By the Milk-Light of Moon

[inky_starlight]

Vampire au, 1920s au: Minseok has fought his way to one of the best jobs the city can offer a classical pianist. It's there that Lu Han sees him and offers him a job.

Based on a prompt from @xiuhanaesthetic on Twitter. Title comes from the theme song of "Over the Garden Wall"

Led through the mist,
By the milk-light of moon,
All that was lost, is revealed.
Our long bygone burdens, mere echoes of the spring,
But where have we come, and where shall we end?
If dreams can't come true, then why not pretend?

While I was writing this, I mainly listened to the soundtrack for Crimson Peak; it's really good and atmospheric!

1923

….

“Hey, there’s a party in the private lounge, and they requested a pianist. Boss says for you to do it; Jeremy will take over for you here.”

Minseok nodded at the waiter, who had laid his hand on Minseok’s shoulder before whispering his new instructions in his ear, so none of the diners would overhear. It wouldn’t be good if they thought they were getting the substitute pianist… they were all stupidly rich and would take it as a slight. He let the last few bars of Moonlight Sonata ring gently through the air, before standing.

A few people near him clapped, and Minseok bowed to them. Most of the diners ignored him completely, but Minseok had expected that.

Minseok weaved through the tables to walk out of the main dining room and passed Jeremy, the restaurant’s second pianist, who was trying to walk in a dignified way and failing.

“Here, Minseok,” one of the waiters, handed him a small glass of water as soon as he reached the hall to the smaller private lounges. He butchered the pronunciation but at least he tried, instead of addressing him directly to his face and referring to him as “the Korean kid” in private like the rest of the staff seemed to do.

“Thanks,” Minseok smiled at him, drank quickly, and hurried on. The only people who ever rented out the private lounges, who could afford the private lounges, were either the super-rich and super influential or mafia bosses. Or people who were both. Minseok did not want to keep them waiting.

The first thing he noticed when he stepped into the private lounge was that the room was much darker than usual. Only a few of the lamps on the wall were on, and the dim lighting, coupled with the shadows cast by the lamps, made the usually elegant room look like a mausoleum.

There were five young men sitting on the couches, either sprawled out to take up more space than was necessary, or leaning on either the couch arm or one of the other young men, one leg crossed over the other. They had a teapot, teacups and saucers out in front of them, but the room was so dark that Minseok doubted it was tea at all. Prohibition was a pain, but it was one that the upper-class rarely had to deal with.

No, what surprised him about the group was not their age, many a young aristocrat or sons of mafia bosses came here and ordered a private lounge, or the probability that they were drinking something far stronger than tea; it was their nationalities. They all looked to be either Korean or Chinese. Minseok had fought tooth and nail to be taken seriously, and he had more than earned his reputation as a top-tier classical pianist, but he had never once heard of any of the city’s upper-class being Korean or Chinese, and he saw nearly all of them. Perhaps they were visiting? But at the same time they looked completely comfortable with the lounge, like they came often.

Minseok didn’t have time to think about it. They were watching him, and he walked to the piano, pulling back the bench to sit down. Even in this dim light the piano still reflected the light from the lamps: the staff polished it daily.

He heard them talking in low voices while he played, but he paid no attention to what they were saying. Knowing the aristocratic gossip wasn’t worth the stress, and he’d learned how to tune out chatter long ago. He had his program memorized, for which he was glad: in this light, if he had to rely on sheet music he’d have a hard time of it.

He concentrated on the music, and only the music. His fingers were a bit shorter than what was ideal for piano, as he’d been told by every instructor he’d ever had, but endless practice had given him dexterity to make up for it.

He didn’t know how long it had been, a couple hours at least, when the door opened again. He expected it to be a waiter bringing food or a refill of the “teapot” but a few seconds later, Minseok felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Minseok,” the speaker was the owner of the restaurant, Kim Jongdae. “We’re closing soon. Go ahead and go home or you’ll miss the trolley.”

Minseok let the last notes of the second movement fade, and nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

When he finally looked up, Jongdae smiled down at him. “You did well tonight, as always.”

“Thank you,” Minseok repeated, and smiled back, before standing and leaving the room.

He was only a few steps down the hallway when he felt a hand on his arm, gripping just enough to get his attention. When he turned around, it was one of the young men from the lounge. He was taller than Minseok, and impossibly handsome, with facial features just on the side of delicate, and an absolutely piercing stare.

“May I help you, sir?”

“Only if you can tell me your name.” The accompanying smile was more than a little cheeky, but that stare was enough to almost make him dizzy.

“Kim Minseok.”

“Pleasure to meet such a skilled pianist, Kim Minseok. My name is Lu Han. I only wanted to tell you that that was the best Mozart I’ve heard in years.”

“Thank you, sir. Have a good night.”

“Have a good night, I’ll see you soon.”

Minseok managed to catch the trolley and head home, and spent the whole ride wondering what that had been all about.

….

It had been a few days since Minseok had played for the private party in the lounge, and Jongdae had given him a day off. He always gave Minseok a day off every week or so, but it changed depending on who was coming in that evening. They only had someone on the piano during dinner, anyway.

Jongdae always told him to give his hands a rest on his days off, but Minseok usually found himself playing his landlady’s piano instead. Mrs. Kim had a little upright piano in her living room, and he usually only played in the early evening, since the whole house could hear it, and he didn’t want to keep the other boarders awake too late into the night.

He had fun, though. Unless he was learning a new piece for the restaurant, he gave Mozart and Beethoven a break and stuck with little folk tunes, something that would be heard in a bar rather than the restaurant. It was pleasant, a nice break, to be playing a little upright that Minseok had tuned himself when he’d first started living at the boarding house, instead of a grand piano, and to be playing in his plain, cotton play clothes rather than his nice, stiff, suit.

He stopped when he heard the telephone ring. Mrs. Kim was getting to be more elderly than middle-aged, and Minseok knew she had trouble concentrating, or hearing, when there were too many noises going on at once. The last echo of the chord faded as she answered. Minseok was confused when he heard her switch from English to Korean, Mrs. Kim’s children wrote her letters, they didn’t have money for a long-distance call, and even more confused when she stepped back into the room.

“Minseokkie, the telephone is for you.”

“Thank you,” he said as he stood, sliding the piano bench gently back under the piano.

Since Mrs. Kim had switched to Korean, Minseok figured it was alright to answer the phone in Korean.

“Hello? Kim Minseok speaking.”

“Hello.” The voice was smooth and familiar. “Mr. Kim, my name is Lu Han, do you remember me?”

Lu Han. The kid in the lounge group who had complimented his piano skills. He had certainly been unable to forget the way the kid’s eyes had seemed to bore into him, even while speaking about something casual.

“Yes, sir, I do.”

“Wonderful.” He sounded pleased and Minseok wondered why in the world a rich kid was calling him and apparently happy that he remembered who he was. Before he even voiced the question, though, Lu Han answered him:

“I’d like to offer you a job.”

“A job?”

“I live on an estate out in the country, and I’m in need of a new pianist. I meant it when I said you play the best Mozart I’ve heard in years, Mr. Kim. The pay is generous, a good deal more than what my friend Jongdae is paying you currently, but there are a few peculiarities.”

“Of what sort?”

“You’d be living on the estate, in the house. I’m also what you’d call a night owl… you would need to change your sleeping habits. I usually wake up around seven in the evening and go to bed around five in the morning. Any parties are also held during this time.”

Well that… that was weird. Maybe the man had a light sensitivity? It would explain about the lamps in the lounge. He might have found being awake during night hours to be an easier solution than closing himself away during the day. Still…

“Would there be a contract or anything to prevent me leaving should I have a change of heart?”

A pause, but then

“No, there would not be.” With no change in his voice.

“I see. Would money for room and board be taken out of my salary?”

“No, your room and board is no cost to you.” There was a smile in Lu Han’s voice. He knew that was a deal that Minseok would be a fool to pass up.

“I see. Thank you. I’ll need to speak to Jongdae, and my landlady.”

“Of course,” Lu Han said smoothly, and gave Minseok the house telephone number.

They hung up shortly after, and Minseok sighed as soon as the receiver was in its place. He braced himself on the table, letting his head hang down. Lu Han was handsome, mesmerizing, there was no doubting that, and a well-paying job with free rent and board… Jongdae paid him a lot, more than anyone else in the entire city had offered, and it was enough that he could pay his room and board to Mrs. Kim and still have enough left over to buy himself nicer clothes. But he was trapped in the city, he made enough to live in it but not enough to really thrive in it, and certainly not enough to leave it. A job like this would allow him that.

But at the same time, Lu Han was a completely unknown factor. He knew nothing about him except that he was handsome, young, rich, and a friend of Jongdae’s. And Lu Han was asking him to move out to the country, completely cut off from everything and helpless should something go wrong. That was not a level of trust Minseok was willing to give someone he had exchanged only a few sentences and a ten minute telephone conversation with.

He needed to talk to Jongdae. He lifted his head and straightened, pushing away from the table.

He headed upstairs and changed into his suit. Even if he wasn’t playing tonight he didn’t dare step into the restaurant in his play clothes.

“Is something wrong?” Mrs. Kim asked him when he came back downstairs. “You’re all dressed up.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” he reassured her. “I just need to go talk to Jongdae.”

He’d talk to Jongdae, figure out what he was going to do, and then talk to Mrs. Kim.

It was fall, heading into winter, so it was already dark outside by the time Minseok caught the trolley. It was getting colder rapidly, and Minseok wished he’d worn his coat, but his coat was worn and patched and not at all suitable for the restaurant. The packed trolley was warm enough with all the body heat radiating off of everyone inside, and Minseok had an appearance to maintain.

Soon enough, the trolley moved from the relative quiet of the more residential areas to the bustle of the richer part of town where the restaurant was located. This part of town was noisy with automobiles and crowds of people coming into and going out of the shops lined up along the street. Gaggles of young women, laughing loudly with their mouths wide open and cigarette holders in their hands. Other young women, dressed in the prim styles of the previous decade, either unwilling to move to the modern styles of dresses or secretly unable to afford it, looking on like they weren’t sure if they should judge or wish to join in. All of them bundled up in expensive coats. Some were on the arms of their fathers, some on the arms of suitors, and some on the arm of no man at all, but were cuddled close to one of their friends or had young men vying for their attention with a lighter or a word or anything, really.

Everything took on a hazy look in the city. Smoke from the automobiles, smoke from chimneys, and smoke from cigarettes. In the winter there was even steam from the people not smoking, the heat of their breath adding to the actual smoke in the air. The way the lights reflected off the haze and the way it obscured buildings and shop windows and people just enough made the night take on a kind of dream quality… a dream that Minseok didn’t dare to breathe in too deeply.

Minseok was almost glad that he never had any other occasion but work to come into this part of the city for, or he’d pass his stop on the trolley every time. He wasn’t even thinking about where he was, his journey to the restaurant so automatic to him that he was off the trolley before he’d realized it had even stopped.

He made his way to the side entrance, the restaurant was in a nice enough location that the side entrance was still on the street rather than a dark alley. He moved quickly, now that he was off the trolley he was getting cold again. He was shivering by the time he pulled open the side door and stepped inside.

“Hey,” the waiter just inside looked surprised to see him. “I thought you had tonight off.”

Minseok nodded. “I do. Need to talk to Jongdae.”

“Ah.”

Minseok moved through the back rooms of the restaurant until he found Jongdae’s office. He knocked, and waited until Jongdae called for him to come in.

Jongdae’s office was dark: it had no windows, and only had a single wall lamp on. There was a lamp on his desk, which shone bright enough to read by, and Jongdae was blinking rapidly, no doubt getting used to the light flooding in from the open door.

“Minseok!” Jongdae looked surprised to see him. “Is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure… I needed to talk to you.”

Jongdae put his papers away, and shut off the lamp. It took Minseok’s eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness, but within a few seconds he could see Jongdae’s face once again.

“I had a telephone call today,” Minseok began. “From the man who came with the private lounge party a few nights ago… Lu Han.”

“What did he want?”

“He offered me a job.”

“I see.” Minseok couldn’t quite tell the expression on Jongdae’s face.

“It’s a good job. He wants me to play for him in his home. But… he wants me to live there, as well.”

Jongdae knew what that meant. He’d have to quit his job here.

“He said my room and board is free of charge. My salary would go directly into my pocket. He knows I would be a fool not to take the position.”

“I thought he might call. He asked me for your landlady’s telephone number the same night he was here. He was very impressed with the way you played.”

Jongdae knew what Minseok was getting at. It was a private job, so he wouldn’t have to deal with the flood of rich people and a staff where Jongdae was one of two people to actively call him by name, and the only one to pronounce it correctly. Minseok hadn’t mentioned what his salary would be, but even if it was the same or a little less than what Jongdae paid him (and since Lu Han had asked for his telephone number, he probably would have asked about salary) Minseok would be able to do more than replace worn clothes and pay his landlady.

But Minseok hadn’t said he was definitely taking the job, so Jongdae would know something was up.

“What’s the problem?” Jongdae asked him.

“I just… I don’t know anything about Lu Han. What sort of a person he is, how he reacts… the only time I’ve seen him was a few days ago, and even then it was only a quick exchange. A few sentence and a phone call… and he wants me to live with him. Out in the country. I have no means of transportation other than what he provides into the city from there.”

“You’re worried about putting yourself in danger unknowingly.”

“Yes.”

“Well.” Jongdae relaxed into his chair and Minseok mimicked him out of habit. “I can tell you about Lu Han. He’s a friend of mine, a very good friend. We’ve known each other a long time.”

Minseok had no idea what that meant, Jongdae was around his own age, after all.

“Lu Han… when he’s interested in something, he gets obsessive. He might be a bit of a pest at first. But he’s very kind, very caring. You don’t have to worry about him mistreating you. You certainly won’t have to deal with even half of the problems you have here in the city. It will be a quiet life, Lu Han does throw parties, but he throws them rarely. He likes to talk, but he isn’t close with very many people. Including myself and that lounge party… we’re really about all the friends he has. I think the two of you would get along well, balance each other out.”

Minseok nodded. Lu Han sounded like a good, respectful, person, but still…

“Minseok,” Jongdae said with a gentle smile. “I think you should take the job.”

“Thank you,” Minseok said softly.

About ten minutes later he was heading back to Mrs. Kim’s. Jongdae thought he should take the job, and if he was completely honest with himself, Minseok wanted to take it.

He’d call Lu Han back tomorrow evening.

…

Minseok had called Lu Han back the next evening, and the man had sounded oddly excited, for a rich kid, anyway. Minseok remembered what Jongdae had said about Lu Han having very few friends and decided that must be the reason. Lu Han had agreed to give Minseok time for Jongdae to find a new pianist, since even with Jeremy already being there Jongdae would need a substitute… or someone for Jeremy to be the substitute for. Minseok had witnessed Jeremy’s sight-reading skills and it was something he hoped never to be forced to hear again for as long as he lived. After about two weeks, Jongdae had found someone and Minseok thought the man played very well. The staff whispered about Oh Sehun being “another foreign kid” but even though Sehun had clearly heard them he just smiled through it. Oh yes, he’d do well in the restaurant, Minseok could already tell.

Two weeks exactly found Minseok in the passenger’s seat of Lu Han’s automobile. Lu Han’s butler, Zitao, was driving, and Minseok’s two small (very small, Zitao had raised an eyebrow when he thought Minseok wasn’t looking) suitcases were in the trunk. Minseok couldn’t help but stare out at the passing scenery like a little kid. He’d only been in an automobile once before, and he had been crammed in with far more people than the back seat had been designed to hold… and the automobile itself hadn’t been anywhere this nice.

He watched as the residential district he lived in carried on and on before gradually getting sparser as the sun went down. Everything looked cozy in the fading light, lights inside homes coming on and parents returning from work or leaving for work. The leaves of the trees reflected the light beautifully: some of them looked like they were on fire and it was absolutely breath-taking. The light got lower and lower until Zitao had to turn on the automobile’s headlights to see properly. By the time they reached the estate, it was completely dark outside, and the headlights and the moon were the only light they could see anything by. Even still, Minseok could tell the house was probably the grandest thing he’d ever see in his life.

From farther away, the house was a great hulking mass, only visible as a darker shape against the night sky. When they reached the gates, and Minseok got out of the automobile to unlock them, open them, and then close them again after Zitao drove through, he could see several chimneys distinct against the outline of the roof and distinct wings of the house, as well as a few lights on inside. After he got back into the car, as they drove up the long driveway towards the house, Minseok could see more lights turning on, first what must be the foyer, then a large hall, and last the far wing, though some of the lights on the first floor stayed off. Three stories tall, likely with a fourth story attic, if the sharply peaked roofs were anything to go off of, with beautiful peaked windows and stained glass pieces that Minseok could see by the light coming through inside.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Zitao looked at him with a small, almost shy, smile.

Minseok nodded. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

It was at least a minute before they reached the porch. The porch was wide, fairly deep, with elegant posts holding up the overhang. Zitao helped him get his suitcases onto the porch, before leaving to drive the car around the other side of the house. Minseok suspected this was more out of habit than anything, his suitcases were hardly heavy by any stretch of the word.

The doors were large enough to balance their height with the height of the porch, but not as big as some he’d seen. Minseok had only knocked once when once door opened surprisingly quickly.

“Hello! You must be Kim Minseok!” The girl who had opened the door looked to be around Minseok’s age, with petite features and a wide smile. She wore a plain black dress, had her hair pulled back, and Minseok could guess she was one of the maids.

“I am,” Minseok smiled back at her.

“Come in! Come in!”

She started to help him bring in his suitcases but Minseok had them. There was a bit of awkward moving around each other to get inside, but both of them laughed and Minseok decided he liked her already.

The foyer was absolutely stunning. The ceiling stretched the full height of the house, with a large chandelier at the top. But it was so high up that despite how large it was, the light from it wasn’t harsh, but softer, almost dim. The staircase sloped up gently, moving around the back of the foyer and around almost to the front door before it reached the second floor. The second floor was mostly open to the foyer, with a railing and small posts supporting the open wall. The third floor had a small balcony overlooking the foyer, and the rest of the wall at that height was a beautiful wallpaper mural. The railings and stairs and posts had elegant carvings and decorative additions: intricate enough to be obviously expensive but not so ornate that they were overwhelming. The whole thing together looked rich, but tasteful, and Minseok knew that, whatever his origins, Lu Han had to be from old, old, money.

Four other maids, all in identical plain black dresses, joined the first girl. They all looked to be close to Minseok’s age, though the youngest had to still be a teenager.

“You probably guessed,” the first girl started. “But we’re the maids here. I’m Joohyun, and this is Seulgi,” she indicated one of them, and went down the line introducing them. “Seungwan, Sooyoung, and Yerim.”

Joohyun showed him around while the rest of the girls got back to work. His room was, surprisingly, on the second floor. He’d expected to be on the third floor, with the girls and Zitao, but instead he was in one of the larger guest rooms. It probably wasn’t anywhere close to what the master bedroom would be, but Minseok thought that his room in Mrs. Kim’s could have fit in here at least four times, if not more. The bed was large enough for three people to lay on it, and Minseok thought the comforter might actually be made of silk. The whole room was decorated in a very tasteful way, various shades of blue with a darker wood, and there was even a fireplace. A fireplace. In what was supposed to be his bedroom.

“Lu Han wanted to make sure you were comfortable,” Joohyun smiled at him. “There’s an attached bath and water closet, and one of us will get the fireplace lit in the winter.”

“I feel like I should be sharing this with at least one other person,” Minseok said as he looked around.

Joohyun laughed. “It is big, isn’t it? But it’s all yours.”

After he left his suitcases (he couldn’t imagine ever having enough of anything to fill up all the storage space) Joohyun showed him around the rest of the house. The hallway had support archways every twenty feet or so, Minseok couldn’t tell precise measurements, all with a carved decoration at the center point. There were a few small chandeliers in the hallway, which lit up the house enough to see well, but weren’t harsh by any means.

“Does Lu Han have a light sensitivity?” Minseok asked.

Joohyun nodded. “It’s the reason for the odd hours. I’m sure he’ll tell you more in time.”

She showed Minseok where the staircase to the third floor was, though they didn’t go up to it, and then they went down to the first floor.

They went through the foyer underneath the staircase to a sort of rotunda, the center of the house, with a truly massive fireplace that could probably heat up much of the ground floor, if it was built with a large enough fire. The fireplace was taller than Minseok by at least a foot, with characters carved above it in the stone that Minseok couldn’t read.

To the left was the kitchen and the dining room. The dining room was large and looked like it was barely used. Still, the long wood table was well-polished and glowed in the dim light. But back to the rotunda and to the right was what Minseok was here for.

It was a massive hall: the ceiling went all the way up to the third story of the house, and the hall was as wide as the entire left wing. The room was divided into two areas by another massive fireplace; on the back wall, there was a decently sized loft that acted as a library and study, with a table and chair in front of a large window that stretched up from the loft to the ceiling. Bookshelves nearly overflowing lined the walls of the loft and the area underneath it as well. Just to the left of the fireplace there was another desk and table. The one up by the window was covered with papers, so Minseok could guess it was Lu Han’s preferred desk, while the one by the fireplace was completely clean and polished. In the front of the room, though, was a fairly informal seating area and an absolutely stunning grand piano. The seat on the piano bench was wonderfully plush and Minseok knew he could probably sit on it all night if he was asked to. When he pressed down middle C, not only was it perfectly in tune, but the sound carried beautifully through the hall.

“Can I?” Minseok asked Joohyun.

“Of course,” she looked excited.

Minseok sat at the bench and began to play. He had been working on Chopin’s Nocturne for the restaurant, so it came to the front of his brain easily. He almost smiled at how the sound carried. This piano had clearly been well made, and was still well-maintained and loved. Absolutely beautiful.

When he finished, the last note rang out beautifully before it faded gently. This had to be a dream.

Joohyun clapped excitedly, and was joined by slower, slightly louder, clapping. Minseok looked up to the source.

Lu Han was in the rotunda and walking towards them. He looked like he had just woken up, still in pajamas with a robe thrown over everything, and his hair wasn’t styled. Still, there was a decidedly polished look to him, and Minseok guessed that was just how Lu Han was: an aristocrat, even when sleeping.

“That’s the best wake-up call I’ve had in years,” Lu Han said with a soft, warm, smile.

“Glad I could spare Joohyun the trouble,” Minseok smiled back.

Lu Han laughed, then asked: “Have you had a chance to see your room?”

“Yes, Joohyun gave me a tour,” Minseok nodded. “Thank you, really. It’s far more than I ever expected.”

“You’ve worked your way to the top, Minseok,” Lu Han smiled. “You deserve it.”

Lu Han sat with Minseok when Sooyoung served Minseok dinner. Lu Han didn’t eat, and Minseok didn’t ask. He was sure the man had his reasons, and it wasn’t his place to pry.

They talked over the particulars. Lu Han said he’d give Minseok tonight to get settled, and a few days to let his sleep schedule adjust. He had sheet music stored in the piano bench, and anything else, sheet music or otherwise, Lu Han would have ordered and brought to the house. He’d have his birthday off, and plenty of notice before Lu Han threw a party, although in the same breath he assured him that most if not all of his parties were just his handful of friends coming over for the night.

Getting used to the schedule was a bit weird. The first night, Minseok unpacked his things, and then joined Lu Han in the library. They talked until Minseok got sleepy, and left for bed, with Minseok a bit confused but deciding this was probably the best job he could have ever asked for. Minseok slept late into the morning, and so was able to stay awake longer the next night, and the next, and the next. It took several days, but before the week was up, Minseok had adjusted his sleeping cycle for the most part so that he was, like the rest of the house, mostly nocturnal.

He settled into both the house and his job. It was the house that took the most getting used to; he wasn’t used to being woken up gently just a bit after the sun went down; wasn’t used to the (to him, anyway) massive bedroom with a gigantic bed and silk sheets; wasn’t used to a fireplace being lit in his room specifically for his comfort. He was used to stiff bleached sheets, the sounds of police sirens outside, and lovingly made but rustic food with the other boarders at Mrs. Kim’s. He thought he may have felt more like himself if he’d been put up on the third floor with the girls and Zitao, but all the luxury… he felt like he was dreaming.

Lu Han wasn’t helping. He asked Minseok to eat with him, only Lu Han never ate. At most he had a glass of what looked like tomato juice, but he was never even given a plate to refuse. He tried to ask, but Lu Han just said something about wanting the company every time, and then changed the subject.

He hovered, too. Not overtly, but whenever he was awake he seemed to always be in the library or the sitting area near Minseok. Sometimes he just sat and stared, a soft smile on his face. Even when Minseok was doing warm up scales, Lu Han would watch in delight. He had a few requests but mostly left Minseok to his own devices, though he confessed to loving to watch Minseok sight-read.

“You’re very focused,” Lu Han told him when he asked. “Your eyes never leave the music, but your playing still sounds so natural, and your hands move so smoothly. I can’t help but be fascinated.”

Minseok remembered what Jongdae said about Lu Han being a bit obsessive and decided that was it. But it didn’t explain everything.

Lu Han was constantly checking on Minseok, asking him if he was thirsty, if he needed anything, if he needed to stop and stretch or walk around, if he was too cold. He told Minseok to just stay in his comfortable clothes and then bought Minseok several new sweaters that probably cost a month’s worth of Minseok’s wages at Jongdae’s, and a new coat that was nearly as nice as the one Lu Han owned himself. When Minseok tried to protest, saying that he should spend his own money on these things, Lu Han refused to even take it out of his wages, saying that he knew these sorts of things were the things Minseok would never buy himself. And while he was right, it still felt weird, like Lu Han was doting on him.

When Minseok took a break, Lu Han would stop whatever he was doing and talk to him, ask him about everything under the sun. He seemed to like hearing Minseok’s opinions of things, and he would focus all of his attention on Minseok when he spoke.

The girls would giggle, and give the two of them knowing looks whenever they walked in to find Minseok talking.

It was weird, but at the same time it was comfortable. Whenever the sun was just about to come up, and Lu Han started yawning and looked like he would fall asleep on the couch if he didn’t go upstairs, Minseok would play Brahms’ Lullaby before he stopped for the night. Even if Lu Han had already shuffled off to bed, he still played it, since he didn’t know if the man was asleep yet or not. It became another part of the routine of the house, as familiar as Minseok brushing his teeth before bed and reading a chapter of whatever book Lu Han had recommended as the sun rose outside.

He had been there for about two months when Lu Han told him he’d be having a party in a few days. He assured him that it was really just a few of his friends coming over, they’d have dinner and talk, and that was about it, but this was Minseok’s first time playing for an audience in the house (or at least an audience coming from outside the house) and he wanted to make a good impression.

Also the girls were having what looked like a cleaning marathon. Minseok woke up two days before the party to find Seulgi on a ladder outside of his room, polishing the chandeliers in the hallway, muttering to herself:

“Just coming to eat and talk, he says. Not a big deal, he says.”

When Minseok asked, he found out the reason for the cleaning frenzy: apparently, several of Lu Han’s friends were known to stay the day, maybe several. They never knew until they got there, so everything that had been looked over in the interest of effort and time on a regular basis now had to shine.

Minseok had already been practicing, but now he doubled his efforts. This was not the restaurant, he didn’t need to have pieces memorized, but still, even though his sight-reading skills were good, excellent, even, he did not want to be sight-reading when Lu Han had friends over.

Minseok didn’t mind when Lu Han ended up staying close and watching him for the vast majority of the nights.

The night of the party arrived, and when Minseok woke up he got dressed in his nice suit and tie that he’d worn to the restaurant time and time again. It felt both comfortable and foreign; he was used to wearing it, he’d worn it nearly every day for a long time, after all, but he was used to playing in comfortable clothes at this point: his old, worn, shirts with one of the, by now half a dozen, sweaters that Lu Han had bought him. It felt like he was a reptile slipping back into old skin. Mrs. Kim had put just a bit too much starch in the shirt the last time she’d cleaned it for him, the pants were just a bit too restrictive, the jacket just a bit too unyielding, and the tie felt weird around his neck. It was disconcerting, having what he’d practically lived in for so long feel that foreign.

When he walked out of his room and into the foyer, Zitao wolf-whistled to tease him. Minseok winked back because two could play that game, and Seungwan laughed. Everyone had been in a frenzy getting ready for the party, but now that the party was nearly upon them, they had settled into it and figured out their rhythm again.

The lights weren’t any brighter, but the stair banister had been polished, along with the floors, which made the whole room give off a kind of glow. There were fires in both the rotunda fireplace and the great hall fireplace, which only made the gleam of the wood brighter. Minseok wasn’t sweating, but if he’d been worried about getting cold without a sweater on, he didn’t need to worry.

The piano had been polished, and Minseok patted it in an inconspicuous place where any oil from his fingers wouldn’t leave marks (Seulgi had probably been the one to polish it and Minseok valued his life) before he pulled out the bench and sat down.

Scales and arpeggios to warm up with, followed by a few etudes and folk ditties he’d long since memorized. He was somewhere between “restaurant mode” and his normal state of mind while he played; he wasn’t tuning everything out like he used to, but he was focusing more than he usually did for just Lu Han, and paying less attention to what was going on around him.

Lu Han came down as Minseok was finishing his warm up, and stood behind him, resting his hands on Minseok’s shoulders.

“Everyone should be here soon,” his voice wasn’t a whisper, but it was soft, meant for him only. “You’ll do a great job. You always do.”

Minseok turned his head to smile at him, nodding in thanks, and Lu Han smiled warmly back.

The knock at the door shook the house, and Lu Han’s fingers trailed over his shoulders as he moved away.

Minseok started playing as Lu Han walked to the foyer. His brain automatically tuned out the sounds of voices, letting himself get drawn into focusing on the music in front of him.

Which was why he yelped when he felt a hand come down on his shoulder and a voice say, maybe just a touch too loudly, in his ear:

“Minseok, I missed you!”

Minseok turned so fast he thought he might have a crick in his neck. Jongdae was behind him, his smile almost blinding and his eye smile so big his eyes were little crescent moons.

“Jongdae!”

Minseok knew, theoretically, that Jongdae was one of Lu Han’s friends. One of his good friends, since he’d said they’d known each other a long time. But somehow he hadn’t quite made the connection that Jongdae could be coming to the party, and his appearance left Minseok shocked.

Minseok started to get up to at least shake his hand but as soon as his leg was on the other side of the piano bench, Jongdae pulled him upright into a hug.

“How have you been? How is the restaurant?” Minseok asked him.

“I’ve been fine, as always.” Even though Jongdae was still hugging him, Minseok could tell he was smiling by his tone. “And business is still fine. There were a lot of regulars asking about you, you’ll be happy to know. They were very impressed with your new job when I told them.”

“And the Oh kid?”

“Sehun is fine. I think with a bit more training he could be as good as you, but it’ll take a bit. Jeremy is sour about still being the substitute pianist but until his sight-reading skills get better he can deal.”

Minseok couldn’t help but laugh.

Lu Han walked into the hall just then.

“Not trying to steal him back from me, are you?”

“I might consider it if I knew you wouldn’t hold a grudge for the next fifty years at minimum,” Jongdae said as he pulled away, but still kept his arms circled around Minseok. “But nah, our Minseok looks too good from being out in the country air for me to drag him back to the city.”

“Good,” Lu Han smiled and sat on the arm of the chaise closest to the piano. “Cause I really would hold a grudge for the next fifty years: I like him too much.”

“Oooohhhh,” Jongdae said, a gleam in his eye that looked a bit too knowing. “I see.”

Minseok blushed, even though he didn’t know what there was for Jongdae to “see” in the first place.

He was saved by another knock at the door, and Jongdae let him go.

Minseok mostly tuned out conversation after that. He thought he heard Jongdae make one or two comments about “Lu Han’s pianist lover” at some point during the night, but he knew that was just Jongdae being Jongdae.

The party went well; two of Lu Han’s guests, Yixing and Junmyeon, ended up staying for a few days after, and they were nice people. They spoke politely, but warmly, to Minseok and let him in on the conversation they were having whenever he took a break.

They teased about Minseok being Lu Han’s lover as well, and this time it was harder to ignore. The primary reason was now he was paying attention to Lu Han’s face. The man looked like he’d be caught. He wasn’t blushing, and his face wasn’t quite panicked, but he always looked embarrassed and would look quickly at Minseok before looking away.

It was just ambiguous enough that Minseok didn’t know how to react. Was Lu Han embarrassed because he liked Minseok in that way? Or was he embarrassed because he was repulsed but didn’t want to make a scene? He didn’t think that Yixing and Junmyeon, and especially Jongdae, would joke about the two of them being lovers if Lu Han was repulsed by the idea; but at the same time, while he knew Jongdae and, by now, he knew Lu Han, he didn’t know enough about their relationship to figure out what the meaning behind the jokes was without asking someone.

And Minseok knew this was the sort of thing people didn’t ask about. He’d made that mistake before, when he was fifteen and his family had only recently gotten settled in America. There had been another boy whose family had become close with Minseok’s. The two had spent so much time together that, of course, a friendship ended up forming. Not long after that, a slow but steadily building attraction, until Minseok had been playing romantic ballads for him, and only realized later that he’d gotten away with it because the other boy wasn’t well-versed in Western classical pieces. But at the time he’d been so sure. They hadn’t talked about it, but Minseok had been so sure that the boy of his dreams, his best friend, had noticed his attraction and was fine with it.

Not even a week after an attempted kiss had found him leaving home. He buried his thoughts and feelings behind a brick wall of musical study like Montresor walling up Fortunato, and they hadn’t seen the light of the sun, or the light of the moon, until now.

Until the dreams.

Minseok had had dreams about others only a few times before. He’d had many a dream about kissing his childhood best friend, and once Minseok knew that he could trust Jongdae, he’d had a few dreams with him in them as well, before Minseok had forcefully pushed those out of his head. Jongdae was his boss. Jongdae held Minseok’s life in his hands. He couldn’t afford for the same thing to happen again with someone who held actual power over him, even if he did trust him.

And at first he’d tried to do the same with Lu Han. Push those thoughts and burgeoning feelings out of his head. Lu Han held even more power over him than Jongdae. But Minseok saw the looks Lu Han gave him, they were similar to how Minseok had looked at his best friend, and that was harder to push away. When he realized how much Lu Han was doting on him, it made his heart well up with hope in a way that Minseok didn’t think he could squash down without hurting himself too much in the process.

And he was, unmistakably, doting. He knew exactly how Minseok liked his coffee, and would get Sooyoung to bring coffee and little (but absolutely delicious) pastries just in time for Minseok to take a break. He paid special attention to Minseok’s literature preferences and pulled out books he thought Minseok would like; so many that Minseok ended up with a bookshelf in his own room. And he did like what Lu Han had picked out. Every single one of them.

But most of all, what Minseok could not ignore, there was the look in his eyes. Minseok didn’t know how he’d missed it before the dreams, if they had indeed been there. No matter what mood Lu Han was in, or what he was doing, the way he looked at Minseok was always so soft. Gentle and warm, with the sweetest smile on his face.

So Minseok didn’t think he could be blamed for sitting closer to Lu Han on the lounge when he took a break, or letting his hand settle next to Lu Han’s so that they were touching, or if he occasionally forgot to really pay attention to what Lu Han was saying because he was caught up in staring at his face. This was the first time that anyone he was sweet on had remotely reciprocated feelings, even in an unspoken way, and he was a little love sick from it.

What was the harm if his routine over the course of the next month strayed so that he was primarily playing romantic pieces? He was falling, and falling hard, but he was so sure that as long as he didn’t bring it up to Lu Han, it would be alright.

Minseok had no idea how much of this Lu Han was really noticing (although if the look in the man’s eyes was any indication, he was noticing quite a bit) but it didn’t take long for Lu Han to say something. One evening, after Minseok had finished eating breakfast, Lu Han asked if they could talk (“with no one eavesdropping” he said with a raised eyebrow at the doorway, and Minseok heard a giggle that sounded suspiciously like Zitao and Yerim.) He led Minseok back up the stairs to Lu Han’s bedroom.

Lu Han’s bedroom was very dark. Not so much in colors, but the light was so dim, even compared with the rest of the house, Minseok had to take a second to adjust. A large bed, even larger than Minseok’s, stood in the center of the far wall, and the windows were all covered with thick, heavy looking, curtains. The fireplace was lit, and it was the only light in the room. In front of that, there were a few large chairs.

The décor was a bit imposing, but the room looked like Lu Han lived in it. There was a small writing table with a half-finished letter near the fireplace. A blanket thrown over the back of one of the chairs. Books, along with several bottles of cologne and hair products, covering the dresser. This was cozy and Minseok couldn’t help but feel comfortable in it.  

Lu Han closed the door, and led him over to one of the chairs by the fireplace.

“Sorry,” he started. “They’re good kids but sometimes they can be a bit too nosy. I usually don’t mind, but for this… I wanted privacy.”

Minseok didn’t know why, but he was suddenly a bit nervous. “O-Oh. I see.”

And then the worry, the dread, settled deep in his stomach, and he knew why he was nervous. Lu Han most certainly had noticed how he’d been acting. What if he’d been wrong? He was so sure about Lu Han, but he’d been just as sure when he was young. His mind flashed back to what had happened before, the yelling, the bruises on his face, the bottle smashing into the door frame just a few breaths away from his face as he ran, and panic, even more than dread, settled into his gut and he wanted to run.

“Minseok, I wanted to talk to you about…” Lu Han trailed off.

“Am… Am I overstepping?” Minseok asked softly. Overstepping was a soft term for it, if he was, but it was the kindest phrasing he could come up with.

Lu Han looked surprised. “No! No, not at all. I just wanted to make sure you were alright with… this. That you felt the same way. I talked to Jongdae, but I realized I never really asked you if this was alright with you. That you’re not just reacting because I’m your employer.”

Of everything that Minseok had been expecting to hear, this was the last possible thing.

“What is ‘this,’ exactly?”

“I like you, Minseok. From the first moment I saw you I thought you were stunning. Then when I heard you play I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” Lu Han looked a bit flustered, like he was still trying to organize his thoughts, but then he calmed down. “Now, after knowing you, I realize I like you in a much deeper way. You are very kind, thoughtful, and humble. You are talented as it is but you work hard to keep practicing because you care so deeply about everything. You are an amazing man, Kim Minseok, and I… I…”

Minseok held his breath. He couldn’t quite process what was happening. His stomach clenched from the release of panic, and he was left with a mixture of relief and anxiety swirling around in his heart. Lu Han was telling him he felt the same way. Lu Han was telling him he hadn’t been wrong. Lu Han was telling him that Minseok was safe in his house.

Lu Han looked down at him and the look in his eyes was something between admiration and absolute adoration.

“Minseok… may I kiss you?”

Oh. Oh my.

“That… that would be nice.”

Minseok thought it sounded a bit foolish, but Lu Han just smiled like he was trying to outshine the sun, and leaned in.

Lu Han kissed him tenderly at first. He wasn’t hesitant, but he was gentle, his hands coming up to cup Minseok’s face. It took Minseok a minute, but then he relaxed into it, reaching up to hold the back of Lu Han’s neck, drawing him in closer. Lu Han took this as permission to deepen the kiss, and Minseok couldn’t help but let out a tiny, happy, moan.

He pulled away for air, and couldn’t help but smile.

And then the realization of what had happened settled in, and Minseok couldn’t help the tears welling in his eyes. He had just kissed someone, and been kissed by someone. Someone he liked very much. And he was safe. He had been kissed. Lu Han had not only let Minseok kiss him but had kissed him back. Lu Han had been the one to ask if he could. Lu Han felt the same way and, at least with Lu Han, it was safe to feel this way about another man.

He wasn’t going to have to run. He could stay right where he was in the life he’d built for himself.

Minseok couldn’t help the emotional overload, and started crying. Lu Han got a panicked look on his face and his hands hovered over Minseok, like he wasn’t sure if his touch would be welcome or not.

“M-Minseok? What’s wrong? Do you not want this? If you don’t this we don’t have to do this, I swear, if you’re uncomfortable with this I won’t do it again, I just thought…”

Minseok reached out for Lu Han’s hand, lacing their fingers together, and Lu Han stopped talking.

“I’m sorry,” Minseok said when he felt like he was able to talk, “for crying. I want this, I really do, I just… I was scared to hope you’d feel the same way and I’ve been hurt when I was young.”

Lu Han cupped Minseok’s face gently, wiping the tear tracts on Minseok’s cheeks with his thumbs.

“Alright?” Lu Han asked softly.

Minseok gave him a soft smile.

“Alright.”

Minseok ended up not going downstairs at all for the rest of the night. Instead, he stayed on the couch in Lu Han’s room nearly the entire time. Lu Han wrapped him up in a blanket and got Yerim to bring hot chocolate. Lu Han stayed with him, cuddling him or using Minseok’s lap or stomach as a pillow, laying down and reading out loud from one of the novels he was currently reading. It was dark, quiet, and the combination of the hot chocolate and Lu Han reading out loud lulled him. It let him sort through his emotions a little better, and Minseok was grateful for it.

By the time he was back in his own bed, the thick curtains over his window blocking out the morning light, he was calm enough to fall asleep with a happy little smile on his face.

After the kiss, the confession, they were what Seungwan called “disgusting” and Yerim and Zitao called “adorable.” The lines between employer and employee blurred completely. Minseok had known before that Lu Han was very touchy, but after the kiss, it felt like Lu Han’s hands were always on him at any given point. On his shoulder, on his waist, holding his hand, gently rubbing his neck… if Lu Han was trying to get Minseok addicted to his touches it was working.

Minseok even began the process of teaching Lu Han how to play piano. Lu Han was a quick learner, but he admitted himself that he preferred to watch Minseok play rather than play himself, and getting to sit on the bench next to him was his real motivation. Although when Minseok mentioned the possibility of a duet, Lu Han began to work on it earnestly.

Lazy kisses on the chaise. Midnight drives while holding hands. Lu Han falling asleep with his head on Minseok’s stomach. Lu Han cuddling up to Minseok while he was reading and kissing his neck until Minseok giggled and put the book down.

It was absolutely perfect. Minseok felt safe like this, secure that he was allowed to show Lu Han how he felt and show him every single ounce of affection he wanted to and it would be fine. No one was going to chase him out of the house. No one was going to hurt him. And if anyone wanted to, they’d have to go through Lu Han, who was impossibly old money, too powerful to touch, and would never let anyone hurt Minseok anyway.

Safe. Comfortable. Warm.

Nothing gold can stay.

It was early in the night when Minseok headed to the master bedroom to check on Lu Han. Lu Han had been sluggish recently, waking up late and going to bed early, and Minseok was worried that he was getting sick. At the very least Minseok could check and see if he was awake and get Joohyun to bring him some tea.

Around the corner of Minseok’s part of the hall, the door to the master bedroom was open a fair amount; not all the way but enough that Minseok didn’t have to push it open any further to enter the room. He was able to tip toe in almost soundlessly, just the barest creak of the wood floors under his feet. The room was as it usually was, dark even with the hints of light coming in from the chandelier in the foyer and the fire in the fireplace throwing soft light and deep shadows, and quiet.

The first thing Minseok saw was that Lu Han wasn’t in his bed. The sheets were rumpled and he had clearly gotten up, so Minseok stepped further into the room. He knew Lu Han hadn’t come out of his room yet; it was the first time in months that Minseok had eaten breakfast alone. He thought Lu Han might be in the bath, and so he stepped fully inside, closing the door just to the frame.

Minseok’s eyes adjusted quickly; he was far more used to the dark than he had been when he and Lu Han had begun their courtship. So he was able to see in a short amount of time that Lu Han was indeed still in the room, and he wasn’t alone. But it took him longer than that to really understand what he was seeing.

Lu Han and little Yerim were sitting side by side on the couch closest to the fireplace. Lu Han’s face was in her neck and at first he thought he was kissing her, but he knew Lu Han’s kiss, and that wasn’t it. The angle was all wrong, their positions next to each other would have made kissing uncomfortable and awkward, but what were they doing?

“Lu Han?” Minseok spoke hesitantly.

Lu Han’s head snapped up, his eyes wide in shock, and Yerim cried out in pain.

It was then, even by the soft light of the fireplace, that Minseok saw the trail of blood running from Yerim’s neck. He looked to Lu Han and realized that his canines were much longer than he knew them to be, so long that they pushed down his lower lip even when his mouth closed, and the tips that Minseok could see were dark.

Blood. There was blood on Lu Han’s teeth. Blood running down his chin.

Minseok had no idea what he was seeing, but it filled him with fear like he’d been punched with it. Lu Han stepped toward him and for the first time his heart clenched not in love or affection but in absolute terror and he let out a short scream.

“Minseok, please!” Lu Han sounded panicked but Minseok flung the door open and ran for his life.

His instinct told him to hide in his room, lock the door, and he followed it. He tripped as the rug in the hall slid almost out from under him, but thankfully didn’t fall. He felt a hand reach for his and yanked it away.

“Minseok, darling, let me explain!”

Lu Han was cut off as Minseok reached his room and slammed the door just in time, locking it from the inside.

“Minseok, please! I’m not going to hurt you!”

“Stay away from me!” Minseok screamed as he backed away from the door. He knew it was probably childish to hide in his own room, when he had locked the door, but he was terrified and it made him feel marginally safer. He ducked behind the bed like Lu Han could still see him, curling up with his knees to his chest.

Minseok had no idea exactly how many hours he sat on the floor on the side of his bed furthest from the door. It was cold, no one had had chance to light the fireplace, and after a while his rear went numb, but he sat there, mulling over what he had seen, trying to reconcile it in his head.

He kept the curtains open and watched the sun rise, and was distressed when he realized how sensitive to light his own eyes had become. When the sun was above the horizon it hurt his eyes badly, blinding them just to see that barest peak of real light, and made his eyes water, but he kept the curtains open.

How long had it been since he’d properly seen the sun?

He didn’t sleep the whole day, or at least he wasn’t consciously aware of falling asleep, although a few times he noticed himself wake up. His mind was running a mile a minute, frantically trying to work out both what he had seen and solutions for himself.

The part of him that was still a bit childish, still paid attention to ghost stories and warnings of monsters in the night told him that he knew what this was. He knew exactly what this was. But the part of him that dismissed all of the monster stories, made him plant his feet in the dark when he wanted to run, said that such a thing was impossible.

Vampires could not be real. They couldn’t be.

And he couldn’t be in love with one.

And yet, he could make everything line up. The nightly hours, the light sensitivity, the fact that Minseok had never once seen Lu Han eat.

Minseok immediately thought of the glasses of “tomato juice” and had to cup his hands over his mouth and nose and breathe through them to relieve the sudden nausea.

He fell in and out of sleep more obviously towards the middle of the day; enough that he had nightmares. Lu Han kissing his neck turned into Lu Han holding him down and biting him. Lu Han drained Yerim until her heart stopped beating while Jongdae pushed Minseok closer and closer to him, cooing in his ear that everything would be fine and he wouldn’t even feel it while Minseok scrambled to get away and couldn’t. Lu Han chasing him around the house, only it was dark, cold, and decaying: no one else was there but the two of them, and yet someone kept banging on the piano.

Minseok woke up with a gasp, in a cold sweat, just as the sun was setting. It took him a moment to register why or what had woken him, but then he heard another soft knock on the door.

“It’s Joohyun, Minseok.”

“Are you alone?” Minseok hated how his voice shook, but there was nothing he could do about it.

“Yes, I am. I just want to talk.”

Minseok got up on shaky legs and walked over to unlock the door. Joohyun looked startlingly normal, for what had just happened. Maybe a bit tired, but that was it.  

“You look terrible,” she told him. She had a small smile but her voice lacked any kind of a joking tone. “Let me in, I brought you breakfast.”

He did. She didn’t say anything when he locked the door behind her, just wheeled the serving cart over to the small table with two chairs that Minseok had never had the occasion to use. He walked back over and sat down as Joohyun slid into the other chair.

“Is Yerim alright?” Minseok asked her.

Joohyun nodded. “She’s fine. Her neck is a bit bruised since Lu Han looked up so fast, but she’s fine.”

Minseok nodded.

“You eat,” Joohyun pointed at the plate. “I’ll talk.”

Minseok did what she told him to, even though he didn’t know if he could stomach food at that moment.

“When I first came here, Lu Han’s maids were a bunch of little old ladies. I got hired because one of them saw me get thrown out of my factory job, after I ruined one shirt too many because I was ill. My landlady probably would have understood, but when those factories can replace workers faster than they can kill them, getting a new job when you’re sick is difficult, and my landlady wasn’t the richest person to begin with. The one who brought me in, Ms. Kim, told me she had a job for me, but I would have to move out to the country. Of course I took it. Lu Han was kinder than any boss I ever had, the pay was better and the benefits were so far above anything I thought I could get that my head spun.”

She paused to pour herself a glass of water, and took a sip.

“It didn’t take him too long to tell me what was going on. He’s a vampire. I have no idea how old he is, but I think he’s been around at least since the first dynasty of Joseon. I don’t know if Lu Han himself even remembers what year he was born in, but he’s the oldest out of all his friends.”

“You mean, Jongdae…”

“Yes. Kim Jongdae, Do Kyungoo, Wu Yifan, Zhang Yixing, Kim Junmyeon… they’re all very old. Lu Han and Kim Jongdae are related, the vampire equivalent of cousins, but I’m not sure about the rest of them.”

Minseok inwardly reeled. Jongdae was a… a vampire. Jongdae wasn’t human. This was harder to reconcile in his head; nothing about Jongdae was frightening. In fact, he was without a doubt the kindest man Minseok knew. Not only had Jongdae hired Minseok and paid him well, when everyone else looked at him with distain and offered him next to nothing, but he genuinely cared about Minseok, had helped him find Mrs. Kim’s boarding house in a safe neighborhood, and had talked with him, not just as restaurant owner to employee, but as men. As friends. He looked after Minseok, made sure he didn’t overwork himself. He owed everything that he was now to Jongdae. And Jongdae didn’t stop with him. All of the staff said that he was literally the most understanding, and gentle, restaurant owner in the city. He treated everyone kindly, even when they made mistakes. If someone had to leave, he wrote them glowing letters of recommendation, focusing on their good qualities even if they hadn’t exactly been the best person on staff. Minseok had seen Jongdae donate restaurant food and money from his own salary.

Jongdae was probably the best man Minseok knew.

Jongdae was a vampire.

“Minseok,” Joohyun said softly as she took his hand, which, Minseok realized belatedly, was shaking. “I know how you feel. I was terrified. I almost ran back to the city. The existence of vampires, and working for one, went against so many things I’d known as truth. But Lu Han is a good man. He was patient with me, gentle with me. He’s gentle with all of us. He won’t force you into anything; he won’t even force you to stay. But you have nothing to fear from him.”

She set her used glass, and Minseok’s empty plate, onto the serving cart, but left the pitcher of water and Minseok’s glass as she stood.

“I know you need to think about it.”

There was just one question he needed her to answer.

“Joohyun,” Minseok started, and Joohyun stopped. “Lu Han… courting me. Getting me to fall in love with him… was that real?”

He looked up at Joohyun and she smiled a soft, sweet, smile.

“Minseok, I’ve never seen him look at anyone else how he looks at you. It’s real.”

After she left, Minseok locked the door again, but he changed into his sleep clothes and pulled the comforter on his bed back so that he could crawl in.

He was restless, still used to sleeping during the day, so he didn’t fall asleep quickly like he had hoped. Instead he just laid there for a while, his thoughts turning over and over in his head.

He fell asleep just before sunrise.

When he woke up, it was just before sunset. Almost mechanically, Minseok got up and closed the curtains. He was still cold, so he lit the fireplace himself, very thankful that the girls kept supplies in each room. He sat in front of it, staring at it as he drank a glass of water and steeled his resolve.

He had made his decision and he wasn’t going to turn back.

When his water glass was empty and he felt warm enough to move, Minseok stood from his spot on the floor. He got ready in the bathroom and dressed in his usual clothes, including one of the sweaters that Lu Han had bought him.

He could do this.

The door closed behind him with a quiet click as he stepped out into the hallway. The chandeliers gave the hall, the foyer, and the great hall the same warm glow they always had. Soft, warm, and comforting. The rugs muffled his footsteps as he walked, so he made almost no noise as he made his way to the piano.

He looked down at the covered keys and pushed in bench. Once he did this he would not let himself go back.

Minseok took a deep breath and pulled out the piano bench, sat down, and lifted the cover off of the keys. This was it.

He took another breath and began to play. He didn’t have music for what he was playing, it was a lullaby that one of Mrs. Kim’s boarders had taught him. He had no idea if they had written the piece or if it had been passed down to them, but he’d always found it to be soothing.

Not a minute after he started to play, he heard Lu Han throw the door to the master bedroom open and run over to and down the stairs. His footsteps alternated between loud slaps on the bare floor and muffled thuds on the rugs. Once he reached the great hall entrance, he stopped and stood completely still.

Minseok didn’t look up at him as he continued to play. The treble clef for this was actually moderately complicated in places, but the bass clef was constantly slow and soothing. It wasn’t until the echo of the last note had faded that he looked up.

Lu Han looked like a wreck. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, or shoes, or even a robe. His pajama pants were just slightly too long, bagging and folding around his ankles and feet, and they made him look as young as his face would suggest. His hair was sticking up in places, but what struck Minseok the most was his face: there were rusty stains along the bottom of his eyes, trailing down his face and even to the hollow between his collar bones like tear tracks.

“Minseok…” His voice was breathy and high, like he couldn’t believe Minseok was sitting in front of him. When Minseok didn’t move, Lu Han walked closer, stopping a few feet away from arms reach. “Are you…”

“I’m staying,” Minseok told him.

“Thank you,” Lu Han said softly. “Thank you.”

“I’m still sorting out how I feel about this. About us. But I’m staying. Give me a bit of time, and then we can talk about everything, alright?”

Lu Han nodded. “Thank you.”

This was the first time Minseok had seen Lu Han look remotely vulnerable, remotely weak. But he did. He looked like a boy, like his world had been put back into place, and Minseok couldn’t help but give him a weak smile.

“Go back to bed,” he said gently. “And wash your face. You look terrible.”

Lu Han nodded, and left Minseok alone for the rest of the night. Minseok had no idea if he actually had gone back to bed, but he played lullabies for the rest of the evening.

Minseok was still trying to figure out how he felt about Lu Han now. But he believed with all of his heart that Kim Jongdae was a good man, and that, vampire or no, Jongdae would not have told Minseok to take the job if he thought Minseok would be in danger. Minseok knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he could trust that.

Lu Han kept his distance for a time. He still clearly wanted to be close, but he would sit in the library instead of his usual spot on the chaise in front of the piano. He let Minseok eat by himself, and didn’t even try for conversation unless Minseok initiated it. But after a few weeks of this, Minseok was much more comfortable. He had talked to all the girls and Zitao. Jongdae had even driven out for an evening when Minseok had called him. They’d gone out for a drive and talked. Jongdae had finally told him everything that, as he put it, was “his to tell” and had given him advice and a lot to think about.

And the distance gave Minseok time to miss Lu Han. Once he moved past his initial fear, although he knew that he was far from the only person to have reacted that way, he was able to think. The distance was good for thinking, but Minseok felt like a part of him was missing. He ate breakfast at the dining room table and stared at Lu Han’s seat the entire time. He missed talking with Lu Han during his breaks. He missed talking with Lu Han in general. Cuddling by the fireplace. Kissing for no reason at all. Lu Han had become such a part of his life, such a part of his heart, that he hadn’t imagined not having Lu Han by his side and now that he wasn’t, Minseok missed him more than anything.

He loved Lu Han.

Minseok didn’t give himself any preparation time before he talked to Lu Han. He knew if he put it off he wouldn’t do it or he’d make himself nervous. So one evening, a little over a month after he’d started playing again, instead of disappearing into his room or to go find Zitao, he made his way across the great hall to the library. Lu Han didn’t pay attention as Minseok climbed the stairs to the loft, but he jolted, looking up with wide eyes, when Minseok sat down across from him at the table by the window.

“Thank you,” Minseok started in, “for giving me time.”

“Of course, Minseok. I don’t want to pressure you into anything.”

“I know you don’t. You’re a good man, Lu Han. I knew that before, and I know that now. I just got scared in the middle.”

“No one could blame you for being scared. I don’t.”

“Thank you,” Minseok nodded. “I just… I guess I wish you would have told me.”

“I knew I should have,” Lu Han looked down for a moment, then back up at Minseok. “I wanted to wait a little while at first, like I do with everyone. But then I got wrapped up in everything, in loving you, and I was terrified of what you would say if I did tell you. I was so scared you would leave, and I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you, Minseok. But I should have told you. I should have never let there even be a possibility of you finding out that way.”

“Neither of us can change what happened,” Minseok said. “But I’ve had time to do a lot of thinking. Jongdae talked to me, and that helped a lot. And I’m still nervous. The existence of vampires in general is a lot for me to take in. I want to start slow, but… I miss you. I miss talking with you, I miss cuddling with you, and I miss just being near you. I’d like to try again, if you’ll have me.”

Minseok could see something welling up in Lu Han’s eyes, like tears. It looked like tears but the liquid was dark, and a moment later Minseok realized that it was blood. Lu Han’s tears were blood.

He got up and hurried around the table, taking one of his old handkerchiefs out of his back pocket to wipe Lu Han’s eyes before he cried too much.

“I was so scared you would hate me for this.” Lu Han was sobbing as he spoke. “I was so scared I had lost you, Minseok! Of course I’ll have you!”

Minseok wiped Lu Han’s tears and cradled his head while he cried. He hushed him softly, beginning to rock back and forth before he reached down and started rubbing Lu Han’s back, like a mother comforting an upset child. He stayed there and let Lu Han cry.

When his tears subsided, Minseok’s handkerchief was red with blood and Lu Han was clinging onto Minseok’s sweater like Minseok would disappear if he let go.

Minseok managed to get Lu Han down from the library loft, and up the foyer stairs into the master bedroom. He knew where all of Lu Han’s clothes were, and so helped him get undressed and into his pajamas, before he went into the bathroom and put water on a wash rag to wipe off Lu Han’s face properly with.

“Will you stay with me? Just for a little while?” Lu Han asked softly.

“For a little while, of course I will,” Minseok nodded.

It wasn’t all that long, though, before Lu Han fell asleep, cuddling up to Minseok with his face buried in Minseok’s chest. Minseok still stayed there for a few hours, combing his fingers through Lu Han’s hair until he was sure that Lu Han wouldn’t wake up again for the rest of the evening. Only then did he extract himself from Lu Han’s arms and tip toe out of the room.

He was met by Joohyun and Zitao.

“He’s asleep, and I think he will be for the rest of the evening,” Minseok told them in a whisper.

“I’ll keep an eye on him, in case he wakes up hungry,” Joohyun promised.

Minseok nodded, but paused before he left. “I know you heard all that. Was that good?”

Joohyun smiled and Zitao nodded his head.

“It was,” Zitao nodded. “I think it was perfect.”

“Good,” Minseok nodded, and headed back to his room.

It took a bit of time, weeks, but Minseok and Lu Han found their rhythm with each other again. Lu Han explained more about vampirism to Minseok, and Minseok was able to open back up again. The laughter came back quickly, talking late into the night until the curtains were closed up tighter than a vault and Lu Han was yawning with the rising of the sun. So did the hand holding, the cuddling… the first time Minseok used Lu Han’s stomach as a pillow while he read he heard Lu Han sigh in relief.

Kisses took longer. This wasn’t like when they had first started, and both of them had dove head-first into courtship, enamored with the notion of being lovers. They moved slower this time, communicated a lot better than they had before. They knew now that they couldn’t move without thinking or they would hurt themselves or each other.

The first light kiss came the first time Minseok slept in Lu Han’s bed. Before Minseok had found out the big secret, Lu Han had always either called it a night before one of them could fall asleep, or had carried Minseok back to his own bedroom if Minseok fell asleep early. Now, though, there was no fear of Minseok sleeping on Lu Han’s chest and realizing he had no heartbeat. He knew that, now. And he was trusting Lu Han not in spite of his vampirism or because of it, but because Lu Han was Lu Han and Minseok knew that he loved him. There was nothing to fear from him.

Gentle light kisses on the lips, a peck on the nose or cheek. Minseok liked to wake Lu Han up with a flurry of kisses all over his face. Lu Han always laughed whenever he did it and Minseok loved the sound of Lu Han’s laughter. Lu Han would come downstairs and eat breakfast with Minseok, or at least he would either drink a glass of what Minseok now knew to be blood that was stored in a particular ice-box in the kitchen, or just talk with Minseok while he ate; then he’d go back upstairs to dress for the night while Minseok sat down at the piano. Whenever Lu Han came back downstairs he would always kiss Minseok on the cheek while he was playing. Sometimes Minseok managed to get a few on the lips if he was anticipating Lu Han coming and turned his head at just the right time.

Deeper kisses came later but when they did they came like a tidal wave. They kept it light when they were downstairs out of politeness and modesty, but in Lu Han’s bedroom they had to take care not to let it get too heated too quickly. They had kissed each other like this before, and of course they remembered where each other’s spots were. Lu Han kissed like someone with centuries of experience and Minseok relished every time he could make Lu Han moan. It didn’t take long for Minseok to let Lu Han kiss his neck, and the girls and Zitao laughed and teased him for the hickey Lu Han left in celebration.

There was only one thing bothering Minseok. It took him a while to figure out, but figuring it out didn’t make it any easier. He realized it when Lu Han had to feed again; he could keep drinking the blood from the ice box for most of his nightly needs, but he did still need fresh blood every now and then or he could lose himself, and Minseok stayed out of the room when Lu Han needed to feed. He knew Lu Han was just trying to make sure he wasn’t uncomfortable, but sitting with his hands in his lap, not playing a note, at the piano while he watched Seungwan go into the master bedroom sent something that could only be described as a pang of jealousy shooting through Minseok.

He knew exactly what would make it easier, but if he was being truthful with himself, the idea scared him. He trusted Lu Han, but there were so many factors he didn’t know. As much as he was worried about anything changing, both in his body and between him and Lu Han, he couldn’t help but think about sillier things: what if his blood tasted bad? Would the bite marks scar and be visible to everyone they ever knew? What if Minseok did something embarrassing while Lu Han was feeding?

Joohyun got a look in her eye when he started asking her all of his questions, but she didn’t tease him. Sooyoung and Seungwan did tease him a bit, mostly cooed over how “cute” he was, but they still answered his questions seriously. Combined, the girls and Zitao were a wealth of information about the human side of feeding. They all told him that it was perfectly normal to be frightened at first, and Lu Han would take it slow and wouldn’t judge them for it, but that once he’d done it a couple times, it was no big deal, really. Zitao blushed when he told Minseok it actually felt good.

Minseok mulled it over in his mind for a while, and once he thought that he’d considered the advantages and potential failings of going through with it, he made up his mind.

It was time to talk to Lu Han.

Minseok knew he could have picked a better time to ask, but he couldn’t help it. After he’d finished playing for the evening, the two of them had gone up to Lu Han’s room to talk. Talking had quickly given way to Lu Han kissing Minseok’s fingers, gently leaving playful kisses that were more noise than anything on each knuckle, before he started kissing the fleshy parts of Minseok’s hands a little harder.

Minseok had let out a soft little groan when Lu Han nipped his thumb softly, and Lu Han had to stop because he was laughing too much.

“I should have known you’d like kissing,” Lu Han grinned as he moved to Minseok’s jawline, gently nipping there. “Well, I did. I just didn’t know you’d like it this much.”

Minseok pulled his head back and kissed Lu Han open-mouthed on the lips.

He worked on pulling moans out of Lu Han as Lu Han pushed him against the arm rest of the couch they were on. Lu Han threaded his fingers through Minseok’s hair to pull him closer, and Minseok anchored himself with his hands on Lu Han’s back, pulling him down until Lu Han was nearly laying on Minseok.

Lu Han trailed kisses down Minseok’s jawline to his neck, and settled in like he meant to be there a while. With the way he was sucking on the skin, Minseok knew there would be a hickey, but that wasn’t the mark he wanted there right now.

“Lu Han?” Minseok’s voice was a bit breathy.

Lu Han groaned in acknowledgement that he’d heard.

“Will you… will you bite me?”

Lu Han stopped completely, pulling off and pushing up so that he was hovering over Minseok. His eyes were wide and he looked completely shocked.

“What?” His voice was almost a whisper.

“Will you bite me?” Minseok asked. “Feed off of me?”

“Minseok, are you sure?”

Minseok nodded. “I’ve been thinking about it for weeks. I asked the girls and Zitao about it. I think I’m ready for it. I know I’m ready for it.”

“Really?”

“I trust you. I love you and I trust you. And I want this.”

Lu Han sat back on his heels, pulling Minseok up with him into a tight hug. He buried his face in the crook of Minseok’s neck.

“Thank you,” his voice was muffled in Minseok’s shirt collar. “I promise I won’t hurt you. I promise I’ll stop if you get scared.”

“I know,” Minseok smiled, and ran his fingers through Lu Han’s hair.

Lu Han pulled away. “Come lay down on the bed.”

“I thought you usually sat on the couch?”

“You’re different, Minseok. This is different.”

Of course Minseok couldn’t help but smile at that. He let Lu Han help him up off of the couch, and walked over to the bed, laying down on the side Lu Han usually slept on, closest to the fire place.

“It’ll be easier if you take off your shirt; your collar is a bit high for this.”

Minseok did, his fingers moving quickly from button to button. He couldn’t help but blush as he did it: Lu Han was completely focused on him, his eyes moving down with Minseok’s hands. Minseok sat up to shrug the shirt off of his shoulders, and an excited jolt went through his stomach as he watched Lu Han’s eyes darken.

He laid back down, and Lu Han immediately moved down to his stomach. He kissed and sucked on the skin there and moved upward to his chest, apparently determined to find all of Minseok’s sensitive spots as he went. Minseok moaned loudly as Lu Han attached his mouth to Minseok’s chest, and Lu Han nearly laid down on top of him between his knees.

Finally, finally, Lu Han made his way up to Minseok’s neck, continuing what he had started earlier, before he found the spot he wanted.

“I mean it,” Lu Han said, his lips moving against Minseok’s skin. “If you want me to stop for any reason, I’ll stop. I promise.”

“I know,” Minseok nodded. He started to rub Lu Han’s back, which was just as much for Lu Han’s benefit as it was to help quiet the butterflies in his stomach.

Minseok cried out at the initial bite. It hurt, of course it did. But while the pain started sharp and intense, it subsided fairly quickly, and after the first jolt of it, Minseok could handle it easily. The actual sensation of having Lu Han drink his blood felt strange; Minseok had given blood before, and while he hadn’t really felt that hardly at all, this he could definitely feel.

Lu Han distracted him, though. Not a minute after Lu Han started, he began to massage Minseok’s hand. He started with is palm and went out to each finger, making his way back and forth, back and forth. By the time he was starting up Minseok’s arm, Minseok was starting to feel sleepy. But the feeling was comforting, with Lu Han taking care of him. By the time Lu Han reached his shoulder, Minseok was so sleepy that he barely felt Lu Han stopping, and pulling away.

“Do you feel alright?” Lu Han asked.

“Mmmm,” Minseok nodded lazily, his eyes half closed. “Feel sleepy. Feels nice.”

“Good,” Lu Han replied. Through his lashes, Minseok could see him smile. Lu Han’s smiles were always so soft. “Do you want to stay in here tonight?”

“Mmmm,” Minseok managed to make his nod a bit bigger that time. “Wanna cuddle with you. And I don’t think I could make it back to my room.”

Lu Han laughed softly. “Want sleep clothes?”

Minseok nodded.

“I’ll go get them,” Lu Han said, and leaned in to kiss Minseok’s forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

Minseok had pretty much fallen asleep in the time that it took Lu Han to go get his sleep clothes from his room, but he woke up a bit when he felt Lu Han sit on the bed again.

Lu Han helped him out of his slacks and into his old worn sleep clothes. Minseok liked the feeling: Lu Han was so gentle when he touched him, it made a contented warm feeling spread in his chest just thinking about it.

A minute after Lu Han got up to go change himself, Minseok felt him lay down again. The sensation of Lu Han pulling Minseok into the circle of his arms was a familiar one, but Minseok never got tired of it.

“Thank you, Minseok,” Lu Han whispered, kissing Minseok’s cheek. “I love you so much.”

Minseok fell asleep a moment after.

Winter turned into spring, and Minseok had been at Lu Han’s house for over a year. And with the coming of spring, and more trips into the city, a wave of sickness moved silently through the house.

It started with Zitao and Seungwan. A few days after they’d both taken a trip into the city, they both got sluggish. Zitao was achy, Seungwan couldn’t stop coughing, and when Joohyun checked their temperatures, they both had fevers. By the time Lu Han had told them to both stay in bed, Minseok had started coughing, and not long after that, for him anyway, came the chills. They all knew without a doubt what it was: influenza. All they could do was wait it out.

He slept a lot, but he was awake enough of the time to figure out that not only was everyone sick, but it was the worst time for this to happen: there was barely any blood in the ice box, and Lu Han couldn’t feed from anyone while they were sick, not just because of their bodies not being able to heal properly, although that was a major factor, but because if he did he could make them sick again in the future.

“It took us way too long to figure that one out,” Lu Han said with a dark look on his face when he explained everything to Minseok. “And I am not going to be the one to bring that mistake around again.”

But Lu Han was getting hungry; Minseok could see it in his eyes when Lu Han helped him drink water. Even though Lu Han wasn’t sick, and couldn’t get sick, it was still taking its toll on him. He had six people to look after, fighting both his instincts and his body clock to stay awake even into the day. The curtains were shut across the entire house like a vault, every window covered, and Minseok couldn’t help but be a little distressed that when Lu Han opened his door, it was just as dark outside of his room as it was inside. But a little discomfort was a lot better than anything happening to Lu Han.

At one point, Lu Han fell asleep on Minseok’s bed, and Minseok woke up to Lu Han staring at him with his pupils impossibly dilated, like a cat about to pounce. Minseok could barely see his iris.’ And Lu Han wasn’t staring at his face, he was staring at his neck.

“Lu Han,” Minseok croaked.

The look on Lu Han’s face didn’t change. If anything, he leaned in.

“Lu Han.” His voice was still raspy, but it was louder now, and Minseok squeezed Lu Han’s hand when he said his name.

Fortunately, that did it.

Lu Han recoiled like he’d been punched, and stood up.

“Minseok, I’m so sorry! I just… I think I need to lay down.”

“You’ve been overworking yourself,” Minseok rasped out. “We’ll be fine for a bit. Go sleep.”

Fortunately, nothing horribly wrong ever ended up happening. Lu Han was able to keep himself under control.

Minseok was the first to recover, and Lu Han was cautious, checking his temperature, asking him constantly how he was feeling. But isolated from everyone else, Minseok continued to feel fine until both he and Lu Han were satisfied that the influenza had run its course.

“I think I’ll play the piano a bit,” Minseok said as he changed out of his sleep clothes. “I think it might be nice for the girls and Zitao.”

“I’m sure they’ll appreciate it,” Lu Han smiled, but he sounded a bit distracted. “Minseok, I don’t want to ask, but…”

He was staring at Minseok’s neck.

Minseok laid back down on his bed, shirtless this time. “Come on, I know you need to.”

Lu Han almost pounced, but he softened his movements once he was close to Minseok. Minseok whimpered when Lu Han bit down, but the feeling of Lu Han drinking was so familiar it was comforting in itself.

This time, Lu Han was different, though. He was desperate, hungry, in a way that he hadn’t been in a very, very, long time. He didn’t start massaging or petting Minseok, like he usually did, he just drank. Drank like a man finding an oasis in the desert.

Eventually, he pulled away. Minseok felt quite a bit weaker than he usually did after Lu Han fed, and he knew that Lu Han had taken more.

“Are you alright, sweetheart?” Lu Han asked him.

“I think so,” Minseok nodded, and, oh, that made him feel a bit dizzy. “Will you help me get my shirt on?”

Lu Han handed it to him, and helped Minseok get it over his head.

“I think you need to lay back down,” Lu Han looked concerned.

Minseok waved that away. “I’m tired of being in bed. I feel better and I want to play the piano again.”

And he was. He was very tired of lying in bed. His back was sore, his neck was tight, and he felt like if he didn’t remain upright for at least a few hours he would scream. So he got Lu Han to help him walk out into the hall, down the stairs, and into the great hall.

“Hello, my darling,” Minseok said when Lu Han sat him down at the piano. He stretched out his arms to either side over the key cover in an almost hug. “How I’ve missed you!”

Lu Han laughed, and settled into his usual spot on the chaise.

Minseok sighed happily as he felt the keys under his fingers, and the first note was like heaven in his ears. He missed this, he had missed playing so much. He didn’t feel like getting up to get one of his music books stashed inside the piano bench, so he began to play by memory. It would be a lullaby day; that felt right.

Minseok had thought he would feel better as he played, but if anything he only felt weirder. He was so dizzy, and he felt tired, but not the same kind of tired he felt while he was dealing with the influenza. He just wanted to sleep, but that didn’t make sense, since he’d slept so much while he was sick. If he just closed his eyes for a minute…

He was vaguely aware of the sensation of falling forward and Lu Han frantically yelling out his name before he passed out.

When he woke up, the only light in the room, his room, was from the fireplace. He could tell it was still dark outside, which made him worry less when he saw Lu Han.

Lu Han was sitting next to the bed, but he’d fallen asleep and so while he was still sitting in the chair, his upper half was on the bed. There were red stains on the sheets near his eyes, and Minseok knew it had to be that he’d been crying, but at the same time he was very scared it wasn’t.

“Lu Han?”

Lu Han’s head shot up, at first taking part of the sheet with him because of the drying blood, but then it peeled away from his cheeks and fell heavily back down to the bed.

“Minseok?” He was out of the chair and sitting on the bed next to him in only a moment.

“I’m alright, Lu Han, I’m alright,” Minseok smiled, taking his hand. “How long was I out?”

“A few hours,” Lu Han said, and then he started crying again.

“Minseok, I was so scared I was going to lose you. I wasn’t paying attention and I took too much and you had barely recovered, I shouldn’t have taken any from you yet at all, but I was so hungry… but I was so scared that I had taken way too much and that you were going to die, and I would have been the one to do it. I love you so much and I would have been the one to kill you because I didn’t pay attention…”

Minseok got Lu Han to lay his head on Minseok’s chest. That only made him cry harder and he stopped talking. All Minseok could do was murmur softly and run his fingers through Lu Han’s hair.

“It’s alright,” Minseok told him, sounding like he was comforting a crying child. “You didn’t kill me. I know you didn’t mean to do it. I’m alright, sweetheart, I’m alright. I’m not going anywhere.”

It was a day or two before Minseok was able to get out of bed for good, and by then Seungwan and Zitao were mostly recovered. Sooyoung and Joohyun followed, and Yerim the last of them. It took a few days after everyone was considered recovered, but the house returned to normal. Everyone readjusted their sleeping schedule back to how it had been before the sickness, and before long everyone was staying awake the entire night like they used to.

The wood was polished, the chandeliers were turned on again, and everyone did a general thorough clean until Joohyun considered it normal again. Minseok played the piano like always and he smiled to himself when he could hear Sooyoung and Yerim teasing Zitao in the kitchen. This had always been a happy house, which was why the previous weeks had seemed so dire, but now everyone was back to normal.

Well, almost everyone.

Lu Han had tightened his orbit. He was very anxious over Minseok’s health, everyone’s health, but especially Minseok’s. He brought things to Minseok before Joohyun or Seungwan could, and was constantly checking up on him, asking how he was feeling time and time again. Minseok might have dismissed it as the after-product of everyone in the house being sick if it weren’t for Lu Han’s eyes. He could tell that something, likely Minseok passing out, had triggered something, whether it was instinct or memory Minseok didn’t know. While everyone in the house laughed and joked, Lu Han stayed anxious.  

Lu Han escorting Minseok to his room became normal and so one night, before they went down the hall, Minseok whispered in Lu Han’s ear:

“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?”

Lu Han nodded, “yes, please.”

They stopped in Minseok’s room long enough for him to grab sleep clothes, but headed back to the master bedroom. They settled into bed, and Minseok rolled over to hold onto Lu Han.

“Do you want to talk to me about what’s making you anxious?”

It really didn’t take much coaxing. Lu Han rolled over to face Minseok and started to talk as Minseok rubbed his back. And Minseok learned a few very important things:

Lu Han was so old he’d forgotten the exact year he was born, he knew it was at least five centuries ago, and yet he had only fallen in love a few times over the course of his life, and only two of them had been human. The first had been a girl, and he had stayed with her for over fifty years until she died when she was seventy, which was amazing for the time period, she’d been the oldest woman in the region. He had watched her grow old, watched her lose her mobility until he had to carry her if she was going to get out of her house, watched her lose her memory, until she was constantly confused. The second human had been a man, and he’d been murdered. A random bandit on the highway.

“Minseok, I love you so much it makes me dizzy sometimes,” Lu Han’s voice was almost a whisper. “I can’t take the thought of losing you, even in the distant future. The idea that I almost killed you myself, because I was careless… that’s more than I can stand.”

It took Minseok a long time to fall asleep after that conversation.

And once again, Minseok started thinking. This was a permanent solution. There was no turning back after this. He had to make sure he was doing this for himself just as much as Lu Han, or things could go bad between the two of them later. He had a lot of talks with Jongdae; he didn’t want Lu Han to find out about what he was thinking. He wanted to have his mind made up before he told Lu Han.

It was a warm spring evening in April, when he told him.

Minseok asked Lu Han if they could take a walk instead of staying in the house. Lu Han didn’t have as extensive a garden as the interior of the house suggested, but it was still pleasant to walk through. Most of the flowers Lu Han had had planted were night bloomers, so while the gardens weren’t large, they were very pretty.

Minseok found a bench for both of them to sit on, and took Lu Han’s hands in his.

“Lu Han, before you say anything, I’ve thought a lot about this. I was thinking about it even before I asked you about what was making you anxious, but I’ve thought about it even more since then. For as scared as you are of losing me, I’m also afraid of losing you. I don’t want illness to take me from you early, or old age to take hold, either. I love you. I’ve never felt as safe as I do when I’m with you. I never dreamed when I left home that I could find this sort of joy anywhere, but I found it with you. So I’m asking,” Minseok paused to take a deep breath. “Will you turn me?”

Lu Han froze stock still. “Minseok…”

“Lu Han, I love you. I’ve thought about this, I promise you. You know me, I would never do something like this lightly.”

He said yes.

On April 20, 1925, Kim Minseok lay in Lu Han’s bed, their roles reversed as Minseok latched on to a cut Lu Han had made in his own chest. On April 20, 1925, Kim Minseok felt his heart stop beating.

On April 21, 1925, Kim Minseok woke up in his lovers arms. And he knew he would never have to leave them.