Chapter Text
“So…” Kim Dokja started to say as he gazed up at the iron-wrought gates, “This is it?”
“Seems that way.” Han Sooyoung responded, her voice clipped as she crunched down on her trademarked yellow candy that she smuggled with her.
Dokja pursed his lips and absently rubbed his stomach as he contemplated how the two of them got to this point. It had been two days ago, on a regular night, that it all went wrong. They had been out hunting, prowling one of their preferred clubs that was known for its certain clientele. Between the pulsing music, the dark rooms punctuated by ever changing strobe lights, and the bodies packed together, it was perfect for what they needed. Humans writhed against one another, lost in their game of pretend. The smell of blood, sweat, and sex filled the air, unsurprising given the fact that the club was known for its vampire roleplaying nights.
They had found their target with ease, a pretty woman who was enamored by how realistic their fangs looked and certainly did not mind getting shared between the two of them. Sooyoung, being a half-vampire half-witch, enthralled the woman to follow them to the darker corners of the club, her words and eyes trapping the woman in her snare.
They had done everything right; they moved as humans do, dancing and grinding against her, luring her further into whatever fantasy she thought was going to happen. They made sure she was eager, not hard to do once she got a taste of Dokja’s saliva. As an incubus, his fluids had an aphrodisiac properties, which made their mission all that much easier considering the fact that they had to do this for him.
Once their victim was swooning, utterly at the mercy of these two supernatural creatures, Sooyoung made quick work to get what they came for. She latched onto the woman’s neck, her fangs sinking in just deep enough to get a mouthful of blood. At the same time, Dokja, who was pressed tightly behind the woman, brought his own face near the other side of her neck. In the victim’s mind, she would be fed on by these two beautiful creatures of the night. However, in reality, Dokja used a sharpened nail to nick her neck as Sooyoung held a vial up to catch the blood.
As soon as it was full, Sooyoung nodded to him and he bent over to lick the wound, sealing it back up. With Dokja’s saliva now entering her bloodstream, the woman moaned wantonly and arched her back, grinding her ass into him. Dokja shot Sooyoung a pinched look, his ruby red eyes urging her to hurry up. With a sigh, she detached from the woman and peppered her neck with kisses before taking her by the chin.
“You had a fun night dancing with beautiful vampires. But you got thirsty so you went to the bar and ordered ‘holy water’.” Sooyoung commanded as she gazed into the woman’s dazed eyes.
The woman sluggishly nodded before they stepped away from her and watched her make her way to the bar. Once it was clear she managed to find a seat and catch the attention of the bartender, the two of them made a hasty exit after having gotten what they came for. The night air was bliss to Dokja’s nose as soon as he got out, relishing as the overwhelming scents of humans dissipated.
“Well, let's get home before it cools.” Sooyoung said as they hailed a cab.
Unfortunately, Sooyoung did not get any fast speed from her vampire genetics and Dokja couldn’t just fly them home without getting spotted. And so, they took a cab. The ride wasn’t too long and luckily the blood was kept warm in Sooyoung’s palm so by the time they got into their shared apartment, she could start brewing with it immediately.
“Go shower, you smell too fucking sweet.” Sooyoung commented as she got to work in the kitchen which really looked more like some sort of fantasy lab with all of her equipment set up.
Dokja sniffed his shirt and groaned, he really did smell like he was saturated with a mix of that woman’s desires and his own incubus scent. He left his friend to do her work and took a long shower, thoroughly cleaning himself before lathering on his scent blocking soaps. He had to be careful to cover up his own natural scent whenever he used his powers, the sickly sweet enticing smell of an incubus was enough to drive anyone mad.
“The new supply will be done by morning so just eat your last one now.” Sooyoung called from the living room where she was sprawled on the couch.
Dokja glanced over to the kitchen, eyeing an apparatus that was distilling a combination of the woman’s blood and with whatever witchy magic Sooyoung performed. He rummaged through the pantry and grabbed the last red candy he had stashed away in a granola bar box before joining her on the couch. Some B-rated action movie was playing and Dokja absentmindedly watched as he popped the hard candy into his mouth. An explosion of flavor burst on his tongue and he had to dig his hands into his thighs to stop the pleased noise that wanted to escape him.
He had been pushing it lately, stretching the candy for far too many days in an attempt to build up his ability to endure longer periods of time without it. Which didn’t work. He just grew weaker and more lethargic to the point where Sooyoung dragged him out to the club to find someone so she could make more candy. She never berated him for using the candy as a substitute rather than engaging in what should have been a natural activity for his kind. They were childhood friends and when their monster qualities presented themselves around the same time, Sooyoung was the one to save him from those who found him too alluring. She would never judge his refusal to engage in any manner of sexual activity, too afraid of his own powers.
But Sooyoung couldn't just let her friend suffer from withdrawals and with careful trial and error, she managed to create a candy made from the blood of people who were in the height of sexual arousal. Now they would go out together to find their victims, with Sooyoung getting a quick snack while they focused on their real purpose of getting enough blood to make a new supply of candies for Dokja.
“Thank yo—”
Dokja’s appreciation was interrupted by a knock at the door. Two pairs of eyes shot to the door, silent as they tried to listen for who might be on the other side. The rose at the same time, deathly silent while the movie continued to play. Another series of knocks, a bit more persistent this time, sounded from the door. It was late and neither of them were expecting any guests. Sooyoung pressed a finger to her lips as they crept closer. Before she could send her shadows under the door, a woman’s voice broke the silence.
“Hello? Is anyone home?”
Dokja’s eyes were wide with recognition; the voice belonged to the woman at the club. How did she find their apartment? How was she here? Was she hurt? Sooyoung reached for the lock, drawing her finger in an intricate pattern to unlock the magic mechanism she had installed on their door. When it clicked open, she turned the physical lock and hesitantly opened the door a smidge.
“Hello, pretty lady? How did you find this place?” Sooyoung asked, keeping her body behind the door while she peered at the woman in the hall.
“Yes, that’s her.” The woman replied.
“The fuck—” Sooyoung’s question was cut short when a hand shot out and slammed into her face.
The owner of the hand followed in as Sooyoung fell back into Dokja’s arms. He dragged her deeper into the apartment as a group of men barged in and surrounded them. Fuck, fuck, fuck, Dokja cursed as he realized their apartment looked far from ordinary. Between the blood bags in the fridge for Sooyoung and the whole equipment set up she made for Dokja’s candy, it was obvious they weren’t human. But neither were their attackers.
“You the vampires that fed on my girl? A human under my protection?” One of the men asked, his face contorted in rage as he bared his fangs.
“We hardly took anything.” Sooyoung groaned as she rose back up, her gaze sharpening as she assessed the situation.
“You still broke the law. You should know better at your ages.” The man spat out.
What law?? Dokja locked eyes with Sooyoung who just gave him an equally confused shrug. Their confusion must have been clear because suddenly the man burst out in laughter.
“No way. There’s no way. Are you unregistered?”
Uh oh. One more thing about their society was that monsters had to register themselves with their ruling ‘government’ bodies, enrolling in early education to learn and live with other monsters to avoid detection by the human world. But Dokja and Sooyoung never did. They had run away together a little after Dokja presented, living under fake statuses as humans. And as such, they never had the chance to learn all the formal rules held between fellow monsters. And it seems they just broke one.
“Are you the one who called?” A different voice asked from the hall.
The man broke out in a devilish grin as he turned around to face the newcomer. Dokja could immediately sense the man in the hall was bad news. Decked out in all black, the man was all sharp edges and barely contained muscle as he glared at them. Black wavy hair, thick brows, and stormy eyes would have made one think he was a model had it not been for the uniform and badge he wore. Star Stream Institute his emblem read.
“Officer, I’m glad you made it here so fast. These two are unregistered vampires. Fed on a human under my protection.” The vampire declared.
Dokja gulped as Sooyoung squeezed his hand in reassurance. They might be totally fucked, but at least they mistook his monster species. They would only be smelling Sooyoung since Dokja was currently lathered in every scent blocker he owned. It was always their plan for Dokja to masquerade as a vampire if they ever encountered other supernaturals, his disdain for his own species far too great. Besides, he had the fangs and general appearance of a vampire, so as long as they never saw his sigil and he didn’t reveal his wings or tail he was all set. Luckily, his magic allowed his extra appendages to transform into tattoos and hide upon his skin.
“Everyone out.” The officer ordered, “You two are under arrest. Jihye, apprehend that skinny man.”
“Yes, master!” a girl’s voice piped up from behind him.
The vampires filed out of the apartment with little complaint, leaving now that Dokja and Sooyoung were already caught. The woman from the club looked back as she was led away, her eyes drawn to Dokja as she was still undoubtedly under his influence. Her transfixed eyes were the last thing Dokja saw before a younger girl stomped right inside and hoisted him up before slapping a pair of cuffs on him.
“You guys must be real idiots to go breaking the law just like that. Especially in another vampire’s territory.” The girl commented, a sneer on her face.
“How were we supposed to know that woman was under his protection?” Sooyoung hissed as she fought against the man who deemed her too unruly for his younger coworker to tie up.
“You would know if you weren’t unregistered, vampire.” The man stated with a deadpanned face.
“Witch. Vampire-witch, you bastard.” Sooyoung responded and wiggled her fingers behind her back in an attempt to cast a spell.
When nothing happened, the younger officer giggled, “Obviously these cuffs are equipped to handle all sorts of supernaturals. Half-vampire half-witches included. No magic for you, old hag.”
“Olll- Old hag???” Sooyoung reared against the man in an attempt to use her vampire strength to dislodge him.
Of course this didn’t work and the man just hauled her out of the apartment with Dokja being pushed along right behind them. He worryingly looked back at the kitchen, realizing his candies were still in the process of being made, but he couldn’t bring it up without them questioning why he would need them.
The two of them were taken to a facility resembling a jailhouse and stayed there for a whole day and night while they were processed. They were finally registered as two vampires, although Sooyoung was marked as a hybrid, and given IDs. Unfortunately, because they lacked the necessary schooling most supernaturals went through, they would be forced to attend Star Stream Institute, a boarding facility that took in problematic monsters. Which is where they were now standing, looking up at the gates that would keep them trapped for however long it took them to integrate properly and get released.
They scanned their IDs on the very modern looking key screen and waited on bated breath as the gates swung open. A large property loomed in the distance, a campus of gothic inspired buildings that would make up the housing and learning sectors. Facilities were also erected, appropriate amounts of space dedicated to allowing a wide range of monsters to express their species-specific behaviors. A huge forest surrounded the entire campus, acting as another barrier to keep monsters in and others out.
“We’re totally fucked, aren’t we?" Sooyoung finally asked.
“Let’s just keep our heads down and get out as fast as we can.” Dokja decided.
The detention bus that dropped them off peeled away, leaving them in a cloud of dust. They still wore their clothes from a day ago so it was hardly any loss to them when the dirt settled onto their shirts and pants. They were dirty, hungry, and no different from prisoners sent to serve their sentences. Star Stream Institute awaited them, a different sort of monster they had never encountered before.