For the short 18 years Jongup was alive, he had always tried to ignore and avoid any type of situation that would lead to conflict. It had, while he was a member of the living, been a highly successful tactic.

Unfortunately, as soon as he had emerged from his grave, the option of avoidance seemed to have disappeared just as his heart beat had.

He didn’t understand where all this tension was coming from. Jongup, whilst not completely comfortable around him, chose to ignore Junhong.

But it seemed the more he ignored the taller vampire, the more annoyed Himchan got.

It wasn’t like Jongup enjoyed the way things were progressing. He didn’t enjoy seeing his maker upset. He didn’t enjoy the scowl his maker seemed to have permanently painted onto his face. And he certainly didn’t enjoy the tension it seemed to cause between Himchan and Yongguk.

Yongguk tried to keep things civil—Jongup had to commend him on that because he’s fairly certain his maker’s never heard that word before—but Himchan, as Jongup had come to learn, can be a real sometimes.

If Jongup wanted to listen to adults argue all the time he would have gone home. At least there is wasn’t always his fault.

But he knew, without a doubt, that the tension in his new home was entirely his doing.

He just wasn’t sure why, though.

† † †

It was pretty lucky for him that neither Daehyun nor Youngjae seemed to be taking sides. Which Jongup found strange. Youngjae was Yongguk’s progeny and Daehyun was Himchan’s brother, but neither seemed to care or worry about the inevitable fight.

“Don’t worry about it” Daehyun whispered as he swung his arm around Jongup’s shoulder.

Both males watched as Himchan threw a plate against the kitchen wall, shattering into a hundred tiny pieces before falling to the floor.

“It’s not like we need any of that anyways” Daehyun admitted almost sadly as he observed the remnants of used-to-be kitchenware scattered in broken pile around the room.

“Why is he so angry?” Jongup asked; trying not to flinch as Himchan ripped the cupboard door hiding the glassware off its hinges.

Daehyun sighed, giving Jongup’s shoulder a firm squeeze before removing himself from the younger completely.

“Yah!” he yelled, flashing over to Himchan “You’re acting like a psycho”

Himchan spun—so quick, it even made Jongup a little nauseous—around to face Daehyun. He opened his mouth to berate the younger but before a single word even had the chance to form, Youngjae’s voice cut through his moment of hesitance.

“Daehyun” he yelled, flashing into the kitchen not even a second later.

“Yes?” Daehyun answered calmly.

Jongup didn’t know if the older was simply ignoring the murderous intent in Youngjae’s eyes or if he was used to it, but either way it sent a chill down his spine. He mentally filed away that he should never—ever—piss off the blonde vampire.

“Care to explain why my coffin is missing a lid?” Youngjae hissed out.

Jongup wasn’t sure, but he thinks he might have seen Youngjae’s eyes glow red for a split second. But he figured he probably just imagined it. He’s never heard anything about vampires’ eyes being able to change color.

“Himchan did it” Daehyun answered smoothly, not even missing a beat.

“No I didn’t” Himchan growled.

Youngjae raised an eyebrow and flatly replied with “Himchan’s been in the kitchen throwing a fit all day”

“No I haven’t” Himchan said, only to get ignored by the two younger males.

“What does it matter?” Daehyun said with a devious smirk “You sleep in my coffin every day, anyways”

“That’s not the point” Youngjae glared, and this time Jongup knew he wasn’t imagining things. Youngjae’s eyes were their usual brownish blue, but on top of the muddied blue were swirls of luminescent red. It reminded Jongup of fireworks exploding in the night sky.

“Pretty” Jongup mumbled just as Junhong burst through the kitchen door.

“Hyung, what’s wrong? I’ve got that tingly feeling in my gut” he said in a panic, until he noticed Youngjae glaring at his mate “Ah, never mind” he chuckled lightly, until he noticed the look Jongup was sending his brother.

“Why is he staring at you like that?” Junhong asked a little moodily, pointing at his mate-that-didn’t-actually-know-he-was-his-mate-but-would-as-soon-as-he-desposed-of-Himchan.

“Huh?” Youngjae asked, turning to where Junhong was pointing “Oh, uh, I don’t know” he frowned.

“Pretty” was all Jongup said, as he pointed at Youngjae’s face.

“Great” Junhong grumbles “more competition”

“Over my dead heartless body” Himchan yelled “he belongs to me”

“Calm down” Daehyun says in a shockingly calm tone “He’s talking about Jae’s eyes”

“Ah, are they glowing again?” Youngjae asked as he rubbed at his eyes, trying to get the red to disappear.

“How did you do that?” Jongup asks when the older vampire managed to get his eyes back to normal “I’ve never heard of vampires being able to change their eye color before”

“I don’t really know” Youngjae answers meekly, rubbing the back of his head “It’s probably because of the brain tumor”

“You have a brain tumor?” Jongup asks aghast.

“Had” Youngjae chuckles “I had a brain tumor before Yongguk changed me. I was basically blind by then; my eyes were all cloudy and bluish. I figure that’s got to be the reason”

“I maintain its Daehyun’s fault” Himchan laughs, punching his brother in the shoulder “since they only glow when he’s pissed at you”

“That’s not the only time they glow” Daehyun smirks, staring intensely into his mates eyes. Youngjae glares back, and it’s almost too intimate for Jongup to handle. For the week he’s been a vampire, he’s noticed that Daehyun and Youngjae aren’t actually that intimate with each other. Not for a lack of trying on Daehyun’s part though, Youngjae just didn’t respond to it.

Youngjae growls out something in Japanese, and even though Jongup doesn’t speak a of the language, he knows a threat when he hears one.

“Fine” Daehyun sighs “I’ll buy you a new coffin”

“Now” Is Youngjae’s response

“I’m kind of busy at the moment” Daehyun waves him off, pointing lazily at Himchan as if that was a legitimate reason.

Youngjae glares harder, red flickering on his iris’s before fizzling out. The smile that morphs onto his face has Jongup taking a tentative step back.

“Junhong, Jongup” the vampire says sweetly “grab your , were going on a shopping spree”

“With what money?” Daehyun scoffs “Last I checked Yongguk cut you and Zelo off, something about useless materialistic and an obsessive amount of Skateboards”

“Sweetheart, Yongguk isn’t the only vampire in this house with a vast fortune” Youngjae chuckles pulling out two black credit cards.

“Hey, isn’t that—“ Himchan starts to ask, but gets pushed to the side when Daehyun jumps forward trying to grab the items out of his mates hand.

Youngjae chuckles moving out of the way and sneakily passing the cards to his brother.

“Run” Youngjae whispers before dodging another one of Daehyun’s attempts to catch him.

“You’re getting slow in your old age” Youngjae taunts

“I’m going to catch you, and when I do…” Daehyun lets the threat die on his lips as he surges forward, but his mate is just too fast.

“Come on” Junhong grabs Jongup’s wrist as his brother effectively distracts his mate “quick” he pulls harder when Jongup just stares at him “before Himchan catches on”

Somehow this breaks Jongup out of his statuesque state. He allows himself to be pulled by Junhong as he runs out of the kitchen.

“Where are you two going?” Yongguk asks the pair as they rush past him.

Junhong skids to a stop, causing Jongup to do the same “Skateboarding” he smoothly lies to his maker “Jongup’s never been and things are a little too tense around here”

Yongguk nods his head “Just be careful, and make sure you get back before sunrise”

“Will do” Junhong salutes, before picking up two skateboards he’d left lying around.

Jongup doesn’t really know what to do, he’s not entirely comfortable with lying, especially not to Yongguk, when the man has been nothing but kind to him—even after he somehow caused a rift in his relationship with Himchan—so he settles for smiling awkwardly at the oldest vampire. It also doesn’t help that Junhong still has his hand wrapped around his wrist, the skin-to-skin contact causing his arm to tingle in a not so unpleasant way.

“Zelo are you sure this kid even wants to go?” Yongguk asks his progeny “He looks kind of…scared”

“What?” Junhong glances at Jongup’s face, staring a bit longer than necessary “He looks hot—I mean fine, he looks fine to me”

“Uh-huh” Yongguk raises an eyebrow

“We have to go” Junhong pulls Jongup’s wrist to get him to follow him “We’re wasting precious moonlight”

“Have fun” Yongguk says “and no killing” he yells as an afterthought. But the two youngest vampires are already out the door.

†††

After about two straight miles of running through the forest in a seemingly random pattern, Jongup starts to wonder what exactly he’s gotten himself into. He notices, belatedly, that he’s ran away from his maker to an unknown location with the man who essentially murdered him.

“Umm” Jongup says, subtly trying to pry the taller vampires hand off his wrist “I think it’s safe now”

“What?” Junhong slows down, removing his hand quickly when he notices Jongup trying to pull away from him “Sorry”

“It’s okay” Jongup says, giving him a small smile “Just…” he looks around “Where are we going?”

“Safe house” Junhong answers breezily, like everyone has a safe house lying around in seemingly the middle of nowhere.

“Right” Jongup says slowly “Of course”

Junhong chuckles as he leads the way “It was Yongguk’s idea” he informs “Wanted a place me and Youngjae could run away to, if it ever came down to it. Not even Himchan and Daehyun know its location”

“Why?” Jongup asks curiously “Doesn’t he trust them?”

“Sure he does” Junhong answers with a giant smile; this is probably the longest he and Jongup have ever spoken to each other “It’s just in case the people we’re running from are Himchan and Daehyun”

“Why would you ever need to run away from them? Aren’t you all family or something?” Jongup is so caught up in the conversation he doesn’t even notice he’s grabbed onto Junhong’s arm.

“Uh, y-yeah…s-sort of” Junhong stutters. It’s the first time Jongup has initiated contact. “I mean Youngjae hyung and I are Yongguk’s blood. You, Himchan and Deahyun share a different bloodline so technically the only thing holding us together is the whole mate thing.  And if one of your family members decided to hurt one of mine, well…it’s just, you know, just in case”

“Ah…” Jongup mutters quietly “I see”

Junhong takes note of the crestfallen look on his mate and doesn’t like it one bit.

“What’s wrong?” Junhong asks, having stopped walking to turn around to face his mate. Even if that did mean Jongup dropped the hold on his arm.

“Did you get it because of me?” Jongup asks and that only makes Junhong confused “Because I’ve caused so much tension between Himchan and Yongguk”

“What?” Junhong practically shouts “No, absolutely not! The thing between Yongguk and Himchan is my fault not yours. Trust me” he adds when he notices Jongup’s hesitance to believe him.

“I mean it” Junhong says, placing a nervous hand on Jongup’s shoulder “That place is older than me. Truthfully, I think Yongguk bought it for Youngjae so he could run away from Daehyun”

This seems to pacify Jongup a bit.

“Why doesn’t he like Daehyun?” Jongup asks. Honestly, even he—as oblivious as he can be—has noticed the slight tension between Daehyun and Yonnguk.

“He does” Junhong says slowly, furrowing his eyebrows as he thinks of a way to explain what even he’s not been able to figure out in the 15 years he’s spent as a vampire.

“It was before I was created and Youngjae doesn’t like to talk about it. But I think there was a lot of bad blood between them in the years before Youngjae brought me to Yongguk”

Jongup nods and Junhong smiles; it’s kind of stupid, and silly and Jongup can only return it, as if the muscles in his face are betraying him.

“So” Junhong says after he takes his hand off of Jongup to rub absentmindedly through his hair “Should we continue on?”

“Sure, but…” Jongup says as they start walking again “Should you really be leading me to your secret hideout?”

Junhong turns around; walking backwards “I trust you” he smiles.

Something stirs inside Jongup’s stomach; it feels a little bit like forgiveness.