He hated the way hospitals smelled. Sterile with a nasal burning sting of alcohol and an underlying odor of sickness and death. Sure they were places of life too, but no amount of miracles could wash away the lingering scent of those who were not afforded such mercies. Still, he was grateful for it today, even if he didn’t care much for the place. After checking in, the staff had more or less left him alone. His aura wasn’t murderous but he was definitely carrying a shadow even a blind man could see.

                Standing outside of room 307, Hakyeon took another deep breath and tried to move, but it felt like his feet were rooted in place. A shadow moved on the inside and he slipped to the side, as quiet as his namesake, but no one emerged. It was probably just Lisa making another round. It should have been easy to step inside to join them. Taekwoon was likely sleeping or at the least resting and the hunter wouldn’t hold any fault with him. But he did.

                Hakyeon gripped his shirt lightly and looked down, brows furrowed. Taekwoon was alive. He should be glad. But every time he closed his eyes, he saw the wounds that should have killed him. Cuts yawning wide and weeping rivers of blood in pulsing waves. In his fitful sleep, his dreams turned to nightmares and a broken Taekwoon flayed him with accusatory eyes. The were closed his eyes and rode the pain of each memory, taking slow, measured breaths.

                “Are you alright?” The question was soft and concerned, breaking through the miasma of his personal hell like a morning star crashing through glass.

                His hand twitched in reaction and he gripped his shirt harder so as not to lash out inadvertently. “I’m fine,” he promised, forcing a brittle smile to his face and looking over at the young- no, older elf who was standing beside him, her hand raised like she was going to touch him but partially closed and stationary as if she’d thought better. Her nametag said Laliana Athyrium: a nature elf.

                She lowered her hand and folded it into her other one with a smile that said she knew otherwise. Her dark brown complexion clashed with the white of the medical coat but created a warm backdrop for her earthy green eyes and greenish brown hair that was just starting to lighten with a silvery sheen. Like most elves, she looked ageless and her skin was flawless, but she carried herself with an air of experience that only came with time. “I’m sure your friend would like to see you,” she encouraged, nodding once towards the door he was avoiding.

                “I’m not so sure,” he admitted with a heavy sigh, letting his shoulders droop again. He should have been able to protect him. Should have seen it for the trap it was. Something! At the very least, he knew Taekwoon was safe here for the time being. There had been no trace of the mimic in the area. Hakyeon would know since he’d scoured the hospital and its ground countless times with nary a trace of the creature. He had its scent now and he would not miss it again.

                “Well, at the very least, you won’t know for sure until you try,” she encouraged, oblivious to his thoughts.

                “I know,” he agreed, nodding slowly in agreement with her words. “But then you have an answer about whether he would want to see me. Or not,” he added quietly, letting the fear hang in the air between them.

                “Ah,” Laliana hummed in understanding before she reached out to gently clasp his hand in both of hers. He started slightly and she held firm when he would have pulled away. “Time will not change what it is you’re afraid of. But taking more of it is sometimes necessary,” she reasoned, patting his hand in a soothing gesture.

                “You shouldn’t feed my excuses,” he laughed once with a sidelong look at the closed door. He could just hear the whisper of voices within and he knew that Taekwoon was awake.

                Laliana chuckled and released his hand. “Perhaps not, but sometimes we need permission to do or not do something, especially if we can’t give it to ourselves. You know your friend better than I so I will leave the final decision up to you,” she conceded with a nod of her head. “But I will say that it is incredibly rare that those we care about feel anything but happiness or gratitude when a friend or family member comes to visit. Take your time if you need to though. I just thought I’d make sure. Apologies for being nosy,” she grinned, her bright smile contagious even if it only managed to conjure a pale mimicry on Hakyeon’s face.

                “Thank you for checking on me,” he responded, offering her a partial respectful bow.

                “No need,” she waved demurely. “I’ll be off but good luck, whatever you decide this evening.”

                Hakyeon nodded in acceptance and watched the shorter woman turn and walk down the hallway. True to her nature, she was grace incarnate and nearly as quiet as him. Taking another breath, Hakyeon turned to look at the closed door before he inched over and carefully peeked inside. It was barely with one eye but it was enough to see Lisa was blocking more of Taekwoon than he wanted. She was obviously trying to get him to eat something and potentially lift his spirits if her enthusiastic story was any indication, but it was equally clear it wasn’t working.

                The faint subdued words of “I’m not hungry” reached Hakyeon through the door and were followed by Lisa’s exasperated sigh. “You keep eating like a bird and you’re never gonna recover.” She grumbled under her breath but then stood up to move the tray over, giving Hakyeon a clear view of the man he so desperately wanted to see.

               His heart constricted and he stopped breathing for a second as the gaunt profile appeared above an array of thin scars along the expanse of his thin neck. He was alive and well (enough) but guilt gnawed at Hakyeon. His partner was not how he should be. There were dark circles under his eyes, he had lost weight, and his gaze seemed fixed out the window. The were’s hands clenched into fists and he cursed himself and the mimic. He hadn’t been able to protect Taekwoon which was why he was here now, but the mimic was the one that had caused him grievous harm.

               He wasn’t ready to face the hunter yet. Honestly, he didn’t know when he would be, but he was more than ready to find the creature that had done this. A low growl escaped him and such was the intensity of his gaze that it almost seemed to call to Taekwoon. The man on the bed jerked his head as if he noticed something and then turned to look towards the door. Hakyeon fled before he could see him but it was enough for now.

                It was the first time he’d laid eyes on Taekwoon in just over two weeks since the incident. His guilt was not assuaged but his purpose was renewed. The shadow he’d carried into the hospital was darker as he left, heavier, angrier. Of their own volition, pedestrians avoided him and turned their gazes away. The hum of the streets washed over his senses with practiced ease and Hakyeon rolled his shoulders. In the process, he shifted, turning into his were form and towering over the humanoids in the area. His tail, fluffy and agitated, switched back and forth as he took a deep breath and tried to catch a scent of his target.

                Nothing. That was good though. It meant the mimic was nowhere near Taekwoon. It also meant he’d have to go hunting again. Bright yellow eyes narrowed and tiny sparks of light danced on the tips of his fur as he trembled with barely concealed rage. “I will find you,” he promised in a toothy growl before his muscles bunched and launched him into the air. The sounds of the city swallowed his passing as he took to the rooftops once more, renewed in his quest to find his target.

                The surface of the mirror was frustratingly blank. Hwasa stared at it like she could force an answer in her own time and then shifted in her seat, folding one knee over the other, while she continued to wait. Growing impatient, she tapped on the surface with one taloned finger and crooned, “Jeongminnie.” It had taken her several months to pry the name from the flaga but he was more receptive when called by his moniker. She inhaled slightly when the surface finally flickered.

                “Go away,” came the faint response as if he was hiding somewhere deep within the confines of the mirror.

                Hwasa sighed and rolled her eyes. Back to this again, were they? It had taken her months to earn his name but he was still nowhere near as pliable as she would have preferred. Attempting to force him to see things had resulted in a great deal of nothing so she tolerated his impudence. Mostly. So long as he gave enough to go on. “Jeongmin!” she snapped, sitting up and holding the mirror firmly in her hand as she stared into it. “I command you to come here at once!”

                He groaned from within the murky space but eventually materialized and flowed out of his prison and his haven. Ethereal, faintly feminine though undeniable male, and of nearly the same height as her, the flaga certainly seemed like something from another realm. “What now?” he asked churlishly, crossing his arms and floating in place, complete with a whole body but inextricably tied to the mirror by a red thread.

                “Must you ask that every time?” she asked with another sigh. “I don’t mistreat you and give you what energy you require. You even have free rein here,” she added, gesturing at the interior space that was reminiscent of a castle-like mansion. The fact that it currently held both Hongki and Kangin didn’t faze him either. Jeongmin didn’t answer and simply maintained his disapproving glare. “Oh, you ungrateful creature,” she opined, shaking her head.

                “I could probably get him to talk,” Hongki offered with a dangerously charming smile.

                Jeongmin’s eyes went wide and he not so subtly moved closer to Hwasa. He wasn’t quite cowering but it was a near thing. “No,” he murmured, staring at the other two without looking away.

                Hwasa winked at Hongki and he grinned harder, making Kangin snort. “There, there,” she soothed, Jeongmin’s nearest arm in a comforting gesture. “He won’t hurt you as long as I’m here,” she promised, letting her hand run up the flaga’s arm and to his chin before she gripped it lightly and had him look at her. “Now. Are you going to give me an update or not?”

                The flaga looked from Hwasa to Hongki and then back again. His crestfallen expression did nothing to sway her from her question and he exhaled in mild defeat. “Another will appear this year,” he divulged, pulling his chin away with a light jerk of his head.

                “Do you know which month?” she encouraged, tracing his cheek with the back of her finger.

                He wrinkled his nose. “Soon. This month or next.”

                “That’s good,” Hongki murmured, standing up and moving closer. “We’ll be halfway there,” he added, stopping a couple paces from Jeongmin who obviously wanted to flee.

                “Yeah, but it’s not like we’ll have the rest anytime soon,” Kangin scoffed, obviously bored. “I’m more curious about the weapons,” he added, a mischievous smirk dancing on his lips.

                Hwasa gestured towards Kangin with one finger to keep him silent and then shooed Hongki so he’d take a step back. “Jeongminnie. First, remind us when the other three will arrive by.” Her voice was soft and encouraging and when faced with the oppressive weight of her companions, she was the obvious light in the darkness.

                Jeongmin closed his eyes and pressed his fingertips together before him, looking inward. His form turned slightly more transparent when he opened his eyes and intoned, “The revolutions of the sun will come and go thirteen… fourteen… fifteen… sixteen… seventeen… times before those whom you seek will be found.” He stopped talking and then blinked quickly as he looked around. “It felt like it changed this time,” he admitted with a small frown.

                “It did,” Hwasa confirmed with a nod. “Our target date is smaller. Thirteen to seventeen years now. It will likely continue to change the closer we get.”

                “Hwasa,” Kangin urged, standing up from the plush chair he’d been reclining in to move a little closer.

                “So impatient,” she exhaled before laying a reassuring hand on Jeongmin’s arm again. “You were right about our water guest and you’ve confirmed the existence of what we seek, but now we need more information,” she explained, looking up at him expectantly.

                The flaga frowned and hung his head, muttering, “I just want to go home.”

                “I know,” she soothed, wrapping her fingers gently around his arm. “And you will be able to once our goals have been accomplished. We will be able to send you home, just like I promised,” she reminded him, waiting for the flaga to look up to meet her eyes again. “But we can’t do it unless you help us.”

                “You’re mean,” he grumbled, looking down and breaking eye contact.

                “Am I?” she wondered, sounding aghast. “And here I thought I was trying to help you. Remember, a Mage brought you here. Not me.”

                “You bound me,” he pointed out, sticking his finger at her and then dropping it immediately when he realized he was doing it.

                “Yes,” she acknowledged without shame. “Because we need you to help us so we can help you. Do that, and you can go home. And had I not bound you, the Mage would have happily kept you. To do…” she trailed off, looking away with a falsely thoughtful expression, “who knows what?”

                At that reminder, Jeongmin shrank into himself with a quick glance around to make sure the Mage in question was nowhere to be found. Once he could see he was not, he sniffed and pulled his shoulders back to look at her with a tight sigh. “I’ve checked you know. What you say is possible, but there are also many other possibilities in that future. You don’t keep your word in all of them,” he explained, though his voice trembled as he did so.

                Now she was starting to lose her patience. Hwasa took a breath and ran her tongue along the top row of her teeth before standing up with her eyes focused on the ground. “I want to be nice to you, Jeongminnie. I do. But if you force my hand…” she trailed off, glancing up to look at him through her lashes. “I’ll have to get serious and make sure that one of those futures you fear actually does come to pass,” she finished, pushing just a touch of her power at him.

                Jeongmin gasped and seemed to freeze, his ethereal form solidifying for a second as they made eye contact. “S-s-stop,” he stammered, desperately trying to turn his head away. But Hongki stepped into his line of sight with a dangerous gleam in his eye. When Jeongmin tried to look away in a different direction, Kangin moved into view, his leering expression more than a little frightening. “Okay,” he gave in, moving his hands in slow motion to cup his face as if he could hide from the three very dangerous creatures around him.

                Hwasa’s smile was satisfied but predatory. She gestured for Hongki and Kangin to stand back before she nicked her fingertip on one of her teeth and tapped Jeongmin on the top of the head with her other hand. When he looked up, again, in slow motion, she swiped the bead of blood on his bottom lip. He it reactively and then jerked at normal speed a second later. “Good,” she encouraged. “Now. The weapons,” she reminded him, leaning close with a falsely playful expression on her face.

                “Right,” he whispered pitiably, seeming to literally deflate in front of her.

                She almost felt bad for him. Almost. But the future they desired and needed to make happen was worth more than one flaga’s happiness. Their task was large enough already, and she would happily press any advantage she could gain in the process.

                For someone who was nearing five hundred years of age, Hyoyeon was not a vampire Namjoon had been expecting exactly, but she fit all the criteria otherwise. Vacillating between childish bouts of energy and moments of intense seriousness, she could give one whiplash if they weren’t careful, but as far as being a Rank 3 vampire went, she checked all the boxes. He’d put her through the ringer of tests and she’d come out on top of each one without much trouble. Furthermore, she seemed to have a clear background with no ulterior motives, no compromising connections, and a genuinely good disposition. Personally, he thought she’d be a good counter to Yoongi’s surface laziness.

                Hyoyeon’s brown eyes were wide as she looked around the entrance to the Coven curiously. “The pictures on the mag-net don’t do this place justice,” she admitted with a smile and a laugh as she brushed her straight brunette locks over her shoulder.

                “I’m glad to hear that,” Namjoon smiled, glancing at the front desk. It was unmanned but that was also because they’d arrived during the day. Yoongi wouldn’t take the shift until later, unless he’d managed to get Sanghyuk to do it for him. Jungsu had mentioned he was trying to bribe or otherwise finagle the younger vampire back into desk duty.

                “And there are three floors, right?” she questioned, looking around with childlike enjoyment.

                “Yes. The basement is for training purposes, the ground floor is for general use, and the upper floors are residences. Your bedroom is on the second floor,” he explained with a gesture towards the staircase and the balcony.

                “Oh! Can we go see it now?” she asked, grinning at Namjoon with infectious energy.

                “I was going to give you the tour but if you want to go there fir-“

                “Oh! When do I get to meet everybody?” she added before he could finish.

                Namjoon raised a brow and tilted his head to the side. “Hyoyeon.”

                “Sorry,” she chirped, stilling immediately as her persona shifted at will. In the blink of an eye, she was serious and attentive. “I’m just excited,” she admitted. “My own coven.” She paused and waved her hand with a jerk when she realized that could have come off wrong. “Being a part of my own coven,” she clarified. “The coven in Lorantaro was not accepting applicants so it felt like I was always being watched,” she explained with a grimace and a shrug.

                “You probably were as an unallied Rank 3 in the city,” he reminded her again. “But as for meeting the rest of the Coven… that will likely be soon. We’ve hit an interesting patch with an unexpected creature in the city, but Jungsu, my second,” he nodded as a reminder, “will be here later and our lower ranked vampires are all expected to be back before dark prior to setting out on any patrols,” he went on. Turning thoughtful, he tilted his head and focused his attention. “In fact, it feels like a couple of our vampires are training below so we might be able to drop by and meet them,” he encouraged.

                “Oh?” Hyoyeon perked up, obviously expectant.

                “Let’s go,” Namjoon urged, turning their direction towards the basement as he mulled over the correspondence that Jungsu had sent him. In the week and a half since he’d been gone, Yoongi and Jungkook had been making nearly daily forays into the city together. Per his second’s report, their stops were mostly mundane: Pan’s Pan, the Magical and Mundane Diner, Ailee’s Magics, and a few other local hotspots, but the most important part was that there had been no strange outbursts from Yoongi himself. It looked like Ailee’s suggestion might have actually worked. And in the process, it appeared that he and Jungkook had been getting closer in the meantime. If he’d heard correctly, Yoongi was actually sort of making friends… A weird thought that.

                He was pulled from his thoughts when Hyoyeon asked, “How large is your training room? The gyms I went to never seemed to be large enough to really open up as a vampire,” she admitted with a regretful shrug.

                “Not surprising,” Namjoon responded. “Most gyms aren’t made to accommodate Rank 3 vampires. In contrast, our training grounds, both in the basement and in the backyard, are.”

                “Oh,” she hummed in delighted response.

                Namjoon smiled and nodded to himself and was just about to lead them downstairs before he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. He was certain that Yoongi and Jungkook were practicing, but… the energy seemed to have shifted just a bit. Now might not be the ideal time to interrupt them. “On second thought, why don’t I show you the grounds out back first?” he offered, shifting their direction easily.

                Hyoyeon paused with a slight frown on her face before she raised a brow thoughtfully. It was impossible to tell if she could sense the energy signatures and how they might differ from day to day just yet, but Namjoon wasn’t willing to bet on it. “Sure,” she shrugged after a brief pause. “This is so exciting!” she beamed, happily following along in the Vampire Lord’s wake.

               At the very least, it was nice to be able to offer a willing Rank 3 a home she obviously desperately needed. At the same time, it was also… nice, or at least encouraging, that Yoongi was letting his guards down enough for someone else to get close.

                Close might have been an understatement.

                Face to face, Yoongi and Jungkook sparred. Or at least attempted to anyway. There were only so many teasing touches and mischievous looks one could handle after all. Really, Yoongi was trying to teach Jungkook how to engage in combat more successfully. He really was. But with the time they’d spent together most recently among his friends, it had only made the younger vampire seem even more endearing and… desirable?

                “Gotcha,” he grinned, catching Jungkook’s wrist and tracing his fingertips against the younger vampire’s cheek before darting away.

                “Get back here!” Jungkook laugh-scowled, always a step behind but never too far.

                “Like this?” Yoongi asked, speeding up to appear behind his protégé and capturing him loosely from behind.

                Nearly cheek to cheek, Jungkook gave him a perfect glare as he struggled to get his hands free. “No,” he snorted, leaning back into him with his shoulder and giving him a good shove. “You’re supposed to be training me. Not… teasing me,” he laughed, turning enough to plant a quick kiss on Yoongi’s cheek.

                “Why can’t I do both?” Yoongi shot back, a playful smirk tugging at his lips as he released one hand to spin Jungkook out. Wising up to the situation, Jungkook locked wrists with Yoongi and yanked himself back, striking at him with his claws. “Good!” Yoongi crowed, catching the strike as they moved backwards from Jungkook’s momentum. He debated turning them around as they approached the wall but let their positions stand.

                “Got you!” Jungkook grinned as he ‘pinned’ Yoongi to the wall with his body.

                “Did you?” Yoongi asked, one brow rising archly.

                “Huh?” the younger vampire chirped in uncertainty, his victorious expression slipping even as Yoongi grabbed his wrist, broke the hold with superior strength and then eased around to drag the arm behind Jungkook so he could reverse the pin.

                “Is this what you meant?” he teased in Jungkook’s ear, pressing close from behind. But his smile faltered just a touch as he saw the frustration on the younger vampire’s profile. He loosened his hold so Jungkook could get free and took a step back to give them space.

                 The younger vampire turned around to lean against the wall and then frowned at Yoongi. “How am I supposed to learn if you just pull rank all the time?” he grumbled, rubbing at his shoulder self-consciously.

                Yoongi wrinkled his nose and scratched at his cheek. Yeah. That was on him. It was hard to give up on ‘winning’ sometimes. “Okay,” he conceded, stepping forward and placing his hands on either side of Jungkook, gently trapping him in place as they came nose to nose. “If I didn’t pull rank, how would you handle this situation?”

                Jungkook looked up from under partially lowered lids and asked, “Not a trick?”

                “No tricks,” he promised, forcing himself to relax as he slightly looked up to meet the younger vampire’s eyes.

                “If there were no tricks, then I’d…” he trailed off, grabbing Yoongi’s wrist and perfectly mimicking his pivot from earlier. Yoongi allowed himself to be pinned, one arm behind his back and the other held in place when Jungkook trapped him in place with his body. “Do this,” he finished by whispering in Yoongi’s ear.

                Yoongi laughed once with a sidelong look at Jungkook out of the corner of his eye. “I can’t tell if you just played me or if you really did pick up on it that fast.”

                “Maybe a bit of both?” he suggested shamelessly, not at all abashed by his manipulation.

                “Little ,” Yoongi snorted, breaking the hold only to turn in place so they were face to face, his back to the wall and Jungkook directly in front of him. It was not what the younger vampire had been expecting and Yoongi relished in that fact as he placed his hands on Jungkook’s waist. “What now?” he wondered, pulling the younger vampire closer so they were hips to hips.

                “No tricks?” Jungkook asked, his lips so close to Yoongi’s they nearly touched.

                “No tricks,” he promised, a half-smile curling one side of his mouth and his eyes holding Jungkook’s.

                Without another word, Jungkook closed the distance between them and kissed him. It was hesitant at first, like he didn’t believe Yoongi wouldn’t try something. When nothing else happened, he grew bolder and pressed harder, demanding more as he purposefully wedged one leg between Yoongi’s thighs. That got Yoongi’s attention and he groaned, gripping Jungkook’s waist tightly.

                He used the younger vampire’s force to switch places, securing Jungkook against the wall instead. “You’ll have to earn that,” he teased before kissing the other vampire himself.

                Jungkook gave a muffled groan, even as his hands gripped Yoongi’s shoulders, and accepted the challenge. He shoved the other vampire away and followed, pushing him away only to pull him back, temporarily in control. They hit a pillar with enough force to make them gasp but it changed nothing. Yoongi returned the favor and they made their way around the practice room, bodies pressed hard and separating; hands roaming, pushing, pulling; lips dancing together, nipping gently, curiously exploring.

                Yoongi trapped Jungkook against stone once more, kissing hard. His fingers threaded into ebony hair and pulled, exposing the younger vampire’s neck with a surprised gasp. His lips made their way up Jungkook’s throat, pausing to nip at the tender skin with careful fangs. For a moment, the younger vampire became putty in his hands, responding to each touch and caress with intoxicating sounds. He let go to claim Jungkook’s lips again before his hands sought the other vampire’s and threaded their fingers together, anchoring them against the wall.

                “More.” Jungkook surprised them both with the unexpected utterance. They paused for a second and his cheeks dusted a faint pink, even despite his vampire condition.

                “More?” Yoongi asked for clarification. He wouldn’t deny he wanted it, but he had to make sure he wasn’t forcing it.

                “Yes,” Jungkook answered, grabbing Yoongi’s neck and cheeks in both hands and drawing him close to kiss again. “More,” he reiterated, pulling at the other vampire in all the right ways.

                Yoongi was happy to go along with it. He kissed Jungkook back and fished in his pocket – very distractedly – for his lighter. It took him a second longer to figure out how to start the damn thing. When it finally clicked, he wrapped them both in his cloak and fell through shadow and landed on… his bed.

                “What the-” Jungkook paused in surprise, looking around at the sudden and very unexpected change of scenery. “Did you-”

                “Yes,” Yoongi answered quickly, pushing Jungkook onto his back so he could climb on top and make himself at home between his legs. “I did,” he finished, letting his fingers and hands dance over the younger vampire’s body as he sought to pull his shirt up and off. With Jungkook’s help, the cloth disappeared and a pale, toned expanse of ready skin greeted him. He immediately wanted to taste it, to worship it, to discover everything about it. Jungkook let him for a bit, writhing pleasurably under the attention, but impatience got the better of him and he insistently tugged at Yoongi’s shirt.

                “You too,” he demanded, partially sitting up in an effort to shed Yoongi of his clothes and change their position.

                Yoongi allowed the former but stayed right where he was as he pushed Jungkook back down on the bed and settled further into place. “You wanted me to teach you, right?” he asked with a wink before he claimed the younger vampire’s lips once more and ground down on him. It was not arrogance to say he had more experience.

                “But-” Jungkook tried to object, his hands pushing half-heartedly at Yoongi even as his body said otherwise.

                “No buts. We’ve got all night anyway,” he promised, catching Jungkook’s chin to make sure they looked at each other.

                “Promise?” he asked, half- and grinning elatedly.

                “Little ,” Yoongi snorted, releasing his chin to kiss him again. Little by little, the rest of their clothes fell away until there was nothing but skin between them. And when even that was not close enough, they drowned their senses in each other’s desires and gave themselves up to the full pleasures of the flesh.

(a/n: Apologies for the delay. Lost my train of thought for a bit but I've found it again so we'll see what happens from here! Thank you for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy!)