It usually worked faster but today the serum wasn't working fast enough even though he had taken a second lot after his initial dose before leaving home and Tae was losing patience. He hated days like this, the sun was shining and the hospital orderly was walking around like he didn't have a care in the world. His scent was bothering Tae more than ever and he was proving to be very inconvenient. Life wasn't like Twilight, that book had been written by an old school vampire to throw mere mortals off the scent that a supernatural world exists. It had only given people the wrong impression though and now they expected people like Tae to sparkle like diamonds in the sunlight, not burst into flames... which he would definitely do if it wasn't for the serum he drinks to make living in daylight possible.
Not all vampires could take the serum, some couldn't afford it because they didn't have jobs, some didn't know a decent warlock, some were just happy to live in the dark. There was a huge market for it and many vampires had died (again) because of bootleg varieties made by trainee witches or vampires who were simply stupid. Thankfully, Tae knew two warlocks who were close friends of his, that were practically his parents, so getting his hands on the serum wasn't an issue but right now, he could tear them both apart because it was taking too long to work. He wasn't sure how he was expected to perform his job as the professional that he was when that stench crept through his system like the smell of sewage in a dirty street.
It was the end of his shift at the hospital, he had operated on various types of people and now he wanted to go home but that orderly was in the corridor and his scent was killing Tae, who was shut away in a room trying to put a door between them. The room was small and he had nowhere to run, it was probably stupid to have entered the room close to the staff room because now it occurred to him that the staff room was probably the orderly's next port of call. Hindsight was a luxury and it was of no use to him right now when he simply had to grit his teeth and wait until he could fly out of the door and away from the hospital. He couldn't fathom why the stench was so potent today and he had to presume that his friends had given him a faulty batch of serum.
The day he first noticed the overwhelming smell, he had thought he was going crazy and had phoned Namjoon to ask if he'd given him the correct serum. It was almost suffocating and he had been sick in the staff toilets, which had made him feel worse because he was never sick. The serum took the edge off of it after that day, he thought Namjoon and Jin had worked their magic and the stench was mostly bearable, most of the time.
It had taken him a while to find out which member of staff was beating up his senses and now he tried to avoid Jeon Jungkook at all costs. The problem being that he was everywhere, as an orderly, he covered most of the hospital, unfortunately.
**
"It's that same guy! I swear my life would be easier if I ripped his throat out!" Tae had made it out of the hospital and into the underground restaurant that his best friend, Hobi owned.
"You won't rip his throat out because you wouldn't have anything to complain about." Hobi was the vampire who had everything going for him. 200 years ago he was a famous dancer, travelling the world and then, one day he ran into trouble when he went for an audition and the guy running it, bit him. The vampire who bit him wanted a whole production where all the cast were actual vampires so auditioned and chose wisely, forgetting that perhaps the auditionee might have wanted a say in it.
Everything Hobi did turned out well so he had worked his way through every profession known to man... this year he was a chef and had opened up his own restaurant. It was mainly a place where vampires, warlocks, witches and the odd fairy could relax but sometimes a 'bean' would show up.
Over the years, humans have been called lots of things but 'beans' stuck when the high warlock was giving his annual speech and declared human beans a semi protected species. No one dared to correct him and humans, mere mortals, became beans from that moment.
"Do you know the agony he causes?" Tae asked his friend.
"Yes because you tell me all the time. You know that Jin is probably right?" Hobi was the voice of reason most of the time or at least only when Tae decided that he agreed with him... not in this case.
"He is not, right. When is Jin ever right?" there was an element of truth to this.
"Well, never, but no one has got under your skin like this before, Tae."
"The prophecy is bullshit. It doesn't make sense. I wanna kill him not fuck him."
Hobi raised his eyebrows, he didn't see it like that but they'd had this conversation so many times in the last two years and nothing had changed. Jin and Namjoon are good friends of Tae and Hobi's and also happen to be two of the most powerful warlocks in the world. Jin has this habit of believing that he is psychic and tells people prophecies that mostly don't come true.
Unfortunately for Tae, a few years ago, Jin had an epiphany and foresaw that he would fall in love with a bean and even though it wasn't clear, he was convinced Tae would become mortal again to be with him. Jin tells the story in the most dramatic way, pink smoke and pixies brought him the image and fairies confirmed it was true. Jin's husband, Namjoon, humoured him and says he saw the pink smoke but also says it was more purple than pink. Namjoon loves Jin and would agree with most things he said in front of others but everyone was convinced it was different behind closed doors because no one could agree with Jin that often. The prophecy was sketchy at best, the details changed often but the one element that didn't alter was that the two people involved were definitely Taehyung and Jungkook, even that hadn't been clear at the beginning but now Jin was certain.
Tae didn't believe in prophecies and definitely did not believe in the one about him because... well... it was absurd.
"Don't look at me like that Hoseok! Wipe it from your mind. I wish vampires could compel other vampires because I would definitely compel you to forget that shit."
"I'm sure that you get more miserable every decade. Have you killed anyone recently?"
"Yesterday. Some arsehole who was kicking a puppy. He didn't taste great though."
"Have you got enough food at home?"
"Yes, I have bags of blood in my fridge and pieces of that guy if I get desperate but I really didn't like him."
"Have you had sex recently?"
"Why would you ask me that?"
"You answered the other questions, so answer this one, Doctor H is trying to get a diagnosis for your grumpiness."
"Please never refer to yourself as that again."
"Tae... sex?"
"No thank you."
Hobi glared at the vampire who wasn't short of admirers. Tae was lean, legs long and slender, skin pale and silky smooth, broad chest, thick neck, curly dark hair that reached his cheekbones and big, almond shaped eyes that looked into your soul. His fashion sense was undeniably current, no matter what decade it was and he was a skilled surgeon. He was, quite frankly... dangerous and that was without mentioning the silky smoothness and deeply rich tone to his voice that could compel anyone to do anything he wanted, providing they weren't a vampire or warlocks.
"Okay, no I haven't had sex in a week. And don't look at me like that, Hobi. It's slim pickings out there and vampire sex is boring."
"How on earth is it boring? You can literally throw each other about and the positions are limitless. You don't need to worry about hurting each other and your energy is pretty relentless. You aren't right."
"Do you know how many beds I've got through in the last 50 years? Nothing is new, I've done it all before and I'd rather use my hand quite frankly. My hand doesn't want cuddles after a workout."
Hobi laughed out loud at his friend whose facial expressions as he spoke, were hilarious.
"You should ditch the surgeon thing and do stand up comedy. You're so funny."
"Glad I amuse you. Now, what's cooking?"
**
Tae liked to walk home amongst the beans, just blend in whilst they went about their lives. Vampires went undetected if they used their super speed and there was the cloaking option but Tae preferred to walk. The serum enabled him to walk amongst them in the daylight so walking around at night was just the same.
Last night after his shift he'd heard the puppy crying and seen the man kicking him. Tae loved animals and it had been a month since his last kill so he was due one. The man hadn't seen him coming and Tae had his fangs deep in his throat before he knew what was happening. The puppy was delivered to an animal shelter and Tae had taken the man home to store him away.
Vampires don't need much fresh blood, contrary to popular belief. After years of study the high warlock announced that one fresh kill a month should suffice and that's how it's been since then. There are a few vampires that will kill more but they are sent to Smeraldo where the Council deal with them, many are rehabilitated and released but some are never seen again. Tae has been to Smeraldo once but that was for Namjoon and Jin's wedding. It's a city that mere mortals do not know the existence of, accessible via an elevator in the town hall but the floor only shows once you put the right code in. It is inhabited by warlocks, fairies, pixies and the witches that are allergic to beans. There are also lots of strange fauna and fungi, plus some odd creatures. It is a beautiful city, governed by the laws of warlock magic and supernatural powers. There's a hospital for vampires if they are unlucky enough to drink bad blood or a fairy gets their wings caught in chewing gum. The tranquil gardens of the mighty cavern is where weddings are held and the ornate building of the mighty cavern itself, is home to the Smeraldo council.
Namjoon and Jin visit often to catch up with the news and find out if there's anything they need to know. But everyone else only goes if they have to or if they are summoned. Tae prefers the mortal world, he likes to blend in and go unnoticed but be amongst the crowd. That's why he became a surgeon, he can mingle in, save someone's life then leave. Many vampires can be around beans without a problem, once you know you can only kill once a month and you're taking precautions, walking around them isn't an issue... unless that bean happens to be called Jeon Jungkook.
Tae sighed, he didn't know what the problem was with Jungkook but there definitely was one. He had been the bane of his life for two years and he had considered killing him a few times but hadn't... yet.
Jin said he hadn't killed him because of the prophecy but Tae argues that Jungkook is extremely popular at the hospital and killing him would arouse suspicion. Jin doesn't believe Tae and Tae doesn't care what Jin thinks.
**
Like many vampires, Tae lived alone, in a modern apartment. It was a nice neighbourhood and the huge building that housed his apartment was also nice, modern and well kept. It was mainly vampires that lived in the building which made life easier because it saved the awkwardness of your neighbour going missing when it was that time of the month. The beans that did live safely amongst the vampires were the rare few protected by warlocks because they'd earned the reward. They were usually compelled to secrecy so they carried on with their normal lives without a care in the world but should a vampire even show their fangs to them, that vampire would be whisked away to Smeraldo, pretty quickly.
As you walked through the front door of Tae's apartment, you walk straight into the lounge and straight ahead of you is an archway into the kitchen. To your left there is a huge sofa nestled in the corner, a TV on a heavy wooden cabinet and a small oak table. There was a big fluffy rug that looked comfortable enough to sleep on and an ornate fireplace that didn't have any use other than looking attractive. On your right There was a door between two archways, the door leads to the master bathroom with it's large shower, corner bath, toilet and sink.
The archway furthest from the front door leads to a small room with a ton of beanbags and cushions covering the floor, a bookcase stuffed with books and big double glass doors leading a very small balcony. The windows are floor to ceiling and this is Tae's favourite room where he can sit and read at night with the moonlight flooding in. During the day, he can pull the blinds if he didn't want to take the serum and sit in the dark in his nest of cushions.
The archway closest to the front door leads to a very small hallway that houses the master bedroom and its ensuite, plus a storage cupboard. Tae's bedroom has a big ornate wooden, 4 post bed that was carved by pixies, custom made to his eclectic taste. The room is furnished simply with a plush carpet, chest of drawers and a built in wardrobe.
The apartment wasn't much, but it was home and his little sanctuary from the world that he had lived in for over 200 years now. At times he wondered how Namjoon and Jin coped because they were pushing 400 years and he wasn't sure he would make it to that number without going crazy. Tae's story was quite tragic and he had hoped that in 200 years he'd have forgotten but it seemed that life didn't work that way.
When you become a vampire, there are certain things that are guaranteed... the need to drink blood, the super speed and unparalleled strength, the pale skin, never getting hot or cold, bursting into flames in direct sunlight (without serum), fangs, super sensitive hearing, crystal clear memory and the ability to compel others. There was also the extra power that was usually a skill had when mortal that became heightened and magnified once you turned. Tae chose to ignore his power of reading minds because it needed working on and he had enough to do, without practising that.
Vampires weren't really very sociable which had been difficult to adjust to, for those highly friendly subjects like Tae and Hobi. There isn't a manual when you have been turned into a vampire, it happens then, you have to hope someone is there to guide you, which thankfully for Tae, is exactly what happened, since Namjoon had already taken him under his wing before the incident that turned him. Hobi hadn't been so lucky but his skill appears to have been adaptability so he adjusted to his new life very quickly and had met Tae not long after.
The positive about having such a good memory was that at times such as these, when sitting alone, you have a lot to think back on. In Tae's case he thinks back regularly to the number of times he has crossed paths with that orderly and the number of ways he has considered disposing of him or simply using different corridors to avoid him. It was difficult when he worked in the same part of the hospital and it wasn't like he could work elsewhere since all the operating theatres were in the same area. Tae was trapped... he was working in a living hell, even though he technically wasn't actually living anymore. Even with the serum, Jungkook's scent annoyed him, it crawled under his skin and infiltrated his senses like some sort of disease. The serum made it bearable at least because without it, aside from the obvious sunlight issue, he would definitely have killed him by now.
He had asked Jin and Namjoon so many times to make him a potion that would either get rid of the orderly altogether or block his scent but it hadn't been possible, no matter how many times they'd tweaked the formula, Tae was never free of the scent, it just varied in strength. There was no point mentioning it to Jin any more because he always recited the prophecy which irritated Tae more than Jungkook did so he stayed quiet.
It didn't matter how many times he applied logic to the situation and explained to Jin that he presumed he should be able to spend time in the same room as his supposed soulmate or that he should at least like that person... or even that he would want to see them... it was fruitless... Jin believed what he believed and Tae didn't get anywhere. He liked to think he was a logical person and his logic couldn't cope with the fact that the universe had given him a soulmate that he wanted dead... it really didn't make any sense so he had to believe that the prophecy had the wrong vampire or the wrong bean, he didn't really care which one was wrong.
He was now at the point where he found comfort that one day the orderly would retire... or die and he didn't really mind which came first... he just hoped that one of them happened sooner rather than later because this situation was grating on him more and more with each passing day.