preying on you tonight (1/1)
pairing: chanyeol/kai
rating: pg
wordcount: 4.2k
summary: grumpy vampire chanyeol wakes up from a years-long nap to find that a human boy has taken up residence in his house.
notes: special thanks to ang & jq for planting this idea in my mind and not letting me rest. happy halloween yall
Chanyeol's eyes snap open to darkness and still silence, and for a moment he's not sure what woke him. Then he hears it, faintly, distantly, but definitely there - a creak of floorboards, far above where he's laid down.
Still in the dark, he rolls his eyes. He's sure he told the realtor very specifically to make sure no one disturbed him. Although, that was… quite a while ago. Years, in fact. He's not quite sure how many. Now that he's awake, though, he might as well get up and find out - not to mention deal with whoever is walking around in his house.
He braces his hands on the smooth stone slab above him and lifts it off with a great push. In retrospect, maybe building his coffin out of stone wasn't the best idea he's ever had. Yawning, he pulls himself up to a sitting position and looks around the room. It's frightfully dusty, and even in the dark he can see cobwebs lining the walls and corners. It looks undisturbed though, which is a relief. Chanyeol lifts himself out of the coffin and stretches his stiff limbs before replacing the lid, sliding it into place with a thunk.
He finds his wooden trunk sitting right where he left it beside the coffin, both locks still thankfully intact. He digs the keys out of his pocket, grimacing a little at how stiff his trousers feel on his legs. Next time he'll sleep in a robe instead of his best suit, he decides, and opens the trunk to find something for comfortable.
While he's changing, he hears the floorboards creak again, louder now that he's out of his coffin. He glares up at the ceiling, fastens the final button, and heads to the wooden stairs leading up and out of the basement. None of the steps have cracked or molded, he notices with a satisfied nod. Clearly his realtor was reliant enough to make sure his tomb was undisturbed, but there's still the question of who is wandering around upstairs, and why they're there at all.
At the top of the stairs there's a heavy wood trap door, also locked, but even with the key it doesn't swing open like it's supposed to. Chanyeol frowns as he rattles the iron ring attached. Last time he checked, the trap door led directly into the ground floor kitchen - surely the entire floorplan of his house hasn't changed while he's been asleep?
Putting his shoulder into it, he manages to throw the door open with a grunt, letting it fall hard against the polished wood of the kitchen floor with a loud crash. Something else crashes too, and as he steps up into the room, Chanyeol finds the reason he couldn't get the door open at first - the dining table, one leg of which must've been resting on top of the door, now upended and on its side in a mess.
He frowns at it. Hadn't the dining table had been on the other side of the room when he'd gone to sleep?
He looks around the rest of the kitchen, eyes narrowing as he notices other changes. Nearly every appliance seems to have been moved around or replaced by something bigger and shinier than he remembers. There's a calendar on the far wall, and when he heads over to check the date, Chanyeol does a double take at the year printed across the top. 2016? He'd been asleep for longer than he thought. No wonder the realtor hasn't been around, if Chanyeol had been resting for the better part of ninety years. He runs a hand through his hair with a sigh. Next time he'll have to set an alarm clock.
"Hello?" a voice suddenly calls through the house, sounding hesitant and scared. More floorboards creak. "Is-is someone there?"
Chanyeol flits through a few rooms but finds no one. He does, however, find more of his furniture rearranged, some pieces in different rooms from where he left them and some removed entirely. He huffs in annoyance. It'll take ages to put everything back where it was.
Finally he ends up in the foyer, and finds the source of the voice halfway down the staircase - a human boy that yelps in fear when their eyes lock.
"Aha, there you are," Chanyeol barks. "What are you doing in my house?"
"Y-your house?" the boy repeats, stuttering fearfully.
"Yes, my house. Who are you?" Chanyeol demands.
The boy cowers under the railing. "I-I'm Kim Jongin, I live here."
"You what! You can't live here, I live here." Chanyeol narrows his eyes. "Is it you that's moved all my furniture around?"
"That stuff was just here when I moved in," Jongin says, voice still wavering. "A-are you the previous owner? Who are you?"
"I am the current owner," Chanyeol shoots back, drawing himself up to his full height. "I am Park Chanyeol, lord of this estate."
"Sorry, but… I don't think I've heard your name before." Jongin stands up a little shakily, eyebrows furrowed. "Should I google you, or something?"
"'Google'?" Chanyeol isn't sure if he should be offended or not. "You'll do nothing of the sort! And if you don't leave, you're going to wish you never heard my name at all."
Jongin frowns at him. "If you don't leave, I'm gonna call the cops."
Chanyeol splutters. He can hardly believe the way this boy, this human, is speaking to him with such disrespect. "Listen, you--"
"Maybe there's some party down the street I didn't know about, and you just ended up here," Jongin goes on, talking over him as he makes his way down the rest of the stairs. "I can give you bus fare if you need it, just-- please leave."
"I will not," Chanyeol growls. "I did not build my tomb beneath this house for it to be invaded by a naive human who doesn't have enough sense to run from a vampire."
Jongin snorts at that. "A vampire? Seriously?"
Chanyeol glares at him. "Yes, a vampire. Have you never heard that name before either?"
"I know what a vampire is," Jongin says. "I also know they're not real."
Chanyeol is dumbfounded. What in all hell has the world come to while he's been asleep? "Am I not standing in front of you? I am as real as the walls around us." He flits closer to Jongin, grabbing his wrist before he can startle away. "I am a vampire lord," he snarls, "and you will submit to me."
He tugs him towards the front door, intent on throwing him outside while Jongin struggles uselessly against his iron grip.
"Let go of me," Jongin huffs, trying to pry his fingers off him. "I don't know who you think you are, but this is my house. I signed the lease, I'm paying rent. I live here."
Chanyeol growls at him. "I built this house. I own everything in it." His gaze rakes over Jongin, considering what to do with the young human. In such close proximity he can smell Jongin's blood running hot under his skin, can feel his pulse where his fingers are clamped around Jongin's wrist. He can barely help his fangs sliding out.
"Maybe you would be more inclined to believe in vampires," he says, licking over the sharp points, "if you were the unfortunate victim of one."
Fear flickers across Jongin's face for a moment, but it's quickly replaced by - outrage?
In one sudden movement, Jongin gets his hand on the doorknob and shoves his other arm into Chanyeol, breaking his grip and sending him stumbling back through the door. Chanyeol feels something shift as soon as he crosses the threshold, a sense of dread settling over him. When he regains his footing and tries to step back inside, he finds himself unable to do much more than hover just beyond the doorway.
He glares through at Jongin, who still looks angry himself, if not a little shaken. "Very funny. Let me back in."
"I'll call the police," Jongin threatens again. "Don't come any closer."
"I can't," Chanyeol grumbles. "I thought you said you knew about vampires, human. Did you skip over the lesson on invitations?"
"Vampires aren't real," Jongin repeats, more to himself than to Chanyeol, and slams the door between them.
Chanyeol huffs. Stupid vampire rules. It seems Jongin really was telling the truth about buying the house, as much as Chanyeol hates to admit it - only the legal owner could kick him out.
"I'm two hundred years old," he growls at the front window. Jongin appears for a second to scowl at him, then draws the curtains closed.
Chanyeol sits down on the porch steps with a sigh, looking out at the street. The sun has already set, at least, so he doesn't need to worry about getting a sunburn. And maybe it's dark enough so that anyone passing by won't be able to see him sitting out here, looking pitiful. Besides, he hasn't been outside in a long time. Years, really. It isn't so bad to feel the fresh air on his skin and the wind through his hair.
Until, of course, it starts raining.
Rain is… less pleasant, even though it's been just as long since he's felt it. Chanyeol knows he won't be affected by the cold, but he can still feel the wet and be annoyed at the water soaking through his clothes.
Can vampires drown? He's pretty sure he couldn't in 1890, but maybe 2016 is different. A lot of things seem to be so far, after all. Even Jongin, rude as he was, seems unlike anyone Chanyeol had met before his near-century nap. He could stand his ground pretty well for a human. Not many could say they faced down a vampire and kicked him out of his own house - which brings Chanyeol back to his current predicament. The rain gets heavier, nearly drowning out his thoughts. If Chanyeol didn't know any better, he'd say he was getting a little chilly.
Eventually, after Chanyeol is beyond drenched and resigned to looking as miserable as he feels, the front door creaks open behind him. He turns to see Jongin peeking out at him, looking apologetic but still a little wary.
"Hi," he says timidly.
"Hello," Chanyeol greets back, hoping he doesn't sound quite as dejected to Jongin as he does to his own ears.
"I googled some stuff about vampires," Jongin says. "Like, the fangs and the tomb and all that." He clears his throat a little awkwardly. "I'm sorry I said you weren't real."
Chanyeol still doesn't know what 'google' means, but he'll take what he can get. "Thank you."
"And I'm sorry I moved into your house without your permission."
"That's not entirely your fault," Chanyeol admits. "I was asleep for most of the transaction."
Jongin tries and fails to hide a tiny smile. "Oh. Well… I'm still sorry."
A few seconds pass before he seems to work up the nerve to speak again. "So… can you really not come inside?"
Chanyeol shakes his head. "Not unless you say I can."
"Because I own the house?"
"Seems that way, yes."
Jongin bites his lip, looking out at the pouring rain - then a deep rumble of thunder seems to make his decision for him. "Okay, you can come in."
Chanyeol is up and flitting past him almost before the words are out of his mouth. "Ugh," he groans, peeling his sopping wet shirt off and frowning at the puddle he's creating on the hardwood floor. "This is worse than the time those uppish priests tried to drown me in the river."
Jongin gingerly holds out a towel, looking sympathetic but still keeping his distance. "Priests tried to drown you? Why?"
"Well, the whole vampire factor was strike one," Chanyeol says dryly, draping the towel over his shoulders and rubbing at his dripping hair. "They got their comeuppance though, I made sure."
The grimace on Jongin's face tells him he doesn't have to elaborate. "Um, do you have a change of clothes?"
"Ah, yes," Chanyeol sighs, wringing out the towel. "All my things are in the basement."
He turns to head to the kitchen, Jongin trailing confusedly behind him. "The basement? Why would you-- oh!" He cuts off with a gasp at the sight of his dining table, still on its side where Chanyeol had knocked it over earlier.
"Oh, right. I forgot I moved this," Chanyeol says absently, and sets the table back on its legs easily. This time, he makes sure it's well away from the open trapdoor.
Jongin leans over to look down the wooden steps leading into the dark, and swallows audibly. "What's down there?"
"My tomb," Chanyeol says, raising an eyebrow when Jongin blanches further. "What? I thought I mentioned this."
"You were in my basement this whole time?" Jongin asks weakly as Chanyeol starts down the steps. "While I was moving in? While I was sleeping here?"
"It's not like I was watching you, I was sleeping too," Chanyeol says defensively. "Now stay here, I'm just going to change."
He flits down the stairs, peels off the rest of his wet clothes and hunts around in his trunk until he finds one of the sweaters he remembers throwing in. Once he's dressed and mostly dried off, he heads back up to the kitchen to find Jongin waiting beside the trapdoor, sitting on the floor with his arms around his knees.
"You must really love this house," he says quietly.
Chanyeol gives him a strange look. "Of course I do, I built it. It's my-- well." He glances around the room, lingering on each thing that's been moved or replaced. "It was my home," he sighs, setting the trapdoor back into place with a heavy clunk.
Jongin frowns at it, suddenly looking terribly guilty. "It still could be."
"Not if it's yours as well," Chanyeol says grimly. "There are some things we clearly don't see eye to eye on."
"I'm willing to compromise," Jongin says, looking up at him. "I mean, I am if you are."
Chanyeol raises an eyebrow. "I'm listening."
"Legally, it's my house," Jongin starts, "but I don't want to force you to leave a place you love so much. And, I mean, I only have so much stuff, so I'm not taking up much space to begin with. There's a lot of room for another person. And besides, living alone is…" He trails off, then shakes his head. "It would be nice to have someone else around, is all I'm saying."
Chanyeol nods along, considering. "So you'd let me keep my things in the basement."
"Or upstairs, if you want," Jongin says.
"And you won't have any more… episodes. Demanding I leave or telling me I don't exist, all that." Chanyeol narrows his eyes. "And I won't catch you sharpening stakes or anything, will I?"
Jongin rolls his eyes, but he's smiling. "I promise I won't hang any crosses on the walls or buy large quantities of garlic, okay?"
"And in return?" Chanyeol looks at him expectantly. "I seem to be getting the better end of the deal, here. What's in it for you?"
"Well, I imagine that having a vampire housemate assures a certain level of security," Jongin says. "Like having a watch dog."
Chanyeol bristles a little at that, but lets it slide. "And what else?"
Jongin hesitates, then takes a deep breath and holds Chanyeol's gaze. "In return, you promise not to bite me."
Chanyeol blinks. "Alright."
"Or kill me," Jongin adds. "Or- or anything like that."
"As your tenant, it would be rude of me," Chanyeol says with a smirk, then bows his head. "But yes, I promise."
Jongin seems relieved just to hear it, and slumps a little, clearly tired out.
"Humans still sleep at night, don't they?" Chanyeol asks after a moment, mostly just to make him smile again.
"We do," Jongin assures him. "It's actually way past my bedtime. I've got class tomorrow morning."
He heaves himself to his feet with a sigh, and Chanyeol follows him out of the kitchen and over to the staircase. Jongin pauses on the bottom step and looks back at him. "You can have the couch for now, if you want," he says somewhat awkwardly, before remembering who he's talking to. "Or, wait, do vampires sleep? Do you even get tired?"
"Don't worry," Chanyeol laughs, basking in Jongin's embarrassed expression. I've been asleep for close to a century, I can last a while. You go on up."
Jongin nods, still looking a little sheepish, and heads up the rest of the stairs to the first door at the top, which must be his bedroom. He hesitates at the door, though, looking back down at Chanyeol. "You're not gonna bite me while I'm sleeping, or anything, right?"
Chanyeol smirks. "I told you I wouldn't, didn't I?"
Jongin stares at him for a few seconds, then nods, relaxing his shoulders a little. "Okay. Goodnight," he calls, and closes the door.
Chanyeol hears the lock click into place though, and shakes his head with a chuckle. Locked or not, he could get into Jongin's room no problem - but he won't go back on his word. He's nothing if not civilized.
But he is hungry. Ninety years asleep builds up quite an appetite, it seems. Quietly, he slips outside and sniffs the air, immediately sensing several nearby humans. He smiles to himself and sets off. It's nice to know that even in the 21st century, people are still dumb enough to wander around alone in the dark.
-- ☆ --
"This is you, huh?" Sehun says, whistling as he pulls up in front of Jongin's house. "It's bigger than I thought. How'd you score this place?"
"Got lucky, I guess," Jongin laughs, unclipping his seatbelt and sliding out of the car. "Thanks for the ride. See you tomorrow?"
Sehun nods. "Are you sure you don't want to get a head start on that paper, though? We only have a couple weeks."
Jongin smiles sheepishly, gesturing over his shoulder at the house. "Sorry, my roommate is really particular about having guests over. I can start it tonight, if you want."
"Nah, we'll do it together," Sehun says with a shrug. "Tomorrow, then."
"See you," Jongin says, waving as Sehun pulls away from the curb, then hoists his backpack over his shoulder and heads up the front walk.
It's always nice to be let out of class early, and even nicer when he makes it home before late afternoon while the sun is still high in the sky. The house is still and peacefully quiet when he closes the front door behind him. Jongin toes his shoes off, peeking into the kitchen and living room, but his roommate is nowhere to be found.
"Chanyeol?" he calls, heading upstairs. He's used to Chanyeol flitting silently around the house, but not so used to going ungreeted at the door. It is pretty early in the day though, so Chanyeol is probably still sleeping. With a knowing smile, Jongin nudges open the door to his room. He finds Chanyeol right where he thought he'd be - asleep in his bed, covers up to his chin and curtains drawn over the window to keep the sun out.
It turns out that a ninety-year nap doesn't do much for wakefulness in the long run, and Chanyeol sleeps through most of the day pretty regularly. Jongin, on the other hand, usually sleeps in and stays up late for homework or studying, so despite the whole vampire thing, they do see each other fairly often.
And on days their sleep schedules don't line up, Jongin often finds Chanyeol in his bed. He's used to it by now, and can't really blame him for wanting a more comfortable place to sleep, especially after getting a look at the stone coffin in the basement (After much persuading, Jongin had followed Chanyeol down the trapdoor exactly one time, clinging to the hem of his shirt, and took one glance at the spiders scurrying across the lid of the coffin before dragging Chanyeol back up the stairs).
Jongin drops his backpack on the floor and tries to stifle a yawn. The only thing that bothers him about Chanyeol using his bed is that it makes it harder for him to use it himself. Lately he's had to take his after-class nap on the couch instead, or forego it entirely.
"You're home early," says a voice behind him, and Jongin startles a little. He turns to see Chanyeol sitting up in bed, smirking at him. "Did I scare you?"
"No," Jongin huffs, but Chanyeol's smile widens knowingly. "I'm just tired."
"You look tired," Chanyeol hums. "Did something happen while you were in class?"
"The opposite, really," Jongin sighs, rubbing his eyes. "I always get close to falling asleep in boring lectures. Sehun even got me Starbucks, but it didn't help."
Chanyeol blinks at him. "Is that a currency?"
Jongin laughs, waving his hand. "Don't worry about it. You can go back to sleep."
"Well, starbuck or not," Chanyeol says, lying back down, "there's room enough for you as well, if you want to join me."
Jongin opens his mouth to refuse, and then slowly closes it. It is his bed, after all, and Chanyeol looks soft and sleepy under the covers, his hair a little rumpled… Jongin can almost forget about the vampire factor if he doesn't look too hard. "Are you sure?" he asks, taking a timid step towards the bed. "You look pretty comfortable."
"I am," Chanyeol agrees, splaying his legs out to take up even more space in the bed. "But we're good at compromising, aren't we?"
He scoots over, making room for Jongin to slide under the covers next to him. It's hard to resist the open invitation, so Jongin lets his fatigue take over, shucks off his jeans, and climbs into bed. It's not so bad, shimmying over to lie beside Chanyeol. His skin isn't as cold as Jongin had expected it to be - not exactly radiating heat, but not unpleasant where their legs and shoulders are pressed together.
As soon as he's settled, Chanyeol spreads out again, his legs invading Jongin's half of the bed. "See? We can fit just fine."
"Says the guy taking up two thirds of the bed," Jongin says, rolling his eyes. He squirms a little, trying to rearrange himself, but Chanyeol throws one leg over Jongin's knees, holding him there.
"Stop moving, you're letting the warmth escape."
"You can't even feel heat," Jongin whines, but he settles down again with his head turned so they're facing each other.
"I can too," Chanyeol laughs, "I just don't generate much. Who taught you about vampires?"
Jongin frowns. "Wikipedia?"
"Well, tell her to do more research," Chanyeol sniffs, closing his eyes. "In the meantime, you have me to learn from."
Jongin snickers, then trails off into silence, watching Chanyeol's face. He's almost eerily still. Jongin can hardly tell if he's breathing. "How much do you really feel?" he asks after a long moment of quiet.
"Nearly everything," Chanyeol says, mouth barely moving. "Most things just don't matter as much. Like temperatures, and pain… But I can feel your heartbeat," he says, opening his eyes to meet Jongin's gaze. "And I can feel you shiver when I get close, or when I touch you like this." His hand is suddenly sliding over Jongin's stomach to rest on his hipbone, and Jongin shivers before he can help it.
"I can't quite figure out why, though," Chanyeol continues, sounding curious now. He's somehow inched closer, hovering over Jongin. "Is it anticipation?" His gaze trails from his eyes to his mouth, then down to his throat. "Fear?"
"I'm not scared," Jongin whispers, breath catching when Chanyeol's eyes flick back up to his own.
"No," Chanyeol agrees after a moment, "you're not." He flops back down on the bed beside him, nuzzling into the pillow with a sigh.
Jongin tries his best to slow his racing heart before Chanyeol can take notice, taking careful breaths and hardly daring to move. He considers getting up to go nap on the couch after all, but Chanyeol's leg still has him trapped - and his hand is still resting against his hip, a strangely pleasant weight. Jongin tries not to think about it too hard.
"Apparently," Chanyeol murmurs, eyes still closed, "there are some things I still need to be taught about humans, too."
Jongin can't help smiling at that, tension leaving his body as he relaxes into the blankets. "Then we can help each other out, I guess."
"Compromise," Chanyeol agrees sleepily. Jongin watches his face until he's sure Chanyeol is asleep, then closes his own tired eyes. The vampire factor isn't nearly as big of a deal when Chanyeol is snoring softly next to him.
The sun is still up outside, so they should be able to nap for at least a couple hours before Chanyeol wakes up hungry and Jongin has to start on homework. For now, he snuggles deeper under the covers, turning over on his side so Chanyeol's arm is draped over him. If he ends up cuddling closer while he's asleep, then he's just gravitating to the warmest thing he can find -
and if he wakes up with Chanyeol's mouth close to his again, hovering like he was, then Jongin just might consider taking the opportunity to teach Chanyeol a little more about humans and their heartbeats. Just maybe.
> hapypyip bhaslowlrgyeen
rating: pg
wordcount: 4.2k
summary: grumpy vampire chanyeol wakes up from a years-long nap to find that a human boy has taken up residence in his house.
notes: special thanks to ang & jq for planting this idea in my mind and not letting me rest. happy halloween yall
Chanyeol's eyes snap open to darkness and still silence, and for a moment he's not sure what woke him. Then he hears it, faintly, distantly, but definitely there - a creak of floorboards, far above where he's laid down.
Still in the dark, he rolls his eyes. He's sure he told the realtor very specifically to make sure no one disturbed him. Although, that was… quite a while ago. Years, in fact. He's not quite sure how many. Now that he's awake, though, he might as well get up and find out - not to mention deal with whoever is walking around in his house.
He braces his hands on the smooth stone slab above him and lifts it off with a great push. In retrospect, maybe building his coffin out of stone wasn't the best idea he's ever had. Yawning, he pulls himself up to a sitting position and looks around the room. It's frightfully dusty, and even in the dark he can see cobwebs lining the walls and corners. It looks undisturbed though, which is a relief. Chanyeol lifts himself out of the coffin and stretches his stiff limbs before replacing the lid, sliding it into place with a thunk.
He finds his wooden trunk sitting right where he left it beside the coffin, both locks still thankfully intact. He digs the keys out of his pocket, grimacing a little at how stiff his trousers feel on his legs. Next time he'll sleep in a robe instead of his best suit, he decides, and opens the trunk to find something for comfortable.
While he's changing, he hears the floorboards creak again, louder now that he's out of his coffin. He glares up at the ceiling, fastens the final button, and heads to the wooden stairs leading up and out of the basement. None of the steps have cracked or molded, he notices with a satisfied nod. Clearly his realtor was reliant enough to make sure his tomb was undisturbed, but there's still the question of who is wandering around upstairs, and why they're there at all.
At the top of the stairs there's a heavy wood trap door, also locked, but even with the key it doesn't swing open like it's supposed to. Chanyeol frowns as he rattles the iron ring attached. Last time he checked, the trap door led directly into the ground floor kitchen - surely the entire floorplan of his house hasn't changed while he's been asleep?
Putting his shoulder into it, he manages to throw the door open with a grunt, letting it fall hard against the polished wood of the kitchen floor with a loud crash. Something else crashes too, and as he steps up into the room, Chanyeol finds the reason he couldn't get the door open at first - the dining table, one leg of which must've been resting on top of the door, now upended and on its side in a mess.
He frowns at it. Hadn't the dining table had been on the other side of the room when he'd gone to sleep?
He looks around the rest of the kitchen, eyes narrowing as he notices other changes. Nearly every appliance seems to have been moved around or replaced by something bigger and shinier than he remembers. There's a calendar on the far wall, and when he heads over to check the date, Chanyeol does a double take at the year printed across the top. 2016? He'd been asleep for longer than he thought. No wonder the realtor hasn't been around, if Chanyeol had been resting for the better part of ninety years. He runs a hand through his hair with a sigh. Next time he'll have to set an alarm clock.
"Hello?" a voice suddenly calls through the house, sounding hesitant and scared. More floorboards creak. "Is-is someone there?"
Chanyeol flits through a few rooms but finds no one. He does, however, find more of his furniture rearranged, some pieces in different rooms from where he left them and some removed entirely. He huffs in annoyance. It'll take ages to put everything back where it was.
Finally he ends up in the foyer, and finds the source of the voice halfway down the staircase - a human boy that yelps in fear when their eyes lock.
"Aha, there you are," Chanyeol barks. "What are you doing in my house?"
"Y-your house?" the boy repeats, stuttering fearfully.
"Yes, my house. Who are you?" Chanyeol demands.
The boy cowers under the railing. "I-I'm Kim Jongin, I live here."
"You what! You can't live here, I live here." Chanyeol narrows his eyes. "Is it you that's moved all my furniture around?"
"That stuff was just here when I moved in," Jongin says, voice still wavering. "A-are you the previous owner? Who are you?"
"I am the current owner," Chanyeol shoots back, drawing himself up to his full height. "I am Park Chanyeol, lord of this estate."
"Sorry, but… I don't think I've heard your name before." Jongin stands up a little shakily, eyebrows furrowed. "Should I google you, or something?"
"'Google'?" Chanyeol isn't sure if he should be offended or not. "You'll do nothing of the sort! And if you don't leave, you're going to wish you never heard my name at all."
Jongin frowns at him. "If you don't leave, I'm gonna call the cops."
Chanyeol splutters. He can hardly believe the way this boy, this human, is speaking to him with such disrespect. "Listen, you--"
"Maybe there's some party down the street I didn't know about, and you just ended up here," Jongin goes on, talking over him as he makes his way down the rest of the stairs. "I can give you bus fare if you need it, just-- please leave."
"I will not," Chanyeol growls. "I did not build my tomb beneath this house for it to be invaded by a naive human who doesn't have enough sense to run from a vampire."
Jongin snorts at that. "A vampire? Seriously?"
Chanyeol glares at him. "Yes, a vampire. Have you never heard that name before either?"
"I know what a vampire is," Jongin says. "I also know they're not real."
Chanyeol is dumbfounded. What in all hell has the world come to while he's been asleep? "Am I not standing in front of you? I am as real as the walls around us." He flits closer to Jongin, grabbing his wrist before he can startle away. "I am a vampire lord," he snarls, "and you will submit to me."
He tugs him towards the front door, intent on throwing him outside while Jongin struggles uselessly against his iron grip.
"Let go of me," Jongin huffs, trying to pry his fingers off him. "I don't know who you think you are, but this is my house. I signed the lease, I'm paying rent. I live here."
Chanyeol growls at him. "I built this house. I own everything in it." His gaze rakes over Jongin, considering what to do with the young human. In such close proximity he can smell Jongin's blood running hot under his skin, can feel his pulse where his fingers are clamped around Jongin's wrist. He can barely help his fangs sliding out.
"Maybe you would be more inclined to believe in vampires," he says, licking over the sharp points, "if you were the unfortunate victim of one."
Fear flickers across Jongin's face for a moment, but it's quickly replaced by - outrage?
In one sudden movement, Jongin gets his hand on the doorknob and shoves his other arm into Chanyeol, breaking his grip and sending him stumbling back through the door. Chanyeol feels something shift as soon as he crosses the threshold, a sense of dread settling over him. When he regains his footing and tries to step back inside, he finds himself unable to do much more than hover just beyond the doorway.
He glares through at Jongin, who still looks angry himself, if not a little shaken. "Very funny. Let me back in."
"I'll call the police," Jongin threatens again. "Don't come any closer."
"I can't," Chanyeol grumbles. "I thought you said you knew about vampires, human. Did you skip over the lesson on invitations?"
"Vampires aren't real," Jongin repeats, more to himself than to Chanyeol, and slams the door between them.
Chanyeol huffs. Stupid vampire rules. It seems Jongin really was telling the truth about buying the house, as much as Chanyeol hates to admit it - only the legal owner could kick him out.
"I'm two hundred years old," he growls at the front window. Jongin appears for a second to scowl at him, then draws the curtains closed.
Chanyeol sits down on the porch steps with a sigh, looking out at the street. The sun has already set, at least, so he doesn't need to worry about getting a sunburn. And maybe it's dark enough so that anyone passing by won't be able to see him sitting out here, looking pitiful. Besides, he hasn't been outside in a long time. Years, really. It isn't so bad to feel the fresh air on his skin and the wind through his hair.
Until, of course, it starts raining.
Rain is… less pleasant, even though it's been just as long since he's felt it. Chanyeol knows he won't be affected by the cold, but he can still feel the wet and be annoyed at the water soaking through his clothes.
Can vampires drown? He's pretty sure he couldn't in 1890, but maybe 2016 is different. A lot of things seem to be so far, after all. Even Jongin, rude as he was, seems unlike anyone Chanyeol had met before his near-century nap. He could stand his ground pretty well for a human. Not many could say they faced down a vampire and kicked him out of his own house - which brings Chanyeol back to his current predicament. The rain gets heavier, nearly drowning out his thoughts. If Chanyeol didn't know any better, he'd say he was getting a little chilly.
Eventually, after Chanyeol is beyond drenched and resigned to looking as miserable as he feels, the front door creaks open behind him. He turns to see Jongin peeking out at him, looking apologetic but still a little wary.
"Hi," he says timidly.
"Hello," Chanyeol greets back, hoping he doesn't sound quite as dejected to Jongin as he does to his own ears.
"I googled some stuff about vampires," Jongin says. "Like, the fangs and the tomb and all that." He clears his throat a little awkwardly. "I'm sorry I said you weren't real."
Chanyeol still doesn't know what 'google' means, but he'll take what he can get. "Thank you."
"And I'm sorry I moved into your house without your permission."
"That's not entirely your fault," Chanyeol admits. "I was asleep for most of the transaction."
Jongin tries and fails to hide a tiny smile. "Oh. Well… I'm still sorry."
A few seconds pass before he seems to work up the nerve to speak again. "So… can you really not come inside?"
Chanyeol shakes his head. "Not unless you say I can."
"Because I own the house?"
"Seems that way, yes."
Jongin bites his lip, looking out at the pouring rain - then a deep rumble of thunder seems to make his decision for him. "Okay, you can come in."
Chanyeol is up and flitting past him almost before the words are out of his mouth. "Ugh," he groans, peeling his sopping wet shirt off and frowning at the puddle he's creating on the hardwood floor. "This is worse than the time those uppish priests tried to drown me in the river."
Jongin gingerly holds out a towel, looking sympathetic but still keeping his distance. "Priests tried to drown you? Why?"
"Well, the whole vampire factor was strike one," Chanyeol says dryly, draping the towel over his shoulders and rubbing at his dripping hair. "They got their comeuppance though, I made sure."
The grimace on Jongin's face tells him he doesn't have to elaborate. "Um, do you have a change of clothes?"
"Ah, yes," Chanyeol sighs, wringing out the towel. "All my things are in the basement."
He turns to head to the kitchen, Jongin trailing confusedly behind him. "The basement? Why would you-- oh!" He cuts off with a gasp at the sight of his dining table, still on its side where Chanyeol had knocked it over earlier.
"Oh, right. I forgot I moved this," Chanyeol says absently, and sets the table back on its legs easily. This time, he makes sure it's well away from the open trapdoor.
Jongin leans over to look down the wooden steps leading into the dark, and swallows audibly. "What's down there?"
"My tomb," Chanyeol says, raising an eyebrow when Jongin blanches further. "What? I thought I mentioned this."
"You were in my basement this whole time?" Jongin asks weakly as Chanyeol starts down the steps. "While I was moving in? While I was sleeping here?"
"It's not like I was watching you, I was sleeping too," Chanyeol says defensively. "Now stay here, I'm just going to change."
He flits down the stairs, peels off the rest of his wet clothes and hunts around in his trunk until he finds one of the sweaters he remembers throwing in. Once he's dressed and mostly dried off, he heads back up to the kitchen to find Jongin waiting beside the trapdoor, sitting on the floor with his arms around his knees.
"You must really love this house," he says quietly.
Chanyeol gives him a strange look. "Of course I do, I built it. It's my-- well." He glances around the room, lingering on each thing that's been moved or replaced. "It was my home," he sighs, setting the trapdoor back into place with a heavy clunk.
Jongin frowns at it, suddenly looking terribly guilty. "It still could be."
"Not if it's yours as well," Chanyeol says grimly. "There are some things we clearly don't see eye to eye on."
"I'm willing to compromise," Jongin says, looking up at him. "I mean, I am if you are."
Chanyeol raises an eyebrow. "I'm listening."
"Legally, it's my house," Jongin starts, "but I don't want to force you to leave a place you love so much. And, I mean, I only have so much stuff, so I'm not taking up much space to begin with. There's a lot of room for another person. And besides, living alone is…" He trails off, then shakes his head. "It would be nice to have someone else around, is all I'm saying."
Chanyeol nods along, considering. "So you'd let me keep my things in the basement."
"Or upstairs, if you want," Jongin says.
"And you won't have any more… episodes. Demanding I leave or telling me I don't exist, all that." Chanyeol narrows his eyes. "And I won't catch you sharpening stakes or anything, will I?"
Jongin rolls his eyes, but he's smiling. "I promise I won't hang any crosses on the walls or buy large quantities of garlic, okay?"
"And in return?" Chanyeol looks at him expectantly. "I seem to be getting the better end of the deal, here. What's in it for you?"
"Well, I imagine that having a vampire housemate assures a certain level of security," Jongin says. "Like having a watch dog."
Chanyeol bristles a little at that, but lets it slide. "And what else?"
Jongin hesitates, then takes a deep breath and holds Chanyeol's gaze. "In return, you promise not to bite me."
Chanyeol blinks. "Alright."
"Or kill me," Jongin adds. "Or- or anything like that."
"As your tenant, it would be rude of me," Chanyeol says with a smirk, then bows his head. "But yes, I promise."
Jongin seems relieved just to hear it, and slumps a little, clearly tired out.
"Humans still sleep at night, don't they?" Chanyeol asks after a moment, mostly just to make him smile again.
"We do," Jongin assures him. "It's actually way past my bedtime. I've got class tomorrow morning."
He heaves himself to his feet with a sigh, and Chanyeol follows him out of the kitchen and over to the staircase. Jongin pauses on the bottom step and looks back at him. "You can have the couch for now, if you want," he says somewhat awkwardly, before remembering who he's talking to. "Or, wait, do vampires sleep? Do you even get tired?"
"Don't worry," Chanyeol laughs, basking in Jongin's embarrassed expression. I've been asleep for close to a century, I can last a while. You go on up."
Jongin nods, still looking a little sheepish, and heads up the rest of the stairs to the first door at the top, which must be his bedroom. He hesitates at the door, though, looking back down at Chanyeol. "You're not gonna bite me while I'm sleeping, or anything, right?"
Chanyeol smirks. "I told you I wouldn't, didn't I?"
Jongin stares at him for a few seconds, then nods, relaxing his shoulders a little. "Okay. Goodnight," he calls, and closes the door.
Chanyeol hears the lock click into place though, and shakes his head with a chuckle. Locked or not, he could get into Jongin's room no problem - but he won't go back on his word. He's nothing if not civilized.
But he is hungry. Ninety years asleep builds up quite an appetite, it seems. Quietly, he slips outside and sniffs the air, immediately sensing several nearby humans. He smiles to himself and sets off. It's nice to know that even in the 21st century, people are still dumb enough to wander around alone in the dark.
-- ☆ --
"This is you, huh?" Sehun says, whistling as he pulls up in front of Jongin's house. "It's bigger than I thought. How'd you score this place?"
"Got lucky, I guess," Jongin laughs, unclipping his seatbelt and sliding out of the car. "Thanks for the ride. See you tomorrow?"
Sehun nods. "Are you sure you don't want to get a head start on that paper, though? We only have a couple weeks."
Jongin smiles sheepishly, gesturing over his shoulder at the house. "Sorry, my roommate is really particular about having guests over. I can start it tonight, if you want."
"Nah, we'll do it together," Sehun says with a shrug. "Tomorrow, then."
"See you," Jongin says, waving as Sehun pulls away from the curb, then hoists his backpack over his shoulder and heads up the front walk.
It's always nice to be let out of class early, and even nicer when he makes it home before late afternoon while the sun is still high in the sky. The house is still and peacefully quiet when he closes the front door behind him. Jongin toes his shoes off, peeking into the kitchen and living room, but his roommate is nowhere to be found.
"Chanyeol?" he calls, heading upstairs. He's used to Chanyeol flitting silently around the house, but not so used to going ungreeted at the door. It is pretty early in the day though, so Chanyeol is probably still sleeping. With a knowing smile, Jongin nudges open the door to his room. He finds Chanyeol right where he thought he'd be - asleep in his bed, covers up to his chin and curtains drawn over the window to keep the sun out.
It turns out that a ninety-year nap doesn't do much for wakefulness in the long run, and Chanyeol sleeps through most of the day pretty regularly. Jongin, on the other hand, usually sleeps in and stays up late for homework or studying, so despite the whole vampire thing, they do see each other fairly often.
And on days their sleep schedules don't line up, Jongin often finds Chanyeol in his bed. He's used to it by now, and can't really blame him for wanting a more comfortable place to sleep, especially after getting a look at the stone coffin in the basement (After much persuading, Jongin had followed Chanyeol down the trapdoor exactly one time, clinging to the hem of his shirt, and took one glance at the spiders scurrying across the lid of the coffin before dragging Chanyeol back up the stairs).
Jongin drops his backpack on the floor and tries to stifle a yawn. The only thing that bothers him about Chanyeol using his bed is that it makes it harder for him to use it himself. Lately he's had to take his after-class nap on the couch instead, or forego it entirely.
"You're home early," says a voice behind him, and Jongin startles a little. He turns to see Chanyeol sitting up in bed, smirking at him. "Did I scare you?"
"No," Jongin huffs, but Chanyeol's smile widens knowingly. "I'm just tired."
"You look tired," Chanyeol hums. "Did something happen while you were in class?"
"The opposite, really," Jongin sighs, rubbing his eyes. "I always get close to falling asleep in boring lectures. Sehun even got me Starbucks, but it didn't help."
Chanyeol blinks at him. "Is that a currency?"
Jongin laughs, waving his hand. "Don't worry about it. You can go back to sleep."
"Well, starbuck or not," Chanyeol says, lying back down, "there's room enough for you as well, if you want to join me."
Jongin opens his mouth to refuse, and then slowly closes it. It is his bed, after all, and Chanyeol looks soft and sleepy under the covers, his hair a little rumpled… Jongin can almost forget about the vampire factor if he doesn't look too hard. "Are you sure?" he asks, taking a timid step towards the bed. "You look pretty comfortable."
"I am," Chanyeol agrees, splaying his legs out to take up even more space in the bed. "But we're good at compromising, aren't we?"
He scoots over, making room for Jongin to slide under the covers next to him. It's hard to resist the open invitation, so Jongin lets his fatigue take over, shucks off his jeans, and climbs into bed. It's not so bad, shimmying over to lie beside Chanyeol. His skin isn't as cold as Jongin had expected it to be - not exactly radiating heat, but not unpleasant where their legs and shoulders are pressed together.
As soon as he's settled, Chanyeol spreads out again, his legs invading Jongin's half of the bed. "See? We can fit just fine."
"Says the guy taking up two thirds of the bed," Jongin says, rolling his eyes. He squirms a little, trying to rearrange himself, but Chanyeol throws one leg over Jongin's knees, holding him there.
"Stop moving, you're letting the warmth escape."
"You can't even feel heat," Jongin whines, but he settles down again with his head turned so they're facing each other.
"I can too," Chanyeol laughs, "I just don't generate much. Who taught you about vampires?"
Jongin frowns. "Wikipedia?"
"Well, tell her to do more research," Chanyeol sniffs, closing his eyes. "In the meantime, you have me to learn from."
Jongin snickers, then trails off into silence, watching Chanyeol's face. He's almost eerily still. Jongin can hardly tell if he's breathing. "How much do you really feel?" he asks after a long moment of quiet.
"Nearly everything," Chanyeol says, mouth barely moving. "Most things just don't matter as much. Like temperatures, and pain… But I can feel your heartbeat," he says, opening his eyes to meet Jongin's gaze. "And I can feel you shiver when I get close, or when I touch you like this." His hand is suddenly sliding over Jongin's stomach to rest on his hipbone, and Jongin shivers before he can help it.
"I can't quite figure out why, though," Chanyeol continues, sounding curious now. He's somehow inched closer, hovering over Jongin. "Is it anticipation?" His gaze trails from his eyes to his mouth, then down to his throat. "Fear?"
"I'm not scared," Jongin whispers, breath catching when Chanyeol's eyes flick back up to his own.
"No," Chanyeol agrees after a moment, "you're not." He flops back down on the bed beside him, nuzzling into the pillow with a sigh.
Jongin tries his best to slow his racing heart before Chanyeol can take notice, taking careful breaths and hardly daring to move. He considers getting up to go nap on the couch after all, but Chanyeol's leg still has him trapped - and his hand is still resting against his hip, a strangely pleasant weight. Jongin tries not to think about it too hard.
"Apparently," Chanyeol murmurs, eyes still closed, "there are some things I still need to be taught about humans, too."
Jongin can't help smiling at that, tension leaving his body as he relaxes into the blankets. "Then we can help each other out, I guess."
"Compromise," Chanyeol agrees sleepily. Jongin watches his face until he's sure Chanyeol is asleep, then closes his own tired eyes. The vampire factor isn't nearly as big of a deal when Chanyeol is snoring softly next to him.
The sun is still up outside, so they should be able to nap for at least a couple hours before Chanyeol wakes up hungry and Jongin has to start on homework. For now, he snuggles deeper under the covers, turning over on his side so Chanyeol's arm is draped over him. If he ends up cuddling closer while he's asleep, then he's just gravitating to the warmest thing he can find -
and if he wakes up with Chanyeol's mouth close to his again, hovering like he was, then Jongin just might consider taking the opportunity to teach Chanyeol a little more about humans and their heartbeats. Just maybe.
> hapypyip bhaslowlrgyeen