this chapter is also alternatively titled: That-Crack-AU-About-Vampires-And-Menstruation-That-I-Was-Hesitant-To-Post-For-2-Months-So-Now-That-We've-All-Forgotten-This-Story-Exists-I-Figured-It's-Time-That-I-Did

The thing with this new class, new seating arrangement, is that now he’s seated next to Ahra. It doesn’t help that the teacher had made Ahra tutor him on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in his failing subjects – whether he wanted it or not. The close proximity is more than enough to get used to a nose full of intoxicating, tempting blood everyday. However, there’s something a little different this morning. Of course, his sharp sense of smell causes the instinctive hunter element of his brain to scream “BLOOD!” for twenty four hours a day, six or more days a week, but now, the scent is much stronger. Strangely, he doesn’t want to feed; this blood smells a little weirder.

He looks to his left, and Ahra’s clutching her middle.

“Are you okay?”

“Stomach..ache,” she gasps, “I’ll be fine.”

After physical education class, Ahra looks half-dead. Really. Beads of sweat line her pretty forehead and Sihoo immediately rushes to her with a cold water bottle.

“Are you okay? You said you were fine before the lesson!”

“I’m alright! It’s gonna be okay, I swear.”

“Drink this,” he says as he shoves cold water bottle to her. She swats his hand away.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll go to the toilet, I’ll be fine.”

“Is it the stomach ache?”

He doesn’t know how her already red face from exhaustion after that 8.2 km run could have turned even redder, but it does. She buries her face in her hands and runs into the female toilet down the corridor.

Blood from live humans and animals is so appealing to vampires because of one simple reason: the lifeblood that it exudes. That’s why the stale pig blood that screams of death, packed into tomato juice packets and cartons of rose syrup, will always pale in comparison to hunting for animals in the wild. Unfortunately, this is the crowded, metropolitan city of Seoul, and the only animals out there are stray birds and lost dogs. But Han Sihoo doesn’t have the time to chase those germ-infested flying creatures, and uh, he has a soft spot for dogs. I mean like, how can you even have the heart to harm them?

Thus, it scares Sihoo out of his wits when he puts it together that the reason why Ahra’s blood smells different is because he can’t detect the life in some of her blood.

She can’t be dying, right?

“Ahra, are you dying?” He looks over at her, alarmed.

Ahra stares at him in amusement. “My abdomen is going through a Category 3 tornado, but other than that, I am perfectly alive, Sihoo.”

“But your blood…”he trails, a little too loudly. The teacher clears his throat to bring the class back to attention, and Soori looks very alarmed as she mouths “please don’t eat her okay” to him.

Mari looks over at him and Ahra, snickers, and slams her head onto the desk to suppress her laughter.

Ahra, on the other hand, is very mortified and very confused.

He doesn’t understand why Mari would laugh at this. Girls are weird. He’s never been in close contact with any of them for a prolonged period of time all his life so he wouldn’t know… but he’s still worried.

“Stop bothering me!” she hisses and excuses herself to go to the toilet. Again. How many times has it been in one day, like, five times?

Mari is shaking her head as she sees Sihoo’s face of perplexion. Jaemin jabs her side and does some kind of gross PDA to get her back into the lesson.

Oh my god, Sihoo sighs, what the is happening. Ahra’s having mood swings, stomach aches, and I can smell a bit of death in her blood, and Baek Mari will not stop laughing. It’s like, Ahra’s second trip to the toilet this period…

Wait.

Period.

Wow, I am so dumb.

Jo Ahra is on her period.

It doesn’t really gross him out as it would for other guys, considering that he’s been consuming blood all his life. But it suddenly hits him; the mood swings, the period pains, her mortification whenever he brings it up, and which she keeps going to the toilet. It makes sense also; since the blood that comes from menstruation consists of uh, dead almost-baby remains, it would lack the scent of lifeblood.

When Ahra returns, he slips her a note from under the table.

“”I’m so sorry, please don’t feel embarrassed.” What do you even mean, Han Sihoo?” Ahra peers at him as she reads out the note.

“I’m socially awkward, okay?”

“You? Socially awkward?” Ahra says sceptically. “What about your fangirls?”

He sighs and puts a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be mad at me, okay? I didn’t know then, but I know now.”

“About what?”

“Uh…”

When class ends, Mari runs towards him as she guffaws with laughter.

“Han Sihoo, you’re like, the dumbest vampire I’ve ever met.”

He can’t actually disagree with her.

Jaemin immediately follows behind Mari, as always. “What did he do now,” Jaemin deadpans, with the usual arm snug around her shoulders.

“You know, Sihoo, I thought I was the dumb-pire around here.” Mari chuckles and flicks his forehead.

Ahra marches up to Sihoo at the sight of their contact, and he’s taken aback at how naturally she slides her arms around his waist. His eyes widen at her sudden backhug. Is Ahra being territorial? We’re not even-

She drags him away with a stiff smile in Mari and Jaemin’s direction, and ugh, Mari is laughing. Again.

Ahra doesn’t let go until they’re out of the band-slash-class room.

“Dude, what was that?”

“Why do you keep talking to her? Do you still like her?”

“You know I don’t. It’s the first time I’ve talked to Mari today, Ahra.”

“But I… sorry, I didn’t know why I did it,” Ahra pouts and stares at her shoes.

“It’s okay,” Sihoo reassures. Although it was very amusing and very uh, hot.

“I’m just. Weird today. Don’t mind me, okay?”

Sihoo smirks and side-eyes her. “Were you jealous?”

“Nope. Absolutely not,” she says and folds her arms as she walks in front of him. “We have band practice later, don’t be late.”

“You didn’t know she was on her period?” Mari asks as she sips blood from a juice packet.

“… No…” Sihoo scratches his head.

They’re eating in the band room, and Sihoo feels like the ultimate third wheel today because Ahra had ditched him for lunch. Jaemin is by nature, uh, horribly protective over his girlfriend and so. Here he is. Jaemin furrows his eyebrows and stares at them weirdly from the opposite end of the band room as he tunes his guitar.

“Am I like, supposed to hear this?” Jaemin calls out.

“No!” Sihoo says.

“Yes, totally!” Mari shouts at the same time. “It’s literally so hilarious.”

“No thanks, I don’t even want to guess who you’re talking about,” Jaemin says and makes a face.

“Yeah Mari, you should try to protect her identity.”

“Aww, is our Sihoo being caring for his bae?”

Sihoo sighs into his hands.

“Anyway, why didn’t she want to drink the cold water during PE?”

“Drinking cold stuff isn’t good for girls on their periods.”

Jaemin sticks earphones into his ears from the other end of the room and shakes his head.

Mari leans towards him with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“You wanna know something else about girls on their periods though?” she says with a beckoning finger.

“What?”

“They get super jealous! Territorial! Mushy! ! Cuddly!”

“Are you kidding me?” Sihoo splutters.

“Just google it all if you don’t believe me. But do you understand why she hugged you now?”

“But then-”

“Aww, don’t act like a cute lil’ boy,” Mari teases, and Jaemin looks over once again. To check, you know. See if they’re doing anything politically unethical.

“You’ve been watching too many American dramas, welcome to Korea, Mari. I don’t think you’re any less than I am. Unless you and Jaemin-”

“That’s because Jaemin’s house has cable! Don’t shy away from the topic man. You guys have been dating for so-”

“But we’re not dating!”

Mari’s eyes widen to the size of saucers. “You’re not? Why?”

“What do you mean why?”

“Are her parents strict or something?”

“But Ahra isn’t very conservative though… she’s had like ten boyfriends…” Sihoo trails, a twinge of jealousy evident in his voice.

“But you guys like each other, right? Like I can smell your sizzling with her from miles away, gosh.”

“We’re just good friends. And Mari please, look at yourself.”

“You know what I can smell?” Jaemin pipes up from the corner of the room. “I smell your denial, Han Sihoo. ”

Sihoo sighs into his hands and watches the clock tick by the wall, groaning as he tries to ignore Mari’s girly, excited voice bounce off the walls. Jaemin isn’t any better. If they’re not talking about lovey-dovey issues, they’re cornering him with questions concerning him and Ahra’s relationship.

He stares forlornly at the ceiling, anticipating the minutes to the start of band practice.  Being in the same room with the grossest couple on campus is probably going down in the stupidest decisions I’ve made.  

a/n: iM BACK