Stretching his back with a long, languid movement, Jooheon sighed heavily, still trying to wake up for the night. Right now, he was cleaning up his apartment- for the first time since he’d broken up with his ex-fiancé nearly two weeks ago. It desperately needed a good, deep clean, and Jooheon was finally getting around to doing it. Even though his heart still hurt, deeply and painfully, Jooheon knew that eventually- it would be time to move on. A good place to start was always to have a clean home. Jooheon smiled softly to himself, sweeping dust into a huge pile in the center of the room. Honestly, it felt good to get his together, look good, and socialize multiple times a week at a wild human-vamp club.

The Bleeding Lamb, well, it’s turning out to be a much more fascinating place than Jooheon could’ve ever given it credit for. After his initial visit to the strange club, Jooheon had since visited three more times in the week that followed… in other words, every single time Kihyun had worked there since then. He was honestly becoming a bit of a regular at this point, and couldn’t find it in himself to dislike this fact. Going to the Bleeding Lamb gave him a purpose, something to look forward to. Plus, Jooheon had actually made a couple vampire friends along the way, and he was always looking for non-pretentious vampires who weren’t just looking to befriend him for his status.

Despite going to this club for the main purpose of seeing Kihyun- honestly, Jooheon hadn’t interacted with him very much. He hadn’t fed on the man at all since their first meeting- a fact that Minhyuk endlessly for. Jooheon liked Kihyun, he really did, but he was still a human. It was unavoidable that Kihyun would see him just like every other vampire, and he didn’t want him to… truthfully, Jooheon had developed a bit of a crush on the man, and the more he saw him, the deeper this crush became. Kihyun was more than just breathtakingly beautiful- he was also smart, cunning, resourceful… Jooheon didn’t want to ruin his chances by acting too possessive right off the bat.

Resting his chin against the top of his broom, Jooheon sighed, mentally deciding that humans were far more complicated than vampires could ever dream of being. Startling him out of his thoughts, Jooheon heard his phone go off from the couch, and he walked over, grateful for a distraction from his cleaning. Seeing that the caller was Minhyuk, Jooheon answered.

“Hey hyung,” Jooheon greeted, opening up his black-out curtains and peering down onto the city sprawled out below him. He heard static and a muffled chuckle, before Minhyuk spoke again.

“Jooheony bee! How’s it going?” Minhyuk replied, still simply exchanging pleasantries. Jooheon hummed thoughtfully, rubbing the tip of his index finger against the cool glass.

“Good, I’m actually cleaning up my apartment right now,” Jooheon proudly declared, and Minhyuk cheered.

“WOO!! Oh my god, finally, you have no idea how hard I’ve tried not to gag every time I walk into your place--” Minhyuk began, and Jooheon scrunched his eyebrows together, frowning slightly.

“That is a disgusting exaggeration, hyung,” Jooheon replied, and Minhyuk couldn’t help but burst out into a fit of laughter. 

“No, it’s really not,” Minhyuk insisted. Jooheon pouted his lips thoughtfully, turning his neck and gazing at the pile of dust he’d swept, thinking that maybe… it wasn’t such an exaggeration after all. Shrugging loosely, Jooheon moved the phone from his right hand to his left, and put it up to his ear again.

“Whatever, what did you actually call me for?” Jooheon asked, and he heard a loud clapping noise from the other end, startling him slightly.

“I’m glad you asked!” Minhyuk dramatically began, and Jooheon resisted the urge to roll his eyes- oh wait, Minhyuk couldn’t even see him… Realizing there was nothing stopping him, Jooheon rolled his eyes, waiting a few seconds for Minhyuk to inevitably continue. 

“…I was just wondering if you were still down for going to the Bleeding Lamb tonight, hehe,” Minhyuk replied, his voice timid and a little giggly. Jooheon exhaled slowly, but replied anyway. 

“Hyung, we’ve been going every other night for a whole week now- did you really have to call and ask me that?” Jooheon replied, and Minhyuk giggled again, this time sounding a little more amused.

“Well, aren’t you excited? Cause I’m pretty freaking eager to see my pretty little human again, I dunno about you,” Minhyuk accused, and Jooheon nodded, glancing back out the window. Ever since their first meeting when Minhyuk had fed on Changkyun (the other human stripper who worked alongside Kihyun and Hoseok), he’d been practically obsessed with the boy. He was relentlessly ual with him, and did just about every single thing to Changkyun that Jooheon had been trying to resist the urge to do to Kihyun.

“No, I am, hyung,” Jooheon replied, sparking a low hum from the other end of the line. “I was just already sure we were going later anyway,” Jooheon continued, wondering why he was even bothering to explain this to Minhyuk.

“Well, we are, heh,” Minhyuk cheekily replied, and then continued, popping what Jooheon could swear was bubblegum right into the microphone. “I’ll be there at the usual time,” he continued, and Jooheon smacked his lips.

“Alright, I’ll see you later,” Jooheon said, already moving to hang up the phone. 

“Bye bye!!” Jooheon could hear Minhyuk cheerily call out as he hung up. Locking his phone and tossing it onto the couch, Jooheon sighed, shaking his head. Just what would he do with that boy? Knowing that, as always, Minhyuk was a hopeless cause, Jooheon walked back over to his broom, deciding to just finish up his cleaning. Minhyuk would be over in a few hours, and he needed to get this place in perfect condition and shower before them. With that fueling him, Jooheon started blasting some music from his speakers in the corner of the room, and grabbed his broom, sweeping with the sounds of his favorite musicians there to inspire him.

The typical loud, thumping club music of the Bleeding Lamb had become white noise in the back of Jooheon’s head- so accustomed to the sound it barely even registered as he took a seat. Not wanting to hog Kihyun all to himself, and potentially mess with the business-side of the club, Jooheon, as well as Minhyuk, had begun sitting a little farther back from the stage to help resist the temptation to feed on their human every visit. Despite the logical reason behind this, both vampires found it increasingly difficult to hold back, especially during the feeding part of the night.

Jooheon exhaled languidly, watching with tiger-like eyes as Kihyun grasped the pole between his thighs, leaning his body back beautifully and stretching, completely in the air and using only his legs as leverage. Jooheon felt his breath catch in his throat, and his eyes grow hazy with admiration and attraction. He honestly could say that there was no other being in existence as eye-catching and alluring as Kihyun was while performing on stage. As always, Kihyun managed to find Jooheon in the crowd, and they made eye-contact, Kihyun spinning slowly around the pole, a tiny smirk set on his face.

Feeling his fangs come out just from the tiniest bit of interaction, Jooheon flustered slightly, the side of one of his fangs absently as he continued to watch Kihyun dance. He’d never had his fangs extend from only watching someone dance before; Kihyun could seriously bring out things in him that nothing else could. 

Finding himself oddly… okay with this, Jooheon watched as Kihyun demounted from the pole, his small hands running over his leather harness-covered torso, trailing down to his tight leather pants. The human touched his hips, his fingers skirting temptingly over his cute little before moving back to the front of his pants, ing and ping them fluidly. Jooheon swallowed thickly, his eyes burning hot as he watches the way Kihyun tries to wiggle out of those sinful pants. 

Pushing the waistband of the pants down his hips, Kihyun bent over, pulling them off his feet and, as he was now totally pantsless, he flashed the audience a fantastic view of his . Eyes widening, Jooheon notices that there’s nothing covering the boy’s at all. There’s no way he’s not wearing underwear, right? Trailing his gaze down, Jooheon breathes a sigh of relief, seeing that the underwear did exist, there was just a giant opening for the , meaning that if Kihyun were to bend over or sit in Jooheon’s lap then… Jooheon swallowed thickly, unable to resist the deep, pleased groan from slipping from his lips.

Beside him, Minhyuk chuckled, shaking his head. The wardrobe choices for tonight were absolutely divine, and Changkyun was also in a particularly skimpy outfit, so he understood that reaction. Jooheon’s aura spiked beside him, and Minhyuk glanced over, noticing the faint white light radiating from Jooheon’s body. Deciding to just let him live, Minhyuk redirected his gaze back to the stage, watching with rapt eyes as the humans started walking out into the crowd. 

Typically, the humans would walk around the club, letting a vampire get a few sips before moving onto another one, until they had reached their quota for the night. That first night they’d participated, Jooheon had damn near Kihyun dry so Kihyun didn’t end up going around the club, but, much to Jooheon’s frustration, that hasn’t been the case since then. Having to watch Kihyun crawl into the laps of shady-looking vampires and make such expressions while getting his blood drank by a creature other than Jooheon was admittedly difficult to watch.

Kihyun was only on his second vampire of the night, but Jooheon’s blood was boiling under his skin. He could feel his aura flaring brighter and hotter, but didn’t care anymore, his gaze pointed hard at the pathetic vampire kissing the skin on Kihyun’s neck. Kihyun didn’t appear to be enjoying it too much, but was still allowing the disgusting display of affection to continue. Parting his lips and raising his upper lip to display his fangs, Jooheon growled, the sound low and primal. He couldn’t stand watching this any longer, and luckily for him, the scum with his ty little romance tactics cut the crap and finally started Kihyun’s blood.

Darting his eyes to the side, Jooheon frowned, trying not to let the sight get to him too much. He knew that this was a part of Kihyun’s job, and how they met, but he couldn’t help but get frustrated every time he had to witness it for himself. While Kihyun was busy, Jooheon flickered his gaze over at Minhyuk, noticing the surprisingly calm expression on the vampire’s face as he watched his favorite human get fed on by other vampires. Scrunching his eyebrows together in confusion, Jooheon asked him about it. 

“How can you watch that?” he asked, frowning slightly. Minhyuk tore his eyes away from Changkyun, and then looked over at Jooheon, busting out into laughter at the bitter expression on his friend’s face.

“It’s because I claimed him, Jooheony bee,” Minhyuk explained, reaching his hand out to pet Jooheon’s shoulder consolingly. “If you did that with your shark, then you’d feel a lot better,” he continued, his eyes half-lidded in a mischievous, almost conspiratorial look, revealing such juicy information casually. Jooheon leaned back, eyes widening in surprise.

“What? When did you claim him?” Jooheon asked, his eyes wide. For him to have claimed Changkyun, it meant that the human would’ve had to drink some of Minhyuk’s blood. Even though it was relatively simple, it actually left more of a permanent imprint than most humans were probably aware of. All other vampires would be able to sense Minhyuk’s presence in Changkyun’s blood for at least a few weeks, and, since Minhyuk was an aristocrat like Jooheon, it was particularly potent.

In response to Jooheon’s question, Minhyuk merely shrugged, redirecting his attention to his favorite little human, a small smirk still set on his features. Jooheon rolled his eyes at the typical behavior, deciding to just ask the vampire about it later in private, when there wasn’t absurdly loud music and tons of other creatures present. Flashing his gaze over to Kihyun, he watched the human mount another vampire’s lap, giving him a small lap-dance before baring his neck.

Truthfully, Kihyun wished he could just march straight back to Jooheon’s seat and not mess with any of these other vampires. To have his blood drank by Jooheon again… Kihyun craved it so much it drove him crazy. Kihyun had never felt such an intense, passionate sensation before and these other vampires couldn’t even compare to the wildness and sheer power that Jooheon possessed. As the vampire finishes lapping up the last of Kihyun’s spilt blood, Kihyun gets up, his eyes flickering over to Jooheon. 

Jooheon hadn’t fed on him once since their first meeting. Surely he hadn’t lost interest in Kihyun already? Kihyun swallowed thickly, his lips parting as he observed the state that Jooheon was currently in- namely, the undeniable white light emanating from his body. Kihyun had never encountered a vampire that did that before, but he could feel its energy from here, and he’d gathered from their first meeting that it meant arousal and power: everything Kihyun wanted to be feeling from Jooheon. Mesmerized under Jooheon’s intensity, Kihyun became froze on the spot, unable to move or even think until the vampire raised his hand, gesturing for Kihyun to come to him.

Walking towards him with slow steps, Kihyun approached Jooheon’s seat, lowering himself onto the vampire’s lap. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the club on them- probably due to Jooheon’s aura, and Kihyun swallowed, trying to tune them all out. The way Jooheon looked at him was like pure, concentrated emotion and dark intent, and Kihyun felt his arousal hike up further, his eyes getting unfocused as his cheeks flushed.

Now with Kihyun in such close proximity, Jooheon noticed all of the bite marks on the human from the other vampires he’d seen that night. The bites would heal within a day or so, due to the healing salve they used at the club that Kihyun had explained to him a few days ago, so Jooheon had never seen Kihyun covered in the marks of other vampires so closely… and he absolutely hated it. Kihyun’s flawless, flushed skin covered in the spit and markings of such lowlife, peasant vampires- Jooheon clenched his jaw, his eyes flaring bright white in uncontrollable rage. 

Jooheon never wanted to see Kihyun’s body tainted by another creature ever again. He never wanted to see such a gorgeous, cunning man so openly marked by somebody other than himself. Snarling to display his fangs, Jooheon’s eyes flickered darkness and mystery as he stared up into Kihyun’s eyes, his face dark in the low lighting. The beautiful, face that greeted his eyes startled Jooheon, and he growled, his desire to claim the human mounting.

Swallowing heavily, Kihyun tilted his chin, baring his neck for Jooheon to bite. The amount that he craved Jooheon’s fangs sinking into his flesh was unbearable, and Kihyun slipped out a moan, his cheeks flushing and heart racing in his chest. He could feel himself getting aroused, just from the thought, and he whimpered, pressing his bare onto Jooheon’s lap. The tension continued racking up, and Kihyun barely opened his eyes, gaze lazily flickering around the room and noticing that every single person in the club had their eyes on them.

Unable to resist his biggest temptation any longer, Jooheon bared his fangs further, before rapidly lowering them onto the softest part of Kihyun’s neck, sinking them deep into Kihyun’s flesh and holding it there, reveling in the way Kihyun’s warmth felt all around his fangs. Pulling back and eagerly lapping up his blood, Jooheon groaned, tasting that tart, addictive flavor completely unique to Kihyun, and it was just as delectable as he remembered. Above him, Kihyun writhed and moaned, overwhelmed by how rough and aggressive Jooheon was with him, how smooth his lips felt brushing against his skin. 

Eyes widening in surprise as he feels Jooheon’s lips press seductive, deliciously sensual kisses along the flank of his neck, Kihyun stumbles out another moan, hands gripping Jooheon for stability. Jooheon wasn’t just feeding on him anymore, all the blood was likely away, but he hadn’t parted from Kihyun, instead making quite the show in front of the whole club. With this thought, Kihyun smiled breathlessly, a touch of pride welling up at the knowledge that the most powerful vampire he’d ever met was kissing his neck with delicate, soft lips. It was a huge boost to his pride, and Kihyun was getting addicted to the feeling of Jooheon’s undivided attention.

Now high on Kihyun’s blood and mesmerized by the way his skin felt beating and warm beneath his lips, Jooheon felt the undeniable need to claim him. He didn’t want a single other vampire to taste Kihyun’s beautiful blood without sensing Jooheon’s influence in it. Body going crazy with blood-dazed, vaguely aroused thoughts, Jooheon growled, his body tensing and pressing closer against Kihyun’s, his lips parting in thick, deep pants. He wanted to claim him so badly it became the only thought in his mind, his eyes slowly moving up Kihyun’s neck to stare into his eyes, blood still dripping down his chin. 

“I wish to claim you,” Jooheon simply stated, wrapping up the flurry of intense desires he was feeling into that one plain sentence. He hoped that Kihyun could feel the sentiment behind each word, and, judging by the look of wide-eyed shock that passed over Kihyun’s face, Jooheon figured the boy got the picture. 

“Claim… me?” Kihyun asked, the club music practically muted in his ears as Jooheon’s words echoed in his head. Kihyun knew what being claimed would entail… and how obvious it would be for every client he’d face if he agreed to it. Heart pounding and cheeks on fire as he stared down at Jooheon’s face, Kihyun couldn’t find a single thing wrong with saying yes at all. He wanted to feel that rush, to have Jooheon inside him… 

“Yes,” Jooheon replied to the question, watching the emotions pass over Kihyun’s face with rapt attention. He could see that little sparkle in his eyes, that undeniable want for Jooheon to openly and physically claim him, right here and now.

“I want you to,” Kihyun replied, his voice soft but resolute. Jooheon was special- he made Kihyun feel so much different than every other creature he’d ever encountered. He wanted it so bad it ached, and if it meant sharing something closer to Jooheon than just client-customer relations, than Kihyun was all for it.

Snarling, Jooheon nodded, concentrating all of his energy as he bit into the veins on his wrist, creating a huge gash, blood dripping from his arm. Kihyun swallowed nervously, parting his lips as Jooheon raised his wrist to the boy’s mouth- for Kihyun to drink it. Kihyun had never drank blood, whether human or vampire, and the visual was definitely pretty nasty, he could admit that. But oddly enough, he was morbidly intrigued by the thought of actually drinking it- his body quickly moving forward to lap at Jooheon’s wrist.

The flavor of vampire blood was entirely different than human blood- and Kihyun found the taste to be surprisingly delicious. It was strong, like something acidic, but as it hit the back of Kihyun’s throat, the flavor transformed into what Kihyun could only describe as pure, unfiltered energy. against Jooheon’s wrist, Kihyun down gulp after gulp, his entire body trembling from the strength and vitality that was coursing through his veins.

Realistically, Jooheon knew he shouldn’t let Kihyun drink too much of his blood. He only needed a drop to be claimed by Jooheon, but he couldn’t bear to tell the boy to stop, not when he was enjoying it so… vocally. Was Kihyun always this vocal when he felt good? His moans and noises were like music in Jooheon’s ears, so melodic they cascaded like ripples down Jooheon’s spine. 

All good things must come to an end, however, and Jooheon could tell that Kihyun wasn’t going to stop on his own any time soon. Moving his wrist away from Kihyun’s mouth, Jooheon sighed deeply, feeling light-headed for just a few seconds until his blood regenerated and his wound sealed up. Breathing hot and heavy, Kihyun blinked a few times, blood splattered across his cheeks and dripping in thick drops from his chin.

He’d never felt so strong in his life, so full of life and vigor that Kihyun felt completely on top of the world. Deep inside him was the powerful, hot white energy he’d felt from Jooheon so many times. He could physically sense it inside him, feel it pounding and rippling in his very core. Staring hotly into Jooheon’s eyes, Kihyun smiled, breathlessly and radiantly, feeling closer to another creature than he’d ever had in his life.

To lock gazes with Kihyun while both were filled with the power of each other’s blood was a startlingly raw and honest feeling for Jooheon. To be with this human, whom he’d only known for a mere blink of his lifetime, so intimately close and in ways that transcended any fleshly desire… well, it was something that Jooheon had never experienced. He’d felt love before, yes, but this was something different. Kihyun never failed to make Jooheon question the limits of his own feelings.

Unable to iterate proper thoughts and feelings, Jooheon reached his hands out, running his fingers along Kihyun’s shoulders, feeling the muscle tighten under his grip. There were probably a hundred eyes on them right now, but Kihyun’s eyes boring into his own were more full of emotion than all of them combined. 

Kihyun leaned his face down, his lips parting in a shaky exhale, their bodies so close they were almost touching. His fingers trailed up Jooheon’s arms, and he couldn’t seem to take his eyes away from the beautiful, blood-covered lips of this vampire, and how pretty and pouty they were. Tilting his chin up, Jooheon’s eyes slipped half-closed, and he could feel Kihyun’s warm breath tickling the skin of his face. Their faces were so close now, merely centimeters apart, and Kihyun’s lips were entirely too kissable for his own good, if Jooheon didn’t watch himself he just might—

Kihyun’s warm, slightly damp forehead bumped against Jooheon’s, and Kihyun sighed, the feeling of Jooheon’s cool skin against his own relaxing and stabilizing. The amount of self-restraint it took to not crash his lips against Jooheon’s was incredible, and Kihyun found himself panting slightly from how hard he was holding himself back. At least he had contact with Jooheon somehow… but he knew it wasn’t enough.

Beneath him, Jooheon exhaled slowly, glad that Kihyun hadn’t kissed him- so they could have a proper first kiss somewhere more private, but he also couldn’t help but wonder why Kihyun didn’t just outright do it. It was obvious that they both wanted it, but Kihyun held back. Maybe he’d figure out why sometime later, but for now, Jooheon gripped Kihyun’s shoulders tighter as he inhaled Kihyun’s scent, feeling the man all around him.

A change in music suddenly alerted the two embracing men that the show was now officially over. The lights changed, and now a deep, purple hue darkened the club and pushed the two men into more darkness and privacy. All of the vampires around them began moving around, and the dancefloor to the left of them became crowded with dancing creatures. Figuring this was probably their cue, Jooheon exhaled slowly, moving away from Kihyun centimeter by centimeter. 

“I think the show is over now,” Jooheon stated, not wanting to interfere with Kihyun’s work. Despite how much he wanted to keep Kihyun all to himself, Jooheon didn’t want to be a nuisance for the human. Kihyun frowned a little, nodding his head and making his gray hair fall into his eyes.

“I should probably get changed and clean up,” Kihyun said, a tiny bit of awkwardness rising in his chest. They were surrounded by prying eyes, and here Kihyun was, mostly in gear and with blood dripping from his chin… from getting claimed by a vampire in the middle of his work. Jooheon nodded, starting to calm down from the bloodlust.

“I’ll be staying at the club, come see me after you get changed,” Jooheon requested, his gaze almost pleading as he stared up into Kihyun’s face. He didn’t want this interaction to end with Kihyun so soon, especially not after the bond they shared now. Kihyun smiled, his cheeks turning pink as he processed the invitation. 

“I’ll be right back then, meet me at the bar?” Kihyun asked, prying himself off of Jooheon’s lap and stumbling slightly as he stood. He felt a little wobbly at first, but the longer he stood, the more he could feel Jooheon’s power giving him strength from the inside. Breathing in deeply, Kihyun smiled, his eyes sparkling with an emotion that only Jooheon could immediately place.

“I’ll be there waiting,” Jooheon promised, smiling slightly as he gazed into the stunning human’s face, still trying to pull himself together. He wiped his chin with the back of his hand, attempting to clean off the blood as sufficiently as possible. Kihyun smiled, laughing mirthfully as he began walking away, shooting Jooheon a cute wave as he made it into the crowd.

Waving back until he could no longer see Kihyun, Jooheon leaned back into his chair, his mind still going crazy from everything he’d just done… no, everything they’d just done. Shaking his head, Jooheon got up from his chair, walking with slow, unhurried steps as he made his way over to the bar. He had a date to attend to.