[Fic] Until You - 15/15
Title: Until You
Author: Coley Merrin
Pairing: Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun
Rating: R
Genre: AU, Vampires, Angst, Fluff
Warnings: Brief violence, angst, sexual situations.
Summary: Research points to a vampire bite being unbreakable, but Kyuhyun can't give up. And with Zhou Mi, he works to undo the blood bond that forced them together.
***
Chapter One * Chapter Two & Three * Chapter Four & Five * Chapter Six & Seven * Chapter Eight & Nine * Chapter Ten * Chapter Eleven * Chapter Twelve * Chapter Thirteen * Chapter Fourteen
***
Kyuhyun woke the next morning with a leg hooked over Zhou Mi’s thigh. He flopped closer, groaning at the light spilling through the room. Zhou Mi slapped the back of his head like he was swatting at a particularly troublesome fly, which did nothing to help him go back to sleep. When he poked Zhou Mi’s side, all he got for it was a groan and a man trying to squash him into the mattress.
“I don’t know if this is a surprise to you or not, but smothering me isn’t going to make me go back to sleep,” he informed Zhou Mi. Though if Zhou Mi kept stroking his side like that, he wasn’t making any promises.
He was pretty sure that Zhou Mi was saying something, though all he was hearing was mumbles from the direction of his neck.
“I don’t know about you,” he said, and grunted as he rolled Zhou Mi onto his back. “But I’m hungry. And I can’t eat you.”
Zhou Mi blinked up at him. And blinked again. “Probably wouldn’t give you the full allotment of vitamins and minerals.”
He smirked, glad that Zhou Mi had gotten his jest. “Probably not. Breakfast? And then…?”
And then anything. Anything they wanted. He could help Zhou Mi pin things, if Zhou Mi would even show him how, or they could drag out a video game, or watch a movie. Anything. Maybe even go out and watch a movie. The idea had some merit.
Zhou Mi’s eyes all but crossed as Kyuhyun bent down, kissing him smartly. “Rise and shine.”
He danced out of bed, nearly catching himself on the rug. A little too ungainly for a smooth escape. But there was a decidedly happy tilt to Zhou Mi’s mouth when he glanced just before he shut the bathroom door.
When he made it to the kitchen, Zhou Mi had set out a bowl for him. Old habits, he figured, pouring his own cereal and leaning against the counter to eat it while Zhou Mi brewed tea.
“You have anything you need to get done today?” Kyuhyun asked.
“Not really.” Zhou Mi blew thoughtfully at his teacup. “I got a lot accomplished this week, so I’m really almost ahead.”
“Then let’s go out,” Kyuhyun said, almost pouncing. “How long has it been since you’ve been to a movie in an actual theater?”
“Uh. A long time. Really long.”
“And since it’s inside, you can watch the movie without the cloth over your head. Even if you can’t eat, it’s still fun. If you want.”
“Yes. I’d like that,” Zhou Mi said, smile bursting free. “Though there aren’t going to be any movies playing for at least a couple of hours.”
“Let’s walk around. You aren’t afraid to go out, and you know this neighborhood, so you can show me things I don’t know. I’m not ashamed to go out with you.”
It hadn’t been meant as a challenge or even as a declaration, but it had sort of seemed that way anyway.
He watched that throat work as Zhou Mi downed the last of his tea. “Then I guess we need to get dressed.”
***
Kyuhyun had heard some of the stories before. How long Zhou Mi had lived there, where he had moved from. They’d went out shopping or to get food for Kyuhyun more than a few times, so there had been the usual conversations. Zhou Mi didn’t really go out for pleasure, except perhaps to buy music, or a book, but it was still fun to visit and revisit those places with Zhou Mi beside him.
And when they had exhausted that neighborhood, they got on the subway and went to where Kyuhyun had grown up. His parents had since moved, but it was still nice to see the places he knew. A playground, familiar stores. Restaurants he’d liked to visit. And it was there that they decided on the movie they were to see, at the theater Kyuhyun had frequented as a teenager. He bought the tickets, letting Zhou Mi hang back. Bought himself a snack and a drink, and though Zhou Mi got a few strange looks, there was no hostility.
They were settled before the previews of a thriller that had been in the TV commercials for a couple of weeks. And he wiggled in his seat experimentally, taking a draw off of his soda. And Zhou Mi was able to take off his gloves, pushing back the cloth over his head. Smiling at Kyuhyun when he saw he was being watched. And skin to skin, Kyuhyun folded their hands together, content to have sweaty his sweaty palm against Zhou Mi’s for as long as they both could take it. For a second he almost laughed, realizing that Zhou Mi had essentially brought along his own snack, had they been bound. But that feeding, that had been for them alone.
What he hadn’t expected was for the movie to trigger memories. A woman being kidnapped, screaming. It made his heart leap in his chest, suddenly twice as invested in the story line as he had been. It didn’t make it him want to run, which he supposed was a comfort. And when he looked to Zhou Mi, Zhou Mi’s mouth was hanging open, eyes frantic, clearly as absorbed as he was.
The woman had been fine, in the end. Sobbing out her experience in the arms of her boyfriend. And the uplifting triumphal music heralded the credits as the bad guys went down.
Life as it was ideally, he supposed. He got his garbage together, waiting as Zhou Mi prepared himself again for outside.
“Was it as good being in a theater as you remember?” he asked, as they walked out in the afternoon light.
“It was. The movie was fun, and it was nice to see it with you. Of course the screen doesn’t hurt either.”
“Exactly.”
“It made me think, though, about when we were taken,” Zhou Mi said, touching his elbow and stopping him in the middle of the sidewalk.
It made Kyuhyun regret a little, if it had brought up bad memories for Zhou Mi. They had talked little about what had happened, but he had been too weak at first, and then too focused on Zhou Mi. “Yeah. I’m sorry about that.”
“Why are you sorry?” Zhou Mi asked, turning to him more fully. “I was the one who couldn’t protect you.”
“That’s not how I remember it.” And it wasn’t. The desperation on Zhou Mi’s face, the fear. The sounds he had made, like a wounded animal. All because he was worried for Kyuhyun, fighting for Kyuhyun. “I know they threatened my safety if you fought, so what did you think you were going to do? Unless you know how to teleport and didn’t say so.”
Zhou Mi laughed helplessly, stepping closer as people approached them. “No, but I wish I had been able to.”
Kyuhyun straightened the collar of Zhou Mi’s jacket, and held on. Looking up when he’d sorted out what he wanted to say. If he could’ve poured his earnestness out, he would have tried. “I wish a lot of stuff. But that doesn’t mean you should be a martyr for things that weren’t your fault. The fact that you exist isn’t why that stuffed happened.”
“But to see you hurt.” Zhou Mi’s eyes closed tightly as though he could block it out. “I saw that bite… That haunts me. Everything Chilhyun did to you when you were away. I couldn’t stop it.”
Kyuhyun deliberately had to stop himself from touching his neck, knowing Zhou Mi would see and wonder. But he took Zhou Mi’s arm and guided them to keep walking, so they didn’t appear out of the ordinary, still speaking quick and close to each other. “Their bites didn’t hurt me as much as really weirded me out. I got a lot of sensations from your bite that I never got from theirs. It felt like my whole body froze, like I couldn’t move even if I thought about it.”
“Maybe that’s one of the differences between what we transfer to you,” Zhou Mi mused. “And why vampires like me can bond. Because their bite isn’t voluntary like mine usually would be, so they have to paralyze their prey.”
“Then they’re probably missing out. Chilhyun seemed to think we belonged together.”
Zhou Mi’s snort was unamused. “He would have said anything if it meant knowing that I would end up dying with you.”
“I think it’s probably more than that.” But he didn’t really know what else to say. “I was scared. But I knew you were there.”
“Just the thought of him biting you…”
Zhou Mi looked more like a scared, lost little boy at that moment than at any time since they had met. He knew how deeply Zhou Mi’s want of protecting Kyuhyun ran. That streak of jealous and possessiveness. But Kyuhyun had a confession, one he had been reasoning out in his head ever since the sick feelings had subsided over it. Nearly to the entrance to the subway, he pulled Zhou Mi to the side, a little window ledge offering a break from sidewalk traffic.
“I’m glad he did bite me, since it meant I had to stay close to you. But I hated it, too, because that should’ve been for you. But it’s over, and we’ll never see them again.”
Zhou Mi tugged him close, folding him into a hug. He was guilty of wiggling into it, but Zhou Mi patted at him. And because he had never done so, he kissed Zhou Mi’s mouth through the soft cloth covering Zhou Mi’s face.
Zhou Mi’s mouth curved into a smile that was kind of of heartbreaking. “I’m sorry.”
The kiss was slower, that time. Feeling the warmth of Zhou Mi’s lips, and lingering. Something telling in that touch. “Just don’t blame yourself or I’ll be angry at you forever.”
The touch was soft against his neck, Zhou Mi nuzzling at him. “I could never want that.”
He regretted that Zhou Mi pulled away, but took Zhou Mi’s hand again. He wanted that connection. And he thought back to the letter Zhou Mi had wrote for him, that had been so full of emotion, but held back by so many walls. They would find their own way, he mused. They’d had to find it to begin with. His elbow knocked against Zhou Mi’s, peering conspiratorially up at him.
“Whose night is it to pick what we watch on TV?”
“Yours,” Zhou Mi allowed. “Want to play Battleship when we get back?”
And there was a long pause. “Are you going to cheat again?”
“Kyuhyun!”
He had a Zhou Mi laughing beside him, and a feeling that they were at least getting closer to understanding what they wanted. Even if it was just a little bit at a time.
***
Zhou Mi was woke from a half doze, from where he’d been bobbing against Kyuhyun’s head for the past half hour. The TV turning off had startled him, and Kyuhyun was setting the remote aside. No matter what Kyuhyun said about Zhou Mi being warm, Kyuhyun was warmer than any blanket against his side. They had curled there mostly without conversation, with teacups and a snack for Kyuhyun, to watch Kyuhyun’s show. And it wasn’t that the show had been dull, or even that he had been particularly tired, but their day had been fully charged. And having Kyuhyun against him, after playing games, helping Kyuhyun to cook his dinner, was too comforting to describe. And it was still early. Early enough that they could find something else to do with their time.
“Shower time,” Kyuhyun said, tugging Zhou Mi up off of the couch.
He unfolded himself with a groan, and swatted at Kyuhyun when the inevitable “grandpa” joke came out. Kyuhyun kept Zhou Mi’s hand in his as he rummaged for clean pajamas and underwear, leading him into the bathroom. His curiosity was definitely at its peak, but he didn’t know how to ask what Kyuhyun was thinking. At least not in a way that didn’t have him fumbling.
His eyes were lazy as he watched Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun’s shirt went into the hamper, his hair delightfully mussed as he turned back to Zhou Mi.
“I’ve never done this with someone,” Kyuhyun said. “Come on, strip.”
This? Showering together? Or? His mind was so helpful in providing things.
Kyuhyun used the opposite foot to get his socks off, and it made Zhou Mi smile to see the familiar habit. He tossed aside his own shirt. But he had to start paying closer attention to his own clothes, when he saw Kyuhyun’s pants start to fall down his thighs. He shoved down his own, and by the time he looked up, Kyuhyun had disappeared into the shower. Or at least disappeared as much as the wavy glass allowed. He took a fortifying breath, before stepping over the raised ledge. Kyuhyun’s head was down, wet under the spray, but he looked up when Zhou Mi slid the door closed. Or mostly looked up anyway, because his eyes did a very thorough assessment up Zhou Mi’s body.
“Sure, this’ll stay innocent,” Kyuhyun muttered nearly under his breath. “Get wet.”
He got the whole of one shoulder under the spray before Kyuhyun had edged behind him, dousing Zhou Mi’s head. He sputtered, water streaming down his face. He was still half blind when he heard Kyuhyun squeezing out shampoo, and then had hands running through his hair.
“It’s this some kind of cleansing experience?” he asked, still trying to get the water out of his eyes.
“Whatever you want it to be,” Kyuhyun’s blurry face informed him.
He went for a kiss, and got part of Kyuhyun’s chin. Kyuhyun chuckled, kissing him on his actual mouth.
“Hold still or you’ll have shampoo in your eyes, too.”
Though the scalp massage might’ve been worth it. By the time Kyuhyun helped to rinse his hair of the conditioner, he was ready to purr. And very ready to do the same for Kyuhyun. Silky and dark between his fingers, Kyuhyun’s eyes closed in pleasure. Watching rivulets of water run down Kyuhyun’s face and neck as the soap was washed from his hair. He wanted to lick them from Kyuhyun’s skin, and did, once he knew there was no shampoo or conditioner mixed with it.
“Just making sure you’re clean,” he said, when Kyuhyun eyed him.
“I bet. Since you’re concerned, how about this.” Kyuhyun’s dark wash cloth, pressed into his hands. “Get my back?”
His laugh was partially a choke, because he had a wet, naked back and butt and thighs right there, and no Kyuhyun watching to see where Zhou Mi’s eyes were going. He started thinking of very dirty garbage cans, and people sending him dirty looks to stay in control as he lathered the cloth. And Kyuhyun arched under the touch, the texture of the cloth scratching along skin and ridges of bone. And the scars. Steadying himself with Kyuhyun’s hips, he bent, pressing a soft kiss to the most obvious patch of skin that had been injured. That Kyuhyun let him made his heart tremble. And instead of handing back the cloth, he wrapped himself around Kyuhyun instead. The spray ineffectually splattering between them, warm while the rest of their skin was cold. Kyuhyun leaned back into him, covering Zhou Mi’s arms with his own and sighing.
He wasn’t sure how long they would have stayed that way, him mouthing formless words against Kyuhyun’s neck, if the shower hadn’t sputtered loudly at them, protesting their inattention. With an evil grin, Kyuhyun had grabbed Zhou Mi’s duck-decorated cloth. And with swipes and strokes, his back was scrubbed as well, until his skin was glowing as much as his face was. But unlike Kyuhyun’s prediction, it did stay innocent. Mostly. It wasn’t like they were barred from looking, or touching. Or kissing. But they both knew they weren’t there to do much more than that. Even so, it was nice to towel off, slipping into warm pajamas, and curling with Kyuhyun on the couch as Kyuhyun ate a late snack. It was strange, because he did feel cleansed. Maybe not in the way Kyuhyun had anticipated, but clean all the same. He wished the shower would’ve taken all the rest of his insecurity with it, but he didn’t think anything could, besides working at it himself.
Well, that, and looking up to see Kyuhyun smiling at him with sauce dribbling down his chin. That accomplished a lot.
***
Kyuhyun watched as Zhou Mi wiggled his toes in his socks, and knew Zhou Mi smelled exactly like he did. The body wash that smelled like oranges and flowers and whatever else. It was citrusy and nice, that was all he knew, and it probably smelled like that behind Zhou Mi’s ear and between his knuckles and under his collar bone. But he wasn’t going to grab Zhou Mi and find out. Especially since the thought of doing so made him almost miss his mouth with his snack entirely.
“What?” Kyuhyun asked, and Zhou Mi seemed to realize he’d just said Kyuhyun’s name out loud.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that. It’s nice like this.”
Kyuhyun could hardly not agree. Considering he’d just been naked with the man in the shower and now was stuffing his face as Zhou Mi rubbed his legs. If he could be any more pleased with himself, he’d have been purring. All those times seeing Zhou Mi in various states of undress. Hell, they’d had sex and there were still parts of Zhou Mi’s body that were unfamiliar to him. But if he’d had any lingering doubt that he was attracted, and maybe wanted to spend hours teasing lines of kisses up Zhou Mi’s legs and body, then that was gone entirely.
“I don’t want to go to work tomorrow,” he said suddenly, feeling kind of stupid because he could imagine just flopping in bed and staying there all day dozing and making out.
“Probably should save your sick days for the actual sickness,” Zhou Mi said, smiling and poking at his toes. “Besides, we can do something when you get off work.”
“If you say so.” He grunted, leaning forward. It was nice, no TV, no music going. Just the hum of the fridge and then the touching. Not like the touching could be discounted. He figured they could get up to no good if they were left to themselves. The kind of no good he figured was perfect. “Help.”
Zhou Mi took his hands, and did as Kyuhyun had demanded, pulling at him until he could arrange himself on his knees beside Zhou Mi.
“So here’s a question,” Kyuhyun said, anticipating Zhou Mi’s reaction. “What’s your favorite sexual position?”
Oh, and he got it, as Zhou Mi looked up at him, all wide eyes. “What?”
“You heard me.”
Zhou Mi seemed completely unsure, staring at him, before the words came out of his mouth. “I don’t actually know? I didn’t really have sex in a bed before, so… The only time was with you.”
He got to feel a little smug about that. Okay, more than a little smug. Though, it wasn’t like he could answer the same, because he’d definitely had sex on a bed before, but he figured they could edge around that without too much trouble.
“But you probably have fantasies,” Kyuhyun mused. “Positions you’d like to try. Pinned down and ridden, or-“
He laughed as Zhou Mi made a kitten-sounding noise as Kyuhyun’s hand slid down his chest. He kissed Zhou Mi’s neck and did what he’d meant to do all along, getting one knee on the other side of Zhou Mi’s hip. Certainly those fantasies had put him in Zhou Mi’s lap at least once.
“Are you trying to seduce me?” Zhou Mi asked, smiling at him from beneath eyelashes.
“Who’s trying?” Kyuhyun asked, nudging his hips against Zhou Mi’s.
It took a little shifting to get their pajamas open. Probably longer than it should’ve taken since Kyuhyun had a hard time figuring out how to work drawstrings and elastic, moving out of the way, getting Zhou Mi’s hips to accommodate, and still keeping his tongue in Zhou Mi’s mouth. And Zhou Mi was no help at all considering he seemed to be trying to drive Kyuhyun to distraction with his hands and mouth alone. It just meant that they were very, very urgent once they finally were able to line themselves up. Skin to skin.
Zhou Mi’s shirt took the heaviest casualties, as they tumbled one after the other. The urgent throb of pleasure a drumbeat, as Kyuhyun folded himself closer.
Kyuhyun sighed against Zhou Mi’s neck. “Do you think jerking each other off was how we anticipated ending tonight?”
“I always anticipate it,” Zhou Mi joked, patting his butt.
His knees creaked as he stood, walking behind Zhou Mi and led by his hand. They tumbled into bed in disarray. One of Zhou Mi’s legs clutched between his, and a man breathing deep and even against his neck. He’d left some important things off of that list, he thought. Just little things like that.
***
If Kyuhyun had been waiting for that moment, that “ah, I think this time is perfect to join my life to Zhou Mi’s” then he would have been quite disappointed. Today is a perfect day to get bitten. And it wasn’t like he didn’t think about it, because he did. It was simply comfortable to slip into their routines. Maybe there wasn’t any feeding, but there were other things. Like Zhou Mi greeting him with kisses, and Zhou Mi pinning him to the bed, and other things like that. He had argued that there was no need to rush it, and they did not. Letting the physical reminders fade, far earlier than the mental ones did. He wasn’t sure who had more nightmares about it. Pain, fear, loss. Zhou Mi had almost seemed to not want to talk about it at first, as though he was protecting Kyuhyun somehow.
But it eased, with time. Discussing more of what had happened in that basement, not to relive it, but to expunge it. To carry some of the weight of it for each other. They were alive, and together. And to cap those discussions, they proved it to each other. There was no better stress relief than laying against Zhou Mi’s chest with a hand taking solid, comforting swipes up and down his back. Like Kyuhyun was some kind of gigantic house cat. He’d joked that Zhou Mi needed to get a parrot, but maybe Zhou Mi had found a longer-lived pet after all.
And though the nightmares became less frequent, the occasional nagging worry didn’t. And it wasn’t as though he expected to go home from work to find an empty house. Or to find that Zhou Mi had discovered a man he liked better. Not really. But he understood the idea of wanting someone so much that placing a hold on them felt necessary. That needing Zhou Mi as much as he had slowly realized he did, meant that the blood bond looked less like a prison, and more like a fortress. And Zhou Mi had been the one thinking that Kyuhyun would change his mind? It wasn’t that. Once a week, it seemed, Ryeowook would check up on the status of their relationship. Though Ryeowook usually kept his pep talks to saying he was glad things were going well, and a smile.
And things were going well. Even as they kept a cautious eye out for the activities of the vampires who had kidnapped them, they got on with their lives. They weren’t glued at the hip every hour. They watched their TV shows and movies together, talking over Kyuhyun’s dinner or a game. While Kyuhyun played on his computer, Zhou Mi entertained himself with books or hand stitching something to be sold. And there was the sex, which was hard to discount. When Zhou Mi sucked him off for the first time, the last thing he’d been worried about were Zhou Mi’s teeth. Too busy feeling like he was dying in the most pleasurable way possible. And nearly passing out against Zhou Mi’s stomach when he’d returned the favor. Zhou Mi was in so many ways, and it was so stupid, and such a cliche, perfect. And trying to measure himself against those standards did nothing, because soon enough he had a beanpole of a man nuzzling up against him and murmuring I love you. And the answering glow that spread through him erased all his doubts. Until the next time, at least.
Kyuhyun made a big goal at work? Zhou Mi made him dinner. Zhou Mi sold a big project? They had very enthusiastic celebratory sex. It was a day that ended in “day”? They flopped on each other like tired puppies. Or showered together. Or made out during a slow scene. Or insulted each other quite magnanimously on the status of their weekly chores. Because Zhou Mi still did clean the toilet. There hadn’t been any changing that. And it didn’t matter that summer had started to fade into fall, and that his life was wound up in Zhou Mi more than ever. He didn’t care that his parents had been worried for his sanity. Even they had agreed to meet Zhou Mi eventually. But he didn’t know who could have resisted those earnest, if slightly unsure, smiles.
Certainly no one who’d contributed to his gene pool, that was for sure.
***
With a groan, Kyuhyun collapsed into bed, pulling the covers half over his head in order to pretend he could just stay there forever. Considering he’d finally made it to the weekend, and Zhou Mi was already shirtless and reading one pillow over, the thought wasn’t unappealing.
“I think I want to go get Chinese tomorrow, if you’re up for that?” he asked, fingers nudging at Zhou Mi’s hip under the blanket. “Lunch or dinner, I don’t care. We could walk. Get some exercise. Different kind of exercise.”
Zhou Mi set his book aside, scooting down and turning to Kyuhyun. He wasn’t sure what to make of that expression, but he didn’t have to wait long for what Zhou Mi was thinking.
“Maybe you should go alone sometimes,” Zhou Mi suggested.
“Why?”
One of Zhou Mi’s shoulders lifted in a half-shrug. “We’re starting to get weird looks there. I don’t know if it’s because people see us together a lot, or we give off weird vibes. I don’t know.”
It felt like Kyuhyun’s brain was twisting trying to decipher Zhou Mi’s hidden messages. “I don’t really care about weird looks.”
“They just aren’t very kind.”
“You’re the one who used to tell me that I needed to get used to it and not take it to heart. What’s going on with you?”
“I just don’t…I don’t want you to- I don’t know,” Zhou Mi said, half laughing as his words wouldn’t come. “I’d spare you from that.”
“The important part of you is here, not your teeth.” He tapped Zhou Mi’s temple. “That’s what makes you the guy I’m spending the rest of my life with.”
It took a second for the words to sink it, and it was Zhou Mi’s choking sound that spurred him out of his stunned silence.
“Wow, that sounds intense out loud,” Kyuhyun said.
Not like he didn’t know, after all, that it was what they’d been working toward. But it was something else to say it to Zhou Mi’s face. People who got married, they had a clause in there about forever, too. But they could break the deal without one of them starving to death. But he could say it out loud, and lay beside Zhou Mi at night and say “I love you,” and not be weirded out. Would Zhou Mi still cheat at Battleship when he was sixty?
But Zhou Mi’s mouth was trembling as Kyuhyun considered the weight of his own words, and he poked two fingers into Zhou Mi’s stomach in retaliation.
“Stop laughing at me.”
“I’m not. I swear I’m not, Kyuhyun.”
“So yeah, those people? If they can’t accept us, then we can move to a part of town that does, because you shouldn’t have to worry about that. I just don’t want to go around like I’m single again. Like I’m keeping you in a closet because I’m ashamed. Because I’m not.”
Zhou Mi and his awkward arms pulled Kyuhyun close, rocking their heads together.
“I love you so much,” Zhou Mi said softly against his ear.
“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered, patting and rubbing at Zhou Mi’s back. And had to deal with the fact that he’d brought on the touchy-feely stuff himself. “You know, there are days I think I’m ready, and then I think it’s weird to bring it up, like it should happen naturally or something. But…”
“But?” Zhou Mi asked, pushing back so he could all but devour Kyuhyun’s face with his eyes.
“But it’s not going to happen naturally. Because I have to say okay, and so do you. So. Yeah.”
“Are there days you think you’re not ready?” Zhou Mi asked.
“Not really? I don’t think I dwell on it a lot. But it’s kind of a nice thought. You and me. No more wondering about it.” And he snickered as the joke rolled through him. “Then you can have your cake, er… boyfriend, and eat him, too.”
It was fascinating to watch Zhou Mi melt down. The widened eyes, before that face crumpled into heaving laughter, clutching at Kyuhyun’s clothes to support himself as though he was going to roll right out of bed.
“I didn’t think it was that funny,” Kyuhyun protested, but still secretly pleased and grinning along with the gulping Zhou Mi. Zhou Mi, who was currently waving a hand at his face to dry the near-tears of laughter.
“Have my boyfriend and… Haha. Eat him…Kyuhyun!”
“Yeah, yeah.” And his face kind of hurt from the smiling. But he had a question, whether he knew it or not. Whether he was ready or not. But the fact that he could think to ask it, he thought said a lot more to how prepared he was than anything else.
“Are you ready?” he asked, and touched Zhou Mi’s chin. Tracing that angled jaw, to one of the cheekbones he had come to know so well.
And he knew really beyond a doubt what the answer would be.
***
Kyuhyun close against him in bed was nothing new. They seemed to excel at it, the kind of close touching and talking he craved. Sometimes Kyuhyun fell asleep in the middle of a conversation like that, or sometimes they just sort of murmured until saying goodnight. Or saying goodnight in a totally different, very pleasing way. The light from the bedside lamp illuminated Kyuhyun’s face enough that he saw the shyness there, when Kyuhyun asked him. Was Zhou Mi ready? He had been sure for weeks. Months even. It was hard to put a price on the weight of his need, once he’d struggled past the first edge of fear. He didn’t think it was possible to get rid of it fully, but having Kyuhyun press kisses at him before work, and lounge against him after did a lot. Trusting Kyuhyun. Trusting Kyuhyun’s love. And waiting, for it to be right for both of them.
Because he wanted more than a few months of Kyuhyun’s breath tickling the hairs of his neck, and lazy kisses in bed. Learning to cook more of Kyuhyun’s favorite dishes in a way that both did not kill Kyuhyun, but also impressed him. Or at least the way Kyuhyun moaned and complained about the weight he put on because of the ones he’d learned so far said so. Of course that weight, to Zhou Mi’s mind, went all the most interesting places. Kyuhyun’s infinitely squeezable butt, and the thighs that did their best to squeeze Zhou Mi’s hips to smithereens. As they gasped against each other’s mouths, and laughed, and moaned. Watching Kyuhyun’s eyes blur, mouth parted, with ecstasy, and breathing out his name. The precious declarations of love.
“I am very ready,” he told Kyuhyun, and tried not to qualify it. But Kyuhyun just rolled his eyes at him, in a way Zhou Mi knew was affectionately meant.
“Then bite me, you idiot. Why did we wait this long?”
Zhou Mi’s eyes fell to Kyuhyun’s lips. “We had to be sure. Do you-“
His words were cut off by Kyuhyun’s mouth, a punishing, deceptively sweet kiss. “I love you. I’m sure.”
He landed on Kyuhyun with a grunt as they rolled, Kyuhyun’s dark eyes staring back at him.
“Last chance,” Zhou Mi warned him.
“Yeah, yeah. Last chance for you, you mean. Just get- Ow. I think I bruised my lip kissing you.”
That thought nearly had Zhou Mi grinning. “Can we be more cliche, starting it with a kiss?”
Kyuhyun shrugged, his hand tightening in Zhou Mi’s hair. “I hear that’s how they end marriage ceremonies these days.”
Zhou Mi laughed softly. “Then from this day on,” he promised.
“Till death do us part, and all that.”
And with full intent, watching for any hesitation, Zhou Mi lowered his head, his lips light against Kyuhyun’s. He sucked Kyuhyun’s lower lip into his mouth, and it took little more than a knick with his teeth to take the taste of Kyuhyun’s blood into him. Sweet and pure, better than the best of his memories. He was able to fully appreciate it, enjoy it, that taste. No fear or pain to interrupt them. He shuddered, his bones aching for a moment, as Kyuhyun’s blood flooded through him. But it wasn’t enough. Not enough. He pulled back with a gasp.
“Do you trust me?”
Kyuhyun, dazed with even the tiny bite, goggled. “Enough for a lifetime?”
They were half naked anyway, and it took little more than pulling down their clothes, and slickening himself. Kyuhyun’s body was tight, but welcoming, the long ease of knowing each other’s bodies. Kyuhyun moaned, body lifting for Zhou Mi’s hand and body, his neck arching. It was no accidental movement. It was invitation. Kyuhyun’s hands pulling his face there, to Kyuhyun’s neck. He could smell himself in that blood already, from just one, tiny bite. And he wanted to smell more of himself there, and more and more, until Kyuhyun smelled only like his own. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, where to place his teeth. To take in the rich tang of Kyuhyun’s blood, he could have glutted him at the taste. The taste, the heat of it, was so familiar to him. Even if it had been weeks upon weeks, he knew it like he knew himself. The ache screamed in him, and he felt Kyuhyun choke. Not from the bite. From the orgasm. And he spilled into Kyuhyun when he knew, pulling back from Kyuhyun’s neck in a daze. The wounds that he left no longer trickling blood, and Kyuhyun exhaling in slow, hard puffs.
“That wasn’t as bad as you made it out to be,” Kyuhyun joked weakly.
And the glow inside him wasn’t the warmth of Kyuhyun’s blood, or the pleasure Kyuhyun’s body had brought him. Kyuhyun wrapped to him, kissing his face, his lips. Still and calm beside each other.
“Better than before?” Kyuhyun asked.
Zhou Mi hummed, running his hand up the warm silk of Kyuhyun’s back. “You tell me. I’m not the one who came without being touched.” But that mouth was smug, and Zhou Mi kissed it from him. “I am yours, by choice and need. What could be better?”
“I have to put up with that sap the rest of my life?” There was a pause, as Kyuhyun wriggled closer. “Probably only you can make me like it.”
They shoved each other back and forth a little, laughing. And he assured Kyuhyun in so many ways, how much better it was. Even when Kyuhyun slept deeply because of of Zhou Mi’s antibodies at work, waking to be sick, and then crabby against Zhou Mi’s chest. It was the last time that Kyuhyun would ever have to go through that. His body perfectly attuned to Zhou Mi’s antibodies, working even as they lay together, and more every time he fed from Kyuhyun again. Kyuhyun could survive without him, but not him without Kyuhyun. And for some reason, that comforted him.
But not more that Kyuhyun himself did.
***
Zhou Mi’s gift to Kyuhyun for their bond, so Zhou Mi said, was a new suit for work. And though Kyuhyun argued that was like giving him a kitchen knife or a washing machine, Zhou Mi just waved him off. Though he was pretty sure the idea wasn’t so much waiting for the bonding, as it was having the leverage to make Kyuhyun stand still long enough for all the fittings. Because when Zhou Mi had said he was giving Kyuhyun a new suit, he’d meant that he was making one.
Out of cloth. With his own hands. Okay, and the sewing machine, too.
Of course he’d leaned a lot about clothes construction in his time with Zhou Mi, but he was still under some kind of impression that clothes came out of machines fully formed, with no human interaction.
Still, Zhou Mi had him stepping into a pair of half-finished pants, the subtle plaid pattered on gray one that he found himself actually liking. And Zhou Mi was clucking around him on his knees, with a pincushion strapped to one wrist, and a couple of pins between his teeth. He tried to not think about how close those pins might be to sensitive areas.
“Are you trying to make me so hot that no one can resist me?” Kyuhyun mused.
Zhou Mi pulled out the pins, smiling up at him rather beguilingly. “Just make sure you tell them where you got it when they ask how they can get one.”
And Zhou Mi yelped as Kyuhyun’s knuckles bounced off the top of his head. “I’m not some kind of walking Zhou Mi advertisement.”
“Just feel lucky I’m not bedazzling “Property of Zhou Mi” across your butt,” Zhou Mi retorted, waddling on his knees to get to said butt.
“Perhaps we should get it tattooed there instead.”
And he could see in the full length mirror that Zhou Mi’s face went just the slightest bit dark at the idea of someone seeing Kyuhyun’s butt long enough to tattoo anything on it. And then a small look of triumph bloomed, a huge smile on Zhou Mi’s face.
“Maybe I’ll learn to tattoo next,” Zhou Mi offered. “The sewing thing might get old.”
He blinked. “But I’d be your only customer.”
Two seconds, and Zhou Mi’s smug mouth, had him laughing and trying not to get jabbed with pins. Zhou Mi had meant it that way precisely. But he could think of a few less painful ways that they could demonstrate that they belonged together. He may or may not have seen a ring he liked on the way home from work. And imagining sliding it on one of Zhou Mi’s fingers made the fitting go that much quicker.
Even if Zhou Mi had poked him - with a finger - when he had gotten carried away imagining what he’d do to Zhou Mi after. It was hard to get an accurate fit with someone sporting an erection, Zhou Mi had complained. Though Kyuhyun just offered to let him feed extra long for his trouble, which probably wasn’t much of a surprise, considering the way Kyuhyun was giggling. Vampire or no vampire, Zhou Mi did well to be cautious. And if Zhou Mi seemed wary at the smug look on Kyuhyun’s face, well… He’d be glad to introduce Zhou Mi to another of life’s little surprises.
It wasn’t like they had some kind of guaranteed happily ever after. But not too many people got to start a relationship over twice, either. Zhou Mi had said once that until he’d met Kyuhyun, he hadn’t been able to smell blood. ”Until you,” Zhou Mi had said. He didn’t think they could’ve imagined that day, just how many until you’s would end up being true. Love, sex, need. They’d touched all of those. And he hummed in appreciation at the half-naked Zhou Mi stretched out on the sewing room floor next to him. A soft measuring tape was still around Zhou Mi’s neck like some kind of striped scarf. Of course that had nothing on his backside, which he assumed bore the imprint of the carpet they were laying on. Clearly too much to ask for the mattress to follow them around the house for impromptu make-out sessions. Though he’d been stripped of the pants before that had gotten going, because he wasn’t sure if Zhou Mi would’ve forgiven him if they’d gotten the suit pants dirty before they were finished.
His fingers walking tracks across Zhou Mi’s impossible stomach got the rise from Zhou Mi’s consciousness that he’d been expecting. And two hands pulling him to his feet.
Zhou Mi stared down his body, a t-shirt, and nothing else, and cleared his throat. “That’s a good look on you.”
Given he’d just stepped over Zhou Mi’s underwear, and that Zhou Mi’s shirt was slowly inching back down his torso, he was inclined to say the same.
And when he whispered, love you, into Zhou Mi’s shoulder under the shower’s spray, that was only another thing they agreed on.
***
It was with a little bit of pride that Zhou Mi knew the idea had wholly been Kyuhyun’s. The dinner, anyway. It had come after the infinitely frightening point at which they’d informed Kyuhyun’s parents. Okay, Kyuhyun had done the informing, and he’d stood and tried not to seem imposing. Even if Kyuhyun had stood on his foot on the way home for slouching. Kyuhyun’s next idea had been much preferable.
“Why don’t we get together with Ryeowook and have a celebratory dinner? He’s dating someone now, so we could all go together. I feel like we should do something.”
Besides being at each other, mouth and body all hours of the day, Zhou Mi assumed. He wasn’t sure if it was the high of feeding again, or the thrill and newness of it, but they had been in danger of wearing each other out once Kyuhyun’s body adjusted to the renewed influx of Zhou Mi’s antibodies. There was a certain giddy thrill to it, knowing they’d made their choice and then had the luxury of knowing they were each other’s.
He didn’t think Kyuhyun would’ve begrudged him the tiny panic after waking up that first morning, wondering if Kyuhyun regretted. But Kyuhyun had fixed him with a pleading dark-eyed pout and asked for tea and soup in bed. And a kiss. Milking his post-bond sickness for all it was worth, clearly. They nearly hadn’t moved from bed that day. Not so much having sex, as bonding in other ways. Napping curled together, watching the bedroom TV, looking up the news on the computer. And Kyuhyun had invited him again, baring his long, pale neck. And Zhou Mi didn’t know what human, vampire or otherwise, could have resisted.
But the idea of celebrating, after they’d gotten their own celebrating in, was a sweet one. Even, especially, with Kyuhyun’s closest friend. There was no wedding, no reception. But it was still confirmation, and a mark to the start of their lives together.
He met Kyuhyun at work, dressed ever so carefully for their double date. Kyuhyun had chosen a restaurant totally enclosed, so that Zhou Mi could sit in comfort without being covered and having to wait for sundown. More for Zhou Mi’s sake than Kyuhyun’s, but the thought was appreciated. He liked the thought of being able to touch Kyuhyun’s skin unhindered by his protecting gloves. And he had never met Ryeowook’s boyfriend, so he didn’t want to seem too “weird” right at the start.
Kyuhyun had arranged the table ahead of time, and they arrived first, settling with tea.
“At least we don’t have to get you a menu,” Kyuhyun joked. “On your menu tonight is Kyuhyun with a side of Kyuhyun, with Kyuhyun sauce.”
“Sounds like my kind of meal,” he said, and with his head finally uncovered, he got the greeting kiss he’d been waiting for.
But they didn’t have to wait long, Kyuhyun nudging Zhou Mi as the door opened, revealing Ryeowook and his date. They both stood, greeting the other men.
Ryeowook smiled, introducing everyone. “This is Yesung. Yesung, Kyuhyun and Zhou Mi.”
“Ah, I’ve heard about you both from Ryeowook,” Yesung said, and looked to Zhou Mi. “Congratulations.”
Zhou Mi knew how to do nothing but extend his hand after Yesung extended his, a brief, firm, and greeting handshake. It wasn’t as though he had never shaken someone’s hand, but more that he hadn’t been expecting it that night. And it was both a shock and a gift. On a celebration night, there was something important about that.
As Yesung greeted Kyuhyun, Ryeowook made a soft noise, to get Zhou Mi’s attention, and Ryeowook looked at him nearly without reserve.
“Congratulations.”
Ryeowook’s hand extended, and Zhou Mi froze. So used to holding himself back, being so careful not to touch when they met with Ryeowook. And Yesung’s hand was on Ryeowook’s shoulder, supporting him.
He did not squeeze Ryeowook’s hand, just held it, gentle, for a moment between both of his. And he smiled softly, knowing what it cost Ryeowook to offer that touch.
“Thank you.”
Seated, the others ordered their food, discussing careers and work. How Ryeowook had met Yesung, how Kyuhyun and Zhou Mi had met. And it wasn’t exactly dinnertime conversation fare, so Zhou Mi had murmured nothing more revealing than, “It was circumstances beyond our control, but here we are.”
“Yeah,” Kyuhyun agreed. “He enjoys shipping me out the door every morning.”
And they had a small elbow battle to compliment that statement.
“He knows if he gets bored with work, I can always teach him to sew,” Zhou Mi said, and Ryeowook laughed long enough for him to get a sharp kick under the table from Kyuhyun.
“Hey, I can sew on a button,” Kyuhyun argued, to which Zhou Mi had only one rebuttal.
“If I hand you a threaded needle.”
“From the man who makes me get flies out of the apartment.”
But Kyuhyun held his hand during dessert, and he relaxed in the easy company and conversation. Their fingers were still laced on the subway, and walking home. Kyuhyun had already had his celebratory dinner, and it was finally time for Zhou Mi to have his.
***
Author: Coley Merrin
Pairing: Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun
Rating: R
Genre: AU, Vampires, Angst, Fluff
Warnings: Brief violence, angst, sexual situations.
Summary: Research points to a vampire bite being unbreakable, but Kyuhyun can't give up. And with Zhou Mi, he works to undo the blood bond that forced them together.
***
Chapter One * Chapter Two & Three * Chapter Four & Five * Chapter Six & Seven * Chapter Eight & Nine * Chapter Ten * Chapter Eleven * Chapter Twelve * Chapter Thirteen * Chapter Fourteen
***
Kyuhyun woke the next morning with a leg hooked over Zhou Mi’s thigh. He flopped closer, groaning at the light spilling through the room. Zhou Mi slapped the back of his head like he was swatting at a particularly troublesome fly, which did nothing to help him go back to sleep. When he poked Zhou Mi’s side, all he got for it was a groan and a man trying to squash him into the mattress.
“I don’t know if this is a surprise to you or not, but smothering me isn’t going to make me go back to sleep,” he informed Zhou Mi. Though if Zhou Mi kept stroking his side like that, he wasn’t making any promises.
He was pretty sure that Zhou Mi was saying something, though all he was hearing was mumbles from the direction of his neck.
“I don’t know about you,” he said, and grunted as he rolled Zhou Mi onto his back. “But I’m hungry. And I can’t eat you.”
Zhou Mi blinked up at him. And blinked again. “Probably wouldn’t give you the full allotment of vitamins and minerals.”
He smirked, glad that Zhou Mi had gotten his jest. “Probably not. Breakfast? And then…?”
And then anything. Anything they wanted. He could help Zhou Mi pin things, if Zhou Mi would even show him how, or they could drag out a video game, or watch a movie. Anything. Maybe even go out and watch a movie. The idea had some merit.
Zhou Mi’s eyes all but crossed as Kyuhyun bent down, kissing him smartly. “Rise and shine.”
He danced out of bed, nearly catching himself on the rug. A little too ungainly for a smooth escape. But there was a decidedly happy tilt to Zhou Mi’s mouth when he glanced just before he shut the bathroom door.
When he made it to the kitchen, Zhou Mi had set out a bowl for him. Old habits, he figured, pouring his own cereal and leaning against the counter to eat it while Zhou Mi brewed tea.
“You have anything you need to get done today?” Kyuhyun asked.
“Not really.” Zhou Mi blew thoughtfully at his teacup. “I got a lot accomplished this week, so I’m really almost ahead.”
“Then let’s go out,” Kyuhyun said, almost pouncing. “How long has it been since you’ve been to a movie in an actual theater?”
“Uh. A long time. Really long.”
“And since it’s inside, you can watch the movie without the cloth over your head. Even if you can’t eat, it’s still fun. If you want.”
“Yes. I’d like that,” Zhou Mi said, smile bursting free. “Though there aren’t going to be any movies playing for at least a couple of hours.”
“Let’s walk around. You aren’t afraid to go out, and you know this neighborhood, so you can show me things I don’t know. I’m not ashamed to go out with you.”
It hadn’t been meant as a challenge or even as a declaration, but it had sort of seemed that way anyway.
He watched that throat work as Zhou Mi downed the last of his tea. “Then I guess we need to get dressed.”
***
Kyuhyun had heard some of the stories before. How long Zhou Mi had lived there, where he had moved from. They’d went out shopping or to get food for Kyuhyun more than a few times, so there had been the usual conversations. Zhou Mi didn’t really go out for pleasure, except perhaps to buy music, or a book, but it was still fun to visit and revisit those places with Zhou Mi beside him.
And when they had exhausted that neighborhood, they got on the subway and went to where Kyuhyun had grown up. His parents had since moved, but it was still nice to see the places he knew. A playground, familiar stores. Restaurants he’d liked to visit. And it was there that they decided on the movie they were to see, at the theater Kyuhyun had frequented as a teenager. He bought the tickets, letting Zhou Mi hang back. Bought himself a snack and a drink, and though Zhou Mi got a few strange looks, there was no hostility.
They were settled before the previews of a thriller that had been in the TV commercials for a couple of weeks. And he wiggled in his seat experimentally, taking a draw off of his soda. And Zhou Mi was able to take off his gloves, pushing back the cloth over his head. Smiling at Kyuhyun when he saw he was being watched. And skin to skin, Kyuhyun folded their hands together, content to have sweaty his sweaty palm against Zhou Mi’s for as long as they both could take it. For a second he almost laughed, realizing that Zhou Mi had essentially brought along his own snack, had they been bound. But that feeding, that had been for them alone.
What he hadn’t expected was for the movie to trigger memories. A woman being kidnapped, screaming. It made his heart leap in his chest, suddenly twice as invested in the story line as he had been. It didn’t make it him want to run, which he supposed was a comfort. And when he looked to Zhou Mi, Zhou Mi’s mouth was hanging open, eyes frantic, clearly as absorbed as he was.
The woman had been fine, in the end. Sobbing out her experience in the arms of her boyfriend. And the uplifting triumphal music heralded the credits as the bad guys went down.
Life as it was ideally, he supposed. He got his garbage together, waiting as Zhou Mi prepared himself again for outside.
“Was it as good being in a theater as you remember?” he asked, as they walked out in the afternoon light.
“It was. The movie was fun, and it was nice to see it with you. Of course the screen doesn’t hurt either.”
“Exactly.”
“It made me think, though, about when we were taken,” Zhou Mi said, touching his elbow and stopping him in the middle of the sidewalk.
It made Kyuhyun regret a little, if it had brought up bad memories for Zhou Mi. They had talked little about what had happened, but he had been too weak at first, and then too focused on Zhou Mi. “Yeah. I’m sorry about that.”
“Why are you sorry?” Zhou Mi asked, turning to him more fully. “I was the one who couldn’t protect you.”
“That’s not how I remember it.” And it wasn’t. The desperation on Zhou Mi’s face, the fear. The sounds he had made, like a wounded animal. All because he was worried for Kyuhyun, fighting for Kyuhyun. “I know they threatened my safety if you fought, so what did you think you were going to do? Unless you know how to teleport and didn’t say so.”
Zhou Mi laughed helplessly, stepping closer as people approached them. “No, but I wish I had been able to.”
Kyuhyun straightened the collar of Zhou Mi’s jacket, and held on. Looking up when he’d sorted out what he wanted to say. If he could’ve poured his earnestness out, he would have tried. “I wish a lot of stuff. But that doesn’t mean you should be a martyr for things that weren’t your fault. The fact that you exist isn’t why that stuffed happened.”
“But to see you hurt.” Zhou Mi’s eyes closed tightly as though he could block it out. “I saw that bite… That haunts me. Everything Chilhyun did to you when you were away. I couldn’t stop it.”
Kyuhyun deliberately had to stop himself from touching his neck, knowing Zhou Mi would see and wonder. But he took Zhou Mi’s arm and guided them to keep walking, so they didn’t appear out of the ordinary, still speaking quick and close to each other. “Their bites didn’t hurt me as much as really weirded me out. I got a lot of sensations from your bite that I never got from theirs. It felt like my whole body froze, like I couldn’t move even if I thought about it.”
“Maybe that’s one of the differences between what we transfer to you,” Zhou Mi mused. “And why vampires like me can bond. Because their bite isn’t voluntary like mine usually would be, so they have to paralyze their prey.”
“Then they’re probably missing out. Chilhyun seemed to think we belonged together.”
Zhou Mi’s snort was unamused. “He would have said anything if it meant knowing that I would end up dying with you.”
“I think it’s probably more than that.” But he didn’t really know what else to say. “I was scared. But I knew you were there.”
“Just the thought of him biting you…”
Zhou Mi looked more like a scared, lost little boy at that moment than at any time since they had met. He knew how deeply Zhou Mi’s want of protecting Kyuhyun ran. That streak of jealous and possessiveness. But Kyuhyun had a confession, one he had been reasoning out in his head ever since the sick feelings had subsided over it. Nearly to the entrance to the subway, he pulled Zhou Mi to the side, a little window ledge offering a break from sidewalk traffic.
“I’m glad he did bite me, since it meant I had to stay close to you. But I hated it, too, because that should’ve been for you. But it’s over, and we’ll never see them again.”
Zhou Mi tugged him close, folding him into a hug. He was guilty of wiggling into it, but Zhou Mi patted at him. And because he had never done so, he kissed Zhou Mi’s mouth through the soft cloth covering Zhou Mi’s face.
Zhou Mi’s mouth curved into a smile that was kind of of heartbreaking. “I’m sorry.”
The kiss was slower, that time. Feeling the warmth of Zhou Mi’s lips, and lingering. Something telling in that touch. “Just don’t blame yourself or I’ll be angry at you forever.”
The touch was soft against his neck, Zhou Mi nuzzling at him. “I could never want that.”
He regretted that Zhou Mi pulled away, but took Zhou Mi’s hand again. He wanted that connection. And he thought back to the letter Zhou Mi had wrote for him, that had been so full of emotion, but held back by so many walls. They would find their own way, he mused. They’d had to find it to begin with. His elbow knocked against Zhou Mi’s, peering conspiratorially up at him.
“Whose night is it to pick what we watch on TV?”
“Yours,” Zhou Mi allowed. “Want to play Battleship when we get back?”
And there was a long pause. “Are you going to cheat again?”
“Kyuhyun!”
He had a Zhou Mi laughing beside him, and a feeling that they were at least getting closer to understanding what they wanted. Even if it was just a little bit at a time.
***
Zhou Mi was woke from a half doze, from where he’d been bobbing against Kyuhyun’s head for the past half hour. The TV turning off had startled him, and Kyuhyun was setting the remote aside. No matter what Kyuhyun said about Zhou Mi being warm, Kyuhyun was warmer than any blanket against his side. They had curled there mostly without conversation, with teacups and a snack for Kyuhyun, to watch Kyuhyun’s show. And it wasn’t that the show had been dull, or even that he had been particularly tired, but their day had been fully charged. And having Kyuhyun against him, after playing games, helping Kyuhyun to cook his dinner, was too comforting to describe. And it was still early. Early enough that they could find something else to do with their time.
“Shower time,” Kyuhyun said, tugging Zhou Mi up off of the couch.
He unfolded himself with a groan, and swatted at Kyuhyun when the inevitable “grandpa” joke came out. Kyuhyun kept Zhou Mi’s hand in his as he rummaged for clean pajamas and underwear, leading him into the bathroom. His curiosity was definitely at its peak, but he didn’t know how to ask what Kyuhyun was thinking. At least not in a way that didn’t have him fumbling.
His eyes were lazy as he watched Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun’s shirt went into the hamper, his hair delightfully mussed as he turned back to Zhou Mi.
“I’ve never done this with someone,” Kyuhyun said. “Come on, strip.”
This? Showering together? Or? His mind was so helpful in providing things.
Kyuhyun used the opposite foot to get his socks off, and it made Zhou Mi smile to see the familiar habit. He tossed aside his own shirt. But he had to start paying closer attention to his own clothes, when he saw Kyuhyun’s pants start to fall down his thighs. He shoved down his own, and by the time he looked up, Kyuhyun had disappeared into the shower. Or at least disappeared as much as the wavy glass allowed. He took a fortifying breath, before stepping over the raised ledge. Kyuhyun’s head was down, wet under the spray, but he looked up when Zhou Mi slid the door closed. Or mostly looked up anyway, because his eyes did a very thorough assessment up Zhou Mi’s body.
“Sure, this’ll stay innocent,” Kyuhyun muttered nearly under his breath. “Get wet.”
He got the whole of one shoulder under the spray before Kyuhyun had edged behind him, dousing Zhou Mi’s head. He sputtered, water streaming down his face. He was still half blind when he heard Kyuhyun squeezing out shampoo, and then had hands running through his hair.
“It’s this some kind of cleansing experience?” he asked, still trying to get the water out of his eyes.
“Whatever you want it to be,” Kyuhyun’s blurry face informed him.
He went for a kiss, and got part of Kyuhyun’s chin. Kyuhyun chuckled, kissing him on his actual mouth.
“Hold still or you’ll have shampoo in your eyes, too.”
Though the scalp massage might’ve been worth it. By the time Kyuhyun helped to rinse his hair of the conditioner, he was ready to purr. And very ready to do the same for Kyuhyun. Silky and dark between his fingers, Kyuhyun’s eyes closed in pleasure. Watching rivulets of water run down Kyuhyun’s face and neck as the soap was washed from his hair. He wanted to lick them from Kyuhyun’s skin, and did, once he knew there was no shampoo or conditioner mixed with it.
“Just making sure you’re clean,” he said, when Kyuhyun eyed him.
“I bet. Since you’re concerned, how about this.” Kyuhyun’s dark wash cloth, pressed into his hands. “Get my back?”
His laugh was partially a choke, because he had a wet, naked back and butt and thighs right there, and no Kyuhyun watching to see where Zhou Mi’s eyes were going. He started thinking of very dirty garbage cans, and people sending him dirty looks to stay in control as he lathered the cloth. And Kyuhyun arched under the touch, the texture of the cloth scratching along skin and ridges of bone. And the scars. Steadying himself with Kyuhyun’s hips, he bent, pressing a soft kiss to the most obvious patch of skin that had been injured. That Kyuhyun let him made his heart tremble. And instead of handing back the cloth, he wrapped himself around Kyuhyun instead. The spray ineffectually splattering between them, warm while the rest of their skin was cold. Kyuhyun leaned back into him, covering Zhou Mi’s arms with his own and sighing.
He wasn’t sure how long they would have stayed that way, him mouthing formless words against Kyuhyun’s neck, if the shower hadn’t sputtered loudly at them, protesting their inattention. With an evil grin, Kyuhyun had grabbed Zhou Mi’s duck-decorated cloth. And with swipes and strokes, his back was scrubbed as well, until his skin was glowing as much as his face was. But unlike Kyuhyun’s prediction, it did stay innocent. Mostly. It wasn’t like they were barred from looking, or touching. Or kissing. But they both knew they weren’t there to do much more than that. Even so, it was nice to towel off, slipping into warm pajamas, and curling with Kyuhyun on the couch as Kyuhyun ate a late snack. It was strange, because he did feel cleansed. Maybe not in the way Kyuhyun had anticipated, but clean all the same. He wished the shower would’ve taken all the rest of his insecurity with it, but he didn’t think anything could, besides working at it himself.
Well, that, and looking up to see Kyuhyun smiling at him with sauce dribbling down his chin. That accomplished a lot.
***
Kyuhyun watched as Zhou Mi wiggled his toes in his socks, and knew Zhou Mi smelled exactly like he did. The body wash that smelled like oranges and flowers and whatever else. It was citrusy and nice, that was all he knew, and it probably smelled like that behind Zhou Mi’s ear and between his knuckles and under his collar bone. But he wasn’t going to grab Zhou Mi and find out. Especially since the thought of doing so made him almost miss his mouth with his snack entirely.
“What?” Kyuhyun asked, and Zhou Mi seemed to realize he’d just said Kyuhyun’s name out loud.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that. It’s nice like this.”
Kyuhyun could hardly not agree. Considering he’d just been naked with the man in the shower and now was stuffing his face as Zhou Mi rubbed his legs. If he could be any more pleased with himself, he’d have been purring. All those times seeing Zhou Mi in various states of undress. Hell, they’d had sex and there were still parts of Zhou Mi’s body that were unfamiliar to him. But if he’d had any lingering doubt that he was attracted, and maybe wanted to spend hours teasing lines of kisses up Zhou Mi’s legs and body, then that was gone entirely.
“I don’t want to go to work tomorrow,” he said suddenly, feeling kind of stupid because he could imagine just flopping in bed and staying there all day dozing and making out.
“Probably should save your sick days for the actual sickness,” Zhou Mi said, smiling and poking at his toes. “Besides, we can do something when you get off work.”
“If you say so.” He grunted, leaning forward. It was nice, no TV, no music going. Just the hum of the fridge and then the touching. Not like the touching could be discounted. He figured they could get up to no good if they were left to themselves. The kind of no good he figured was perfect. “Help.”
Zhou Mi took his hands, and did as Kyuhyun had demanded, pulling at him until he could arrange himself on his knees beside Zhou Mi.
“So here’s a question,” Kyuhyun said, anticipating Zhou Mi’s reaction. “What’s your favorite sexual position?”
Oh, and he got it, as Zhou Mi looked up at him, all wide eyes. “What?”
“You heard me.”
Zhou Mi seemed completely unsure, staring at him, before the words came out of his mouth. “I don’t actually know? I didn’t really have sex in a bed before, so… The only time was with you.”
He got to feel a little smug about that. Okay, more than a little smug. Though, it wasn’t like he could answer the same, because he’d definitely had sex on a bed before, but he figured they could edge around that without too much trouble.
“But you probably have fantasies,” Kyuhyun mused. “Positions you’d like to try. Pinned down and ridden, or-“
He laughed as Zhou Mi made a kitten-sounding noise as Kyuhyun’s hand slid down his chest. He kissed Zhou Mi’s neck and did what he’d meant to do all along, getting one knee on the other side of Zhou Mi’s hip. Certainly those fantasies had put him in Zhou Mi’s lap at least once.
“Are you trying to seduce me?” Zhou Mi asked, smiling at him from beneath eyelashes.
“Who’s trying?” Kyuhyun asked, nudging his hips against Zhou Mi’s.
It took a little shifting to get their pajamas open. Probably longer than it should’ve taken since Kyuhyun had a hard time figuring out how to work drawstrings and elastic, moving out of the way, getting Zhou Mi’s hips to accommodate, and still keeping his tongue in Zhou Mi’s mouth. And Zhou Mi was no help at all considering he seemed to be trying to drive Kyuhyun to distraction with his hands and mouth alone. It just meant that they were very, very urgent once they finally were able to line themselves up. Skin to skin.
Zhou Mi’s shirt took the heaviest casualties, as they tumbled one after the other. The urgent throb of pleasure a drumbeat, as Kyuhyun folded himself closer.
Kyuhyun sighed against Zhou Mi’s neck. “Do you think jerking each other off was how we anticipated ending tonight?”
“I always anticipate it,” Zhou Mi joked, patting his butt.
His knees creaked as he stood, walking behind Zhou Mi and led by his hand. They tumbled into bed in disarray. One of Zhou Mi’s legs clutched between his, and a man breathing deep and even against his neck. He’d left some important things off of that list, he thought. Just little things like that.
***
If Kyuhyun had been waiting for that moment, that “ah, I think this time is perfect to join my life to Zhou Mi’s” then he would have been quite disappointed. Today is a perfect day to get bitten. And it wasn’t like he didn’t think about it, because he did. It was simply comfortable to slip into their routines. Maybe there wasn’t any feeding, but there were other things. Like Zhou Mi greeting him with kisses, and Zhou Mi pinning him to the bed, and other things like that. He had argued that there was no need to rush it, and they did not. Letting the physical reminders fade, far earlier than the mental ones did. He wasn’t sure who had more nightmares about it. Pain, fear, loss. Zhou Mi had almost seemed to not want to talk about it at first, as though he was protecting Kyuhyun somehow.
But it eased, with time. Discussing more of what had happened in that basement, not to relive it, but to expunge it. To carry some of the weight of it for each other. They were alive, and together. And to cap those discussions, they proved it to each other. There was no better stress relief than laying against Zhou Mi’s chest with a hand taking solid, comforting swipes up and down his back. Like Kyuhyun was some kind of gigantic house cat. He’d joked that Zhou Mi needed to get a parrot, but maybe Zhou Mi had found a longer-lived pet after all.
And though the nightmares became less frequent, the occasional nagging worry didn’t. And it wasn’t as though he expected to go home from work to find an empty house. Or to find that Zhou Mi had discovered a man he liked better. Not really. But he understood the idea of wanting someone so much that placing a hold on them felt necessary. That needing Zhou Mi as much as he had slowly realized he did, meant that the blood bond looked less like a prison, and more like a fortress. And Zhou Mi had been the one thinking that Kyuhyun would change his mind? It wasn’t that. Once a week, it seemed, Ryeowook would check up on the status of their relationship. Though Ryeowook usually kept his pep talks to saying he was glad things were going well, and a smile.
And things were going well. Even as they kept a cautious eye out for the activities of the vampires who had kidnapped them, they got on with their lives. They weren’t glued at the hip every hour. They watched their TV shows and movies together, talking over Kyuhyun’s dinner or a game. While Kyuhyun played on his computer, Zhou Mi entertained himself with books or hand stitching something to be sold. And there was the sex, which was hard to discount. When Zhou Mi sucked him off for the first time, the last thing he’d been worried about were Zhou Mi’s teeth. Too busy feeling like he was dying in the most pleasurable way possible. And nearly passing out against Zhou Mi’s stomach when he’d returned the favor. Zhou Mi was in so many ways, and it was so stupid, and such a cliche, perfect. And trying to measure himself against those standards did nothing, because soon enough he had a beanpole of a man nuzzling up against him and murmuring I love you. And the answering glow that spread through him erased all his doubts. Until the next time, at least.
Kyuhyun made a big goal at work? Zhou Mi made him dinner. Zhou Mi sold a big project? They had very enthusiastic celebratory sex. It was a day that ended in “day”? They flopped on each other like tired puppies. Or showered together. Or made out during a slow scene. Or insulted each other quite magnanimously on the status of their weekly chores. Because Zhou Mi still did clean the toilet. There hadn’t been any changing that. And it didn’t matter that summer had started to fade into fall, and that his life was wound up in Zhou Mi more than ever. He didn’t care that his parents had been worried for his sanity. Even they had agreed to meet Zhou Mi eventually. But he didn’t know who could have resisted those earnest, if slightly unsure, smiles.
Certainly no one who’d contributed to his gene pool, that was for sure.
***
With a groan, Kyuhyun collapsed into bed, pulling the covers half over his head in order to pretend he could just stay there forever. Considering he’d finally made it to the weekend, and Zhou Mi was already shirtless and reading one pillow over, the thought wasn’t unappealing.
“I think I want to go get Chinese tomorrow, if you’re up for that?” he asked, fingers nudging at Zhou Mi’s hip under the blanket. “Lunch or dinner, I don’t care. We could walk. Get some exercise. Different kind of exercise.”
Zhou Mi set his book aside, scooting down and turning to Kyuhyun. He wasn’t sure what to make of that expression, but he didn’t have to wait long for what Zhou Mi was thinking.
“Maybe you should go alone sometimes,” Zhou Mi suggested.
“Why?”
One of Zhou Mi’s shoulders lifted in a half-shrug. “We’re starting to get weird looks there. I don’t know if it’s because people see us together a lot, or we give off weird vibes. I don’t know.”
It felt like Kyuhyun’s brain was twisting trying to decipher Zhou Mi’s hidden messages. “I don’t really care about weird looks.”
“They just aren’t very kind.”
“You’re the one who used to tell me that I needed to get used to it and not take it to heart. What’s going on with you?”
“I just don’t…I don’t want you to- I don’t know,” Zhou Mi said, half laughing as his words wouldn’t come. “I’d spare you from that.”
“The important part of you is here, not your teeth.” He tapped Zhou Mi’s temple. “That’s what makes you the guy I’m spending the rest of my life with.”
It took a second for the words to sink it, and it was Zhou Mi’s choking sound that spurred him out of his stunned silence.
“Wow, that sounds intense out loud,” Kyuhyun said.
Not like he didn’t know, after all, that it was what they’d been working toward. But it was something else to say it to Zhou Mi’s face. People who got married, they had a clause in there about forever, too. But they could break the deal without one of them starving to death. But he could say it out loud, and lay beside Zhou Mi at night and say “I love you,” and not be weirded out. Would Zhou Mi still cheat at Battleship when he was sixty?
But Zhou Mi’s mouth was trembling as Kyuhyun considered the weight of his own words, and he poked two fingers into Zhou Mi’s stomach in retaliation.
“Stop laughing at me.”
“I’m not. I swear I’m not, Kyuhyun.”
“So yeah, those people? If they can’t accept us, then we can move to a part of town that does, because you shouldn’t have to worry about that. I just don’t want to go around like I’m single again. Like I’m keeping you in a closet because I’m ashamed. Because I’m not.”
Zhou Mi and his awkward arms pulled Kyuhyun close, rocking their heads together.
“I love you so much,” Zhou Mi said softly against his ear.
“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered, patting and rubbing at Zhou Mi’s back. And had to deal with the fact that he’d brought on the touchy-feely stuff himself. “You know, there are days I think I’m ready, and then I think it’s weird to bring it up, like it should happen naturally or something. But…”
“But?” Zhou Mi asked, pushing back so he could all but devour Kyuhyun’s face with his eyes.
“But it’s not going to happen naturally. Because I have to say okay, and so do you. So. Yeah.”
“Are there days you think you’re not ready?” Zhou Mi asked.
“Not really? I don’t think I dwell on it a lot. But it’s kind of a nice thought. You and me. No more wondering about it.” And he snickered as the joke rolled through him. “Then you can have your cake, er… boyfriend, and eat him, too.”
It was fascinating to watch Zhou Mi melt down. The widened eyes, before that face crumpled into heaving laughter, clutching at Kyuhyun’s clothes to support himself as though he was going to roll right out of bed.
“I didn’t think it was that funny,” Kyuhyun protested, but still secretly pleased and grinning along with the gulping Zhou Mi. Zhou Mi, who was currently waving a hand at his face to dry the near-tears of laughter.
“Have my boyfriend and… Haha. Eat him…Kyuhyun!”
“Yeah, yeah.” And his face kind of hurt from the smiling. But he had a question, whether he knew it or not. Whether he was ready or not. But the fact that he could think to ask it, he thought said a lot more to how prepared he was than anything else.
“Are you ready?” he asked, and touched Zhou Mi’s chin. Tracing that angled jaw, to one of the cheekbones he had come to know so well.
And he knew really beyond a doubt what the answer would be.
***
Kyuhyun close against him in bed was nothing new. They seemed to excel at it, the kind of close touching and talking he craved. Sometimes Kyuhyun fell asleep in the middle of a conversation like that, or sometimes they just sort of murmured until saying goodnight. Or saying goodnight in a totally different, very pleasing way. The light from the bedside lamp illuminated Kyuhyun’s face enough that he saw the shyness there, when Kyuhyun asked him. Was Zhou Mi ready? He had been sure for weeks. Months even. It was hard to put a price on the weight of his need, once he’d struggled past the first edge of fear. He didn’t think it was possible to get rid of it fully, but having Kyuhyun press kisses at him before work, and lounge against him after did a lot. Trusting Kyuhyun. Trusting Kyuhyun’s love. And waiting, for it to be right for both of them.
Because he wanted more than a few months of Kyuhyun’s breath tickling the hairs of his neck, and lazy kisses in bed. Learning to cook more of Kyuhyun’s favorite dishes in a way that both did not kill Kyuhyun, but also impressed him. Or at least the way Kyuhyun moaned and complained about the weight he put on because of the ones he’d learned so far said so. Of course that weight, to Zhou Mi’s mind, went all the most interesting places. Kyuhyun’s infinitely squeezable butt, and the thighs that did their best to squeeze Zhou Mi’s hips to smithereens. As they gasped against each other’s mouths, and laughed, and moaned. Watching Kyuhyun’s eyes blur, mouth parted, with ecstasy, and breathing out his name. The precious declarations of love.
“I am very ready,” he told Kyuhyun, and tried not to qualify it. But Kyuhyun just rolled his eyes at him, in a way Zhou Mi knew was affectionately meant.
“Then bite me, you idiot. Why did we wait this long?”
Zhou Mi’s eyes fell to Kyuhyun’s lips. “We had to be sure. Do you-“
His words were cut off by Kyuhyun’s mouth, a punishing, deceptively sweet kiss. “I love you. I’m sure.”
He landed on Kyuhyun with a grunt as they rolled, Kyuhyun’s dark eyes staring back at him.
“Last chance,” Zhou Mi warned him.
“Yeah, yeah. Last chance for you, you mean. Just get- Ow. I think I bruised my lip kissing you.”
That thought nearly had Zhou Mi grinning. “Can we be more cliche, starting it with a kiss?”
Kyuhyun shrugged, his hand tightening in Zhou Mi’s hair. “I hear that’s how they end marriage ceremonies these days.”
Zhou Mi laughed softly. “Then from this day on,” he promised.
“Till death do us part, and all that.”
And with full intent, watching for any hesitation, Zhou Mi lowered his head, his lips light against Kyuhyun’s. He sucked Kyuhyun’s lower lip into his mouth, and it took little more than a knick with his teeth to take the taste of Kyuhyun’s blood into him. Sweet and pure, better than the best of his memories. He was able to fully appreciate it, enjoy it, that taste. No fear or pain to interrupt them. He shuddered, his bones aching for a moment, as Kyuhyun’s blood flooded through him. But it wasn’t enough. Not enough. He pulled back with a gasp.
“Do you trust me?”
Kyuhyun, dazed with even the tiny bite, goggled. “Enough for a lifetime?”
They were half naked anyway, and it took little more than pulling down their clothes, and slickening himself. Kyuhyun’s body was tight, but welcoming, the long ease of knowing each other’s bodies. Kyuhyun moaned, body lifting for Zhou Mi’s hand and body, his neck arching. It was no accidental movement. It was invitation. Kyuhyun’s hands pulling his face there, to Kyuhyun’s neck. He could smell himself in that blood already, from just one, tiny bite. And he wanted to smell more of himself there, and more and more, until Kyuhyun smelled only like his own. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, where to place his teeth. To take in the rich tang of Kyuhyun’s blood, he could have glutted him at the taste. The taste, the heat of it, was so familiar to him. Even if it had been weeks upon weeks, he knew it like he knew himself. The ache screamed in him, and he felt Kyuhyun choke. Not from the bite. From the orgasm. And he spilled into Kyuhyun when he knew, pulling back from Kyuhyun’s neck in a daze. The wounds that he left no longer trickling blood, and Kyuhyun exhaling in slow, hard puffs.
“That wasn’t as bad as you made it out to be,” Kyuhyun joked weakly.
And the glow inside him wasn’t the warmth of Kyuhyun’s blood, or the pleasure Kyuhyun’s body had brought him. Kyuhyun wrapped to him, kissing his face, his lips. Still and calm beside each other.
“Better than before?” Kyuhyun asked.
Zhou Mi hummed, running his hand up the warm silk of Kyuhyun’s back. “You tell me. I’m not the one who came without being touched.” But that mouth was smug, and Zhou Mi kissed it from him. “I am yours, by choice and need. What could be better?”
“I have to put up with that sap the rest of my life?” There was a pause, as Kyuhyun wriggled closer. “Probably only you can make me like it.”
They shoved each other back and forth a little, laughing. And he assured Kyuhyun in so many ways, how much better it was. Even when Kyuhyun slept deeply because of of Zhou Mi’s antibodies at work, waking to be sick, and then crabby against Zhou Mi’s chest. It was the last time that Kyuhyun would ever have to go through that. His body perfectly attuned to Zhou Mi’s antibodies, working even as they lay together, and more every time he fed from Kyuhyun again. Kyuhyun could survive without him, but not him without Kyuhyun. And for some reason, that comforted him.
But not more that Kyuhyun himself did.
***
Zhou Mi’s gift to Kyuhyun for their bond, so Zhou Mi said, was a new suit for work. And though Kyuhyun argued that was like giving him a kitchen knife or a washing machine, Zhou Mi just waved him off. Though he was pretty sure the idea wasn’t so much waiting for the bonding, as it was having the leverage to make Kyuhyun stand still long enough for all the fittings. Because when Zhou Mi had said he was giving Kyuhyun a new suit, he’d meant that he was making one.
Out of cloth. With his own hands. Okay, and the sewing machine, too.
Of course he’d leaned a lot about clothes construction in his time with Zhou Mi, but he was still under some kind of impression that clothes came out of machines fully formed, with no human interaction.
Still, Zhou Mi had him stepping into a pair of half-finished pants, the subtle plaid pattered on gray one that he found himself actually liking. And Zhou Mi was clucking around him on his knees, with a pincushion strapped to one wrist, and a couple of pins between his teeth. He tried to not think about how close those pins might be to sensitive areas.
“Are you trying to make me so hot that no one can resist me?” Kyuhyun mused.
Zhou Mi pulled out the pins, smiling up at him rather beguilingly. “Just make sure you tell them where you got it when they ask how they can get one.”
And Zhou Mi yelped as Kyuhyun’s knuckles bounced off the top of his head. “I’m not some kind of walking Zhou Mi advertisement.”
“Just feel lucky I’m not bedazzling “Property of Zhou Mi” across your butt,” Zhou Mi retorted, waddling on his knees to get to said butt.
“Perhaps we should get it tattooed there instead.”
And he could see in the full length mirror that Zhou Mi’s face went just the slightest bit dark at the idea of someone seeing Kyuhyun’s butt long enough to tattoo anything on it. And then a small look of triumph bloomed, a huge smile on Zhou Mi’s face.
“Maybe I’ll learn to tattoo next,” Zhou Mi offered. “The sewing thing might get old.”
He blinked. “But I’d be your only customer.”
Two seconds, and Zhou Mi’s smug mouth, had him laughing and trying not to get jabbed with pins. Zhou Mi had meant it that way precisely. But he could think of a few less painful ways that they could demonstrate that they belonged together. He may or may not have seen a ring he liked on the way home from work. And imagining sliding it on one of Zhou Mi’s fingers made the fitting go that much quicker.
Even if Zhou Mi had poked him - with a finger - when he had gotten carried away imagining what he’d do to Zhou Mi after. It was hard to get an accurate fit with someone sporting an erection, Zhou Mi had complained. Though Kyuhyun just offered to let him feed extra long for his trouble, which probably wasn’t much of a surprise, considering the way Kyuhyun was giggling. Vampire or no vampire, Zhou Mi did well to be cautious. And if Zhou Mi seemed wary at the smug look on Kyuhyun’s face, well… He’d be glad to introduce Zhou Mi to another of life’s little surprises.
It wasn’t like they had some kind of guaranteed happily ever after. But not too many people got to start a relationship over twice, either. Zhou Mi had said once that until he’d met Kyuhyun, he hadn’t been able to smell blood. ”Until you,” Zhou Mi had said. He didn’t think they could’ve imagined that day, just how many until you’s would end up being true. Love, sex, need. They’d touched all of those. And he hummed in appreciation at the half-naked Zhou Mi stretched out on the sewing room floor next to him. A soft measuring tape was still around Zhou Mi’s neck like some kind of striped scarf. Of course that had nothing on his backside, which he assumed bore the imprint of the carpet they were laying on. Clearly too much to ask for the mattress to follow them around the house for impromptu make-out sessions. Though he’d been stripped of the pants before that had gotten going, because he wasn’t sure if Zhou Mi would’ve forgiven him if they’d gotten the suit pants dirty before they were finished.
His fingers walking tracks across Zhou Mi’s impossible stomach got the rise from Zhou Mi’s consciousness that he’d been expecting. And two hands pulling him to his feet.
Zhou Mi stared down his body, a t-shirt, and nothing else, and cleared his throat. “That’s a good look on you.”
Given he’d just stepped over Zhou Mi’s underwear, and that Zhou Mi’s shirt was slowly inching back down his torso, he was inclined to say the same.
And when he whispered, love you, into Zhou Mi’s shoulder under the shower’s spray, that was only another thing they agreed on.
***
It was with a little bit of pride that Zhou Mi knew the idea had wholly been Kyuhyun’s. The dinner, anyway. It had come after the infinitely frightening point at which they’d informed Kyuhyun’s parents. Okay, Kyuhyun had done the informing, and he’d stood and tried not to seem imposing. Even if Kyuhyun had stood on his foot on the way home for slouching. Kyuhyun’s next idea had been much preferable.
“Why don’t we get together with Ryeowook and have a celebratory dinner? He’s dating someone now, so we could all go together. I feel like we should do something.”
Besides being at each other, mouth and body all hours of the day, Zhou Mi assumed. He wasn’t sure if it was the high of feeding again, or the thrill and newness of it, but they had been in danger of wearing each other out once Kyuhyun’s body adjusted to the renewed influx of Zhou Mi’s antibodies. There was a certain giddy thrill to it, knowing they’d made their choice and then had the luxury of knowing they were each other’s.
He didn’t think Kyuhyun would’ve begrudged him the tiny panic after waking up that first morning, wondering if Kyuhyun regretted. But Kyuhyun had fixed him with a pleading dark-eyed pout and asked for tea and soup in bed. And a kiss. Milking his post-bond sickness for all it was worth, clearly. They nearly hadn’t moved from bed that day. Not so much having sex, as bonding in other ways. Napping curled together, watching the bedroom TV, looking up the news on the computer. And Kyuhyun had invited him again, baring his long, pale neck. And Zhou Mi didn’t know what human, vampire or otherwise, could have resisted.
But the idea of celebrating, after they’d gotten their own celebrating in, was a sweet one. Even, especially, with Kyuhyun’s closest friend. There was no wedding, no reception. But it was still confirmation, and a mark to the start of their lives together.
He met Kyuhyun at work, dressed ever so carefully for their double date. Kyuhyun had chosen a restaurant totally enclosed, so that Zhou Mi could sit in comfort without being covered and having to wait for sundown. More for Zhou Mi’s sake than Kyuhyun’s, but the thought was appreciated. He liked the thought of being able to touch Kyuhyun’s skin unhindered by his protecting gloves. And he had never met Ryeowook’s boyfriend, so he didn’t want to seem too “weird” right at the start.
Kyuhyun had arranged the table ahead of time, and they arrived first, settling with tea.
“At least we don’t have to get you a menu,” Kyuhyun joked. “On your menu tonight is Kyuhyun with a side of Kyuhyun, with Kyuhyun sauce.”
“Sounds like my kind of meal,” he said, and with his head finally uncovered, he got the greeting kiss he’d been waiting for.
But they didn’t have to wait long, Kyuhyun nudging Zhou Mi as the door opened, revealing Ryeowook and his date. They both stood, greeting the other men.
Ryeowook smiled, introducing everyone. “This is Yesung. Yesung, Kyuhyun and Zhou Mi.”
“Ah, I’ve heard about you both from Ryeowook,” Yesung said, and looked to Zhou Mi. “Congratulations.”
Zhou Mi knew how to do nothing but extend his hand after Yesung extended his, a brief, firm, and greeting handshake. It wasn’t as though he had never shaken someone’s hand, but more that he hadn’t been expecting it that night. And it was both a shock and a gift. On a celebration night, there was something important about that.
As Yesung greeted Kyuhyun, Ryeowook made a soft noise, to get Zhou Mi’s attention, and Ryeowook looked at him nearly without reserve.
“Congratulations.”
Ryeowook’s hand extended, and Zhou Mi froze. So used to holding himself back, being so careful not to touch when they met with Ryeowook. And Yesung’s hand was on Ryeowook’s shoulder, supporting him.
He did not squeeze Ryeowook’s hand, just held it, gentle, for a moment between both of his. And he smiled softly, knowing what it cost Ryeowook to offer that touch.
“Thank you.”
Seated, the others ordered their food, discussing careers and work. How Ryeowook had met Yesung, how Kyuhyun and Zhou Mi had met. And it wasn’t exactly dinnertime conversation fare, so Zhou Mi had murmured nothing more revealing than, “It was circumstances beyond our control, but here we are.”
“Yeah,” Kyuhyun agreed. “He enjoys shipping me out the door every morning.”
And they had a small elbow battle to compliment that statement.
“He knows if he gets bored with work, I can always teach him to sew,” Zhou Mi said, and Ryeowook laughed long enough for him to get a sharp kick under the table from Kyuhyun.
“Hey, I can sew on a button,” Kyuhyun argued, to which Zhou Mi had only one rebuttal.
“If I hand you a threaded needle.”
“From the man who makes me get flies out of the apartment.”
But Kyuhyun held his hand during dessert, and he relaxed in the easy company and conversation. Their fingers were still laced on the subway, and walking home. Kyuhyun had already had his celebratory dinner, and it was finally time for Zhou Mi to have his.
***