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I’m Your Savior, and You’re Mine

By the time Joonmyun dropped by six hours later as stipulated to release Jongin and Kyungsoo from their dark prison, Kyungsoo had long since drank his fill and had fitfully fallen asleep afterwards in Jongin’s lap, emotionally and physically exhausted but clearly pacified, judging by the way he willingly cuddled up like a newborn kitten in Jongin’s tender embrace.

On the opposite side where Jongin was situated, the round lock system made muffled sounds of grinding stone as the three rings rotated. Since the lock was being opened from the outside, the semi-sphere in the center of the rings shoved itself outward not inward in Jongin’s point of view. As the unlocked door swept open, Jongin squinted when a dim lance of firelight sliced into the shadowy expanse of the opaque prison cell. Someone poked their head in experimentally.

“Joonmyun,” Jongin greeted flatly.

“Brat,” Joonmyun returned blandly.

The newborn made no inclination to move as the superior one fully entered the box-shaped enclosure, carrying a lantern in hand. Yet, even so, distrustful ruby eyes tracked the other one’s approach.

“What is with that look, youngling?” Joonmyun asked, frowning at the glare clearly directed at him.

“You knew,” Jongin said accusingly. “You knew about Kyungsoo’s fear of hurting me, and you didn’t even bother telling me.” His arms tightened around the slumbering petite boy protectively.

“My son begged me not to tell when I’d noticed,” Joonmyun admitted, unrepentant, then shrugged offhandedly. “It’s not my fault you feel deceived.”

Jongin growled in undisguised disgruntlement. It seemed apparent enough that the two of them were unable to be civil around each other, much less establish a relationship of respect. To think that Joonmyun was technically his father-in-law. Jongin shuddered in repulsion.

As if reading his thoughts, Joonmyun huffed irritably, his ribbon-like lips pressed into a wry line. He jerked his chin at the younger vampire demandingly. “Is Kyungsoo feeling better?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s go. He can rest in his room.”

Slipping his arms under Kyungsoo—one braced against a limp back and the other tucked under bent knees—Jongin effortlessly lifted the child up as he fluidly rose to his feet. After snatching up his son’s pair of abandoned shoes, Joonmyun led the way out, stepping through the porthole-like door first. The superior one closed the opening after Jongin emerged, the two halves compressing themselves into an evenly flat plane (if not minding the bulge of the sphere).

“Follow me,” Joonmyun instructed in a detached tone as he skirted around the glistening tank of calm adumbral water that the cubed cell belonged in and headed over towards the pathway. The pathway was simply a long aisle, several sections of other pools on either side of it. In the other direction was a dead end, obstructed by a sturdy, bumpy ash gray wall that was made up of the same material as everything else in this branch of the underground dungeons. The opened end was on the opposite side, which was where Joonmyun ambled through with Jongin in tow. The soft, warm glow of the lantern illuminated their surroundings in a golden orange dome.

“How are you, newborn?” Joonmyun inquired as they navigated through the corridors in stiff silence.

That somewhat polite (definitely forced and strained) query startled Jongin. He furrowed his brows in puzzlement, eyeing the man with suspicion. “I’m...fine,” he replied haltingly.

“Are you still hungry?” the older vampire prodded, tone crisp but light. “What about Kyungsoo? Was it a struggle to deal with him?”

“He resisted, at first, to feed. He kicked and screamed at me, but I calmed him down,” Jongin explained, the volume of his voice kept low lest he woke Kyungsoo up, who was snoring softly against his shoulder. The child’s signature heart-shaped lips were parted and slightly puckered as tiny puffs of breaths exited and entered in correlation to the gentle rising and falling of a frail chest. “And I’m not that hungry,” he added.

“I ordered for thermoses of blood to be sent to Kyungsoo’s room,” Joonmyun informed. “You will drink those.” Just in case was the underlining message.

The younger vampire muttered an “okay” to the not-so-subtle command. The two of them continued the rest of their trek in absolute silence as they traveled to the upper levels of the dungeon—the area where Jongin had been detained familiar to him—and finally reached the multiple flight of stairs that indicated the castle above ground. The air wasn’t as cold or as stale, and Jongin could smell the scents of other people—vampires and humans alike—lingering around the area. His shoes now treaded on an impossibly long wine red carpet that was rolled out down the hallway he was currently in.

Leaning against the wall not far from them was Jongdae. He looked the same as the last time Jongin saw him—his ebony hair neatly styled with his bangs swept leftward and his obsidian eyes almost fathomless. Initially, Jongin had mistaken the guard as a statue since he had stood there motionlessly, not even appearing that he was breathing, with his arms crossed and chin poised straight, until he had smoothly reanimated himself, straightening up his reclined posture and bowing his head formally at Joonmyun.

The superior one paused briefly to say, “Take him to Kyungsoo’s room. My son needs to rest.”

“Yes, sir,” Jongdae said with a dutiful nod, taking Kyungsoo’s shoes from the man.

“And do make sure that the fledgling finishes all of the blood provided for him,” Joonmyun tacked on before gliding past the ebony-haired vampire. Three steps later, his form disappeared, the lantern’s firelight vanishing along with him.

“Hey,” Jongdae greeted coolly, dissolving into an easygoing smirk now that his superior was gone.

“...Hi?” Jongin returned skeptically, a brow scrunched. He held Kyungsoo closer to him.

“I never properly introduced myself,” the guard said, placing a hand over his slow-beating heart. “My name is Kim Jongdae. I am the head guard of the Wu household, which also extends to the Kim clan. You already know that Kim Minseok is my mate.”

Jongin nodded wordlessly.

“I’ve been in service to the Wu and Kim families for a long time now,” Jongdae continued on pleasantly. “In fact, I’m nearly a hundred years older than Master Yixing. We grew up together.”

“Wow,” the newborn uttered, sensing that Jongdae must’ve been really old then, but not as old as the superior ones. “You’re...you were born as a vampire?”

The vampire-born’s finely-shaped mouth quirked up marginally in the corners as if amused by Jongin’s curiosity. “Yes,” he affirmed. “I am. Amongst all the family guards I know, I happen to be the eldest. I was also the one appointed to watch over you during your slumber. Now...” He half-turned and swept out an arm cordially. “Shall we head to Young Master Kyungsoo’s room?”

“Sure.” Jongin fell into step beside the older vampire, not feeling as paranoid by his presence. Jongdae certainly acted haughty (which was an aspect that had probably developed through the centuries of living) and had a taunting flair in his mannerisms, but he didn’t particularly seem like a bad guy.

“Now that you’re living in this castle, you’ll need to memorize the layout,” Jongdae commented as they ambled alongside each other down the labyrinth of long, hollow halls. Not a single servant was around. “Although it’s easy to locate someone by tracking their scent, it would be safe to know which parts of the castle you’re permitted to wander about.”

“Joonmyun doesn’t have a room full of dead bodies with chopped off heads, does he?”

“No. Why?”

“Just wondering,” Jongin answered innocently, not showing how he was inwardly relieved.

Jongdae chuckled, a silky, lighthearted sound. Somehow it resembled Minseok’s bubbly laughter but with a more tamed feel. “Don’t worry. Master Joonmyun isn’t scheming to get rid of you—not to my knowledge, at least. Trust me, if he did, he would’ve done that ages ago.”

Yeah, I know, the ruby-eyed male thought, wincing upon remembering how Joonmyun had been more than ready to kill him during their first encounter.

Jongdae’s dark coffee eyes grew warm as they peered down at the oblivious child snuggled up in Jongin’s capable, protective arms. “I’m glad to see that Kyungsoo is well. Minseok and I were really worried.” He lifted his probing gaze to Jongin, a perfectly-shaped brow arched questionably. “I was surprised when you didn’t wake up on your own,” he admitted.

“I wanted to,” the younger vampire mumbled grudgingly. “But I...it was so hard to escape...”

The vampire guard wrinkled his nose in aversion. “Thank God Minseok never had to go through anything as harsh as that. I would’ve gone insane and destroyed everything that kept me away from my mate.”

“Even from Joonmyun or Yifan?” Jongin challenged.

Jongdae grinned darkly. “Even from Joonmyun or Yifan,” he dared, which made Jongin have a swell of respect and admiration for the guy. “When Kyungsoo disappeared, Minseok had been the one to take the blame since he was supposed to watch over him and Sehun during their outdoor exercise. Joonmyun had raged at Minseok, and I’d been ready to intervene—physically, if the situation had demanded it. But...Sehun had stepped in and that seemed to knock some sense back into Joonmyun.”

Jongin thought of the flighty child who had jumped into his arms at first meeting. Sehun was Kyungsoo’s younger brother—the spoiled one apparently when weighing the fact that he had blatantly defied his guards and father to do whatever he wanted.

“Turn this way,” the guard directed absently, motioning with a languid finger so that Jongin knew to take the correct hall at an intersection. “Anyways, at least everything has settled down. No more unexpected escapades or scares. I swear Joonmyun is going crazy; he's been plotting a better way to keep this castle under lockdown. He and Yifan have also been discussing over more efficient security measures.” Jongdae looked dispirited, like a child who was told that he couldn’t buy the toy he desired most. “And as the head guard, I have to listen to all their plans. Seriously, it’s more like they’re complaining than planning.”

Joonmyun complaining? That’s nothing new. Jongin snorted.

“Ah, this is the wing where our dear young masters reside,” Jongdae announced airily, gesturing at the nearby area with his free arm. “Do take note that this wing has the navy curtains and butterscotch carpeting—it’s just a reminder to distinguish certain units of the castle. Yixing had it set up like that so it would be easier to figure out one’s immediate location if someone got lost.”

“Smart,” murmured the newborn as he intently surveyed the halls, committing the image of the place to memory. All the windows, which were quite large and squared and evenly spread out along one side of the wall, were fixedly obscured by thick, high-quality curtains. The spotless tiled floor had a continuous stretch of carpet rolled out tidily down the middle. In short intervals, small decorative tables were lined up against the walls, each bearing a classy vase of artfully arranged flowers that were replaced regularly. There were also brackets where torches were placed in and lit to illuminate the way. As of now, a few were currently ablaze, making Jongin wonder what time of day it was.

“Here we are,” Jongdae said as he paused in front of a wide set of pristine ivory doors with golden handles. The ebony-haired vampire laid a hand on a handle and gave Jongin an informative look. “This is Young Master Kyungsoo’s room.”

The ivory door was swung open, and Jongin followed after the other vampire inside quietly.

Upon first glance, Jongin’s reaction to seeing his little one’s room was a small, fond grin. Of course it would look like this, he mused approvingly.

It was more appropriate to say that Kyungsoo’s room was a cluster of chambers interconnected by doors. Right now Jongin was standing wondrously in the main chamber—the lounge room, perhaps—where it was overly large and spacious for a tiny, young boy like Kyungsoo to make full use of. The main chamber wasn’t doused in bright colors as Jongin had originally suspected, but rather coordinated in a tasteful array of complimentary hues with neutral tones to balance everything out. The ceiling was set high above his head and resembled the sky with its azure paint job. Random oranges tiles were mixed in with the standard black-and-white checkerboard pattern on the floor. The wide windowless walls were ashy white and bordered with a soft bronze trim. A set of chocolate brown furniture was arranged casually in the center of the room, a tray of thermoses purposefully left on the glass coffee table in plain sight. Several shelves stocked with methodically organized books of all sizes were lined along the far back wall. Situated on the left side of the room was a fireplace, its dusted mantle top bedecked with decorative trinkets—most of the shapes being various kinds of animals.

“Over here, youngling,” Jongdae said, sauntering past Jongin and heading over to the ivory double doors embellished with gold tracings of leaves and vines on the right side of the chamber. Too caught up in his amazed gawking, the ruby-eyed newborn was somewhat dazed as he robotically followed after Jongdae.

Entering the next room—Kyungsoo’s actual bedroom—Jongin smiled slightly when realizing how earthy it was. The feeling was mostly attributed by the plush forest carpet, spotless ashy white walls, and pale canary ceiling. A four poster canopy bed of a dark, expensive-looking wood with navy drapes took up a large margin of the room’s space. A pair of nightstands made of the same dark wood flanked either side of the bed, mushroom-shaped lamps seated on them along with a selection of framed pictures.

While Jongdae disappeared through a door nestled in the back right-hand corner—Must be the walk-in closet, Jongin concluded—the fledgling, with his precious cargo snoozing in his arms, went over to the bed, pushed aside the shield of drapes with his shoulder, and then gently laid Kyungsoo down onto the sapphire bedding.

“Mmm,” moaned the little vampire as Jongin tucked the silky soft blankets around him.

Kyungie looks like he’s sleeping in a bed of water, like the ocean, the former human mused adoringly, brushing aside the messy midnight bangs that fell over an angelic face.

A few seconds later, Jongdae emerged from the closet after properly storing away his young master’s shoes. He regarded Jongin appraisingly as he approached the bed. “...I’ll go fetch some new clothes for you. In the meantime, do drink the blood that’s been left for you, alright?”

The dark-haired newborn briefly met the guard’s gaze before nodding compliantly. “...Yes.”

“Stay here, then, while I’m out. I’ll be back soon,” promised the ebony-haired vampire. With that said, he swiftly and soundlessly exited the room as if he was never there.

Jongin gingerly seated himself on the edge of the bed without setting his feet on it since he was still wearing his shoes. His hand trailed helplessly towards Kyungsoo to lightly caress a pale, cherubic cheek with his knuckles. The young, doe-eyed boy seemed deep asleep, which relieved Jongin, but additionally made him wonder when the former would awaken.

Was this how you felt when I was in the far reaches of oblivion while you were forcibly kept aloft in agonizing reality? Faint wisps of past sensations, of being starved and lonely, pricked into Jongin like needles; it had felt terrible, the suffering Kyungsoo had to go through that Jongin had directly felt in his inky darkness, but he... I was so powerless, so helpless... I’m sorry that I couldn’t save you any faster. Ruby eyes softened, full of tenderness reserved only for one particular angel. When you wake up, I’ll be here, so rest as much as you want.

Leaning in close, Jongin softly pressed his lips against Kyungsoo’s temple. A sweet sound escaped the child’s parted lips then, and the former human murmured, “So cute,” before sliding off the bed and drifting over to the ivory-gold doors that led to the sitting room.

...

Languid hours passed as Kyungsoo soundly slept on. During that time, Jongin had taken a relaxing hot shower in the ridiculously grand bathroom and then had gratefully donned the borrowed set of clothes Jongdae had procured for him—a crisp vermillion button-up shirt with a folded down collar and a dark pair of sleek slacks with a shiny black belt cinched through the loops. Jongdae had been immensely pleased that the younger vampire had chugged down every bottle of blood. Then, with the tray balanced in his hands, he had breezed out of the room to properly dispose of the empty thermoses. That instance, once again, left Jongin to his lonesome as he quietly sat by his beloved’s bedside in a cushioned chair.

By now, if the information Jongin received from Jongdae was correct, it was late in the afternoon. Nothing eventful had happened since Jongin and Kyungsoo were released from their sentence by Joonmyun.

Was the universe mocking Jongin by shoving something eventful right in his face after he just thought of it?

The ruby-eyed newborn whipped his head up, breaking his pensive posture, when he heard a clamor at the entrance of Kyungsoo’s main room. The door had been dramatically swept open as three pairs of footsteps—each of a different tempo and distinct weight—barged in unannounced.

“Kyungsoo?!” Baekhyun exclaimed.

“Wheeere aaaaare youuuuu?” Chanyeol boomed in a singsong tone.

“JONGINNIE?” Sehun trilled in an eagerly pitched voice.

A dark brow twitched in downright annoyance at the thoughtless commotion those idiots were causing outside the bedroom. Jaw set, Jongin marched over to the door that connected to the adjoining room and nearly slammed it open. “Would you be quiet?” he hissed, bloody eyes flashing.

Upon his revealed appearance, Sehun whirled around with an excited gasp, his unfathomable eyes tinged with elation, twinkling like stars in the night sky. In an instant, the child jumped on to the couch and launched himself nimbly over it like it was a trampoline, bounding right over to Jongin to tackle the taller male’s narrow waist in an exuberant hug. “Jongie!” Sehun crowed, nuzzling the other’s toned stomach.

To Jongin, Sehun was a complete enigma, a puzzling creature who unmistakably resembled an emotionless doll largely due to his vacant visage. Jongin was baffled by the way the youngling had instantly and explicitly adored him just by his scent. How was that possible or reasonable? 

Baekhyun and Chanyeol, on the other hand, were too plain and simple to even bother with. While awkwardly patting Sehun’s head of dark locks, Jongin shot the other two unwelcomed looks.

“Why are you here?” Jongin asked, deadpan.

Chanyeol snorted at his old friend. “Wow, prissy much?”

“Only when you’re here,” was the blunt quip.

“Hey!”

Withholding entertained giggles, Baekhyun laid a placating hand on his mate’s lanky shoulder. “He’s just humoring you, Yeol. You don’t have to get so defensive.”

Both of the newborns huffed in disagreement and swiveled their heads away from each other.

An insistent tug on his shirt elicited Jongin to glance down at the short child clinging to his waist. Innocent eyes peered up at him imploringly. “Hey, can we go play, Jongie?” Sehun asked. “I’ve been waiting forever.”

Reminded of something disquieting, Baekhyun worriedly bit his bottom lip, his perplexed gaze pinned on his little cousin. “I still can’t believe that Sehunnie convinced Jongdae to sneak him in to see Jongin during his sentence... It’s amazing that Uncle Joonmyun hasn’t found out yet.”

That comment distracted Sehun from pestering Jongin as he puffed out his chest proudly, nose stuck in the air. “I’m good at sneaking,” bragged the child, unbothered by the fact that he could be possibly reprimanded for his prohibited snooping. “Big Brother Kyungsoo can never win at hide-and-seek!”

Wasn’t it because Jongdae owed you? Jongin thought differently, recalling what the older vampire guard had said about Sehun stepping in to mollify Joonmyun’s wrath. That could only be the logical reason why Jongdae would risk his master’s fury—because Sehun had protected Minseok, his mate.

Chanyeol laughed heartily. “Well, it sure does help that your Gift can influence the wind for you. All you have to do is scatter your scent.”

Wind? This kid can control the wind? Jongin scrutinized Sehun a little more intently, a brow scrunched in fascination. So it must be true that most purebloods have Gifts.

The former human was broken from his pondering when Baekhyun approached him. The skinny brunet was wearing a friendly smile, which was directed at Jongin. “Has Soo woken up yet?” he inquired in a genuinely kind voice, his beautiful lady-like hands clasped together in front of him.

Shifting awkwardly, Jongin shook his head. “Sorry, no. He’s completely exhausted, and he might be hungry when he wakes.”

Baekhyun only nodded in understanding. “Then, is it alright if we wait here?” he asked politely. “Sehun has been anxious to get to know you, and I want to be here for Kyungsoo.”

As if to confirm his cousin’s words, Sehun bobbed his head fervently and hugged Jongin tighter. If the youngling had purred, he could’ve been mistaken as a kitten.

“Sure, why not?” the ruby-eyed vampire relented with a sigh. “It’s not like I have any power over you two, Young Masters.”

Baekhyun’s pretty smile twitched into a humored grin. “Oh, please,” he chuckled pleasantly. “You don’t have to refer to us as that. We’re family now, so there’s no need for formalities.”

Jongin squinted an unenthusiastic look at his former friend who was returning the adverse action with an equally mocking one of his own. “So...does that mean Chanyeol is my...cousin-in-law?”

“Oh, yippee. I’ve always wanted to be family,” Chanyeol jeered, smirking.

The younger fledgling bared his fangs, provoked.

Sehun spun around and pouted exasperatedly at the tall, gangly vampire. “Yeollie!” he complained, looking ready to stamp his foot out of childish agitation. “Stop bothering Jongie! He’s my friend!”

Chanyeol surrendered mockingly, unnecessarily raising his hands to indicate so, and then brusquely plopped down on to the plush chocolate brown couch in a showy manner of I’ll-sit-here-and-be-a-good-boy. Seeing that pretentious attitude only made Jongin roll his eyes and Baekhyun sigh.

Sehun, tired that everyone kept interrupting his playtime with his newly found friend, grunted grumpily before yanking on Jongin’s hand, dragging the semi-reluctant fledgling over the circle of seats arranged over a soft oval rug. Motioned to sit down first, Jongin obeyed silently while Sehun dashed over to one of the bookshelves and snatched a few books (the ones that he could reach) before zipping back to the other. The young child clambered up onto the couch and pressed himself close to Jongin’s side. He nudged a book into the taller male’s hands.

“Read. Read,” Sehun demanded.

There were poorly muffled snickers across from him and someone who was most likely smiling in indulging amusement off to the side, but Jongin ignored his audience and caved in to Sehun’s demands. For the next hour or so, the ruby-eyed male spent it entertaining his beloved’s younger brother. Sehun appeared entirely absorbed in garnering Jongin’s attention, clinging to the other’s muscular arms and snuggling into a hard chest. He’s like a cat. A really needy one, Jongin observed resignedly as he read aloud a story about a dog who lived on a farm. Soon Sehun got bored of books—unlike Kyungsoo, Jongin might add—and insisted that they go elsewhere to play.

“Sorry, but I don’t want to leave Kyungsoo,” Jongin confessed in a low voice, only half-apologetic because what he said was the unadulterated truth.

Sehun’s full, thin lips were mashed into a displeased line. His gaze dropped in dejection. “Big Brother is always the lucky one...” he mumbled, almost inaudibly.

Baekhyun, who had primly seated himself next to his mate, uncrossed his thin legs and leaned forward slightly. “How about you bring some of your toys in here so that Jongin won’t have to leave, alright, Sehunnie?” he proposed, his logic gratefully accepted.

Sehun brightened up at the suggestion. He nodded ardently before breezing out of the sitting room, one of the wide ivory doors left unclosed in his haste. With a fond giggle, Baekhyun looked over to his mate and said, “Do go after him, will you? Make sure he doesn’t bring over everything.”

Chuckling, Chanyeol conceded by patting his mate’s leg, and then he promptly chased after his little charge, his pace quick but not as edgy or as swift as Jongin. Jongin and Baekhyun heard his booming voice as he abruptly greeted someone—“Yo! It’s a nice evening, isn’t it?”—down the hall.

“Oh, hello, Minseok, Jongdae,” Baekhyun greeted cordially as the two guards padded into the room.

“Hello, Baekhyunnie!” Minseok returned jovially, skipping over to his young master with bouncy feet. Jongdae, on the contrary, swaggered over in a calmer yet subdued pace, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets.

“You look like you have something to tell me,” Jongin stated, hitting the nail on the head as he studied Jongdae appraisingly.

The ebony-haired vampire chuckled and perched himself on the armrest by Baekhyun. He resembled a raven resting on a rooftop at night, keenly watching everything down below with unreadable inky orbs. “Yes, I do,” confirmed the older vampire. He squarely met Jongin’s inquiring gaze and reported, “Joonmyun bade me to inform you that you’ll be joining Chanyeol for training under my tutelage.”

Jongin snapped, “What?”

Baekhyun blinked. “Oh, my.”

Minseok giggled madly. “Oh, this is going to be great.”

Exhaling a gusty sigh, Jongdae rubbed at his forehead irritably, feeling as if there was a coil of a headache knotted there. “Woe is me,” he lamented mournfully. “Neither Master Joonmyun nor Master Yifan wished to deal with you punks, so they dumped the chore to me.”

Minseok blubbered out a nervous bark of laughter. “Be grateful,” he told Jongin, sounding seriousness yet feeble at the same time. “You’re lucky Master Joonmyun decided otherwise because he was absolutely ruthless when he trained me.” A cringe of horror discordantly changed the peppiness of Minseok’s usual expression.

Jongin blanched at the news and wisely said, “I’ll take your word for it.” He bowed his head respectfully at his newly appointed instructor. “I’m under your mercy, then.”

Jongdae grinned crookedly, gleeful. “Trust me, youngling. I’m plenty merciful...as long as you stick to my good graces.”

Baekhyun shot a pleading look at the wicked vampire next to him and over to the apprehensive newborn across from him. “Please, whatever you do, try not to fight with Chanyeol.”

Jongin frowned as if insulted by the implication that he would be the one to start a brawl. “Shouldn’t you be saying that to him?”

“Say what to me?” cut in a deep voice. Chanyeol strode into the room with an armful of boxes and toys. Sehun swept in impatiently from behind the overly tall vampire. The youngling made a beeline for Jongin, throwing himself in the other’s lap where he sat on the couch. Catching the stringent whiff of dread with his sensitive nose, the young master frowned worriedly at Jongin and then shot a disapproving look over to handsome ebony-haired vampire wearing a devilish grin.

Minseok pointed at the gone-rigid Jongin, who made an excellent impersonation of a dumbfounded statue. “Baekhyunnie doesn’t want you to pick fights with your fellow pupil. Both of you will be training under Jongdae.”

Chanyeol’s lips stretched into a monstrously wide grin that conveyed only future trouble. Dumping Sehun’s playthings onto the rug, he clutched at his stomach and threw his head back to guffaw boisterously. “Swe-ee-et!”

Sehun curiously patted Jongin’s cheeks, marveling over the defined edges of a broad jaw and prominent cheekbones, until the latter phased out of his stupor, having inwardly bemoaned his ill fortune, and dolefully shook his head.

If Jongin had been any more engrossed in brooding over his future endeavors of trying to deal with a maniac giant, then he would’ve missed the soft, velvety moan and the faint rustle of silky bedsheets from the closed room behind him.

“Hm?” Suddenly alert, Jongin perked up and sprang to his feet. Everyone became quiet, too, at his reaction, eyes intent on his bristling form. When there was a low whine accompanied by more swishing sheets, Jongin wasted no time in ditching the others to rush over to his beloved’s bedroom, shutting the door noisily (and in Chanyeol’s face, much to Jongin’s satisfaction) behind him. The other vampires outside the room discussed whether or not to barge in, but Baekhyun’s voice of reason convinced them otherwise, persuading everyone to give Jongin and Kyungsoo some alone time.

“Kyungsoo?” he said breathlessly when he entered in the nature-resembling room and crossed over to the large canopy bed. Shouldering aside the thick, wavy drapes, he was treated to the sight of an awakening angel.

Those brilliant doe eyes fluttered open slowly, dark lashes daintily brushing along the top ridges of cherubic apple cheeks. Heart-shaped lips of a luscious salmon pink parted with a smack until they widened to allow a collective yawn to pass through. A silky, unruly mess of midnight hair was artfully splayed out in different directions on the fluffy pillow.

Even now I still can’t believe a heavenly creature like him exists.

Tilting his head, Kyungsoo spotted Jongin leaning over him. He blinked up at his mate blearily and murmured in a tired musical voice, “Jonginnie?”

Breaking into a gratifying smile, Jongin sat on the bed and captured his little one in a heartwarming embrace. The dark-haired fledgling nosed a pale, thin neck and inhaled the tantalizing scent that came from this precious being held in his protective arms. “Oh, love, you’re finally awake,” he whispered in hushed elation.

Kyungsoo made a low sound of appreciation before giggling cutely into his mate’s strong, hard chest. “Good morning.”

“Good evening,” Jongin corrected gently, loosening his hold on the young boy so the latter could stretch out his thin, bony limbs, kicking away the blankets as he did so. Knowing that Kyungsoo hated it when his hair was in a disarray, Jongin combed his long fingers through those glossy tresses, smoothing them down in an orderly fashion.

“How are you?” Jongin asked in a murmur, gently cupping his little one’s face in his large hands. He lightly rubbed his thumbs under those faint lilac crescents nestled under groggy round eyes.

A low, contemplative sound rumbled softly in Kyungsoo’s throat as he enjoyed his mate’s feathery caresses, nuzzling in closer for more. He lifted up his chin, slightly craning his neck, so that the tip of his nose touched Jongin’s. Mesmerizing doe orbs stared straight into the tantalizing pair of bold rubies. Gazes were locked and firmly held.

“...You saved me again,” Kyungsoo whispered.

Memories of grayness, tinted with boredom and depression, filtered through Jongin’s mind like an old movie player. It was only when a beautiful, captivating creature with raven hair, snowy skin, and owl-like eyes had entered his monotone life did everything blossom with color and vibrancy.

“No,” Jongin disagreed softly. “You’re the one who saved me.”

I’ll be your savior, if you’ll be mine.

Wow, I managed to update within a month. Yay! I actually struggled with the bottom portion of this chappie, because I had mindlessly typed up boring scenes and made the chapter too long, so I had to delete quite a lot and postpone other parts for the next chapter. This update was also partially delayed because of my stinkin' keyboard that refuses to cooperate with me (stupid C and D keys).

If any of you have noticed since you're subscribed to it, I also started up my reposts for my other fic, UTCOU, NLUTCOU. I usually try for two reposts per week, or one per week if I combined some of the old chapters to make longer chappies. However, this week I'll be busy with other things, so my writing will be curbed until next week.

Just a warning though: if you don't see another update for this and it's already past late August, then you should know that by then I'm busy with my freshman year of college. (Oh, god. I'm honestly terrified.)

I don't know what else to say for now, so until then, thanks so much for all of your love and support and patience! I sincerely welcome any new subbies and happily read all comments (and try to reply to most of them). Bye, dearies! Have a great summer!

Reminder: No plagiarizing! No copying! No stealing! No translating! Tell me immediately if someone has done so!

cr: to real owners