Vampires had a taste for architecture, and more specifically ballrooms. Glorious chandeliers that were beautifully ornated with hundreds of tiny crystals which reflected to the luminous light hung from the ceiling. The floors were engraved with pure marble, so shiny and glazed that one could mistake them for a mirror. Meticulous care of the details, pillars as if coming out of the Pantheon itself, reproductions of sculptures and paintings that were so painstakingly crafted that you couldn't even distinguish them from the real ones. DaVinci's artworks adorned the walls, Michelangelo's David stood tall and majestic.

The last time Jungkook had seen such a magnificence was during the late eighteens when humans still had a sense of adulation for the fine arts. In the enormous hallway people (or more precisely vampires) danced ardently to the classical music that was being played. Women with sickly pale skins and scarlet eyes were being swirled around in the arms of stoic and strong men. Occasionally a valet boy would pass by offering the guests a glass of red liquid which vaguely reminded Jungkook of blood (probably the substitute for alcohol, minding those vampires couldn't enjoy normal food and beverages).

And amidst all this gory was Taehyung – dressed in a classical black suit, underneath there was a satin white shirt, and finally a pair of polished leather shoes. His curls of golden hair looked so voluminous and silken, almost unrealistic to the bright light. To put it simply - Taehyung looked absolutely splendid tonight.

For the biggest part of the night Jungkook couldn't take his eyes off him. The moment he saw him, it was as if his heart had stopped beating and the world had ceased its circumvention. He was so stunned to speak that Taehyung had to pinch his arm in order to bring him back to reality. Not to mention how hard it was for Jungkook to keep himself focused when Taehyung was standing right in front of him – looking like an affluent jewel that had a tag 'priceless' added to it.

And the night would've been perfect if it hadn't been for the plentitude of vampires that couldn't stop sending them ravenous glances. Every two months the vampire realm would host a party on which they would enjoy themselves in their immortal bodies while waiting for the clock to strike midnight so they could sink their incisors into someone's neck. Of course, a paucity of the guests were humans who, by some great misfortune, happened to become the meal of a starving vampire. The oblivious humans were so unaware of the fate that awaited them by the end of the night. To them all this seemed to be an innocuous party.

To crown the whole, Jungkook and Taehyung's job was to investigate the whole place while pretending to be clueless guests who had come here with the pretext of knowing someone really important. Jungkook had to perambulate the whole city for the sake of gathering more information about the vampires' whereabouts. It was a wonder how he'd managed to obtain the name of a very wealthy vampire who just so happened to attend the tonight's event. Deceiving their way into the party was easy, getting out of here without being caught was almost impossible to imagine.

"Concentrate on the task," he felt Taehyung's hot breath tickle the shell of his ear, and shivers clambered up his spine at the shared proximity. On cue Jungkook's lids fluttered and his Adam apple bobbed as he swallowed down the raising bubble of excitement. His garments were practically sticking to his body from perspiration. It was a good thing that he had his blazer on otherwise he would look ridiculous with the way his clothes stitched to his frame like a second skin.

"What if someone suspects something?" Jungkook asked, nervous. He was mindful of the man sitting beside them and eavesdropping on whatever bits of sentences he could attain.

Taehyung fixed his tie casually while scrutinizing the place with his eagle-like eyes. "Nothing is going to happen. Just calm down and act normal." He said through tightly gritted teeth, emphasizing on the word 'normal' as if the whole 'sneak-into-a-vampiric-party' idea was something ubiquitous that the average person experienced in their daily life.

"Easy to say when you're the one hiding a gun in your belt."

"I don't trust you enough to actually give you a weapon," Taehyung was slowly trying to make his way through the crowd of people by swiftly pushing his body in between the gaps while Jungkook clumsily wobbled behind him.

"I've saved you multiple times," he clarified, throwing an apologetic look at the woman whose glass he accidentally knocked off.

Taehyung sighed fretfully and  Jungkook wondered if it was directed towards his lack of gracefulness or implacable curiosity. "Still doesn't prove anything."

"Proves my point that you have tons of trust issues and don't know how to team up with others." Jungkook was eminently garrulous despite the fear that constantly gnawed at him. He would glance warily at the people they passed by and at the same time keep the conversation with Taehyung going.

Suddenly Taehyung recoiled, and Jungkook noticed the way his shoulders hunched. He wasn't so versatile anymore, and it got Jungkook wondering what would cause such an abrupt change in his demeanor.

"It's not very pertinent of you to talk about those things here." Taehyung said, his tone was positively miffed, and there was a layer of sweat building up on his neck.

Of course, Jungkook sensed that there was something wrong in the way Taehyung acted. He was indefatigable when it came to dodging questions he didn't want to answer. It wasn't his proclivity to get fidgety when being interrogated. Not that Jungkook was pressuring him into answering any of his inquiries.

"About your trust issues?"

"About things that don't concern you," Taehyung spatted, and this time the annoyance in his voice was certain.

Jungkook's eyes rolled on their own volition. The current version of Taehyung was so hard to deal with. He blamed it on the fact that he was brainwashed into thinking that the magical realm was evil. Though, it was also the reason behind the relentless death toll of so many mortals.

As they continued to swing between the bevies of guests the minutes before midnight were gradually passing. They had to get out of here soon lest they turned into a meal for thirsty vampires. Occasionally, someone would bump into their way on purpose, acting all innocent and kind while ogling Taehyung's neck with eagerness. Since Jungkook wasn't mortal, he could deceive them into thinking that he was some low-ranked vampire or a mage and thus the chances of him catching anyone's attention were lower. Taehyung, however, was reeking of human. There was nothing to block the poignant scent of a biological being.

Thankfully, this time their mission was to simply spy the vampires and gather information instead of committing a massive murder (not that it assuaged Jungkook's fault any less). He was feeling a little guilty for betraying his kind, especially after the long lecture Hoseok had given him. It was foolish of him to turn his back to his nature for Taehyung's sake, and it was even more irresponsible of him to believe that things would change after all this was over.

So, instead of doing what he was assigned for, Jungkook found a different approach. During their missions he would search for ways to show Taehyung that the magical realm was not as bad as he'd thought. Though, it was a rather demanding task given that they had to slay literal monsters instead of actually sane mages and other creatures. He had thought of meeting him with Hoseok but the fox was adamant about staying away from the hunters.

"They are looking at you," Jungkook whispered to Taehyung, gently grasping his elbow to pull him closer towards himself, and though the gesture came off as possessive to the rest of the vampires it was a sign to keep their boundaries and stay away from things they didn't own.

Taehyung regarded him with a look of bewilderment, eyes trailing to Jungkook's hand on his arm, and then back to his face. His expression was completely void, inscrutable even, and the hunter couldn't quite read it. "There is nothing to look at," he returned the whisper with equally quiet voice, not trying to pry himself from Jungkook's hold. Quite the opposite – Taehyung found himself enthralled by the propinquity.

Jungkook wished to smile at Taehyung's naiveness because there was a lot to look at. Every part of him should be meticulously observed, appreciated, and memorized. His unique features that were just impossible to forget, his quant habit of tucking a strand of hair behind his ear, the glint of innocence that would occasionally traverse his eyes.

"It's probably your blood that they want," Jungkook dared to joke. He was met with an onslaught of emotions at the realization that Taehyung still hadn't pulled away. In fact, his body seemed to respond with equivalent need to be close.

A chuckle, a tinkle, escaped from Taehyung's sensually red lips upon hearing the innocuous joke. The sound wasn't pugnacious nor derisive. Its melodic jingle was so pleasant to the ear that Jungkook found himself in a trance of voluptuous dizziness.

"What a shame..." Taehyung carefully unwrapped himself from Jungkook's tender grip. "They'll be so disappointed when they find out how insipid my blood is."

And just like that, the magical spell was broken. An evanescent moment which didn't last long enough to actually be enjoyed. Jungkook had to restrain himself from showing his frustration. Forcing down his feelings, he put on a smile that would hopefully pass for casual.

"They won't even get the chance to reach you because I– "he was crudely interrupted by the earthquaking sound of a pendulum clock that had just struck midnight.

The great hallway began to fill with the hemostatic screams of terrified humans. 

♡oh oh oh, new character is coming! Hint - its a bts member.♡