Chapter Text
Mina isn’t bossy per say, but she might be just a tad…aggressive with her requests and doesn’t necessarily take no for an answer.
Okay yeah, she’s bossy.
Taehyung can’t find it in himself to be upset or put off in the slightest though because he knows if Mina didn’t practically drag him back where the donating rooms are, he would have never agreed to it willingly.
He wants to know the system. He just needed a firm nudge to get his ass in the “observation seats” – as Mina so helpfully called the sole chair placed next to the medical cot. Taehyung is sitting against the wall to Mina’s left as they finish the final questions before Mina offers her neck to the vampire sitting next to her.
Imagine Taehyung’s surprise when he was greeted by one of Yugyeom’s covenmates as he crossed the threshold between the proverbial safety (the hallway) and the biting room. He had only met BamBam a handful of times over the course of the Im covens’ plan to “Woe the Gyeom” and found the previous maknae had only been kind and respectful with their interactions.
But Taehyung can’t help but be a little fearful of the fact that someone who knows him – even as distant acquaintances – has seen him here. He knows he shouldn’t be here though he isn’t sure whether it’s mostly due to Dongha’s warnings or the small incessant fear that he will be the one forced on the table instead of Mina.
Plus, BamBam is bound to tell Yugyeom that he was here. Taehyung fully expects his Kim dongsaeng to pull him to the side for some intense questioning the next time he sees him. There aren’t any answers that Taehyung can provide – at least not truthfully – and he is getting pretty tired of spilling lies to everyone he knows.
“Ready Mina-ah?”, he hears BamBam say, causing him to snap his head up from where he was staring at the floor. BamBam was sitting on the bed to Mina’s right, on the opposite side of the machines hooked up to monitor her vitals, body turned toward her and waiting for her to make the first move.
Jungkook stands alongside the physician, a middle-aged witch, both near the two sitting on the bed. The young vampire offered to be the designated supervising supernatural during the feeding and Taehyung can only assume they allowed him because of his coven affiliation.
He doesn’t know why the vampire volunteered but Taehyung’s slowly softening heart couldn’t help but hope it was done to make the human more comfortable by limiting the number of vampires in the room.
“Of course.”, Mina says confidently, moving to offer her wrist.
With a nod from both supervising parties, BamBam carefully grasps the woman’s hand and brings it up to his mouth.
Taehyung was planning on staying as far away from the bite as possible but seeing Mina’s thin wrist steadily move towards the vampire’s elongated fangs has him subconsciously leaning forward in his seat.
If he’s going to be here with his proverbial “protector” only a few feet away, he might as well get the best view possible.
Taehyung’s breath hitches as he sees the vampire’s teeth puncture her skin. His heart picks up speed as he waits for Mina to inevitably flinch or let out a hiss at the sharp sting. He fully expects her to start pulling her arm away reflexively to get away from the pain, or at the very least grimace after having teeth sink into her arm.
The human finds his eyes widening when he sees nothing of the sort.
Mina’s face remains calm and composed. Tae might even see the small upturn at the corners of her lips as she watches the vampire feed, the only noise in the room being the constant beeping of the heart monitor and the quiet gulps as BamBam takes shallow pulls from the human’s wrist.
Either Mina has an extremely high pain tolerance or Jungkook was right in saying the bite should be virtually painless. Based on Mina’s relaxed body language and steady heart rate, he would have never assumed she was actively being fed on.
It doesn’t make any sense. The bites always hurt. The initial sting always turns into bright white pain that radiates down his neck and shoulders, leaving him aching for days after.
Taehyung would assume that Mina was given some sort of anesthetic if it wasn’t for the fact that he was here watching the entire process only a few feet away. She didn’t take any medications, there was no numbing cream, the witch didn’t perform a spell and she certainly didn’t get any injections prior to offering her blood.
There must be something to it, though. Perhaps BamBam has special venom that immediately numbs the area. Taehyung refuses to believe that the bite can be painless. The number of times he screamed in agony over being pierced with fangs and this is what it’s supposed to be like.
Taehyung doesn’t know why he is even surprised. If anything, he should exhale the breath he’s been holding in relief because of course Dongha and the others will do anything to inflict as much pain and suffering as possible. This only confirms what he already knew; that things didn’t have to be this way for him; there didn’t have to be so much suffering.
The timer is going off sooner than he expected and with a gentle coax from the physician, BamBam releases Mina’s wrist and licks over the wounds. Taehyung would be grossed out at the sight if he didn’t see the puncture wounds heal before his very eyes. No one seems to be surprised at the immediate healing so Taehyung can only assume that vampires apparently have magical saliva – holy sh*t – and he never knew.
They thank each other and Mina receives the proper aftercare, including a blood-replenishing potion as Jungkook had mentioned before. Even BamBam gets a good exam before he is allowed to leave with a smile and a wave over his shoulder towards Taehyung. Tae barely lifts a hand in response before the second youngest Im coven member is out the door, mind still a little slow and fuzzy after all his knowledge around bites has just been proven wrong.
Jungkook must see his struggle, because they quickly say their goodbyes – with a firm request from Mina to see her again – before they are back out onto the street. The cold air surrounds Taehyung as he takes large breaths, wanting to debrief with himself but also wanting to forget it all – or at least put it all to the back of his mind until he feels he can properly deal with it.
“It is fun time?”, Jungkook asks, laughing at Tae’s immediate nod. He reaches for the human’s hand and pulls him along to their next destination.
“Fun time.”, the vampire confirms.
“V, do you think you can do this?” Jungkook is standing to his left, serious expression covering his face as he searches the human’s face for any discomfort. “It’s okay if it’s too much.”
Taehyung takes a long breath, closing his eyes and steeling himself for what he’s about to do.
This is it. There’s no room for error, nothing allowed except the best he can give. They have been working tirelessly towards this and he knows that Jungkook would never outright be upset with him but can’t help but assume the kind-hearted vampire will be disappointed if Tae is not completely ready to take this step.
He cradles the object in his hand, knowing it’s crucial in the last act, the only thing that will allow them to achieve their goal. “I can do it.”, Taehyung says, setting his feet and pulling his shoulders back to make him appear more confident than he feels. Jungkook nods.
“I know you can.” The vampire says it with such conviction that Taehyung can’t help but hang on to every word. No, he can’t be distracted, not now. “Whatever happens, it’ll be okay.”
The human nods. He knows things will be okay, but he can’t let Jungkook down, not after everything they have been through to get here. They need this.
Taehyung takes a step forward, brings his arm back and tosses the object in front of him.
The ball rolls a small distance before sinking itself into the corner hole for 100 points, allowing them to beat the previous high score.
“Yes!”, they both yell, throwing their hands up.
When Jungkook had brought Taehyung to the arcade a few hours prior, the human almost laughed at the seemingly childish fun, but realized that there really is no better way to pass the time than let your inner child out.
And Taehyung hadn’t been to the arcade in years. In fact, he could only vaguely remember short snippets of his time playing crane games and shooting hoops with his family, loving the feeling of bringing a handful of tickets to the counter and choosing his prize.
Apparently, Jungkook had come here many times over the years and considered himself somewhat of a Skee Ball master, prompting the vampire to teach Taehyung how to play.
What started as simple instructions turned into Jungkook showing the correct form and technique, which later turned into an all-out battle to achieve the highest score and win the most tickets.
Skee Ball never stood a chance.
Jungkook wraps his arms around Taehyung and lifts him up, spinning him around in circles in celebration, letting out excited whoops as the human giggles above him.
“Let’s go!”, Jungkook shouts gleefully before setting Taehyung down to allow him to collect their winnings.
They lock their hands and practically run to the prize counter in their excitement. With that last win, they finally have enough tickets. They must have the same idea because they both ask the other to close their eyes as they choose the prize, both choosing something to give the other without them knowing – because they’re cute boys pinning over each other, of course.
After choosing their gifts and giving the extra tickets to a cute little girl next to the ticket machine, they sit down in the adjacent pizza parlor for some food. Taehyung orders a small pizza for himself with a promise from Jungkook that the vampire will have a piece.
On the way to their final destination, Taehyung presents the doe-eyed vampire with his gift. Jungkook sputters as he takes the fluffy grey bunny, caught between a laugh and utter disbelief.
“This is Floppy.”, Taehyung says with a smile. “He reminded me of you.”
Jungkook outright groans at that, tilting his head back in exaggeration. “Did the hyungs put you up to this?”
At Taehyung’s confused look, Jungkook shakes his head and continues. “My nickname used to be ‘bun’ when I had first joined the coven. They still tease me with it occasionally. I figured Jimin-hyung must have told you.”
“I wasn’t told anything about it.”, Taehyung says through a laugh. “But you can’t blame them, just look at Floppy’s big eyes and cute teeth. It’s like a compact, cuddly version of yourself.”
“I can be cuddly.” Jungkook pouts, looking at the rabbit as if it personally offended him. “My hyungs say I give great cuddles.”
Taehyung laughs again at the vampire’s put-off expression, unable to stop himself from fondly rolling his eyes at the older’s antics. Jungkook then puts the stuffed bunny into his bag and pulls out an equally fluffy stuffed animal, presenting it to the other with a huge smile.
“This is Honey.” Jungkook says with a sh*t-eating grin. “He reminded me of you.”
Taehyung burst out laughing at the elder’s repeated words, hugging the bear close to him as his giggles eventually subsided. “And why exactly did the bear remind you of me?”
“Just look at his cute brown eyes and his round cheeks, he looks just like you when you puff up your cheeks in concentration.” Jungkook chooses to lean over and exaggeratedly lower his voice. “He’s like a compact, cuddly version of yourself.”
The human starts giggling again as he pushes Jungkook away from him, shaking his head at the absolutely ridiculous impression attempt. He is unable to stop smiling as they continue to walk, brushing shoulders while they stew in the palpable happiness radiating off the both of them.
Jungkook decides to take the bear from Taehyung’s grasp and place the animal in his bag – “Because Floppy needs a friend, V-ah.” – before grabbing the younger’s hand and leading him off the sidewalk and into the adjacent woodland area, weaving him through trees and shrubbery until they arrive at a secluded area along the Han river.
The small opening is completely surrounded by greenery, enclosing them from all sides except where the river touches the sandy bank in front of them. The slowly lowering sun is creating large shadows with the buildings and other structures in Seoul and painting the sky with beautiful hues of red and orange, the same colors that are perfectly reflected in the slow-moving water. It is plenty light outside, the numerous lights that Taehyung knows litter every surface of Seoul still hidden.
Jungkook sits down in the sun-warmed grass, pulling Taehyung down with him until they are seated side-by-side, knees and shoulders brushing softly.
“Hoseok-hyung and Jimin-hyung got to show off their special place.” Jungkook starts, getting lost in the picturesque scenery. “This is mine.”
Taehyung hums, prompting the other to continue.
“I used to go to the river in Busan after long days or when I just needed to think or escape.” Jungkook breathes out. “I did a lot of that when I was human. My mother died when I was young, and it completely changed my father. They were so…in love that I don’t think he could handle having to live a life without her. He threw himself into work, would leave before it became light and came back after dark. When that wasn’t enough, he turned to gambling which turned into drinking and it didn’t take long before things escalated.”
Jungkook’s face remains impassive as he speaks, the pain either hidden deep within him or gone with time – the human hopes it’s the latter. Taehyung grabs his hand, holding it between both of his own, causing Jungkook to look over at their intertwined hands with a smile.
“I ran off to the river anytime things got bad. If he threw things, I ran to the river. If he started yelling, I left and headed straight to the river. It was my safe space for a long time.” Jungkook shoots him a fond smile. “Imagine my surprise when one day, someone was sitting next to the river in my spot.”
Taehyung’s eyes widen as he leans in subconsciously, completely enraptured in the older’s story.
“Namjoon-hyung was so immersed in his soil analysis that he didn’t notice me for a whole fifteen minutes. I thought about leaving when I saw him but…he was murmuring to himself about the biochemistry of the soil and water, and I couldn’t help but find it cute.” Jungkook drops his head in embarrassment at his admission, cheeks turning a faint pink.
“You had a crush on him.”, Taehyung states, unable to contain his smile at the vampire’s reaction, finding it endearing that young human Jungkook had an almost immediate infatuation with the gentle giant. “Now, Jimin-ssi’s comment about you admiring his thighs makes a lot more sense.”
Jungkook’s groan echoes through the surrounding brush as he dramatically falls onto his back and covers his face with his free hand.
“I’m gonna die of embarrassment.”, the vampire says resolutely.
“From which part, the soft stalking or making heart eyes at Namjoon-ssi’s thighs?” Taehyung can’t help but giggle at his own words when the vampire groans again, rolling away from the human to wallow in embarrassment face-down. He hasn’t been able to joke with someone so freely outside of his coven in so long. But with Jungkook, it comes…so easily, the brown-haired boy can’t help but bask in the familiarity of the conversation, knowing that he loves the back-and-forth banter he finds himself in. “I won’t lie. Imagining little baby Jungkook looking up to the literal brick house of a man that is your coven leader…it’s kinda cute.”
“I wasn’t a baby. In my late teens maybe, but not a baby. Though, by the way Jin-hyung squished my cheeks, swaddled me with like three blankets and hand fed me seasoned pork the first time he met me, I must have been pretty cute.” Jungkook’s smile is wide and his eyes twinkle as he regards Taehyung, head resting on top of his crossed arms, still flopped out on his belly in the grass. “The other hyungs took to me pretty quickly, too. I think they guessed things at home weren’t the best, but they never asked, just did what they could to distract me while I was with one of them.”
Taehyung is smiling, too, so endeared by the fond far-away look in the vampire’s eyes. He doesn’t want to break the contentedness radiating from the vampire but chooses to ask a question regardless. “Why didn’t you leave?”
Jungkook looks at Taehyung, still smiling softly, seemingly not at all upset at the question. “I had a little brother, much younger than me. I couldn’t leave him…not with my father the way he was. We had plans to leave together when he was old enough.”
“Is that how you got away? You and your brother left?” Jungkook’s smile dims in the slightest.
“Is…Are you sure you want to know? It’s not all happy.” Taehyung feels himself nodding, wanting to know everything about the boy in front of him. Jungkook searches his face, looking for any signs of discomfort or unsureness. The vampire pulls himself up from the grass and resumes his previous position, slowly reaching for Tae’s hand until their hands are loosely wrapped together.
“Over the years, the coven and I became closer, and I eventually told them what was going on. They immediately asked us both to come with them to a different city. I wanted so badly to go to them but was just waiting for the right moment, the time when I could take Junghyun and run without worrying about our father taking him back.” Jungkook pauses, taking a moment to rub his thumb over Taehyung’s hand. “Junghyun and I had everything packed. We planned on leaving in the middle of the night, when he was at the local bar, and the coven would meet us at our spot by the river. But as we were walking through the door, our father came back.”
Taehyung’s breath stutters for a moment. Jungkook glances up to him, offering him a small smile and a tight squeeze of his hand. “I had never seen him so angry and prior to that point I never fought back, but I had to get Junghyun out of there. I told him to run, told him to find the coven. I was able to get out of the house not long after him and went right for the river. I didn’t see any of the hyungs or my brother when I made it to the water, so I panicked, didn’t even realize my father had followed me the whole way until he was on top of me. He told me over and over again that I looked too much like my mother, constantly reminded him of something he lost.”
“I don’t think it was that long before the coven found me, but…by that point, I was already dying.” The tears that Taehyung had done so well holding back finally fell. A warm hand immediately raised up and wiped them away, allowing a blurry Jungkook to appear. “V, you don’t need to be sad. It was a little sooner than planned but I still got what I wanted. I had the opportunity to be with the coven forever and my brother was finally free.”
“That doesn’t make it okay.”, Taehyung says, words cracking at the end. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. Junghyun lived a long, happy life, even had some children of his own. It wasn’t the best introduction to a new life, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. Being with the coven…” Jungkook takes a large breath, steadying himself as he continues to rub his thumb back and forth over the human’s cheek. “I’m happy, V.”
The similarity between Jungkook’s story and his own is a bit mind-numbing. Both were betrayed by people who were supposed to be their family. Jungkook endured for his brother, waiting for the best time to leave, just like how the boy across from him has stayed with Dongha for the sake of the other Letters.
But Tae stopped trying to leave a while ago.
“I’m glad.”, Taehyung whispers. “You deserve to be happy.”
“So do you.”, Jungkook immediately replies. “You may not think so now...but I promise I will do everything I can to make you feel worthy of happiness.”
Taehyung smiles wider at him then. Whether it be the vampire’s default or due to the calming, warm atmosphere near the river, the Bangtan maknae is an absolute sap and the younger can’t help but gravitate towards the constant feelings of good that radiate off the other.
“Okay.”, he whispers, fighting down the constant feelings of doubt and disbelief that threaten to spill out. Jungkook’s hand leaves his face with a soft caress.
“I have a very important question to ask you.” Before Taehyung can throw himself into full-blown panic, the vampire’s smile becomes playful. “How good are you at skipping rocks?”
Turns out not good. He hasn’t skipped rocks since he was a child, playing with the neighbors’ kids near one of the local ponds, a parental figure hovering closely behind. Tae doesn’t remember being this bad, throwing one rock with too high of an arch and the next directly into the water, neither doing a single skip.
Jungkook, on the other hand, was scarily good, and Taehyung wonders if that is just how he is, naturally skilled and making up for the rest with sheer determination and competitive spirit. No one should be able to skip a rock seven times for crying out loud.
The human blames it on supernatural strength and coordination. He tells Jungkook as much and gets a laugh in return as the older throws another six-skipper across the river. When Taehyung finally gets a rock to skip twice, they call it quits, plopping down on the grass with heavy breaths and pink cheeks, unable to stop the wide goofy smiles they flash at each other.
The sun has dipped lower, a breath away from touching the water on the horizon. The sky has changed from oranges and yellows to deeper reds and pinks, allowing a fuzzy warmth to settle over them both as they admire the city in the changing light.
“V.” Jungkook calls softly, causing the other boy to turn their head to the sound. “I won’t bring it up again if you don’t want but I feel like I need to make something clear.”
Taehyung nods his head, maintaining eye contact with Jungkook. “It’s about you baring your neck. I know that you had bad experiences with vampires in the past, but I want you to understand what it means to a lot of vampires, what it means to us.” Taehyung finds himself nodding again, wanting to understand the action and secretly loving any information Jungkook can give him.
“Baring your neck should never be forced.” Jungkook says determinedly. “It can be intimate like showing your mate you are willing to give them every part of you. But it can also just mean trust or understanding between people close to you.”
“When we saw you in the café, bleeding, and Namjoon had said those things.” Jungkook’s speech is broken, like it physically pains him to relive those memories. “We fought and I was just so angry, but he explained and after a lot of talking, I showed him my throat. Not because he’s the leader or I was scared but because he has never done anything without a valid, well-thought-out reason. He always puts his mate and the rest of the coven first. So, even though I was beyond upset, I still trusted him with everything I had. I still love him as my hyung and covenmate.”
Taehyung feels his eyes widen as he takes in Jungkook’s words, unsure if he should focus more on the fact that Jungkook fought with his own coven because of the human or ponder over the meaning of baring your neck. He has shown his neck willingly many times over the years, but never to portray trust or understanding, always performing the act due to fear. Always showing submission in hopes that the vampire will show some semblance of mercy at his actions, whether it be for himself or his human coven member.
Other than the misunderstanding with Namjoon their first real meeting at Singularity, Taehyung has never felt the need to show submission to any of the coven members. In fact, they have all tried convincing him to show strength, to never be forced to do anything he doesn’t want to.
Taehyung finds he does want to, though.
He wants to be able to trust. He wants to be able to feel safe. He wants to believe in someone enough to be vulnerable in front of them.
He finds himself turning toward Jungkook on the grass, legs folded underneath him, staring into Jungkook’s unwavering gaze. The sweet vampire somehow wiggled his way into Taehyung’s life without the human even knowing. The human thinks that it should scare him that he is willing to throw away years of survival instincts, years of fear and uncertainty for the vampire in front of him.
The dark-haired boy searches deep inside himself for any residual fear or hesitance regarding the youngest Bangtan member.
And finds none.
The human takes a deep breath, steeling himself for what he is about to do, glancing once again into Jungkook’s eyes before closing his own. Taehyung leaves his body facing Jungkook and turns his head to the side, showcasing the side of his neck to the vampire. Jungkook takes a stuttering breath at his actions, not doing anything to further break the silence.
Taehyung waits a few moments before hearing Jungkook moving softly in the grass. He finds himself reflexively scrunching his eyes closed tighter, hands bunching into his pants as a small spark of fear shows itself, breath moving a little quicker.
He feels a warm hand cover his, softly coaxing the human’s hand from his thigh so that Jungkook can intertwine their fingers, palms pressed firmly against one another.
The human takes long breaths, calming his racing heart. This isn’t Dongha or Hyunwu or Minjun. This isn’t any of the other vampires in his coven or the ones who roam the street looking to dig their fangs into any human they catch alone. The man in front of him is not his uncle, the blood-relative that always had a hand lifted and ready to give physical punishment. This is Jungkook, the same vampire who tried protecting him against his own coven, repercussions be damned, the one who has always put the human’s needs first, always made sure he was comfortable. He wills himself to calm, knowing that the young vampire has no intention of harming him.
The vampire slowly comes closer. Taehyung knows that the overlapping scars of previous bites on his neck likely shine silver in the dying light but doesn’t feel it in himself to be self-conscious about them, only focused on the shifting of the grass as Jungkook leans forward.
Taehyung can now feel Jungkook’s breath fanning over his neck, causing goosebumps to erupt over his skin. Jungkook gives his hand a comforting squeeze before leaning in the last half inch and pressing his lips softly over the area where Taehyung knows his most prominent scar lay, causing a stuttering breath to escape his chest.
The act is so simple yet so meaningful, showing such gentle care to an area of previous harm, showing Taehyung that he can be vulnerable without risk, without fear or pain. Taehyung keeps his eyes shut, basking in the feeling of safety, the feeling of soft warmth from Jungkook’s lips.
Taehyung feels tears fall down his cheeks, unsure when the burse of emotion became too much to hold in, as the vampire leaves one last quick press of lips before pulling back, keeping his hand tightly wove with the human’s.
A hand reaches up and softly grasps Taehyung’s chin, slowly turning the human’s face back towards the vampire in front of him. He feels a thumb brush over his cheeks, clearing the tear trails, only serving to make room for more. Taehyung opens his eyes, finding it easy to ignore his watery lashes as he immediately gets lost in the expanse of Jungkook’s red eyes.
Taehyung liked the way the vampire’s eyes sparkled in the daylight, but finds he loves the way his deep red eyes shine in the dimming light, as if a collection of stars settled behind his eyelids, only to come out for the human he cares for.
“Thank you.”, Taehyung whispers, leaning his head into Jungkook’s palm.
“You’re…” Jungkook cuts himself off with a choked sound, dropping his chin to his chest as his shoulder start to shake. “You’re thanking me?”
Jungkook looks up to see Taehyung’s confused face, cheek still cradled in his hand, trying and failing to keep his eyes dry.
“I should be thanking you.”, he whispers with a wet laugh. “You…you put so much trust in me. I can’t…I… thank you, V. You are way too pure for this world.”
Another tear makes its way down the human’s face at the words, causing the vampire to move his thumb to once again gently wipe it away. “I promise that I would never abuse that trust.”
Taehyung nods, already knowing but liking to hear it slip from Jungkook’s lips, sending a small smile to the other. “If you do, I’ll tell Jimin-ssi to beat you up.”
Jungkook full-on chuckles at that, unable to keep his shoulders from jumping up and down. “You tell Jimin-hyung and the whole coven will beat me up to avenge their new maknae.”
Taehyung can’t stop himself from letting out a watery chuckle in return, finding himself tilt forward completely into Jungkook, wrapping his arms around the vampire’s neck as arms wrap around his waist in return. He nuzzles into Jungkook’s neck, enjoying the warmth radiating from every aspect of the body in front of him, letting himself slowly be pulled into the other’s lap.
They stay there, wrapped together tightly, as they watch the sun set fully over the water.
Taehyung was still riding on the high of his time with Jungkook as he slowly walks home.
After it started getting too cold to stay sitting on the ground, the two parted ways, not without Jungkook offering to walk him home or wait for one of his covenmates to come pick the human up a half dozen times. Taehyung waved the vampire off, letting him know one of the humans will be waiting for him a few blocks away.
It was a little lie, but Taehyung hasn’t been able to stop his cheeks from heating, endlessly scrunched by the smile that has refused to leave his face since he started walking home, and he was not looking forward to the teasing he was bound to get from whichever Letter had come to meet him.
Nearing the apartment, he takes large, steady breaths, willing his heart to calm and his cheeks to turn back to their normal color. He can’t help the small upturn of his lips as he steps into the abandoned building and climbs the stairway. He sees Z immediately, leaning against the wall in the middle of the hallway, head tilted toward the floor.
“Hey, Z.”, Tae calls. The girl doesn’t move, keeping her gaze resolutely on the broken floorboards in front of her. Looking further, he sees that all of the Letters are gathered in the hallway, lined against the side and back walls, most sitting with their heads tilted down. “Z?”
A loud giggle rings out behind him, making him jump and turn quickly to the source, finding Minjun leaning against the doorway to one of the rooms.
“You really did it this time, V.” he says sweetly, head tilting to the side as he rakes his eyes down Taehyung’s body. His smile dims as he looks off in the distance before a blinding smile takes over his face as he addresses someone over Taehyung’s shoulder. “Can I finally have a taste?”
He senses more than hears someone behind him, choosing not to turn around. A hand settles itself on the back of his head, squeezing painfully for a moment before forcing Tae’s body to turn around. The humans head tilts up to meet Dongha’s red-eyed gaze, the vampire’s expression giving nothing away.
“Where were you?”, he asks lowly. Taehyung opens his mouth to give an automatic excuse before a hand is roughly placed over his mouth. “Why is it that the only things that come out of your mouth are lies?”
The hand behind his neck and covering his mouth grip tighter, causing Taehyung to grimace in pain. “Let me make this easy.”
“Which of them were you with?” Taehyung’s eyes snap open. Dongha couldn’t actually know. The vampire has been gone. This is just one of his games, pretending to know in hopes that the other will give up the information. Dongha’s eyes move back and forth between his own, searching for something. His hand remains tight on Taehyung’s face, preventing the human from answering even if he wanted to.
Dongha then releases the back of his head, the other hand slowly moves from his mouth to his cheek, rubbing small circles over his cheekbone. The vampire leans in and buries his nose into the human’s hair, taking greedy gulps of his scent. “It’s okay. I know. I know who it was.”
Taehyung feels himself shaking now. Dongha has always had a small obsession with him, constantly possessive without actively staking any claim. But the vampire had never been so open with his desires, rubbing his face over Taehyung’s hair in front of the others, trying to pick up as much of the human’s scent as possible. He leans back after a moment.
“I’ll take care of it.”, he murmurs, red eyes once again meeting Taehyung’s. Dongha steps back from Taehyung and heads toward the exit, taking his vampire covenmates with him.
