"Everyone was just watching me- no, goggling at me like- I literally just wanted the earth to swallow me whole! Save me from this nightmare, Mina."

Taehyung lay flat with his belly on the couch, his nose pressing against the velvety material and his voice coming out as slightly muffled. In his hand, he was once again holding his iconic vintage rotary telephone because sometimes, phoning his old-fashioned way was perhaps the best way. For about twenty minutes he had been lying flat on his belly, swinging his legs around and whining dramatically.

"You... You sound more concerned about some stupid Valentine's Day-confession than you did about someone literally exposing your secret. How exactly is this possible?" He groaned in agony.

"Because it's embarrassing! And that wasn't just someone exposing my secret, that was fucking Jeon Jungkook betraying the teeniest amount of trust I had inside my body." Surprisingly, Mina let out a sound of protest.

"Are you sure? There was no proof of him doing it. If you ask me, I'd say he seemed pretty innocent. You know how good us witches are at detecting insincerity and he seemed anything but that. And I'm saying this as someone who doesn't even like him much." Taehyung gave another groan of agony.

"We've been over this. Who else was it supposed to be? It's so obvious it was him, there's no point waiting for some sort of grand mystery miracle, I learned that many years ago. Either way, I'm done with that ugly ass rabbit." Much to his surprise, she laughed.

"Ugly ass rabbit? That's not what you said when you were ranting about how nicely his sharp jawline gleamed in the winter sunlig--"
"Mina! I never did such a thing!," he protested profusely, his ears turning red out of fury. Or embarrassment. Both, perhaps.

"I suggest you listen to yourself when drunk. In fact, I wish I could unhear some of the things you said. But anyways, back to topic. If I were you, I'd worry about that professor of yours. What if he did this? And the compass needle? That sounds a lot more suspicious to me." Despite knowing she wouldn't be able to see him, he shrugged.

"Why would he? He looked so surprised when he saw that drawing, he doesn't seem like someone to make up such a huge act and for what? It's not like it changes anything, generally seen. That compass was hella creepy but who knows? Maybe it was broken." She huffed a little.

"You know damn well it wasn't just broken, Tae. Remember in France, where they tried to inject you with werewolf venom to kill you? And when you didn't let them, they started putting it into cakes and muffins and invited you to tea parties, not knowing vampires didn't eat human food. Not to mention all the vervain tea, those fools... My point is, this is just another one of these cases. Hunters disguising everyday objects to identify or kill vampires. I think it's clear he's a hunter by now, and maybe he has it out for you. Be careful." He was left quite speechless for a few seconds after her intensive rant.

"Well- yeah. He definetely is a threat and I suppose he's the guy you kept seeing in your visions. How's that going, by the way? Well, either way, he's related to Jungkook. You were right, that whole family is one dirty mess."
"But that's exactly the thing. I think the guy told the truth, wanting to protect supernaturals and being fascinated and all. You literally let him into your house, how come there have been no sketchy people looming around the alleyway or elsewhere if he should be with them? My visions are fine, by the way, there are certain herbs you can drink to block them but I plan on stopping to drink them soon. But come on, won't you give him at least one chance to hear him out?"

"He doesn't want to be heard out, he gives me death glares just like I give him. He hasn't tried to talk to me anymore. And I am perfectly fine with that. And you better be careful, what if you can't sleep because of those visions at some point?" He was starting to feel a little concerned for his friend.
"No worries, I'll manage. But do you know what I think? You're afraid of commitment of any sort. And you're afraid of the possibility that he might be telling the truth and you're wrongfully accusing him. Because you care for him and you're scared of getting hurt again because of that."

A little pang suddenly hit Taehyung's chest, his mouth opening and closing but no words coming out. Could there be truth to her words? Of course not, Mina was simply misunderstanding. Witches might be good at reading emotions but misunderstandings were still possible. And this was one of them.
That's what he told himself.

"I'm not afraid of commitment, I just don't need it. And it's not like I cared for him, I just enjoyed his company sometimes." The witch on the other line scoffed.
"Sometimes? Tae, I know you. You gifted him a ring and invited him into your house, those are not things you'd do just like that. You like him. A lot."

The vampire gasped lightly. "No. I do not have feelings for him. I simply found it nice how accepting he was about supernaturality, how fascinated he seemed by it without being disrespectful. You know my exes, when they found out I was a vampire they either tried to kill me, expose me to vampire hunters, get me to turn them or obsessed over my powers creepily." He shuddered at the memories.

"Whatever you say. You have no idea how much I wanted to kill all of them. But you know I couldn't get help. Who would listen to a woman back then? Plus, you were the one who told me not to harm them. Sorry for breaking your fifth ex's bones. I mean, before you chucked him into the damn sea." Taehyung let out a little laugh as he recalled the funny scene.

"I should thank you for that. That stupid ass leech, I'd crush him with my fingers if he were still alive."

-

"Taehyung, why do I still have the feeling you're not telling me something? Have I not proven myself completely trustworthy? I booked this cruise ship to Italy for you!" The back-then blonde vampire sighed deeply, removing his lover's hands from his shoulders calmly.

"But babe, I told you everything was fin--" The other interrupted him, making him go quiet in an instant: "And I know damn well it isn't true, you're keeping something from me! Nothing about you seems to add up and you're being secretive! Tell me, is there someone else?!" Taehyung gasped in protest, immediately reaching up to caress the other's face reassuringly.

"No, Akio," he spoke softly. "I would never defy you like that. I-I..." He took a deep breath, feeling the sea breeze sweep through his hair refreshingly. "Yes... Yes, you're right. I've been keeping something from you. It's for your own protection. You'd see me with completely different eyes and I can't risk losing you over something like this." The other boy huffed in frustration, taking a step back from him and prying Taehyung's face off his cheek harshly.

"What could possibly be so horrible you can't tell me? I thought you trusted me. Remember what you said when we met in Osaka? You said in this horrible world full of prejudice, you'd be always there for me and I'd always be there for you. It'd be you and me against everyone else and we had to trust and rely on each other, give ourselves to each other. Were those just empty words?" The blonde shook his head profusely, hugging his lover's neck and burying his face into it.

"No, I meant each and every word I said. Two boys loving each other in a world full of hatred, we have to stick together to survive. We can't be greedy and we can't expect a normal life. We can't have children, we can't get married, all we can do is love each other. But this has nothing to do with my feelings for you, you could say I have a bit of a condition, a condition that may endanger you." He sensed Akio tense up but then eventually relax, staying silent for a while so nothing other than the sound of the ship's roaring motors filled their ears.

"What condition? Is it contagious? What makes you run away every time you see wounds or injuries? Do you have a blood phobia? That's nothing to be ashamed of. And what makes you flee every time I want to go to a restaurant with you? Are you allergic to something? Or just too afraid to be seen with me in public? People won't notice anything, I can assure you that." Taehyung shook his head, almost letting out a laugh.

"No, it's not like that at all. Much, much worse. I... If I do tell you, promise me you will accept it, whatever it is?" The other nodded frantically.
"Of course! I love you no matter what, you know that." The blonde sighed.
"Yes, I do. I planned on telling you anyways. Well, it's better if I show you. Promise me you won't think of me as crazy?" Taehyung batted his eyelashes, making the other peck his lips affectionately.

"Whatever it is, I love you and nothing can change that." The blonde nodded and then sighed. "Okay..."
He then took his lover's hand and brought it closer towards his face so he could see and feel his radial artery perfectly, his nose picking up the scent of blood underneath the skin and his ears sensing the sound of the boy's pulse strongly.

And before he knew, his vampire senses once again took over and his eyes turned into a bloody shade of red, his fangs growing out of his teeth but he managed to control himself and did not bite the human's wrist, gazing into his eyes instead to check his reaction.

He felt his heart shatter as his lover pushed him away harshly, letting out a shout. "You- You! You monster! You're a demon, an abomination! The spawn of evil! You deserve to die and burn in hell, monster!," he heard his lover shout angrily, his face red as the beautiful evening sun now shining brightly above the clear horizon.

"Akio," Taehyung whispered quietly, stepping forward towards him. His face was now normal again. "This must be a shock for you. But please let me explain--"

"You're the devil," the boy spoke in disbelief. "You seduced me into giving you my heart so you could work your evil magic on me and make a demon out of me too! But I won't let that happen." He then grabbed Taehyung's arm harshly and dragged him towards the railing of the deck and Taehyung, feeling too weakened by his words to use any sort of vampire strength, gasped with tears welling up inside his eyes.

"Die, you monster. Die." He tried to lift Taehyung up over the railing by grabbing his other arm too and pushing him closer and closer towards it. The vampire was simply at a loss of words, the image of the raging turquoise seas boring into his mind as he took ragged breaths while tears streamed down his face. He wasn't scared of death as he couldn't drown but he could not comprehend that the person he loved and vowed to spend his life with was currently attempting to kill him with his bare hands- throw him right into--

All of a sudden, a loud crack could be heard and Akio screamed out in pain, clutching his broken wrist and glaring at the vampire with malice, thinking he was responsible for this.
And then, another figure approached. A raven-haired woman with a deadly look on her face and her hands outstretched.

"Hands off my friend!," she screamed in rapid Japanese. "You dare lay a hand on him, I'll make sure you'll never be able to use it again! How dare you?!" Taehyung was suddenly let go of, watching his lover continuously shout in pain as more and more of his bones miraculously broke due to Mina working her magic on him.

"Throw him into the water, Taehyung." The vampire gasped, shaking his head profusely.
"What? No, he just needs some time to calm down. You know I love hi--" She interrupted him.
"He literally tried to kill you! Throw him into the water before I do it! He'll kill you if you don't. You can't keep showing mercy to people who cause you pain. You're better than this, better than letting asses like him take advantage of your love. Please, Taehyung!"

The vampire nodded with a deep sigh, tears streaming over his face as he grabbed his former lover's collar and, trying not to look at his face screwed up in pain, quickly threw him over the railing.

A sob left his mouth and he sank towards the ground, his blurry sight sensing nothing but the woman running towards him, or more precisely, her dress swaying around as she moved.

-

"The point, Taehyung, is that this event is in the past and you learned from it. But don't just push people away without a reason, not everyone is like Akio and the others. So, what are you gonna do about your valentine?" The redhead groaned, remembering the excruciating confession.

"No idea. I'll see about it and make something up when he asks me. Ugh, I don't want tooo...," he whined, scrambling himself into a sitting position when the doorbell rang all of a sudden. "Be right back, Minari. Some delivery guy probably just arrived with my new shoes. You know, I really need pink sneakers. I have basically everything but that. Talk to you later," he excused himself and reluctantly stood up from his couch.

Before he arrived at the front door, he toppled over several trainers, stilettos, boots, heels and whatnot that he had laid out in front of him to sort out what he needed and what he didn't, only to come to the conclusion that he absolutely needed everything.

"You're a true lifesaver, Sir, thank you for bringing my-- what the fuck?," he answered the door, freezing in shock as he saw the person standing in front of him.

It was Jeon Jungkook, wearing a simply grey tracksuit and looking like he had just gone on an extremely long jog with his hair slightly damp and few sweatpearls glistening on his face, he was also lightly panting but didn't seem tired at all.

"Uhh, excuse me? What the fuck are you doing here, are you lost? How the fuck did you get through the barrier?," the vampire questioned with his arms crossed in front of his chest, so confused he was not even realizing that he was currently only wearing a pair of silky pyjamas.

"The woods. You said there was a detour to your house and I happen to know them really well," the younger answered, now suddenly looking nervous. "Can you please hear me out? Just one time, please?"

Taehyung stayed silent for a while. "How could you possibly talk yourself out of this?," he then asked quietly, but didn't make any signs of sending him away. Jungkook took the chance and entered the mansion swiftly, trying to catch the redhead's gaze which was directed towards the floor.

"I know what it seemed like. I know there isn't a single reason why you should believe me, but what can I do to prove to you that I had nothing to do with that stupid drawing? I know you think I don't take you seriously enough but that's really not the case, I broke my damn finger over it. So, how can I prove it to you? Do you want to compel me?" Taehyung widened his eyes, a little surprised.
"Woah, woah. There's no point compelling if you've taken vervain. And-- Who else was it supposed to be? And why is it so important to you that I believe you?"

"I haven't taken anything. I have no idea who the hell would know about you but I promise I'll do everything in my power to help you find the culprit. And, well, I-- I don't like being falsely accused. And I also don't like being your enemy." The vampire looked up at these words, feeling his heart skip a little beat at these words.

He sighed. "Look, I really appreciate the thought and stuff, but you can't deny how suspicious you look. I'd like to believe you but my protection and literal life is at risk by trusting you. What if you're not who you say you are? And not only mine, but also--"
"You think I don't know that? I literally told you all about my family and how they make me feel, you seriously think I'd make all of that up? Do you realize you stubborn you're being, not to mention selfi--" With a fiery glare, Taehyung interrupted him.

"Oh, you think I'm selfish? Stubborn? You try living like me then, I'm just looking out for myself so I don't repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Every single one of my exes literally tried to kill me when I told them I was a vampire, or rat me out to Hunters or exploit me for my powers and treat me like some sort of circus dolphin! And every single time I told myself that this one would be different, I ended up running for my life again with my heart broken. So please excuse me if I don't trust some mere human boy that claims to somehow be trustworthy!" Jungkook returned the glare, stepping closer towards him.

"I could've ratted you out to Jimin and Namjoon the second I've found out. My parents, even! Why are you making me out to be some sort of lying jerk when I've done literally nothing to harm you? Do you know how much it hurts to get wrongfully accused like this? And--" Taehyung also stepped closer, scoffing.

"Sweetie, this is the way things are. You're acting like a toddler over nothing. You know what else hurts? Someone you've given every part of your heart, soul and body to looking you in the eye with pure hatred, telling you to die and trying to kill you! I can't take any more risks to end up like that, okay? You're the stubborn one here. Why can't you just accept the fact that I can't risk interacting with you? You humans are all foolish, naive pieces of fucking shit, always thinking the world is oh-so-simple!"

"Shut up and let me finish." The redhead scoffed again.
"This is my house, my rules. Either you find a way to shut me up or you just fuck off if you're going to keep acting like a stuck up, little--"

"Shut up." There was something desperate, something enraged and something passionate about Jungkook's tone. The two of them now stood dangerously close to each other, the tension thicker than ever because truly, both of them were keeping one important piece of information to themselves, the 'information' burning at the tip of their tongues and just waiting to get out but neither of them could let it out since their anger at each other took the upper hand.
"Fucking make me, then."

And in that exact moment, before either of them could even remotely think or comprehend, Jungkook grabbed the redhead's jaw leniently and just kissed him, right on his lips.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

(A/N: hahaha hiii can you believe it? me writing a first kiss before chapter 4758484, what a miracle :D how did it comd to this? perhaps i'll explain next chapter

i'm sorry this chapter was sososo long it's wayyy too long but it's also an important one so yeahh... i also had to research japanese boy names for taehyung's ex and i just randomly called him akio and i just hope it's an actual name? i don't watch anime so idrk how japanese names work djdsk😭

i also had a german exam today and istg time limits- i write too much and think too much esp about interpretation but oh well, thank you lots for reading and always remember that you're amazing and i love you💜💜)