Flashing strobe lights fill the air with ever-changing flickers of bright red, dancing over the form of Changkyun as he twirled around the stripper pole, slender legs spread wide. Jooheon watched with half of his interest, his fingers toying with the metal ring attached to his keys, hip pressed against the corner of the bar. Kihyun had finished his solo show a few minutes ago and had promised to see Jooheon during his break, so Jooheon was just biding his time until he showed up. Glancing down at the floorboards, Jooheon slouched a little bit more, a tiny bit guilty about how little attention he was directing to the boy who was dancing his little heart out on stage… but the guilt only lasted a few fleeting moments. Jooheon had been visiting the Bleeding Lamb three times a week for nearly a month and a half now, and the only performer that could do it for him was Kihyun.

Just as he was about to order a drink out of sheer boredom, the door to the Employee’s Lounge opens and out walks Kihyun, dressed in his skimpy stage outfit with a faded blue hoodie on top. His lipstick covered lips curled up in a pleasant smile, and Jooheon’s chest tightens as he takes in just how gorgeous Kihyun looked, and how his happy expression was directed only at him. Removing himself from the bar, Jooheon walks to meet Kihyun half-way, blinking a few times in surprise when Kihyun grabs him by the forearm and begins dragging him to the Employee’s Lounge.

“Where are we going?” Jooheon half-yelled over the blaring club music currently accompanying Changkyun’s performance. Kihyun flashed a slightly-strained smile, the corners of his lips not quite convincing Jooheon of the sentiment usually associated with the expression. 

“I need some air,” Kihyun explains, pushing open the doors to the lounge, the almost familiar room reminding Jooheon of the first time they met. That night was intense- Jooheon was so raw and broken, the betrayal of his ex so fresh on his mind. He hadn’t been in this room since then, and just at the sight of those glaringly bright lights, Jooheon’s mind was filled with memories of his ex-fiancé. He tries to shake it away, telling himself that now wasn’t the time to think about it, but the negative feelings still lingered, even as Kihyun took them out the back entrance of the club.

“Sorry to just drag you out here without explaining,” Kihyun apologizes, rifling through the large front pocket of his hoodie after shutting the door behind them. Jooheon leans against the cool brick exterior of the building, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar alleyway casually as he listens to Kihyun. “The music is just so loud tonight, and I have a lot on my mind right now,” he continues, pulling out a thin cylindrical object from his pocket and bringing it to his lips. Jooheon’s eyes flicker over to the man, watching him intently as he inhales from the cylinder, and then exhales flowery-smelling smoke from his nose.

“It’s understandable, what are you doing?” Jooheon asks, scooting a little bit closer to Kihyun to further classify the smell. This definitely wasn’t a cigarette or a blunt, so what else could Kihyun be smoking? Chuckling a bit, Kihyun raises the object again to his lips, inhaling shallowly before exhaling, again through his nose. 

“It’s an essential oil diffuser- this one helps me relax,” he explained, and Jooheon nodded, picking up on the hints of ylang ylang in the air, which he understood to be a calming scent for many. “Do you want to try it?” Kihyun asked, extending the diffuser with a small, interested smile on his face. Jooheon’s eyebrows rose, and he shook his head, eyes flickering away shyly.

“No thank you,” he politely declined, straightening his posture as he reminded himself of why they were out there. “Do you wish to tell me about why you are stressed today?” Jooheon prompted, genuinely curious and concerned. Over the past few weeks, he’d gotten to know Kihyun pretty well. Stolen moments like these happened more frequently, and with each passing day they knew each other, Jooheon craved Kihyun’s presence more and more. If there was something going on in Kihyun’s life that Jooheon could help him with, he wanted to know.

Sighing heavily, Kihyun put away the diffuser, his black-rimmed eyes staring up at the night sky tiredly. “Well, my apartment building was bought out by a huge corporation that’s going to renovate the whole space into cubicles within the next few weeks,” Kihyun explained, tugging his lower lip between his teeth, expression turning tense just at the recollection of his current predicament. Jooheon’s eyes widen in surprise, and he instinctively brings a hand out to grasp Kihyun’s shoulder consolingly.

“I’m so sorry, Kihyun,” Jooheon said, not even caring that he dropped all honorifics. “This means that you’re looking for a new apartment, right?” he asked, but he had a feeling this wasn’t the end of Kihyun’s woes. Kihyun exhaled heavily, looking over at Jooheon with an exhausted expression.

“My landlord is pushing us to move out completely before next week. I’ve been living in this apartment for five years, and none of my family lives in Seoul,” Kihyun explained, running a hand through his hair. “It could be a worse situation, but I don’t have anywhere to go for the time being and I really don’t want to rent a storage unit,” he continued, straightening the bottoms of his latex shorts anxiously. “It’s just a little hard to focus on work when my apartment is about to be liquidated.” Kihyun laughed a little, but the mirth was sapped from his voice. The air wasn’t tense, but a cool breeze passed between them, and Jooheon couldn’t stop himself from speaking from his heart.

“I’m so sorry that you’re in this situation,” Jooheon began, which Kihyun waved the apology away, saying without words that it wasn’t Jooheon’s fault. “I have plenty of space in my apartment, so if you want to stay with me until you find a new place, I would be more than happy to offer you residence,” Jooheon said, trying to pick his words carefully. He didn’t want Kihyun to think he was suggesting they move in together, especially when they weren’t technically dating yet, but he couldn’t deny that the thought excited him despite the circumstance. To live with Kihyun, even for a few days, would be heaven. Kihyun visibly frazzled, his cheeks dusting pink at the mere notion of Jooheon’s words. His mind filled with images of him cooking eggs in the morning while kissing Jooheon goodnight—oh God, but here he was getting ahead of himself.

“Thank you so much for the offer, but I think I was being a bit melodramatic when I said I had nobody here,” Kihyun backtracked, laughing a bit awkwardly. “Changkyun lives pretty close to me, and we’ve known each other for years, so I think he wouldn’t mind letting me crash at his place for a few days. I don’t want to impose myself on you like this!” Kihyun said, laughing again, hopefully to dissipate the strange mood that was coming over them.

“Let me know if you decide to change your mind,” Jooheon replied, but his head was still jumbled up from the turn their conversation took. He was kinda glad that Kihyun said no, because now that he thought about it, he’d just broken up with his fiancé eight weeks ago. He’d never even lived with his fiancé, let alone some human he’d barely known for two months… what was he thinking? Reminded again of his not-so-healed heartbreak, Jooheon leans against the bricks, absently listening to the muffled sound of the club music while looking into Kihyun’s face.

Not quite sensing the shift in Jooheon’s mood, Kihyun rethinks his words, his gaze languidly taking in Jooheon’s attractive face. Jooheon probably didn’t even think twice about offering Kihyun his home to live in, and with the way their relationship had been developing lately, Kihyun couldn’t help but think of the offer as romantic. Jooheon seemed to cherish him, he always delicately held him and hadn’t ever crossed any lines with him. Kihyun appreciated Jooheon, and he loved the intensity he displayed whenever he fed on Kihyun or watched him dance. He was… perfect. For Kihyun, at least.

Heart filling with sappy emotions, Kihyun leans a little closer to Jooheon, watching the small smile cross over Jooheon’s face. They’d done so much together, and they were both adults… so why hadn’t they kissed yet? Jooheon’s lips were so plump and tempting, Kihyun felt his body move on its own, and his mind couldn’t rationalize a reason to hold back any longer. This moment was perfect, in its own way, and Kihyun wanted to show his feelings for this vampire that’s made him feel so much.

The sky turned a slightly pinker shade, the stars all twinkling mysteriously, as always, and Kihyun pressed his lips against Jooheon’s for the first time ever. He held his lips there for a second, maybe two, before pulling away, his cheeks dusted pink and eyes filled with affection. Jooheon didn’t have the chance to react, but when he looked into Kihyun’s eyes, a flood of guilt suddenly filled him. His mind had been taken over by thoughts of his ex-fiancé, and now suddenly this human was kissing him?

“Kihyun…” Jooheon whispered out, his voice slightly raspy as he stared down at the shorter man. Kihyun ran a hand through his hair, laughing a bit to ease his own nerves. Jooheon wasn’t exactly reacting like he thought he would, and now the atmosphere was sticky and nervous.

“We talked about waiting for the right time to have our first kiss,” Kihyun began, his lips, his throat constricted with anxiety. It wasn’t like Jooheon was glaring at him, but he was quiet, contemplative. It made Kihyun’s mind go straight to the worst possible outcome. “I just thought…” his voice trailed off, unsure of what else to say. Luckily, Jooheon interjected. 

“Your lips are quite… nice,” Jooheon says, smiling a bit while trying to ignore his complications and just appreciate Kihyun’s warm, soft lips. Feeling a bit better, Kihyun smiles, his flushed cheeks looking darling in the dim light.

“So are yours,” he replied, pulling out his phone from his pocket and jolting a bit at the time. “Oh , my set starts in 2 minutes, I need to finish getting ready,” Kihyun declared, opening the door to the building hastily and ushering Jooheon along inside. Now inside, Kihyun shut the door behind them, taking off his hoodie and adjusting his revealing stage outfit. Today, Kihyun was wearing what appeared to be a highly ized police uniform, complete with a rhinestone badge on his lapel. Jooheon swallowed thickly at the sight, his eyes darting away as he realized that Kihyun was watching every move he made. There was something still off, they’d rushed that kiss so much that Jooheon felt weird and out of place standing here while Kihyun got ready. His desire to flee the scene was immense.

“I’ll see you in the crowd?” Kihyun asked, applying some thin foundation across his nose and cheeks, eyes expectant. Nodding his head, Jooheon began walking out of the room, already setting out to go to his usual seat. 

“Of course.” Jooheon was his best customer, after all. Even though the vibe was weird, he couldn’t just leave without getting what he came here for.

The dark, rippling purple curtains shifted as a man entered the room. He was hunched over, beady eyes peeking from behind a crooked pair of glasses. Even the air faltered around his presence, but the other man in the room still sat completely, almost eerily, still. The sparkling diamond chandelier rocked slightly, casting several fractions of light onto the otherwise dark room. The man sitting in the chair finally stood up, after a hoarse cough from the room’s other occupant, and walked towards the vampire with a half-filled glass of blood in his hand.

“Surely you’ve heard the rumors, haven’t you sir?” the crouched-over one asked, his minute movements and gestures distinctly reptilian in nature. The other was starkly more put-together and well-dressed, and he looked down into the other’s eyes, taking a small sip from his glass.

“Of course I have, Nostro. All sorts,” he replied, his cool gaze hauntingly calm despite the force packed behind his aggressive reply. Nostro shrunk into himself, his long fingers curling around each other as he blinked up into his master’s face.

“He’s apparently in a relationship with a human now, too,” Nostro added, unaware of all of the rage and travesty that would occur because of that one fateful line. The other man froze, his chest heaving with a heavy, deep inhale.

“…My ex-fiancé has now resorted to ing those savages?” the man spat out, eyes flashing hot, bright purple, practically broiling with anger. Nostro backed away, nodding his head slowly, meekly watching his master as a bright, violet light emanated off him in waves. The glass of blood was now shattered on the luxurious Persian rug, staining its timelessly beautiful surface with goopy red.

“Do others know of this, Nostro?” the man asked, his voice panicked and hurried, fingers already curling around the keys setting on his desk, the gesture paranoid. They’d known of the situation since it started happening, but neither could have predicted such a scandalous turn of events. Nostro bit his lip, brown eyes flashing to the wall and then back to his master, unsure of what to say.

“Not yet, but they will soon if he keeps going there,” Nostro replied, praying that he wouldn’t get punished, his eyes squeezing shut in preparation for it regardless. The sound of keys rattling filled the air, and the chandelier rocked in the wake of one of its occupants exiting the room at a frighteningly fast speed. Nostro opened his eyes warily, exhaling a deep sigh of relief as he realized that his master had left him unscathed. But… while he was undamaged, he couldn’t promise the same for his master’s ex-fiancé. He didn’t know what the man was planning, but when his reputation was at stake, he was willing to do almost anything, whether or not it was right.

Stretching his limbs with a heavy sigh, Jooheon began slowly walking up the stairs to his apartment. Kihyun’s show was great, as it normally was, but he couldn’t find it in himself to be as into it as he usually was. The passion and exhilaration he felt the first time he saw Kihyun preform, he didn’t know if he still felt that. Biting his lip, Jooheon figures he’ll just sleep it off and talk to Minhyuk about it tomorrow, maybe he just needs to vent about his confusion to someone he trusts first.

Approaching his door, Jooheon feels his stomach flip; nervous, heavy tension weighing on him as soon as he hovers his hand over the doorknob. He could feel something familiar, bubbling up and popping in his stomach in the most unsettling of ways, but he couldn’t quite place it, and in his confusion, he opened the door and stepped inside, his eyes darting around the interior of his home anxiously. What was the cause of this sudden darkness weighing over him? He locked the door behind him, his metaphorical heart jumping as he hears a familiar clanking of expensive shoes on worn wooden floor.

“Darling,” a hauntingly recognizable voice drawled from within the safety of his own home, and Jooheon felt every single one of his guards go up. He darted his gaze to the corner of his apartment, spotting his ex-fiancé leaning against his drapery like he ing lived there or something. Taking a step back, Jooheon snarled a bit, but what he was really feeling was hurt, not anger.

“How did you get in, Sang-Ki?” Jooheon asked, his voice low as he desperately worked to keep his tone stable. His ex-fiancé smiled slowly, his eyes flashing down as he twirled his keys in his hand, the sound of them jangling echoing in the otherwise quiet room.

“I still had my key to your place,” he replied, something sinister yet warm oozing out of his eyes like poisonous wax, dripping and melting in Jooheon’s vision. He felt paralyzed under the form of his ex, all of the memories of his past betrayal flashing in his head ceaselessly. What was he doing here? Why was he inserting himself back into Jooheon’s life right when he started putting all of the pieces back together? 

“Why are you here?” Jooheon managed to ask, putting on a strong face as he stood in place, refusing to get closer to that liar and cheat. Sang-Ki smiled, taking steps that Jooheon refused to take, his motions slow yet predatory, like he was playing with his prey before he ate them whole.

“People are talking about you, darling,” he began, punctuating his claim with a hard, flat step onto the hardwood. “Saying all sorts of treacherous things, like that you’re consorting with humans and falling into debauchery without me,” he continued, his voice somehow like both sandpaper and oil, drilling into Jooheon’s ear. 

“How is this any of your business?” Jooheon spat out, crossing his arms and getting indignant. He couldn’t let Sang-Ki forget what he did to him. “I’m sure you’re having a great life without me. Still ing Edvard, right? Why does it even matter what I do?” Jooheon couldn’t stop himself anymore, the sight of his ex’s disgustingly charming and attractive eyes throwing him into a fit of rage. Sang-Ki sighed through his nose, his eyes darting to the floor thoughtfully. He almost looked like he was pitying Jooheon or something. 

“Nothing is the same with you gone, darling,” he began, his voice holding the slightest shred of what could potentially be construed as emotion. “And after I hurt you, I killed Edvard. He tempted me into infidelity and deserved only eternal suffering,” Sang-Ki continued, his words shocking Jooheon for several seconds, leaving him slightly breathless as he stared at the face of his once-lover.

“He wasn’t the only one at fault,” Jooheon began, but something had changed in his heart and in his gaze. Sang-Ki could see it, those glimmering appearances of the feelings he once had for him. his lips, Sang-Ki took another step forward, his smoky blond hair falling into his eyes as he encroached further into Jooheon’s space.

“What I did was different Jooheon, it was wrong, yes, but it was private… locked behind closed doors,” he said, and Jooheon clenched his jaw, only wishing they’d remembered to lock the door before Jooheon had caught them in the act. “But what you are doing- it is not so private,” he said, turning the conversation back to Jooheon. Flickering his gaze to the window, Jooheon pretended to look uninterested, which wasn’t too hard. Sure, Sang-Ki felt different somehow, gentler. Like he at least realized that what he did was wrong. But Jooheon knew that of their upper-society crimes- Jooheon’s was certainly the lesser of the two evils. 

“It’s my own decision to make,” Jooheon rebutted, starting to get impatient. “If you just came here to lecture me, you can leave now. I’m not interested.” The last thing he wanted was to hear what he should or should not be doing from the man who literally cheated on him right under his nose. Sang-Ki finally closed the gap between them, raising his hand to rest against Jooheon’s upper arm as he stared down into his eyes.

“No, I didn’t come here to lecture you. We all make mistakes, but yours can still be fixed,” he said, his voice pacifying and lecherously smooth, as if he had all the answers in the world. Jooheon felt the familiar, cool touch of his ex-lover, and his chest ached. These past few weeks, he’s only been remembering the bad memories, all of the ways Sang-Ki had ripped his heart out and stomped on it… but he was forgetting those 10 years of passion and romance. He hated himself a little for it, but with Sang-Ki here, and his intoxicating fragrance surrounding him, Jooheon just might be feeling that love start to bubble up again.

“What do you mean exactly?” Jooheon dared to ask, ignoring the suspiciously Minhyuk-like voice in the back of his head telling him to run. Sang-Ki’s fingers trailed up the side of his arm, sparks flying in his wake, eyes so intense they were practically swirling with lavender specks.

“Stop seeing that human, and come back to me,” Sang-Ki drawled out, voice thick like tar and molasses, sweet yet deadly and Jooheon had always been so prone to that tone, so addicted to that certain flavor of sin. His chest panged at the thought of never seeing Kihyun again, but there was a part of him that had always known it was wrong. Humans and vampires weren’t supposed to be together, and he felt that earlier at the club when they kissed. It wasn’t magical, it wasn’t perfect. Sang-Ki was right.

“Can we even still be together?” Jooheon asked, but his voice bordered on hopeful, desperate. Sang-Ki could tell he struck a nerve somewhere, had managed to convince him to go back to the righteous path. Of course, as much as he painted his argument as being about helping Jooheon, Sang-Ki was certainly doing it for himself, too. He’d been avoiding all other vampires like the plague for weeks, denying calls and visitors- too scared of any of them finding out of his transgressions. He was a prideful vampire, and his image was seriously at stake the longer he stayed apart from Jooheon.

“Of course we can, angel,” he whispered, completely sure of himself. Jooheon didn’t know how to feel for several long seconds. The room was dark still, but the sun was starting to rise outside, and Sang-Ki was still in his apartment, uttering dangerous, dangerous words and touching his shoulder like they were lovers again. Jooheon felt at odds with himself and everything he thought he knew after these past weeks. Was it time to move past this? Was Sang-Ki right?

“What happened to you, darling,” Sang-Ki mumbled smoothly under his breath, his fingers curling higher up Jooheon’s neck, tracing against his pulse-less skin gently. “Just a few months ago, we were going to get married,” he reminded Jooheon, flooding the man’s mind with memories of the night he’d proposed. Jooheon had cried for an hour, too overwhelmed by the sentiment to smile for hours. His lips curled up a bit just at the thought, and Sang-Ki’s soft, familiar touch lulled him to calmness.

“I think I just spent too much time at The Bleeding Lamb,” Jooheon offered, not quite thinking about the ramifications of his words at the moment. That place had definitely changed him, and he almost forgot about the way high vampire society worked after almost exclusively being around humans and peasant vampires for nearly two months. Maybe that was why he was so uncaring about his reputation and past.

Sang-Ki hummed, the sound low and gravelly as he stared down at his fiancé. He hadn’t really looked at it in that perspective before, but Jooheon had a point. Going there once to relieve stress was one thing, but to become a regular? It was downright deplorable for a vampire of Jooheon’s status. He was starting to get a reputation, one that Sang-Ki was getting as well. He knew what he had to do now, very clearly. Clutching the side of Jooheon’s face intimately, Sang-Ki stared into his eyes, his gaze burning hot and radiating powerful energy.

“If that is the case, then I will not allow such a trashy club to sully my fiancé’s reputation any longer. I will have it destroyed.”