The morning after the 'family meeting' Baekhyun found himself waking up next to Park Chanyeol, his boyfriend having taken him to another hotel since no-one was convinced that Baekhyun would be able to go home alone. To keep up appearances Baekhyun agreed to Chanyeol's decision of renting a room that was paid for in Baekhyun's name in order to ensure that no other vampire would be capable of getting in without the boy's permission, though Kyungsoo, Lay, Jongin and Sehun had all been given permission as the room acted as a sort of headquarters for their plans.

At exactly eleven pm last night the four men left the soulmates to rest, Jongin and Kyungsoo headed back to the manor while Lay went home and Sehun returned to his own room. Thankfully there hadn't been a situation between the two unsuspecting relatives, neither one of them considered the presence of the other, merely speculating them to be friends of Chanyeol and Jongin. Fortunately the plan of leaving the country served as a good distraction from the overthinking, but Baekhyun had known Lay for a while now and he had no doubt whatsoever that the man was going to get suspicious of Chanyeol's relationship with Sehun soon. As he hadn't had the pleasure of speaking to Sehun much to get to know him a little better, Baekhyun wasn't entirely sure how long it would take the blonde to begin questioning Lay's role in Chanyeol's life either. Truthfully, the entire situation sounded like a ticking time bomb.

Baekhyun released a groan into his pillow, a dull aching pain burning behind his eyes reminding him of what happens when he allows his mind to overthink certain situations. He tossed and turned in the bed for a while, releasing various huffs and low groans. He probably should have taken Chanyeol's wellbeing into consideration since he knew how sensitive his vampire boyfriend was to sound, but right now Baekhyun didn't care. He was in pain and there wasn't anything he could do about it, especially since he hadn't packed any painkillers.

"Baekhyun?" Chanyeol's deep voice had the painter halting in his movements, body freezing mid-turn. The human turned his head to allow easier access to Chanyeol's face, Baekhyun whining out an apology.

"Sorry," he mumbled, allowing his body to fall back against the mattress. He huffed out a puff of air when he heard Chanyeol chuckle at his behaviour. "I've been suffering silently for half-an-hour now... I'm going to go crazy!"

Baekhyun listened as the vampire shifted around on the bed, a heavy muscled arm came to rest against his hip pulling him back into a sturdy warm chest. "What's wrong, love?" Chanyeol whispered into his neck, his nose cold as it swiped against Baekhyun's nape. "Do we have visitors that are annoying you again?"

"Not yet!" Baekhyun hissed, the ache getting stronger in the back of his head. Against his better judgement Baekhyun's hands flew to his forehead, his cold fingertips relieving some of the pain but it could only do so much. His lips pulled back and his gritted teeth were bared, he let out a howl as one strong shooting pain almost had him seeing stars. "Jesus Christ!" He growled. "I've never had it this bad before!"

"Okay baby you're starting to scare me!" Chanyeol gushed, sitting bolt right in the bed. He gazed down at the younger helplessly, he didn't know what he could do to help and he felt like an idiot asking. "Do you want me to go grab you something to ease the pain? There should be a pharmacy around here somewhere."

"Yes please." Baekhyun huffed out, his breathing turning laboured as he tried to look up at his soulmate. He seemed to be having trouble opening his eyes wider than a thin slit, his forehead scrunched up with deep worry lines. Chanyeol immediately disregarded the blanket, his vampire speed ability coming in handy as he whizzed around the room getting himself changed in a matter of seconds. Baekhyun's head spun as he tried to follow the blur, he quickly decided that it was probably best if he looked away.

"I'll be back in a few minutes." Chanyeol promised, voice coming from Baekhyun's bedside. The painter turned his head, eyes closed but allowing a smile to develop on his lips. If it turned out to be filled with unreleased pain Chanyeol didn't say anything, choosing instead to press his lips against Baekhyun's forehead. And just like that Baekhyun couldn't feel his presence in the room anymore.

"Good grief I thought he would never leave!" A familiar voice spoke from the window located on Chanyeol's side of the room, Baekhyun released a frustrated huff as he attempted to block out the noise by shoving a pillow onto his head. "Wow, you look terrible."

"I have a ing headache!" Baekhyun shrieked, whining when the pain grew stronger. "It's like the worst one I've ever had Nana, you have no idea how much it hurts!"

"Oh I can only imagine..." the grandmother proclaimed, voice too bubbly for eight o'clock in the morning. Usually Baekhyun would enjoy her presence, ask her questions for answers he needed regarding Chanyeol's life, how her day was and so on. But right now, the only thing he wanted was to shift the mind-numbing ache that sprouted from stress. "So I guess I won't need to beat around the bush today!" She cried, a clap echoing off the walls and right into Baekhyun's frontal lobe. "I got some news for ya kiddo!"

"Oh great!" Baekhyun faked his excitement, even finding energy to push himself up against the headrest of his bed. The hotel room spun around for a minute until a few strategic blinks had the world return to normal. Nana stood in her dark blue denim jeans and her usual white t-shirt, and yet the expression she wore on her face seemed completely opposite to her tone of voice. "Let me guess..." he sighed. "More bad news?"

"Unfortunately." she agreed, allowing her head to dip between her shoulders. "That headache you're experiencing right now is only going to get worse over the next couple of days." Baekhyun groaned in protest, the ghost hearing him but choosing to ignore him. "Remember when I told you that your health wasn't in the best shape?" Baekhyun felt himself sinking further back into the headboard, secretly wishing for it to open up and swallow him. "The time you told me that you weren't going to get it checked out because you have more important things on your plate? Remember that? And do you also recall how I told you that you were on the border of the danger zone? Yeah, well let's just say that you've completely blown past that now!"

"Nana!" Baekhyun hissed, his fingers massaging his head, trying to ease the growing pain. "Please lower your voice, I'm really hurting right now..."

"This whole thing could have been avoided if you had listened to me in the first place!" She nagged, though thankfully she did tone down her yelling. "Do you understand what I'm saying to you Baekhyun? Your condition is getting worse, it continues to get worse and worse as the days go on and it will keep growing in pain levels too. You need to see a doctor-"

"But they're leaving." Baekhyun interrupted the rambling ghost, his eyes squinting to look at her as she paced the floor by the foot of his bed. "Lay got told about Kris' files, we had a meeting yesterday and everyone agreed that it would be best if we retreated to regroup. I don't know where they're planning on taking us but I'm a part of it, they're doing this for me. They're getting me out of the country."

Nana halted in her movements, her head snapping to look at him. Baekhyun winced as another wave of hurt attacked his head, rendering him incapable of thinking. He tried to speak, but all his lips would release were moans and groans of pain. Nana appeared by his side the next second, her cold hand pressing against his forehead. Baekhyun felt a ball form in his throat as water clogged his eyes, he heaved a breath of relief at the peace. His eyes widening in alarm as the pain ceased, Nana offered him a gentle smile.

"I won't be able to keep doing this, eventually the pain will find a way to push through but I've bought you a few hours. I don't know how long but I'll try and come back before it's over. If Chanyeol's trying to think of a place to go I think it would be best that you tell him that you can see me."

"But you said that-"

"I know what I said." the woman sighed, her thumb gently brushing against Baekhyun's brow. "But that was before I realised how important you are to this family. I am not going to lose you to an illness Byun Baekhyun, so I grant you permission to tell him."

And just like that Nana disappeared, taking her chilling touch with her. Baekhyun blinked back the tears in his eyes, slowly gaining the energy to sit back up again. He just had enough time to fluff his pillow before Chanyeol reappeared into the room, fussing with a white plastic bag filled with medication he had gathered for him. Baekhyun found himself smiling as Chanyeol dumped everything out at the end of the bed, explaining each one in detail to his soulmate and which one the pharmacist had recommended. It took him a moment to realise that Baekhyun no longer felt pain, having guessed it since the painter was gazing at him with his usual bright eyes and not the dull slits he had been forced to look at him with earlier.

"What happened?" Chanyeol questioned, sitting himself down next to his soulmate. Baekhyun immediately reached for his hand, allowing their fingers to entwine against his lap. Chanyeol cleared his throat, getting himself comfortable on the bed since it seemed like Baekhyun had something to say. The vampire gave his hand a gentle squeeze, his action making the tears that Baekhyun had finally managed to suppress come straight back to the surface.

"Chanyeol.." he spoke through a broken voice, his hands clamming up with sweat. The vampire looked alarmed, his eyes wide as he searched Baekhyun's face for a sign of pain but thankfully he didn't find any. Baekhyun tightened his grip on his soulmate's hand, using it as a anchor to keep himself focused on the task at hand. "There's a couple things that I've been hiding from you, one was because I was asked to.. And the other was because.. I didn't want to accept it myself, but" he sighed, his head falling forward. "But it seems like I won't be able to avoid it anymore.."

After saying goodbye to Chanyeol and Baekhyun last night, followed by a brief farewell to Sehun and Yixing, Jongin and Kyungsoo retreated back to the manor with the excuse of being at an important matter relating to Kyungsoo's family. Due to Kris' dislike with the Do clan the plan would be fairly simple to execute, since Kris would usually change the subject once their presence was made in conversation. Thankfully Kyungsoo didn't seem to mind using his family issues as an excuse, claiming that he would suffer the consequences as long as Baekhyun would remain safe and protected.

Despite only knowing the boy personally for two weeks, Jongin could see how much his soulmate cared and adored Baekhyun. In those two weeks Kyungsoo had become so attentive and caring to the human, willing to go to great lengths to ensure that he was well tended to. Jongin had originally wondered if Baekhyun would even be capable of understanding their world, and yet despite him not entirely knowing what awaited him in the future, Baekhyun seemed to accept the unknown. Kyungsoo seemed to find this admirable, surprised that the human was capable of devoting himself completely to a dysfunctional family.

A pain shot through Jongin's chest, his arms tensing to pull Kyungsoo closer beneath their blanket. He had barely been able to sleep the previous night, mind too preoccupied with the events of the past few weeks. Everyday he wondered what life would be like had his soulmate come from a better life, had he come from a warm household filled with love and devotion to its family members. Instead Kyungsoo was just reliving the trauma he had endured years before, at the manor, staring into the face of radicual and hatefilled slurs that he didn't deserve. Maybe if Jongin had been born first, he could provide Kyungsoo the life he desired.

"What are you thinking about so harshly at eight o'clock in the morning?" Kyungsoo's sweet voice was masked with tiredness, a feat he received having taken to bed later than his usual allocated time. Jongin's breath hitched when his soulmate's fingers danced along his bare forearm, a touch so teasing and warm it caused Jongin's heart to flutter in his chest. "I may not have the ability to read your mind, but I've known you long enough to know when you're overthinking... so come on." he insisted, hand coming to rest against his skin. "Tell me what's been bothering you."

"I'm so sorry," Jongin cried, tears streaming down his cheeks. He tightened his grip against Kyungsoo's waist, pulling him impossibly closer. His soulmate remained still as Jongin snuggled into his nape, pressing wet kisses along his shoulder. "I'm so sorry that I'm not giving you a happy life."

"Where the hell did that come from?" Kyungsoo gasped, struggling against his boyfriend's restrictions. Jongin allowed him to move, loosening his grip so Kyungsoo had the opportunity to turn around in his hold. The chef snuggled straight into his chest, air blowing through his nostrils gently tickling Jongin's neck. "Who said my life wasn't happy?"

"Your fated mate is the bastard son of the King, a vampire who doesn't have a royal title, someone who doesn't have any wealth or land to his name. I took you out of your family home only to insert you into an even worse environment filled with people who look down on you and disregard you despite how intelligent and lovable you are because you are my soulmate, and I hate the fact that you have endured so much alone."

"My past is mine to bear alone," Kyungsoo whispered, his hand coming to thread through the locks of Jongin's hair. "you have nothing to worry about in that regard. I have put my past behind me, I've completely forgotten about what my life was like before I met you. You might think that I wanted to give it all up, finally give in to the darkness that plagued my mind for years because of my parent's treatment... but even though I didn't know you, I knew that I had a soulmate out there somewhere. Someone who I could love and who could love me in return because we were made for each other... that is what got me through the worst times of my life. You became my anchor to this world, to life, to my wish of living. I wanted to experience unconditional love, which is something you continue to show me day after day. I have never, not even once, considered your title, role, or your royalties. You are much more than what your Father made you, you are more than the bastard son of a cruel King. You are my soulmate, my boyfriend and my future husband so don't you dare for a minute think that my life isn't filled with happiness... you continue to show me what happiness is everyday and you will never know how much it means to me."

"But my family-"

"Had we had this conversation two weeks ago I would have agreed with you." Kyungsoo admitted, blinking his tired eyes up at his boyfriend. Jongin closed his eyes, allowing another tear to trickle over the curve of his cheek. Kyungsoo's warm touch swiped it away, his palms resting against his jawline holding him steady. Jongin opened his eyes and gazed into the eyes of his beloved. "I'm sure that you're aware that Baekhyun and I have been talking...discussing your family without alerting to our species. And through him I came to the conclusion that I don't care."

A noise of confusion slipped through Jongin's lips before he could prevent it. His eyes turned wide, tears halting in their production. "What do you mean?"

"I have been made aware that your parent's slurs have been based on jealousy." He could feel Kyungsoo's lips pull back to reveal a dazzling smile, one he wouldn't have the pleasure of seeing since his boyfriend had retreated into his chest seeking warmth.

"Care to elaborate?"

"Kris never found his soulmate, devoting his entire life to entertaining every vampire he happened upon.. Suho had his soulmate before losing him, they're both twisted and bitter because they never got to experience what we feel for each other every day." Jongin stared at his soulmate in wonder, he had never thought of it like that. Kyungsoo could only chuckle at his boyfriend's reaction. "Believe me," he continued. "I felt the exact same when Baekhyun explained it to me. It felt like he had solved all of the world's problems for me. Ever since then I haven't really had a problem with what your parents have said to me, knowing that they would have never done it if they felt loved in their own relationship. I can only hope that Suho will have the chance to experience it now that we know that Yixing is alive."

"I'm sure he will," Jongin somehow managed to find his voice, his tone sounding wet but at least he seemed more relaxed. "We'll make sure of it."

"Have my words at least given you some comfort?" Kyungsoo wondered, pulling himself out of Jongin's chest to press their lips together in a gentle chaste kiss.

"I find myself loving you more and more each day." Jongin confessed once his lips were free, though they dove back to press multiple pecks against his soulmate's face. "I am relieved to know that you are content."

"Once this war is over I plan on only experiencing contentment for the rest of my days, do I make myself clear?" Kyungsoo teased his lover, fingers pressed against Jongin's chest to halt him in his kiss attacks.

A ping echoed throughout the room, forcing the embracing couple from their pleasure filled escapade from reality. Both of them were surprised to find that it had been Kyungsoo's phone that had received a text message.

Jongin allowed his soulmate his privacy to address the matter contained within the message, busying himself with tossing the blanket from his legs. He had a feeling that their soppy romantic morning usually assigned for cuddles and sweet declarations of love would be interrupted for the harsh bitterness of reality. When Kyungsoo's gasp hit his eardrums, Jongin immediately found himself turning to face his lover. His attention was divided between Kyungsoo and trying to pull some pants on.

He watched in confusion as Kyungsoo pressed a button on his phone, the device being pulled until it was pressed against his ear. Jongin would faintly hear the dial tone ringing, before a familiar voice sounded through the line.

"Kyungsoo.." Baekhyun spoke, voice riddled with pain and anguish. Jongin watched as his soulmate turned to look at him, eyes shifting to hold panic.

"Baekhyun, what happened?"

"H-how quick can you and Jongin get here?" He whimpered, urgency present in his voice. Kyungsoo instantly flung the blanket off of his body, Jongin watching as his soulmate disappeared into their shared walk-in closet.

Instead of listening to their conversation, Jongin found himself pulling on the shirt he had been wearing the previous night, thankful that at least his pants had changed so it didn't seem as though he was a complete lost cause. His mind naturally drifted to the different scenarios involving the cause of Baekhyun's tear filled urgency message to his lover, his thoughts wondering how Chanyeol was coping with the situation and if his brother was even there to witness it.

After a few more minutes of Jongin distracting himself so he couldn't pay attention to his soulmate's private conversation, Kyungsoo returned from the room dressed in a fresh outfit, his phone still being held tightly in his hand. His expression was dark and unreadable, an expression Jongin had only ever seen a couple times when his soulmate had a run in with Kris. Jongin's stomach dropped. Had the King found them?

"What happened?" He rushed to ask, appearing before his boyfriend within the blink of an eye. Kyungsoo stared back at him with a numb expression.

"Baekhyun had to tell Chanyeol a few things that he had been hiding from him, your brother apparently freaked out and now Baekhyun doesn't know where he is."

"What?!" Jongin gasped, his brows furrowing in the centre of his forehead. "That doesn't sound like Chanyeol at all, usually he's really understanding-"

"Well it seems like this time he wasn't." Kyungsoo hissed, eyes narrowed into slits. "Your brother is after making Baekhyun cry and worry, he said that he woke up feeling unwell this morning and now this! The second I get my hands on that brother of yours he's lucky that I care so much about Baekhyun otherwise I would tear his balls off and shove them down his throat."

"I'll call Sehun." Jongin announced immediately, hoping his words would prevent his soulmate from thinking too hard into how he would kill his brother. Perhaps the youngest brother would know where their elder idiot had disappeared too, if he didn't Jongin would have to think of other ways to distract Kyungsoo. The bastard son of the King released a huff, this was definitely not what he expected to wake up to this morning.

Listening carefully to Baekhyun give a recount of what he had just gone through with Chanyeol, brought tears to Kungsoo's eyes. The chef had sent Jongin to find Sehun, the two of them being tasked with trying to find Chanyeol who had left his phone on the window ledge of their shared hotel room, Kyungsoo had never wanted to kill the future king as much as he did right now.

"So you've been talking to Nana?" Kyungsoo wondered, fingers scratching at an itch patch of skin on his nape. He watched as Baekhyun dipped his head, the idea didn't really affect Kyungsoo as much as he thought it would. "Well I suppose that it makes sense." he admitted, watching as Baekhyun's perfectly arched brow raised in confusion. "You said that you have been talking to ghosts, it just makes sense that Nana would be one of those who take interest in you. I mean, you are her grandson's soulmate after all. What I don't understand is why Chanyeol freaked out about that of all things."

"I didn't just tell him about his grandmother." Baekhyun declared, head dipping between his shoulders. "I told him about something that she told me awhile ago, something that I haven't been believing. He got frustrated with me because he couldn't believe what I was telling him, he got annoyed that I was hiding it from him."

"What could possibly cause him to freak out so much that he left?" Kyungsoo whispered, not trusting his voice. Baekhyun raised his head, tears welling up in his eyes.

"I'm dying, Kyung." Baekhyun admitted, unaware of the air hitching in Kyungsoo's throat, tears of his own welling up in his eyes. "I don't know how, I don't know why.. I just know what she insinuated, I don't have much time left. She told me to see a doctor while my condition was still capable of being cured but she told me this morning that I've bypassed that now, meaning that I'm dying."

"You're not dying." Kyungsoo stressed, voice cracking in the middle of his sentence. The tears betraying his wishes as he tried and failed to will them away, Baekhyun reached for his hand but Kyungsoo pulled it away. He too was feeling completely helpless, at least now he could understand how Chanyeol was feeling. The vampire had been waiting just over a hundred years to meet his soulmate, only to be harshly reminded of the fact that Baekhyun wasn't immortal like them. They accepted that, believing that they would have a long life with the human before the inevitable arrived and yet Baekhyun lay in the hotel bed looking completely vulnerable and childlike, something Kyungsoo had never expected to witness. "I'm not going to let you die just like that, Baekhyun."

"That's exactly what Chanyeol said before he left." Baekhyun chuckled, though there didn't seem to be any humour left in his statement. If Kyungsoo didn't know any better, he could have sworn that the boy lying before him had completely given up. Baekhyun no longer appeared to have any fight left in him, which was quite a surprising sight since he seemed so calm and collected the previous night. "He swore to me that night when he told me he was a vampire that he wouldn't leave me."

Kyungsoo felt his breath hitch in his throat at the mention of his species slipping past Baekhyun's lips, his eyes widening as he turned his attention completely to the human. Baekhyun didn't seem to have noticed the words he had spoken, his head hanging low, shoulders shaking as he cried uncontrollably all over again. Kyungsoo being left to listen and watch as his best friend completely came apart, his own tears growing rapidly and falling more frequently despite his urge to keep them at bay for Baekhyun's sake.

"I love him, Kyungsoo." Baekhyun confessed, finally finding the courage to look his best friend in the eye. "I would do anything for him if he asked, but knowing that my time is limited now I-" his voice broke, a new batch of tears trickled over the apple of his cheeks. "I don't know what to do."

"We're going to find a way," Kyungsoo promised him, surprised by how confident he sounded. He crawled up the remaining few inches until he joined Baekhyun against the backboard of the bed, he immediately wrapped his arms around his friend, teeth biting into his lower lip to keep his sobs silent. Baekhyun's cries echoed throughout the room, his entire being shaking beneath Kyungsoo's grip, forcing the vampire to tighten his hold. "You're not going to die," he repeated. "I promise."

The two of them had fallen asleep in that position, holding on to one another as tight as they could. Kyungsoo had groaned when his eyes opened, an ache evident in his neck from the position he had slept in. Baekhyun -when he awoke- didn't have it any easier, his groan loud and unmerciful. Kyungsoo instantly turned attentive, sleep leaving his being and allowing him to become alert. Baekhyun hissed at the pain generated in his head, his fingers working to massage the area but ultimately his actions failed. Kyungsoo watched shell shocked as Baekhyun's jaw dropped, releasing a blood-curdling scream, the tears that had plagued his cheeks returning with such vigour Kyungsoo was certain he wouldn't be able to wipe them all away.

The chef sat helpless at the side of the bed, his hand holding Baekhyun's who used him as an anchor so that he wouldn't completely lose himself to the pain. Seeing the state that his best friend was in Kyungsoo's mind started to go into overdrive, surely there was something that he could do to try and ease the pain.

"Nana!" Baekhyun cried, his narrowed eyes falling on the opposite side of the bed. Kyungsoo felt his blood run cold in his veins, his gaze trying to find the ghost on the opposite side of the room. He felt ridiculous when he realised that he didn't hold Baekhyun's power so his actions weren't going to be of any use and yet surprisingly Kyungsoo found himself staring at a light shadow standing ahead of him.

"Eh- Baekhyun." Kyungsoo cried, eyes widening as he watched the ghost materialise before his very eyes. Nana turned to him in surprise, her jaw dropping when she realised that Kyungsoo could actually see her, that the vampire was looking her straight in the eye. "I-" he stuttered, blinking in hope that the figure before him was just a fragment of his imagination. "I can see her."

"What?" Baekhyun hissed out through the pain in his head, despite it he still found himself shaking his head. "That's impossible, you haven't seen a ghost before and I'm certain that she's dead dead so how can you see her?"

"I don't know!" Kyungsoo shrieked, his lips pressing into a thin line the next second. He whispered his apology to the boy beside him, Baekhyun groaning through his declaration. "Can you make it stop though, it's extremely creepy!"

"Well it's nice to see you too Kyungsoo," Nana's sweet voice filled his ears, making the goosebumps grow larger on the vampire's skin. "It's unfortunate that we have to meet in such circumstances but-"

"Help me." Baekhyun begged the ghost, his hand reaching out for her. Kyungsoo began to wish that he didn't have the ability to see exactly when the human's hand traced over the ghost's. "You helped me earlier-"

"Give it another minute and I won't have to help you at all." The ghost responded, arms crossing against her chest. She appeared pleased with something that Kyungsoo obviously couldn't put his finger on, he wondered if she enjoyed watching the human squirm because of him defying her words. She then turned her attention to Kyungsoo, offering the chef a smile. "Try not to get too frustrated, he thought it was in Baekhyun's best interest."

Before Kyungsoo had the opportunity to question the ghost as to what she meant by her words, the door burst open with a loud clang. Not wanting to leave Baekhyun's side -the painter groaning at the loud noise- Kyungsoo remained where he sat, though he prepared himself for a fight. A quick glance to the ghost in front of him had Kyungsoo second guess his initial thoughts, the sight of Nana's bright smile somehow managed to make Kyungsoo's heart rest in his chest.

Yixing's body was flung into the room, his body slamming against the cabinet that was holding the television by the foot of Baekhyun's bed. The two boys on the bed hopped at the noise, Baekhyun releasing a hiss at the sound. The door slammed closed and Chanyeol appeared in the room, looking concerned but not for his previous protector. His eyes instantly fell on Kyungsoo who stared at him in both shock and surprise.

"Where the hell have you been?" he hissed, eyes narrowing up at the Prince who had rushed to the other side of Baekhyun's bed. Kyungsoo found himself chuckling at the scandalous expression that appeared on Nana's face, the ghost moving to step out of her grandson's way. His happiness was short-lived when he realised that he should be furious with the elder for having left his soulmate when he needed him, had this been reversed Kyungsoo knew how upset and frustrated Chanyeol would be.

Yet the longer Kyungsoo had to analyse the situation completely, assessing Yixing's presence and Chanyeol's urgency he couldn't help but wonder if Baekhyun had been wrong. Obviously the human's feelings were valid, but Kyungsoo knew what it was like to have his emotions dictate the situation which would have been different when his mind had cleared.

"Baek..." he whispered, thumb sweeping across Baekhyun's knuckles. The human turned to him, tears still streaming down his cheeks. "He didn't leave you in the way in which you think. He left to get help."

"You think I left you?" Chanyeol wondered, brows furrowed in confusion. "Baby I promised you that I would never do that again."

"You didn't say that when you were leaving him!" Kyungsoo hissed, reminding himself to lower his voice for Baekhyun's benefit. The painter hummed in agreement, his head turning so that he could look Chanyeol in the eye. The vampire stared down at him in shock, the memories no doubt playing out again in his mind.

"I didn't deem it important," Chanyeol admitted, his head hanging between his shoulders. "My only concern was finding Lay so that we could figure something out to help you."

"I didn't even get an explanation.." The former protector explained, his chest heaving for breath. Kyungsoo eyed him in confusion, though when he noticed that the man's hair was damp he managed to connect the dots. Yixing had been showering when Chanyeol entered his apartment in a blur of nerves.

"Nana basically said I'm dying." Baekhyun admitted, smiling through his tears at his teacher. Kyungsoo watches as the air is out of Yixing's lungs. The teacher immediately rushes to be by his side, gently shoving Chanyeol to the side. Nana now finds her new position at the foot of the bed, her eyes scanning those surrounding the human.

"Is that true?" Kyungsoo wondered, speaking to the ghost though he suspects that everyone sees him speak to the television. "Did you bluntly tell him that he's dying?"

"I've been trying to tell him that since the day our paths crossed." Nana declared, her brows softening in apology as Baekhyun whined at the pitch of her voice. "He just never listened to me when I told him to get help."

"Who are you talking to?" Chanyeol wondered, blinking through the tears in his eyes at Kyungsoo. His head turned to look at the end of the bed, brows furrowing in the centre of his forehead. Kyungsoo watched as realisation dawned on the Prince. "Can you see ghosts too?"

"No." Nana answered for him, though Kyungsoo went to remind the woman that her grandson couldn't see her. "You're touching Baekhyun, That's what's allowing you to contact me."

Both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun turned to look at each other in alarm, their gaze falling onto their interlocked fingers. Out of curiosity Baekhyun reached out his hand to Yixing, the teacher unknowingly accepting it without thought. They both turned to look at Nana who took a deep breath before calling for her son's soulmate. In shock, Yixing's head snapped upward.

"How is this possible?"

"Chanyeol." Kyungsoo called for the Prince, pulling his hand away from Baekhyun's. In the exchange his eyes travelled back to the foot of the bed, the air escaping his lungs when he realised that he could no longer see the ghost. Instead he stood up from his position next to Baekhyun, allowing the Prince to slip into his place. The human happily held out his hand, lips curled upwards in the first smile Kyungsoo had seen him pull that day. When Baekhyun's fingers interlocked with Chanyeol's, Kyungsoo could only assume that Nana had spoken again as he watched with a full heart as the Prince's head snapped in her direction.

They didn't seem to know the reason behind Baekhyun's ability to allow others to see the ghosts he experienced on the daily, though Nana believed that it could possibly be related to how badly the human's health had turned. With a quick private discussion and a cryptic phone call, Baekhyun was pulled into the arms of his soulmate. His lips pulled wide as Chanyeol stared down at him as if he had hung the stars in the night sky.

"Hey baby." the vampire had whispered, cheeks dried of tears now that Baekhyun had somehow managed to cease his own. The human snuggled closer, allowing his forehead to rest gently against his soulmate's chin. Chanyeol repeatedly pressed kisses to Baekhyun's forehead. "I have something that I wanted to talk to you about.."

"Okay.." Baekhyun wondered, wincing slightly when he shifted so that he would be able to speak to his boyfriend face to face. "What is it?"

"Well actually I need your permission for something, it's a really important tradition that we vampires do. We have reason to believe that it might help you a little, it will heal you so that your headaches won't be as difficult to bear as before. I think this is what Nana meant when she told Kyungsoo not to worry.." the two of them turned to look at the chef who was sitting at the table with Yixing, the two of them feasting on the room service Baekhyun had requested though had yet to eat. "It's a deep meaningful thing that vampires do very rarely, even some soulmates haven't done it because it's held in such a high regard within our community-"

"Chanyeol.." Baekhyun called him, fingers reaching out to the vampire's cheek. "Just spit it out already."

"I want you to drink my blood," the vampire declared, his grip getting tighter on Baekhyun's hips. "We take it really personally. Drinking your partner's blood is a very sacred practice and like I already said sometimes soulmates don't even do it. For humans our blood can help heal wounds and cure illnesses a lot quicker than your average medicine can, unfortunately if you digest our blood and die with it in your system you will turn into a vampire yourself. We do not want this to happen Baekhyun, it is very important that you know that before you say anything else regarding the matter."

"You truly believe that this could help me? Chanyeol we don't even know what I'm sick with yet-"

"I know that," Chanyeol interrupted his boyfriend's words, pressing a kiss to his forehead in a quiet apology. "Which is why we're scheduling to take you to a place we know the doctors are incredible."

"Oh yeah?" Baekhyun challenged, eyes sparkling as Chanyeol turned to him. "And where would that be exactly?"

"Why should I tell you?" Chanyeol teased, fingers now moving in soothing circles against Baekhyun's hips. "Can I at least keep it a secret so that I can surprise you?"

"Hmm," Baekhyun considered it for a moment. "I suppose that's alright, but at least let me know if I guess it correctly!"

"Fine," The Prince agreed, smiling as the two of them had come to a successful compromise. "Now can we address the blood sharing, please."

"Oh right!" Baekhyun sighed, nodding his head. "I don't really feel comfortable drinking your blood though.."

"Here." Yixing appeared by their bedside, in his hands he held out the cola Baekhyun had requested for when he ate. Chanyeol accepted the carbonated beverage from his former protector, though his actions halted when Baekhyun quickly grabbed his wrist.

"Vampire blood is supposed to heal humans right?" he voiced out loud, his eyes focused on Yixing. The protector couldn't meet his gaze, seemingly too interested in the small container of fried food he had taken with him from the table.

Chanyeol chuckled having already expected where this was going, so as gently as he could he agreed with what Baekhyun was insinuating. Yixing had explained to the Prince ages ago that he had given a few drops of his blood to Baekhyun in the form of carbonated drinks, it was the only way in which the human could stomach it without realising what the beverage contained. Apparently Baekhyun was quite the klutz and with Wonho's added effects Baekhyun had found himself with injuries quite often, to prevent people asking too many questions regarding Baekhyun's home life Yixing had taken it upon himself to spare the boy a few drops to help him heal. When he discussed the matter with Baekhyun, Chanyeol couldn't help but giggle at his soulmate's reaction.

"But you just said that it's a sacred right that even soulmates sometimes don't even use!"

"It's different for those wishing to protect others, there are quite a lot of vampires in the human world that donate their blood to the human hospitals. We are often regarded as monsters due to our blood thirst but vampires also have the ability to heal so many of us do-"

"Just not the Royal Family." Kyungsoo announced from his spot at the table, lips wrapping around his burger.

"Why not?"

"Our blood is considered too sacred to be shared with anyone, even Kris forbade us from sharing blood with our soulmates or any other we happened across." Chanyeol explained, waiting as understanding settled into his boyfriend's facial expressions. "But as you can already see I don't really care much for the rules, I want to do this for you Baekhyun so with your permission I will."

"So all I have to do is drink the cola?" Baekhyun wondered, eyes locked on the dark beverage Chanyeol currently held in his hand.

"Yep." the vampire agreed, already in the process of taking off the cap. It fell into his palm with a delicate hiss, Baekhyun's eyes narrowed at the bright red lid. Chanyeol waited patiently for his mate to consider everything he had told him, the painter allowing all the information to absorb before he made his decision.

"Alright," he agreed, dipping his head for good measure. "I'll take it."

His words caused quite a stir from both Kyungsoo and Yixing, the twoo vampires rushing to the end of the bed in order to watch history take its course. Chanyeol pulled himself away from the human, allowing him proper control over the bottle and his own arms. He gently nudged Baekhyun's arms forward, the painter cupping them to hold onto the cola bottle. The human's eyes never drifted from the vampire as he watched Chanyeol's sclera completely transform from white to blood red, the veins beneath his eyes protruding from the skin seemingly pumping all his blood into his eyes. Chanyeol shivered as his eyelashes pulsed with the veins everytime he blinked, he hadn't gotten used to showing this side of himself to the human just yet.

Baekhyun watched him in fascination, his eyes taking in every little change he could physically see. The delicate slope Chanyeol's lip had formed at the new presence of his vampire teeth, the small indent against his lower lip that the fang rested upon. It was truly a sight to see. Though he supposes seeing his soulmate raise his own arm to his lips, broke the spell. Chanyeol impaled his fangs into his own wrist, his tongue swiping at the blood that naturally formed from the wound. Quickly he swiped the bottle of Cola from Baekhyun's hands, his own reaching out at a tilt so that the blood flowing from his arm could be funnelled into the neck of the bottle. Baekhyun, Yiixng and Kyungsoo watched as it dripped into the dark liquid, the cola's bubbles fizzing before eventually they quieted.

The human accepted the bottle back into his grip, though he waited until Chanyeol's vampire side had retreated before he drew the bottle to his lips. He took a quick sip, merely tasting the beverage allowing it to rest on his tongue for a moment before deeming it fit to take another sip.

Chanyeol turned to look up at Yixing who was watching the painter drink the Prince's blood without complaint, the two locking gazes over the horizontal cola bottle. Yixing's lips curled into a small smile, his head dipping between his shoulders in a pleased nod. Chanyeol returned the gesture, eyes falling briefly on Kyungsoo who marvelled at the sight of the human drinking vampire blood.

Perhaps this was exactly what they needed to calm their racing hearts. Knowing that the vampire blood Baekhyun was currently ingesting would help heal him, at least enough to halt the painful headaches he had been receiving lately.