Kim Taehyung thought there were many attractive things about Min Yoongi. He was the tall, dark, and handsome type in energy alone if not in height, was incredibly talented in music production, and lastly, he was insanely rich.

Obviously Taehyung wasn't going after the vampire only for his money, but it was a perk. Ever since he'd found out Yoongi was a vampire, Taehyung had started to pursue him more deliberately. Well, pursue was a strong term, it was more like he and the prince had fallen into a sort of label-less routine.

Every Friday after Taehyung's Intro to Music Theory discussion, he'd wait outside the lecture building for Yoongi to show up. Taehyung knew his best friend would stay after to do whatever the fuck he and Jimin got up to after class, so Taehyung stopped waiting for Jungkook to walk out with him. Taehyung was surprised Yoongi hadn't caught on because without fail the guy always came to pick Jimin up. It made more sense now that Taehyung realized Jimin was the only one out of the three of his roommates without a car.

Still, since the little royalty reveal at dinner, Taehyung would wait each week to step in Yoongi's way. It would take some flirty words from Taehyung and a lot of grumbles from the stoic prince, but eventually Yoongi would cave. Something about knowing both of them were eternal, that there wasn't human death or short attention spans to worry over, made it incredibly easy to jump into whatever it was that they were.

Taehyung also liked how when he'd ask for details for where they were headed, Yoongi would simply answer 'it's a place you'll like.'

The drive there was usually wordless, Yoongi's car smelling like cigarettes and sleek in design, before they'd end up in the bougiest places Taehyung had ever seen. A skyline restaurant or a dinner in a rented-out Museum.

But the drive back was always more talkative. Incredibly so, actually, and Taehyung was surprised how much he shared about himself after they ate. Yoongi swapped some of his own secrets: some interesting, one upsetting, but most were simply surprising.

His favorite of Yoongi's secrets was by far the prince's secret high-rise penthouse. Generational wealth was nuts to see in person; it was the place he'd lived in before he'd moved in with Jimin and Hoseok. Their time would always end there, spending the night together before Taehyung slipped away in the morning.

It wasn't that he didn't want to wake up next to Yoongi, he did, but the guy could sleep for longer than he'd probably been alive. It became a rhythm of sorts, the two of them dancing around each other, swapping intimate secrets and sleeping together without any label.

Taehyung didn't mind. Yoongi even bought him Gucci gifts just because he'd mentioned being a fan of the brand once. Taehyung grinned secretly when he'd opened it, the box left on the kitchen table with his name. They'd never mentioned the gift, or anything to each other at all, not until the next Friday rolled around.

It was comfortable. They both kept each other an arm's reach away from anything real. Yoongi wasn't exactly open to a defined relationship and Taehyung wasn't sure what he wanted either, but he didn't feel rushed to find out.

Taehyung sighed, stepping out of Yoongi's insane penthouse to grab an Uber back to campus, happy with where he was at. Yoongi was hot, he was rich, and he was already a vampire. It put Taehyung at a disadvantage for the first time in his life, having only dated humans before, and he couldn't stop grinning the whole drive over as he sat on that thought.

* * *

Jungkook's t-shirt was a bit crinkled as he rode up his dorm elevator having just gotten back from Hoseok's dance studio.

While Jungkook looked like a mess in the morning, Jimin had somehow showered and dressed before Jungkook even opened his eyes, two coffees in his pale hands. Jimin had even put the shades down so that the sun couldn't pour into the dance room, waiting till Jungkook was up to flip the overhead lights on instead.

The room looked wider in the light, highlighting parts of Jimin etched into the place like the extra water bottles scattered in the corners, the shelf of binders with dance combos, a Mandu free zone sticker on the door, or the trophies with photos of Jimin's dance teams on the walls.

"I have clothes in the lockers if you want to change." Jimin had said while handing Jungkook the coffee. "I stay late here a lot, so I've gotten used to keeping extra."

Jungkook had smirked to himself then, thinking his frame would probably rip Jimin's tight shirts.

The elevator doors finally opened and the same grin was now on his lips as he remembered how Jimin had settled down on the dance floor, throwing his legs over Jungkook's with a smile as they finished their coffees. Jungkook's hand had brushed up and down Jimin's legs as they talked about everything and nothing at all. His body still bounced from adrenaline, the coffee nothing compared to getting to spend a whole morning with Jimin.

His boyfriend.

When it was finally time to head out of 'Hope World,' Jungkook had handed Jimin his hoodie. It was one of his favorites, with a thick black fabric and a bunny ear logo. Jimin had refused at first until they had taken one step outside. While it looked like the winter snow was gone for good, the early spring wind still bit. So when Jungkook offered the hoodie again, Jimin took it without hesitation.

The smile on Jungkook's lips now was a dumb one as he stopped in front of his dorm door.

Across the hall, the elevator opened again and Jungkook recognized the low timbered hum emerging from it. He paused, putting his phone down after sending a text to Jimin asking if he got home safe, only to find his best friend waltzing down with an equally dumb smile on his face.

When Kim Taehyung registered Jungkook, the look was replaced with a coy assessment of Jungkook's state. He started with Jungkook's tussled hair then tilted his head at the clear hickeys on Jungkook's neck.

"Where'd you come from?" Taehyung asked, raising his brows.

Jungkook did his own assessment of Taehyung. His hair was equally misplaced, the brown strands brushed out of his face hastily. His shirt was buttoned wrong, the silk material crinkled and there was a dark bruise peeking over Taehyung's collarbone.

"Where did you?"

"I won't push if you don't?" Taehyung offered, reaching to open their dorm door. Jungkook eyed the flash of gold on Taehyung's wrist as he reached for the handle, a brand-new watch sitting against his skin. Despite his curiosity over the sudden fashion upgrade, Jungkook didn't feel like offering up his night just to find out how Taehyung could suddenly afford Gucci.

"Deal." Jungkook answered and Taehyung nodded, heading straight for their shower while Jungkook slipped on some headphones, finally getting to the producing projects he'd neglected for his other classes as he felt his phone buzz with Jimin's reply.

* * *

Taehyung and Jungkook were hanging out on the third floor of Seoul University's music building where the undergrad producing equipment was kept. The day was thankfully extremely cloudy, the rain coming off and on, allowing them to enjoy the view of the university's main quad without fearing the sun weakening them through the windows.

Jungkook leaned back in his seat, the wheels rolling back as he rubbed his eyes, shifting one of the large headphone muffs off his ear. There was only so long he could stare at the screen in front of him, arranging different mixes of his song for his Intro to Music Production midterm project. He was trying to go for a soft rnb vibe, but the vocal arrangement he recorded was fighting with the background instrumental.

He glanced over at Taehyung across from him who had a pen between his teeth, hand clicking away on his mouse.

"How's your song going?" Jungkook asked while replying to a text Jimin sent ranting about some crazy choreography in his dance workshop. Apparently, Seoul Uni had flown in a ballet professor from France for a Saturday master's class and the French ballet style was completely different from what Jimin was used to. Jungkook smirked to himself, texting back he could think of a couple ways to loosen Jimin's muscles up later tonight, asking if he needed someone to help him stretch.

"Did you say something?" Taehyung blinked, taking his headphones off. His eyes were red from the long hours they'd spent in the computer lab, empty coffee and ramen cups at their sides.

"Dude. Blink." Jungkook ordered and Taehyung scowled. "I asked how your song's going. I can't believe whatever we turn in is worth so much of our final grade. It's just this song and the final project that gets graded, right?"

Taehyung rubbed his face, nodding. "Yea, it's brutal. But I think I'm getting close. I want to get someone else to record background vocals to brighten up the overall sound since my voice is so low."

"I can help. I've heard my voice is golden."

Taehyung kicked him under the table. "It's a jazz track, Jungkook. You're more sexy take your pants off and I'm more wine and dine."

"My mom says my voice is lovely." Jungkook said, but even he could feel the tiredness pushing against his eyes.

"Is that Jimin?" Taehyung asked suddenly, looking out the window. Jungkook stretched his neck to see a small pale figure swallowed in a black hoodie with a bunny-ear logo walking. He had a dance bag in his hand, walking between Yoongi and Hoseok. Jimin was typing on his phone, a text appearing on Jungkook's own a moment later, while his two friends looked like they were in the middle of a debate.

"Is that your hoodie?" Taehyung asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Maybe he owns the same one?" Jungkook replied with a curious tone. He responded to Jimin's text back telling Jungkook they could stretch together at Hoseok's dance studio. Jungkook quickly loved the text, trying to keep a straight face when Jimin sent a follow up one about how flexible he was, looking up at Taehyung innocently.

"There a reason Jimin has your hoodie, JK?" Taehyung said, staring down his friend.

Jungkook glanced at Taehyung's wrist. "Where's the watch from Tae? You're too poor to buy Gucci yourself."

Taehyung drew his tongue across his fangs. "An answer for an answer?" Taehyung offered, stretching his hands up over his head, the gold band flashing.

"Deal." Jungkook smirked, "The watch?"

"A gift from Yoongi." Taehyung answered causing Jungkook's brows to shoot up.

"The hoodie?"

"A gift from me." Jungkook said and watched  follow-up questions burn in Taehyung's eyes.

"You pushing further?" Jungkook asked.

"You?" Taehyung answered.

God Jungkook wanted to. He had so many questions of his own.

"I won't if you aren't." Jungkook said instead, stealing one more glance at Jimin walking through the quad in Jungkook's hoodie, before Taehyung sighed and they went back to working on their projects.

* * *

"Hey I'm heading out. I've got plans after the gym so I might be back late." Jungkook said to his roommate as he slung his gym bag over his shoulder.

"Great. I'll come with."

Jungkook blinked. "What. Tae. You don't workout."

"What do you mean? I took the stairs up this time."

Jungkook snorted. "Is something up?"

Taehyung shrugged, "I don't know, I'm noisy and I feel like we're keeping secrets. I don't like it." He said honestly. Jungkook gave Taehyung a look before dropping his gym bag back on the ground. Taehyung was right, it wasn't very common for them to keep things from one another.

"Drink on the quad?" Jungkook offered and Taehyung grinned.

"I got a blood wine from the bougie vampire restaurant Jin took me to."

Jungkook snorted. "Absolutely not. Reminds me of San and his plastic blood bottle. Isn't that like three weeks old anyway?"

"You have to appreciate the finer things in life." Taehyung teased, grabbing some beers from their mini fridge instead and pouring them into a metal water bottle. Jungkook warmed, knowing Taehyung really was a bougie drinker and had to have something on his mind to stomach Jungkook's choice of alcohol.

"Come on, let's go." Jungkook laughed, ruffling Taehyung's hair who punched Jungkook lightly in the side in response.

The walk to the quad was short, their building close to the massive green area where benches were scattered near surrounding trees and a brick intersecting pathway sitting at the heart. They found a spot on a concrete ledge with the Seoul University letters carved on the side. The stars were bright against an almost black backdrop and the quad was empty. The old-styled lamps cast enough light for it to feel comfortable instead of isolating.

"So the watch?" Jungkook asked.

"So the hoodie?" Taehyung countered.

"I asked first." Jungkook grinned.

"Fine." Taehyung said, drinking from the bottle and making a bitter face the second it hit his throat which caused Jungkook to laugh.

A moment passed. Jungkook grabbed the bottle, waiting as he took a swing.

"I'm fucking Yoongi." Taehyung said finally and Jungkook physically spit the beer out.

"You're what?!" Jungkook yelled, loud enough he knew some supernatural vocals stretched. "What the fuck, how? When? How long?"

"Since I found out he was a vampire?"

"Well fuck." Jungkook said. "Are you dating him?"

"No." Taehyung answered. "But whatever it is we're doing, it's so fucking liberating. Not only is he hot and crazy rich, but we don't have a time limit on figuring each other out. It's so freeing cause he's already gained everything he can from being a vampire. There is literally nothing I can give him that he doesn't already have."

"But?" Jungkook asked.

"Well, he keeps a lot to himself. Like, did you know Yoongi has a feeder?"

"What?" Jungkook asked, the beer once again leaving his throat. He was starting to make a mess. "Jimin never mentioned that."

Taehyung gave him a strange look, probably wondering what type of relationship Jungkook had with Jimin to expect that level of information. Taehyung grabbed the water bottle, drinking a small sip. "Is it bad I don't mind? Yoongi said they're not close, in fact he hasn't fed from his feeder in months and he's fine with me finding one too as long as it's not romantic like our PDA couple of the century."

"You're talking about Jin with Namjoon?"

Taehyung gave him a look - because who else - and Jungkook snorted.

"How do you feel about about him though?" Jungkook asked carefully, knowing he was starting treading close to a topic Taehyung tended to bury the second it surfaced. Romance was a concept to flirt with for Taehyung, but never to dive into.

Taehyung shrugged, looking up to the sky above them. "I don't know, to be honest. But I like whatever we are right now and I don't feel threatened by some distant feeder. Only thing that makes me worried is the feeder-failsafe if they aren't that close anymore."

"Failsafe?"

Taehyung popped his lips. "Right, I never told you about that. Apparently if a feeder breaks the bond, we can lose our humanity."

"Oh." Jungkook said, thinking back on what San had taunted at the end of their boxing match. He's called humans a 'risk.'

"That's why it's better to find yourself a hot rich prince vampire like I did." Taehyung said, stretching out on the concrete with a smile, but there was something deeper to the boxy-grin.

"Have you talked to him about Elias?" Jungkook asked carefully, bringing up the French model Taehyung had dated for three and a half years. He watched Taehyung's smile slip slightly but it was nowhere near the full frown the model's name usually brought.

"I have, actually." Taehyung said, surprising Jungkook. "I told him how he - how he used me. You know, the whole telling me he loves me and planning for eternity together and all the fucking love bombing for three years just for him to leave after I finally turned him thing. When I told him about - about Elias - lying the entirety of our relationship, how he ditched me now that he can be hot and young forever, Yoongi just like - nodded. Said he could kinda understand, in a very round-about sort of way. Like I said, his feeder situation isn't great so we're both on the humans aren't all that page."

Jungkook gnawed at his lip.

What Elias had done to Taehyung was incredibly fucked up. Namjoon still talked about how empty Taehyung looked for the first year after their breakup when he thought Taehyung was out of ear shot. It was before Jungkook turned, having occurred a decade ago, but some scars never truly heal. Seokjin had to supervise Taehyung for months after to make sure he didn't go on some revenge killing spree. Elias manipulated Taehyung's love. Jin's coven all lent a hand in helping Elias through the turning process before they knew, Taehyung helping most of all, just for Elias to leave the next day. There was no call, no text. The first time Taehyung saw him after he'd turned was on a billboard for a French wine company.

Jungkook drank some more beer, staring at his best friend, and Taehyung was smiling despite the echo of pain in his eyes. It was shocking to Jungkook, the name alone used to bring out violence and tears from his friend instead. But Taehyung was smiling.

Maybe, just maybe, Taehyung would understand. Jimin was human - but he wasn't Elias.

"Taehyung, I'm dating Jimin."

"You're what?"

"We made it official last night, that's why he has my hoodie."

"Jungkook I - what? You have to be so careful. Are you turning him? Making him your feeder? Seokjin can't hurt him for knowing about us if he's under Yoongi's protection, but he can if his relationship to you puts us in danger. I thought you guys were just fucking?"

Jungkook sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not turning him, Tae. I brought it up before and Jimin turned it down. He definitely isn't interested in being a feeder either. I think feeding scares him. He was so tense the only time I've ever drank from him. He said his past experiences with it were bad, but he won't tell me why or what happened, so I gotta wait till he's ready to talk about it. I just - like him. A lot. He's a bit of a venom addict but honestly that doesn't worry me so much anymore. He has other people who could give it to him, so why date me if it's just for that?"

Taehyung did the very last thing Jungkook expected: he laughed.

When Jungkook blinked, Taehyung laughed again.

"What? What's so funny?"

Taehyung shook his head, holding his stomach as the laughs got more ridiculous. The sound was contagious, causing Jungkook to laugh too. From relief, from exhaustion, from joy, he didn't know, but the sound was full and real.

"Nothing I just - did you know before Yoongi walked into that dinner, I asked Seokjin about feeders?" Taehyung said, laughing so hard he was crying. "Dead-ass used you as a cover."

Jungkook gaped. "You were going to go after him even if he was human?"

"Isn't that fucked up?" Taehyung laughed. Jungkook howled another laugh, hand going to Taehyung's shoulder. "Jungkook, I wanted him as a feeder."

Fuck, the laughs were hurting his stomach.

"And I've got a human who wants nothing to do with feeding." Jungkook said, laughing so hard tears pooled his eyes.

"That's so fucked." Taehyung howled.

"Look at us." Jungkook announced, hitting Taehyung's shoulder.

"Just two men, doing their best."

"We really are." Jungkook agreed, wiping the tears off his face. "I'm glad you're not against it, me dating him. I was worried."

"Look, if he breaks your heart, I'll pick up the pieces. Friends are here to support you, not make choices for you." Taehyung clasped Jungkook on the back. "Your plans tonight are with him, aren't they?"

Jungkook nodded, wiggling his brows as the mania died down. "We're stretching."

"Ew. Okay, nevermind, let's go back to secrets." Taehyung said, pushing Jungkook's shoulder away from him and Jungkook beamed at his friend.

"I'll pick the pieces up for you too if Yoongi ends up being an ass."

"Damn Jungkook, with lines like that I might just fall in love."

"Shut up and drink your beer." Jungkook countered, handing Taehyung the bottle. "And I love you too." Jungkook added before pulling out his phone to a text from Jimin saying he was on his way to the dance studio. Taehyung glanced at Jungkook's phone and clapped Jungkook on the back, nudging them to start heading back so Jungkook wouldn't be late.

_______
A/N:
Friendships are just as important as relationships 🤝

Question: what's your one pass red flag? I gotta say, mine's a J name

Also here's another peak behind the curtain. I've got a loose outline doc and I was looking through it yesterday when I found this. Like what does "you can jump" mean?!?!

- Vio