prompt: Vampire AU
length: 1643 words

Every night, he woke up feeling cold.

Not a single trace of warmth existed in his slim, fragile body that looked as if it would shatter into millions of pieces with just one touch.

White moonlight trickled into his bedroom through the thin, black silk curtains that covered the long oval-shaped windowpanes. The soft luminescence illuminated the room enough to cast gray shadows all over the rather sparse room; the only furniture pieces were a metal desk and chair that stood at the left side of the room across the windows. In the middle of the bedroom was a long, black, tapered hexagonal box that was open, its lid leaning against the side of the box.

He was sitting upright, stretching his long arms and yawning loudly after a good day’s rest. Rubbing his hands together, despite knowing that no heat would be generated no matter how hard or how much he rubbed, he slowly stood up and climbed out of bed. He smoothed the rumpled blankets and plumped the flat feather pillow before replacing the box lid and securely locking it shut.

Then, he crossed the empty room to the windows and drew back the drapes to let in the bright moonlight. Stars twinkled brightly against the expansive black night sky and he smiled softly as he looked at the waning moon. Its position in the sky indicated that it was just past nine in the evening.

It was time for breakfast.

--

Wrapping his thick black cloak around his slender body, he descended the cobble staircase while also lighting up the candelabras that were placed several feet from each other on the stone sills. The fire, while comforting, brought no warmth to him and the cool draft that spread throughout his home caused him to slightly shiver as he carefully struck another match to light the next candelabra.

The castle staircase was soon adequately lit and he tucked the box of matches into his cloak pocket before arriving at the dining room. There sat another figure, holding up his right hand in greeting.

“How was your day, Kihyun?”

The figure shrugged before answering, “Uneventful, as usual. I did some more cataloguing in the library. All of the documents dated in 1007 have been properly labeled and filed.”

“Did you find anything interesting?”

“Not much today. A Chinese Empress from the Song dynasty died that year. Empress Guo. Did you know her?”

He shook his head. “Not particularly well. We spoke once or twice at her husband’s coronation, but that was the extent of our interactions.”

“I’m surprised you remembered such a small detail,” Kihyun commented, his bottom lip curling in amusement.

“You should know by now that my memory is impeccable. Anything that I do forget is by choice.” He was now standing right in front of the shorter male, who looked up expectantly. “Have you had dinner yet?”

“Roast beef with crème brûlée for dessert. I was going to make a strawberry one instead, but we’re fresh out.”

He nodded, answering, “I shall leave a note for the errand boy before he fetches next week’s groceries. Is there anything else you’d like to add?”

“Not groceries, per se, but if it isn’t too much to ask for, could I request some watercolor paints?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Whatever for?”

“I thought it’d be nice to pick up a new hobby,” Kihyun explained with another shrug. “I can’t spend my entire day cataloguing and I’ve already explored just about every corner of this gigantic castle. Painting will be a welcome break from staring at ancient documents all day long.”

“I see. I shall let the errand boy know.”

Kihyun smiled sweetly at him before asking, “Are you hungry, Hyungwon?”

Inhaling deeply, letting a mouth-watering scent flood his nostrils, he nodded while trailing his right pointer finger down the shorter male’s sharp jaw line. His deathly pale fingers contrasted greatly with Kihyun’s warmer, beige-toned skin and seeing the two shades next to each other never failed to mesmerize him.

“Well, take a seat.” Pulling down the high collar of his navy blue turtleneck sweater, Kihyun angled his neck upwards. “Breakfast is ready.”

Hyungwon’s eyes flashed red as he drew a chair forward so that he was sitting opposite of the other male, who was waiting patiently. Gently placing both of his slender hands on Kihyun’s face, Hyungwon leaned forward to sniff the shorter male’s exposed neck before eagerly a long stripe up the smooth skin.

Kihyun let out a barely audible gasp, slightly shuddering from the sudden feeling of Hyungwon’s cool, moist tongue.

His irises were now bright crimson and glowing as he opened his mouth, letting his pointy fangs slide out before plunging them into the human’s neck.

The taste of Kihyun’s blood was absolutely heavenly.

The sharp, metallic taste of iron was coupled with the sweet, almost candy-like flavor that Hyungwon could find in no one else but the human sitting underneath him. Golden warmth filled his usually ice-cold body and he could feel his heart quicken as the delicious heat spread from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. His lips were pressed firmly against Kihyun’s skin as the vampire quickly pint after pint of blood. His eyes glowed brighter and brighter with every droplet he consumed while the shorter male’s face turned paler by the second.

Sensing that he was about to reach the human’s limit, Hyungwon slurped one last gulp of blood before retracting his fangs from Kihyun’s neck. The shorter male slumped against the vampire’s chest, panting heavily from the feeding. His body heat wreathed around Hyungwon, who hummed contently while burying his nose in Kihyun’s soft hair and deeply breathing in his familiar scent.

After moving his head back up and swirling his tongue across his teeth, not wanting to waste even one drop of precious blood, the taller male smiled down at the spent human. “Please send my sincere compliments to the chef. As always, breakfast was delectable.”

Kihyun laughed weakly, his eyes crinkling as he grinned back at the vampire. “Will do. He’ll be happy to know you were satisfied.”

“Let’s patch you up before you sleep,” Hyungwon said kindly as he cradled the human’s head so that he had access to the slightly marred neck. Kihyun closed his eyes and waited as the vampire gently pressed his thick lips to the puncture wound for several seconds. When he detached himself from the human, the fang marks had disappeared, leaving a smooth expanse of unharmed skin. “Perfect,” he commented, surveying his handiwork with satisfaction.

A yawn escaped from Kihyun’s mouth, causing the taller male to chuckle softly. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” the vampire answered simply, a pleased smile still painting his pallid face, as he carefully maneuvered his left arm under Kihyun’s legs while his right arm supported the human’s neck. With a heave, the shorter male was now snugly in Hyungwon’s arms and the vampire glided from the dining room to the left castle tower where Kihyun resided.

The human’s bedroom was noticeably more colorful and lively; a king-sized bed with pastel green covers stood against the wall opposite of the heavy wooden door, an orange-red armchair was to the right of the bed and atop a circular ash gray rug, and a mahogany wood desk was at the left side of the room. Books were neatly stacked in a tall, four-shelf bookcase that stood adjacent to Kihyun’s desk. He had specifically asked for the bookcase after Hyungwon had brought him to the castle almost three years ago, since he'd had no interest in exploring the castle at first.

As he laid the shorter male into his bed, Hyungwon gazed fondly at the human who had willingly given up his freedom to essentially be a living meal. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he Kihyun’s soft hair, pushing his bangs away from his face that was gradually regaining color.

The shorter male briefly closed his eyes, reopening them when he felt the vampire’s intense gaze still trained on him. “Is there something on my face?”

“No,” Hyungwon answered in a soft voice.

“Then what’s on your mind right now?”

There was a slight pause before the vampire replied, “It still baffles my mind that you gave up everything without a fight that night. Do you not…regret it at times?”

Kihyun beamed as he shook his head, reaching over to clasp his warm hands over Hyungwon’s cold ones. “You saved me from an unhappy life. While I don’t think I ever envisioned being a vampire’s blood source, I’m comfortable being here with you. Besides, you’re basically my fountain of youth. We don’t have a completely parasitic relationship; it’s a mutualistic symbiotic one.”

“And you’re completely fine with being an ageless human? You won’t regret it when you outlive your family and friends?” Hyungwon asked, anxiety tingeing his tone.

“My answer has always been and always will be the same. Essentially being immortal with you is the fate I want,” Kihyun reassured the taller male. “If I go back to them, I’ll be suffering more than I am right now. Besides, you promised that you take me traveling around the world once the new century begins and everyone has passed on. You better not have forgotten.” The shorter male playfully wagged his finger at Hyungwon, who smiled in relief.

“I never forget anything,” he reminded Kihyun. “Now, it’s time I leave you to rest. I shall see you at dinnertime.”

“You mean breakfast,” the human cheekily corrected.

Hyungwon laughed in response as he tucked the covers around Kihyun’s small body. “Good night, Kihyun.”

“Good night, Hyungwon.”

Leaning down, the vampire tenderly pressed his lips against the human’s forehead and both of their bodies began to glow with a soft blue light.

He felt warm and alive.

♈♈♈