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Taehyung was seven when he first learned how to shift. He was bumbling and clumsy, struggling to adjust to four legs and a tail. He growled at everything, a real scaredy-cat. He’d love chasing birds and butterflies through the forest, tripping on rocks and getting into scrapes. Sometimes when he play-fought with Hoseok and Namjoon they nipped too hard and he came home with bruises and cuts that his mother always berated him for.
He would only wipe his muddy forehead and grin his boxy grin and bounce on the balls of his human feet and wait for her to say he could go out again tomorrow.
He was seven when the pack treaty was signed, when the Vampires came to stay.
They protected the pack at night, and in return the wolves protected them during the day. An alliance brought on by the two pack leaders, one for history books as the first of its kind.
The younglings were strange, they smelt funny, made Taehyung’s nose wrinkle in disgust. The one kid Jiminie, he used to follow him to school, he didn’t have a backpack, so Taehyung used to share his power rangers lunchbox with him, and let him keep his ‘special’ juice boxes in it. He sat with him at lunch because the other kids were scared of him, and that made the young pup growl and tell them not to be rude.
“It’s okay that you smell bad. My halmeoni says I smell bad sometimes, when Namjoonie hyung wrestles me in puddles during rainy season.”
Jimin had laughed at that, mumbling something about wet dog smell.
He was seven when he met Jeonggukkie for the first time. He was small, pale, eyes too big for his head. He so cute Taehyung’s little heart thumped loudly.
Jeongguk’s smile was his favourite, his giggles as the silver furred pup ran circles around him made him howl with joy.
“Taehyung-ah, please be careful.” Jeongguk’s mother would call out and Taehyung’s halmeoni would tut and say not to worry he doesn’t have his big boy teeth yet, he won’t hurt. “It’s not Jeongguk I’m worried about.” She would mutter back.
The baby vamp was always right on cue of course, pulling on the pup’s tail with the force of an adult. Taehyung howled out, nipping at his wrist to let go before running off to sulk. Jeongguk had toddled after him though, crouching to look at him even as the now-human boy cried into his small fists and tried to turn away from him.
“Don’t cry hyungie, Jeonggukkie is sorry.” He’d said, wringing his t-shirt between tiny fists, own eyes welling up.
It wasn’t hard to notice how attached the two became after that, especially when another vampire kid tried to pull Taehyung’s tail a few weeks later and Jeongguk, only five shoved him so hard he flew across the yard.
Taehyung was twelve when Jeongguk’s fangs first grew in. He remembers it well; it was late into the evening and he was just finishing his homework when there’d been frantic knocking on his door.
“Hyungie look!” He’d beamed, flashing the little fang poking out of his gum.
“It’s huge!” Taehyung had said, eyes flashing as he tried to get a better look.
“Taehyungie, don’t touch!” Jeongguk had said stepping back, “’s sensitive.” He’d lisped out, only now drawing attention to the swelling of his lower lip.
“Did you bite yourself!” Taehyung berated, pulling close to inspect it but the baby vamp had only shaken his head, whole body buzzing with excitement.
“Eomma says that it takes a year to grow in properly and the other hasn’t started yet. But I wanna use them now!! Jiminie-ssi already gets to go on hunts.” He pouts, sulking and Taehyung sighs.
“You should call him ‘hyung’ it’s polite.” He tells him and Jeongguk frowns. “But I don’t have to call you hyung.”
“That’s because I’m your Taehyungie, that’s different.” The wolf stutters out.
“Why?” Jeongguk asks, moving to sit on the porch step and the wolf joins him, cannot understand the way his still young heart feels funny.
“It’s just… how it is.” Is all he can say, because he doesn’t really know either. “Besides, it doesn’t… feel right.” He mumbles, picking at a loose thread.
Jeongguk’s fang glints in the moonlight as he opens his mouth to speak. “Like how you belong in the sun and me in the moon but Eomma says you’re the moon pack and we are the sun pack.”
Taehyung nods.
“You’re pale like the moon, because you go out at night, because that’s your nature.” A voice comes from behind them, startling them. Both boys turn in shock to see Taehyung halmeoni is standing in the doorway, dish rag drying her hands as she watches the young boys fondly. “Vampires are ruled by the sun, so they are Sun pack. Wolves are ruled by the moon so they are Moon pack.” She finishes and the two boys can only cling to her words in awe. “Now, you are together, Sun and Moon in one pack. You are special.” She continues and the two boys turn to look at one another blinking.
“Wow!” They both gasp, making the elderly woman chuckle.
“Come inside in a minute Honey bear. You have school tomorrow.” She says, before leaving them alone.
“When I can bite things, I want to bite you.” Jeongguk admits, smiling like he doesn’t understand what that means. “Appa says you should only bite a wolf if they’re important to you, and you’re important to me.” He grins and Taehyung grins back, can’t help it.
“Okay!” He says, because Jeonggukkie is important to him too.
Taehyung is twelve when he makes a promise, fingers linking tight. He’s just twelve when he promises to let Jeongguk bite him, to let him be the first to do so.
Taehyung is sixteen when he presents. Finds out that he is an omega, not an alpha like his two hyungs. Sixteen when he first learns what it means to be a wolf, to mate and want to be mated.
But it’s not another one of his moon pack that he cries out for, it’s a certain Vampire. The one that’s grown taller than him already, the one who just finished growing in his adult fangs, the one who’s been avoiding him ever since. (He doesn't know it's because he smells too good, because Jeongguk worries he might do something they'll both regret...)
Taehyung’s sixteen when he remembers their promise, realises what it means, realises that, it’s what he wants more than ever.
Taehyung is sixteen when Jeongguk’s scent changes, when he finds himself hiding in his wolf form so he can get away with curling up on the vampire’s bed each night, soaking in his scent.
Taehyung is eighteen when Jeongguk takes his first human feed. He stinks of her, her bad perfume, the blood down his neck flaky and gross, he smells like death and Taehyung’s heart shatters the minute he realises what he’s done.
“Hyung?” Jeongguk asks as he flips on his bedroom light, sees the omega lay on his bed. Since when had he gone back to calling him that?
“Gukkie what-” He freezes, smells it first, then his eyes adjust, the world falls from under his feet because Jeongguk promised, he said he would bite Taehyung first, and Taehyung promised never to let anyone else bite him.
Bite him, because biting a wolf is a lifelong bond, it’s not a feed, it’s a mating and Taehyung, he’s already decided, Jeonggukkie is his mate.
“Why?” He asks, eyes cold, fists clenched.
“Hyungie? It’s just a feed, I had to do it, I would die if I didn’t drink-” Jeongguk frowns, he’s a lot less timid and shy now, hasn’t been since his first animal feed all those years ago. Ever since Taehyung presented too, he’d been protective, taken care of him, kept him fed and warm and cared for. He’d been courting him, that’s how wolves court and he’d promised and he was supposed to be Taehyung’s, not some stupid human with cheap perfume and A-positive blood type.
“You could’ve hunted with me. I would’ve got you a feed!” He yells, tears prick his eyes.
“When you bring them, they’re dying or dead, the blood isn’t good. Live blood is...” He is cut off by Taehyung panicked interruption.
“I brought you my best kills and this whole time you didn’t want them?” He asks, hurt. Jeongguk shakes his head.
“Hyung, no, I love your kills, I wouldn’t accept them if I didn’t...” He trails off.
“If I didn’t what?” Taehyung presses.
“Hyung, look.”
“Stop calling me that.” Taehyung grits his bared teeth, he feels the growl rumbling in his chest, ready to break out. Jeongguk’s eyes go wide, they’re blood red now, never looked that way before, animal blood makes them a warm brown. The same colour as Hoseok hyung’s coat, but they’re warmer, something he liked to get lost on in. Now they’re red and cold and there’s blood all over Jeongguk’s mouth and Taehyung feels like he can’t breathe.
Taehyung is eighteen when he suffers his first heart break.
“Calling you what?” Jeongguk asks, confused, trying to step closer but Taehyung only growls in warning.
“'Hyung'. I’m not... You promised! Call me by my name!” Taehyung’s voice breaks, his lower lip wobbles and Jeongguk’s own heart breaks too.
“Look, Taehyungie. I know that you hunt for me and it’s rude not to accept a wolf’s gifts. I love them, I’m so grateful but I’m an adult now, I have to fulfil my adult needs.”
Taehyung scoffs, sniffing hard and looking anywhere but at Jeongguk.
“Why her?” He asks but his voice is weak.
“She was offering, Jiminie and Yoongi hyung were both sharing her already so they told me to just try some. I don’t even know who she is, she won’t even remember it tomorrow.” He says, finally moving to touch the omega but he flinches away.
“Don’t touch me! I don’t want her stench on me.” He snaps, and Jeongguk flinches back too, never heard the most kind-hearted person in his life be so rude.
“You’re supposed to be mine.” He sniffs, wipes his eyes. “I was supposed to be yours. You promised.” He says and Jeongguk frowns, stooping to try and make eye contact.
“Promised what, Taehyungie?” He asks, his breath smells of her too, it makes Taehyung feel sick.
“Of course, you don’t remember.” He sniffs. “I’m so stupid.”
He leaves then, storms out the house, and turns into his wolf form and he runs. Runs all the way home to curl up in his own bed and sob until his heart stops aching.
Taehyung is twenty when Jimin tells him he and Namjoon mated. It’s quite the drama, what with Namjoon’s parents being against vampire relationships in the first place. But pack law is the final law and all mates must be respected.
It hurts more when Taehyung looks over at Jeongguk and wishes it was them, wishes Jeongguk would bite him, would tell him he loves him. Instead he drinks his strawberry milkshake and watches as Namjoon ruffles Jimin’s hair and Seokjin tells a bad Joke.
“So, when are you two going to mate?” Yoongi asks, it’s blunt, catches everyone off guard. Makes Seokjin choke on his blood shake.
Jeongguk looks around, like he cannot see who Yoongi is talking about. Hoseok smacks Taehyung’s knee in prompt to speak. There’s tension, Jimin’s sympathetic eyes find Taehyung’s as the omega sinks further into the padded leather booth.
“Gukkie stopped accepting Tae’s courting gifts two years ago hyung, why would you make it awkward?” Namjoon berates and Jeongguk’s eyes widen.
“What?”
“Are you still going on about that stupid promise, I don’t think they even remember.” Seokjin finally says, ignoring Jeongguk and trying to sweep the whole thing under a metaphorical rug.
“What promise?” Jeongguk asks, looking around, eyes drilling into Taehyung’s side because he refuses to look at him.
“Excuse me.” Taehyung smiles weakly, scooting past the others to get out of his seat, anything to breathe air that’s not heavy with Jeongguk’s scent. Anything to be away from that situation or to confront his feelings.
Jeongguk blinks after him.
“Are you really that dense?” Jimin says kicking him under the table.
Jeongguk grunts, threatening eyes falling on him in warning.
“What promise?” He asks, fangs flashing when Seokjin attempts to ignore him again.
“Fuck.” He winces, flinching away.
“You promised Taehyung you’d bite him. Made him promise not to let anyone else. You basically told him you want to mate.” Hoseok explains, he’s too nice to watch them continue to dance around one another anymore.
Jeongguk blinks, of course he remembers that promise, it’s haunted him his entire childhood. But he’d never hoped Taehyung would remember too, that he’d really wanted Jeongguk. He’d told his parents about the promise and they’d immediately told him what that meant, and he’d known he’d meant it. But he didn’t know Taehyung would want it too…
“Appa says you should only bite a wolf if they’re important to you, and you’re important to me.”
He stutters, desperately trying to get out the seat. “He remembered that?” He asks, grabbing Jimin by the collar and ignoring the warning growl from Namjoon. “Did he really want to mate me?” He snaps and Jimin shoves him off.
“Why else would he court you!? Why else would he cry his eyes out that day you first fed from a human? You’re a real idiot.” Jimin snaps, and Jeongguk can only freeze, staring into space in shock.
“I’d hurry up and fix it, looks like our little omega is popular with quite a few alphas.” Jin says, sipping on his shake as his eyes flit over to where someone is leant against the wall, talking to Taehyung. An alpha, one he always saw hanging around Taehyung. Taehyung was normally so careful to make sure no one scented him, but today he seemed not to care.
Jeongguk rarely uses his speed in public, today is an exception it seems. His arm hooks around Taehyung’s waist in silent warning to the alpha.
Taehyung can only watch him, stunned, heart pounding in his ears.
Taehyung is twenty when Jeongguk kisses him, around the back of their favourite café. It smells of stale cigarettes and trash in the alley, but Jeongguk’s lips are warm despite how cold his fingers are. His fangs catch at Taehyung’s bottom lip sometimes, in a way that makes his heard thud and his head spin.
“Taehyungie...” He pants out, pulling back to thumb at the tiny bead of blood his fangs have drawn. His eyes are dark as he watches Taehyung lick at the spot, pull him in for another kiss.
“I thought you forgot.” Taehyung sobs into his lips and he shakes his head, threads his fingers into his hair and kisses him harder.
“Just thought you would want someone better, an alpha or something...”
“No.” Taehyung growls. “You.” He pants between more feverous kisses. “Want. You. My Jeonggukkie.” He says tugging him closer by his shirt.
Taehyung is twenty-three when Jeongguk keeps his promise.
After three years of courting and heats and kisses and cuddles, they waited for Jeongguk’s immortality to take at twenty-one, for his aging to stop and they mate so that they can live forever this way. The vampire youngling and his omega.
And somewhere along the way Taehyung becomes Jeongguk’s baby instead of his hyung, and it’s hard to cope with Jeongguk feeding, the way he smells after, but that is temporary. Just until he bites Taehyung for the first time, then he will only ever need to drink from him.
They cope, some of Taehyung’s fur inside a locket dangling from his neck definitely helps some people get the message that he’s taken, and it puts Taehyung at ease. But he would be lying if he doesn’t feel relieved when Jeongguk comes straight back to him, smelling of alpha body wash (apparently it gives him soft skin, Taehyung knows it’s because he wants Taehyung to banish all ideas of other alphas). Climbs silently into bed, and pulls Taehyung into himself, lets the omega, snuggle up and wrap himself around him. He likes that the omega pretends he’s asleep and therefore completely unaware that he’s scenting all over him, it’s just too cute for him to do anything other than stroke his hair and kiss the omega’s forehead.
Taehyung is twenty-three when the universe aligns and Jeongguk’s fangs sink down into his neck and tie them together as one for eternity. Sun and Moon, a promise eleven years in the making, a mate bond sixteen years in the making.
Sometimes Jeongguk still pulls on Taehyung’s tail, he’s gentler now, does it when the wolf is sulking and won’t give him attention. Makes him nip at his hand in annoyance but ends in big fluffy cuddles.
Sometimes Jeongguk still catches a lower lip with his fangs, except now it’s not his own, it’s Taehyung’s. Now the omega doesn’t berate him when it happens either, but rather encourages him to do more, presses his warm body into Jeongguk’s own and kisses him harder.
Sometimes they see glimpses of the kids they used to be, of a childhood full of growth and exploration and giggles and rough housing until they got scolded for something. Glimpses of teenage years full of more learning, courting, changing. This time more personal, more intense. Even a few years of awkward dancing around one another, secret yearning and longing and wishing.
But now they have so much more, a future of all that, more fun and growth and learning but this time together, this time with passion and a deeper kind of love, side by side now. No baby vamp trailing after his puppy hyung. No newly present omega trailing after a promise made by a clueless Vampire. Just mates, Sun and Moon, side by side, hand in hand.
Taehyung’s one hundred and three and counting. He’s still so in love with Jeongguk and Jeonggukkie’s still very much in love with he.