#and Yongguk doesn’t give much of a fuck at this point in life...leans more towards topping because he’s less uncomfortable afterwards

[junhong-ah]

[Daehyun] - Everything could change.

word count: 4,2k •  characters: you x daehyun •  genre: fluff (angst?) •  gif credit

Summary: After all these years, he still hasn't changed. Daehyun's still a smug, cocky asshole to you, especially this evening, which you spend among friends. He doesn’t leave you alone and drives you to the edge of madness with everything he does. But who could have guessed that this evening was the catalyst for a far-reaching change in your relationship? 

With a bright smile you stood in front of the apartment, waiting for someone to let you in since you already rang the doorbell. As the door opened, your smile was gone that second you saw who was standing in front of you. It was Daehyun.

“Not you again..” you sighed, rolling your eyes.

“Thanks. Glad to see you, too” he replied with a smug grin.

You entered the apartment and tried to get past him, but he held you back. This annoying grin still on his face, he sized you up. You raised an eyebrow, looking at him. What the hell was he thinking?

“You got a problem?”

“You look stunning” he said with a disgusting smirk. “Is that for me?”

With a not so gentle push you left him behind, looking for your actual friends. You found them in the living room, sitting at the big dining table. They smiled at you and greeted you cheerful, Himchan stood up to pull you in a quick hug.

“I'm glad you made it, Y/N! Take a seat, dinner's almost ready.” With this words he disappeared in the kitchen.

Quickly you took a seat between Youngjae and Junhong, so you didn't have to sit next to a certain somebody who just came back in to the living room. You tried to ignore him, but this big fat smile that's plastered on his face made you sick.

Unfortunately it could not always be avoided to meet him, no matter how much you wished for that. The fact that you had mutual friends inevitably meant that you saw each other more often than you would have liked. You really can't tell how everything started, but you knew for sure that you didn't like Jung Daehyun at all. He always was some kind of arrogant and a real cocky asshole to you. But only to you, that's what made it so nasty. You never saw him acting like this when he was with the members or other friends. Maybe it was just mutual dislike at first sight... Or something.

“Move over!” Daehyun said to Youngjae, who was just laughing and instantly moving to the next seat. You sighed again as Daehyun took place next to you. That's what you wanted to prevent, but you should've known he would find a way to annoy you. He always did.

During dinner you had trouble not bursting with anger. All the time he teased you as he knew how easy it was for him to provoke you. He made bad jokes, suggestive comments or just fun of you. But you tried to ignore it while you were talking a lot with Junhong, who made you laugh nearly every time and distracted you from this idiot. But as you felt Daehyun's hand on your leg, it was too much. You pushed it away, jumping up from your chair to give him a deadly eye.

“I'll be right back” you said to the others as you left the room heading towards the bathroom.

You leaned over the sink, looking into the mirror above it, as your fingers clenched on to the ceramic. Your skin was burning and your face was red because of pure anger. So you turned on the tap to cool your face down with some cold water.

How dared he to be that sassy to you. You hated it so much that you almost had slapped him. Why did he always had to be such a cocky asshole? And why the hell did it bother you so much? Normally you just ignored guys like him, but for some reason it wasn't that easy with him.

As you left the bathroom you sighed and suddenly ran into someone. There he was again, smirking at you as he gave you this suggestive look all over again.

“There you are” Daehyun said, biting his lower lip. With this he attracted your full attention and you held your breath while you're looking on his sensual, full lips. If he wasn't such an idiot, they would probably be a big weakness of yours.

He came closer and his body pressed against yours, so you felt the closed bathroom door in your back. You wanted to escape, but your body wasn't moving at all. “G-get away from m-me” you stuttered, not knowing how to react to this closeness.

“Are you sure?” You felt his hand on your waist, while he was still staring at you. “You don't sound very convincing.”

A few seconds there is just silence. You tried to look away, but his gaze just had frozen you. His hand still rested on your waist, no chance to get rid of it.

“You know” he said, his face coming even closer. You felt his lips on your ear, his warm breath tickling it. “You’re cute when you’re angry.” Now his hand is moving down your thigh, stroking over your short pants until he reached your bare skin. “Ugh, these shorts just drive me crazy. You drive me crazy!”

That's enough for you to finally break free and push him away. “You're disgusting!” you yelled, leaving him behind again. You heard him laugh, but you just ran for your life and back to your friends. A shiver ran down your spine while you were trying to understand what just happened. Did he totally gone crazy now?

Later that evening nothing's changed. You tried to spend a nice evening with friends, but Daehyun always found a way to ruin it in some way. At least he tried. While Youngjae seemed to had a lot of fun with that, the rest of them were tired of it. They told him to shut up ad let you be, but that never lasted long. He kept teasing you, made fun of you in front of everyone and he constantly interrupted you.  

At some point Yongguk had enough of it and as he spoke up, everyone was quiet. Even Daehyun.

“Just stop it!” he grumbled, dead-eyeing him. “You guys just clear this or simply shut the fuck up. But you can't go on like this. Both of you!”

“Yeah. Just tell her and stop that shit!” Junhong said cheekily.

You just raised an eyebrow, looking at him. What the hell did he mean? Daehyun reached out for your hand, to pull you up and drag you with him. He pulled you into another room - which seemed to be the second bedroom - and slammed the door shut behind you.

“What the hell?” you yelled, not understanding what was going on. “What is wrong with you?”

“With me? The real question is, what is wrong with you!”

Silently you frowned, not knowing what to answer. You didn't even knew what he was talking about, neither you understood what Junhong just said. What did he mean as he said just tell her?

“You really don't get it?” Daehyun grabbed you by your arms and looked deep into your eyes. He seemed to be overwhelmed and confused at the same time. He starred at you, hoping you would understand without any explanation. He was hoping, he wouldn't have to say it because he was so, so bad at this.

Under his gaze you blushed, not knowing why. “Stop touching me over and over again!” The way he was looking at you drove you insane, but you wouldn't admit it to yourself. So you wiggled in his grip, trying to get rid of him.

Daehyun wanted to show you what he meant, but instead he let go of you. The last thing he wanted, was to do something he would regret later on. And obviously you didn't want to be touched by him, why would you let him try something else?

“And while we're at it: stop being such an asshole! Maybe you think you're the greatest, but that doesn't mean you can behave like that! Stop pretending to be the king, because you're not!”

With this words you left him behind the last time this evening. You had enough so you said goodbye to your friends and left the apartment. The rage was blinding you, so you didn't notice you just weren't any better than him.

A few days later you got visited by Yongguk. You hadn't seen the boys since then, so you were clearly surprised to see him. Within the last days you realized you've gone too far and that you probably should apologize to Daehyun for what you've said to him. But your ego didn't let you. Maybe you were mean, but he still was the same person. Did you really want to ask him for forgiveness?

“Did something happen?” you asked Yongguk, although you could imagine why he paid you a visit.

He was just grinning as he shook his head. “Not really. I was just hoping we could... talk?”

“Sure.”

You led him into your kitchen, making some tea because you already knew this could take a while. He sat at the little table in your kitchen, as you leaned against the kitchen counter.

“So, what's up?”

Yongguk sighed, obviously he wasn't sure where to start. He didn't want to take it too far, but he knew you and Daehyun would never talk to each other, if no one would help you with that. There were things, he couldn't tell you because it was Daehyun's job to do that, but he wanted to give it a try anyway.

“It's about Daehyun” he said and you only nodded. “You guys really need to talk. Things can't go on like this. I know he's kind of, well, let's say extra, but still. He was a mess after you disappeared because he really wanted to talk to you. I don't know what went wrong, but you need to clear this up. Please!”

It took you a while to really get those words through to you, but you nodded again. You already knew you had to talk to him again, but now you had no choice anymore. Yongguk wouldn't accept any other decision.

“It's just...” you started, plopping down on the second chair in your kitchen, “he acts like a total jerk and I just can't handle that anymore. I never really did, but now he's gone too far.”

Now it was Yongguk, who nodded. He could totally understand your point, but that didn't change anything. Things needed to be said and he knew that better than you did. But only because he knew better than you.

“I don't know what happened between the two of you, but that doesn't matter anyway. I only know that you should give him the chance to explain himself.” He smiled cheery, hoping you could do what Daehyun couldn't. Leave your ego behind and just talk about your feelings.

“Can you at least tell me, why he's acting like that? I mean, I know he's different when he's with you. Why can't he just talk to me, as with everybody else?” You needed some answers, but you actually knew that only he could give them to you.

“I think you should ask him. Don't be too harsh with him, okay? Kick his ass if he takes it too far, if not, just stay over it. Be smart.”

After one moment of silence, you burst out laughing and it didn't take long for Yongguk to laugh, too. “So that's what you do when your kids go crazy?”

“Sure. Either that or they're grounded. Depends, I guess” he joked, still laughing.

If felt so good to laugh, it took a while before you got more serious again. “Thank you” you simply said. Now you were a little more confident to face Daehyun. Maybe that's exactly what you needed. Yongguk was right. Thing's couldn't go on like this, something needs to change.

The very next day you found yourself in Daehyun's apartment. Nervous you took a sip of the soda he gave you, to calm down a little. Your heart was beating fast, because you didn't knew what to expect from this conversation. He acted different now and that's what scared you the most. Was he really that mad at you?

“So... you wanted to talk?”

You cleared your throat, silently nodding. Again your confidence was gone and you had no idea how this could happen all over again. Yesterday everything seemed to be so easy, but now it was like a nightmare to you.

“I didn't gave you any chance to explain yourself the other day, -”

“Yes. And that was very rude of you!” he said, interrupting you. He grinned as an apology, but you thought he would mess with you all over again.

“Are you serious?”

He cleared his throat. “I'm sorry. Go ahead.”

You sighed, taking a deep breath to put yourself together again. He almost drove you mad again, but you managed to stay calm. Yongguk asked you to be patient with him, to be smart. And that's exactly what you wanted to be.

“I'm sorry about what I said the other day. I didn't intend to be that mean” you simply said, hoping this was enough for him to forgive you.

Daehyun’s first intention was to reply with a (bad) joke but he swallowed instead, not saying anything. He was impressed by your honesty and courage. After all, he could imagine how hard it must have been for you to come here. But there was this urge to just joke about everything so he wouldn't have to face his real feelings. Because he didn't know how to handle those.

“It's okay. I kinda deserved that.” That was the first time he smiled that day and somehow you had to smile too. It took a load off your mind to see him smile again. That was a good start, wasn't it?

“So.. you can tell me now” you said and you really hoped he would finally do it. You still had no clue, even if it was that obvious. Everyone knew the whole story and nobody needed to say anything.

He swallowed again, trying to get rid of that big lump in his throat that just didn't want to disappear. It was there since you stood in front of him, after he opened the door. Daehyun knew he needed to say something, but it was nearly impossible to do so. It was no secret that you didn't like him and that's why he never said anything to you. At least when it came to his feelings. He probably couldn't handle to get ditched by you.

“Suddenly you care?” His mouth was faster than his brain. Why the hell was he ruining everything again? You were just getting closer, weren't you? He wanted to slap himself so bad!

You rolled your eyes as you put your soda away. Sighing, you stood up and shook your head in disbelief. You tried your best to keep control, but the next second you were mad at him all over again. He didn't seem to bother at all. Maybe he didn't care about any of that and you just made a fool of yourself?

“Why are you doing this?” you asked fainted.

Daehyun didn't know what to say, although he wanted to say so many things, but nothing crossed his lips. The members always said he talked too much, he was too loud or too extrovert. And maybe they were right, he probably was. But when he was with you, everything was different. He just wanted to tell you that, but he couldn't find any words for it.

You sighed once again, because you were truly disappointed. You wanted answers so badly, but it seemed as if you wouldn't get any from him. “I'm just wasting my time here, aren't I? You know what? Just forget it!”

His eyes widened, as he saw you leaving his living room. This time his body listened to him and so he quickly ran after you before you could leave him all over again. He reached for your wrist and held you back so you had to look at him.

"Please! Don't leave," Daehyun said so quietly, he almost whispered it.

Something in his eyes told you to stay, even if your mind was trying to tell you he didn't deserve a second chance. Or third chance, actually. But you couldn't tell what it was as something was totally different now. Daehyun had looked at you in many different ways, but this was new to you. In this second you realized, he wasn't messing with you at all.

“Why can't you just tell me?”

“Because then thing's would change, and I don't want this to happen.”

He sounded desperate, nearly exhausted and you just wanted to pull him in a comforting hug. But you couldn't go any further without him talking to you. You were ready to forgive and forget, but he needed to say something – anything – to clear this up.

“But things need to change, that's why we had to talk in the first place. You remember?” you said with a soft smile on your lips.

You were surprised on how easy it was to talk to him now, since you never really had a normal conversation at all. And you can't even tell why. The first time you saw Daehyun he immediately caught your eye and you remembered that you blushed as he looked at you the first time. But things escalated quickly and everything was kind of awkward. He just wanted to be funny and tough, but you always thought he was a poser. Maybe he wasn't that kind of guy. Maybe he was different then you thought he was.

“I mean, I could tell you and everything would be different. But... you can't tell me you didn't like it when I'm like this. I saw it in your eyes, Y/N.”

Something dangerous sparkled in his eyes and you had real trouble not breaking eye contact. He bit his lower lip and again it caught your full attention as it did at Himchan's the other day. This plush lip resting between his teeth was kind of madness. If you were honest with yourself his lips were your greatest weakness already. Since... ever.

His hand still wrapped around your wrist strengthened and pulled you closer to him. Your heart pounded like mad and you really hoped he wouldn't notice it. It felt like it would jump out of your chest directly against his, while your legs got shaky as hell.

Meanwhile you knew exactly what he was up to, but you didn't want to make it that easy for him. It demanded all self-control, but you managed to free yourself from his grip as you placed your hand on his chest. You stood on tiptoe to approach your face to his. Only a few millimeters separated his lips from yours and you smirked slightly. His eyes widened again and you chuckled, still looking at him.

“Tell me, Dae. Just tell me and everything will change for good. I promise. But I need to hear it, please” you whispered against his lips and you already could tell that he had real trouble to hold on to his own self-control.

“Stop playing” he said breathless and you chuckled again.

“That's what you did all the time.”

Daehyun sighed, turning away from you to run a hand through his hair and to calm down a little. You just drove him crazy, as always, but this time it was him who was speechless and not you. He loved the games you played over the years but only if it was the other way around and he was the one in charge.

As he turned around again, he looked at you some kind of helpless. Why did you do this to him if you already knew he couldn't name it? He knew that you knew, but that didn't make it any easier for him. Quite the opposite.

His mouth opened, but his voice was muted. He turned around again and again, trying to find any kind of words that would replace the three words you were craving for so badly. Maybe it was mean of you to turn the tables, but there was no chance you would say it first. You just realized you liked him more than you thought all the time, but he seemed to accept it for quite a while now.

“It's just, you know, I'm not good at talking about my feelings.” He looked at you again, desperately praying you'd show mercy, but you didn't. “Y/N, why the hell are you doing this to me? You drive me crazy so badly!” Daehyun sighed, he felt like he would explode any second. Why the hell was he such a coward when it came to you?

“I don't know, it was easier for me to play the tough guy, making bad jokes and pretend to be bold. And I saw how much you enjoyed it, even if you'd never admit it to yourself. I liked the game we were playing, but as thing escalated I had no clue what to do. I know you hated me and... -” he stopped, helplessly gasping for air over and over again. “Please, Y/N, do I really have to continue?”

You wanted to end this torture too but he just started talking and you wanted to hear it so badly. Also you felt like he needed to finally talk about it and you knew he'd feel better once everything was said.

“I don't force you” you said sighing, sounding a little disappointed even if you didn't intend to. “If you can't say it, it's okay. I'm sorry for turning the tables, but I was hoping it would do the same to you, as it did to me.” You tried to smile in apology, but his facial expression didn't change.

Daehyun came back to you slowly, reaching out for your hands and when they met, it felt like they were on fire. “Is it enough to tell you I really like you? And that I'm sorry for everything I did? Because I really mean it.”

Smiling brightly you nodded slowly and silently. It was more than you'd hoped for and it made you happy as hell. He returned that smile in relief as he slowly pulled you even closer. He placed his right hand on your cheek, his thumb stroke over it softly as he looked deep into your eyes.

“Can I... kiss you?”

You blushed so much while your heart was racing and you kept eye contact all the time. “Yes” you whispered and the next moment his lips overcame the last distance and met yours.

A thrilling tingle rose in your stomach and spread across your whole body. You didn't know it but your body longed for him so infinitely and now it was finally time to feel and taste him. He kissed you as carefully and gently as he could because he didn't want to risk going only one step too far. His lips tasted so sweet and pure and were much more delightful then you could've ever imagine.

As you two separated, Daehyun's eyes were radiantly sparkling at you. He seemed to be so relieved and happy it made your heart skip a beat over and over again.

“I like you too” you said quietly, blushing all over again.

He chuckled, wrapping his arms around you to pull you close. Your head rested on his chest and for a moment you just closed you eyes, listening to the beat of his heart that was racing just like yours. Softly his hand strokes over your hair as he placed his chin on your head. The two of you just enjoyed the moment.

You pulled away a little, to look up to him. “Now was that so hard?” you asked because you needed to tease him a little.

Daehyun's lips formed into a sweet pout that made your heart jump excitedly and once again his lips had your full attention. The realization that you would feel those lips as often as you wanted now, struck you like lightning and made you infinitely excited and terribly nervous at the same time.

Your lips met for another sweet kiss that could hardly be surpassed in perfection. No matter how difficult and complicated it may have been between you, all that was forgotten with this kiss.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, after he pulled away to get both of you some air.

Like on command your stomach growled and you both had to laugh. The load that had now fallen from your shoulders had made room for a ravenous hunger.

"A little" you said with a smile and Daehyun giggled in amusement.

He took you by your hand to drag you with him, back into the living room. “Let's order some nice food and enjoy this wonderful day together.”

“Of course all you can think about is food.” You chuckled, earning a playful dead eye of him while you're following him happily. “Sounds perfect” you said winking, hoping this day would never have to end.

[lordsicheng]

One Last Bite Epilogue: The Problem Pt. 2

Kim Donghan (main) x OC ft. Kim Yongguk, Kwon Hyunbin, and Kim Taedong

genre: Vampire AU

summary: already starting to accept your fate, you suddenly get hit by reality that being a vampire isn’t what it seems. having to adjust to your new, eternal life, you begin to become nervous as you face a couple of obstacles that bothered you. with the help of your boyfriend and his brothers, you come up with ways to help solve everything or else you will have to keep yourself hidden from everyone you loved, including your family.

W!: a bit of profanity, a lil straightforward/suggestive conversation lol

A/N: this marks the end of the One Last Bite series~ will start on the other vampire’s stories soon. c:

Hyunbin hurried down the stairs as soon as he was done changing clothes and ran towards the library, where he saw Taedong and Yongguk have a conversation right before he arrived

“Where’s Donghan?” Hyunbin asked as he marched towards the two

“He had to go somewhere with y/n. Why?” Taedong replied as he crossed his arms and looked at Hyunbin

“Father is coming over today.” he said in a strict tone

“Wait, today? When today?” Yongguk furrowed his brows

“Now.” the father suddenly arrived as he walked inside the library, looking around before looking at the three young men stand next to each other

“Hello, father.” Taedong bowed, and the two others bowed as well

“Yongguk, may I speak with your privately at the living room?” the father raised a brow, making Yongguk all nervous

“Okay, father.” Yongguk looked down as he followed the father to the living room. Hyunbin and Taedong just looked at each other as they followed towards the doorway

“Hyunbin, Taedong, no. This is going to be a very private conversation.” the father turned to look at the other two, making them turn around to the other side of the room

-

Yongguk sat on the sofa as he looked down, the father seated on one of the grander living room chairs as he crossed his legs and looked at him in a serious expression

“You do know that killing another vampire is very much against the rules, especially if they’re an ancestor of the killer.” the father sighed as he crossed his arms and leaned back on the chair

“I am aware of that, father.” Yongguk nodded slightly

“Doesn’t matter. I hated that son of a bitch.” the father suddenly laughed, and Yongguk looked at him, clearly taken aback

“What?” Yongguk looked at him perplexed

“He has broken rules more than any other vampire in the family. Even more rules than the ones you guys know.” he smiled and stood up as he walked back and forth around the room

“You see, Yongguk, Hongsuk was a very virtuous man when I met him. Of course, wanting a man with proper conduct and a sympathetic heart, I chose him as my right hand; only to get betrayed once he has crossed over to the life of an immortal creature.” he continued

“He became self absorbed, hunting random people and becoming a man with no manners. I ignored this in the beginning, but I have always tried to plan many times to get rid of him. And yet, I still let him be my right hand for the past 800 years.” the father looked out the window, witnessing the heavy storm outside

“But why didn’t you confront him about it?” Yongguk asked as he stood up, making the father look at him with a small smile

“Because he never listens. He became hardheaded and abused his ability to become immortal as a way of destroying anyone who has ever wronged him, even if it was his own family.” the father nodded as he walked his way to Yongguk

“What happened to his family?” Yongguk asked curiously

“He killed them. All of them. He found out he was adopted because his real mother was a servant at the then-King’s palace, and she had to give him up since she did not want to abort him while he was still in her womb. After she gave birth to Hongsuk, she gave him to one of the higher classed families that one of the other servants knew after finding out the wife could not bear any children. And well, the rest went on. He lived a very happy life, enjoying the simplest of things and grew up becoming a very wise poet. I was simply a fan of his work and gave him the chance to be able to write for as long as he could and be my partner for the time being, but look at what happened. Cruel, despicable, disrespectful after he was bitten.” the father clicked his tongue and shook his head as he walked to the other side

“Well, what are your plans then, father?” Yongguk looked at him shakily, wondering if he were to still get a punishment

“Go on with whatever you are doing. I’ve decided to not have a right hand for now. Let’s just say, you’ve saved the family from getting exposed in the near future.” he chuckled as he walked towards Yongguk, patting his shoulder

“Anyways, where is Donghan?” the father looked around

“He-“

“THEY’RE COMING IN TWO HOURS EVERYONE!” Donghan slammed the door open as he walked inside with you, stopping as soon as he saw the father and Yongguk look at him

“Who is coming in two hours?” the father asked, putting his hands on his hips

“The…” Donghan blanked out, and all of them looked at you

“Hello, father. Nice to see you again.” you chuckled awkwardly as you looked at him

“Y/n, the truth.” the father asked in a stern voice

“My parents are coming over because I want to tell them the truth and I don’t want them to disregard me as a daughter so Donghan came up with a plan and THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!” you talked so fast and yelled as you pointed to Donghan, who was just as confused as you on what to do

“Donghan?” the father looked at him

“I’m gonna go and-“ Yongguk turned to go to the library, only to get cut off by the father

“No, stay. Hyunbin! Taedong! Get your asses here in the living room!” the father yelled loudly, scaring you a bit. But Donghan and Yongguk got used to their father’s voice and just facepalmed

“Ha haaaa is Yongguk in trouble?” Hyunbin laughed as he walked towards the living room with Taedong

“Shut your ass up and tell me what is going on, right now!” the father demanded, making Hyunbin gulp and everyone else look at you. You felt guilty for dragging all of them with you problem and ended up running towards the father, kneeling and grabbing on to his coat

“It’s my entire fault, father! I shouldn’t have let Donghan bite me yet, and now I’m having a dilemma where I have to adjust into this life and I don’t know what to do anymore. So I dragged everyone to help me and Donghan had a plan where he was going to propose…” you tugged lightly on his coat, making him turn and look at you and then to Donghan

“Propose?” the father raised his voice in confusion

“It’s just a plan, I swear! I don’t have plans on marrying her!” Donghan panicked, making you and everyone else glare at him

“Yet!” Donghan gulped as he looked at you, and you just turned to look up at the father again

“Please, just let us fix this problem for now and I swear I won’t tell any other human about us. Just my parents, please. I will do my best to make them understand because I really love Donghan and he loves me, and I just can’t let him go.” you sobbed, looking down as you knew you made a big mistake. The father just sighed as he put his hand on your shoulder, making you look up at him

“We can’t interfere with love, y/n, whether if it be of a mortal and a vampire or a vampire to another. I will only let you off this once, but you need to come off with a better plan if you want your parents to understand your choice of becoming one of us.” he pat your shoulder and looked at everyone

“Donghan?” the father raised a brow as he looked at him, knowing as he was afraid you were gonna get hurt

“Father, after all of this we can go back to our usual lives. I love y/n, and I don’t plan on letting her go that easily either. I turned her into one of us so I am in full commitment of being her guardian.” he nodded, and you looked at him

“And also her lover.” he gave a small smile, making you smile back as a tear fell from your eye

“Alright, I will acknowledge this plan you are going on with. But on one condition.” the father looked at Donghan as he helped you stand up

“Anything, father.” Donghan bowed

“Because you decided to give your last bite to y/n and turn her into a vampire, your new power will now belong to hers.” the father looked at you, making everyone else gasp

“What power was it supposed to be?” you asked as you turned to look at the father

“Time control. You can time travel anytime with it. And you can stop the time as well or make it go faster. You can stop the time with just a snap of the finger and bring it back again with another snap. To make the time go faster, just two claps of your hand and stop with one.” he chuckled

“What the fuck, I wanted that!” Hyunbin complained as he crossed his arms

“Shut your piehole, you have four powers. You’ve had enough. I’m even thinking of giving your duplication power to Donghan instead.” the father glared at Hyunbin

“No way!” Hyunbin pouted

“Anyways, y/n? You up for the challenge?” the father gave you a loving smile, finally accepting you as part of the family. You looked at Donghan, who smiled and nodded, and turned to look back at the father

“Yes, I’m willing.” you grinned

“Good. Now, this won’t take long.” the father put his hand on your forehead, making you confused

“Uh, how does this w-“

“Shh, y/n. Just close your eyes and focus.” Taedong said as he looked at you, and you closed your eyes and tried to focus on the father’s presence that was within your mind

“This is going to be fucking messy.” Yongguk muttered

“Shhh, shut up!” Taedong scolded as he whispered, slapping Yongguk’s arm

You felt a tingling sensation as the father focused on giving you the power, making everything in the living room float and the others look around, sighing and just focusing as well. You felt the ground shake as you finally received flashbacks of your infancy up to your current life, making you feel a push as you flew off and hit your back on the wall, falling as you panted and slowly opened your eyes, making Donghan and Yongguk run towards your aide

“What the hell just happened?” you groaned as you put your hand on your head

“That’s how he usually do it here.” the father smiled and nodded as he wiped his hands together

“The living room’s a mess again.” Hyunbin glared at all the furniture and belongings messed up around the area

“Quit whining, you can fix everything with your agility in less than thirty minutes.” the father looked at Hyunbin and then to everyone

“So, your parents are coming, right? Who’s playing father?” the father chuckled as he put his hands on his hips again, making all of you look at each other as you all lastly turned to look at him, whose smile faded once he noticed everyone look at him

“What?”

-

Everyone was frantically running around the house while preparing for dinner. You forced Yongguk to buy pasta meals instead of Korean ones, since you knew everyone cannot bear anything that had garlic in it for obvious reasons. Hyunbin decided to clean up the place and arrange everything, and Taedong helped with the arrangement of the kitchen and dining area. You looked at the father go down the stairs with Donghan, hurrying as soon as they saw you run around and prepare everything as well between the kitchen and living room.

“Don’t forget to close the windows!” you yelled

“On it!” Hyunbin ran fast to all the windows, covering everything with the curtains

“A taxi just pulled up in front!” Yongguk yelled as he ran from the back door with handfuls of bags of the food

“Shit, Hyunbin help Yongguk prepare everything. Taedong, Donghan, father, sit on the sofa!” you shouted as you hurried your way to the front door

“Wait, I’m supposed to have a name, right?” the father asked as you passed by him

“Oh right, shit.” you scratched your head, hearing the doorbell ring in an instant

“Let’s just call you Taehyun.” you turned to run to the door

“That sounds like Taedong and Hyunbin combined.” Donghan gave a confused look

“Shh, act normal!” you said in a low voice before you opened up the door to see your parents who had the biggest smiles on their faces

“Mom! Dad!” you greeted and hugged them immediately

“Our lovely pumpkin pie!” your father exclaimed in glee

“Oh dear, you’re hands are cold?” your mom pulled away from the hug as she grabbed your hands, confused. You pulled your hands away in an instant and side eyed the men at the living room

“Air conditioning, mom. Come in! I want you to meet some people.” you grinned as you let your parents in and grabbed their luggage and pushed them to the side

“Mom, dad, this is my boyfriend, Donghan. His uncle, Taedong. And his father-“

“Call me Taehyung.” he nodded as he grabbed your father’s hand for a handshake

“Taehyun.” you whispered as you leaned towards him

“Ah, I mean hyun. Taehyun. Sorry.” he nodded and smiled, pulling his hand immediately. Your parents were still smiling, and you were relieved that they weren’t as confused as they were

“Nice to meet all of you. Donghan?” your father called, making you feel nervous

“How long have you been dating my daughter?” he asked

“A-about three w-“ he looked at you, and you glared at him

“Three months.” he nodded

“Ah, recently I see. I’m shocked you both decided to move in together?” your mom looked at you in wonder

“My lease was up last month so we decided to live together to spend less.” you smiled, and your parents just nodded

“Dinner’s ready!” Hyunbin called as he ran to the living room

“Who is this?” your dad looked at Hyunbin, amazed by his tall stature

“I’m Hyunbin, Donghan’s brother.”

“And I am Yongguk, also Donghan’s brother.” Yongguk grinned as he walked to the living room

“Brothers… that’s very nice, but you all don’t look alike? Don’t you all have a sister? Where’s your mother?” your mom asked while looking at everyone, Donghan’s eyes enlarging as he looked away, making Yongguk do a fake cry

“Oh dear, did she…?” your mom gasped a little as she covered her mouth

“Mom, please. It’s a very personal story. Why don’t we head on to the dining room?” you forced a smile as you lead your parents to the dining room, gesturing Hyunbin and Taedong for first to let them sit inside, stopping everyone else before they moved to the dining area

“Don’t say anything stupid, got it? If they ask about the whereabouts of the mom just say she’s gone to heaven. Got it?” you whispered, making all of them nod as you turned to go inside the dining area

“And I was for certain I was going straight to hell.” the father, now called Taehyun by everyone, muttered

“Guess we’re calling you how the current kids call their fathers. Hey, dad.” Donghan mocked and chuckled as he pat the father’s shoulder, making the father frown and Yongguk burst out a chuckle as well

“I’m only doing this a favor of not fucking up our legacy.” he glared as he walked inside the living room, and Yongguk and Donghan just gave each other a hi-5 before entering as well

-

“I was expecting a huge course of Korean food, but…” your father widened his eyes as he looked at the table, full of different kinds of pasta

“Friday night is pasta night in this house.” Taehyun smiled

“Please, dig in.” Taedong gestured, making your parents look at you in worry and you just helped them

“So who made the dishes?” your mom asked, grabbing a couple of spoonfuls of carbonara

“Yongguk and I, ma’am.” Hyunbin smiled

“Do you have some garlic and some black pepper?” your father asked politely, making Taehyun and Yongguk cough as they looked away

“They’re allergic to garlic and black pepper, dad.” you whispered

“Oh! No wonder you all don’t have Korean food here.” your dad nodded and apologized, making you facepalm and snap your finger, stopping the time as your parents and everything went to a pause, except for you and the other vampires

“This is harder than I thought.” Yongguk scratched his head

“I don’t think it’s working, we look ridiculous.” Hyunbin whispered

“Hey! Let’s just go with the flow, see how they react or what they ask about.” you looked at all of them

“But what about the food? Do we have to force ourselves to eat?” Taedong asked as he looked at the food and then to Taehyun

“As long as there aren’t vampire-killing ingredients in these, we can just vomit them out?” Taehyun scratched the back of his head as he looked at the food

“I made sure everything was bland as possible.” Yongguk blinked a few times

“I’m worried, y/n.” Donghan pouted as he looked at you, and you became even more nervous than before

“This positive, go with the flow…” you closed your eyes and opened them again as you looked at everyone

“Ready?” you asked, and everyone nodded. You then snapped your fingers again to turn back the time, going on with dinner

“The meals seem presentable and… a little bit bland…” your mom nodded as she fed herself a fork of the pasta

“So how is work, mom?” you grinned as you looked at her, trying to change the topic

“Oh, sweetie! Right, it’s wonderful. Work is great and Seattle has changed a lot over the five years. You should come visit for Christmas!” your mom smiled as she caressed your hair

“We even thought about you moving with us after you graduate.” your dad smiled and nodded, making Donghan choke on the food he was forced to eat

“Don’t be too obvious.” Yongguk whispered as he leaned towards Donghan

“Oh, I’ll think about it.” you smiled as you looked at your plate

“How did you and Donghan meet?” your mom asked as her eyes darted towards you and Donghan

“We’re classmates at university, ma’am.” Donghan smiled

“Please, call me mom from now on.” she insisted

“Okay, um, mom…” Donghan suddenly blushed, and you just giggled

“So you both were just one of those typical college lovers, huh? Well, college seems like one of the most enjoyable moments in life. I remember when I first met my wife.” your dad smirked as he nudged your mom lightly on the side, making her giggle

“Oh God, dad…” you facepalmed

“We met at a college party our mutual friend hosted at his frat house. She was just there, drinking on her cup of beer, minding her own business, and I fell in love. But things were getting pretty heated that night.” your father wiggled his brows

“Honey, stop.” your mother giggled as she lightly slapped your dad’s shoulder, making you uncomfortable as you sighed

“All I can say, is that she has some wonderful, smooth legs.” your dad nodded and chuckled, making your mom giggle and cover her mouth, and everyone else except you burst out laughing. You immediately snapped your fingers, stopping time again as you looked at all the other vampires

“Y/n, I’m beginning to love your parents.” Hyunbin laughed

“Now I know where you have inherited your legs.” Donghan smirked as he looked at you, making you glare in return

“Shut up.” you muttered

“Why’d you stop the time? We were having a good laugh!” Taehyun complained

“Fine.” you snapped your fingers again and let the time run back to normal

“So how did you two really meet?” your dad asked as he looked at Donghan

“Well, we met at a class for Geography. She was really pretty. We were friends first just like any other couples.” Donghan shrugged

“Have you guys…?” your dad asked, making you look at him in shock

“Don’t worry, we’re very open parents. We’re trying to be more understanding of the generation now.” your mother admitted as she put her hand on your thigh, making you look at Donghan in embarrassment

“Go.” Donghan whispered, and you snapped your fingers to stop time again

“Your parents seem to be… hip.” Yongguk said with a straight face, before laughing along with Taedong and Hyunbin

“What have I done.” you shook your head

“Talking about sex life is so awkward when eating dinner.” Taehyun shook his head as he forced himself to eat a fork of some pasta, all of you turning to look at him

“What? I’m trying to be an open father here too!” Taehyun shrugged as he looked at everyone

“Save me.” you muttered as you snapped your fingers again, time back on its pace

“I guess I’m done. I already ate at the airport, sweetie.” your mom smiled as she looked at you

“Me too, but I do love me some seconds.” your dad chuckled

“Who’s up for some dessert?” Yongguk grinned as he suddenly stood up and walked over to the kitchen, gesturing Taedong to go with him

“Oh, me!” your mom replied in glee

“Also, your place seems a little… dark… all of your windows seem covered in curtains?” your father said as he looked at all the windows in the room

“We close our windows at night.” Taehyun smiled and nodded as he looked at your father

“Go check what’s going on in the kitchen.” you whispered to Donghan, who nodded and walked away to check what Yongguk and Taedong were doing

“So, Taehyun, right? What’s your job?” your dad asked as he wiped his lips with a napkin

“I am a…” Taehyun turned to look at you mouthing a word

“Liar…” Taehyun smiled and nodded as he turned to look at your parents, making Hyunbin kick his leg and whispered the correct word

“Oh, lawyer! I’m a lawyer. I’m sorry.” Taehyun chuckled

“Ah, so that may mean that one of your sons could follow your footsteps, right?” your father looked at Hyunbin

“I’m a psychology major.” Hyunbin answered

“Psychology majors can be lawyers, too. You can just take credits for forensics and some for the criminology courses.” your dad smiled and nodded

“I just want to be a psychiatrist, sir.” Hyunbin forced a smile

“Actually, my other son, Taedong, wants to become a lawyer one day.” Taehyun clasped his hands together

“I thought he was your brother?” your mom looked at Taehyun strangely, making him look at you facepalm

“Ah, right! Did I say son? I meant my brother! Yes, brother.” Taehyun chuckled awkwardly

“I’m sorry, my dad’s just starting to get memory loss.” Hyunbin shook his head, making your father look at him in sympathy

“Age is definitely not going well for us…” your father pat Taehyun’s shoulder and Taehyun just chuckled awkwardly and nodded

“Heeere’s dessert!” Yongguk smiled widely as he walked towards the table, bringing a tray of pie. But he suddenly tripped, the pie flying its way to Hyunbin, falling on his lap. Hyunbin suddenly became furious and stood up as he looked at Yongguk

“Why you little… “ Hyunbin glared as he marched his way to Yongguk

“Alright, that’s it!” you stood up and snapped your finger, stopping time again

“Hyunbin, stop. Bring my parents to the living room and try to tell their minds that we’re done with dinner and dessert.” you commanded

“Right after I’m done with this dimwit.” Hyunbin glared at Yongguk who immediately stood up

“NOW YOU FUCKING MORON OR I’LL THROW YOU OUT OF THE HOUSE AND UNDER THE LIGHT OF THE GOD DAMN SUN!” you yelled, making Hyunbin stunned as he immediately ran towards your parents, who were still seated on the dining chairs

“Donghan, please teleport them since we can’t let them stand or else they’ll be suspicious.” you facepalmed and shook your head, Donghan only able to nod and comply with your command as you sat back down on your chair.

Taehyun and Taedong felt really guilty that everyone messed up the only chance you were going to have to explain to your parents, both of them sitting on the chairs on each of your sides as they pat your shoulders to calm you down

“Everything’s just getting worse.” you sobbed into your hands

“Let’s just tell the truth, really. I mean, we need to let them know that not all vampires mean harm.” Taedong caressed your hair

“Taedong is right, y/n. We can’t just hide everything from them. It’s better if we tell them right now rather than them having to find out themselves.” Taehyun nodded and crossed his arms

“Father, please. I don’t really want them to be ashamed of me.” you looked at Taehyun

“You’re their daughter. Sure, they’ll be mad in the beginning, but they love you and brought you to this world so they’ll always forgive you in the end.” he gave a small smile as he pinched your cheek lightly, making you give back a small smile

“Father’s right, y/n. I mean, you’re a really good person. I mean, vampire.” Yongguk smiled as he crossed his arms and walked towards Taehyun’s side

“Besides, we’re here to back you up. If they can’t accept you for what you are now, we’re here for you always.” Taedong grinned, making you feel a little bit relieved. You looked at the dining area doorway to see Hyunbin and Donghan nod, and you just smiled

“Let’s do this.” you said faintly as you stood up, gaining courage to finally reveal the truth

“Also, can we go back to our normal clothes? These jeans make my butt look big.” Donghan suddenly said as he tried to pull up his pants

“You were blessed with a fat ass so just deal with it.” Yongguk glared, making everyone erupt in laughter

-

“Okay, you guys ready?” you looked at everyone gathered next to you, and they nodded as they took deep breaths with you before you snapped your fingers back to reality. Your parents looked at you weirdly, confused on why everyone was suddenly in black, formal outfits

“What’s going on?” your dad asked as he looked at everyone

“I need to tell you something, dad, mom.” you said as you took a couple of steps and looked at them

“I didn’t call you guys for the past few weeks not because I became busier in college, and I actually haven’t gone there since last month either. I didn’t move out of my other house to just move in with Donghan and his family here. I didn’t want to reveal the truth because I wanted to tell the truth in personal.” you took a deep breath

“Oh no, sweetie. How many months are you in?” your mom gasped as she stood up, making you scrunch your face and look at the others and then back to your mom

“What? No, mom. I’m not pregnant.” your shook your head in disgust

“Oh, okay. Gosh you scared me for a second and I thought I was going to be a grandmother at a young age.” your mom sighed in relief as she sat down again and put her hand on her chest

“Yeah, uh…” you blinked and bit your bottom lip

“Please, tell us now, y/n.” your dad insisted as he held your mother’s hand

“Okay. So, before I go on with the truth. I just want to say that I love you both so dearly and that this decision I made is something I had always on my mind. I don’t want to upset you both further because I wanted to tell you guys before you find out yourselves.” you took a deep breath before you continued

“I’m now a vampire.” you said in a serious tone, looking at your parents as they raised a brow

“A what?” your mom asked again

“A vampire, mom.” you nodded

“…happy Halloween?” your dad laughed as he stood up and opened his arms to you

“Dad, sit down.” you rolled your eyes, making your dad’s laughter fade as he sat back down

“Wait, are you all….?” your mom pointed to everyone, and all the others nodded in reply

“Ohhhh my goodness” your mom suddenly fainted, your dad holding on to her and everyone else quickly running to her aide

“No! Get away you monsters!” your dad waved off everyone, making you tell them to go back to where they were

“Sweetheart, you have got to be kidding us, right?!” your dad asked in shock, cradling your mom back and forth

“Dad if I was kidding why would I wear such a dark and long gown in front of you right now?” you crossed your arms, making him shake his head

“Sir, please just listen to us for once…” Taedong pleaded

“For what?” your father glared, your mom finally able to open her eyes

“Mom, dad. Please, as your daughter just listen to me.” you looked at them with pleading eyes

“I can’t believe y-“

“Shh. Let her speak.” your mom stopped your dad just in time, composing herself as she sat back up and grabbed your father’s hand

“Mom, dad, I know this is the dumbest decision I’ve ever made but please hear me out. This was a hard choice, because I knew if I fell in love with Donghan I was going to face consequences. If I was still a mortal after a year of falling in love with a vampire, I could get killed. Killed as in, gone, and not turned into a vampire. I know it sounds stupid, and that you’ve probably only heard of vampires through fiction, but this is real life. I’ve decided to become one because I know for sure that I wanted to be with Donghan despite my young age. I’m your only daughter, I understand, but that doesn’t mean it changes anything. I will always and still be your daughter. The fun-loving, loud, caring and obedient one you’ve taught to become independent before you left me five years ago to go to the US and have a better income for the family. I learned to be honest with myself and my decisions, and this is one of them. I’m still the same, only that I am not a mortal anymore.” you clutched your heart, admitting everything despite the pain you were getting from your parents’ expressions, still shocked of your admittance

“She’s right. And I, for one, am someone who will be of guidance for her.” Taehyun stood out as he walked next to you, patting your shoulder

“My name isn’t actually Taehyun. I have disregarded a name ever since I became a vampire. I am called the father, one of the higher ranks within our expanded family of vampires. All of these men behind me are my so called ‘sons’, including Donghan.” he nodded before he continued

“I have lived my whole life as a vampire, born from two other vampires that had been murdered during the epidemic many centuries ago. I promised myself that I will become the best immortal I could, fighting for only what is right and not for the evil. Not all vampires are evil, I will say. I have taught these men to only use their powers for the good, not the bad. Although one of them seems to be a dumbass rebel at times.” Taehyun turned his head to look at Hyunbin, and Hyunbin just looked down

“But despite that, he’s still one of the good ones.” Taehyun chuckled

“Anyways, y/n here has been nothing but good, as I have observed her a few times from afar. Donghan here truly loves her and is crazy about her. One of our rules is that we cannot interfere with a love of a vampire and a mortal, but the only rule that has had a major setback was the rule of turning the mortal into a vampire after a year or else the mortal unexpectedly dies. Donghan does not want y/n to be taken away from him, so he had no choice. Because he has proven himself to her as someone who will sacrifice anything for her.” Taehyun smiled as he looked at Donghan, and back to your parents

“So please, just listen to me. We mean no harm. Let’s just say, we are vampires who try and protect the good and prevent evil from spreading. I may joke about going to hell sometimes, but that doesn’t mean I really am going there. Regardless, your daughter has my trust, to be the same as my sons here. And as a father, whatever bullshit they do and whatever mess they end up doing, I will become mad in the beginning, but I brought them here, so I will always have the heart to forgive them because I love and care for them, even though I live far, far away from them.” Taehyun nodded and committed, and Donghan walked next to you and held your hand tightly, clasping them together

“I understand.” your father finally said as he stood up, walking towards Donghan as he looked at him seriously

“Do you truly, madly, deeply, love my daughter?” your dad asked in a stern voice

“I do, sir.” Donghan nodded

“Are you willing to sacrifice everything for her and always be there for her whenever she needs you the most?” your dad asked again

“I will never leave her and always love her for all eternity.” Donghan replied as he looked into your father’s eyes, showing his honesty

“Then that’s enough for me.” your dad nodded as he finally smiled and pat Donghan’s shoulder, making you look at your mom as tears fell from your eyes

“My daughter…” your mom cried as she hurriedly hugged you, and you hugged her tightly back as she finally understood your choice

“Thank you.” you whispered as you buried your face on her shoulder, her pulling out and putting her hand on the side of your face

“No wonder your skin has become wonderful.” your mom giggled, and you wiped a tear from her cheek

“But I need to know one thing.” your dad then turned to look at everyone, making you raise your brow

“You forced yourselves to eat pasta earlier, didn’t you?” your father looked at them

“Yes.” Yongguk admitted in a small voice and look down, making everyone laugh in return

“Please don’t do that again the next time we visit and be honest with us.” your mother said as he looked at Yongguk, who just nodded and grinned as he looked at your mom

“Ah, I think I need to rest.” your mom said as she put her hand on her head

“There’s an extra guest bedroom, I think?” Taedong offered as he looked at the stairs

“No, it’s fine. We’ll get a hotel nearby.” your dad insisted

“Do you guys need to leave so soon?” you pouted

“We’ll visit every night while we’re here.” your mom pat your shoulder as she walked over to their luggage by the front door

“Does this mean I can’t go to Seattle anymore?” you joked

“Oh, you’re still going. You can’t just sit on a plane, that’s the problem.” your dad chuckled

“I’ll teleport with her to Seattle while you’re there?” Donghan grinned

“I’ll be sure to give the address next time then.” your dad smiled and nodded, making everyone else laugh

“Do you guys need ride?” you asked

“Don’t worry, there’s a taxi station nearby. We can go there. Just stay here and take care of yourself first. I’ll be honest and say that it will take time for me to understand your choices.” your mom said as she put her hand on your shoulder, your dad opening the front door to see it’s already dark outside

“But as long as you’re living happily, then I am happy too.” she smiled dearly as she put a few strands of your hair behind your ear and ran her hands through your crown a couple of times

“I’ll call you later.” you smiled as you helped them go out the door

“Alright, love you. Bye everyone!” your mom waved

“Goodbye!” all of them said as they waved, and you finally closed your door as you looked at them, letting out a deep breath of relief

“We did it.” you looked at them, making them hi5 each other

“Good job, father.” you walked over to the father

“I think I’m gonna want to be called Taehyun from now on.” he nodded

“Alright, Taehyun.” you chuckled

“Now you idiots clean up the damn mess!” Taehyun said as he looked at the others

“Yes, sir!” Hyunbin laughed as he grabbed both Yongguk and Taedong to the dining area, Taehyun following after giving you a pat on the shoulder. You looked at Donghan, who just put his hands on his pockets and smiled at you

“Balcony?” you tilted your head and smiled

“Sure.” he grinned

-

You admired the moonlight becoming brighter as the night went on, crossing your arms as the wind blew some strands of your hair. Donghan just leaned his back on the ledge while his hands were in his pockets, looking at you as he admired your beauty that the moonlight shone on. You looked at him and chuckled, making him shake his head and look down

“What?” you smiled

“How could I score such a beautiful soul?” Donghan chuckled as he walked closer to you

“I wonder what would have happened if I didn’t meet you a year ago.” you shook your head as you leaned on the ledge in front of you, Donghan doing the same

“You would have still been a mortal… a regular college student… a virgin…” he suddenly muttered, making you look at him and punch him on the chest lightly

“Ouch?” Donghan put his hand on his chest

“You’re disgusting.” you rolled your eyes as you looked back at the moon

“I’m your disgusting boyfriend, you can’t help it. You love me.” Donghan said in a mocking tone

“Yuck.” you chuckled in disbelief as you looked at him, and he just leaned in to give you a kiss on the lips, you kissing back and pulling away, looking deeply into his eyes

“How long until they’re going to finish cleaning up the house?” he asked, making you look at your small watch on your wrist

“About less than two hours.” you shrugged and looked back at him

“I know what you’re thinking.” Donghan suddenly smirked, poking your side

“Get away from me!” you yelled as you tried to run towards the door, but Donghan caught you and hugged you from behind, immediately carrying you bridal style as you both laughed while he brought you back inside the house, directly going towards your bedroom.

-

Hyunbin heard your laughter from above, face looking disgusted as he looked at everyone else who were in the living room

“God, they’re going at it again.” Hyunbin rolled his eyes

“Let them be, they’re in love.” Taehyun chuckled as he sat on the sofa while reading the newspaper

“I wonder, when are we going to be able to find our other half?” Yongguk suddenly stopped cleaning as he looked at everyone, and then all of them looked at Taedong, who became obviously perplexed

“What?” he asked as he eyed everyone

“You know what we’re curious about.” Hyunbin nodded to his way

“That’s all of your problems?” Taedong crossed his arms

“Hey father-“ Taedong called before he was cut off

“I said call me Taehyun now! I’ve been called father for the last 700 years and I am already getting sick of it.” Taehyun sighed as he put down the newspaper

“Alright, Taehyun. Haven’t you thought about falling in love?” Yongguk crossed his arms as he looked at Taehyun

“No. Never. Even your sister has been asking me for the past few centuries about when I’m going to get married.” Taehyun rolled his eyes as he crossed his legs and looked at the newspaper again

“Looks like we’re bachelors for the rest of eternity.” Hyunbin shrugged as he continued cleaning up

“That’s what you think.” Taedong muttered

“What?” Yongguk and Hyunbin looked at Taedong

“Nothing.” Taedong said in a straight face, making Hyunbin and Yongguk shake their heads as they continued cleaning around the house, him smirking as he turned around and definitely knew what he was implying.

[zainbap]

like autumn leaves, we fall

BangDae college/university AU  •  masterpost  •  AO3

words: 2539

part one

~

It’s Saturday afternoon, and while most students in the area are still sleeping off the booze from last night, Daehyun is stumbling off the bus and running towards the campus library.

One week, he thinks to himself. It’s only been one week, and he already feels stretched too thin. He slept badly even before he started college, didn’t think it could get any worse, but he’d been wrong. He’s been living on the average two hours per night throughout the week. He’d been looking forward to spend most of his first weekend in bed, until he woke up with a start this morning, realizing he doesn’t have the course book they’re supposed to have read before Monday’s morning class.

He expects to find the department as busy and crowded as is usually is, but the place is shockingly quiet. Daehyun nearly holds his breath the moment he steps out of the revolving door, the sound of his pounding heart seeming so incredibly loud to his own ears. There are students scattered around the tables and couches, but no one lifts their head to look at him entering. They seem to be in their own world, focused on their work. Thank god.

Collecting himself a little, Daehyun takes a new breath and straightens up. He runs a hand through his morning hair, even though it’s a condemned mess, and rearranges the bag strap that’s about to fall off his shoulder. He glances up at the clock, noting that the library will close in less than three hours.

Daehyun doesn’t even attempt to look for the book on his own — he’s never been good at orientating himself in libraries, and he doesn’t want to waste more time. He heads straight for the desk, digging in his pocket for the piece of paper he’d scribbled down the title and ISBN number.

The guy sitting behind the desk doesn’t look much older than himself, and Daehyun’s steps can’t help but falter a little. Because he’s definitely not dressed to impress today — or groomed, for that matter — and the universe must truly hate him this week, because the guy is attractive. At least, what little Daehyun can see, the way he’s got his head bowed down over a book. He’s wearing glasses, the big and round kind, and Daehyun used to think they looked ridiculous, but this dude is proving him wrong.

When Daehyun approaches the desk, the guy looks up from his book and meets Daehyun’s gaze with a friendly smile. He straightens up a little.

“Hi,” he says, in an incredibly deep voice.

“Hey,” Daehyun breathes out, planting his hands on top of the desk. “I really need to borrow a course book. I’ve ordered it online already, but it hasn’t arrived yet, and I need it before class on Monday.” He holds out the piece of paper. “This one. I'm— Please say you still got a copy.”

“Let me check,” the guy says.

He takes the note from Daehyun’s hand before turning to his computer. He pushes his glasses further up his nose with his forefinger, before typing in the title in the search field.

Daehyun waits patiently, expecting the worst. He knows he’s late, knows he should’ve tried borrowed the book as soon as they got the assignment. But he’s so new to how these things work, to have this level of responsibility, and he’d allowed himself to relax knowing he’d ordered his books online. It didn’t even occur to him how long the shipping would take.

He’s an idiot. Daehyun wants to slap himself.

The guy frowns at his screen, and the way his nose scrunches up is ridiculously cute. For a moment, Daehyun forgets about his academic crisis and just appreciates the cute guy he probably never would’ve met if he hadn’t gotten himself in this situation.

“There’s none left to lend you, unfortunately,” the guy says. Daehyun is just about to panic when he continues. “But we still have one copy for reference. You can’t take it home with you, but you can read it here in the library.” His eyes quickly dart over Daehyun. “Do you… got what you need to finish your assignment here? We’re closing in a few hours, but… there’s still time.”

Daehyun blinks, torn between feeling disappointed and utterly relieved. He hurries to mentally check off a list of things he brought with him.

“Yes,” he hurries to say. “Thank you. Shit, thank you. That’s fine. That’s great.”

The guy chuckles a little, a wheezy kind of sound, and Daehyun is surprised by the contrast from his otherwise baritone voice.

“Okay,” he guy says, moving to ‘round the desk. “I’ll show you the shelf.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” Daehyun tells him, following him through the bookcases. “Really. I thought I was done for. And it’s only my first week.”

The guy chuckles again, but doesn’t respond. Daehyun decides it’s time to shut up. He absently wonders just how many students like him a librarian has to deal with on a weekly basis.

“Here.”

He stops and picks a book from the top shelf, marked with blue tape, and hands it to Daehyun. They’re closer now, and for the first time Daehyun notices the name tag on the man’s chest. Yongguk. He hurries to raise his gaze again, feeling awkward when noticing the amused smile in the corner of Yongguk’s mouth.

“Thank you,” he says again, holding tightly to the book. “I’ll be quick.”

“You can keep it until we close,” Yongguk says, shrugging. But he’s still smiling. “Unless one of your classmates come to fight you for it, of course.”

Daehyun’s shoulders sag.

“I’m pretty sure none of them are as late as I am,” he mutters.

He expects Yongguk to just chuckle and return to his desk again, but he tilts his head to the side. Regarding him for a second, and it makes Daehyun’s heart jolt.

“You really shouldn’t be stressing out this much the very first week,” he comments.

“Easier said than done,” Daehyun sighs. “Honestly, it’s just bad planning. Totally my fault. It’s not like we’re drowning in assignments or anything. I’m just—”

He doesn’t know how to finish the sentence, doesn’t know why the hell he’s talking about this with the librarian. He feels heat starting to rise to his face, embarrassed by the thought of anyone else sitting by the tables on the other side of the shelves, hearing him. Judging him.

Yongguk doesn’t look like he’s judging him, though. He looks downright concerned.

“You’ll be okay,” he says after a moment. “You still got time.”

Daehyun nods, keeping his mouth shut. He’s done complaining to a stranger.

Yongguk offers a weak smile before he nods and starts to head back the way they came, brushing past Daehyun as he does so.

“I’ll be at the front desk if you need any more help,” he says.

Daehyun nods again, even though Yongguk can’t see it.

He finds an unoccupied table in the corner of the library, and makes himself at home. He wishes he’d brought snacks or at least a water bottle with him, seeing as he’ll be here for a while. There’s still a hint of panic raging in his gut, knowing he’s on a timer, but he tries not to think about it. He flips his notebook open and turns his phone off, forbidding himself to waste time.

I’ll be okay, he tells himself. I can do this.

-

-

With his phone turned off, and no clock within his line of sight, Daehyun has no perception of time. He only knows he’s filled several pages in his notebook by the time Yongguk comes walking up to him.

“Fuck,” he whines. “Has it been three hours already? Are you closing?”

“Oh, no,” Yongguk hurries to reassure him. Daehyun first then notices the glass of water in his hands. “No, I was just— Do you want some water? You… looked like you might need it.”

Daehyun blinks.

“Oh. Thank you. I'm— Yeah, I forgot to bring anything. Too busy just bringing myself,” he mumbles, running a hand through his hair again. Feeling self-conscious. “Thank you, really.”

Yongguk puts the glass down, giving him a small smile. He turns around and leaves, and Daehyun can’t help but feel disappointed. He sighs, takes a big sip water, and returns his attention to his work.

-

-

When he’s about halfway through the chapters he’s supposed to be reading, Yongguk shows up again. He isn’t carrying anything this time, but simply points to the chair opposite of Daehyun.

“Mind if I sit?”

Daehyun opens his mouth, hesitating. He hates his life.

“No offence, dude,” he says slowly. “But I’m 99% sure you’ll distract me if you sit there.”

Yongguk chuckles again, and the sound makes something stir inside Daehyun’s belly. He doesn’t look offended at all.

“I just thought I could help you out.” He nods toward the book he’d handed Daehyun earlier. “We read it in my first year, too.”

Daehyun blinks, processing the facts he’s been given.

“What’s your major?”

“Education,” Yongguk replies. “I’m in my third year. My roommate graduated last year, so I decided to get a part-time job this semester to help with the rent,” he explains, shrugging with one shoulder as if to gesture to the library in general.

“Oh,” Daehyun says dumbly. Not sure what else to say.

Yongguk is still smiling faintly.

“If you’d rather do it by yourself, I get it. I just thought I’d offer to help you out.” He seems to hesitate. “You seem to be dealing with some anxiety, and I know what that’s like. So.”

Daehyun swallows, moved by how friendly and kind Yongguk is being. This first week has been heavy on him, both physically and mentally. He hasn’t really bonded with any of his classmates yet, and he’s still feeling lost in the big city after only moving here three days before his classes started. It’s a lot of things to adapt to, and while no one has given him a hard time, exactly, neither has anyone truly offered a helping hand the way Yongguk is doing right now.

“I- Thank you,” Daehyun says again, around the sudden lump in his throat. He must sound like a broken record, but there’s really nothing else to say. “You're… so nice.”

Yongguk’s smile grows to the point where Daehyun sees a flash of teeth and gums, before he goes to sit on the chair he’d pointed at earlier.

“It’s no problem,” he says simply.

He puts his elbows on the table, leaning forward a little. And it’s just enough for the corner of a tattoo to peek out from the collar of his shirt, and Daehyun hurries to tear his eyes away.

If Yongguk notices, he doesn’t seem to care.

-

-

When Daehyun drops the book back on the table, letting it fall closed, it’s barely twenty minutes till closing time. He groans both in victory and annoyance. But he’s done. He managed to do it. He won’t be falling behind entering his second week of college.

“Thank fuck,” he mutters, leaning back in his chair. “Oh my god. This was so not how I pictured myself spending my Saturday.”

Yongguk chuckles across the table, mirroring his pose. Since joining Daehyun by the table, he’s only had to run back to the front desk three times, but he’s always come back. Daehyun hadn’t really expect him to. It all went smoother, once he had someone else to discuss with. He has a tendency to lose himself in his thoughts, and focusing on Yongguk and the chapter they were discussing, helped.

“Let me guess,” Yongguk says, smirking. “You’d rather be out partying.”

Daehyun can’t help but snort.

“No, dude. I’d rather be lying in bed, stuffing my face with a bag of chips.”

Yongguk laughs at that, and it’s just as wheezy as his chuckles. Daehyun feels himself grin at the sound of it, feeling overwhelmed and proud that he’s the one who made Yongguk laugh like that.

“Actually,” he comments, once he’s calmed down, “that doesn’t sound too bad.”

He sighs, and rises from his chair. Daehyun hurries to pack his things and do the same, keeping the course book in his hand.

Yongguk walks with him to the shelf to put it back, and then Daehyun follows him back to the front desk. The book Yongguk had been reading when Daehyun first came in is still there, neglected and forgotten.

“This sounds strange now,” Yongguk says, scratching the back of his neck. “But what’s your name?”

Daehyun is shocked for a moment, before remembering that he doesn’t got a name tag like Yongguk does. That despite the hours they’ve spent in each other’s presence, Yongguk doesn’t know what the hell his name is.

“Daehyun,” he replies, unable to stop himself from running angry fingers through his hair yet again.

“I’m Yongguk,” Yongguk replies, smiling softly.

“Yeah, I know,” Daehyun offers, nodding to his chest.

Yongguk rolls his eyes, scoffing. Daehyun’s heart does something ridiculous. He tightens his grip on his bag strap, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He knows he’s supposed to be leaving, to wave and tell Yongguk thank you one last time, but he can’t help but linger.

Most of the other students have gone home by now. All tables within Daehyun’s line of sight are empty. He knows he shouldn’t feel excited about that, about being left alone with Yongguk, but he can’t help it. Can’t help but feel hopeful. He’s not even sure what he’s hoping for. Just. Something.

But the silence stretches on for too long, and Daehyun starts to feel horribly awkward just standing there, so he swallows and nods to himself.

“Right. Okay. Thank you again, Yongguk.”

He backs away slowly. Yongguk is still smiling at him. He looks so soft, and Daehyun knows he’s screwed. Knows he’s gonna have a stupid crush on this guy for the rest of the semester, even if he never sees him again.

“Hope I’ll see you again,” Yongguk says. “And take care of yourself, Daehyun. Don’t stress too much.”

Daehyun ducks his head down, embarrassed.

“I’ll try not to,” he promises, and turns around before he backs into something. That would be awkward. “Okay. Bye.”

“See ya,” Yongguk calls after him.

Daehyun has to force himself not to look back as he heads for the bus stop, worried that Yongguk will see him do it. He doesn’t glance back at the building until he’s on the bus, finding an empty seat. The windows are too dark for him to make out anything past the vague shapes of the shelves.

He sighs, fishing up his phone and turning it back on. He’s got five snaps waiting for him — whereas at least four are definitely of Mochi — and about twenty unread messages in the group chat with Junhong and Jongup. There’s also one text from Youngjae, which he decides to read first.

First rule of college: make your weekends count.

Daehyun hums to himself, thinking of the panic he’d felt when waking up a couple hours ago. He taps the screen to type out a reply.

This one has been great so far.

[onlystraightforjongup]

Bangdae Soulmates

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AO3 Account

Summary:  Bang Yongguk's soulmate really loves fried chicken. And cheesecake. And almost anything else he could get his hands on. It wouldn't be a problem, if their soulmate bond didn't cause Yongguk to taste all of it. Meanwhile, he's just accepted his role as B.A.P's leader and getting to know his dongsaengs proves to be more challenging than he anticipated.

Yongguk laid down on the dorm’s couch with a groan. He’d only just moved into B.A.P’s brand new dorms and met a few of the other people he’d be working with for a very long time, and now his stomach wanted to kill him. Or rather, fried chicken wanted to kill him.

Yongguk hated fried foods; he always had. His soulmate disagreed and had a clear love for fried chicken. They also loved dark chocolate and cheesecake. Any type of meat ranked up on their favorites list as well. Yongguk just stuck with ramen, but ever since he’d turned eighteen and at least his half of the soulmate bond opened, he got a variety of culinary experiences.

Yongguk’s pretty sure his soulmate eats everything in sight.

“Are you okay?” Kim Himchan, the second oldest in their little group, stopped by the couch, raising an eyebrow as Yongguk groaned. He considered ignoring Himchan; his discomfort was none of Himchan’s business, and he’d already proven much too talkative and curious in the week since Yongguk met him.

“Fine.” He moved his hands onto his stomach, wishing something could relieve the cramps. The vindictive side of him hoped his soulmate felt those too, but he doubted they did because otherwise they wouldn’t still be eating and Yongguk’s lips wouldn’t taste like chicken. Plus, even when dying of cramps, Yongguk had to admit he didn’t want his soulmate to hurt.

“You’re not fine,” Himchan said. He took a seat at the other side of the couch, and oh god, this was so awkward, and Yongguk was so awkward, and why did he think living in dorms like this would work out?

“I am,” Yongguk said. “It’s just – cramps.” Yongguk half-expected Himchan to make some ridiculous joke about him - menstruating or something equally awful and follow it with his giant laugh. When Himchan only smiled in sympathy and grabbed him a softer pillow to slide under his abdomen, Yongguk realized he should probably give him more credit.

Himchan wasn’t a bad guy. Yongguk knew that. He was just – loud and intense, and he loved everything about this life that Yongguk hated. Himchan knew more people than anyone else on the planet, and he talked to all of them still and then still had energy for interviews and the social side of promotions. Sometimes listening to Himchan talk and be such an amazing, personable idol made Yongguk tired.

“Take some medicine,” Himchan said. “I can get you some.” He stood, only to pause when Yongguk shook his head.

“It doesn’t help,” he said. Himchan frowned, and Yongguk silently begged him to drop it. He figured Himchan saw his desperation because his eyes softened a little as he considered Yongguk.

“Maybe eat something?” Himchan tried instead. “You haven’t had dinner.” Yongguk shook his head vehemently.

“No.” He tried to use his leader voice, which he discovered worked on Youngjae and Junhong, the other two bandmates he’d met already. Himchan only kept going, as if he didn’t even realize Yongguk wanted the conversation to end. If Yongguk didn’t hurt so much, he’d go find a hard surface to slam his head against. Or perhaps he’d slam Himchan’s head against it.

“You need to eat, Yongguk-hyung. You were at the studio all today, and –” Yongguk cut him off with a quiet groan, curling up and holding his stomach.

“Is he okay, hyung?” a quiet voice asked from the hallway. Junhong, Yongguk realized, and he grimaced. What a great way for the maknae to see his leader and eldest hyung.

“He’s fine, Junhong-ah,” Himchan said. “Just stubborn. Like usual.” He and Himchan only lived together for a week, and Yongguk already wanted to murder him. They’d either come out of this arrangement as enemies (although something told him Himchan wouldn’t think of him as an enemy no matter what) or best friends. Yongguk called it 70-30, leaning towards enemies right now.

He licked at his lips because now his goddamn soulmate was drinking something horrifically sweet, and Yongguk needed it gone right now. Of course, it wasn’t his lips that needed licked to remove the taste. He tossed an arm over his head, hoping Junhong and Himchan would leave.

“Oh – oh fuck,” Himchan said, his voice sounding surprised as if he’d come to some amazing realization. Yongguk waited for him to insist he’d found a cure to cancer or thought of the lyrics to their first album or something equally impressive. “It’s your soulmate, isn’t it? I should have realized that.”

Himchan laughed, and Yongguk clenched his eyes shut, gritting his teeth because that laugh was the most obnoxious sound he’d ever heard in his life. He’d heard it for the first time when he met Himchan because Himchan made it so obnoxiously clear he talked a mile-a-minute and never shut up. When Yonnguk finally couldn’t take it anymore and just begged him to stop talking, Himchan just laughed, and ever since, Yongguk hated the sound.

“What’re they eating?” Himchan asked, as though Yongguk facing away from him and into the sofa wasn’t a clue that he didn’t want to talk about it.

“Fried chicken. And something sweet,” Yongguk said, hoping the answer would convince Himchan to back off.

“Hmm, think they’re American? I think my soulmate is ‘cause whoever he is, he really likes hamburgers. I swear, I never go more than a day or two without tasting one.”

“Himchan-ssi?” Yongguk said. The formal name usually worked to make Himchan realize Yongguk wasn’t just talking for no reason. Himchan only hummed in response, quieting down. “Please stop talking and go to bed.”

“Okay, hyung.” If Yongguk realized getting Himchan to leave only required a kind order, he would have done that a long time ago (he pushed the thought of ethics and if it was okay to do that out of his head). Himchan’s footsteps faded away, and Yongguk sighed just as another cramp clenched against his stomach. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he grimaced, hoping he’d get a little escape from the pain later tonight.

The footsteps returned, and Yongguk didn’t even bother looking up at Himchan, knowing it had to be Himchan and hating that he wouldn’t just leave him alone.

“Here,” Himchan said. He placed something in the crook of Yongguk’s arm. “Send them a message.” Yongguk glanced at what Himchan left him, smiling as he saw it was a bottle of mouthwash and an extra cup. As Himchan walked away, Yongguk wondered why he’d never thought of that before.

“Thank you,” he said, and for once, Himchan didn’t say anything in response.

---------------

The next person to join their group acted a lot more like Yongguk than Himchan. Sixteen-year-old Moon Jongup, an amazing dancer with an eye for choreography. For all his problems getting close to the group, Yongguk had no problem donning an easy professionalism.

“Hello. Bang Yongguk,” he said with a small smile. Moon Jongup returned it and his introduction, but his voice barely rose over a whisper, and he didn’t meet Yongguk’s eyes. Yongguk wished he knew what to say to fix the awkwardness, to tell Jongup he could come to Yongguk if he had any problems, but that moved past professionalism and into a realm that Yongguk didn’t know.

The words didn’t come out, mostly because he didn’t know what the right ones were. In the end, it didn’t matter because Himchan swooped in and by the end of the second week, Himchan could make Jongup laugh with only a funny face or two.

Yongguk tried not to feel guilty that they made him the leader, while all he did was hide in the studio and produce their songs. Himchan did a lot more for the entire group, which speaking of, currently meant he’d dragged Yongguk away from his equipment to watch Jongup and Junhong dance together.

Their maknaes had known each other quite well as trainees. Yongguk had known Junhong for over a year now because they’d had Yongguk work on his rapping. Junhong impressed him again and again, and he found he appreciated the relationship they’d built through working together. Yongguk knew Junhong regarded him as both a mentor and a friend, and he hoped to reach the same point with Jongup.

He just didn’t know how. While Junhong was a little shy, they also could talk about rapping for days together, and Junhong learned fast. Jongup wasn’t a rapper; he was their dancer, and Yongguk knew nothing about dance past what he’d been forced to learn as a trainee.

“We should go out tonight,” Himchan said. “Have dinner as a group. Jongup’s been uncomfortable around everyone, and if we let him choose the place, then maybe it’ll help.”

“Sure,” he agreed because Himchan knew Jongup better than him anyway. They reached the dance studio, and Yongguk got a glimpse of Jongup in his element. Yongguk used to watch Junhong dance, mostly because Junhong never seemed to stop moving, and he used their breaks to dance out some of his energy. Jongup danced very differently than Junhong – not really better (though certainly not worse), just not the same style.

His moves were sharp, and he liked to do moves that required intense body control and complicated footwork. Yongguk hoped neither of those things transferred over into their choreography because good god, he couldn’t move like that.

“He’s amazing, isn’t he?” Himchan said, his voice just barely a whisper so as to not alert Jongup to their presence. “He’ll get embarrassed when he realizes you saw that. Don’t make it more awkward.” Easier said than done.

Junhong noticed them lingering in the doorway and paused to wave at them.

“Hey, hyungs!” he said, and Jongup stopping, spinning to look at Yongguk and Himchan. A blush crossed his face, and it surprised Yongguk just how quickly Jongup went from confident to timid. “Whatcha come over for? Want to dance with us?” Junhong grinned at them, no doubt joking because Himchan complained more about dance than anyone Yongguk had ever met, and Yongguk made it clear he danced as little as possible.

“Yongguk hasn’t seen Jongup dance before, so we wanted to stop by,” Himchan said, flashing one of his easy, wide grins. Yongguk tried to match it. He noticed Himchan dropped the honorific from his name. A couple days ago, Yongguk wouldn’t have liked that, even though he cared little for formal respect. Now though, Yongguk accepted that he and Himchan were equals, more partners than leader and dongsaeng.

“You looked really good, Jongup-ah,” he said, smiling when Jongup’s eyes met his then skirted away. “Can you show me some other stuff?” He and Himchan moved further into the studio, and Yongguk leaned against the corner of the mirror.

Jongup hesitated, and Yongguk wondered what he could possibly say to him to tell him he honestly was interested in seeing him dance more.

“You mentioned you like Chris Brown, right, Jonguppie?” Himchan jumped in, and Yongguk breathed a sigh of relief as Jongup relaxed a little more.

“Yeah, he’s really good.” Jongup’s voice still sounded timid, but this time he smiled.

“Well, I just happened to get a couple of his songs the other day. You’ll have to show me the dances.” It was all too obvious that Himchan got the songs just for Jongup, but he didn’t seem to mind, waiting for Himchan to finish connecting his phone to the stereo.

If Yongguk had any lingering doubt Himchan was the best person ever with their dongsaengs it disappeared when the song came on because Jongup’s eyes lit up. He seemed to forget the earlier awkwardness and just go for it, his body falling into practiced moves. Junhong didn’t join him in this dance, instead coming over to stand with Yongguk and Himchan.

Jongup had such a powerful way of dancing that he made the dance seem both easy and exhausting, long and too short, all at the same time. Yongguk had met many dancers since he became a trainee, and he knew the time required to gain body control like Jongup’s. For some reason, when Yongguk pictured himself with his dongsaengs, he’d imagined him encouraging them to grow and improve. Jongup’s dance (and Junhong’s, for that matter, but Yongguk hadn’t followed this particular thought train while working only with him) far surpassed anything Yongguk could do, and he felt honestly impressed.

When Jongup finished, Yongguk smiled and told him how he recognized his hard work and was very impressed by his skill. Jongup smiled back, and Himchan’s arm wrapped around Yongguk’s shoulders.

He realized he’d said the right thing.

“We should go out tonight,” Himchan said, his eyes glancing around to each of the members. “You pick the place, Jongup-ah.”

“Really?” Jongup said. Yongguk noticed smiles growing on both Junhong and Jongup’s faces. Once again, Himchan knew exactly what the two needed. “There’s – a burger place I’ve wanted to try. If that’s okay.” He mumbled the last bit, and Yongguk hoped Himchan didn’t show too much distaste at the thought.

Himchan tasted hamburgers all the time from his soulmate, but it seemed he was willing to taste some more for Jongup.

“Sure, sounds good. You two go shower. We’ll let Youngjae know.”

------

The dinner went better than Yongguk originally imagined. Himchan had been right; the evening out loosened Jongup up a little. He’d also had a chance to speak with Youngjae more. He’d spoken with Youngjae when they first met, and the air of confidence around him and his talkative nature let Yongguk avoid him with more ease of conscious than the two maknaes.

Something about Youngjae, unlike the maknaes, screamed confidence, even though he acted so humble. Yongguk chalked it up to age, even though he knew it was more than that. Yongguk didn’t possess the same easy confidence as Youngjae did.

Either way, Yongguk appreciated it because for the moment, it meant he had one less member to worry about.

He stepped into his and Himchan’s room, shrugging out of his jacket and throwing it on his bed. Someone – Himchan, most likely – followed him in and shut the door behind them.

“Yongguk, there’s a problem,” Himchan’s voice sounded strained, and Yongguk frowned, turning to look at him.

“What’s wrong?”

“I tasted burgers tonight.” Himchan ran a hand through his hair, lifting it up and straight out of the style Yongguk watched him perfect over an hour ago. Yongguk ran his words through his head before realizing Himchan hadn’t eaten a burger; he’d eaten a salad.

“Your soulmate?” he asked, even though he knew it from the way Himchan’s eyes looked.

“Jongup ate a burger tonight,” Himchan said. “And he told me he eats them all the time. They’re his favorite and-” His voice cracked in the middle, and he broke off, shaking his head. Yongguk noticed his hands were clenched into fists.

“Calm down,” he said, stepping towards Himchan and shoving away his awkwardness because Himchan needed him. “Here.” He guided Himchan onto the bed, sitting beside him.

“I – Yongguk – he’s sixteen.” Himchan refused to look over at him, but he rubbed his face with an angry motion.

“It might not be him,” Yongguk tried. “A lot of people like burgers. It could be a coincidence.” Himchan shook his head, taking a deep, shuddering breath as he tried to stay calm.

“He got that drink. The weird fruity one. I tasted it.”

Yongguk recalled how Himchan stuttered through the dinner, remembering how he’d found it unusual at the time, and he wondered now how the hell Himchan kept it as together as he had. Resisting the urge to groan, Yongguk considered what the best course of action would be regarding this situation.

When he accepted the leader position for B.A.P, he never thought he’d deal with a pair of soulmates within the group, and Jongup’s age greatly complicated matters. Until he reached eighteen, Jongup wouldn’t taste whatever touched Himchan’s lips, and it was highly inappropriate for Himchan to tell him they were soulmates until Jongup’s bond emerged.

Two soulmates meeting and recognizing the bond before both reached eighteen was quite rare; of course it happened to two of Yongguk’s bandmates.

“You shouldn’t tell him,” Yongguk said. “Not yet at least.”

“Of course not,” Himchan said, taking a deep breath. He leaned further into Yongguk, and for the first time, he didn’t mind Himchan’s casual touching. “I just – part of me is relieved, you know? Cause Jonguppie’s adorable and great, and I know I don’t know him well yet, but I know I want to. But – he’s young, and he’s never going to have to search for his soulmate, and what if I’m not what he wants?”

“Channie,” Yongguk said, letting out a small chuckle and burying the surprise because where did that nickname come from? “You’re his soulmate. You’re exactly what he wants. Just – wait until he’s eighteen and knows what he wants before you tell him, okay?” The warning wasn’t necessary; they both understood Jongup needed time to mature before learning Himchan was his soulmate, but Yongguk included it anyway, just in case. Himchan didn’t comment on it, instead just nodding miserably.

“He’s five years younger than me, Yongguk,” Himchan said. “I’m – he’s sixteen.”

“I know, Channie,” Yongguk said. “Just – be his hyung for now. He needs you.” Himchan nodded again, taking a deep, shuddering breath. For a long pause, he said nothing. When he finally spoke again, he’d calmed enough to smile at Yongguk.

“He needs you too,” Himchan said. “They all do. Don’t underestimate yourself.” His smile still looked sad, but Yongguk accepted the change of subject.

“You’re better with them than I am,” Yongguk said with a small returning smile.

“Still, they’re your kids too.” Himchan laughed, and Yongguk felt so relieved to hear the sound that he didn’t even find it too obnoxious. “You can’t leave me to deal with them alone.”

“Can’t I just pay the child support?”

Himchan hit him in the chest, but he laughed again. Yongguk sat with Himchan on his shoulder for a while longer, until someone knocked on their door, and Himchan sat back up.

“Come in!”

Jongup pulled the door open, smiling at them. “Would you like to watch a movie, hyungs?”

“That sounds good, Jonguppie.” Himchan smiled and jumped to his feet. Yongguk saw Himchan look at Jongup after he’d turned back around. The amount of care in his gaze shocked Yongguk. He tried to imagine a person he looked at like that, even though they ate such disgusting food all the damn time.

Yongguk couldn’t see it happening.

He followed Jongup into their living room, finding Junhong already stretched out on the floor and Youngjae curled into a ball on the sofa. Jongup flopped down with Junhong, half laying on top of him. Junhong accepted the position.

“Yongguk-hyung!” Youngjae proclaimed, grinning up at him. Seeing Youngjae smiling at him made Yongguk regret leaving him to his own devices for the past couple weeks. He needed a good leader. They all did.

“What movie do you want?” Himchan asked, focusing on Yongguk. He moved his gaze to look at everyone else.

“I’m good with anything,” he said, settling next to Youngjae and Himchan on the sofa with a small smile.

“No, you choose, hyung,” Junhong said. “You never join us for movies so it’s your turn to pick.” Yongguk softened a little more as Junhong smiled at him. He’d apologized to Junhong once before for not knowing how to teach or explain or anything necessary to be a leader. Ever since, Junhong – fifteen-year-old Junhong with his kind heart and cute smiles – encouraged him when he stepped up and tried to reach out to his friends.

“I don’t really know anything out right now,” Yongguk said, rubbing at his hair as they scrolled through titles. “I don’t keep up on movies.”

“You’ll have to join us on more days then, hyung,” Youngjae said. “It’s criminal to not know how any of these movies.” Yongguk smiled at him, and he returned it. For all the confidence Youngjae possessed, his smile looked strangely shy and sweet. Yongguk hoped to see it again.

“I’d enjoy that,” he said. As he spoke, the taste of cheesecake appeared in his mouth, and he groaned leaning back against the couch. He’d assumed he could have one day without tasting much from his soulmate, but apparently even that was too much to ask for.

“What’s wrong, hyung?” Junhong asked. Yongguk sighed, sitting back up and finding everyone’s concerned eyes on him.

“I –” Yongguk needed to man up and tell his dongsaengs. He had no reason to keep this secret, not when it was a normal and natural thing. “My… soulmate really likes eating.” Both Jongup and Junhong stared back with wide eyes. While they knew of the bond (everyone did), it was hard to comprehend that constant connection. Himchan and Youngjae looked much more understanding.

“What are they eating?” Junhong asked. He tilted his head to the side as he spoke, propping himself onto his arms.

“Cheesecake.” Normally Yongguk would have left his answer at that, but he had the whole group’s attention, and he wanted to talk to them more and – “They eat it often. I really don’t like the taste of it.”

“Do – do you just taste it?” Jongup asked, flushing. “Sorry – if that’s a weird question.”

“It’s not,” Himchan promised him. “And some people just taste it. Others it can affect them more. I usually just taste it.”

“Mine eats a lot,” Youngjae said. “We actually can talk through food? Like they kept eating honey and peanut butter every time I had toast and only stopped once I tried putting the honey and peanut butter on the toast.”

Yongguk nodded, accepting the tidbit of information about Youngjae. It was the first time Youngjae really offered something personal about himself, at least to Yongguk. He added it to the short list of what he knew about his group outside of their musical and performance talents.

Youngjae ate toast with peanut butter and honey most mornings.

“Have you ever met them?” Jongup asked, and Yongguk could feel the tension in Himchan next to him. Yongguk pitied his friend. They both knew it was inappropriate to tell Jongup about the soulmate bond before his side matured, but he hoped Himchan could find peace in it somehow.

“No,” Yongguk answered. “All I know about mine is they like cheesecake and anything fried.”

“It makes you sick, doesn’t it?” Junhong asked. Yongguk winced as he realized Junhong had another skill he hadn’t known about. He noticed more than the average person and much more than the average teenager his age. Yongguk nodded.

“I hate fried foods. It’s no big deal.”

“I’ve never heard of what your soulmate eating affecting you like that.” Youngjae frowned at him, shifting to sit up straighter. “Have you gotten that checked?”

“It’s no big deal. It’s just cramps.” Yongguk hadn’t planned for them to worry about him because of this. He was their leader; they shouldn’t worry about him. “I’m fine.”

Youngjae raised an eyebrow, meeting Yongguk’s gaze, but he didn’t comment. If anyone would bring it up again, it would be Himchan later. He hoped everyone just left it how it was.

“So what movie are we going to watch?”

--------------

“It’s okay, Yongguk-hyung,” Youngjae said, but for once Yongguk didn’t see his easy confidence. “I – know my voice isn’t what B.A.P needs. I’m not a tenor. I can’t be the main vocalist.”

Yongguk sighed, resisting the urge to drop his head in his hands. After allowing them to believe they’d be a five-member group, their company just announced that another vocalist – a new main vocal – was joining and pushing Youngjae back into the role of lead vocal. Youngjae had worked so hard the past couple months to perfect his parts and improve his voice, and now those parts were going to another vocalist.

“You’re an amazing vocalist, Youngjae-ah,” Yongguk said because there wasn’t anything else he could say. Despite his position of leader, this decision had been over his head. He’d only found out with everyone else. “This doesn’t change that.”

“When is he coming?” Youngjae asked, changing the subject. He turned away from Yongguk, but Yongguk saw tears beginning to gather in his eyes. Yongguk swallowed down anger at their label. They weren’t a bad label; they just… hadn’t handled this well.

“Soon. Today,” Yongguk admitted. “His name’s Jung Daehyun.”

“It’s not his fault,” Youngjae said. “He must be good for them to do this. I doubt he even knows –” Yongguk hated that Youngjae, soft but sassy Youngjae who joked around all day but rarely ever offered information about his life before B.A.P, was the one insisting to Yongguk that they needed to welcome Daehyun into the group.

“I won’t let you be pushed to the background, Youngjae-ah,” Yongguk said. Though Youngjae never told him, he knew Youngjae trained at and then left JYP. Often, Yongguk heard him talking to his friends from there, calling them late at night and occasionally sounding so wistful that Yongguk almost expected him to leave and return there.

He didn’t know why Youngjae left JYP, and he wouldn’t know until Youngjae told him – if Youngjae ever told him. But he knew he’d do his best to make Youngjae feel at home in B.A.P and not regret his decision.

Yongguk just hoped he didn’t regret it already.