"So, I take it things aren't too well at home?" Taeyong questioned calmly as he prepared dinner for the three other boys who had just arrived. Mark had changed out of his cold, drenched clothing and was now clad in one of Johnny's old sweatshirts and a pair of Taeyong's sweatpants. Haechan had run upstairs to change out of his 'hard pants' as he called them, and Johnny was in the living room finishing the episode of the sitcom he had been watching prior to picking up his brother. That left Taeyong, Johnny's best friend (or maybe more) to cook for them while Mark sat at the island and waited for Haechan to finish changing.

"You could say that." He answered carefully. He kept the hood of the sweatshirt up, which he had hoped would make him less approachable for interrogation, but instead, it had merely made him look like any normal teenage boy. Taeyong raised a brow at the comment and turned around, a small knowing smile on his face as he crossed his arms, the spatula in his hand making him look like a sassy mom, or maybe a nosy wine aunt.

"Well, that's not vague at all." He joked. Mark rolled his eyes playfully and looked down at the counter.

"What's not vague?" Haechan asked as he entered the kitchen, moving to help Taeyong cook. Mark took in his new outfit- a light gray hoodie from Johnny's college, and a pair of black sweats to match with little bear slippers on his feet as he shuffled about the kitchen comfortably. His hair wasn't as straight or dry as before, instead, it was a damp curly mass on his head leading Mark to believe he must've showered or at least washed his hair before coming down. Unlike Mark, the hood of his sweatshirt was down, and it left the honey skin of Haechan's beautiful neck exposed and on display. A couple of moles sat on his neck in various spots which Mark belatedly realized he had mapped out long ago from too much wishing, and too much staring. He felt that hunger try to claw its way back up his throat, felt his gums ache where his fangs would appear when he would feed.

He wanted nothing more than to leap over the island and do what he hadn't gotten to do in ages. Do the one thing he had intended to do every time he had set out on these rainy evenings.

But then, Haechan turned to look at him with dark eyes that were full of joy and bubbling happiness. The beast in him retreated down to the depths of his heart once more, and he felt a weight lifted from his shoulders.

Haechan smiled.

Mark smiled back.

💉

"You should stay here tonight," Haechan suggested calmly as he set another dish on the towel in front of Mark, who promptly picked it up and used another towel to dry it off. "We haven't gotten to hang out in a while with school and all. It would be nice to catch up." Mark hummed and thought for a moment. They had slept over together before so that wasn't what he was worried about, and he wasn't exactly missed in his house. He hesitated to even call it home.

"Yeah, I'd like that." He paused and let a comfortable silence fill the air, the sound of dishes clanking and running water interrupting it. "If you want we could watch the new Spiderman movie on my laptop." He offered with a smile, feeling more comfortable to speak like normal since Taeyong and Johnny were too preoccupied in the living room together watching a nature documentary to pay them any mind. Haechan turned off the water as he finished rinsing the last dish, setting it on the towel before reaching over to tug the hood from Mark's head.

"Sure, as long as you won't be offended when I fall asleep halfway through." He moved to the pantry to take out their snacks for the evening.

"How can I not be at least slightly offended by you falling asleep halfway through my movie." Haechan forced a huff of a laugh at that, unfolding the popcorn and setting it in the microwave dutifully as Mark walked over to put away the last dried glass.

"Okay, sorry Spiderman, I didn't mean to offend you." Haechan 'apologized' with a smile. Mark smiled too and let out a laugh.

"But no, I won't be offended. You would fall asleep halfway through any movie I put on. It wouldn't matter if it were Spiderman or Howl's Moving Castle." Mark joked, and Haechan didn't bite back as he had expected and hoped him to, so he went on. "You have such a weak tolerance for staying up late. No matter how much caffeine or determination." That seemed to do the trick, working an argumentative whine from the younger.

"That's not true! I've stayed up really late with you and Renjun before!"

"And yet, who was the first one to fall asleep?"

"Me, and I regret it too!" Mark laughed when he thought the pudu was done, but he went on. "I really regret it because Renjun told me he got to know more about you than I ever would!"

That made him freeze.

His laughter faltered and his smile fell, showing something like concern.

That night was supposed to be like any normal sleepover that he had with his friends, but Renjun snuck a bit of Johnny's beer, and after Haechan fell asleep they drank a bit too much. One thing had led to another and Mark had Renjun under him. He couldn't control it, his fangs coming out on instinct, and when he leaned down to kiss up Renjun's neck, the sharp teeth dragged against his neck and he yelped, covering his mouth a moment later as to not wake the youngest who slept peacefully next to them.

Mark had frozen in his spot, raising his head slowly, his face flushed and his mouth hanging open. His eyes remained trained to the spot where Renjun's neck had been nicked, a familiar red liquid oozing out. The younger reached up carefully and held Mark's mouth open, running his thumb across the fangs with wonder.

"You're a vampire." He had whispered matter-of-factly. Mark kept his eyes on the spot where he had drawn blood. He knew his eyes were bound to have fallen to the dark crimson color that they faded to when his vampire instincts fully kicked in. He swallowed down the lump in his throat and carefully met Renjun's eyes.

"If you're a vampire," he pulled Mark's head down to whisper in his ear, keeping his voice lowered still.

"Then bite me."

Mark shivered.

How much had Renjun told him?

"You alright Markgeollie?" Haechan asked a bit too brightly as he poured the popcorn into a bowl, grabbing three boxes of Pocky from the counter as well.

"Y-yeah, sorry. Just thinking." Haechan raised a brow at Mark's mumbled response.

"Mhm. Well sorry to pull you away from your plots to save the world Spiderman, but could you get the Mountain Dews from the fridge, please? My hands are full." Mark chuckled and did as told, moving to get the beverages from the fridge.

He tried to forget about what Haechan had mentioned as the smaller called out to tell Johnny they were going upstairs, and he tried to push down his worry when the door to the younger's room shut gently behind them.

"Come on," Haechan pat the spot beside where he had laid himself on his bed. "And bring your heavy ass bag up here too."

Mark hummed and went over to his backpack, pulling out his laptop. He honestly didn't know how his bag got to the other's room, but it was possible he had left it there the last time he was around without even noticing. Regardless, he brought his bag closer to the bed, plugging in the cord for his laptop before settling in beside the younger. Haechan promptly leaned into him, putting the popcorn between them while Mark made his way to the totally legal website they used to watch movies.

After loading up the spiderman movie, (despite what he had said, it wasn't the new one, because Mark feared he wouldn't be able to focus on a thing with where he was at the moment) they began to munch on the snacks they had gotten for themselves, Haechan quickly moving to open the mountain dew he had been handed. The hissing of the can fizzing to life brought Mark out of his calmed thoughts, waking him back to reality.

A reality of worry.

Renjun had promised he wouldn't tell anyone, promised that it would stay just between the two of them. It was nice to have someone else who knew, no doubt, but now that it came down to it, he was worried that the other had broken his promise.

"How much did Renjun tell you?" Mark asked suddenly, not thinking to wait for Haechan to seem bored of the movie. Apparently, the younger wasn't too bothered by being interupted. Haechan shrugged.

"Nothing really. Just told me that you two kissed is all. He said it brought out an entirely different part of you that I would never get to know." Haechan said, trying to keep a strong facade that he was unbothered by this concept. But, being Haechan's friend of almost ten years now, he could see right through him. Mark couldn't help but smirk a bit, humming in satisfaction. 

"I see..." He waited to see what the boy would do, but when he just appeared to go back to watching the movie, Mark didn't miss a beat in stealing his attention again. "It bothers you?"

"What?"

"That we kissed."

"Huh? No. Why would it?" The younger blubbered, shoving more popcorn into his mouth with a bit too much aggression. Mark watched him intently, expecting to see the other panic, but this time it was Haechan's turn to keep perfect time as he turned to look at the older. "Do you want it to bother me?" He asked, and Mark stayed still. "Would it make you feel proud to know it makes me jealous?" The older considered him for a moment.

"Yes, actually."

"Then yes. It bothered me." Haechan grinned when the other's expression washed over with surprise. He took a proud mouthful of popcorn and turned back to the movie. Still, Mark wasn't done.

"If it made you jealous," He reached forward and took hold of the younger's chin carefully, tilting his head to be facing him. Mark looked into the other's dark eyes, and staring into them like this, all warm and close and comfortable, he could almost forget what he really was. Could almost forget that this wasn't supposed to happen. Could almost forget that he was a vampire and Haechan was a human, they were different and they weren't supposed to be together, not even like this. "Then why don't you do something about it?"

Haechan eyed his lips carefully, his breath shallow and warm. Mark could feel it pushing against his hand and wrist every time the soft boy exhaled. He hadn't really thought this far. Hadn't thought about what would happen if Haechan did kiss him, or worse if he didn't want to. He had just done this because it felt right. He did it because he was young and stupid and oh so naive. 

And Haechan was a little bitch. So he acted like one, grabbing a handful of popcorn and shoving it into Mark's mouth.

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