His chest heaved from exertion, though he wasn’t sure what exactly caused it. It wasn’t like he was breathing. Oxygen and carbon dioxide could no longer enter or exit his body. Despite that, his chest didn’t stop, compressing and decompressing at an alarming rate. He felt a wet glob drip onto his hand and his eyes fell to it, watching how the crimson began to track down his pale flesh.

“Seunghyun, you need to calm down. Just take deep breaths.”

His eyes snapped up and fell on Jiyong, who sat across from him. It was unusual to see Jiyong without his hat, sunglasses, or long scarf, but he still looked beautiful. Seunghyun’s eyes were drawn to the two small puncture wounds on Jiyong’s neck, blood slipping down towards his shirt collar. Seunghyun felt his throat tighten as a hunger spread through him at the sight.

“I can’t breathe,” he managed out.

Jiyong reached out to touch his face with a soft palm. “Just breathe.”

“I can’t. Vampires don’t breathe.”

Jiyong’s eyebrows furrowed and he gave an incredulous look. He pinched him then, making Seunghyun’s eyes snap shut. At least he knew he could still feel pain. His chest finally began to slow as he did as he was told, taking deep, measured breaths.

Jiyong’s fingers fell away and he remained seated on his knees across from Seunghyun. When his “breathing” had regulated, Seunghyun looked at him.

“How do you feel?” Jiyong asked.

“Hungry.”

Jiyong laughed and nodded. He pushed himself up off the carpet on the floor and went to the fridge. Seunghyun sat back, looking down at his hands. His skin had become ashen and pasty white and his fingernails appeared sharper than he remembered. He wondered what else had changed in his transformation, but when he got up to look, he found that his reflection didn’t appear in the mirror.

“, there’s no way to see what I look like,” he grumbled.

Jiyong chuckled as he came back over, pressing a packet of blood into Seunghyun’s open hand. “Of course not, silly. We don’t have reflections.”

“I want to know what color my eyes are,” Seunghyun whined.

He held the packet of blood and looked at Jiyong. The smaller vampire shook his head and took back the pack, opening it carefully, so not to spill. Seunghyun took it and the blood out of the package, feeling as the gooey liquid went down his throat and quenched his thirst.

“They’re rust red like mine,” Jiyong said.

“How do you know what color yours are?”

“All vampires get the rust eyes.”

Seunghyun finished the packet and rolled it up into a tight ball. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and when he drew it back, his skin was streaked with tracks of dark red.

“Other than hungry, do you feel okay?”

Seunghyun nodded, his hand lightly. Jiyong smiled and reached out to touch his face.

“I’m glad. That should mean the transformation worked. You’re sure about this?”

“Isn’t it too late to ask if I want to change?”

Jiyong gave a sad smile and said nothing, cupping Seunghyun’s face. Seunghyun had meant it in jest, but he could feel his lover’s heavy heart. He leaned in to kiss Jiyong, cupping his face with both hands. Jiyong let out a soft whimper of surprise as his eyes fell shut, kissing him back.

Seunghyun pulled back, smiling at the redness of Jiyong’s lips from the blood. Jiyong’s tongue swiped over his lower lip and he offered a better smile. Seunghyun smiled back.

“I wanted this, Jiyong. Don’t think I’m ever going to regret my decision.”

Jiyong nodded and pulled him along by the hand. Seunghyun followed him further into the dark apartment.

Seunghyun was able to adjust to being a vampire pretty well, but there were things he missed, like wine and truffles. But most of all, he missed cigarettes. He luckily never had to go through withdrawal, being undead and all, but he really missed smoking.

“I wish I could smoke,” he grumbled, sprawled out on the couch with Jiyong in his lap.

Jiyong caressed his neck as he gave a soft nod. “That was something I loved about you being human. You tasted like smoke.”

Jiyong kissed him and Seunghyun held his waist, returning it. When they broke, he sighed.

“I didn’t think I would miss it this much.”

He kissed Jiyong again with a little smack. Jiyong looked at him once he had pulled away.

“Regret it?”

“Never.”

Jiyong smiled and kissed him again. Seunghyun smiled, staring into his rust colored eyes. He ran his nose along Jiyong’s jaw.

“I’m getting hungry.”

“Well, you can’t eat me,” Jiyong said, pulling away. “I’ll have to take you hunting.”

“You hunt?”

“Sometimes.” Jiyong pushed himself out of Seunghyun’s lap and dusted his clothing off. “It’s a rite of passage you should experience.”

Seunghyun chuckled. “Alright.” He got up. “I’ll go change.”

Hours later, Seunghyun and Jiyong feasted on fresh animal blood and he laughed at how messy the two of them had gotten running around in the fields.

Seunghyun finally understood why Jiyong had always been bundled up. He’d made the mistake of going outside with only a shirt and jeans on. Seunghyun had usually been good about covering up, just because he was modest, but this one time he’d forgone long sleeves.

The sun hurt like a . His skin had scalded and turned bright red, steam coming off him. He’d hissed and slunk back into the house in horror.

“I told you not to go out,” Jiyong said, running his fingers over the now cracked skin.

“ing hurts. What the hell.”

“And you wondered why I wore so many layers.”

Seunghyun grumbled as Jiyong went to get the medical supplies. He patched up Seunghyun’s skin and wrapped it with gauze.

“It’ll be alright in a couple days.”

Seunghyun grumbled more. Jiyong kissed his forehead.

A few hours later, Seunghyun was still brooding, watching television, when Jiyong came through the door carrying a couple of bags. He set them in front of Seunghyun and smiled.

“I bought you some things.”

Seunghyun sat up and pulled the bags closer, removing what was inside them quickly. It was a scarf, hat, sunglasses, jacket, and set of gloves. He looked at them with a raised eyebrow and then up at his lover, who offered a meager smile.

“Do you like them?” Jiyong asked, standing before him with his fingers wringing one another.

Seunghyun could see the earnestness in his eyes, that he’d tried hard to find something that Seunghyun would like. He smiled and looked down at the clothes again.

“I love them. Thank you.”

“Want to go for a walk?” Jiyong asked a few days later.

Seunghyun nodded and got up, getting ready. He returned a second later, almost prepared.

He looped the scarf around his neck before putting his sunglasses on. “How do I look?”

“Handsome,” Jiyong said with a soft smile, slipping his sunglasses onto his nose.

Seunghyun put on his hat and stood ready at the door. Jiyong joined him, linking their hands as he picked up his umbrella.

They left their apartment together, clothed in black and hidden from the sun by Jiyong’s umbrella, which Seunghyun carried for him after a bit. Jiyong curled into his side, walking with him down the road.

Jiyong’s smile brought one to Seunghyun’s lips and he couldn’t help feeling like he had made the best choice of his life. Sure, becoming an undead, blood creature had its ups and downs. No more food or drink, no more smoking, and technically even was somewhat off the table. But it was all worth it to see how his lover’s eyes lit up when he looked at him, relieved that he no longer lived a secret of being a vampire alone. Seunghyun was happy, because he knew that he’d be able to look upon the smiling face of his lover for eternity.