Unbeknownst to Chanyeol and the rest of the youngsters, Yixing had spent the past few days getting his own affairs in order. He had lodged his two weeks notice and had manipulated the school board into thinking that they owed him days off, which he planned to use as his excuse for not showing up when they expected him to.

Prior to submitting his documentation, Yixing found himself holding interviews in Kyle's café for replacement teachers for his remaining students. As it was quite late into the school year, a move like this was going to impact his students. He still hadn't found the opportunity to bond with the new students, and his senior students would understand that he had other predicaments. Which meant that there were still plenty of substitute teachers available to cover his subjects. Him and Kyle were able to select a total of three applications which were then sent to the school principal to finalize.

Officially cutting ties with the job that housed him for just shy of nine years was heartbreaking, he had made a name for himself within the establishment. Had assisted students of all ages bear with the struggles they faced at home or at school. He provided them with a safe place to go for a chat, to eat their lunch, or oftentimes a place where their voices would be heard. Yixing never gave advice to the children who just wanted to talk, to have someone actually listen to their woes. Sometimes they didn't need advice or help, just the knowledge of someone caring enough to listen.

When he first met Baekhyun, he could already see the horrors of life etched into his face like scars across a warrior. Baekhyun had always worn a smile on his lips, even when bloody and bruised he still found himself omitting a light-hearted demeanor, grinning like a kindergartener whenever the nurse patched him up. His name always came up in the staff room with many of the teachers singing his praises while others wallowed in helplessness as their principal refused to allow them to interfere on such a matter. Unfortunately, the bullying only got worse during the first few weeks of Baekhyun's final year which drove Yixing to compel the principal to finally do something against the spoiled Wonho regardless of what the boy's father might have to say on the matter.

Yixing was never meant to care so deeply for the people he protected, he had been trained to become Kris' chief of security with his primary role focused on the protection of the future King. He had found himself overwhelmed with adoration and love for the two young children he helped to raise, though he would never claim to be a parent or parental figure to Chanyeol or Jongin as they both had people to fill that void. However, he did care for them like a Father would and it hurt him beyond comprehension to leave them behind.

Which is why it was so surprising that after so many years, Yixing found himself caring and loving another as deeply as he did for the Park brothers. It didn't take Baekhyun very long to wiggle his way into Yixing's heart, the boy shyly entering his classroom one lunchtime in hopes that they might be able to spend it together. Yixing happily welcomed him inside and thus began their daily routine.

It was by a pure miracle that Baekhyun also turned out to be his next door neighbor. It was probably at that moment that Yixing began seeing him like his own son, Baekhyun didn't have any parents, he didn't have any friends and he was living alone in such a large city filled with far worse horrors than vampires. Looking back, it wasn't a surprise that Yixing found himself caring for Baekhyun like a Father would, the human had already established him as his parent and he was honored to fill that void.

He never would have thought that Baekhyun was linked to his old life, that by being by his side would grant him the opportunity to find the love of his life again. Yixing thought that he would never have the opportunity to be happy again, the overwhelming grief and pain he felt when he left his people behind was unimaginable. It was as if he had driven a stake into Suho's heart himself and killed him, it was a pain that closely replicated the horror of losing one's soulmate to death's swift blade.

Though there are many things in his life that others might wish to change, Yixing was content with the way his life went. Of course, things were harsh and unforgiving. But even those dark times would give way to brighter days. Baekhyun was finally getting the love and appreciation that he deserved, and Yixing was one step closer to seeing the man whose heart he cherished more than anything else in the world. Baekhyun was bringing light to so many people's lives that it was a delight to see him finally get some of that light for himself.

A sharp knock pulled the protector from his thoughts, jolting him from his seat in front of the television. He sped himself to the door and promptly flung it open. He expected to find someone wounded, a tuft of hair missing from someone's head, a healing eye wound, something other than the four brightly smiling faces standing in his hallway.

"What is going on?"

"We come bearing gifts!" Chanyeol announced with his proudest grin. "We stopped off at McDonalds!"

"Did you get-"

"A large Big Mac burger with no gherkins and heavy on the sauce, they were out of Sprite so I went with your second favourite; Fanta. A side of chicken tenders complete with four of your favourite sauces. We would have gotten you a McFlurry too but apparently the machine broke after Jongin's ice cream." Baekhyun giggled, handing the elder his order.

"We also bought a lot of other meals, if you're still hungry. Suho prevented us from growing up on fast food so I thought tonight would be a good idea to witness Jongin's first try. " Chanyeol confessed, tossing a glare in Jongin's direction.

"It's your first time?" Yixing gasped, turning to the younger brother with wide eyes. Jongin's lips gently curled upwards in a small, shy grin, his cheeks becoming rosy from embarrassment.

"Believe me, when I first heard about it, I was pretty stumped too." Kyungsoo declared, staring lovingly at his soulmate. "I'm just surprised that he never tasted it when I was eating it, because before we met I was eating a ton of junk food."

"But I liked your cooking..." Jongin pouted, looking mildly offended at the bag in Yixing's hands. "McDonalds can't be that good."

"Let me know what he says when he eats the chicken nuggets!" Baekhyun shouted, already in the process of pushing his key into the lock on his apartment door. Surprised to see Kyungsoo quickly move to stand behind him with the biggest smile on his face.

"What's going on over there?" Yixing didn't mean to sound so parental, but he knew how defensive Baekhyun was over his apartment now that he knew the truth. It was one of the things he and Chanyeol had in common. They both agreed that Baekhyun's apartment would be his own space, a space that no vampire (besides himself) could enter, yet here Kyungsoo stood almost expecting it.

"You offered to house Chanyeol and Jongin for the night," Baekhyun explained, pushing open his front door. "I offered to house Kyungsoo."

"And you're surprisingly okay about that?" Yixing now turned to Chanyeol whose lips curled upwards in a knowing smile.

"I don't know if you've noticed but Baekhyun and Kyungsoo have created quite a bond between them, they are each other's lifeline when it comes to dealing with my family. Baekhyun looks out for Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo looks out for Baekhyun, I'm glad they have each other."

"Plus I can talk to Baekhyun about things that I would not dare speak about to my soulmate." Kyungsoo announced, much to Jongin's surprise. Yixing watched as the youngest Park brother appeared offended, his elder brother chuckling quietly behind him.

"Don't think you're so perfect," Baekhyun snapped, glaring at his soulmate as he crossed the threshold of his apartment complex. "I tell Kyungsoo stuff that I wouldn't even dream of telling you."

Now it was Chanyeol's turn to look deflated. Yixing was definitely going to have his hands full tonight. What he expected to be a night of fun and reminiscing, would eventually turn into a night of babysitting two love-sick puppies who were hurt by their soulmate's playful remarks. Oh how he wished to be in the other apartment right now.

"So, how exactly is this supposed to work?" Baekhyun's question immediately pulled Yixing's attention. The professor happily slipped out of his door frame and rushed to stand next to Kyungsoo who was patiently waiting for Baekhyun to invite him in. "Is there some kind of special sentence or do I just-"

"It's not something to overthink. You simply just have to say the words and Kyungsoo will be able to step inside."

"What prevents you?"

"An invisible forcefield," Jongin explained, struggling to juggle the multiple fast food bags in his hands. "It really is a pain in the neck sometimes."

"Oh, I guess in that case." Baekhyun straightened up, his hand gently resting on the door which he forced to the side. "Kyungsoo, would you do me the pleasure of coming inside?"

"It would be an honour, kind sir." Kyungsoo gracefully bowed his head, adding some overly dramatic hand gestures which had Baekhyun giggling. He reached out his hand and pulled his best friend over the threshold of his apartment, his smile getting wider at Kyungsoo's gasp of wonder.

"Oh you guys have no idea what you're missing..." Kyungsoo teased their two soulmates who remained in the hallway with small defeated looks on their faces. Baekhyun sent his soulmate one last glance before he quickly slammed the door in their faces.

A chuckle bellowed in the depths of Yixing's stomach, his entire upper body struggling to remain stoic when all it wanted to do was shake and release the bubbly, lighthearted emotion that came with the human's playful gesture. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo seriously didn't know who they were up against, did they really think their soulmates would be able to read through the lines? The Park brothers looked like two emotional toddlers when they were supposed to be frustrated over the playful teasing.

Perhaps there was still something he could teach them after all. 

The two best friends had spent the last thirty minutes getting Kyungsoo comfortable in his new environment, the two choosing to spend time by catching up and eating their take-out. When they were finished eating and conversation started to slip, Baekhyun offered to show his best friend around his small apartment. While a majority of Baekhyun's personal objects had already left the country, Kyungsoo was surprised to find that the space was still appealing and gave off a home-like vibe. It was no surprise that the painter was a little nervous to completely open himself up to his best friend, Baekhyun had only ever spoken about his true self, but now Kyungsoo was seeing it with his own eyes. He should have known that the vampire would find particular interest in his painting room.

Out of all the rooms in Baekhyun's apartment, he was most proud of his painting room. It was the one and only space in his home that he could go and pour his heart out onto the canvas. He often believed that his paintings portrayed the way in which he saw the world, through vibrant splashes of colour and gentle brush . Baekhyun couldn't help but feel proud when he watched Kyungsoo get transported into a whole new world by just entering the room. Paintings of all spaces and sizes stared back at them from every corner of the studio. It was truly incredible.

Kyungsoo had only ever seen his paintings through Baekhyun's phone screen, when he had taken pictures to show his new friend his most recent work. He knew that the pictures didn't do the scenes justice, but it was more convenient to take photos rather than carry them around. Thankfully Kyungsoo seemed to share his sentiment, marvelling under the sight of such work.

"Baekhyun..." he whispered, still in awe of what he was seeing. "You've painted all of these?"

The painter delicately bobbed his head, overcome with shyness now that Kyungsoo was standing in the centre of Baekhyun's most vulnerable place on Earth. He had poured his entire heart out into the paintings he created, spending hours on end until it was perfect. Sometimes he forgot to eat, other times his fingers hurt so much that he couldn't raise his chopsticks, Baekhyun's painting room was his most precious possession and yet he was happy to be able to show it off to one of his best friends.

"You have an incredible gift, have you ever thought about actually getting into this professionally?"

"It wasn't something I thought I would be able to do," Baekhyun explained, giggling quietly at Kyungsoo's awestruck expression. "I was so busy with studying and working at Kyle's that painting just became an outlet for my emotions. I didn't think I had the capabilities or the skill to take it to the professional level."

"I didn't think I had the capabilities or the skill to take it to the professional level." Kyungsoo mimicked, his lips moving in such a way that had a laugh bubbling in Baekhyun's lower abdomen. "I call bull! These are incredible, you could get so much money from this!"

"You think..?"

Kyungsoo's head whipped around, large eyes getting wider as he randomly threw his finger towards one of the canvases in front of him. "Do I think that that masterpiece could sell for money?" He paused for effect, making Baekhyun giggle quietly into his fisted hand. "Of course I do! You could be richer than Chanyeol's entire family at this rate!"

"Richer than a whole monarchy?" Baekhyun gasped, slightly surprised in himself as he started believing Kyungsoo's words. "Do you think I should?"

"One hundred percent," Kyungsoo encouraged him. "But before you agree to anything I think you need to speak to Katherine. She has a love of art and has a small collection herself. If you speak to her, maybe she can help you find people to purchase your work or she might even buy them from you herself."

"She'd do that?"

"Katherine isn't like Suho, she is very engaging with her boy's soulmates. She treats me as if I am her son, and I'm sure that will pass to you once you're officially brought into the family."

"I thought I already was officially in the family?" Baekhyun wondered, finding himself overwhelmed with the numerous rules Chanyeol's community had when it came to soulmates. Baekhyun was pretty intelligent, but even he admitted defeat when it came to wrapping his head around the multiple rules Chanyeol had briefly mentioned in passing.

The men of Chanyeol's family weren't permitted to establish a mate mark on their soulmate until they were already married and if a soulmate mark had been established, the soulmate was not allowed to mark the family member at least until marriage. The members of the family were expected to be home-schooled under a tutor hand-picked by the King, Kyungsoo had briefly mentioned how he had to stop going to his all vampire high school when he met Jongin. The Young Prince of Darkness was to remain within the castle's walls for the entirety of his life, only leaving to attend to various functions and other duties that had previously been cleared by the elder members of the family. Had Chanyeol not broken that rule, he would have never found Baekhyun.

As the days passed on it seemed like there were just more rules to remember, more rules to follow. Baekhyun loved his soulmate, but even he couldn't deny how suffocating it was to be expected to have such expectations ed onto his shoulders without prior training or understanding. There were already more than enough rules that Baekhyun knew he would struggle to comply with, the main one being that he wouldn't be able to mark his soulmate until their marriage.

"Technically you're not officially in the Royal family until you have an audience with the King or the Council."

"But I'm meeting the council in two days." Baekhyun reminded his best friend. He couldn't help but notice the look of hesitation briefly pass through Kyungsoo's eyes. He paused. "What else is there that you're not telling me."

"As you know the King-"

"Please just call him Kris, or use Chanyeol's term-"

"I can't refer to the King as Chanyeol's donor."

"You just did."

Kyungsoo's face contoured to reflect his surprise, his heart shaped lips curling upwards in a small grin as he realised that Baekhyun had played a game to get him to say the phrase. The human laughed wholeheartedly, watching as Kyungsoo's cheeks burned in embarrassment.

"Fine." The chef hissed, closing his eyes and drawing a deep breath from the paint-filled air. "As you know, Chanyeol's donor has called an audience with the Council. He must have addressed his concern with his son having a human soulmate and wanted the Council to do something about it. I can only assume that he hopes that by offering you an audience, they will agree with him and force Chanyeol into an arranged marriage with one of Kris' business partners. Until then though, you will simply remain Chanyeol's soulmate, not officially part of the family."

"Yixing already mentioned something like that," Baekhyun began, gesturing towards one of the many stools he had in his painting room. Kyungsoo happily took a seat while the human slipped himself onto the window-ledge. "He mentioned something about vampire history and how originally it was just a King on the throne, but then things changed and the vampire people wanted to see two people on the throne, a King and a Queen. What I don't understand is, how did they allow them to not be soulmates?"

"Times were different back then," Kyungsoo tried his best to explain. "You have to understand that the Council were the original leaders of our community. They were the rulers and they implemented the rules and regulations that most of us still find ourselves swearing by."

"Chanyeol told me about the Dark Ages," Baekhyun nodded. "How the famines had not only affected the humans but the vampires too. He said that in order to preserve themselves the Council went on some blood diet that caused them to enter some kind of temporary coma, which they could be woken out of when the world was back to normal. He said the monarchy was created in place of them and that it wasn't meant to last as long as it has. When the Council woke up they just accepted their new role of being advisors and aids of the King."

"You know a lot more than I suspected you did." Kyungsoo admitted, chuckling nervously to himself as he finally realised just how much knowledge Baekhyun had on the topic. "Originally the vampires had two Royal figures; a King and a Queen. They weren't soulmates, just business partners who could have different opinions, that was the system that was put in place during the Dark Ages. When the Council returned, they thought that it would be best if we replicated other kingdoms, by having a joint King and Queen on the throne; soulmates. This new option went over better with the people and in order to ensure that they kept all the power and the support didn't return to the Council, the monarch now sat a soulmate pair on the throne."

"If it was working so well, why didn't Kris have that option? Why did the Council allow him to enter the throne with someone other than his soulmate? How did they allow that to happen?"

"I don't know," Kyungsoo admitted, shoulders slumping on either side of his head. "I only heard rumors. The best person you could ask would have to be Suho since he was involved in the situation, but I have to warn you.. he doesn't like talking about that time in his life."

"What can you tell me about the Council?" Baekhyun wondered. He remained hopeful as the young vampire took a moment to rattle his brain about the members, perhaps the knowledge Kyungsoo could give him would come in handy when he meets them on Thursday.

"Well considering the fact that I learned a lot about them when I was in school, I would say that I know some of them quite well." Baekhyun's heart fluttered as Kyungsoo's lips formed a small smirk. "So, I want you to think long and hard about what you want to know."

"If we're going to talk about this, let's move back into the living room." Baekhyun suggested, already in the process of quickly tidying up his space. Kyungsoo remained patient on his stool, simply watching the human rush around him like a headless chicken. He felt honoured to have been given the opportunity to get a glimpse into Baekhyun's soul, his paintings were truly incredible. It was unfortunate that they wouldn't be joining them on their journey overseas, though Kyungsoo did expect to find himself surrounded by brand new paintings in the future.

When he was certain that Baekhyun was finished placing a few materials away, Kyungsoo rose from his seat and followed the human back to the living room. Baekhyun made a quick stop in the kitchen, grabbing a box of his favourite cookies and offering Kyungsoo a glass of Sprite. The vampire happily accepted the drink and marvelled at the beautiful bubbly flavour, his tongue swiping against his lips to lap up any remaining drop. It had been awhile since he was allowed to indulge in these things.

"So," Baekhyun announced through his fingers, his hand pressed against his lips as he chewed on a cookie. "Why don't you start with the basics? How many are there? Should I recall their names? Do they have any identification markings that might help me differentiate them from the others?"

"The Council has six members. Formal introductions will be given on the day of your audience so I suggest making yourself aware of their names now, it will help you appear confident and -in fewer words- someone who shouldn't be messed with."

"Knowing their name has that much power?"

"For a human? Knowing the name of a vampire council member is the best weapon you could possess."

Kyungsoo watched as the excitement slowly evaporated from Baekhyun's small frame, his teeth still munched on his cookie but the vampire could see that he now had the human's complete attention. Baekhyun was ready to spend the rest of his night preparing for the most important day of his life. 

An audience with the vampire council was a rare gift that even vampires themselves often didn't receive, Kyungsoo would make sure that the human was prepared for anything they could throw his way. If this meeting went well, Baekhyun would be able to ensure that he remained by Chanyeol's side for the rest of his life. If it didn't there was no doubt that the Prince would be obligated by both the Council and his Father to marry the daughter of one of Kris' business-partners and while Chanyeol would spend the rest of his life fighting against it, Kyungsoo didn't want to witness him fight a losing battle.

No. He cared far too much for Baekhyun to let him slip through the cracks now. Kyungsoo would bear all of his knowledge to the human and hopefully Baekhyun will be able to take over the rest from there. Chanyeol may have portrayed this meeting as something small with no great impact, but Kyungsoo wouldn't. He wanted Baekhyun to know exactly what he was walking into. 

Despite the long night between both himself and his soulmate, Chanyeol was surprised to find that they were capable of remaining awake long enough to wish the last of their loved ones a safe journey on their way across the waters. The three younger vampires thought it best that they give the human and his protector some time alone, to say their quiet goodbyes. 

The Prince couldn't help but release a pain-filled gasp when he noticed that Baekhyun's eyes were full of unshed tears. The human giggled quietly in Yixing's hold, the elder vampire holding him close by the waist as he pulled him into another tight embrace. Chanyeol watched with an aching heart as Baekhyun's fingers clumped at the elder's shirt, his knuckles turning white from how tight he held on. 

Chanyeol had no other option to hold himself back from interfering, no matter how much he craved to whisk the human up in his arms and whisper words of comfort, he knew deep down that he needed to allow them to comfort each other. His only role was to be Baekhyun's support, should the human come looking for it. That was what he needed to understand and begin to implement in their lives.  

Yixing eventually pulled away, although reluctantly. He gently Baekhyun's cheek, no doubt swiping the tears away like he used to do for them whenever they got particularly upset over Kris and their parents fighting. Chanyeol was doing the best he could to not allow himself the opportunity to listen into their conversation, allowing his hearing to focus on the highway just beyond the blocked off jet-rental property. But even then, certain words continued to trickle through. 

"I don't plan on seeing Suho until you and Chanyeol arrive tomorrow." Yixing explained, Chanyeol watching as Baekhyun softly dipped his head. "I'll be staying in a hotel in the city, I plan on meeting you two at the airport, but you have my number if anything happens."

"Even though I know nothing bad will happen, I will keep you up to date with everything. I'll let you know when I get to the meeting and then the second I finish-"

"He's going to be fine." Kyungsoo voice interrupted the flow of words trickling into Chanyeol's ear. "I've prepared him with everything that he needs to know about the meeting tomorrow."

"You did what?!" Jongin exclaimed, his eyes blown wide to replicate his brother's shock. "How could you dump all of that on him?"

"Because he can handle it." Chanyeol responded in Kyungsoo's stead, the young chef turning to look at him in surprise. "Nana told me that I have to trust in what Baekhyun does, and I know that you wouldn't have willingly given him this information if he wasn't the one to ask about it first. You're like us Kyungsoo, you want to protect him, but even you know that there are things that you must tell him in order to ensure that he stays with us."

"I didn't think you would see it that way..." his voice was small, no presence of the confidence Chanyeol had seen growing in him over the pass few days. He seemed smaller today, less vocal, more restricted. 

"Kyungsoo I want to make something clear between us," Chanyeol spoke as gently as he could, sparing a glance at his brother whose shoulders stiffened as he waited for what the elder had to say. "I understand that you love Baekhyun in a way that I never will, I understand that the two of you have bonded over the commonality of being additions to our family. That is why you will never have to explain your reasonings for things that relate to my soulmate. If you think that its important that he be made aware of something, than I will agree with you and I will have your back, one hundred percent."

"I need him in my life Chanyeol, I don't think I could handle your family without him."

"Than do whatever you have to." Chanyeol gently wrapped his fingers around Kyungsoo's wrists. "If there is one person on this world that I can trust with Baekhyun more than anyone else, it's you Kyung. Because I know that you would do everything in your power to ensure that he's prepared and ready for anything."

"Thank you." He whispered, blinking through tear-filled eyes. Chanyeol felt brave enough to broach the gap between them and delicately press his puckered lips against the younger's forehead, Kyungsoo releasing a small sigh in response to his affection. 

"How about, instead of thanking me... you make sure that everything is prepared at the Cottage for us?"

"Do I have complete authority over the rooms?" Kyungsoo wondered, balancing on the balls of his feet as his eyes twinkled in mischief. Chanyeol couldn't help but relent, his ears picking up his brother's pleased chuckle. 

"Fine, but at least let Suho pick his own. I don't think either of us want the stress that would ensure."

"Agreed." Kyungsoo huffed. Chanyeol gently dropped the hold he had on his brother's soulmate. His attention now turning to Jongin who seemed to know exactly what he was going to say. 

"I'll make sure that everything's okay, I'll send you a text if anything happens."

"Thank you." Chanyeol sighed, wrapping his arms around his brother's shoulders. Jongin happily stepped into the embrace and gently patted his elder brother on the back, no more words were needed. 

The two siblings let out a deep breath, their attention returning to their soulmates who had gravitated towards each other now that Yixing had already boarded the plane. The protector watched them all from his seat by the window, his lips curled upward in a small smile. 

Baekhyun snuggled against Kyungsoo's neck, breathing in his earthly scent. It no doubt hurt the human to have both of his support systems flying out of the country, but the only reassurance he had was that he would be joining them in a few hours. Despite the overwhelming sadness settling onto his shoulders as Jongin gently guided Kyungsoo towards the plane, Baekhyun felt comfort wash over him in the sturdy grip that the arm on his waist provided. 

There were no words spoken as the doors to the jet were closed and the sound of the engine echoed throughout the property. Baekhyun didn't need to look back to find his comfort spot against Chanyeol's shoulder, he knew exactly where his neck needed to push against. Chanyeol provided him with a stable ground for his body to rest against, his entire weight shifting so that he no longer bore the blunt end of it. 

The vampire shifted his own weight around to accustom to the human though there was no real need, Chanyeol was more than capable of handling their combined weight, but at least now he had a better hold on his soulmate. With arms wrapped against the smaller's torso, Chanyeol applied just the right amount of pressure that would equal to a bear hug. The pressure would be soothing and comforting all at the same time, the human's smile making his old heart race. 

"If you didn't have any plans for us today, I was kind of hoping that I might bring you somewhere." Baekhyun whispered, knowing that Chanyeol would hear him over the loud rumbling of the engine. 

"Of course," Chanyeol agreed, not even allowing his previous idea to slip past his lips. He gently applied a kiss to his soulmate's cheek, his heart fluttering after Baekhyun released a pleased sigh. "as long as you let me treat you to a fancy dinner."

Baekhyun scoffed as he turned in his arms, the vampire allowing him to twist just enough so that they were now facing each other. "Are you buttering me up because you want to get out of this meeting tomorrow?"

"Is it working?"

"It depends," Baekhyun giggled, allowing his arms to slip through the gaps between them and coil around Chanyeol's neck. "Where do you plan on taking me?"

"Oh someplace I'm certain you'll love..."

"Go on.."

"McDonalds?"

"God the universe really chose the perfect man for being my soulmate." Baekhyun giggled, putting just enough pressure against the base of Chanyeol's neck to force the vampire into a kiss. 

Chanyeol couldn't help but smile into it.