It was the lunch break and the four so-popular-bestfriends walked towards their usual hide out to eat as usual, which was their club room.

"So Taemin, what are you gonna buy me for my birthday this time?" Key broke the silence by pulling a chair after keeping his food tray on the table.

"It's a surprise hyung. You were asking that ever since your last birthday. Why don't you wanna be surprised?" Taemin groaned.

"I don't wanna be surprised.  Just why do people want to be surprise that much? Like what if you don't need it? It's convenient if you ask the person what they need and buy it for them. It's not gonna be a waste then you know?" Key explained with a smirk.

"Don't worry hyung. I just know exactly what you want" Taemin's voice was cute and was filled with all of his self confidence.

"And that would be..?" Key's eye brow was raised when he questioned the younger again.

"I know you've been eyeing something for awhile now hyung. Trust me on this. You'll like it for sure.." Everybody could say Taemin knew what he was talking about. He looked so sure that Key would like his present, the coming Friday night.

"Don't tell me you think I'm eying for you Gucci sleepers?" Key chuckled, but he noticed how the younger didn't reply him. Taemin's clueless face said all of it.

"How did you know hyung? Yay!! So I'm correct? You like it?" Taemin was smiling like a bratty child for a moment before Key interrupted him.

"Are you being serious right now?" Key rolled his eyes at Taemin.

"Yeah. I've seen you eyeing on that. Literally"

"I lost my appetite... And Jongin, why don't you really help your little boyfriend over here, to find his lost senses.."

"He's NOT my boyfriend. What part of that, do you not understand?" Taemin groaned.

"Not the point. It hasn't been that long since I got over with the nightmares in which your so called slippers came to life and ran around freely. I don't want them to start again.."

"Haha you're a vampire and you don't sleep. And What! It's so fluffy and comf.." Taemin was cut off by the elder again.

"It's ok Taemin. Thanks for trying. If I DON'T NEED something, that would be your slippers. Thank you again" Key continued with still rolling eyes at Taemin.

"By the way, can you invite Jonghyun hyung to the party for me Jinnie? Or should I?" Key continued turning his head towards the older boy who was staring at his phone.

"Oh" Onew turned his head at the mention of his name.

"What?"

"We don't have to invite him. Do we?"

"And why is that?"

"Just. I don't want him to know who we are."

"But.." it was again Taemin who got cut off again with Onew's continuation.

"There's gonna be more of us too. And so we can't even make sure a human like him is safe in that mansion"

"But he's not the only human" Kai who was keeping silent all this time spoke.

"And hyung it's YOU. You can do anything. You're Lee Jinki.. I want Jonghun hyung to come there" Taemin whined.

"That's it Lee Taemin. He won't join us. That's final"

"Whatever. I don't understand you at all" Taemin shouted back and stood up to go out with Kai...


"This is not about keeping him safe right?" Key asked Onew after making sure Kai closed the door behind him.

"Hmm.." Key could feel the nervousness and the worry that was in Onew's voice.

"Why don't you like it when he comes to our place?" Onew looked up with surprise for a moment but he again looked down to stare at his phone. "I've noticed it a few times now. You and Jonghyun hyung both act uncomfortable when you bring him there. That's why I stopped asking you to bring him home. But did something happen between you two?" Key continued as the older didn't answer his previous question.

"No" Onew's voice was stern and he stood up before walking towards the door with his unfinished food tray.

"Hmm.. hope nothing happened between you two too" Key thought to himself letting a worried sigh out.

●●●

SKY University was in the tranquil part of the town, contagious with the undisturbed dense forest. And of course trespassing the border was forbidden. There was a huge cherry blossom tree at the boundary which was now not covered with those pink flowers. And also this could be simply described as one of Jinki's favourite places in the college. It wasn't a crowded place. Many didn't wonder around the area making it perfect for a lonely boy to fight with his thoughts.

Jinki silently walked towards the serene tree, still carrying his unfinished food tray. His thoughts were messy with what happened with Key earlier, somehow the younger was always good with words and they could directly attack Jinki's placidity. And it was the reason why he was now unknowingly walking, a little earlier than the other days.

Jinki sat down beside the huge tree looking at the dark forest in front of him. He let a worried sigh out of him, hoping to forget everything that was bothering him, before he heard a rustling sound from the bushes.

"Hey little girl! I was wondering why you were late.. Where were you..?" Jinki opened his arms to hold the happy little dachshund who was running towards him.

"Hungry? If you give me ur paw I'll give you more today!!" Onew continued holding his chubby palm in front of the small doggy to which she responded.

"Good girl. Here you go then.." Onew was smiling so hard that his eyes had turned to two crescents. He had literally forgotten everything with one touch on the black furred dog.

"Onew hyung..?!" Onew of course didn't hear someone coming. And was surprised to hear his name coming from his favourite person.

"Oh Jonghyun! What are you doing here?" He replied with still amused voice.

"Haha, I should have known. I was wondering who was feeding Roo before me" jonghyun replied with a chuckle.

"Roo?" Jinki asked in a clueless voice.

"Byulroo. The little girl here!" Jinghyun sat beside Jinki and started playing with the happy dachshund who was already in his arms all over his face.

"She's my friend. One day I happened to find her trapped in an empty box over there.. she's just like me. She has no one.. just like me.." Jonghyun was silent for a few minutes trying to forget his hurting past. "BUT! now she has a friend. And I do too.." "I'm planning to take her home with me soon... right?" Jonghyun continued as if the little guy could speak back.

"Ah seriously why couldn't I realise it was you" Jonghyun chuckled thinking how he could not think of it earlier.

"Haha, why..?"

"Nobody seems to know about this place. Even I didn't know this existed before you showed it.. To be honest I think I can remember most of the stuff you taught me here than inside a class" Jonghyun could feel his cheeks burning up.

"So you don't remember other stuff. I'm hurt" Onew said dramatically holding his chest.

"You're the best teacher I've ever got hyung.." He could feel himself turning to a even brighter shade of red. "Oh you haven't eaten anything hyung?" Jonghyun's voice was now worried.

"Yeah not hungry today" Jinki replied with a convincing smile.

It was true that he wasn't hungry. Otherwise he preferred human food over the rusty red liquid that actually satisfied his hunger. Human food was not able to kill their hunger. Simply it couldn't satisfy any of their senses or cells in their body. But it could satisfy Onew's mind like no other. He knew even a little bead of the rusty carmine liquid could kill his hunger, his cravings that he's being trying to suppress for all his life, but he liked to be a normal kid.. A normal "human kid" to be precise. He didn't still eat much but.. but anybody could see the little happiness in the pureblood's eyes in the mention of "chicken."

Having the ability to eat a little amount of human food was just a disguise or an adaptation that vampires had developed over time to keep their identities a secret from the outside human world. They mainly depended on animal blood including human blood. They could consume vampire blood too but they preferred human blood over that, unless the mentioned vampire was their significant other.

Taemin was a natural when it came to food. He could eat plates just like a hungry human teen for hours, where as Key was a diet controller. He was just like a typical highschool girl who'd run for thousand miles just to burn a tiny marshmallow that happened to eat literally a month ago. Despite of that little fact Key too was a natural, just like the other two.

●●●

Taemin and Kai walked towards the class after the lunch break for the lectures. They were having a good time regardless of the fact that they were unaware of their l