It's late. Taekwoon's walking home after spending a few hours at an internet cafe, the one where everyone knows his name and his usual coffee order because of how frequently he goes, which is nearly everyday. It might be an addiction. It's not like he has anywhere else to visit though, might as well blow a few hours at an internet cafe. Their coffee's good.

It's sprinkling rain, enough to be annoying and to make him shiver a bit but not enough for an umbrella. Taekwoon pulls his hood over his head and looks down at the sidewalk beneath his feet as he walks. The world is dead at this time of the night, there's no one else around but him. He does usually prefer the quiet and alone time, but it feels a little unsettling right now. How many horror stories involves someone walking home on a dark, rainy night and running up with some kind of monster or serial killer? Taekwoon starts to walk a little faster. His apartment isn't far now, thankfully. He can see the building a few blocks up.

Taekwoon's about to cross over to the street that his building is on when he hears a noise that makes him freeze in place. Someone's crying, loud and shrill, but it's not just anyone. It's a baby.

A lot of horror stories involves crying babies too.

It's stupid but Taekwoon nearly starts to run. He doesn't though, because the possibility of this being something sinister or something is low. There's a real baby, somewhere amidst this rain. He can't just leave it out here. 

It takes a few minutes to find it, because it's a little further away than Taekwoon had thought and it's hidden from sight unless you look very good. It's under the bench at the bus stop that sits right in front of his apartment building. It's screaming its lungs off, its tiny body wriggling around in the basket its been placed in. Taekwoon is a bit shocked at first. There's no blanket shielding the baby or keeping it warm. All it's wearing is a soaked shirt, socks, and a diaper. 

Taekwoon picks the baby up slowly and gently, pressing it against his body and trying to warm it. He looks around a few times, trying to see if there's any sign of someone that might have left this child here, but there isn't. Who would just leave a baby outside in weather like this? He doesn't have time to think about that right now though. He needs to get inside.

The baby is a little calmer by the time Taekwoon's get to his apartment, which is cold. He immediately turns on the oven and opens it up. He pulls a chair from the kitchen table and sits, hoping the baby warms up soon. Inside in the light, he can get a better look at it. It's cute, with a full head of hair and a squishy button nose. A boy, he thinks. He's very pale and small, which is worrying. Taekwoon hopes he isn't sick.

After they warm up a bit, he gets the baby dry clothes. Fortunately for him, he has a few onesies because he sometimes babysits his nephew. As Taekwoon is pulling the baby's socks off, a tiny slip of paper falls out of one of the socks. It only has one word on it, a name - Sanghyuk. Taekwoon guesses that it belongs to the baby.

"Sanghyuk," he says. "Sanghyukkie?" The baby, Sanghyuk, looks up at him. He giggles around his bare foot that he's now chewing on, and Taekwoon notices something.

He has teeth.

Not just any teeth, but two lone pointed ones that stick out his top gums. The tip of them stick out of his mouth when he closes it - how did Taekwoon miss that? It makes him look even cuter, although it's a bit terrifying. Sanghyuk is a vampire.

Now, not only who would leave a baby alone, but who would leave a vampire one? And what is Taekwoon going to do with it? A human baby is hard work. He can't imagine what a vampire baby is like.

Taekwoon decides to think it all over in the morning. It's nearing midnight - he's yawning, Sanghyuk is yawning. He'll be able to think more clearly after a good, long sleep. He dresses Sanghyuk in his nephew's onesie, which is about two sizes too big, and settles down in bed. He lays Sanghyuk next to him, humming a lullaby his mother used to sing for him. Taekwoon isn't sure if vampire babies likes lullabies, but he thinks they do because Sanghyuk is out within a few lines. 

After that, it doesn't take Taekwoon long to fall asleep either.

-

Taekwoon wakes up to one of his pillows destroyed.

Sometime during the night, Sanghyuk woke up, rolled over onto his stomach and decided to try to have a snack. There's fluff all over the bed and he's chewing on a piece of pillowcase. Taekwoon's scared that he's going to choke on it, so he pries it out of his mouth. Carefully, because he doesn't want to become vampire baby food.

Sanghyuk wails loudly. Taekwoon tries to calm him down. He's obviously hungry, but Taekwoon has no idea on what to feed him. Blood probably, but it's not like he can make a quick run to the super market and grab some. Maybe milk will be okay. Sanghyuk may be a vampire but he's still a baby. All babies, no matter what species, must drink milk... right?

It's worth trying. Taekwoon grabs a bottle from the kitchen cabinet - he doesn't know what he'd do if he didn't have so much of his nephew's stuff here - and fills it up with milk. Sanghyuk latches on to the teat before Taekwoon can even get it into his mouth, and starts to drink hungrily. Taekwoon laughs.

"You eat well, don't you?" he coos. He feels his heart swell when Sanghyuk responds with a happy gurgling noise. It's just too cute. Taekwoon loves babies, even vampire ones, and Sanghyuk is so precious. 

Taekwoon's phone starts to ring just as Sanghyuk is finishing up his bottle. He sits the baby down on a blanket that's spread out onto the floor, keeping a close eye on him as he answers. Taekwoon can't afford for him to destroy anymore of his stuff with his terrifyingly strong vampire teeth.

It's Hakyeon on the phone. Hakyeon is another regular internet cafe attendee who's a little too friendly with Taekwoon. He always chooses the computer right next to his even if they're the only two in the cafe, and sometimes secretly pays for his coffee. Not that Taekwoon minds, really. Maybe he likes it, and Hakyeon, a little bit.

"Do you want to go out for lunch? My treat!"

On any other day, Taekwoon would say yes because a free meal is always good. Right now though, he has a vampire baby under his care. "Can't. I'm babysitting."

"Aww," Hakyeon coos. "Your nephew? He can come with us!"

".....He has a cold," Taekwoon answers. 

"Oh no," Hakyeon says. Taekwoon can just imagine his pouty face right now. "I hope he feels better soon. How about I just bring lunch to you instead?" 

He's so persistent. He sounds so hopeful though, and Taekwoon is hungry. He thinks it over for a moment. Maybe Hakyeon could help him figure out what to do. "Yeah, that'll be fine."

Hakyeon's mood perks back up