Passing through the wide double-doors and bulky bouncers below the hot pink neon sign that read “The Bleeding Lamb” in fancy cursive, Jooheon was greeted with quite the unexpected sight. Rumor had it that places like this were disgusting, filth-ridden, and only for the lowest of the low, but Jooheon was astounded by the cleanliness of the club. Not only were the floors completely rid of blood, but they were white marble and completely unstained. Of course, the stench of blood was still in the air, but that was to be expected of any vampire-friendly establishment.

“Wow, this place is really nice,” Minhyuk complimented under his breath, and Jooheon nodded, raising his eyebrows in agreement. Scanning the crowd, Jooheon noticed that only vampires were on the main floor, even the bartenders looked like vampires- and none of them really seemed like low-life… Well, most of them didn’t. There were definitely riff-raff here, but they blended into the mass of scantily dressed, black leather clad vampires pretty well. Everyone seemed like they belonged here, like they all shared a common secret. Jooheon swallowed, realizing that among them all, him and Minhyuk clearly stuck out as being the most aristocratic. But oddly enough, nobody was giving them even a passing glance- and Jooheon quickly found out why. 

“I think the show is about to start,” Minhyuk muttered into Jooheon’s ear, his voice soft. Jooheon nodded, and then squinted his eyes towards the stage, noticing that the curtains were moving ever so slightly- as if people were bustling about behind it.

“I think you’re right,” Jooheon agreed, and, as he watched the crowds of people all disperse into various positions to watch the show, Minhyuk took a tentative step forward.

“Let’s stand someplace where we can see the stage better,” Minhyuk offered, and then grabbed Jooheon’s wrist, dragging the vampire with him whether he liked it or not. Jooheon chuckled breathlessly, stumbling behind Minhyuk as he led him to the middle of the crowd, where they had a clear view of the stage but weren’t embarrassingly close. Jooheon nervously ran his fingers through the hair on the sides of his head, feeling how short and fried it felt under his touch. He didn’t really know what watching this show would entail, and his heart was still in pieces, but as soon as the curtain swung open, all of Jooheon’s thoughts melted away with the heat of the stage lights.

“And now, we at the Bleeding Lamb are pleased to welcome our three lovely entertainers of the evening!” a voice sounded from the speakers somewhere above their heads, and Jooheon’s eyes widened as a man stepped from behind the curtain.

“Holan-gi!” A man with bright, fiery red hair and beautifully flushed skin walks across the stage, his serious, hot eyes scanning the crowd. Loud cheering and hollering sounded, particularly from the back of the room, and Jooheon swallowed, eyes scanning down his formidable body. He was pretty tall, but looked stout- he was ridiculously built, every inch of his exposed body was perfectly muscular. Jooheon blinked a few times, impressed with his fitness and intensity, but not particularly taken by him. Luckily, he had a feeling there would be more pretty human boys coming out soon.

“Neungdae!” This time, the man that walked out was starkly different than the man before him, his slender, shapely legs strutting across the stage. He didn’t have the first hint of an emotion on his features, but he suddenly bent over in half, spreading his legs while shaking his at the crowd. The audience roared in approval, and Jooheon found himself chuckling at the intense cheer he heard Minhyuk himself scream out alongside them. Flickering his eyes to look at his friend, Jooheon chokes out another laugh, the hearts in Minhyuk’s eyes plain as day. When he saw Jooheon looking at him, Minhyuk points several times at the slender human before mouthing ‘I call dibs’. Jooheon nodded, acknowledging the comment. This left one final man… Jooheon inhaled shakily, eagerly anticipating the next entertainer.

“Sang-eo!” The crowd went crazy, and Jooheon could instantly tell why. Languidly stepping from behind the curtain was a smirking, petite boy with the most beautifully proportioned body Jooheon had ever laid eyes on. He had a slight build, but the real kicker was his gorgeous face. Dark, intense eyes peeking from behind long, gray hair that when the light hit it- looked like shimmering silver, or angel’s wings cast under a shadow. Unable to tear his eyes away from the man, Jooheon unexpectedly found himself making direct eye-contact with him, throat constricting as the human smirks ever-so-slightly, his eyes flooding Jooheon’s mind with intense, visions. A second passed like a century, and then the entertainer broke eye-contact, continuing his walk across the stage.   

“Whoa,” Jooheon sighed, finally able to breathe again. Minhyuk nodded, clearly focused on something, or somebody, else on the stage.

“Let’s get closer,” Minhyuk offered, to which Jooheon wholeheartedly agreed- and thus, the two boys made their through the crowd, finding empty chairs on the front row. Jooheon figured that these chairs were only for the bravest souls, willing to ravage the god-like humans on stage, and, with this in mind, Jooheon took a seat. Minhyuk followed his lead, and there was no other discussion passed between the two, their eyes boring into the bodies on the stage. 

Smoke filled the room, both from the smoke machines placed behind the curtains and cigarettes and cigars being smoked by the patrons, recognized by the acrid smell of tobacco permeating the air. More people started encroaching the stage, rat-like, bug-eyed vampires staring at the humans like they were nothing more than meat and blood… and Jooheon supposed they were partially right. He couldn’t help but feel like there was something more going on behind those pretty faces, however, as he continued locking gazes with Sang-eo, falling head-first into the depth of his pretty eyes.

Bumping, loud club music sounded in the air, and dancing poles rose from the floor of the stage, one for each human present. They wrapped a hand around their adjacent pole, and at that cue, the music suddenly shifted to a new song, something slow and sinful for the boys to dance to. The energy of the crowd immediately transformed, and all Jooheon could feel was the raw hunger and lust radiating all around him, circling him with their dark demeanors and fangs already out on display. The intensity was mounting, and suddenly the boys on stage began their dance.

Fleshy, beautiful bodies spun and twirled around the poles, their bodies flushed in a sheen of sweat, displaying all of their beautifully mortal characteristics in one gorgeous performance. The music was pounding in Jooheon’s ears like a heartbeat, something he hadn’t truly heard in decades, something he didn’t know would attract him so much. If he focused all of his concentration on Sang-eo, Jooheon could heard the boy’s pants and breaths, his delicious voice as he swayed his hips and shimmied around the shiny pole. Jooheon swallowed thickly, his eyes turning hotter and brighter with lust, and he leaned forward in his chair, desperate to get closer to the tempting human.

The pumping music seemed to still as Jooheon watched Sang-eo suddenly turned so that his back was against the pole, facing Jooheon directly as he reaches his arms up and slowly starts sliding down the pole. His tight little shorts start riding up his thighs the lower he gets to the ground, and Jooheon nearly chokes, breathless at the reveal of more and more tantalizing skin. He flickers his gaze into Sang-eo’s eyes, mouth gaping at the intense, seductive gaze that met his. Sang-eo was looking at him. He wasn’t looking anywhere else. Jooheon felt like he was the only person in the club and this man was giving him a private show. He swallowed thickly, eyes continuing to drink up the incredibly performance.

Being on the stage as a human in front of a crowd of hungry vampires was always an overwhelming feeling for Sang-eo. He knew that on any given day, he could get killed or even turned into a vampire by the oftentimes ravaging clientele at his club… but that didn’t deter him, it never had. There was no other thrill in the world more adrenaline-inducing than getting your blood drained by a vampire. And Sang-eo was a performer by nature- he loved dancing and making his audience happy, it was who he was, so to combine the two was practically Sang-eo’s personal heaven.

Tonight, there was something especially enticing in the crowd before him- a vampire sitting on the front row, with his heart on his sleeve and the most powerful gaze the human had ever seen in his life. He wanted to learn this vampire’s story, figure out why such a high-class man looked so broken, yet so full of lust and desire directed solely at Sang-eo, his gaze not even wavering towards any other man. He looked like he needed somebody… and Sang-eo wanted to be that person for him, despite his obviously immense power and instability. He couldn’t explain it logically because it wasn’t logical, it was… maybe love at first sight. Maybe.

Languidly stripping off his revealing top, Sang-eo tossed it behind him, running his hands down his lean, pretty torso, his eyes boring into the one vampire in the crowd he was truly interested in. He wanted to see his reaction, feel the lust pulsate towards him as he took off every single article of clothing he had on. The music pounded in Sang-eo’s ears, and he smirked loosely, eyes turning half-lidded as he watches the vampire clench the arms of the chair, eyes hungry and intense.

Jooheon could no longer deny the clear intent in the human’s actions any longer. He clearly wanted to show Jooheon his body, and show it to him in the most frustratingly slow way possible. If it were Jooheon stripping him, he would’ve been completely by now. Feeling a bit embarrassed with how intensely he was lusting after the human, Jooheon leaned back in his chair, trying to get a grip on himself… and completely failing. There was no way he could calm down when Sang-eo had his fingers running along the edges of his tiny shorts, pushing them down ever-so-slightly. Of course, he was only being a tease, and removed his fingers after a few seconds, smirking cheekily down at Jooheon as he did so. 

The tune of the music took a sudden turn, and quicker, raunchier music started blasting throughout the hazy, lust-filled club, sparking Sang-eo and the other two dancers to get into a new position. The red head, who’s stage name Jooheon couldn’t remember, turned so that his back was to the side of the pole, that was itself wedged between his shapely cheeks. The skinny one with the big , who’s name was also failing Jooheon, turned so that he was facing the other direction, his legs spread. And finally, Sang-eo moved into position, holding the middle pole, and getting onto his knees, grasping the pole with his thighs spread wide. The music hit a particular cue, and then all three performers started moving- humping the pole, twerking, and, as for Sang-eo, he started rocking his hips into the air on his knees.

Jooheon felt his entire world still as he watched the human move his hips, his body donned in nothing more than a pair of latex booty-shorts as he did body-rolls, his gorgeous body swaying and contorting to the beat. After several long seconds of staring at his body, well, mostly his crotch, Jooheon’s eyes flickered up to his face, and he groaned hotly at the y, concentrated expression set on his pretty features. He looked like an incubus, but Jooheon had met those- and they weren’t half as enticing as this one human was in this moment.

Before Jooheon even got the chance to breathe, Sang-eo finished his hip-s and began crawling on hands and knees across the stage to Jooheon. As he got to the edge of the stage, the stunning boy flashed Jooheon a breathy, bright smile, showing off cute dimples right in the centers of his cheeks. He twirled his body around, so his legs were stretched out across the last few feet of stage, and then leaned back, lifting his hips andspreading his legs on the stage directly in front of Jooheon, giving the vampire the perfect view as he took off his shorts. Jooheon choked, his eyes widening as he watches the way Sang-eo’s underwear got dragged down just a little bit- exposing more of the human’s than he probably intended for Jooheon to see. Or at least, Jooheon thought that before Sang-eo leaned forward, shooting him a cheeky wink as he tossed his shorts behind him.

Now clad in only an absurdly skimpy, string thong, Sang-eo jumped off the stage, walking the few feet towards Jooheon. Jooheon glanced around, and noticed that the other two performers were moving to get off the stage too, so maybe this was finally that time of the night: when Jooheon could finally get a good taste of this boy’s blood. Getting directly in front of his chair, the human smirked breathily, his hand reaching out to touch the exposed skin of Jooheon’s forearm, and Jooheon groaned at the touch.

Jooheon needed this now, the contact high of hot human skin sweating against his. He needed to forget the secrets he had been carrying alone, he needed to lose himself in this one beautiful human.

“On stage, I go by Sang-eo, do you know what that means?” the stunning dancer asked, his mostly body descending onto Jooheon’s lap. Jooheon stared blearily up into the warm, flushed human’s face, trying to ignore the mounting feeling of his fangs growing from the sight of deliciously supple flesh merely inches away. 

“Shark. It means shark,” Jooheon answered, his voice sounding a little raspy since he hadn’t spoken in a while. The performer smiled, nodding his head in agreement.

“Exactly~ and do you have any guesses as to why I go by ‘shark’ when I’m surrounded by all these creatures with teeth sharper than mine?” Sang-eo asked, and he grinded his hips onto Jooheon’s lap, dark eyes staring expectantly down at the vampire’s. Jooheon could only shake his head, completely in a trance.

“No idea,” Jooheon said, unable to resist reaching his hand out, grazing the side of Sang-eo’s arm as he trailed his cold fingers upwards, groaning at how hot and tantalizing the human’s skin felt under his touch. He could feel the blood pumping through him, the life radiating from deep within. Sang-eo leaned forward, his lips right against Jooheon’s ear as he answered.

“It’s because in this ocean, I’m the top predator, and I won’t let any of you vampires forget who’s really in control here,” Sang-eo whispered into Jooheon’s ear, and Jooheon shivered, lips parting in a thick, needy moan. He felt oddly powerless in this human’s hold, and the feeling was… strangely liberating. Jooheon swallowed, but his fangs were now fully extended, and Sang-eo’s scent was so strong when he was this close to him. It was too tempting to resist.

“May I…” Jooheon began asking, his icy blue eyes staring up into the human’s, his words tentative but his gaze burning with a hunger and desire that completely invalidated his timidity. Sang-eo nodded, arching his chin up and displaying his temping neck for Jooheon to do with what he saw fit- it was the whole purpose of the club.

“Yes,” the human barely even managed to finish saying before Jooheon opened his mouth to full capacity, his long, sharp fangs glinting in the dim light as he slid them into the human’s flesh, his mind going on over-drive at the influx of life his body was bombarded with. Sang-eo’s taste was like no human Jooheon had ever eaten- he tasted strong and virile, as if he had so much stored energy it practically attacked Jooheon upon his first taste. It wasn’t exactly sweet blood, like other humans Jooheon had consumed, but instead it was a more powerful, almost bitter flavor. It was utterly divine and addictive, like a fine wine, it got better the more Jooheon drank.

He almost forgot how good it felt to feed on live humans, and paired with how he’d been starving himself the past week, Jooheon found himself unable to stop from drinking more and more of Sang-eo’s blood. He drank without mercy, his body becoming tense and possessive as he swallowed mouthful after mouthful of his fresh, warm blood. He could feel Kihyun writhing and above him, but he couldn’t stop himself from feeding even if he tried- he was consuming the most delicious meal he’d ever had, how could he possibly stop himself? Fingers digging into Sang-eo’s flesh, Jooheon groaned, his dark, ancient aura flaring hot white light at the influx of strength- a clear sign of his aristocracy and immense power. Noticing this, Minhyuk reached his hand out, shaking Jooheon’s shoulder.

“It’s time to stop,” Minhyuk said, his clear, raspy voice resonating deep into Jooheon’s mind, and he reluctantly pulled away from Sang-eo, some of the man’s blood dripping down his chin. Meeting Sang-eo’s eyes, Jooheon felt reality smack him right in the face, and he swallowed deeply, goosebumps rising on his skin as he took in the human’s appearance.

Not only was Sang-eo trembling from the intensity, but his face was flushed pink, lips parted in delicious, breathy moans. He didn’t look scared of Jooheon, despite his uncontrollable display of power, instead: he looked incredibly by it. Jooheon’s eyes roamed down the human’s body, his breath catching in his throat at the obvious tenting his tiny little underwear. High from the blood rushing through his system, Jooheon growled, his blood-covered teeth displayed by the motion, his blue eyes so icy cold they burned.

“I see you really needed that drink, baby,” Sang-eo muttered, swallowing dryly as he stares down at the man beneath him. When he’d initially saw him, the human knew that this vampire was different than the others… but weak, or maybe sick. Now, after having a good, long drink from Sang-eo’s neck, all of his underlying power was now forced to the surface. Sang-eo had never met a creature who scared him before, and he had consequently never been more aroused in his life.

“Uhn,” Jooheon affirmatively replied, still not able to iterate coherent sentences, too overwhelmed by his own primal urges to even think about verbal communication. Feeling his heart pound at the ferocity and sheer, ancient force radiating off this vampire in waves, Sang-eo swallows, feeling the heat rise to his face as he thought about vocalizing his next thoughts.

“Do you want to take this… somewhere more private?” he offers, and then feels his heart pound as the vampire meets his eyes, his hot, powerful gaze piercing Sang-eo’s very soul.

“Yes,” Jooheon replies, starting to get his wits about him. It didn’t help that he was still in such close proximity to Sang-eo, since he was still trying to come down from his bloodlust, but he couldn’t even think about turning the man down. Feeling the human get off of his lap and then grab him by the wrist, making his body lurch up from the chair, Jooheon instantly sobered up. He blinked a few times, stumbling after Sang-eo as he led them down a hallway to do god only knows what with him. Jooheon blinked a few times, and then looked at the back of the human’s head, panic swelling in his metaphorical heart.

Sang-eo opened a door labelled ‘EMPLOYEE’S ONLY’ in huge block letters, and flicked on the light, pushing Jooheon into a chair in the room. Jooheon crashed back into the seat, and his eyes widened with realization as Sang-eo straddled his lap, his eyes full of ual desire, his body radiating sensuality and … and his expression told Jooheon that he was perfectly willing to act on those feelings. Swallowing nervously, Jooheon watched the human’s bare body move in the bright, stable light of the Employee Lounge, and was kicked in the gut with a terribly painful memory.

“Ah, Jooheony! It’s not what it looks like-” those words echoed in Jooheon’s head as he recalled that fateful day- when he’d walked in on his fiancé having with another vampire. And not just any vampire, but an awful, bigoted of an aristocrat who thought he was somebody more than he was. Jooheon shook his head, tears pouring from his eyes as he stared at their bodies in the bright light he’d cast them in--

“I-Is everything okay?” a stabling, clear voice called to Jooheon- in the present. Inhaling deeply, Jooheon blinked a few times, taking his mind back to current times and away from that terrible memory. When he came to, he saw the pure, honest concern in the human’s eyes, and Jooheon smiled sadly, shaking his head. 

“I recently went through a pretty rough break up, I’m sorry,” Jooheon explained, reaching his arm across the space between them and the side of the human’s face. Sang-eo smiles sadly, knowing exactly what that felt like. Guilt cascaded over him, and he felt terrible for just rushing into without even considering the vampire’s feelings. He must be so overwhelmed- having just fed, and then to be obviously recalling his previous relationship? Sang-eo had no idea what he was going through, but he knew that whatever it was- he was going to be kind and respect this vampire no matter what. Sang-eo could tell by his eyes that he had been through something horrible, but he was a good person beneath it all.

“That’s perfectly okay,” Sang-eo muttered, the atmosphere in the Employee Lounge taking a much more somber turn as the two stared into each other’s eyes, emotions and dialogue passing between them wordlessly. Leaning forward, Sang-eo pressed his forehead against the vampire’s, feeling how cool he felt beneath him, and sighing pleasantly at the relaxing sensation.

“W-WHOA!” a voice called out from behind them, and Sang-eo turned around, blinking rapidly at the man who interrupted them, a bit nervous until he realized who it was. Giving Jooheon an apologizing glance, Sang-eo got up from his lap, adjusting his underwear as he stared at the man in the door.

“Hoseok-ah, hello,” Sang-eo greeted, and Jooheon nodded in recognition as he realized who had walked in on their little moment- the red-headed, extremely muscular human from earlier. He leaned back into his chair, all worry wiped from his mind as he watched the stuttering man stumble about the room.

“I-I’m sorry I walked in without knocking, I didn’t realize you had company back here,” Hoseok nervously stuttered as he walked over to the mirror, grabbing a small bag with a bunny decal on it and tucking it under his arm, his gaze nervous.

“Hyung, we never knock before walking in here,” Sang-eo chided, chuckling. “It’s okay, you weren’t interrupting anything.” That was a lie, but clearly Hoseok was more worried about it than he needed to be. Sighing in relief, Hoseok flashed Sang-eo a bright smile, his eyes quickly flashing over to Jooheon, who still had blood staining his chin.

“Um, what were you two planning on doing in here…?” Hoseok asked, clutching the bag a little closer to his chest, almost as if he was scared. Jooheon felt a weird pang of worry, thinking that maybe this human would rat them out. It was still pretty taboo for vampires and humans to actually have with one another, and Jooheon wasn’t a fool. He knew what this situation looked like. Despite his worry, Sang-eo smirked, chuckling mischievously.

“Naughty things, but you’re pretty used to doing those with vampires, aren’t you, hyung?” Sang-eo said, cocking his head. “With two at once, even-” 

“That’s enough!” Hoseok said, his face completely on fire as he began bustling out of the room. “I-I-I’ll just leave you two to it, I’ll tell the others not to come by,” he continued, looking a little peculiar scrambling away half- with his little bunny bag. Sang-eo chuckled, shaking his head fondly.

“Don’t mind Hoseok, he’s not one to judge,” Sang-eo said, giving Jooheon a trustworthy glance. “He’s dating two vampires himself,” he concluded, and Jooheon raised his eyebrows, a little impressed with the red-haired human. Realizing that he hadn’t even introduced himself properly, Sang-eo walked to his station across the room, grabbing a business card.

“By the way, my real name is Kihyun. Yoo Kihyun,” Sang-eo, or, Kihyun said, scribbling something down onto the card before handing it to Jooheon. Taking the small piece of paper, Jooheon read the inscription- which was a phone number.

“I am Lee Jooheon,” he replied, smiling as he pockets the card and gives the boy a curious gaze. Kihyun smiles, the expression a tiny bit nervous as he thinks about the next thing he’s about to say… and how much he wants a positive reply.

“You should definitely come back here sometime, Jooheon,” Kihyun says, and then laughs nervously, internally chastising himself at how flustered he suddenly became. He’s a vampire- he’s bound to come back at some point! Kihyun just prayed it was sooner rather than later. “A-and if you can’t drop by, you can give me a call? And I’ll give you a private show and a drink,” he offered, staring down at the floor anxiously. He’d never offered that to a customer before, but there was something different about Jooheon… even his name was unique and attractive to Kihyun.

From his seat, Jooheon’s eyes opened fractionally wider, and his lips parted in awe. He’d never been spoken to with such nervous care before, at least, not since he was a human- and despite Jooheon ruining the mood, Kihyun was still interested in pursuing something special with him? It was beyond flattering, and Jooheon smiled fondly, reaching up to grasp onto Kihyun’s hand.

“I’ll be back next time you’re working.”