnie is reading in his room. He’ll be annoyed when he realizes that you two got home and no one told him.”

Chan frowned and made to get up though was quickly prevented by Jisung tightening his grip and keeping him securely in his lap. “One of us should let him know that we’re here then,” their human fretted. “I’d hate for Seungmin-hyung to be upset.”

“He’ll smell that you’re home soon enough,” Minho interjected from the stove as he finished plating a simple-looking beef and rice dish that he set down in front of Chan. “No need for you to go hunt him down and let your food get cold.”

Chan nodded reluctantly, clearly not overly happy with leaving anyone out. It was one of the many things Jeongin adored about him and he nearly volunteered to go find Seungmin himself if it meant making his human happy. Luckily, before he felt the need to actually say something out loud, Seungmin wandered in through the door, yawning and sleep-rumpled as he draped himself over Minho’s back. 

“Why didn’t you wake me up when the maknaes got home?” he grumbled sleepily.

Minho snorted, playfully shoving the younger vampire away only to catch him by his shirt when he tilted too far in the other direction and pulled him back into his chest. “I thought you were reading,” he teased. “You reek of Jin-ah.”

“I was coerced,” Seungmin deadpanned as he wiggled out of Minho’s grip and rounded the island to perch himself on the counter top in front of Jeongin and Felix. Felix happily pulled the younger man down for a kiss before tilting his head to the side so that Seungmin could kiss Jeongin as well in greeting. “Good day?” he asked as he pulled back and hopped off the counter seconds before Minho’s hand lashed through the air where his body had just been.

Jeongin nodded. “I learned how to frost cupcakes,” he reported dutifully. “Though Chan-hyung’s looked much better than mine.”

Beside him, Chan rolled his eyes fondly. “I’ve been frosting cupcakes for over a decade, Innie,” he chided. “Of course mine looked better. But yours looked good for a first attempt.”

“My second attempt will be better,” Jeongin promised, nodding his head determinedly. 

The six of them fell into easy conversation after that, talking about the bakery and then school since Chan and Jeongin were still technically enrolled even if they were both on a medical hiatus as far as their professors were concerned. Chan was eager to get back to classes and finish his degree while Jeongin couldn’t care less if he had a fancy bit of paper for a degree that he had honestly just picked on a whim. 

Eventually they migrated out to the living room once Chan was done eating, Changbin and Hyunjin making an appearance shortly thereafter. The older of the two immediately plopped down on the cushion next to Chan and wrapped his arm around the human’s shoulders, tucking him into his side and consequently dragging Jeongin with him since the fledgling had stolen Chan’s side the second they’d sat down. 

“Since we’re all here now,” Minho started, tucking Hyunjin more comfortably against his side from where the younger vampire had flopped the second he’d gotten close enough to their sire. “And talking about it, I’d really feel more comfortable if Chan-ah was bonded to all of us before the next time he left the house.”

Jeongin frowned and sat up a little straighter. “Hyung’s not ready,” he protested. “He’s still healing.”

Beside him, Changbin reached over Chan to comb his fingers through Jeongin’s hair. “It won't be like when you bonded to Chan-ah, baby,” he soothed. 

Minho nodded his head in agreement. “It only takes a small amount of blood, Iyen-ah,” his sire assured. “We’ll bite him, take a few pulls, and then give him some of his blood back.”

Chan grimaced. “I won't have to drink it, right?” he asked wearily, making a few members of the coven snort around him. 

“Not unless you want to turn into one of us,” Minho deadpanned though Jeongin could see the amusement glittering in his eyes. “We’ll give ourselves a cut on our hands and bleed back into your bite— much like how Jeongin-ah did it but without the near-death experiences.”

“That’d be preferable,” Chan replied with a nod. 

Jeongin bit his lip, still feeling unsure about the whole process and more than a little put out by the idea of his coven being just as possessive over his human as he was. 

“Our reaction to the bond won’t be quite as visceral as yours was, sweetheart,” Minho assured, seemingly reading Jeongin’s mind. “You took the brunt of the bond on your shoulders. We might be a bit more clingy towards Chan-ah for the next few days but it won’t be any different than how we treated you when we first welcomed you into the coven either.”

That soothed Jeongin some, vividly remembering practically being swaddled by his coven after he’d first turned. Though he had also just lost his family so some of that coddling had probably been due to their attempts at soothing his grief as well. 

“I guess that’s fine then,” Jeongin mumbled reluctantly. No matter how reassuring his coven could be, it still wouldn’t completely wipe away his unease at letting someone hurt Chan— even if he knew it was his coven and that Chan wouldn’t actually feel any lasting pain from the bite because of their venom. 

“You’ll hold my hand, right, Innie?” Chan asked, stretching out his hand until Jeongin took the bait and interlocked their fingers. “I’ll feel better knowing I have you by my side through the bonding process.”

Jeongin huffed, amused and so very fond of his human. “How come I get the feeling you want to hold my hand for my benefit more than your own?”

Chan smiled impishly and shrugged one shoulder. “Why can’t it be both?” he mused. “I like having you close as much as you want me close. This bond isn’t just one way, you know.”

Jeongin swallowed, the urge to kiss Chan nearly overwhelming him. Apparently he wasn’t the only one though because not even a moment later, Chan was standing up and tugging Jeongin with him. 

“We’ll be right back,” his human declared hurriedly as he tugged Jeongin out of the room and into the kitchen. 

“Hyung?” Jeongin whispered breathlessly as he let the older man back him up until he bumped into the counter. 

“You feel this too, right?” Chan murmured, leaning his head in until they were only a few breaths apart. “I’m not reading this wrong, am I?”

Jeongin shook his head. “You’re not reading it wrong,” he breathed. “I... want you. And more than— more than just the bond. I think I have for a while now but I just... didn’t want to admit it.”

Chan sighed and leaned in further. “Thank fuck,” he breathed out before connecting their lips in a searing kiss. Jeongin gasped, unintentionally inviting Chan further into his mouth not that he was complaining. Kissing Chan was even better than he could have ever imagined. Their bond was practically singing in the back corners of his mind as it settled for the first time since Jeongin had woken up. 

They did eventually have to separate when Chan ran out of air, Jeongin feeling just as winded as his human as he panted, staring at Chan in wonder. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” Chan laughed breathlessly. 

“Me too,” Jeongin confessed, dropping his head forward so that their foreheads were resting against one another’s. “Should’ve done this ages ago. We could’ve been kissing like this the whole time we were laid up in bed.”

Chan giggled and leaned in to press another kiss to Jeongin’s lips just because he could before pulling away completely. “We should get back to the others before they burst in here.”

Jeongin whined softly and shook his head. “One more,” he pleaded. “Who knows when I’ll get another once our coven gets their grubby hands on you.”

“Can’t have that, now can we,” Chan mused with a laugh as he leaned in to press another sweet kiss to Jeongin’s lips. 

They separated but kept their hands intertwined as they returned to the living room only to be welcomed back with catcalls and excited hollering that brought a blush to both of their cheeks. 

“About damn time,” Jisung jeered between riotous laughter. “I was starting to think you two would never tie the knot.”

“God,” Hyunjin sighed dramatically. “Such a relief the tension is over.”

Felix cackled as he nodded along. “Does this mean we can finally kiss Chan-ah now, too?” he teased as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at the pair of them, even going as far as to pucker his lips in Chan’s direction. 

Jeongin growled and dragged Chan over to where Minho was watching on fondly and pushed his hyung into his sire’s lap. “Minho-hyung gets to kiss Chan-hyung first,” he declared with a glare directed towards his still-laughing hyungs. “And then Changbin-hyung because he only laughed a little bit.”

Changbin nodded, still smiling at the pair of them from the other sofa. “That’s fair,” he chirped.

“What about me?” Seungmin whined. “I didn’t tease you.”

Jeongin raised one of his eyebrows at the other vampire as he settled down on the couch next to Chan and Minho. “Don’t think I didn’t hear you whistling,” he scolded. “You all can wait until tomorrow.”

Beside him, Minho snorted, shaking his head fondly as he repositioned Chan to sit more comfortably on his lap despite their human trying to slide off to the cushion next to him. 

“Do I get a say in who I kiss?” Chan griped, though Jeongin could hear that there was no actual annoyance in his tone. 

“Sure, baby,” Jeongin teased. “Which one of the mean hyungs deserve your kisses the most?”

Chan pretended to think, tapping his finger against his chin in mock seriousness. “I suppose Minho-hyung will do for a second kiss since he was so well behaved for my first.”

Jeongin gaped at Chan, mouth opening and closing like a fish. “I was your first?” he asked with a gasp. “Like your first ever?”

Chan chuckled and nodded his head. “A great first kiss,” he confessed cheerfully. “Ten out of ten would kiss again.”

That made Jeongin snort before leaning over to press a quick kiss to the corner of his human’s mouth and ignoring the catcalls that followed from their coven. After they calmed down, Minho raised his hand to finish settling them. “No one is kissing Chan-ah until they’ve bonded to him,” he declared. “I will not let us get distracted by his pretty lips.” Chan whined and buried his face in his hands which only made the others laugh harder. 

They did start the bonding process after that, Minho taking the lead and drinking from Chan first before pressing his bleeding hand to the human’s neck while he ravaged his mouth with a shocking ferocity that left their human breathless. Surprisingly, Jeongin didn’t feel nearly as much jealousy as he expected to feel, practically content to watch his coven pass their human around as they all bonded to him. 

He started to worry though when they got down to only Felix and Hyunjin left and Chan’s eyes had started to droop, nearly calling an early end to their impromptu bonding party when Chan waved away his worries, promising that he was alright and that he wanted to finish.  

The second Felix pulled away from Chan, Jeongin descended, wrapping his arms around Chan’s waist and tucking him into his chest as he gently peppered kisses up and down his human’s neck, reassuring himself more so than Chan that he was alright. 

“Why don’t you take Chan-ah up to the nest to rest, baby,” Minho suggested. “We’ll give you two a few minutes before we join you.”

Jeongin nodded and carefully scooped Chan up, ignoring the older man’s protests that he could walk on his own. 

“Are you okay?” Jeongin asked once they were alone, curled up against each other in the center of the bed. “Like really okay?”

Chan smiled and nodded his head. “More than okay,” he promised. “It’s just a lot, you know? To suddenly have six more people I’m connected to. Yugyeom-hyung and Bambam-hyung never mentioned how jarring the bond could be at first. They probably did that on purpose just to tease me. But I’m glad we did it all at once— I’d hate to have some of the coven left out. And it’s nice to be connected to all of you. To be able to feel that I’m yours as much as you’re mine, you know?”

Jeongin nodded, having gone through a similar bonding experience when he’d joined the coven but he never knew that human mates would feel that same level of connection that vampires did. It was honestly reassuring to know that Chan felt just as much of the bond as he did. 

“I do,” he murmured. “And I’m glad you’re a part of our coven. I’m glad that you’re here.”

Chan smiled and pressed a feather-soft kiss to Jeongin’s lips before setting his head down to rest on Jeongin’s chest. “There’s no other place I’d rather be.”

Chapter Text

Chan sighed, leaning back against Changbin’s chest tiredly as they watched the moving truck drive away. Changbin’s arms around his waist tightened as he pressed a gentle kiss to Chan’s neck. 

“How are you doing?” the vampire murmured, his words tickling Chan’s skin.

“Good,” Chan admitted honestly. “It’s a relief— being here finally. Now all we have to do is unpack.”

Changbin snorted and buried his face further into Chan’s neck. “Or we can hide out here and let the rest of the coven take care of that,” he suggested, knowing that Chan wouldn’t go for it even though it was a really tempting offer.

“Do you really trust Felix-hyung and Jisung-hyung alone with your clothes?” Chan teased as he spun around in the older man’s arms. “You’ll only be left with left socks.”

“I’ll just steal your clothes,” Changbin murmured, smirking fondly as he leaned in to press a gentle kiss to Chan’s lips. “I love smelling like you.”

Chan smiled and rolled his eyes in an attempt to hide his blush as he pressed another quick kiss to the vampire’s lips before pulling back. “Come on lazybones, let’s get back to work. There’s a lot to do before we go to bed tonight.”

Changbin groaned but accepted Chan’s hand as the human led him back inside where a literal mountain of moving boxes were waiting for them. The rest of the coven seemingly had as much of a desire to unpack as Chan and Changbin did as they continued to imitate deflated balloons draped across their disorganized living room furniture. 

Before Chan could scold them, Mark walked down the stairs and did it for him, folding his arms over his chest as he gave the coven his best mom-glare. “We’ve barely started and you’re all taking a break already?” he scolded, though the amusement in his tone detracted from the bite of his words. 

“It’s been a long week, hyung,” Jisung whined, blinking up at Mark with innocent, pleading eyes. A year ago, those eyes would have had Mark folding like a house of cards, but the older vampire was more than used to Jisung’s antics at this point in their relationship and so he just rolled his eyes and grabbed him by the wrist, hoisting him up despite Jisung’s yelp. 

“Yes, and it’ll be even longer if you put off unpacking,” Mark chided. “Go on, get to it.” 

Reluctantly, the coven got up and separated into pairs as they disappeared into the house. Mark grabbed Chan before he could start digging into the boxes left in the living room, tucking Chan’s head under his chin as he squeezed him in a tight hug. 

“I can’t believe you’re actually leaving the nest,” Mark lamented softly. “And so far away too!”

Chan rolled his eyes, not that Mark could see the motion from their current position. “We’re literally only an hour away,” he corrected fondly. “It’s not like you’re never going to see us again.”

Mark sighed and released Chan, following him over to the boxes as they started unpacking together. “I know,” he murmured. “It’s still weird, you know? You’ve been in our pocket since you were practically a baby and now you’re all grown up with a coven of your own and you’ve moved an hour away and it’s just— a little sad, you know? That you’re not our little boy anymore.”

Chan grinned and bumped his shoulder with Mark’s. “Didn’t know you were such a sap, hyung,” he teased. “Just because I have a coven of my own now doesn’t mean you’re not still my family, Mark-hyung,” he continued more seriously. “And besides, this was always the plan after all. I was always going to move out and open another branch of Vampbites one day. This way just saved me from having to endure going through a hiring process.”

Mark snorted and shook his head fondly. “Still don't know how you convinced that coven of yours to open a bakery with you. Half of them are absolute disasters in the kitchen.”

“I have them wrapped around my little finger,” Chan confessed playfully. “And just between me and you, I think they would have agreed to opening a bakery even if we weren’t mates. Felix-hyung loves baking way too much and Hyunjin-hyung has gotten really good at blood-infused lattes. The rest would have followed after them.”

“There will definitely be a few regulars that will be sad to hear they left to open another store,” Mark remarked sagely. “I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of them went out of their way to go to your store just for Felix’s brownies alone. No matter what I do, I can’t seem to replicate them.”

Chan giggled and nodded his head in agreement. He would be very surprised if they didn’t have some old regulars pop up after opening. They continued unpacking, eventually being joined by Jackson and Hyunjin, the latter of whom plopped down in Chan’s lap and wrapped his arms around Chan’s neck the second he laid eyes on him. 

“I’m bored,” the vampire whined, pressing his cheek to Chan’s pulse point. 

“We’re unpacking,” Chan replied with a fond eye roll, glancing over at Jackson who looked seconds away from bursting out into laughter. “It’s not supposed to be fun.”

Hyunjin huffed and stubbornly kept his face hidden from Chan as he grumbled incoherently. 

“We haven’t even been unpacking for an hour yet, hyung,” he continued, chiding the older man gently. You can’t give up so soon.”

“But I’m thirsty,” the vampire whined. Behind them, Jackson finally gave up the fight to hold himself back and burst into loud peals of laughter. 

Chan just rolled his eyes fondly and tilted his head to the side with practiced ease. “Go on then,” he teased. “Have a drink and then get back to work, slacker.”

Hyunjin hummed happily and bit into Chan while Jackson and Mark smothered their laughter a few feet away. They both leaned back into the couch, using each other as crutches as they watched Hyunjin nuzzle ever-closer to Chan as he drank from him. 

“It amazes me how you are one of the babies of your coven and yet you still act like the hyung most of the time,” Jackson mused once his laughter had subsided some. 

Chan just shrugged one shoulder, careful not to dislodge Hyunjin as he smiled at his hyung. “Guess I just had lots of practice with you, hyung,” he teased, smirking when Jackson realized what he’d just said and stared at him aghast. 

“Alright, back to work,” Mark ordered with one final chuckle. “Hyunjin-ah, I know you’re done. Let go of my kid.”

Hyunjin pulled back with a pout after sealing Chan’s wound. “Bully,” he grumbled as he got up, pressing a kiss to Chan’s cheek before allowing Mark to drag him back out of the room. 

“You seem happy, kiddo,” Jackson noted as he helped Chan up and moved with him to continue sorting their books and other knickknacks. 

Chan smiled and nudged the older vampire with his shoulder. “I am happy, hyung,” he admitted, feeling his eyes mist sentimentally. “Never thought we’d get here but... this house— this bakery— it’s exactly what we all needed, I think. A fresh start, you know? Away from where everything happened.”

Jackson nodded, a small smile dancing across his lips. “I get you, kid,” he assured fondly. “I’m just glad to see you and the other kids doing so well.”

“Me too,” Chan murmured, sinking into Jackson’s side when the older man wrapped his arm around his shoulders. “Me too.”

“Maybe we should stay,” Jaebeom fretted, smoothing down invisible wrinkles on Chan’s shirt. “Just for the night— just in case.”

Chan sighed and tugged Jaebeom in for a tight hug. “Hyung,” he chided fondly. “We’ll be fine. You should get home before it gets too late. We can call in the morning and you’ll be back in a few days to help us with setting up for opening day anyways. Don’t worry about us, alright? We’re going to be just fine on our own.”

Jaebeom huffed and pulled back just far enough to cup Chan’s cheeks and press a few obnoxious kisses all over his face despite the younger man’s protests. “I’m always going to worry about you,” he scolded tearily. “You’re my baby.”

“And I always will be,” Chan promised, leaning in to press his own kiss to Jaebeom’s cheek in retaliation. “I love you, hyung... but I’m kicking you out now. Go home.”

The older vampire smiled and chuckled before nodding his head and pulling away from Chan completely. “Alright, that’s fair enough. Get your goodbyes in now, clan. Our child is giving us the boot.”

Chan rolled his eyes and pushed Jaebeom away with a playful huff. “Yah, get out of here, you dramatic old man.”

Jaebeom just grinned and tugged Chan in for one more quick hug and kiss before releasing him to do the same with the rest of the younger coven. After what felt like far too many repeated goodbyes, the hyungs finally left and the coven breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief. 

Jeongin grunted as he flopped backwards onto the couch, snagging Chan’s wrist on his way down and pulling the human with him. Chan yelped at the sudden change in direction but settled easily on Jeongin’s lap once he realized what had happened. 

“I barely saw you today,” the vampire grumbled as he dug his nose in Chan’s neck, inhaling his scent desperately. “Did Hyunie-hyung drink from you?”

Chan snorted and nodded his head. “He did,” he said with a little laugh, knowing without even looking that Jeongin was giving Hyunjin the stink eye over his shoulder. “Are you thirsty, baby?”

Jeongin huffed and pressed his face back into Chan’s neck with a little shake of his head. “No,” he mumbled. “Just missed you.”

Over the past two years since their bonding, Jeongin had grown better about being separated from Chan though some of that residual possessiveness never truly faded, especially when it came to people outside of the coven spending any alone time with Chan. They’d learned to work around it and live with it and most of the time it was endearing more than it was debilitating since Chan was always happiest when he was cuddled up to one of his mates.

“I missed you too, love,” Chan murmured as he tilted his head to press a kiss to Jeongin’s hair. 

Jeongin hummed contentedly and nuzzled further around Chan. 

“Everything’s unpacked,” Minho reported as he handed a plate piled high with steaming rice and vegetables to Chan. “The hyungs are really life savers.” 

Chan nodded, thanking Minho as he dug into his food while Jeongin shifted around him to give him more space to eat without letting him go. The rest of the coven settled in around them and chatted quietly between themselves though there was a blanket of exhaustion that covered all of them after their stressful day of moving and unpacking that hinted at them all taking an early night. 

“Want to sleep next to me tonight, Chan-ah?” Seungmin asked once Chan had finished eating, smiling mischievously. 

Jeongin turned his head to glare at their mate. “He’s mine tonight, fuck off,” he growled. Chan reached up to gently soothe his vampire while Seungmin cackled to their right. 

“Oh come on,” he goaded as he sent Jeongin another shit-eating grin. “You hog our Channie nearly every night. The least you can do is share every once in a while. Chan-ah would much rather sleep with me, wouldn’t you, baby?”

Chan sighed and shifted so that he was sitting on the couch between the two vampires before tugging Jeongin into a tight embrace. “Yah, Kim Seungmin,” he scolded, narrowing his eyes at the vampire when Seungmin only grinned wider. “Stop tormenting the baby. He can sleep next to me as much as he wants. Besides, I have two sides, you can cuddle my other side as long as you behave and stop antagonizing our territorial little fledgling.”

Seungmin cackled even as he mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key, much to the grumbling acceptance from Jeongin. 

“And on that note, I think it's far past everyone’s bedtimes,” Minho declared exasperatedly as he tugged a half-asleep Jisung up. The rest of the coven trudged up the stairs at his command and flopped gracelessly across their newly made coven bed, Jeongin and Seungmin notably latching onto Chan without complaint as they happily squeezed him between them. 

The next morning, Chan woke up early, not used to the new environment enough to sleep in. He was, surprisingly, the only one awake, however, and quickly devised a plan to give his mates a small surprise. He snuck out of bed, barely escaping Jeongin’s iron tight clutches by slipping a pillow between them, and tiptoed into the kitchen on bare feet. 

Luckily, Minho had been the one to unpack and organize the kitchen so Chan was safely able to guess where everything was located on the first try as he got to work making muffins. He mixed the batter thoroughly before separating out a small portion for himself, pouring them into a muffin tin and sticking them in the oven while he continued working on the batter for the rest of the coven. 

Using their blood draw kit wasn’t always the easiest on his own but Chan had done it enough times to be self-assured enough to not hurt himself unnecessarily. The first time he’d made pastries with his own blood for the coven had been explosive to say the least. Everyone had been horrified because he’d obviously had to bleed in order to mix his blood into their desert and then once he had assured them that he hadn’t hurt himself more than a prick, they had been upset because they had then assumed that he used his blood in all of Vampbite’s pastries and that had sparked possessive jealousy among the seven of them. Chan had had to assure them multiple times that, until that point, he hadn’t used his own blood in pastries— mostly because his hyungs hadn’t allowed him to, but now that he had the coven, it didn’t feel right to even think about letting anyone outside of his mates consume his blood in any form. 

After that, Chan had been allowed to continue baking for them with his blood though they were always careful to monitor how much they had taken from him immediately before or after so as to not take too much and hurt him. 

With having only fed Hyunjin the day before, Chan knew that he’d be more than okay to take some of his own blood for the coven’s breakfast. He smiled as he carefully folded in his blood before adding some frozen raspberries, knowing how well his blood paired with the tartness of the berries. 

He was just pulling the vampire-friendly muffins out of the oven when the first of his mates trickled into the kitchen. 

“Did you make us breakfast?” Felix murmured, smiling at Chan sleepily as he wrapped his arms around the human from behind and hooked his chin over Chan’s shoulder. 

“Raspberries muffins,” Chan declared proudly as he set the pans down on the pot holders. “To celebrate a successful move.”

Felix pressed a smile into Chan’s skin before dropping a kiss to his cheek as he pulled back. “You spoil us,” he confessed happily as he watched Chan carefully pop the warm muffins out of the tin and hand one to the waiting vampire. Across from them, perched on another counter top, Seungmin sat, watching Chan with a quiet sort of adoration that Chan would have missed early on in their relationship but now could spot a mile away. 

“Eat,” Chan encouraged as he slid a muffin over to Seungmin. 

Neither vampire needed any further encouragement as they dug in, moaning lewdly at the first bite which made Chan roll his eyes fondly as he took a bite of his own, blood-free, raspberry muffin. 

“Hyung,” Jeongin grumbled as he padded into the room, wrapping himself around Chan. “You left me.”

“Yeah... but I made breakfast?” Chan bargained, reaching around his octopus of a mate and grabbing a muffin for the younger man. “Fresh raspberry muffins.”

Jeongin hummed in curiosity as he pried himself away from Chan enough to take a bite, content to let Chan hand feed him if it meant not having to detach from the human. “So good,” he moaned happily, opening his mouth for another bite which Chan happily fed to him. “Love when you bake just for us.”

Chan smiled and leaned in to press a kiss to Jeongin’s lips once he had swallowed. “It’s a good thing I love feeding you then, huh?” he teased fondly. 

Jeongin didn’t bother with a reply, simply opening his mouth again, much to Chan’s fond amusement as he continued to feed him.

The rest of the coven trickled in after that, all complimenting Chan on his muffins and greeting everyone with sleepy kisses. 

“We need to check on the bakery today,” Minho reported once they had all finished eating and were lounging around on the couches. “See what we need to do before opening day.”

Chan nodded his head in agreement. “Someone needs to confirm shipment dates with our vendors too,” he added as he leaned against Changbin’s chest. “Make sure they’re ready to deliver in time for opening day.”

“We can do all that later,” Hyunjin grumbled as he draped himself on top of Minho, effectively pinning the older vampire even though they all knew that Minho could easily push him off if he wanted to. “I just wanna spend the morning with my coven in our new house.”

Chan chuckled and nodded his head, not about to complain about that request, especially when he was so comfortable. 

It amazed him some days, how quickly his life had changed. First when his parents had died and then when he met Jaebeom and his coven and then his coven. Chan had never in a million years expected to be where he was now. He knew that he’d have his own bakery one day but he never thought he’d have his own coven too, especially one that he loved so thoroughly and who loved him just as deeply back. 

He glanced over at Jeongin, sitting on the floor in front of Felix as he let the older vampire play with his hair while he stared sleepily at the dark television. His Jeongin, who had suffered so many hardships and still was able to smile and act with such kindness in his heart. His Jeongin who, despite those hardships, still learned to trust and love Chan. Chan would never be able to top the first time he kissed the younger man, that moment etched into his memory as the moment he confirmed that he truly meant as much to the vampire as he did to Chan. 

Chan never wanted to take that love— that trust— for granted. 

“I love you,” he murmured softly, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “All of you. So much.”

Jisung smiled fondly, amusement twinkling in his eyes at the sudden quiet declaration. “We love you too, you big sap,” he replied teasingly. 

Jeongin’s eyes met Chan’s, everything he didn’t say aloud echoing through their bond with a single look. 

I love you. I’ll protect you. Until the end of time.

And well, Chan certainly liked the sound of that.