Dealing with Juyeon was easier than Sunwoo thought it would be. There was a constant chill in his body that Sunwoo could never shake though. But besides that, it was very similar to having a roommate, except that every time Juyeon looked at him with those red eyes, Sunwoo would pass out. It wasn't as bad as it sounded, because after a few weeks, the vampire's real personality began to show through and he would apologize profusely to Sunwoo for knocking him out every time.

They had spent a good two hours talking it through after a particularly bad 'episode' as they called it, and came to an agreement that Juyeon would still have consent to take Sunwoo's blood, but he couldn't overdo it because Sunwoo did still need the energy to get his schoolwork done and to perform normally at his part-time job. So they decided that Sunwoo would bring Juyeon alternative foods to quell his hunger in times when Sunwoo couldn't lend his own blood.

But other than that and the chill, it truly was just like having a roommate. Juyeon tended to mind his own business, occasionally tagging along with Sunwoo to get groceries or just to see where he went throughout the day. Juyeon was quite similar to a kitten, actually. Not harsh enough to be considered a grumpy old cat, but he was quiet and easily entertained– he also took far too many naps. He often disappeared when he slept, so sometimes Sunwoo would come home to an empty apartment, go to the living room and relax, and then suddenly see Juyeon passed out on the floor like a dead man. It terrified him the first time he saw the vampire like that.

It wasn't like Juyeon was just taking and taking from Sunwoo though; as a vampire, he had centuries of knowledge in his head and some astonishing powers when Sunwoo first found out about them. When he had gotten the list of skills from Juyeon, he wasn't sure what to find cockier– the fact that there was a list at all or the fact that it was longer than he thought it would be.

1) He can produce any amount of money he needs (it's why he could pay for clothing for all these years)

2) He can mess with someone's memory (when asked why he didn't just do that to Sunwoo, Juyeon was slightly offended and stated that he did actually have a moral code, thank you very much)

3) He can alter his appearance ("You can shapeshift?" "No, but I can make myself seem like someone you know.")

4) Amplified senses ("What?" "It just means my senses are stronger than yours." "Like a dog?" "...sure.")

5) He can take blood without biting (Sunwoo already knew this one)

6) He can tell if someone is telling the truth or lying (Sunwoo would like to have this power too, actually)

"So that's it?" Sunwoo asked, reading the list.

Juyeon nodded. "That's it."

"Why only money? Wouldn't that mean you can produce anything else?"

"Mmm, well, sort of. I can also produce flowers."

7) He can produce flowers.

"Why flowers?"

This time, Juyeon shrugged. "Don't know; just can."

Sunwoo raised an eyebrow. "That's weird as hell."

"I don't think there's much about me that's normal, Sunwoo."

His statement was met with a bark of laughter. "Very true. That's alright though," Sunwoo said, patting the vampire's shoulder. "If you were normal, I think you'd also be quite boring."

"Was that a compliment or an insult?" Juyeon asked, watching Sunwoo walk away to get ready for work.

"A compliment, certainly. Want to join me today?" He turned with a smile.

Juyeon smiled back. "Sure."

There was a patch of sunlight that shone through Sunwoo's chest when he smiled at the vampire, and the chill became a bit easier to bear after that.

💊

Another reason Lee Juyeon was similar to a cat? Sunwoo often had to use a spray bottle on the vampire when he was taking too much blood at one time. Now, Juyeon didn't hiss like a cat, but he did flick his (obnoxiously large) hands around. If Sunwoo did it more for entertainment rather than actually feeling his safety was being breached, then Juyeon didn't need to know that.

"Ugh, now my face is soaked," Juyeon said, wiping his cheeks with the palms of his hands. He glared over to where Sunwoo was sitting at his desk, but the boy had passed out. The spray bottle was dangling between his fingers and blood was leaking down from his neck and through his sleeve to his knuckles.

A pang of guilt shot through Juyeon and he bit the inside of his cheek. Truly, he was grateful to Sunwoo for all that he did. Offering his blood willingly at first due to reluctance of any other situation, but now did so wholeheartedly. Because he knew it kept Juyeon alive. Sunwoo kept Juyeon alive.

When he had first asked Juyeon why he took so much that Sunwoo passed out, the vampire had to explain that it didn't matter if he took half a drop or 10 gallons of blood, Sunwoo would be knocked out all the same. He explained that that was likely because Juyeon was unaware of how much blood he took until it was done because he always went into a trance while taking his fill.

"That's why the fact that you know your limits is so helpful." He said to Sunwoo. "Because I can't tell what your limit is and if I've gone over it until afterward." Sunwoo pouted at that but seemed to understand, which then prompted him to purchase the spray bottle.

Juyeon picked Sunwoo up bridal-style, letting the bottle fall to the ground as he walked towards the bedroom. Blood dripped from the college student's fingertips, and Juyeon reminded himself to clean it up while Sunwoo was asleep.

He placed the boy in his bed and used a damp cloth to wipe the blood off of his skin, not forgetting to make sure that the wounds weren't going to keep bleeding. When Sunwoo was fully settled down, Juyeon moved to clean up the blood drops on the floor and refill the spray bottle; he may hate the wretched thing, but breaking Sunwoo's trust by getting rid of the one thing that protected him wasn't exactly on Juyeon's Bucket List.

💊

"Ugh, hyung, I had the worst dream ever," Sunwoo said. It had been an hour since he passed out and Juyeon was relaxing on the armchair with a book.

He looked up. "Was it a nightmare?"

Sunwoo shook his head as he sat down on the couch and reached for the remote. "No. It was your birthday, and I guess for a present I got you a hat because it was cold out."

"Makes sense."

"Except!" Sunwoo says, holding a finger up. "Everyone else was wearing your hat! And I don't mean like, they got the same hat, I mean the hat I gifted you was being worn by all my friends. It totally pissed me off." He opened Netflix and chose the drama they had been watching for the past week. "It was a super ugly hat too though."

Juyeon laughed loudly and put his book down. "Ugly or not, I'm sure I'd wear it."

"That's the thing!" Sunwoo paused the show and turned to face him. "You didn't even get a chance to!"

"Really?" Juyeon couldn't hide the dopey smile that graced his cheeks.

"Yeah! That's what pissed me off most, I think. Also, like, I know Chanhee was doing it out of spite because Mr. Minoring-in-Fashion wouldn't wear such a thing. Ugh, he'd probably do it in real life too."

"Chanhee? He's the one with...with the face, right?" Juyeon waved his hand around his own face, gesturing to it as if that made it clearer.

Sunwoo raised a brow. "The face?"

"Yeah. He's the one who has like...How do I say this without sounding super offensive?" Juyeon asked.

His remark was met with an amused look from Sunwoo. "I don't know what you mean, hyung," he said with a shrug. "But to put you out of your misery, yes that is Chanhee. The one with the- the- uh-"

"Don't mock me." Juyeon sighed. Sunwoo laughed loudly but stopped nagging him. "Also didn't you say he was an anthropology major?"

Sunwoo rolled his eyes, muttering something along the lines of 'you poor old thing' before answering. "Yeah he is, but he's minoring in fashion. Majors and minors are different." Juyeon narrowed his eyes at him as if trying to tell if Sunwoo was messing with him or not. When he apparently found what he was looking for, Juyeon nodded his head and turned back to the TV, silently telling Sunwoo to press play.

The chill was barely noticeable now. And the leaves in his chest turned green once more as they wrapped tightly around his bones.