Chapter Text
Hongjoong was tired. His pale complexion near translucent with how much time he’s spent in his studio. Fueled by nothing but iced americanos and pints of A positive, he tried to crank out the last song before his deadline.
Most of his day had been filled with meetings for an upcoming group set to debut and the company he produced for had added him to the team in charge of the group’s first album. They were waiting on some new transfers to complete the producing team but for now, they were mixing some tests to try and nail down the group's sound. HongJoong was excited but very tired. He wasn't used to working so closely with others when producing.
He had been getting away with working late nights and early mornings to prepare for this project, but it was starting to take its toll. Vampires could go without sleep longer than most but even he had limits. While Hongjoong had grown accustomed to odd hours with unpredictable deadlines, the newest addition to their coven had upended everyone’s routines.
Normally, Hongjoong would still be at the studio picking apart lyrics and melodies until the witching hour, but Seongwha had called him on his lunch break.
“We all miss you, especially Jongho. You’re his sire and he's barely seen you since turning.” Seonghwa had said, equal parts frustrated and concerned. Hearing his voice had pulled at his heartstrings, an ache that filled his chest whenever he had strayed from home for too long.
So he had gone home early enough to join the coven for dinner. Vampires only needed blood to survive but human food was a creature comfort that could be indulged in. Seongwha loved to cook and his skills were nothing to laugh at, so the coven had gotten into a habit of having dinner together from time to time. Plus, Jongho was having a hard time adjusting to a diet consisting purely of blood bags.
“Aren’t you glad you came home early,” Seonghwa said as he bumped his shoulder against his from his seat next to him. Jongho was on his other side and while he was a reserved kid, Hongjoong could smell the happiness radiating from him. San was still blinking himself awake as he lay against Wooyoung. Mingi and Yunho spoke rapidly about some new gaming system coming out soon while Yeosang commented from time to time. Everyone oozed contentedness and Hongjoong could feel himself melting a bit.
“ Yeah, I was running out of blood bags at the office anyways,” he said in an effort to maintain his image as the aloof leader. A playful smirk pulled at his lips.
“Yah! See if we save you O negative ever again” Seongwha said with a smack to the back of his head. “Don't think I cant smell how much of a complete softy you are.”
Hongjoong kicked him back and tried to regain some of his dignity but he felt a soft tug on his hoody sleeve. His hazel eyes met Jongho’s bright red ones as he asked “ Can we go walk for a bit Hyung? The sun will be setting soon.” Anxiety filtered into the air and Hongjoong could understand his apprehension. Being a newborn vampire meant a lot of supervision when it came to exploring outside of their home. The chances of running into a neighbor and setting off Jonghos new instincts were a constant risk. He felt bad for their maknae but he was also amazed at how well he pushed back against those predatory instincts.
It could also become overwhelming for the new vampire with all of the enhanced senses that came with the change. Not only were the five senses more sensitive, but their sense of smell could now pick up emotions that blended in with others' natural scents. It made surprises of any kind really difficult to pull off, but learning to deal with all of those sensations at once took practice. Their first outing after Jongho had turned had ended in the maknae having a panic attack and it had shaken all of them to see him so vulnerable.
“If you're feeling up to it I'm sure everyone could do with stretching their legs,” Hongjoong said before snapping to get everyone's attention. They quickly cleaned off the table before heading out to the woods that sprawled out past their backyard. Mingi and Yunho were trying to wrestle each other into the crispy leaves further up the path. He couldn’t see how Yunho had so much energy after working at the gym all day. Vampire stamina be damned, the tallest had a penchant for his puppy-like energy burst.
“C’mon Yunho! I thought you were the strongest out of all of us,” Wooyoung said, as he tried to escalate things even further. He would be joining in too, but San was still clinging sleepily to him, content to ignore Woouyoung’s screeches as long as his moving pillow stayed put. Feeding always made San a walking zombie, regardless of whether he had worked at his Boxing gym or not.
Hongjoong peeked back at the pair behind him and Seongwha, watching as they made their way at a steady pace. Yeosang was holding onto Jonghos sleeve as the youngest took in his surroundings, red eyes seeing more than any human could. Jonho’s stubbornness in testing himself was both cute and stressful. He was strong in his convictions though which helped him progress as fast as he was. The blood red in his eyes would soon mellow out to his natural warm brown it was when he had met them.
Hongjoong turned back to face the path, pleased that all of his coven mates were enjoying themselves. The stress of the day seemed to ease momentarily as his family messed around in the forest. The fall leaves crunched underfoot as Hongjoong strolled through the forest. The twilight was setting in fast as the rest of his coven followed down the dirt path. Fall had barely settled in and it already felt like winter was a skipping stone away
As he walked, his mind was drawn to the unexpected new neighbors they were going to have. He had caught a glimpse of a u-haul parked at the house on their left which had been empty for a month. Their neighborhood was almost exclusively supernatural based so it had taken the old owners a bit to find someone willing to fill up a house next to creatures of the night. From what Seongwha said on the call earlier, Wooyoung had camped out by the window to watch (stalk) the new arrivals unload their things into their new home.
Seonghwa matched stride with him, his smooth timbre floated through the wind as he said, “I’m planning on bringing some treats to the new neighbors as a welcome gift.” His smile betrayed his calm voice. Clearly excited at the prospect of new friends. As shy as Seonghwa could be, he really enjoyed hosting others in their gigantic dining room. His skills in the kitchen easily earned him the respect of the neighborhood and everyone always fell for his soft eyes and caring nature. His other coven mates proved to be quite the entertainment too.
“oh, you're letting them actually settle in,” Hongjoong asked and Seonghwa laughed. He knocked his shoulders into Hongjoong.
“I'm not that bad. You're really never going to let me live down that time with Joonie’s coven” Seongwha said though a faint blush colored his cheeks at the embarrassing memory. Namjoon’s coven had come to their neighborhood to look at some of the houses for sale and Seognwha had all but bullied the Coven into staying for dinner. While the Elder coven had taken it in stride they had ultimately decided not to buy any of the houses and Seongwha had been convinced it was because his dinner had been subpar. Seongwha had been despondent for weeks until the covens had met up for their semi-annual blood drive event where Namjoon had explained that they chose a new house closer to their workplaces.
Hong Joong smiled with fangs on full display as he said, “ Not for a good few years, no.” He reached over and took Seonghwa’s hand, the eldest’s hand all but swallowed his.
“I haven't actually seen much of them, outside of them grabbing their stuff from the u-haul in their driveway. It seems like a big family though, at least 6 or 7.” Seongwha said as the coven made their way deep into the forest.
Wooyoung slipped his arm around Seonghwa’s waist and said “There’s 8 of them actually.” He hugged as close to Seonghwa as he could without tripping him as he continued, “and at least one of them is a werewolf or shifter. There was a massive black wolf running around their lot. It was almost as big as a horse hyung.”
Hong Joong hummed and scented the air, trying to see if he could catch a hint of the new neighbors in the air. A new smell was filtering in but it was still too light to properly identify. “ If they are wolves this might make things a bit complicated sharing the forest,” Hongjoong said. The coven already had to share the forest with a few other neighbors, but adding eight werewolves could come with spacing issues. Shifters could only shift to natural-looking animals and Horse sized wolves definitely didn't fall under natural. Werewolves especially liked to run as a pack and he was sure the huge wolf Wooyoung saw was one.
Yunho clapped his hands and smiled as he said“Already worrying about our territory, Hyung. C’mon it's supposed to be exciting meeting new neighbors.”
Wooyoung unlatched himself from Seonghwa and poked at Hongjoong “ yeah Hyung, plus they're all really hot.” HongJoong growled and snapped his teeth at Wooyoung's hand. “ Yah! No ogling the new neighbors,” Hongjoong grumbled. His grip tightened on Seonghwa and he quickly counted all of his coven mates, making sure none of them have strayed too far.
Seoghwha giggled and raised their joined hands up to his lips, lightly brushing Hongjoongs with gentle kisses. “ We’re all here Joong-ah. All safe and accounted for. No big bad wolves come to snatch us away,” Seongwha said.
Another hand took Hongjoongs arm and hooked him close as Mingi leaned into him. “Yeah Hyung, don't let Wooyoung rile you up. He’s just being a brat,” Mingi said as his coven smelled of gentle affection. Hoongjoong blushed under the attention and tried to wiggle out of the hold.
“Who else is supposed to keep you all in line,” Hongjopong said. Yeosang who had been trailing behind laughed as Jongho said, “ We would be lost without you Hyung.”
Suddenly a shrill voice cut through the air. Branches cracked under foot as a young man with tan hair burst out into the clearing. He had vaulted himself over a large fallen oak, but he must have miscalculated his strength because it sent him flying towards the group of vampires. Before the others could react, the boy crashed into Seongwha which sent them both tumbling to the ground. Seonghwa was knocked onto his back with a lap occupied by a dazed boy. Round cheeks and wide eyes filled his vision as everyone else was stunned by the sudden appearance. The boy’s clothes were covered in dirt and golden leaves stuck to his windblown hair as the smell of warm caramel flooded everyone’s senses.
HongJoong was the first one to get over the shock “Are you brain dead? You need to be more careful,” he said as he checked over the stranger. His instincts bubbled under his skin as the stranger stayed frozen in the eldest’s lap. Huge eyes somehow widened further as the kid took in Hongjoongs fierce features, “ I-I’m sorry! I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I didn't think anyone would be out so close to dark.” His lips wobbled as he slurred through his words.
“ It’s alright, I’m ok,” Seongwha said as he leaned into a sitting position. The boy scrambled to lift himself off of the vampire, anxiety flowed from him in waves as he shrunk in on himself. From the close proximity, Hongjoong could tell that the sweet caramel-like scent was coming from the stranger. It was quickly becoming bitter like burnt sugar with hints of other scents clinging to him. Something was familiar about it but Hongjoong couldn't put his finger on it. It pulled at his instincts to protect his coven. This kid could be dangerous.
His other coven mates also felt the potential threat standing before them, centuries of vampiric instincts caused the laid-back vampires to take defensive positions. Mingi and Yunho had placed themselves in front of Jongho and Yeosang as they tried to shield the maknae from the stranger. Wooyoung and San had been jostled with the commotion but they stood close, ready to act if needed. Their usual relaxed demeanors were tense with the unknown scent in the air. The only one who seemed even remotely calm was their eldest. Seonghwa was looking at the kid like he was a neglected animal left on the side of the road. He certainly smelt like one under the sweet scent.
“It’s really alright, there's no need to be scared. Honest mistakes happen,” Seonghwa said in an attempt to calm the boy. “I’m Park Seonghwa. What’s your name if you don't mind sharing?”
“H-han, Han Jisung,” his shiny eyes looked rapidly between all of them before he took in a big breath. It choked off short as he stilled, his anxious scent turned to panic.
“I-I’m really sorry! Please don't eat me. I'm sure I would taste nasty to a vampire,” he yelled as he raised his arms in front of himself. “Plus, My alpha would lose it so don't try anything.”
Alpha. That word flashed in Hongjoongs mind before Han’s scent smacked him in the face with the obvious wet dog smell. This kid was a werewolf. “We won't have any problems if you keep your paws to yourself,” Hongjoong said with a bite to his tone. Seongwha sent him a sharp look before letting his gaze soften on the wolf, “It was an accident. Let's all take a breath alright.” Seonghwa slowly raised himself up and put his hands up in placating gesture. “No one is eating anyone if I can help it.” He turned to the other vampires and he could tell that Jongho was struggling with all of the commotion. His eyes were clenched shut as he held himself in place.
“Yunho. Mingi. Please help Yeosang get Jongho back to the house. Woo, San you too. We’ll be back soon,” Seongwha asked. They both looked to Hongjoong for confirmation and Hongjoong nodded back. Getting the youngest home safe would help everyone calm down. As much as Jongho’s instincts were still fresh and unpredictable, having a newborn also pulled at everyone's instincts to protect him from any threats. The six left quickly leaving the elder vampires behind. Han still looked like he was a minute away from expiring from all the stress and anxiety. Hongjoong wrinkled his nose at the strong smell of acrid sweetness.
“I take it you are one of our new neighbors. I hope you all don't plan on running around the forest like maniacs,” Hongjoong said. He was maybe being a bit harsh, but he would put a stop to that here and now. His maknae didn't need another thing to worry about when leaving the house. “ We all share this area so make sure you tell your alpha to keep his pups in check.”
Han narrowed his eyes, irritation mixed in with the rest of his scent. He straightened his posture from its scared hunch and said “Look, I said I was sorry. You guys were downwind so I couldn't tell you were there.” he shook his head of the leaves stuck in it and took a step towards where he came from. Seongwha opened his mouth to say something but a howl echoed through the forest. Han huffed a breath before he turned his back to them. “I need to head back, sorry again about this,” Han said before his form changed into a large tan wolf. It was instantaneous as his sleek form leaped over the oak log and disappeared into the forest.
Seogwha turned to Hongjoong with crossed arms and said “Was it really necessary to be that mean? He probably thinks we're a bunch of assholes now”
“ He tackled you! He needs to be more careful. Especially as a wolf. If you were human he could have seriously hurt you,” Hongjoong said as his eyes flashed red from anger. Seonghwa sighed and took up his hand in his. “I'm alright Joongie-ah. There’s no need to start a feud with the neighbors on their first day here.” He gently pulled Hongjoong back down the path to their house.
"Let's go home."