Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Riki was conscious—at least Jake thought he was. His head was still bleeding, not pouring like before but oozing, sluggish, and sticky against Jake’s sleeve. Every time the car jolted, Riki whimpered and squeezed his hand, and Jake swore he could feel every tremor travel up his arm.  

Heeseung’s cursing from the front barely registered. Jungwon’s sharp tone telling him to keep steady blurred together with the horn of a passing car. None of it mattered. The only thing Jake could hear was Riki’s broken breathing against Jay’s neck, every uneven hitch threatening to stop altogether. Sunghoon had shut down, lost entirely to the claws of his own thoughts, and Jake didn’t even know where to begin in digging him out. 

His palm was slick where it gripped Riki’s, and he couldn’t tell if it was sweat or blood. Time seemed to move backward, seconds stretched far beyond their domain, echoing in Jake’s ears with every drip of blood from Riki’s wounds. 

Heeseung slammed the brakes the second their gravel driveway came into view. He didn’t even wait for the car to stop before throwing it into park. Everyone moved in a blur, everyone aside from Jay, who was still holding Riki tightly against his body, trying to absorb the shock so Riki wouldn’t be jostled as much. His voice was low, but Riki still winced.

Jake just sat there. Hands twisting in his lap over and over until Sunoo pulled him from the car, pushing him at Sunghoon, who looked like he was staring through him. Jake approached him gently, afraid to startle him.

“Hoonie, honey,” he murmured, running the tip of his finger down Sunghoon’s arm.

Sunghoon blinked, some clarity returning to his eyes, focusing on Jake. “Jakey, Jakey.”

Jake smiled, gripping Sunghoon’s arm more firmly now, trying to ground him to his spot, “Hi, beautiful.”

He led Sunghoon inside, ensuring he always had a hand on him, squeezing lightly when he felt the other slipping away again. Heeseung was sitting on the couch, holding Riki on his lap. Jay knelt in front of them, holding Riki’s hair back with one hand and holding a wet towel in the other. Riki sat ram-rod straight, more alert than Jake had seen him since they’d picked him up.

He didn’t move, didn’t even flinch as Jay dabbed at his head, but tears rolled down his face silently. The sight was enough to throw Sunghoon back in his head, and Jake had to carefully pry him away, steering him towards the kitchen where Jungwon was already sitting, head in his hands.

Jake leaned in close to kiss his temple, staying long enough to murmur quiet words of comfort against his hair. Jungwon sniffed, turning away, and Jake knew better than to push his luck. When Riki gasped, so quiet Jake wouldn’t have heard it if not for the utter silence that held them, he slipped back into the living room. Riki was leaning back against Heeseung’s chest, holding his head away from Jay’s towel.

“Riki, I need to clean your wounds before I wrap them.”

Riki looked green, and his adam's apple bobbed in his throat. “I know, I know, just—just give me a second.”

Jay paused with his hand on Riki’s knee, his thumb smoothing over his pants, but he didn’t say anything more. Riki visibly took several deep breaths, twisting his hands in the material of Heeseung’s shirt. Only when his breath settled in his chest again did he lean forward, allowing Jay to continue cleaning the blood from his hair and skin.

“Jake?” Heeseung called, voice barely above a whisper.

Jake blinked the tears from his eyes, “Yeah, hyung?”

“Can you get more of Sunghoon’s blood? Jay thinks Riki has a depression fracture.”

Bile pooled in his mouth. “That bad?”

“Bad enough.”

Jake didn’t stay long enough to hear the rest, practically knocking Sunoo over in his attempt to get to the fridge. He pulled as many of Sunghoon’s bags from their drawers as he could, piling them into his arms and rushing them back to Heeseung. Jay had somehow managed to bandage Riki’s head in the brief time, although Jake could already see the red stains blossoming on the white fabric.

Heeseung took them from him, holding them up to Riki’s mouth, and Jake just…stood there. Useless. He couldn’t do anything, not help Riki, not drag Sunghoon out of his head, nor comfort Jungwon. 

Nothing.

Jake flinched, but from what he wasn’t sure. The air was sharp with the scent of Riki’s blood, and it burned in the back of Jake’s throat. Almost on instinct, his hand flew to his throat. He could feel the blunt stab of his own fingernails digging into the delicate skin, but it felt outside of him, like it wasn’t his own body.

“Jakey? Hey, Jake, stop.”

There was a pull, and the light stabbing disappeared. Jake blinked. He could feel the warmth of Jay’s hands on his face, hear his voice, but it took a little while for his features to come into clarity. 

“Jake, come back to me, love.”

A sound ripped from his throat, and Jake hardly registered that it had come from him when he was pulled into Jay’s arms. He scrabbled for purchase on the fabric of Jay’s shirt, burying his face in the crook of Jay’s neck. 

“He’s going to be fine, I promise.”

Jake pulled back only to get another look at Riki, who seemed marginally more lucid than he was a few moments ago. He was answering Heeseung’s questions, his eyes darting across the room, taking in details like he hadn’t seen them a hundred times before. 

He could hear Heeseung ask him what happened, had he been forced out of the house? Riki went silent, and Jay whipped around, like he was afraid Riki’s silence was the consequence of him losing consciousness. 

Jake reached to run a hand through Riki’s hair as comfort, but pulled short, afraid of injuring him further. Riki laid his head back against Heeseung’s shoulder to avoid answering, and Jake nearly laughed. It was exactly what Heeseung had done earlier in the day. Heeseung nosed at his neck instead of shaking him, and Riki let out a small, breathless laugh. 

“You’re an idiot,” Jay said quietly, mindful of Riki’s reactions to loud noises.

Riki lifted a finger. “Wasn’t intentional.”

Jake cleared his throat. “But you left the house intentionally, yes?”

Riki didn’t answer again.

“Riki, I just need to know I don’t have to kill someone for dragging you out.”

Jake waited, and Riki seemed to weigh his words carefully.

“No one was here.”

He heard the others drawing near, and he almost resented how quickly their presence steadied him.

“Is that why you left?” Sunoo asked, and Riki tipped his head to watch him. “Because no one was here?”

Jungwon growled under his breath, and Jake quickly laid his hand on his lower back. “I offered for someone to stay with you.”

Riki just blinked. “I didn’t want someone to stay with me. I just want to be where you guys are. Why is that so hard to understand?”

Jungwon ripped away from Jake, fists clenched, fangs bared. “You think we don’t understand?” His voice came out rough, almost feral. “We spent the last two hours thinking you were dead. That someone had gotten you and we weren’t there to stop it!”

Riki flinched. Jungwon froze like he’d been slapped himself, realization dawning too late. 

“I—” He swallowed hard. “I’m not angry that you wanted us. I’m angry that you left us to find you like that.”

Riki carefully pulled himself off of Heeseung’s lap, and Jake fought the urge to tell him to sit back down when he winced. “I don’t need you to protect me.”

Jungwon twitched, his jaw working, but no words came out. 

“Tell me what’s happening.” He demanded, though he could barely stand.

Jake could already sense the ‘no’ forming on Jungwon’s tongue — instinct, not logic — so he cut in first. “You’re in pain, this can wait until tomorrow.”

Riki pouted, and Jake thought he should have no right looking that adorable when he was still barely able to keep his balance. “Hyung.”

Jake smiled despite himself. “You’re barely conscious, we’re all exhausted. We’ll sleep then talk more in the morning, yeah?” He looked to Jungwon, who gave a stubborn nod. Heeseung stood from the couch unceremoniously, lifting Riki off his feet in one smooth movement. Jake watched, ushering Sunoo and Jungwon past him to Heeseung. He turned to grab Jay and Sunghoon.

Jay was wiping at Sunghoon’s face with his sleeve, and it was the first time Jake saw Sunghoon crack a smile. He cradled Jay’s hand against his face, kissing his palm briefly, then pulling him in for a proper kiss, although Jake suspects it was more to just get Jay to stop his impromptu interrogation.

Jay hummed, pulling Sunghoon closer by the waist, his hand tangling in the mess that was Sunghoon’s hair. Jake leaned against the back of the couch, the sight bringing a brief sense of normalcy. This was the coven he was used to. The smiles, the kisses, not the panic that hadn’t seemed to have left his system in weeks, not the tears and the pain. 

Sunghoon pulled away first, twisting to look at Jake before offering him a hand. Jake stared at Sunghoon’s outstretched hand for half a second too long—like he’d forgotten how to accept comfort—before finally taking it. 

When they pushed open the door to Riki’s room, it was empty. The blankets they’d moved into the room were gone, and Jake recoiled at the lack of scents. But he could hear Heeseung humming softly down the hallway, his voice carrying softly in the background of Sunoo and Riki’s bickering. Jake cocked his head, drawn to the voices on instinct. 

It led him to the nest; warmth practically wafted from the room, and all the tension from Jake’s shoulder dissipated. Heeseung was sitting on the edge of the nearest mattress, his arms thrown over his knees, his hair messy, like someone had been twisting their fingers in it. Behind Heeseung was the culprit of his messy hair. Jungwon kept their spines pressed together, tipping his head back on Heeseung’s shoulder with his fingers in the older vampire’s hair. 

Sunoo was propped up on his side, staring down at Riki, gesturing with his hand at something. Riki rolled his eyes, waving Sunoo off, and grinned when Sunoo pulled back to, predictably, hit Riki’s shoulder, but stopped short just before contact. Riki’s grin faltered for half a second when Sunoo’s hand lifted, his body still remembering the night before, but then it returned, stubborn and bright — daring Sunoo to keep teasing.

Heeseung glanced up, offering them a warm smile. “You guys took forever.” 

Jake frowned, and Jay’s hand brushed his lower back as he stepped around him, bending down to give Heeseung a brief kiss before tossing himself atop Jungwon. Jungwon huffed but ran his hand through Jay’s hair fondly. 

Sunghon crawled across the mattress to Sunoo, leaning over to watch Riki quietly. Jake stood there until Heeseung tugged on his arm, pulling him down into his lap. “Hi,” he whispered, and Jake smiled against his lips.

“Back in the nest, huh?”

Heeseung hummed, wrapping his arms firmly around Jake’s waist and splaying his cool hands across Jake’s fevered skin. “Jungwon insisted.”

Jake sighed, allowing himself to indulge a little when Heeseung leaned in for another kiss. He ran his tongue over Heeseung’s fangs, reveling in the full-body shudder he received. He wove his arms around Heeseung’s neck, tilting his head to the side for a better angle when a pillow smacked into the side of his head. 

“Knock it off—keep it PG,” Jay muttered, but his voice was fond. 

Jake giggled, giving Heeseung one last sweet kiss before rolling off of him. Riki had fallen quiet, and Jake paused, hesitating for a moment but laying his hand on his thigh. Riki’s gaze flicked between him and Heeseung, lingering a little too long like he was memorizing the space they filled together. 

“What’s wrong? Is it your head again?”

Riki looked contemplative, then reached out, his fingers brushing across Jake’s cheek. He had that look again, the same look Jake had caught when Jungwon and Riki had burst in on him and Heeseung. It was curiosity, but something more…longing? An ache settled somewhere in Jake’s lungs.

“My head’s fine,” Riki said. “You’re just…pretty. Together.” His voice was soft but steady, and Jake realized Riki wasn’t teasing at all. There was something raw in the way he said it, as if admitting a secret out loud.

Jake felt his face flush, and Heeseung crowded in behind him, pressing his lips to that little spot behind Jake’s ear. “You hear that? Riki thinks we look pretty together. Shall we give him a show?”

Now it was Jake’s turn to shiver. Jay pushed Heeseung’s shoulder, sending him toppling over and effectively tearing Jake’s attention away. “No.”

Riki’s fingers lingered against his cheek for just a second too long before falling away. Jake wanted to grab his hand, to hold it there, to tell him that if he wanted in, he already was — he didn’t need to watch from the edges. But Riki had already dropped his gaze, pretending to fuss with the blankets.

Heeseung’s arm settled easily around Jake’s waist again, grounding him, and Jake leaned back into the weight of it. The quiet in the nest shifted into something thicker, heavier, the kind of silence that came before sleep. Jungwon had his eyes closed now, though Jake could feel from the bond that he wasn’t fully gone yet. Sunoo was stretched across half of Sunghoon, absently twirling a lock of his hair. Jay was humming softly, his chest rising and falling against Jungwon’s shoulder.

Riki lay back slowly, shoulders stiff at first, until Jake brushed his thigh again in reassurance. That small touch was all it took; Riki’s body went loose, sinking into the warmth of the mattress, into the collective heat of them all.

Jake let his hand rest there, steady, until Riki’s breathing evened out. He watched the tension in Riki’s face soften, watched his lashes flutter against his cheeks, and something in Jake’s chest gave way.

He belongs here, Jake thought, with an ache so sweet it almost hurt. He just doesn’t know it yet.

The nest exhaled as one, the weight of the night pressing them all into stillness. Jake let his eyes close. Heeseung’s heartbeat was a steady thrum against his back, Riki’s warmth brushing close against his side.

For the first time in a long while, Jake let himself believe they were safe.

***

Sunoo woke with a start, entirely too aware of every limb pressed against his body, every breath that fanned across his skin. He sat up slowly, taking in a headcount of who still remained close. 

Riki was still sleeping, his body half-thrown across Jake’s, his hair splayed over his forehead. He didn’t look like he was in pain anymore; instead, he looked rather peaceful, the corners of his mouth pulled up slightly, like he was having a particularly good dream. 

Jake had one hand on Riki and the other tangled with Heeseung’s, somehow managing to mold his body around both of them. It was endearing, the way he held so tightly to both of them, like he could hide them both from their nightmares. Sunoo smiled softly, searching the nest again. Sunghoon had his head tucked into Heeseung’s neck from behind, his breathing soft. He looked softer, less like the lost person Sunoo saw when they first brought Riki back. 

Jungwon was off in the far corner, curled around a blanket he’d bundled up to his chest. He seemed small, entirely separate, and Sunoo hated it. He grabbed another blanket, wrapping it around Jungwon to drag him closer, so he took Sunoo’s place. He ran his fingers through Jungwon’s hair, smiling gently at the soft sigh Jungwon let out. He kissed his hair, lingering for just a moment before pulling back.

The nest was full, finally whole — except it wasn’t. The space Jay should have been in pressed at Sunoo like an absence too loud to ignore.

Jay’s heartbeat pounded unsteadily from the kitchen, and Sunoo stood, making his way down the stairs soundlessly. Jay didn’t even hear him, his head planted in his hands, sitting in the dark at the kitchen island.

“Hyung.”

Jay jumped, expression flicking quickly from surprise to concern. “Sunoo? What are you doing up?” 

Sunoo rolled his eyes, kissing Jay’s cheek. “I could ask you the same question.”

Jay winced, looking a little guilty. “I have to wake Riki up every couple hours…for his concussion.”

“Uh huh, and how much did you sleep in between those hours?”

Jay winced again, but Sunoo had known the answer long before he’d even woken. He flicked on the overhead light, rubbing at his sleep-heavy eyes. “Hyung, you need to sleep.”

“I’m fine, I slept—”

“Well over twenty-four hours ago. That’s not healthy, hyung.” Sunoo deadpanned. He dragged his gaze over Jay’s face, taking the dark circles under his eyes and the way his face twitched ever so slightly. 

“I can’t…I can’t sleep.”

Sunoo’s defenses dropped. He grazed his fingers across Jay’s cheekbone, brushing his thumb under Jay’s eyes. Jay leaned into Sunoo’s touch, his eyelashes fluttered, casting a small shadow across his face. Sunoo tugged him forward, planting a kiss on his forehead. 

“I’m going to make tea.” He said. “You’re going to drink it, tell me all about your woes and then we are going back to sleep.”

“But Riki—”

Sunoo was already filling a kettle with water, turning on the stove. “I will take over that.” Jay opened his mouth to argue more, and Sunoo sighed. “I’m worried about you, hyung.”

Jay deflated, pulling Sunoo into the circle of his arms, resting his cheek on the top of Sunoo’s hair. “It’s nothing, okay? I’m just…anxious, that’s all, baby.”

Sunoo pressed a kiss to the hollow of Jay’s throat, not resisting the urge to scrape his teeth down the stretch of skin. Jay shivered, but it drew a little laugh out of him. He pulled back, just enough to duck down to seal their lips together, biting down on the soft surface of Sunoo’s bottom lip. Sunoo hummed, rubbing circles into Jay’s hip as he opened to him, allowing Jay to lick into his mouth, until the high-pitched whistle of the kettle broke them apart. 

Sunoo barely had time to appreciate the light flush that spread on Jay’s cheeks. He pulled the kettle off the stove, pulling out Jay’s favorite mug and preparing his tea just as he’d seen Jay do a thousand times over the years. 

He slid the mug over. “Careful, it’s hot.”

Jay smiled at him over the rim, and Sunoo leaned on his forearms over the island again, watching the heat of the tea drain the tension from his body. Sunoo watched him silently, appreciative almost, as the warm light from overhead danced on Jay’s skin.

“Did you—” Jay cut off, staring down at the mug in his hands. “Did you hear what Jungwon called him?”

Sunoo pursed his lips, trying to dig through his memory for anything that caught his attention, but most of what he remembered was tainted with panic. He cocked his head. He remembered Jungwon stopping Jay from tearing Nova’s head off her shoulders, Heeseung and Jay bringing Riki back to them—where he belonged, and then: “Baby,”

Jay’s lips quirked up, but it wasn’t quite a smile. “Yeah. Baby.” 

“He called Riki that earlier too, before we called Hanni.” Sunoo traced his finger along the top of the counter, the marble cool against his skin. He remembered it so much clearer than he remembered Riki’s rescue. He was upstairs, lounging with Sunghoon when he’d heard it. It was quiet, and he knew he shouldn’t have been eavesdropping. But he was worried, and he could practically feel the tension from upstairs, so he’d tuned in. They were arguing, unsurprisingly, but then it had gone quiet, too quiet, until Jungwon broke it. “So tell me, baby, what is it you aren’t telling me?”

Jay looked surprised, but not…displeased, not upset. There was a little sag to his shoulder line, something that looked just close enough to relief. Sunoo chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, then reached for Jay’s sleeve. 

“You feel it too, right?”

Jay didn’t need to ask. “Of course I do. I thought Jungwon was going to be the hardest to convince.” He admitted. “I think he was gone first.”

Sunoo couldn’t hold back his grin. “I could’ve told you that the night of Riki’s first turning. I’ve never seen him so worried, nearly bit Heeseung’s hand off for trying to take him away.” 

Jay hummed, bumping his head against Sunoo’s shoulder rhythmically, and Sunoo turned to pepper small kisses into his hair. He pried the empty mug from his fingers, depositing it into the sink—a problem for later and tugged Jay up the stairs.

No one had moved from when Sunoo had woken up, aside from Heeseung, who had just shifted slightly so he was lying more on his front now, Sunghoon draped across his back. Jay’s breath audibly caught, and Sunoo glanced back. Jay had paused with his hand on the doorway, looking like he was fighting to keep his emotions from bursting from the seams. 

Sunoo reached for him, running his thumb along his knuckles and leading him to the, albeit, small space between Riki and Jungwon. Jay settled stiffly, like he wasn’t entirely sure of himself, and Sunoo huffed.

He rolled Riki over carefully, but the other vampire didn’t stir, ensuring his head rested securely on Jay’s chest. Sunoo took Jay’s hand, then, wrapping it around Riki’s wrist, resting his fingers over the strong, steady pulse beneath his skin. He knew he technically didn’t need to. Jay could find a pulse in his sleep, but Sunoo figured it was the thought that counted. Jay smiled softly as Sunoo dragged Jungwon closer to lie on his other side, designating himself to the end of the nest, crowding Jungwon in. 

But Jay’s breath was still unsteady in his chest, his eyes shifting anxiously across the empty ceiling. Sunoo laid a hand on his hip, partly for Jay, partly for himself. “Listen.” He whispered.

Jay made a questioning sound, but Sunoo shushed him, gesturing to his own ear. Jay sent him a look, but rested his head back again. Sunoo could see the realization dawn on him, could see the exact moment he heard it. 

“Do you hear it?”

Jay looked like he was in awe, but nodded nonetheless. Sunoo grinned, wrapping himself firmly around Jungwon. He closed his eyes, not to rest, but to listen. Because for the first time, there were seven hearts beating as one, not one rhythm out of sync. They were one.

***

Sunoo didn’t know how Jay had managed to wake Riki up. He actually thought he’d have an easier time trying to revive a mostly decayed body. He’d tried just about every trick in the book to rouse Riki without waking the others, but the younger vampire was determined to keep sleeping, apparently. 

Eventually, when Sunoo was tired of the traditional ways, he simply leaned over and bit his ear, hard enough to hurt, light enough not to damage. Riki yelped, but Sunoo clamped a hand over his mouth and on the back of his neck, keeping his head pressed to Jay’s chest. Riki blinked the sleep from his eyes, blearily looking at Sunoo.

“Hyung? What the hell? Where’s Jay-hyung?”

Sunoo rubbed the spot he’d bitten soothingly. “You’re laying on him.”

Riki glanced down at Jay, then back at Sunoo, shrugging off Jay’s arm as he sat up. Sunoo sat up with him, but he didn’t miss the way Riki’s hands wouldn’t leave Jay’s body.

“You need to eat.” He said, handing Riki a glass of blood. Riki looked at it for a moment, then set it to the side.

“Can I feed from you, hyung?”

Sunoo froze, and for a moment, he thought he was the one with the head injury. “What?”

Riki didn’t look shy, although he did grin at Sunoo’s flush. He leaned forward, over the sleeping forms of Jungwon and Jay, directly into Sunoo’s face. He was close, so, so close. Sunoo could just lean in, taste him. 

“Can I feed from you, hyungie? Please?” 

His breath hit Sunoo’s face, and Sunoo shivered, nodding before he could think about what he was agreeing to. Riki grinned, and he pulled Sunoo close by the back of his neck. Sunoo didn’t even know when his hand had gotten there. Just like he didn’t know how he’d ended up straddling Riki’s lap, head tipped back, Riki’s mouth on his neck. 

Sunoo gripped his shoulder, trying to think of anything but Riki’s breath on his throat, his hands gripping Sunoo’s waist. “Riki, hurry up.”

Riki laughed, a low, gruff sound that had Sunoo heating up in ways he didn’t want to think about. “Don’t worry, hyung.”

Sunoo’s breath caught, and Riki scraped his fangs along the outside of Sunoo’s throat, like a warning before sinking them in. Sunoo gasped. Each pull from his veins was rhythmic, almost hypnotizing, and Sunoo didn’t want it to ever end. He made a sound in the back of his throat, something close to a whimper, and Riki pulled back, gathering Sunoo’s face in his hands.

“Shhh, hyung. Did I take too much?” 

Sunoo swallowed, and Riki’s eyes tracked it. “No, I’m fine, just didn’t expect…that.”

Riki returned to Sunoo’s neck, nosing at the puncture wounds. “Didn’t expect what?”

“It—” He cleared his throat. “It felt good, that’s all.”

“Does it usually hurt?” Riki murmured. “Have I been hurting Sunghoon everytime I do this? I’ll stop, I don’t want to hurt you, hyung.”

“No, it doesn’t usually hurt,” Sunoo whispered, already finding himself wishing for Riki’s fangs in his throat again. “I just didn’t expect it to feel that good, that’s all.”

Riki’s laugh was muffled by Sunoo’s skin. Sunoo shifted on his lap, but he wasn’t sure if he was trying to get closer or get away. Riki ducked down, and Sunoo felt his tongue against his throat, lapping up a stray drop of blood. 

“You taste good, hyungie, like your scent.”

Sunoo’s brain shortcutted.

“He does taste good, doesn’t he?” 

Sunoo didn’t jump at the extra contact, but he felt his face heat up, and he hid in Riki’s neck. He felt Heeseung nose at the punctures Riki left, his voice quiet, soft.

“Can I take a bite too, baby?”

Sunoo made a pathetic sound and nodded, and that was all it took. Heeseung’s fangs dug in, rougher than Riki had been, and Sunoo bit his lip to keep his gasp in. It felt just as good, even if Heeseung’s rhythm was a little different as he pulled the blood from Sunoo’s veins. Riki was watching with rapt attention. 

When Heeseung pulled back, Sunoo felt dizzy, but he wasn’t sure if it was the sudden blood loss or the headiness of their scents. He was overwhelmed, entirely caught between their bodies, but still, he found himself leaning into them anyway. Heeseung was tugging at his hair, and Riki’s hands were on his waist when he finally found his breath again.

“Sunoo, love, you okay?”

Sunoo hummed, too relaxed to really care, and Heeseung laughed, kissing his cheek.

“Didn’t expect to wake up to that,” he murmured. “Not complaining though. You two are also…pretty.” He said.

“You called me that before.” Riki said, and Sunoo blinked enough to gain clarity to be present for the conversation.

“Called you what? Pretty?” Heesueng’s fingers brushed just under Riki’s eyes, pressing Sunoo further into him, so close he could feel the rise and fall of both their chests. 

“No.” Riki didn’t elaborate further.

Heeseung hummed, and Sunoo could hear the challenge in it. “What did I call you then, Riki?” Sunoo felt Riki smile more than he saw it, and Heeseung leaned in that much closer. “What did I call you, baby?”

Riki let out a breath that sounded like Heeseung had pulled it from his lungs himself. Heeseung grinned, like he was getting exactly what he wanted. “Oh, is that it? Love, you should’ve said something sooner.”

Riki leaned into Heeseung’s touch, and Sunoo found himself with his hands in Riki’s hair. He had scars now, red, jagged, where his hairline was, but they were healing. Sunoo shoved down the surge of murderous intent that lit up low in his abdomen, forcing himself to trace lightly over the scars, trying to remind himself that Riki was still here. Still safe. 

Heeseung must have been following his gaze because he said, “How’s your head? How about Sunoo’s blood? Didn’t hurt?”

Riki shook his head. “I’m fine, and Sunoo-hyung tasted good.” 

Heeseung’s smile shifted, gentler, kinder, and, ever so slowly, he kissed Riki’s forehead. “I’m glad, baby.” He turned to Sunoo, licking the puncture wounds so they closed. “What do you want to eat?”

“I’m not hungry right now.”

“Liar.” Heeseung nipped at his neck, but he didn’t break skin. “Want to keep me company while I cook?”

Sunoo rolled off Riki easily, standing to follow, and he’d made it to about halfway across the room when he realized Riki wasn’t following. He turned, and Riki was just sitting there, hands folded in his lap, looking between Heeseung and Sunoo with this look. A look Sunoo didn’t want to begin to decipher. 

“Do you want to sleep more? I’ll wake you up later, I promise.”

Heeseung stuck his head in the doorway again, “Riki, join us, please?”

That seemed to do the trick. Riki stood, slipping off the bed to follow them downstairs, where he propped himself up on the counter to watch Heeseung flit about the kitchen. Warm light filtered through the windows, bathing Riki in a light that made him look powerful in a way Sunoo didn’t expect. He found one of their phones, on seven percent, but all Sunoo needed from it was the time. Heeseung saw him looking.

“What time is it?”

“It’s Sunday.” He deadpanned, and Heeseung paused what he was doing momentarily.

Riki cursed. “I need to call my mom.”

“I think I saw your phone in the living room,” Sunoo said, and Riki disappeared in that direction. 

Heeseung resumed his task, but his movements were slower. “We slept through…a whole day?”

Sunoo shrugged. “We were tired, I’m honestly not that surprised.”

Heeseung plated the food, sliding it in front of Sunoo with a smile. They could hear Riki on the phone, his voice low but calm as he spoke to his family. Sunoo stabbed at his food, and Heeseung stole small pieces every now and then. Riki’s voice drew nearer, until he was practically on top of them, leaning against Heeseung, who didn’t even question it, simply wrapping his arm around Riki’s waist.

Sunoo hid his smile. He’d figured that after that night, everyone would be…less secretive of their growing affections, but he didn’t expect it to be so obvious so quickly. Riki spoke, twirling a strand of Heeseung’s hair between his fingers absentmindedly. He was smiling at something his father said, and the pain he’d endured, the blood and the screaming, almost felt like a distant echo, like a false memory, or something Sunoo wasn’t remembering quite right.

“Jay should be up soon, he’s usually one of the first to wake,” Heeseung whispered, just low enough for Riki to hear but not loud enough to be heard through the speaker. 

Sunoo rounded the corner to grab a blood bag, muttering, “He better not.”

“Why do you say that?”

“We slept a day, I think he’d only gotten a couple hours. He’s sleeping for as long as I can make him.”

Footsteps padded down the hall, and Heeseung raised an eyebrow, but the footfalls didn’t match Jay’s rhythm. In fact, it sounded more like—

“Guys?”

Heeseung grinned, leaving Riki with a kiss on the temple, right over his scar. “Hi, Hoonie.”

Sunghoon looked rumpled, hair sticking up in every direction, rubbing at his face with his sleeve. Heeseung kissed his head, and Sunghoon smiled softly, the kind of smile he only displayed in the early hours of waking or just as he was about to fall asleep. And Sunoo reveled in it, collecting those moments like easter eggs he would tuck into his pocket to keep forever. Like the way Jay cleaned from left to right when he was anxious, or how Jake would kiss them three times before he left, whether that be the room or the house, three kisses, always. 

Sunghoon’s smiles were not rare in any sense, but this one, the vulnerable one, the one where he’d curl into your body, seeking heat without even thinking about it, held a special place in Sunoo’s heart. 

“What time is it?” Sunghoon asked, curling into Heeseung like he could siphon the heat from him.

“Sunday.” Sunoo answered simply, and Sunghoon thought about that for a moment, then shrugged, like he couldn’t care less, as long as Heeseung didn’t move. 

Riki was still speaking softly in the background, saying something that sounded like a goodbye, then the sound of the dial tone. 

“How are they?” Heeseung pulled out a chair next to Sunoo, pulling Sunghoon to straddle his lap for more contact he could suck the heat from. Sunghoon was their ice prince, always cold, no matter the weather, and if they weren’t already undead, Sunoo—or Jay—might suggest testing for an iron deficiency. But despite his seemingly endless attempts to crawl in their skin, he always ran the hottest. 

“Your family, how are they?”

Riki turned to plug his phone into the nearest charger. “They’re good, happy to hear from me more often. My sisters especially.”

Heeseung looked satisfied with the answer and didn’t press more, content with whatever information Riki was willing to give. But there was something Sunoo couldn’t quite put his finger on, not with the glances Riki threw at them that clearly said he had something to say. He made a gesture with his hands, and Heeseung cocked his head.

“Words, love, I don’t know what this,” he mimicked Riki’s gestures, “means.”

Riki sighed. “What about you guys?”

Heeseung frowned, and Sunoo stifled a laugh. “Us? I’m good, slept for a day, fed from Sunoo, currently getting Sunghoon cuddles, life is great.”

Riki looked lost and turned to Sunoo for help. Sunoo decided to take pity on him and gently laid his hand on Heeseung’s arm. “I think he meant our families, hyung.”

Heeseung took a moment to process, and Sunoo decided he’d start then, while Heeseung gathered his thoughts and Sunghoon relearned how to speak. “I lived with my family my entire life until I met the coven. It was me, my mom, my dad, and my older sister.” He smiled at the spark that lit in Riki’s eyes. “She taught me…everything, she meant everything.” He paused to clear his throat. “She passed a couple of years back, but at that point, it’d been at least twenty years since I’d seen her.”

Riki’s gaze was lined with unshed tears, and Sunoo almost regretted sharing it until Riki reached for his hand, squeezing gently. “I’m sorry, hyung.”

Sunoo shrugged, trying to ignore the burning in the back of his throat. “It’s okay, I didn’t get to go to her funeral, but I managed to sneak in for her cremation, just had to stand at the back, watch from afar.”

It was probably the first time he’d truly felt the weight of immortality. His parents had died long before, but he didn’t know why he didn’t consider that his sister could die. To him, she was just as immortal, untouchable by death. But death came for her, and it was the only time Sunoo had found himself longing for the fragility of mortality. 

Heeseung eyed him wearily, like he could sense the spiral and cut in, pulling Sunoo’s chair closer. “I had an older brother. We used to do everything together.” He frowned. “But he was always better than me. I looked up to him a lot, and when he passed…”

Riki looked utterly distressed, and if Sunoo wasn’t currently battling with the wave of grief that smacked into him, he would offer comfort. Heeseung cleared his throat. “He got sick first, and at that point, it was like his death certificate was signed. Then I got sick, and these people came to the door, said they had medicine. It was…the most amount of pain I’ve ever felt, and Heedo was already so weak. He went quickly, but he left me in the process.”

Sunoo laid a hand on his knee, and Sunghoon pulled back enough to kiss the column on his throat, peeling back Heeseung’s shirt enough to kiss his own mark.

“I had a little sister, Yeji. She was five years younger than me,” Sunghoon murmured, his lips still pressed to Heeseung’s skin. “I, um, I went back to visit her once, a couple of years after I had turned, and I…I hurt her. She was what…twenty-six, maybe? Heeseung and Jay had to pull me off.”

His voice trailed off, quiet, ashamed, and Heeseung ran his knuckles down the path of Sunghoon’s spine.

“I don’t…want that to happen to me. Can I control it? So I don’t hurt them, can you teach me to control it?”

Riki wasn’t looking at anyone as he said it. He was staring down at his fingers, rubbing at the scars on his hairline like he thought they might come off if he tried hard enough. “My sisters still think I’m sick, and that’s why I can’t go back yet. And my mom,” he huffed a breath that wasn’t quite a laugh, “she’s been trying to figure out how to send care packages. Like that’s gonna do anything for me now.”

He looked up then, eyes glassy but steady. “I don’t want them scared of me. Or to forget me. Or—or end up dead because I thought I was ready when I wasn’t.”

Heeseung softened immediately, and even Sunghoon, who was moments away from being lost in his mind, looked up. Sunoo glanced at them, for support, or confirmation, before saying: “We’ll help you control it.”

Riki smiled, soft and giddy all at once, practically crawling over the counter to crush Sunoo in a hug. 

“What are we helping to control?” The words came out jumbled, mixed in with an unexpected yawn, and Sunoo didn’t even bother turning. He’d heard Jake before he’d even reached the stairs. 

“My urge to kill people!” Riki said, and Jake blinked, like maybe he thought that was a side effect of his drowsiness. 

“When…did I sign up for that?”

“When we decided to keep him around a bit longer,” Heeseung murmured, locking one arm around Sunghoon’s waist and using the other to reach for Jake, giving him the same good morning kiss he gave to Sunghoon.

“We decided to do that?” Jake teased, tugging on a strand of Riki’s hair affectionately.

Riki pouted, pushing Jake’s hand away, and Jake blew him a kiss with a wink that had Sunoo rolling his eyes. He wrapped a finger in the excess fabric of Jake’s shirt, receiving his own kiss as he asked, “Jay and Jugwon awake yet?”

“Jay’s knocked out, but Jungwon was like half-awake when I got up. Jay has a death grip on him, though, so he’s not getting up until Jay does.” Jake had a little smile curling at the edges of his mouth, and Sunoo didn’t realize how much he needed that update until Jake said it. At last, Jay was resting, better late than never. 

***

It was some days later that Sunoo found himself sitting across from Riki on his bed. The other vampire’s eyes were closed, but there was a downward tilt to his mouth, frustration building in the lines of his face from hours of practice. Sunoo knew better than to interfere, though, the last time he’d tried to suggest a break, Riki had nearly bitten him. 

“Riki, take a breath,” Sunoo murmured, quiet enough not to break the other’s focus.

“I am.” He growled, making a dramatic show of taking a deep breath, and Sunoo rolled his eyes. 

He took Riki’s hand, splaying it on his own chest, right over his heart. Riki’s eyes snapped open, his expression bewildered, but he didn’t pull away. “Close your eyes.”

Riki sent him one last look but did as he was told. 

“Do you feel my heartbeat?”

Riki hummed, leaning into him, and Sunoo couldn’t help but smile. 

“Focus only on that. Let everything else fall away.” He could see when it clicked for Riki. The knot between his brows loosened, and he let out a little puff of air, awed. “Find Sunghoon, what’s he doing?”

The furrow returned, and Riki shifted. “His heart’s erratic, he’s anxious.”

Sunoo himself reached for Sunghoon, searching for him through the waves of other sounds. Sunghoon’s heartbeat fluttered unsteadily in his chest, reverberating in Sunoo’s ears, in his veins. Sunoo frowned. “Find his voice, just his voice, keep everything else blocked.”

Riki chewed on his lip, and Sunoo tuned in too. “He’s…talking? No. No, he’s arguing.”

Sunghoon’s voice filled Sunoo’s ears, loud, irritated. His tone was harsh, harsher than Sunoo’s ever heard him use with any of them in all their years together. Jungwon snapped something back at him, and Sunoo had to push back his oncoming headache. They’d been fighting for days, hardly speaking unless it was a snide remark or clipped words. Jungwon was avoiding them, all of them, he knew that for sure, disappearing out the door with no explanation or leaving the rooms they entered and it was starting to wear them all thin. 

But Riki…Riki, with no explanation for the sudden shift, felt it the most. Sunoo pretended he didn’t notice the tears of frustration that welled in Riki’s eyes at every new dismissal or the way Jungwon’s heart stuttered every time Riki’s face fell. Sunoo was getting fucking sick of it. He gathered every scrap of anger and frustration he could find—and it was plentiful—before balling it up in his mind and shoving it directly through the bond, aiming for where he heard the sounds of Sunghoon and Jungwon. 

There was a choking sound, and Riki flinched, eyes snapping open as he scrambled to get up. “Something’s wrong, hyung doesn’t sound right.”

Sunoo caught his wrist, refusing to let him go any further. He could feel Jay and Heeseung press back with concern on both ends. Jake flooded the bond with a calm that startled even Sunoo, his body relaxing against his will. “He’s fine, Riki, listen.”

Riki’s eyes darted to the door, but again, he listened, falling still. Sunghoon cleared his throat, but his voice was clear in Sunoo’s ears, as it must have been in Riki’s.

“Sorry, Sunoo. Sorry, Riki.” 

Jungwon joined a moment later. “Sorry, hyung.”

Sunoo huffed, allowing a small inkling of warmth to thread through the bond, and he heard both their heartbeats calm, feeling the relief Sunghoon flooded through the bond.  When he opened his eyes, Riki was frowning at him.

“What was that?”

Sunoo winced. “What was what?”

“That. Whatever you did.” Riki gestured at him, like that was supposed to help. “You promised you wouldn’t lie to me, hyung.”

Sunoo sighed, twisting his fingers in his lap, suddenly self-conscious. “I let him know I was angry, that they were fighting again.”

“...What?”

“It’s something you can do with a bond: share emotions, feel everyone else's emotions. I just basically threw all my frustration at him so he knew I was upset and what I was upset for.”

Riki’s mouth opened like he was going to say something, but he seemed to think better of it. “You can do that?”

Sunoo shrugged. “I can do a lot of things with the bond. Technically, I can even have access to their thoughts if I wanted to, but we chose not to have an open channel. It can feel…violating, even if I trust them with my life. That and it’s so overstimulating.”

“You can read each other's thoughts?”

Sunoo pursed his lips. Maybe he should go get Jay if Riki’s head wasn’t working again. But still, nodded slowly, clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth. “Yep, but again, we don’t. Too loud.”

Riki looked like he accepted the answer, but he hadn’t sat down yet, so Sunoo swung his legs off the side of the bed. “Alright, say what you want to say.”

“Is…is Jungwon still angry at me?”

Sunoo smiled, but it was tense. “No. He’s not mad at you. He’s mad at himself, even if he won’t admit it yet.”

Riki didn’t look like he believed him at all, but Sunoo didn’t get an opportunity to elaborate because the door creaked open. Jake poked his head in, cautious.

“Hey, I, uh, felt…that. You okay?”

“I’m fine. Just sick of them fighting all the time.” Sunoo hissed, and Jake winced. Sunoo wasn’t blind. He could see how it weighed on Jake too; the anxious twitch in his body every time Sunghoon and Jungwon so much as brushed past one another, or the way his eyes darted between them when they stormed off to cool down, like he wasn’t sure who he should go after, if anyone at all.

Jake looked so…lost as he stood there, and Sunoo could feel waves of uneasiness pouring off him. Riki wrinkled his nose, reaching for Jake’s neck like he wasn’t thinking. Jake didn’t move, and Riki rubbed his thumb into the side of his neck, brows completely furrowed in concentration.

“Stop that.” He said.

Jake looked bewildered. “Stop what? You’re the one assaulting my neck.”

Riki paid him no mind, digging his thumb in. “You smell weird, stop it.”

Sunoo burst out laughing, unable to contain it any longer. Riki was still frowning as he turned to Sunoo with an exasperated expression. “Why does he smell like this? Hyung, make it stop.”

“He’s anxious, Riki, so he smells anxious.”

“I don’t like it.” Riki pouted, and Sunoo could picture him stomping his foot.

Jake melted, his head landing on Riki’s shoulder as he laughed lightly. Sunoo watched them fondly, standing to go downstairs once they quieted. Heeseung was lying across Jay’s lap in the living room, phone held over his face. They looked up. 

Jay smiled. “How’d it go?”

Sunoo shrugged, throwing himself on Heeseung, who grunted at the contact. “Good. He’s better than I was at his age.”

Heeseung snickered, running his hand through Sunoo’s hair, tugging occasionally. Jay wriggled from underneath them, complaining vaguely about them being too heavy, but Sunoo ignored him. He tucked his head against Heeseung’s chest, listening to the calm heartbeat beneath his skin.

“Your hearts sync up. Did you know that?”

Heeseung’s hand froze in his hair. “What?”

Sunoo cracked an eye open. Riki was leaning against the arm of the couch, Jake’s wrist in his hands, like he was about to feed before he’d gotten distracted. He traced his finger over Jake’s veins as he talked, like he couldn’t look at them as he said it. Jake shuddered, squirming, but he didn’t pull away. 

“It’s weird, like—they all blend together, but if I concentrate enough, I can pick out who’s who.”

Jay and Heeseung exchanged a glance, and Sunoo hummed. “Bonds help with that, but if you’re just comfortable with another person, your heart will sync with theirs. Yours beat in time with ours a couple of days ago. It was nice.”

Jake perked up, his ears catching on Sunoo’s words, and Sunoo didn’t miss the way Jay squeezed Heeseung’s arm, his quiet way of communicating so loud to Sunoo. 

Riki flushed, a light pink dust settling on the tips of his ears, a smile blooming that he tried to hide. Then it faded, just as suddenly as it appeared. “They’re not in sync.”

Heeseung tensed underneath him, and Sunoo fought off his mounting frustration. He didn’t need to ask who Riki was talking about. They all felt it. They all heard it, even if they were trying their best to pretend otherwise. 

Sunoo gritted his teeth but sat up, changing the subject. “Who do you want to try tonight?”

Riki, since his rescue, had gotten remarkably more comfortable drinking other types of blood. He’d expanded beyond Sunghoon and could now stomach all six of the coven’s blood; in fact, he seemed to enjoy their blood far more than he did human. But, because they were weaning him off, he still fed from human blood, and Sunoo tried not to laugh at every grimacing face he made.

“Jake-hyung offered.”

Sunoo waved his hand, and Riki looked to Jay and Heeseung for permission before finally bringing Jake’s wrist to his mouth. Sunoo watched for a moment, transfixed, but stood, slipping out of the room while everyone was distracted. Sunghoon and Jungwon were just as he expected them to be, although he didn’t appreciate them destroying the calm atmosphere of his garden with their insufferable arguing, but he supposed it was better than them fighting in the house. He knocked on the door, then opened it without waiting for an answer. They turned to him with obvious surprise.  

“You two are acting like children.” He said flatly, watching with mild amusement as Sunghoon and Jungwon scrambled to defend themselves.

Jungwon stepped forward, but Sunoo held his hand up, effectively silencing him. “You are stressing the fuck out of everyone, including Riki. I don’t care for whatever measuring contest this is, but the next time I hear you arguing over the same fucking thing I swear to god I will lock you outside of the house for you to deal with it in the woods.” He paused, allowing the words to sink in. “Do you understand?”

They both nodded cautiously, glancing at each other with more unity than Sunoo had seen in nearly a week. 

“Fantastic. Then let’s go downstairs to eat, and I want you to apologize to everyone, no exceptions.” 

For a moment, no one moved. Then Sunoo sighed and waved them forward, ushering them downstairs and shutting the cold out behind them.

For now, they would be okay.

But this was only a bandage over a bullet wound—and Sunoo knew, sooner or later, something had to give.