Chapter Text
Felix checked his outfit and makeup one last time, giving his reflection a satisfied little smirk before stepping out of his room, going to knock on Hyunjin’s door. A noncommittal hum came in response, and Felix pushed the door open. Unsurprisingly, Hyunjin was still fussing about his long hair, even though he looked perfect in every possible way with his leather pants and white shirt and long smooth hair, and Felix just rolled his eyes at him. Lovingly, of course.
“Come on, you’re overdoing it. You already look ethereal .”
“Tch, that’s just a given, with immortal beauty. No, I need it to…” Hyunjin began whining. Felix didn’t bother arguing, decades of experience told him that would be futile, so he simply stepped over to the light switch. The reaction was immediate. “YAH!”
“You look stunning anyways.” Felix shrugged, stepping out the door with a smirk, letting the light from the corridor filter in.
“Easy for you to say, when your hair is already on point,” Hyunjin grumbled, but headed out anyway. “It’s fine, I’ll just be stylishly messy,” he huffed. Felix suppressed a smile at his best friend’s dramatics, but wordlessly stopped when Hyunjin grabbed his shoulder to scan him from head to toe. The black leather jacket, tight leather pants and boots were his staple, but hidden beneath was a sheer black lace shirt, he geled his black hair back, and he’d done a smokey eye. As good as his teacher Hyunjin does it, if not better. Felix could predict the whistle coming. “You really dolled yourself up tonight!”
“I’m trying to catch big fish tonight.” Felix smiled mysteriously.
“Don’t tell me…!” Hyunjin gasped.
“Yes, him .”
“Do you know his name yet?”
“No, but it’s better this way. I can get to know him more naturally.”
“Because following him around to and from his gym for weeks to find out which bar he frequents is so natural?” Hyunjin raised a brow.
“We’ve done worse.” Felix shrugged it off, already walking down the corridor. Not a conversation he wanted to continue. A little pause, then he could hear Hyunjin’s footsteps behind, as expected.
Downstairs, Chan was trying his best to keep the rowdy, bloodthirsty clan members in check, especially the newborn Jeongin, as they were getting ready to head out for the hunt. Felix and Hyunjin bid their goodbyes as they headed out on their own, breaking into fond giggles as they made it onto the street. It was rowdy, getting louder and louder over the decades as Chan converted and adopted more and more people he took pity on, but it felt more and more like a real home. More like the one they left behind in Australia, after…
Felix caught himself mid-thought, looking over and smiling at Hyunjin instead. Despite his vanity and dramatics, he truly loved and appreciated his best friend, and was especially grateful for having a hunting partner. While most of the clan was more or less queer, they found it easier to hunt for women, and some of them found partners in each other, but that didn’t feel right for Felix. In the beginning, when it was just the two of them, he forced himself to go with Chan, hunt for women. Feeding didn’t have to be a sexual experience, after all, even though it took some seduction to get there. But as he grew more confident in his abilities, he started frequenting gay bars alone instead.
That is, until he came across Hyunjin, then a human. Felix hadn’t meant to turn him into a vampire, just hook up and feed, but… things happened, bad things, out of Felix’s control. No, the humans who did it did not survive that night, Felix made sure of that. But the only way to save Hyunjin’s life was to give him a new, cursed one, and so Felix did it. The same thing his cousin did for him. For the first, and so far only time, he sired a new vampire. Luckily, neither of them regretted it, and he gained a blood brother, a bond as close as he’d only shared with Chan before. Unsurprisingly, Hyunjin sensed the shift in Felix’s mood, and slipped his hand into his.
“I’m just thinking of… how our family came to be.” Felix said quietly. He didn’t say more, he didn't need to. They’d had many a conversation about this before.
“You know I have no regrets,” Hyunjin reminded, and Felix smiled at him. Hyunjin nudged him playfully. “Tell me, how are you planning to get to your hottie?”
Felix recognized the intentional change of topic and welcomed it. “I don’t quite have a plan…” He began, only to sketch out maybe a dozen plans, one sillier than the other, that they proceeded to discuss while walking to the dive bar Felix had managed to identify as his hottie’s usual weekend spot. He really knew so little about the man beyond this, it was one of those rare occasions when Felix decided to chase someone “blind”, not even knowing if the person would be into men, so his nerves were high. The conversation with Hyunjin and the pleasant summer night helped soothe them somewhat.
They arrived all too early, Felix’s mind was still everywhere. Retro music streamed out the open door at a moderate volume, together with dim, atmospheric lighting. It felt comfortable and brought a smile to Felix’s lips, the hottie had good taste. But at the same time…
“I suddenly feel overdressed…” Felix squirmed.
“Oh no no, you’re not running back home now.” Hyunjin held his arm firmly.
“I wasn’t planning to!” Felix whined, but a look from his friend had him shut up. Hyunjin knew him all too well, he must have known he was at least considering the possibility.
“You’re gonna walk in there, and sweep him right off his feet, just like I taught you to.”
Felix gulped and nodded. They stared at each other a couple more seconds until Hyunjin’s hold loosened on Felix’s arm and his hand fell. They both walked in, and with a nod, they wordlessly parted. Felix sharpened his senses, seeking a familiar mushroom hair, a short, stocky build, scent of sandalwood and citrus. It wasn’t a hard find, he really didn’t need his vampire senses for it. His hottie was sitting at the bar alone, and Felix felt lucky for it. He looked at his broad back, a red shirt hugging it just right, neatly tucked into simple black jeans. Even the way he sat radiated confidence. Felix could almost feel Hyunjin’s gaze at the back of his head and the nudge he would give him, so he took a deep breath as he walked over to perch himself on the bar stool next to the man. With many more empty seats, the man of course noticed, and glanced over curiously, trying to be subtle about checking Felix out, but he really wasn’t. Felix was suddenly happy for his choice of outfit and felt a rush of confidence. He crossed his legs and fully turned to the hottie, resting his chin on his palm as he elbowed on the bar.
“Hi, handsome.” Felix spoke in a smooth, velvety voice, that he chose not to infuse with magic. He could have, but he wanted to give this a shot to be real . “Would you like to invite me for a drink?”
Superior vampire senses allowed him to pick out each emotion from the momentary storm in the man’s eyes as he turned towards Felix too, now giving him an obvious once over. Confusion, surprise, likely at being flirted with, melting into appreciation, pride, pleasure. They all looked cute on him, Felix decided. But especially that little half-smirk he settled on. He was clearly up for the flirtation, that Felix felt elated about, but wouldn’t care to show outwardly. He’s got nigh five decades of practice in superior self control and playing it cool, the better half of it spent alongside Hyunjin. “Would love to,” the man said, his voice smooth but nasal, his tone higher than expected. Felix found himself liking it though. “What would you like to drink?”
Felix’s lips curled into a smirk. “Sex on the beach.”
The man snorted a laugh, his smile lopsided. He clearly found the choice bold, and he seemed amused and pleased by it. He turned away from Felix, only to call on the bartender, with the casual attitude of a regular, but also with a calm charisma. Soon enough, Felix had his drink in front of him, and the hottie’s gaze on him too. He calmly took a sip, pretending he didn’t notice that appreciating gaze, and sighed in content. Even if he couldn’t get drunk, he enjoyed the taste, and wanted to make a show of it of course. Hyunjin would be so proud of him for being a good student. Felix made eye contact and flashed a small smile, before gesturing to the half-full glass filled with green liquid in front of the man. “What are you drinking?”
“It’s a Mojito.”
“Quite a girly drink,” Felix teased, smiling subtly. The man smirked as he gestured to the fruity drink in front of Felix.
“So is yours.”
“We only live once.” Felix smirked lopsidedly and shrugged. Except his once is supposedly forever, if he’s smart enough.
“That’s the spirit.” The man smiled, content, amused, open. He was surely intrigued enough, wasn’t he? “What’s your name?”
Felix took a moment to swirl his drink, holding the man’s gaze. “Felix.”
“Felix,” he repeated, slowly, as if tasting it. There was still a smile playing around his lips. “You’re not from here, are you?”
“From Australia.” Felix said in Korean first before repeating in English, letting his original accent show. His hottie seemed bemused by it, and Felix questioned himself if he hadn’t accidentally used some of his unnatural gifts for seduction. There was no way this man was so easily charmed by only his flirting. But he could have sworn he didn’t draw on his magic. “And what’s your name, handsome?”
“Changbin.”
“Changbin,” Felix repeated too. “Am I pronouncing it right?” he grinned, even though there was no way he could get it wrong after nearly five decades in Korea.
“You’re pronouncing it perfect.” Changbin sounded almost proud, and Felix felt bad for misleading him, but flashed a cute smile anyways. “How old are you, Felix?”
“Don’t worry, I’m of age. I’m twenty-two.” He grinned cheekily. In reality, nearly seventy... Felix tried his best to not count it though. He was twenty-two when he was reborn, and so that’s the age his body remained, and he kept giving that number to unsuspecting humans.
“I’m twenty-three… so that makes me your hyung.” Changbin straightened in his seat, almost self-importantly, and Felix found it adorable. “Are you familiar with the age system in Korea?” Felix almost laughed. If only he knew… But he just smiled sweetly.
“Of course, hyung. I’ve been here for a couple of years. My Korean’s pretty good, isn’t it?”
“Ah, yes, of course.” Changbin cleared his throat, and were his ears turning pink? Yes, they were… Was this man this easily embarrassed? How adorable . Felix held back a squeal, but his smile grew warmer, his eyes gaining a shine. Ironically, he’d not felt this alive in decades. He knew he was growing fond of this human much more and much faster than he should have, but he chose to ride the wave of the moment.
And the wave carried them. They spent the night talking, learning about each other’s lives and interests. He learnt that Changbin was a bodybuilder and personal trainer. It wasn’t really a surprise, with how much he frequented that gym, and how good he looked. It was a surprise though that he had music as his hobby, running a soundcloud, where he uploaded beats and rap songs he’d composed and performed himself. Felix watched him with admiration, for the passion he had when he talked about it, for the sheer talent it all took. When he asked to hear a song, Changbin’s demeanor changed though, his ears turning pink, head hung and excuses muttered. Felix couldn’t resist cooing at his shyness and insisted. It took Changbin minutes, scrolling through songs and muttering about the flaws of each, until he eventually handed Felix his earphones. For all the excuses he made, his music sounded great, and professional, and Felix loved every second of it, his admiration for Changbin growing even more. The man took his barrage of compliments with a shy laugh and a blush, but pride gleaming in his eyes.
In Felix’s case, he gave a sanitized version of his story. Even though Changbin took it in stride when Felix said he’s a pole and strip dancer. Well, how else was a creature of the night supposed to earn his money, when he doesn’t grow any older, can’t have valid documents, and can’t stay in one place too long? But of course, what he gave as reason was having to support themselves together with his cousin after they were left orphaned barely of age, knowing no profession. Quite a sob story, and one would have to be a real ass to criticize him for it. Felix was beginning to hate himself for repeating his usual lies though when Changbin looked truly concerned and caring for him, ready to offer advice and even his help, to a boy he’d barely met.
Was it the drinks? Was it their connection? As the night progressed, they moved closer together physically too. From little touches along the arms, to holding hands. Once they moved to a booth, Changbin’s arm settled around Felix’s waist, and wouldn’t leave, not that the vampire minded. At some point, he’s not sure how, he ended up on Changbin’s lap, his arms around his “hyung”’s neck, the other’s muscular arms secure around his waist, their conversation whispered in the tiny space between them. It felt too intimate for lies and secrets, and Felix wondered how long he could go like this. His resolution eventually shattered when Changbin kissed him. His lips felt soft and warm and sweet, but Felix felt too tense to enjoy or kiss back, and the human sensed it too, pulling back.
“I’m sorry, I should not have crossed that line…” Changbin mumbled, his ears once again aflame, eyes cast down. He looked like a kicked puppy, so guilty, and ashamed, and Felix’s heart lurched.
“No, hyung, it’s not that…” Felix whispered. “I promise. I want to, but… I have to tell you something.” He sighed. This was crazy. He was supposed to hunt tonight. Use his magic, get what he needs, the blood, and the sex, make sure Changbin wouldn’t remember the biting part, and then be gone forever. Instead… he was catching feelings and contemplating revealing his true self. Wishing he could keep this human forever. The undead don’t have hormones, so why was Felix feeling so hormonal and driven by his emotions?
Changbin blinked in confusion, his previous shame lingering, but his eyes flickered up to Felix, shining with curiosity, hope, trust. “Tell me then, Felix.” His whisper felt like a caress, that Felix wanted to lean into.
Felix gulped. “I… can’t here. Would you mind going for a walk?”
Changbin nodded, quick but clumsy. “Of course, we can go.”
It was unusually silent between them as they gathered up their belongings and headed out. Felix extended his senses, making sure Hyunjin was following them without disturbing. He’d been aware that somewhere during the night, after they moved to that booth, Hyunjin had slipped away to hunt for himself, then returned, so they didn’t need to worry about that anymore. Only about what Changbin might think of him. The human didn’t resist when Felix’s hand slipped into his, instead intertwining their fingers. It felt comforting, even if it might not last long.
Led by Changbin, since it was his area, they made it to a park soon enough, its gravel paths well-lit by lamps, cicadas and the flower-heavy scent of a summer night welcoming them, and Felix pulled them to a wrought iron bench. He decided to start slow.
“Hyung… do you believe in the supernatural?”
“The supernatural?” Changbin blinked at him, taken off guard by the question. Likely not the sort of conversation he was expecting, and Felix didn’t blame him for it. If he put himself in Changbin’s place, based on dramas and movies, he’d expect to hear about disapproving families, an arranged engagement, a cancer diagnosis… And on top of that, his secret was well kept from humans. Eventually, Changbin firmly shook his head. “No. There’s no evidence for it, so no reason to believe in it.”
Felix bit his lip, the nerves getting to him now. This might not go down smoothly if Changbin’s such a skeptic. “What if I told you… it actually exists? There’s… creatures among us?”
Changbin stared at him, quite astonished, but he gathered himself in a couple seconds. “Well, that’s… that’s a belief, I suppose. It’s not a deal breaker for me…”
Felix sighed in frustration, running his hand through his hair. Changbin stopped talking, looking at him with a mixture of worry and confusion. He must have thought Felix was delusional. “What if… I showed you evidence of creatures existing?”
A longer pause followed.
“You’re telling me… there is evidence… compelling , unfalsifiable evidence, that creatures exist? That scientists haven’t found yet?”
“We… they have good reason to hide… when they didn’t, centuries ago, you hunted their kind,” Felix whispered, barely audible. Changbin opened his mouth, then closed it. His lips moved wordlessly for seconds that dragged on.
“And so… why would you have this evidence?” His voice was also very meek, as if he knew what the answer would be. Maybe it’s also because Felix has slipped up in that previous sentence. But this was it, the moment of truth…
Felix’s anxiety peeked, and he sensed the tenseness from Hyunjin too. Throughout the whole conversation, he could feel the waves of anxiety from him, his friend was close enough to hear everything. Felix tried to calm himself. What’s the worst case scenario? They could always just alter Changbin’s memory, right? It’s easier to change thoughts and memories as they are forming, while they are malleable, but it should still be possible afterwards… Unless it’s burnt in too deep… Unless he’s dead set on revealing their existence to humans. Then, there would be only one thing they could do… Felix couldn’t bring himself to do it, not after tonight, but… Hyunjin wouldn’t hesitate to kill to save their kind. Changbin’s life could be on the line, if he chose to be stubborn. That was quite a horrible worst case scenario, but… Felix met his gaze. It wouldn’t come to that, right? Changbin wouldn’t sell him out, right? Wouldn’t want him dead, to be chased, and hunted, simply for what he is, even if he tried his best to be harmless. For being misunderstood . He trusted this man, and with his gaze, he begged him to do the same. Only his gaze, he kept his magic firmly locked away. It was risky, yes. But with Changbin, he needed him to accept what he was, and to come to that conclusion on his own.
Felix took a deep breath, still holding Changbin’s gaze as he whispered. “I am the evidence.”
Changbin’s face looked like he was battling himself, and Felix fought even harder to resist the urge to peer into his thoughts, to guide them in the preferable direction. He wanted this to be real, otherwise, there’d be no point. It must be a good sign that Changbin wasn’t trying to pull away, their hands still joint, right? Felix clung onto his hand, like an anchor, almost forgetting to pay attention to control his strength.
Changbin eventually sighed, deflating. “What… what kind of creature are you?” Felix perked up, some of the tension leaving his body, and he could feel Hyunjin calming down somewhat too, although they both stayed alert. His grip on Changbin’s hand loosened, and the man sighed in relief. “Aside from very strong… I thought you’d break a bone in my hand.” He cracked a half-smile, and Felix couldn’t help laughing, raising said hand to his lips to kiss the back of it, then every single finger. Changbin’s gaze flitted away, and he cleared his throat subtly. He was adorable when flustered.
“I’m so sorry, hyung…” Felix mumbled as he looked at the man, who was once again meeting his gaze, searching, curious, expectant. Felix swallowed, but the words came much easier this time. “I’m a vampire.”
“A vampire?” Changbin sounded incredulous, brows furrowing as he shook his head. “But… but your hand is warm. And you have a heartbeat. I felt it!”
“Feel it now,” Felix said, bringing Changbin’s hand to his chest, dropping the human mask, letting Changbin experience his body as it truly was, cold and hard and unmoving like stone, no heartbeat or breath. In a couple seconds, it made the man gasp and yank back his hand.
“H-how–” There was panic in his eyes, pupils dilated, gaze flitting back and forth, and Felix felt the cold panic rising too, thinking he’d lost him. He hastily pulled the man’s hand back onto his chest, once again faking humanity, in an attempt to calm him, but Changbin looked even more disturbed now. “What– what’s going on– you’re stony one moment, human in the other? Is this a magic trick? A candid camera?” He squirmed, trying to pull back, stand up. Felix grabbed his arm, and he needed to draw on his supernatural strength to keep him from running away. He might have used too much of it in his haste, because Changbin winced and stopped. Felix instantly loosened his hold.
“I’m sorry– but hyung, hear me out– please?” He begged, voice breaking, big, sad eyes seeking Changbin’s, and the man seemed unable to resist them. He could see the warmth of affection melt away the ice of fear.
“I don’t understand anything,” Changbin mumbled, his shoulders drooping. Felix gathered his hands in his, dropping them on his own thighs.
“It’s… it’s called masking. We’re like… chameleons. We need to be able to appear human, so we have the ability to appear human… we can fake it.” Felix tried, though he felt like he wasn’t explaining it right.
“So…”
“So?”
“Your natural state…”
“Is stony.”
“But… but you can appear human… how ?”
“It’s magic.” Felix shrugged. There were many mysteries about his existence, and masking just wasn’t among the most intriguing. It worked, quite effortlessly at that, and that was all that mattered. Changbin blinked slowly, taking a couple long seconds, eventually moving past that.
“And you need to appear human because…”
“Well, survival…”
Changbin winced. He must have known.
Felix hurried to explain. “It’s right, we feed on humans… but also, you’d kill us right away if you knew. You ancestors figured out the ways…”
“The silver bullet and garlic and crosses?”
“Not the crosses. But yeah.”
“Garlic? For real?” Changbin burst into an unnaturally high-pitched laugh. He sounded nervous. Felix scrunched up his nose.
“Yes, I know. How funny, I can never eat garlic bread again, or a good pasta. Just the smell makes me weak, both my strength and magic. You try to feed it to me, and I react like it’s arsenic.”
Changbin stared, astonished and amused. “Would never have thought that one’s real of all things…”
“Honestly, that’s our worst enemy… at least the most common. Garlic hides in so many foods.” Felix pouted.
“Wait. Do you even eat normal food?”
“Yes?” Felix raised a brow. “Hyung, you literally saw me drink and snack tonight.”
“Like, do you need it? Like I do?”
“No.” Felix shrugged. “But we can enjoy the taste. And we eat to blend in with humans.”
Changbin hummed, taking a pause. Felix waited, let him sort through his thoughts. It must be a lot of information. It had been a lot for him too, when Chan explained him his new existence and all its rules. Took him time to learn it all.
“Do you combust in sunlight?”
“Duh.”
“How often do you drink blood?”
“Like once a week.”
“It doesn’t…” Changbin frowned, struggling to continue the sentence. “You don’t…” He groaned, making a painful grimace.
“No, it doesn’t kill the person.” Felix shook his head fervently. “We don’t drink all that much, you wouldn’t even be anemic. Vampires who have human partners actually drink from them regularly, and they do just fine.”
“Hmm.”
Once again, silence. Felix began drawing patterns on the back of Changbin’s hand. Did he give away his intentions and suggest too much with that? Or did that just fly over Changbin’s head?
“How old are you, really ?” It seemed Changbin’s mind went on a different tangent from his. Felix’s relief wasn’t complete though, he didn’t want to talk about his age.
“I am forever twenty-two… for almost fifty years now.”
“Twenty… plus fifty… seventy-two?!”
“I’m not yet seventy!!” Felix shrieked. For a moment Changbin looked at him with huge eyes, before bursting into laughter. It sounded much more natural now, he seemed at ease again. The world was starting to feel right again.
“You’re like my grandpa…”
“HEY!”
“...he’s just as sensitive about his age.”
“Oh.” Felix chuckled, flustered. He should not have gotten so upset.
Changbin grinned cheekily. “You’re holding yourself well.”
Felix stared at him, for a moment hardly believing how casually they are talking about all this, before swatting at Changbin’s arm. “Rude.”
“Guess I’m not your hyung, after all.” Changbin sighed, looking oddly bummed out about it, and it was Felix’s turn to laugh.
“I can keep calling you hyung, if you like it.”
Changbin shook his head and grimaced, unplacated. “No, it’s… being a hyung… means taking care of someone. But when you’re a super strong supernatural being…”
Felix snickered, watching affectionately. “You’re cute as hell.”
Changbin’s eyes narrowed. “Wait. Are you going to tell me hell is real too?”
This time, Felix laughed so hard he ended up falling against Changbin’s chest, who, though grumbling about being laughed at, wrapped his arms around him. “Guess I can still take care of you?”
“You can, teddy bear.” Felix grinned, very content in that muscular embrace. Especially after being scared he’d lost his place there. “And to answer your question… hell exists, but humans don’t go there. That’s where demons dwell.”
“So… what happens after death?”
Felix shrugged. “I don’t know. I never died.” He continued, seeing Changbin’s blank stare. “Well. Not for real. I’m undead. In between.”
Changbin blinked owlishly. “I think I’ll try understanding that part later. It’s… been a long day.”
“It was… You took it so well.” Felix smiled affectionately, carding fingers through the man’s hair.
Changbin grimaced lightly. “Compared to? How many people have you come out to?”
Felix paused, waiting for Changbin to meet his gaze before saying softly. “You’re the first.”
Changbin looked back at him, eyes keen, voice soft and wavering. “Wow… In fifty years? That makes me feel quite special…”
“You are special,” Felix whispered.
He wasn’t sure which of them moved, the distance between them slowly disappearing until their lips met, molding together into a passionate kiss. Felix felt free and light and happy, like a dream. Changbin pulled back first, breathless and dazed, and Felix couldn’t resist the urge to tease.
“I could keep going.”
“Huh? Don’t you need to brea– oh.” Changbin made an offended grimace, and Felix laughed at him loudly. Changbin slowly shook his head, loosening his embrace. Felix, begrudgingly, sat up straight again. “Anything else I should be aware of…?”
“Don’t talk about this to anyone. Not a human soul.” Felix looked him in the eyes, deadly serious. “You’d be playing with your life. Humans did hunt us, and will hunt us again, if they knew of us existing. My kind won’t be risking that.”
Changbin sat there, once again looking scared, but this time frozen with it. “Won’t they come trying to kill me for knowing–”
“No,” Felix said firmly, shaking his head for emphasis, taking Changbin’s hand once more and squeezing it. “They won’t even know you know unless you go around talking about it. So don’t.”
“Are you…”
“Yes, I’m sure. Some of us even take human partners, and they live long happy lives. Unless they become vampires young.”
“Okay…” Changbin swallowed and paused momentarily. “I suppose… also no writing about it?”
“Writing?!”
“I mean a diary…”
“Oh.” Felix sighed in relief. “But no. Don’t. Too risky.”
“Mhm… alright… so only with myself, in my head can I talk about this vampire boy who completely enchanted me in a night…” He mumbled, and Felix chuckled at that, instantly feeling lighter. He half-smirked.
“Oh, you can also tell me about this handsome vampire vixen of yours.”
“I did not say handsome.” He grinned.
“But you thought it.”
“How would you know? Can you read thoughts too?” Changbin teased. Felix paused, wondering how to break the news that he in fact can, but the couple seconds of silence was enough for Changbin’s grin to fall. “Shit. You can read thoughts.”
“If I choose to,” Felix said carefully. “I haven’t looked into your thoughts. At all.”
“Wow.” Changbin pulled his hands away and rubbed his face. Suddenly he felt far away again. Felix’s heart sank but he resisted the urge to reach out. “Wow, okay, maybe I got ahead of myself on this whole supernatural romance thing–”
“Hyung–” Felix pouted, giving Changbin a pleading look.
“No– no, stop that. You’re a whole supernatural being, you cannot manipulate me with the sad puppy eyes?” His pitch rose.
“Hyung, I have the power to mold thoughts, and I’ve been refraining from that– I should be allowed to use the human methods at least!” Felix whined, but Changbin only looked more appalled.
“Hold up, you can not only read thoughts, but mold them?!”
Shit. “Well.” Felix sighed. Time to lay it all out then. “I have some control over thoughts and memories… How do you think I get away with drinking people’s blood, without them remembering it?”
“I don’t know? I thought they’re unconscious?”
“No… that’d be horrendous and predatory!” Felix scoffed in offense. “How would I get their permission then?”
“You get permission? Then erase their memory?” Changbin scrunched his nose. For the first time, his gaze felt judgemental and heavy on Felix, making him squirm uncomfortably.
“Well… I do tell them I’m a biter. And that I’m going to make them feel euphoric. It’s… it’s an altered state of mind, it’s easy to make those moments not register in their memory… I don’t usually temper with anything else!”
Changbin still looked suspicious. “Did you bite me tonight and erase my memory of it?”
“What? NO!” Felix scrunched up his nose, offended. “I’m telling you what I am so you’ll know and remember when I bite you!”
Changbin’s lips formed a little ‘o’ shape, and it was tempting to kiss them, despite Felix’s flare of anger. “I’m sorry.” Changbin mumbled, ears alight again, and Felix just had to forgive him. Also because he should not have gotten defensive over Changbin’s questions in the first place. His existence, his weekly hunt… he’s always at least skirting on the boundary of morality, Felix knew that all too well. It’s not like he wanted to, but he never had another option. At least if he wanted to keep living, even this cursed half-life he had.
“No, I am sorry.” Felix flashed a small smile. Changbin met his gaze, slowly easing into a tired smile himself. Only now did Felix realize just how worn he looked. He’d always prided himself on being observant, that coming easy with his sharper senses, but he’d been too caught up in his own head tonight. And his budding emotions. So much so he didn’t pay enough attention to the object of those emotions.
“It’s been a lot of information for one night… I think I should…” Changbin paused as Felix bagen squirming and shuffling his feet. He didn’t want Changbin to go yet, he’d really hoped to bite him tonight. The euphoria that comes with biting could make him feel better actually. But to get there… it’s quite an adventure, especially for the first time. Felix really needed to be more considerate. He stopped himself from squirming, and Changbin sighed. “Please, let’s continue this tomorrow…”
Felix nodded slowly. Tonight was meant to be feeding night, but… he could go a day or two more. He’d really put a lot on Changbin already. He’d just have to be careful and use his powers more sparingly. It’s still optimistic to hope Changbin would let him feed within a couple days… but in the worst case, he can find someone else. It’s not like some of the clients at work wouldn’t be up for a hookup, and he wouldn’t need to expand too much magic on that either. Felix’s stomach clenched, he hated the thought of doing that with someone who’s not Changbin, but he’d need to eat. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, but that’s for tomorrow to find out. Things would just work themselves out eventually, like they always did. Felix took Changbin’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “So can I have your number? Will you meet me tomorrow?”
“Of course.” Changbin’s smile was relieved, grateful, and so, so tired. Felix couldn’t resist kissing him gently, and Changbin didn’t protest. After exchanging numbers, and agreeing to meet in the park again after sundown, Felix insisted on walking him home. Who knows what could happen to his tired, distracted human, if he went alone. They were mostly quiet, Felix could tell Changbin was deep in thought and exhausted by everything that had happened. He decided to be content with getting to study that handsome face deep in focus and holding hands, taking that as assurance that whatever happened between them tonight will continue, that this wasn’t the last time they would see each other.
They shared one more brief kiss in front of Changbin’s front door, before he disappeared behind it with a last sheepish smile and cute wave. Felix could already feel Hyunjin’s presence as his best friend approached from behind.
“Man, you’re whipped,” Hyunjin singsonged.
“I know.” Felix sighed, a soft smile on his lips as they set out walking back to their dwelling.
“You didn’t feed.”
“He was exhausted.”
“It would have made him feel better.”
“ After making him feel worse. I already taxed him enough.”
Hyunjin hummed, grinning widely, knowingly. “I could only repeat myself.” Felix nudged him, only to be nudged back. After a couple more pushes, they snickered and linked arms, then kept walking in companionable silence.
“Today’s been crazy,” Hyunjin said eventually.
“Tell me more.”
“He took it quite well.”
“Mhm.”
“You chose a great human as a partner.”
That gave Felix a pause. Had it been so obvious? Hyunjin was still walking beside him nonchalantly, as if he didn’t just say something earth shattering. Well, maybe it really wasn’t, even if Felix would be the first in their coven to take a human partner. Minho and Jisung seemed to be happy with each other, while Chan and Hyunjin were satisfied with the weekly hunt. Who knew yet what Jeongin would settle into later, he was still learning this new way of existing. Would it be a big deal, if Felix took Changbin? Who knew. But that’s for tomorrow to figure out.