Chapter 1: The Trouble with Candy

“You don’t believe I can do this with you?” Sehun asked grumpily. After all that he’s been through, did it make sense that Luhan was suddenly saying that he shouldn’t get involved anymore?

Luhan nodded a little with his stare boring deep into the ground. “I… don’t want you to get hurt because of me. It was fine before wasn’t it? You—“

“Fine? You think after everything, things can just go back to being… fine?” Sehun asked sarcastically, his tone getting harsher and harsher with every word Luhan was saying. “There’s no way I would allow that.”

Grabbing Luhan’s pale slim wrist, Sehun dragged Luhan to his car parked nearby despite the adamant rejection from the doe-eyed man. Stuffing Luhan into the passenger seat, Sehun quickly went to the driver’s side and stared at Luhan for a good 5 seconds as soon as he took his seat. He saw Luhan tense up and put his head down to let his hair cover his bright violet eyes, but he couldn’t cover the fact that a soft pink hue was painted on his cheeks like pastel paint to a canvas.

He knew Luhan was suffering so why was he being so stubborn? His stubbornness was also causing Sehun a lot of pain that neither of them needed to be in.

God, how did it get to this?

[6 Months Ago]

It was only 20 minutes past 9 in the morning but Sehun was ready to crawl back into his bed. The only thing keeping him sane and kicking was the hazelnut latte he brewed as soon as he got to the office. As he sat and stared blankly at his computer screen, sipping away on his drug of choice, he felt a dull bump to his forehead before the item fell to the floor near his feet. It was a neon green eraser that could only belong to one big buffoon.

Park Chanyeol.

His manager and big buffoon of a friend, Park Chanyeol.

“Do you want to die?” Sehun said dead-pan.

Chanyeol tsked at him. “Is that any way to speak to your superior, Mr. Oh Sehun? I could easily knock off a few points on your performance appraisal, killing any chance you have at becoming manager any time soon.”

Sehun laughed dryly. “Go ahead. I’ll report you for harassment. The ual kind.”

Chanyeol stood up in pretend horror, palms together in pretend remorse. “Oh my dear Oh-ssi. I apologize for offending his royal highness.”

Sehun cracked a smile. “You are forgiven, commoner.”

Chanyeol let out a laugh that resonated in the office space he shared with Sehun and 3 other employees as he made his way towards Sehun’s desk. As they chit chatted away regarding everything and nothing, the employees in Development Team 2 came back from their morning meeting with the Director and one particular employee caught Sehun’s attention.

Wavy brown hair styled with pomade that sat neatly at the top of his head, crisp white shirt covering his slender yet toned frame and a face that made Sehun wonder ‘why couldn’t this person be a cute girl?’. Instead, it was Xi Luhan. Xi Luhan who had joined the company a mere 3 months ago and yet, somehow managed to capture the attention of straight, unsuspecting Oh Sehun.

Curse my stars. I bet all my ex-girlfriends prayed I would turn gay for me to be this way. Sehun thought to himself as his eyes trailed behind Luhan as he took a seat at his desk.

Sehun’s lingering gaze on the 24-year old man didn’t escape Chanyeol’s radar and it took Chanyeol a large dose of strength to control his urge to tease his best friend of 8 years.

Serves you right, you damn womanizer. Chanyeol thought silently, remembering all the poor women whose hearts Sehun broke without even a flinch or stammer in his words. Chanyeol internally sighed before plucking his courage to ask Sehun about his not so subtle interest in the doe-eyed, pale skinned Chinese.

“Any progress on that front, Sehun?” Chanyeol teased. “If my memory serves me right, I believe you’ve said a total of… 3 words to him these past 3 months?”

Sehun felt himself warm up from embarrassment. “Shut up. Don’t talk so loud.”

Other than the fact that he was gay for Luhan, what made him even more pitiful was the fact that his best friend and superior had to find out about his feelings just because Chanyeol had dumb luck in finding out random things that he could use to his advantage.

Curse his damn stars too. I hope you also become gay. Sehun internally cursed.

Chanyeol clicked his tongue. “And to think you had dozens of girlfriends before. Look at you now. You poor, poor man.”

With a not-so-sympathetic pat to Sehun’s shoulder, Chanyeol made his way back to his desk. “I’m going to Yin Hospital now to check on the new system. Keep an eye around here for me, ‘kay?”

Sehun waved his hand to signal him to go away and Chanyeol responded with a wink and flying kiss that gave Sehun goosebumps all the way down his spine. It was worse than a horror movie. He wondered how he managed to be friends with that idiot for the past 8 years. Never mind that, he also managed to become manager despite his un-boss-like attitude. Sehun didn’t care much about being manager, he was content where he was and wasn’t seeking anything more, but he had to wonder if the higher ups were high on something when they appointed Park Chanyeol to become Development Team 1’s Manager.

Sehun shook his head to suppress the laugh that was bubbling up when he felt a presence swoop next to him.

“Hello,” a mid-range sweet voice echoed into Sehun’s ear. “I’m Xi Luhan from Development Team 2. Do you mind lending me your phone?”

Staring at Luhan with bewildered eyes, all Sehun could think of was how he would give Luhan his phone, his car, his house, even his life if it meant seeing that smile for a long, long time.

Luhan could feel himself getting lightheaded and numb. He had ran out of the candy that Baekhyun concocted specifically for his ‘ailment’ and it was just his luck that his phone battery died before he could signal an SOS. With all his co-workers being female, and all of them somehow going to the toilet together at the same time, he had no choice but to ask for assistance from the one person in this whole company that hated him.

Oh Sehun.

Luhan didn’t know what he could’ve done to peeve Sehun off to the point of ignoring him the past 3 months, but desperate times called for desperate measures even if it meant putting up with the bewildered gaze Sehun was sporting at the moment.

“Sure…” Sehun said slowly, as he reached for his bag to fetch his phone. As Sehun rummaged through his bag, Luhan had time to actually look at this man who gave off a different feeling to most humans. If Luhan had to put it simply, Sehun gave an ethereal and dominant feeling about him and somehow standing next to him made Luhan feel slightly better.

Huh, I wonder if I’m starting to get used to this. I wonder if I can ever live without that candy. It'd be great if I could, Luhan thought positively.

Luhan could only feel bad for himself as he couldn’t find it in his heart to curse his parents for what he was going through. Despite everything, they were still the ones who gave him life, even if it was a life that no one wanted. His father was what humans called a demon, and he was a boss level demon at that. An affair with Luhan’s mother who was a well-known succubus resulted in him. A strange hybrid baby who needed to consume human blood to even stand on his own two feet.

Lost in thought, Luhan didn’t even hear Sehun calling out to him as he waved his smartphone in front of him.

“S-sorry,” Luhan stammered, “I’ll give it back in a few minutes.”

With a hard face, Sehun responded. “Yeah, no worries.”

Geez, I’m not taking your money. No need to look that way. Luhan thought exasperated.

He made his way to the staircase area where no one ever passed through since elevators were far more convenient and dialed Baekhyun’s number.

“Yes, Master Luhan,” Baekhyun answered softly.

Luhan stifled a snort. “What’s up with that? Just called me Luhan. I keep telling you.”

“No. As a servant of your family, I cannot just address you so casually. Never mind that, what’s the matter?” Baekhyun asked as a way to change the topic.

Luhan knew Baekhyun didn’t want to argue about the whole ‘Master’ thing but it gave Luhan the creeps to be called that way. He saved it for another day though, since there was another pressing issue. “I ran out of the candy…”

“Oh no! Um, I… I have to get more blood bags first, so please hold on until then, Master Luhan,” Baekhyun said frantically.

Luhan kindly said to take his time since he didn’t want Baekhyun to get in trouble at work. He was a well-known doctor and Luhan didn’t want to ruin that for him, especially since his family has been tied to demons for so long. If his mother hadn’t ordered Baekhyun’s father, who was her own personal servant, to take care of him, Luhan would’ve probably died a long time ago, and for serving him so well he could only be grateful to Baekhyun.

Luhan steadied his breathing to control the dizziness he was feeling before making his way back to Oh Sehun’s desk.

“Thank you, Oh Sehun ssi. Sorry for the trouble,” Luhan said with his best attempt at a genuine smile.

Sehun turned away quickly. “Yeah, no worries.”

Luhan nearly hit this human in the head. He had never met anyone so unfriendly in the human realm since he had been kicked out of the demon realm at 18 years old.

How can a guy that handsome be so cold and annoying? His looks are a 10 but his personality is the worst! Luhan thought to himself as he walked back to his desk, stopping halfway after realizing what he was subconsciously thinking. Oh Sehun? Handsome? Looks are a 10? Luhan mentally smacked himself for being so shallow. His incubus side always took charge of him whenever attractive human beings were around. Now that he thought about it, his mother always egged him to just sleep with whoever, whenever since he should enjoy the blessings of being an incubus that could seduce any living being. Luhan cringed at the thought.

Mom sure is something. I wonder if that’s why dad cheated on the queen with her. Luhan shook his head to forget the bad thought. Both his parents were considered bad people by human standards, and it made Luhan more determined to be someone in the human world that was not evil despite his genetics.

Luhan glanced back at Oh Sehun to figure out why Sehun disliked him so much. Could he feel that Luhan was someone not of this world? Was he disgusted? To his surprise, Sehun was staring at him. Blatantly staring that it embarrassed not only Sehun himself, but Luhan too.

“S-sorry, Luhan ssi. I didn’t mean to stare. It’s just--” Sehun said frantically. “Luhan!”

Crap, Luhan thought before passing out. I’m dying.

Baekhyun had never resented his family. He knew in order to be successful, one had to make big sacrifices. In the case of his family, it was their soul for an entire 7 generations. His family had been servants for the demon lord even before God had a sketch of him, if God sketched his creations. An aristocratic family filled with politicians, successful lawyers and doctors such as himself.

So when the demon lord’s mistress asked his father to have him serve her son, Baekhyun was above all else ready for it. Seeing how his father served the mistress through his best efforts made Baekhyun gape in awe and respect because no other relationship was as pure in his eyes. Servant to master, without any thoughts of rewards, it was something Baekhyun was raised to uphold and respect. He was ready to be made a punching bag by the young master, Xi Luhan, if Luhan’s mother was anything to base him off but to his pleasant surprise the young master was simply a shy young man who was more human than most human beings out there, especially this pain of a patient he was facing.

“I mean, I’m in pain here doc. You have to prescribe me those strong pills from before,” a man in his late thirties with an obvious addiction pleaded.

Liar. You’re addicted.

Putting on his best professional smile, Baekhyun explained that he had already given the patient the maximum dosage last time and that if he were experiencing any discomfort, he would personally do a thorough check on every inch of his body. Of course, in the most menacing way possible. Despite his small frame, Baekhyun had an aura and demeanor that could make even the toughest of people freeze in their tracks.

“How should we go forward? Would you like to lie down while I check and maybe prod your body for answers? Or do you want to just leave here quietly?” Baekhyun said keeping his professional smile plastered on his face, which probably creeped out his patient more.

“N-no. I’ll leave. Ha… Sorry for the trouble. I feel surprisingly better now,” the patient said with an awkward laugh.

Baekhyun felt triumphant as he watched the irritating patient walk out of his office, but sighed as soon as the thought of Master Luhan came to mind.

Hmm, Ah Yeon ssi usually leaves for lunch 10 minutes before Jun ssi takes her place so I can probably make it to the store room and get some packs before anyone arrives. It’s okay, Baekhyun. You’ve done this many times before. It’s no big deal.

Looking at the clock above the doorway in his office, Baekhyun took a deep breath and closed his eyes. With one final prayer to no deity in particular, he swiftly got up and left his office telling his assisting nurse that he was taking an early lunch.

God, why is this hospital so huge? Chanyeol thought to himself in frustration as he still had not managed to find an exit after his meeting with the development team of the hospital. The hospital that was giving his sense of direction a challenge bigger than what he needed. After going up and down, round and round for over an hour, Chanyeol finally gave up and plopped down a bench near the Pathology area. After texting Sehun to say that he was having trouble finding an exit, expecting a sympathetic response, he was disheartened when Sehun only scolded him and told him to ask someone where the exit was.

Heartless kid, Chanyeol thought despite only being 3 months older than Sehun. I’m a grown up, I can find my own damn way out!

Finding newfound motivation thanks to Sehun’s brandishing, Chanyeol got up and took a good look at his surroundings before noticing that the Pathology section was void of people, yet the door leading to some kind of refrigerated room was slightly ajar. Scrunching his face from curiosity, Chanyeol decided to might as well get into some trouble while he was lost in this humungous building. He could just blame it on being lost anyway.

Smiling to himself in satisfaction, Chanyeol galloped away to the slightly opened door keeping an eye out for any staff that could get him into trouble. When he confirmed that the coast was clear, he crept in slowly avoiding making any noise that could catch unwanted attention. The room was cold and dark with rows of shelves holding what looked like packets of blood. Chanyeol felt a bit of his breakfast forcing its way up his stomach to his throat. Chanyeol was good with everything, even extreme sports, but blood was something that made him go pale and lightheaded at just the sight of it. He was thankful the room was dark because even the outline of the blood packs made him want to throw up.

A barely audible clink caught Chanyeol’s attention making him realize that he wasn’t alone in this room. Inching closer to the source of the noise at the area further back into the room, he caught a glimpse of toffee toned hair and the backpack that was leaning against the leg of the shelf which Chanyeol assumed belonged to the man scooted down to the floor.

Walking quietly until he reached the side of the shelf toffee boy was at, Chanyeol couldn’t help but crack a small grin at the sight. It was Byun Baekhyun.

Sehun was ready for Luhan to look at him in disgust after staring lustfully at him, but to his horror, Luhan fainted instead. Despite his embarrassment, Sehun carried Luhan in his arms and ran to the company’s infirmary as quickly as he could and now he was sitting at his bedside waiting for Luhan to wake from his comfortable slumber judging from the soft snoring. Sehun smiled to himself and found himself subconsciously studying the details of Luhan face. His eyes were more deep set than he thought and his skin was so pale that it looked like the moon was illuminating his face. Time ticked by as Sehun found himself lost in staring at this guy’s perfect face that was unhuman-like. Despite doing that for twenty minutes, it ultimately felt like 2 seconds when Luhan finally started to come to and softly grumbled as his eyes hazily opened. Noticing Sehun near him, Luhan shot up from his bed like he had been electrocuted and began a trail of apologies.

“Oh my goodness, I’m in the infirmary right? I’m so sorry you had to see me pass out like that. I… I haven’t been feeling well the past few hours so… anyways, I’m really sorry, Sehun ssi,” Luhan quickly said impressively in one breath.

Sehun smiled softly. “No need to worry. It’s not your fault you feel unwell. Just rest up.”

Despite wanting to stay until Luhan felt 100% again, Sehun was still a salaryman who lived paycheck to paycheck so he had to go back. Getting up from the uncomfortable wooden chair he had been sitting on for almost 45 minutes, he wished for Luhan’s speedy recovery before setting off back to the office.

The only problem was, Luhan was gripping on his right wrist so tightly that he thought it would rip off if he tried to remove it.

“Uh… Lu—“

Before Sehun could even spit out any proper word, he was pulled down quickly by such a force that he could only describe as when an elevator loses function and starts plummeting down. Meeting eyes with Luhan as he suddenly was made to sit, Sehun noticed how Luhan’s eyes were not the usual deep chocolate shade but instead were a strong, bright violet color that pulled him in and made it impossible to get away.

“L-Luhan. Is everything okay? I can—“

“No. Just… It’s okay. S-sorry,” Luhan said with a trembling voice, as his grip on Sehun’s wrist softened.

Sehun furrowed his brows in worry and without much thought felt Luhan’s forehead to see if he was burning up. “You aren’t feverish. Do you want me to take… you to… the… huh?”

Before Sehun could even notice what happened, he was suddenly lying down on the bed with an entranced looking Luhan above him. “Eh? Luhan… ssi?”

Luhan knew what he was doing was wrong, especially on company grounds. This was already grounds for dismissal. This was ual coercion! He knew that but why… why was his body not letting him do what his brain wanted?

“Eh? Luhan…ssi?” Sehun asked in confusion, yet somehow his words held no contempt or hatred towards the situation.

Why? Why… Why are you using that tone? Talk to me like usual, you idiot! Luhan thought as he could feel himself succumb to what his body wanted.

“S-Sehun ssi. I’m sorry,” Luhan blurted before he began composing his resignation letter in his head as he swooped forward and started making out with the obviously startled Sehun.

Goodbye my human life. Hello a life of running and hiding. It’s been—

Before Luhan could get any deeper in despair, he felt his insides tingle from how Sehun was reciprocating his kiss and he couldn’t help but loosen up at the whole affair. A flurry of emotions welled up inside of him, the biggest being joy, which was strange because how can doing something as lustful as this give him so much joy?

He felt Sehun push himself up from the bed and they somehow ended up in a position where Luhan was straddling him and despite his mental state going out of whack, his body was syncing with Sehun so perfectly that when they pulled apart for some air, a feeling of emptiness settled at his core and it made him rethink about why this was a bad thing.

“Your eyes… they’re back to normal,” Sehun said breathlessly that it made Luhan’s skin crawl from how delicate yet y his voice sounded.

“Huh? Oh… Um…” Luhan stammered, forgetting that his eyes changed to violet when his blood intake was too low. “Wait. What did you say?”

Sehun blinked a few times before registering. “They’re back to normal. They were purple before.”

Luhan automatically smacked his forehead, before quickly getting off Sehun and the bed, scrambling to put on his shoes.

Letting out an awkward and unconvincing laugh, Luhan tried to remain calm. “No way. How is that possible, right? It was… It was probably just a trick of the light. That’s all. Oh look at the time. I feel better now but I’m going to leave and get a check-up. You never know, right? Hahaha…”

Before Sehun could respond, Luhan ran out of the company building before he even finished putting on his left shoe. How could he, out of all people, let a human see a side of him that proved he was a being of a different nature? He did so well in hiding himself, he thought he’d live a peaceful life without any trouble but what is this? Not only did he just reveal himself so blatantly, it had to be his co-worker who hated his guts. How was he going to explain this to Sehun? Would he even get a chance to?

Baekhyun wondered whether to take the O negative blood packs or a different one as he had taken the same type before. He didn’t want people to notice packs were missing and he had had a perfect system that allowed him to take blood packs without so much of a dent in the inventory books. He had been doing this for almost 4 years since he began his stint at Yin Hospital, making sure to keep it on the down low.

So why? Why did it have to be this big idiot to be the one who finally caught him in the end?

“Well, well… If it isn’t the elegant and oh so princely Byun Baekhyun,” Park Chanyeol taunted. “And here I thought I was having a tough time at work.”

Baekhyun tensed his jaw as he stood up slowly, unwilling to make this situation something for Park Chanyeol to enjoy. “Park Chanyeol. I admit I wasn’t expecting to encounter you here.”

Chanyeol let out a cheery laugh as he leaned an arm against the shelf before putting his face closer to Baekhyun’s. “I’m sure you weren’t expecting to see me ever again after high school, but… cest la vie.”

Baekhyun smirked at the comment despite the nervousness he felt, because it was true. Park Chanyeol was not someone Baekhyun ever cared about nor imagined to even do well outside sport activities. “Based on the suit, you’re doing well for yourself. It’s nice to chat with you but as you can see… I’m a little preoccupied.”

“I don’t think you should be brushing me off this casually,” Chanyeol started, staring intensely into Baekhyun’s face that discomfort was settling in the pit of Baekhyun’s stomach. “I can report you, you know.”

Baekhyun felt his heart beat out of his chest for a second but calmed down enough to think rationally. As a result, Baekhyun could only grin to himself in satisfaction.

“And who do you think will get in trouble here? Me, a renowned medical practitioner with a strong familial reputation or you? An outsider with no ties to this hospital whatsoever. You’re the one who is trespassing here. I can just say I caught YOU red-handed stealing blood packs,” Baekhyun said in a triumphant speech, feeling smug after looking at the dumbfounded expression the big oaf that was Park Chanyeol was sporting.

With Park Chanyeol being unable to retort, Baekhyun made his way past him and rested a hand briefly on his left forearm. “Don’t play a game that I’ve perfected, Park Chanyeol. Goodbye.”

[3 Months Later]

Stretching in his seat, Sehun let out an audible sound of relaxation before pressing enter on his keypad. He was having a crazy productive morning and he felt proud to have finished three reports all before lunch time. Sorting out the piles of paper on his desk, he began to wonder when he started feeling less tired when coming to work and became this demon of an employee.

3 months ago… Sehun thought. His eyes automatically turning to Xi Luhan who was in the desk cluster a few feet away from his own section. Staring at his luscious head of brown hair, he kept his gaze fixed watching Luhan type away on his desktop, before a smack to the back of his head sent his attention back to earth.

“ Sehun, please keep this space holy and free from your pubescent thoughts,” Chanyeol said in passing as he took his seat.

Sehun pretended to throw a pen his direction but stopped halfway. “Shut up, you idiot of a manager.”

“Ouch… and after what I had to go through with Byun Baekhyun… You’re too cruel Sehunnie,” Chanyeol whined in fake pain.

Sehun groaned. “That was 3 months ago! Get over it!”

Ignoring the long speech coming out of Chanyeol’s mouth as he explained why Byun Baekhyun’s actions towards him was something he couldn’t forget, Sehun’s radar automatically spotted Luhan, who was talking with his co-workers.

“Luhan, Luhan. Do you have candy? You’re always eating some red candy. It looks yummy,” Jiyeon mentioned.

Luhan scratched the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah. I… have some.”

Sehun followed Luhan’s every move and noticed it again. The different candy box compared to the one he usually ate from, not that his co-workers noticed. For Sehun however, every action Luhan did became magnified that Sehun just noticed more and more things about him without even memorizing it.

The day after they had the session in the infirmary, they bumped into each other at the company entrance and Sehun noticed how Luhan took in small breaths before wanting to say something, though he didn’t manage to that day, probably from the awkwardness. He noticed how Luhan ate cranberry candy once every few hours, but noticed he gave a different kind to his co-workers. He noticed how Luhan preferred wearing white button down shirts with plain black pants and only giving specific attention to the ties he wore. After kissing Luhan, Sehun became strange and all he could think of was Luhan and how much he wanted to sort things out between them.

But Luhan avoided him like Park Chanyeol avoided blood and he couldn’t even get in a few feet between them before Luhan bolted, leaving him a disgruntled mess. Sehun leaned his head back onto his chair and stared sideways at Luhan who was laughing and having a ball with Jiyeon and Mara. Before he could eavesdrop on their conversation, Sehun met eyes with Luhan and for a split second, it was like the world stopped turning and everything was centered on them.

With a visible flush to Luhan’s cheeks, Luhan excused himself and Sehun couldn’t help but follow suit. Even if Luhan slapped him or kicked him, he would end this cycle of avoidance today.

Rushing up the stairs, Luhan cupped the sides of his face with the palms of his hands as his legs propelled him in the direction of the rooftop garden. He felt like a complete for being so rude to Sehun by avoiding him for these past three months but he couldn’t face him after what he had done. It was made even more difficult by what Baekhyun told him about what had happened to him at the time to make him act that way to Sehun.

Clearing his throat, Baekhyun explained, “ual activities allow you to satiate your hunger for blood, hence why you felt better after… after that.”

Luhan’s face went hot but he suppressed the embarrassment because it was more important to get to the bottom of things. “But… I didn’t take his blood or anything.”

Baekhyun nodded as he concocted more blood cranberry sweets for Luhan. “Well, the Mistress is a succubus, which means that you would be part incubus. It’s not far-fetched to say that you could survive on just human… uh, you know.”

Despite the brewing awkwardness of the whole conversation, Luhan felt more curious than ever and wondered if he could bring this up to his mother the next time she visited. Whenever that might be.

Luhan sighed to himself, knowing fully well how… erratic his mother was. One day she would be in Africa and the next she’d be in Alaska. Luhan shook his head and apologized to the human men of the world on his mother’s behalf.

“You’re not thinking bad things about me now, right my dear?” an all too familiar yet welcomed voice echoed in Baekhyun’s lab.

Luhan beamed. “Mother!”

After an exchange of hugs and a bow from Baekhyun, Luhan asked his mother regarding what he should do about Oh Sehun.

“Kill him.”

“Mother! He’s my co-worker!” Luhan yelled.

With a sigh, Luhan’s mother continued. “Your workplace is important to you, right? Then just get rid of him. It’s easier that way than trying to explain things.”

Luhan scrunched his face in full disagreement. “Explain what exactly?”

Luhan’s mother shrugged as she took a cranberry candy into . “That you ed him to satiate your hunger and that you took a bit of his life essence as a replacement for blood? Duh.”

With jaws agape, Luhan and Baekhyun stared at each other dumbfounded at this information that was never shared with him.

“Did I not teach you that, sweetie?” Luhan’s mother said with a wicked smile. “Sorry.”

“You hid it on purpose!” Luhan exclaimed, causing a wave of laughter to escape from Luhan’s mother’s lips.

“Sorry, dear. I thought it’d be a fun joke!”

Luhan felt his temple twitching recalling the memory with his mother that night as he stood near the fence surrounding the rooftop garden area. When he felt frustrated with work and needed some time alone, this was his sanctuary. Many employees couldn’t be bothered to climb up the stairs to this place that couldn’t be reached using an elevator and was created to ensure a healthy working body for employees, so it became Luhan’s personal hideout.

Until now, that is.

“Lu…han…” an obviously tired and out of breath Sehun managed to voice out. “Let’s… talk a bit.”

Luhan felt that feeling again whenever he looked at Sehun these past 3 months and it was making him feel strange. The feeling made him want to act strange and do bad things to Sehun, but Luhan didn’t want that. He didn’t want to ruin his happy life in the human realm. It was his only place left.

“Sorry, Sehun!” Luhan blurted out, wanting it to be over as quickly as possible. “I… I shouldn’t have done that to you, I know. I was… I wasn’t feeling great that day, you see. So—“

“Let me stop you there,” Sehun said sternly, before taking in a deep breath. “For the past three months, it’s been really weird for me to feel like I’m the one who did something wrong, you know?”

Luhan was about to retort but nodded instead. “Sorry…”

Sehun shook his head. “I’m not blaming you. I don’t want you to feel bad about what happened because… I… because… I liked it…”

Luhan’s eyes darted to Sehun’s face quickly, who was staring awkwardly to the side as he got his words out. “You… liked it?”

As Sehun closed his eyes shut, Luhan could practically see the troubled thoughts Sehun had written on his face and it made him want to smile.

“Yeah. I’ve liked you all this while so when that happened, of course I’d like it,” Sehun explained defensively.

Luhan couldn’t help but laugh, but he felt elated at the thought that Sehun didn’t hate him. “Thank you, Sehun. I was worried that you’d report me or something.”

“Of course I wouldn’t!” Sehun said loudly, making Luhan laugh a bit more.

“Yeah, but still thank you.” Luhan said with a smile. “So, we’re good right?”

Sehun smiled softly. “Yeah… We’re good. Oh, except I have a few questions.”

Luhan didn’t have a good feeling but entertained it anyway since things were going so well.

“Why do you give a different candy to your co-workers? I notice you eat a different one.”

Well, guess it wasn’t going that well.

As soon as the words left Sehun’s mouth, a pang of regret came down on him like a pile of bricks. That expression was back again. The same one as the one Luhan had in the infirmary after they kissed each other so passionately and the result of it was him running away. He could tell Luhan was about to run again, so Sehun quickly grabbed onto Luhan’s wrist.

“If it bothers you to tell me then I won’t force you,” Sehun said quickly to put Luhan back into a cheerful mood, because this was the first time Luhan had smiled and laughed in front of him and it was a sight to behold. “I just thought… maybe you’d want someone to confide in about stuff.”

Sehun kept his gaze transfixed on Luhan, keeping an eye out for any warning signs that Luhan was going to flee again, but all Luhan did was stare at Sehun’s hand that was gripping his wrist. Sehun was torn between letting go and keeping a hold on Luhan because he didn’t want to be stuck in limbo the way it had been the past three months, yet he didn’t want Luhan to feel uncomfortable with his actions.

“I’ll tell you,” Luhan said as Sehun had an internal discussion with his conscience. “So…”

Noticing Luhan lightly shaking Sehun’s hand off his wrist, Sehun quickly let go, apology in tow. Sehun felt guilty but was excited for whatever answer Luhan had. The purple eyes, the strange candies and Luhan’s superhuman strength at the infirmary. Sehun wanted to know he wasn’t hallucinating and that it was all true.

With a noticeable gulp, Luhan took a few short breaths. “I… I’m not human.”

“I’m not human, so… when I did… that… to you in the infirmary, it was because I ran out of the candy you mentioned,” Luhan said slowly, pausing to gauge Sehun’s reactions. It was his first time explaining what he was to a human being and the process was surprisingly easier than Luhan thought possible since he decided to believe in Sehun’s words.

The kindness in his voice, the desperation he could feel through the fingers that were gripping his arm and the pure eyes that only wanted the truth. Deep down Luhan knew he was getting tired of playing hide and seek with someone who already saw everything. Deep down he wanted to have a friend who he could be honest with, and selfishly he wanted to believe that Sehun was that person.

Despite the crazy explanation thus far, Sehun kept a serious face showing that he was listening attentively to what Luhan had to say and it made Luhan’s chest leap. He had to wonder if this was really okay.

“Go on, I’m listening,” Sehun said softly, his voice showing no hostility but instead just pure curiosity.

Luhan felt his cheeks flush. “Um… The candies. They’re blood candies. They help control my hunger but on that day I ran out. By the time I fainted, I was already really hungry… and, when I get hungry my eyes turn…”

“The violet color…” Sehun trailed off, as if he was answering a quiz from a teacher.

“Yeah,” Luhan responded carefully as he played with the end of his tie. “And I… k-kissed you because that’s another way I could control my hunger. Ah! But at the time I didn’t know that so I didn’t do that on purpose, just so you know.”

Sehun tried but failed to hide the small frown on his face. “I see... Well, it was a little out of character.”

Luhan felt himself get hot but continued on. “My eyes turned brown again thanks to… thanks to you and your essence and I felt better afterwards so… I am grateful, but don’t worry! I won’t just do that to you again! That time was an accident.”

Luhan felt like a flaying fish with the words he was fumbling out and he knew he must’ve insulted Sehun. Who in their right mind would be so understanding to a situation where they were being used? Only a crazy man would—

“If you need me again, I’m always here,” Sehun said calmly and sincerely, making Luhan wonder how Sehun didn’t even flinch at saying such words.

Luhan laughed awkwardly. “Y-you’re joking, right?”

Sehun shook his head with a stern look on his face. “It’s dangerous if people find out, especially if you run out of candy. So… if you need me, I can always help you. Since I don’t run out like candy.”

Luhan shook his head quickly as what Sehun was suggesting dawned on him. “I really don’t need you to do this for me. The candies are suf—“

Before Luhan could finish his sentence, a sudden pain emerged in his head causing an immense headache, stronger than what he ever felt before. The pain was so bad that it made him crouch down to the ground.

“Luhan! Luhan! Are you okay?” Sehun asked frantically. “I’ll take you to the infirmary, so—“

Luhan shook his head as he grabbed onto Sehun’s arm for support. “I just need the candy. It’s in my pocket.”

With trembling hands, a panicked Sehun quickly reached into Luhan’s pocket brushing his thigh in the process making Luhan feel the same thing he felt in the infirmary.

No, not again. The candy… hurry… Luhan thought to himself, as the area where Sehun brushed against tingled and ached.

Sehun shook out one candy from the packet and placed it on Luhan's lips, hoping that Luhan could feel better after eating it. Despite Luhan explaining how he wasn’t human and how he needed human blood to survive, Sehun strangely felt happy for being the only person to know about this and he wanted to help Luhan in his own way. He wanted to give Luhan whatever he could to ensure he could live happily in this world without having to worry about others finding out about what he was, even if Sehun had to use his body for it.

He didn’t mind.

It was for Luhan’s survival.

Purely, for his survival.

Yeah… keep telling yourself that, buddy. Sehun’s subconscious scolded, and annoyingly using Chanyeol’s condescending tone.

Sehun shook his head to get rid of the memory of kissing Luhan in the infirmary and focused on the Luhan who was in pain in front of him. Despite placing the candy on Luhan’s lips, Luhan wasn’t opening up to eat it and Sehun wondered if he was that much in pain.

“Luhan, open up. It’s the candy,” Sehun egged on softly, making Luhan open his eyes revealing the stunning violet color that Sehun saw three months ago.

In awe of Luhan’s eyes, Sehun almost didn’t notice how Luhan had his lips over the candy in his hand along with the tips of his thumb and forefinger. Sehun felt his cheeks rise in temperature at the sight and slowly pushed the candy in further with his forefinger.

Pure thoughts, Sehun. Pure thoughts only.

Luhan closed his eyes again and began on Sehun’s finger, making Sehun shiver from surprise and astonishment at the whole scenario.

Wanting to pull away, Sehun felt the same way he did when they were in the infirmary. The pull that Luhan had over him made it hard for him to move. It made him stay put and simply watch as this brown-haired, flushed and beautiful guy and his finger.

Suddenly stopping and pulling Sehun out of the trance he was in, Luhan spat out the candy onto the floor and stared at Sehun for a while with a blank stare. Knots formed at the pit of Sehun’s stomach from how intense and hot Luhan’s stare was especially with the violet enveloping his entire iris. Before Sehun could reevaluate the best course of action, he started kissing Luhan, tasting both his sweetness and the metallic taste of the blood candy.

Groggily, Luhan blinked a few times as he woke up from a really good nap.

“Good morning,” a familiar yet unexpected voice greeted.

Luhan bolted up from the bed. “Sehun ssi!”

A smile curved on the handsome face that was Oh Sehun as he made his way onto the bed Luhan was on. “Or should I say good evening?”

Finally taking in the situation, Luhan took a good look at his surroundings and realized that it wasn’t his own apartment.

“I didn’t know where you live so I just took you back to my house. Hope you don’t mind. You passed out again at work,” Sehun said kindly and worriedly.

Feeling embarrassed, Luhan shook his head. “Sorry for troubling you… again.”

Sehun laughed and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Chanyeol covered for us. I’ll make you some tea.”

As Sehun left Luhan alone, Luhan had to wonder why he thought Sehun hated him all this while. Nothing in the way he spoke change, nothing in his expressions changed, yet somehow… it didn’t feel like he hated him.

Weird… Did I misunderstand all this while? Luhan thought to himself.

A phone call from Baekhyun disrupted his train of thought and Luhan quickly answered it.

“Master, is everything okay? You aren’t home yet and I—“

“Yes Baekhyun. I’m fine. I just went to a co-worker’s house,” Luhan explained, wanting to avoid unnecessary worry coming from Baekhyun, who was a worry wart by nature. “I’ll be back soon.”

With a sigh of relief from Baekhyun, Luhan hung up and quickly got out of bed, making his way out into Sehun’s living room. A room that was painted a dark yet illuminating green shade with surprisingly many pots of flowers decorating the otherwise plain background of a wall. A small coffee table with a flat screen television in front of it and a two seater sofa behind it filled the space. The open floor design led it to the mid-sized kitchen where Luhan caught a view of Sehun working hard in brewing some tea.

“You have a nice house,” Luhan complimented.

“Thank you. My mum did the decorating though, so it’s a little… flowery in here,” Sehun said dryly.

Luhan smiled as he stared at a vase of chrysanthemums. “They’re very pretty.”

“I’ll be sure to pass on the compliment to my mum,” Sehun said as he placed two mugs of tea on the coffee table, signaling Luhan to come over and sit next to him on the sofa.

Taking a much needed sip of something hot, Luhan smiled at the taste and fragrant aroma. “I really needed this. Thank you.”

Smiling triumphantly, Sehun nodded. 

A calming silence filled the air and it was a nice pace from what Luhan experienced today. The sudden headache and blackout, it was so new that it frightened him but he was glad nothing serious happened.

“So… We kissed again today. On the rooftop,” Sehun said in passing, as he swirled his cup before facing Luhan. “This time I was the one who did it.”

Luhan nearly choked on the tea before catching himself and stared in disbelief at Oh Sehun. Not because Sehun kissed him on his own accord, but how could he not remember this at all? More than that, how could Sehun be smiling that happily to himself when Luhan probably did strange things to him despite his initiation of the kiss? Why? How could he be this relaxed? Was this so normal that he could smile that much? 

Luhan thought in this world he was the strangest creature to live amongst humans, but he was starting to think Oh Sehun would snatch his crown in a millisecond.

To be continued...