Chapter Text
Seventeen was a hard bet. A group this big, where almost all members were of different species, from a small company? Pledis was insane for that. The group had one chance to make it big and not let their years of training go to waste. Thankfully, they did, and quickly Seventeen became one of the most popular boy groups in Kpop, known for their incredibly elaborate choreographies, self-produced songs and twelve different species in harmony. A human as their leader, a three thousand year old angel, a satyr, a cheshire cat, a wizard, two vampires, a fairy, a werewolf, a dracothrope, a mermaid, a zombie and an elf. It really is a mess.
In the present, their fanmeet was the most packed they’ve ever seen, with their loud cheers being heard through the in-ears after they finished a performance.
"Now! This is a special segment that we prepared tonight!” Seungkwan announces into the mic excitedly while some staff bring chairs for them. The screen behind them changes for a cute question mark. “I’m sure that many of you Carats have wanted to ask us questions, but didn’t get the opportunity to. That’s why our staff prepared something!”
"In the beginning of the year, we posted a form in our social media accounts asking you if there was anything you ever wanted to ask or tell us.” Dokyeom takes over the speech and the screen changes again to ‘Carat Quest10ns’ as the crowd claps. “As you can guess, the staff selected 10 of the most asked questions from the form. We will pick two random numbers from 0 to 10 and answer them!”
"Should we answer them in age order?” Soonyoung asks as they all sit down. He pats the seat next to him for Jihoon, who follows easily. “Or do we just go random?”
"The questions are in age order, so it’s Coups hyung first.”
"Number one! Since it’s my number.”
"Okay, number one!” Seungkwan says. At that, the screen changes again with the question and he reads it out loud. “Question for S.Coups: ‘Since you’re the only human in the group, who would you like to swap species with and why?’”
"People actually ask me this a lot, I just give different answers depending on the day.” He shrugs. “The truth is that I don’t know. I really like being a human and it’s something really important for the team synergy, so I feel like changing that would be weird for the team as a whole.”
"Now that was not the question, was it?” Jeonghan teases with a smirk.
"He is evading it.” Joshua adds.
“I’m just saying I would like to stay as I am!” Seungcheol pouts as he retorts.
"But that is not an option, so choose someone and that will be your final decision.” Jeonghan crosses his arms.
"I think maybe Dino? Since being an elf doesn’t interfere in his life as much as the rest of you, so it would be the most similar to my current life.”
"Boring.”
"Are you ever satisfied with anything?!”
"I’d be satisfied if you said something fun.” Jeonghan puts his tongue out childishly.
"Next question! What number hyung?” Mingyu interrupts the bickering.
"Hmm, number eight."
“Let’s see…’If you could turn one of the members into a human as well, who would you turn and why?’ Oh, this is a fun one!”
"Jeonghan!” His immediate answer makes all of them laugh besides the angel himself, who just rolls his eyes.
(…)
"Okay, now questions for Hoshi!” Seungcheol says with a smile and the screen changes again. “What number?”
"As everyone is doing, I’ll go with five!”
“‘Do you have a fun story involving your spells to share?’ Oh boy, aren’t there many?”
"Yeah, there are so many.” Soonyoung laughs. “As everyone knows, I am terrible with magic. Being in Seventeen, I couldn’t really invest a lot of time into studying more and I’m the only sorcerer in my family in some generations, so about everything I know I learned from the members.”
“I think Hoshi hyung knows more about elvish magic than just regular witchcraft.” Chan giggles. “But for me the funniest one was when he accidently transformed the hyungs into cats for a full day.”
"Oh my god, don’t talk about that.” Jihoon sinks into his chair and covers his face in embarrassment.
"Oh, that was so fun!” Soonyoung giggles and squirms around. “Okay, I don’t think we ever talked about that. One day I was testing some transfiguration spells since those are the ones I’m the best at, and Jun, Wonwoo and Woozi were hanging out in the room. I was trying to concentrate on this one spell to transform a cat plushie into a real cat, but Jihoon laughed at something Wonwoo said and instead I transformed them into cats.”
"It was not that bad actually.” Wonwoo shrugs.
"It’s normal for me, so I just couldn't transform back, but Woozi did not take it well.” Jun laughs.
"I would have, if you people didn’t treat me like you did!” He stomps and crosses his arms. “I could barely move without one of you picking me up and calling me cute.”
"But you were so adorable!” Jeonghan half-teases. “Tiny little fluffy cat, with fur so white and soft!”
"Jihoon really did look adorable.” Joshua agrees with a smile. “I wasn’t there that day, but I got sent about 50 pictures. I should post one of them later.”
"Absolutely not.”
"Hoshi hyung would try to hold him too, but Woozi hyung was so mad he would hiss and scratch him.” Mingyu tells and the crowd laughs.
"Of course I was mad! That was his fault!” Jihoon side-eyes Soonyoung so hard, but the wizard only giggles. “He took the whole day to reverse the spell. And he still says he is good with transfiguration spells.”
"I said that they are my best ones. Doesn’t mean they are good, just better than the rest.” Soonyoung shrugs.
"Next question! Choose a number!”
"Hmm, 9!”
“‘If you could make a new choreography for one of Seventeen’s songs, which song would you choose?’” Seungkwan reads out loud.
"Oh, there are so many.” Soonyoung’s smile turns more kind and thoughtful. “I really like fast songs with strong, well-marked beats, I think that is what people know me for, but I also really like slower, calm songs. They require smoother moves, which are not really my best but look so pretty when performed correctly. Most of our softer songs don’t have choreographies, so I would like to make one for them. Maybe Heaven’s Cloud? Or April Shower perhaps. I don’t know, there are so many beautiful songs that Woozi has made, all of them deserve choreographies.”
“Why every time someone asks stuff like this, you talk about me?” Jihoon jokes and some of the members laugh, but it’s a genuine question.
"How can I talk about our songs and not talk about you? You’re the one that made them, without you none of this would exist. I can’t choreograph without music, so of course I’ll talk about you.” He says it so easily, like it was nothing, but Jihoon looks away and pretends that his ears are not red.
"Okay, time for Wonwoo’s questions!” Jeonghan quickly continues with the segment, trying to take the attention away from Woozi when Carats coo at him. Wonwoo picks number six. “‘Even if both Wonwoo and Woozi are vampires, they behave very differently. What is one thing that you both have similar and one thing that you are complete opposites?’ It looks like Woozi really is a hot topic today.” He giggles.
“I’m excited for his turn.” Seungkwan giggles too.
"I mean, Woozi and I are different people.” Wonwoo smiles. “Of course we act differently.”
"We are also different kinds of vampires.” Jihoon points out.
“Exactly. I think that is what we are complete opposites on. The fact that Woozi is a born vampire interferes more in his life than you would think, while I was born a human and lived like that for some good time. I’m as vegan as a vampire can be, while he doesn’t see an issue with drinking from someone. There isn’t one, of course, but it feels odd to me.”
"And what do you feel like you're similar to him?” Seungcheol asks.
"I was already used to staying up late, but of course that became more evident after transforming. He isn’t the only nocturnal creature, Mingyu is also active during the night, so I can’t really say that is what ties me and Jihoon in nature.” Wonwoo smirks in a teasing way. “I think the sun problem is the only thing we really share.”
"Oh gosh, yes.” Mingyu rolls his eyes. “If you weren’t a human for some years, you would be as pale as Woozi hyung. Covered from head to toe all the time, it doesn't matter if the place is covered or the curtains are closed. Sometimes even at night! It makes me crazy!”
"Not everyone likes to show skin like you, Mingyu.” Minghao teases, getting laughs from the Carats. Mingyu blushes.
"As if Jihoon didn’t walk shirtless all the time.” Soonyoung rolls his eyes. “Every time I go to his house he greets me only in shorts.”
"My house has automatic shutters that don’t let any sun in.” He retorts. “I always leave with a full jacket on.”
"Well, duh, otherwise you would burn.”
"You two are really talkative today.” Hansol smiles at them. “This is fun.”
"It’s not my fault people keep mentioning me!”
“Hoshi just regularly talks a lot.” Jun says, to which the wizard just nods in agreement.
"I pick number two this time.” Wonwoo comes back to the topic.
"Question two: ‘If you turned back into a human for 24 hours, what would you do?” Mingyu reads.
"Eat real food.” Wonwoo answers immediately. “I miss eating without being nauseous so much. Maybe go to the beach? I don’t really like it that much, but I might as well enjoy the sun for once. A picnic at the beach would be great.”
“I could take you on a trip to Jeju!” Seungkwan says excitedly. “It would be so fun!”
"There are temporary humanifying spells, Hoshi could learn it and try on Wonwoo.” Minghao says, making all of them turn towards Soonyoung.
Seungkwan looks at the wizard for a second, then back at Wonwoo. “As I was saying, it would be so fun, but that won’t be possible I guess.”
"Come on, I’m not that bad!” Seungcheol just quirks a brow at him. “Okay, nevermind.”
“Now it’s his time!” Mingyu smiles widely.
"The man! The myth! The legend!” Joshua teases while pretending to roll the drums.
"Lee Jihoon!” Seungkwan announces and the Carats clap. Jihoon just crosses his arms and rolls his eyes, a tiny smile curling at the edge of his lips. “What number will your highness choose?”
"I’ll go seven like everybody else.”
"Who would like to have the honors of reading his first question?”
“Let Hoshi do it, they have been bickering so much it’s only fair.” Hansol smirks.
“Okay for me! Question number seven for Woozi! ‘Who do you have the best time recording/producing for/with?’ Oh, the fights will start.”
"Whoever asked me that?”Jihoon threats and the others laugh. “Who was it!?”
"Don’t blame Carat and answer!” Seungkwan screams.
"Well, I’m not gonna lie and say they are all the same.” He starts. “The performance unit are very independent about it, since raping isn’t really my thing, so that helps me a lot. It also bothers me a lot, when they aren’t completely sure of stuff, so I’d say I’m neutral. Seungkwan and Dokyeom are of course always a breeze. I like recording with Hoshi a lot, especially solo stuff. Bring It was so fun to make, we match a lot.”
"You complain about him talking about you and then you go and do the exact same thing.” Jeonghan teases.
"The question involved all of you! It made sense to mention him!”
"Sure thing.”
"You can mention me, jagiya, I don’t mind.” Soonyoung smirks.
"Next question! I want number 10” Jihoon quickly changes topics.
"Question number 10.” Minghao reads. “‘Which member has the the tastiest blood?’”
"Oh.” Jihoon pauses, taken aback by the question. “I don’t really drink from the members. I used to drink from Coups hyung for a while before we debuted since he is a human, but sometimes it can be unsafe for vampires to drink from other magical beings, depending on their magical level and other things, so I never tried anyone else.”
"Since Hoshi hyung is biologically a human, doesn’t that mean that you could technically drink his blood too?” Chan asks.
"Why are you mentioning him again?!”
"That is a good question though.” Soonyoung nods and looks at Jihoon. “You technically could bite me, right?”
"I can technically bite any of you, it’s just a little more delicate.” He is definitely blushing now, the very few blood in his body betraying him. “Besides Wonwoo, of course.”
"And me.” Hansol puts his hands up.
"And Vernon, since his blood has rotted a long time ago.”
"You people are evading the question.” Soonyoung crosses his arms and quirks an eyebrow. “It would be like drinking from Coups, right?”
"I won’t give you a biology class, but even if you’re human to a degree, magic still runs in your blood, so no.” Jihoon also crosses his arms. “The question was who tastes the best, and I’ve only ever tasted Coups, so the answer is Coups hyung.” He turns towards Dokyeom. “Dokyeommie, your time to choose a number.”
(…)
"Another successful fanmeet! Congrats everyone!” Soonyoung shouts as soon as the group goes backstage after the event ends. Some of the other members scream and celebrate with him while others just smile.
“Thank you to everyone for working hard today with us.” Seungcheol adds up, bowing towards the nearby staff members. “Let’s all go home now and rest.”
“What do you mean ‘rest’?” Mingyu smirks at him. “The night has just started!”
"Mingyu—“
"I already booked the restaurant for us.” Seungkwan stops next to him and smiles while showing something on his phone. “Is everyone going?”
"I’m going home and sleeping.” Joshua sighs and waves to the rest of the members. “Have fun out there. Don’t do stupid shit and try not to kill each other or yourselves.”
"Won’t promise anything.” Soonyoung giggles. “So, who is going?”
"I don’t sleep and someone needs to make sure you really won’t do stupid shit, so I’ll go.” Jeonghan smiles at them. He tries to act responsible, but everyone knows he is the main reason chaos unveils among the team.
"I barely got any sunlight today, I need to rest.” Seokmin pouts. “But record anything funny and send in the groupchat! I’ll read when I wake up tomorrow.”
“I’ll go, but I’ll probably leave early.” Chan says, Wonwoo right behind him nodding in agreement.
"Okay, final call. Who is coming?” Mingyu asks. Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Jun, Soonyoung, Wonwoo, Minghao, Seungkwan, Hansol and Chan raise their hands. “What about you, Jihoon hyung?”
The vampire was just watching from the corner and seems surprised when his name is mentioned. “Oh. I mean, I can go I guess.”
"Let’s get this party started!”
(…)
"You’re a coward.” Seungkwan rolls his eyes.
"ME?!” Mingyu’s mouth falls open with the accusation. “I’m not a coward! It’s Wonwoo’s fault!”
"If both of you are interested in Chan, both of you have equal rights to tell him.” Hansol points out. “So if Wonwoo hasn’t done it and neither has you, you’re both cowards.”
“It’s just…” The werewolf sighs. “Wonwoo and I have been together for so long, we’re afraid we might freak him out. What if he thinks we’re trying to cheat?!”
"Then approach him together.” Minghao says as if it was obvious. “Then he will see that both sides of the relationship are hitting on him.”
"Okay…what after that?”
"Eiffel tower is always a good call.” Jeonghan suggests.
Jihoon leaves the table before the conversation gets a little too graphic for him. Yeah, he is an adult and not a virgin, but the topic of his friends having sex always gives him the ick. He moves to the bathroom to wash his hands and fix his face in the mirror.
Jihoon looks like a normal twenty-six year old, which is really odd. Yes, he was born twenty-six years ago, but as a vampire, especially being born as one, he should still be a child. A toddler even. Thank his parents for insisting that he has a normal human lifespan until he turns thirty, just to be sure that he enjoys modernity at a normal rate. He is very grateful for that decision. If it wasn’t for them, he wouldn’t be part of Seventeen.
He looks at the mirror and sighs when he doesn’t see his reflection. Humanity had changed their habits of mirrors made with silver a long time ago, but some of them still were made that way and made it impossible for him to see himself. He just pulls his own phone and fixes his hair with the camera.
A flushing sound is heard and one of the booths’ doors opens. “Oh, hey.” Soonyoung smiles at Jihoon through the mirror, even when he doesn’t see the vampire’s face. “Came here to escape from them?”
"The second Chan and Wonwoo left, Mingyu started talking about how they want to ask him to be their third.” Jihoon rolls his eyes. “I left when Jeonghan mentioned Eiffel tower.”
“For an angel, he is pretty lewd.”
"Don’t tell me.”
Soonyoung laughs and moves to wash his hands in the sink. His cheeks are a little red from all the drinks he had already, but at least he can stand up straight, so his thoughts are doing okay. For now. “You drank a lot.” Jihoon points out.
The wizard sees his reflection and giggles. “Oh, I look so flushed already. I just had three drinks? Three or four.”
"That’s why I don’t drink.” Jihoon shakes his head, corner of his lips curled up. “You don’t even remember anymore with so few.”
"I just wasn’t paying attention!” Soonyoung protests and dries his hands on his pants, even if the paper towels are right behind him. “Also, you talk as if you wouldn’t puke it all out. You can’t get drunk if you can’t ingest alcohol.”
"Sometimes I think you’re stupid.” He chuckles lightly, leaning against the counter. “You do know where Bloody Mary came from, right?”
"Oh.” The wizard blinks and they both fall into laughter. “I totally forgot about that. Not my favorite type of drink.”
"Funny enough, not mine as well.”
"That reminds me,” Soonyoung smirks and takes a step closer. “You didn’t explain the whole issue about drinking my blood.”
Jihoon’s smile drops and he just stares at him with a blank face. “Are you seriously still thinking about that?”
“You got me curious! Is there a reason you never drank from me?”
"It’s-“ Jihoon shakes his head and combs his hair with his fingers, a nervous habit of Soonyoung that he ended up developing as well. “I don’t know! Seungcheol got in before you did, it was just convenient! Then we actually could afford good bagged blood for me and there was no need for me to drink from anyone.”
"Then you don’t want to drink from me because you think it’ll be weird to drink from someone after so long?”
"It’s also not that, just—“ He sighs. “Why do you want me to drink from you so bad?”
"It sounds fun.” Soonyoung just shrugs, also leaning against the bathroom counter. “I basically don’t have vampire friends besides you and Wonwoo.”
"You talk to the Enhypen boys a lot.”
"They don’t really count.” He waves a hand, dismissive. “Wonwoo only drinks those artificial replacements, so I don’t know a lot about this stuff. Seungcheol always seemed so radiant when you drank from him.”
No lack of blood in Jihoon’s body could stop the way his whole face gets red. He is probably hot as well, unusual from his undead skin. “You can’t possibly not know— It doesn’t matter.” He sighs again, distressed. “Look, even if you’re biologically human, you’re a wizard, which means that magic runs in your veins. Your blood is a weird in between of plain humans and magical creatures.”
"What does that mean?”
“It means that your blood isn’t pure magical like Seokmin’s or Seungkwan’s and also not completely human like Seungcheol’s or Hansol’s.” Jihoon tries to be patient while explaining, but his nervousness is clear for anyone. “My parents always told me to be careful of who I drink from, especially special cases like yours. It can be dangerous. That if…” He clears his throat. “I'm just gonna drink from your wrist or something, by the way.”
Jihoon regrets his words the second Soonyoung smirks. “Well, I never said you were going to drink from my neck.”
“I’m just clarifying!”
While they were still trainees, Seokmin saw the bite marks on Seungcheol’s wrists and questioned it, since they all thought vampires only bite in the neck. Jihoon had a very grumpy chat about how that is stereotypical and it’s more than that. Vampires bite in the neck when they plan to hit the Carotid Arteries, which sends blood to the heart and spreads the natural venom in their saliva through the body. In large quantities, the venom reacts like an aphrodisiac in the body to make the victim willing, while only making them slightly dizzy in smaller doses.
"Why did you assume I wanted you to bite me on the neck, Woozi-ssi?” Soonyoung keeps teasing him, taking a step closer. Jihoon crosses his arms protectively.
"You’re stupid, I just assumed you would think the most stereotypical thing.” He mumbles. “Do you want it or not?”
"Go ahead, sir.” Soonyoung extends his wrists close to the vampire’s mouth.
Jihoon gulps. Not out of thirst or something similar, but from pure nervousness. It has been so long since he drank from a person, he didn’t know if he would do it right. Jihoon is a very young vampire. He is young even for human standards, twenty-seven years is nothing of bloodlust experience. He wasn’t the best when he was constantly drinking from Seungcheol either, a little too messy and eager.
He grabs Soonyoung’s arm carefully and pushes his long sleeve up. The skin is soft, his hands are not as calloused as Jihoon’s and all the work he does in the studio, but still injured from dancing. He thumbs over his pulse point and slowly closes his lips around it, just testing the waters. Jihoon feels his veins under his tongue, senses the blood flowing in it. It’s instinctual. He bites down.
At first, it’s normal blood. Soonyoung has a healthy diet as an idol, so his blood doesn’t taste weird like some people’s do. Jihoon can immediately recognize the type B freshness, like a big cup of water on a hot summer day. It’s fresher than his usual bagged blood, warmer, too hard for Jihoon to resist the temptation of taking another gulp.
And then he feels it.
Magic, overall, feels very sweet in the blood. Light creatures, like fairies or elves, have a light fruity, almost flowery, aluring taste. Dark creatures, like werewolves or demons, have a nauseatingly sweet taste, made so that anyone trying to devour them gets sick of it quickly and doesn't finish. Soonyoung, though, is a neutral point.
Wizards are not naturally guided to either good or evil. It’s a matter of morale, of the road the person decides to guide. Someone that chooses no road, or is just really too bad at magic to choose one, remains truly neutral.
Soonyoung’s blood tastes like a glass of lemonade: sweet and fresh, delectable like a candy full of sugar, but not too much to get sickening quickly. It’s so delicious, so delightful and pleasing, tempting and dreamy like nectar.
Jihoon can feel the way his mouth waters as he bites down again to open the wound more, letting more heavenly blood flood out. He drains the liquid like a starved man, gripping into Soonyoung’s arm to keep him in place. The man in question just sighs and lets Jihoon do whatever he wants, eyes starting to get lidded from the venom’s dizziness.
The vampire wants to say something and fill the weird silence of their wrecked breaths, but that would require him to move his mouth away and waste precious drops of blood, so he just keeps sucking. His tongue licks around the wound and slurps the sweet juice into his throat, lips pumping so hard it will leave another bruise around the bite mark.
"Jihoon-ah,” Soonyoung takes a deep breath, sliding slightly when his legs falter. His other arm supports against the counter. “Jihoon, hah, I think you should stop.”
“Hmm?” He just mumbles, not moving an inch from where he is. He wasn’t really listening, so the vampire just stares and waits for him to repeat.
"Jihoon, just…”
Jihoon finally moves away, not before licking the wound clean to make sure it closes into two dotted scars. He cleans his scarlet lips with the back of his hand. “What?” His tone is harsh and his voice is hoarse.
Paying more attention, Sooyoung looks wrecked. His cheeks are red and he is panting like he ran a marathon. His full support is the arm on the sinks counter based on the way his legs are shaking, and—
“Jihoon-ah, please.”
Jihoon must have drooled a little too much on Soonyoung’s wound. Not even his expensive brand jeans can cover the hard on, stretching the fabric in a probably painful manner. Jihoon just stares at it for what feels like a year, even if it’s just ten seconds, before Soonyoung pulls him close and kisses his blood-stained lips.
He stills for a moment, but the grip Soonyoung has on his waist has Jihoon giving in with a sigh. He tangles his fingers in the wizard’s hair and pulls him closer, allowing Soonyoung to flip them around and push him against the counter. His clothed erection brushes against Jihoon’s leg as Soonyoung rubs their crotches together, gasps and mewls from both sides. The sweet addicting taste of his blood is still present in their mouths.
"Jihoon, please, can we just—“
Whatever he was going to ask is interrupted when the bathroom door opens. Seungcheol and Hansol are laughing about something, but immediately stop when they see what’s happening. Jihoon and Soonyoung both freeze in place. “Uh,” Hansol keeps his hand on the door. “I think we should go…”
Before anyone reacts, Jihoon pushes Soonyoung away from him and dashes out of the door, lips still red from his blood and tongue still feeling his taste.