*𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟠𝟟

-나는 그들의 것, 그들은 내 꺼야-

as they called out my name from atop the stage and walked towards the steps, i felt an immense sense of pride. i was so proud of myself for finally graduating. i've spent my entire life waiting for this moment.

for the moment i would be free to be whoever i wanted.

i can finally be the person i want to become.

i walked across the stage, and people were clapping. i didn't have a standing ovation from my family like everyone else, or my friends cheering.

i only had them.

the four of them.

they cheered and clapped for me louder than anyone else.

they are my family.

and i'll never regret them.

i walked closer to the headmaster, every step i took making me more nervous and for a moment everything drowned out, all i could hear was myself.

you're alright, everything's fine, i reminded myself, holding those words like a prayer in my mind.

i'm free to be whoever i want now.

"thank you," i bowed before the headmaster, my hands reaching for the diploma as he gave it to me.

i was free.

i am free.

the words ringing in my ears.

taking those steps down and going back to a seat, surrounded by strangers i don't know.

i was happy.

happier than i've ever been.

🌷

the last person took their diploma and sat down, everyone stood up and cheered, throwing their hats in the air. if i wasn't so preoccupied with going back to them, i would be doing the same. laughing and smiling at my classmates.

but alas, they do not know me and i do not know them.

going to school was always lonely, i was the outcast. always.

it didn't matter where i went, people never liked me. i tried to become friends with my classmates, but they always kept their distance.

it's strange, the only good relationships i have are with vampires, and it isn't just the thirteen of them; jungkook's friends were so kind when i met them, and changkyun seems like a good person, and jihyo, the few times i've spoken to her she was also so gentle.

"guys!" i appeared next to them with the brightest smile on my face, my hat falling off my head as i jumped to hug mingyu, "congratulations, princess!"

"ahhh, you're finally free!" vernon stood beside mingyu, his hand on the small of my back. the other two, wonwoo and seungcheol, were standing back with the brightest smile on their face.

at that moment i was the happiest person in the world, the only thing i could wish for is to have all of them with me.

-later that day-

"are we going to have dinner at home?" i asked as i got into the backseat of their car.

the ceremony was finally over, the other students all went to an after-party i wasn't invited to, and the parents started to go home. they were all so happy, just like me. but we are still so different.

"you and I are going on a date," mingyu placed a hand on my shoulder as he sat beside me.

"that's rather sudden," vernon, who was on my other side, looked over me to mingyu. "i want to take her to eat dinner," he said back, his eyebrow-raising.

what's going on?

vernon furrowed his brows, glaring daggers at mingyu, and mingyu looked at the younger with an odd face.

"whatever vernon, let him take her on a date," seungcheol slouched on the front seat, his hands going to the wheel, "it's not like she won't be safe with him. they'll be fine," wonwoo muttered scrolling through his phone.

a strange silence fell on all of us as wonwoo said his last sentence. i understood why vernon reacted that way.

i think he's jealous.

maybe he's genuinely worried.

but afterward, it felt like they were all reluctant on letting me go with mingyu. like they only agreed because it's mingyu, if it were any other man, a stranger taking me on a date, they would never allow such a thing.

they're jealous of each other.

just the thought alone made me feel giddy, i felt almost like i was wanted, desired by them.

"where to?" i slouched down on my seat, wanting myself to become just a little smaller, hoping that this feeling would go away. I had never felt anything like it before.

it felt different from arousal but at the same time, it was so similar to it.

"just a dinner date," his arm was placed around my shoulder, pulling me in. it was strange, they have such cold skin, almost like ice, but they radiate so much heat. i was practically sweating next to him.

but then again, the heat might be just the rush of blood to my cheeks.

🌷

"this looks delicious," my hands automatically went to my chest, silently clapping at my excitement as i looked down at the meal in front of me.

a/n this is mostly just filler, but i wanted to add some cute moments with mingyu. i promise something interesting is going to happen soon.

we had arrived at a high-end restaurant, the hostess guided us to our table and in an instant, a man came to serve us water. and moments after taking our order, there was already food on our table.

what she was wearing:

"is your meat cooked properly?" he leaned to my side, cutting the steak in front of me without hesitation, "i think it is," i muttered back.

he can be so overbearing sometimes, i chuckled.

once he saw that the meat was the proper color, he leaned back into his seat, enjoying his meal.

"why are we suddenly going on a date?" i ate a piece of my steak. "i wanted to spend some alone time. you've been having alone time with vernon a lot recently and i missed you," he smiled as he looked up from his plate.

"we'll, i'm here now."

the restaurant was quieter than i thought, when i saw it from the entrance there were so many people. so many families dining together.

"i also wanted to ask you something," he wavered for a moment, unsure if he should ask. there was a nervousness in the way he spoke, but he's always been good at hiding when he was anxious, always has been.

but when you've known him as long as i have, that mask he puts up just fades away and you can see who he truly is. but now i was anxious, my anxiety crippling away my desire to continue eating.

"what is it?"

"do you remember what we talked about when we were in l.a.?"

"huh-"

i knew what he was asking. about that conversation, we had in that classroom, just the two of us. he told me it was okay for me to not choose. to enjoy all of them.

that's basically what i'm doing now, but nothing has been made official.

i have been given only a limited amount of time.

"-oh, yeah. i remember," i looked down at my plate and it suddenly looked unappetizing, the meat looked cold and all the vegetables beside it tasted bitter and rough.

"have you given it any thought?" he put down his utensils, his full attention on me.

i let out a puff of hair, wondering how i should respond to him.

"i have..." i paused, "but let's say they do agree, soonyoung and wonwoo are too jealous to not get angry whenever i'm not with them."

"and my life is basically going to become a reverse harem, not a polyamorous relationship," i sipped on my glass of water, my eyes looking at everything in the room, but him.

he chuckled at my words, "you do have a point. wonwoo is a jealous lover," he paused, "but you have to admit, he would do anything for you," he leaned over the table, taking my hand, caressing it.

"it makes me feel guilty because I do not deserve this much love from you guys," i finally dared to look into his eyes.

there was a simple smile on his face, of contentment. "don't ever think that. you are the person we love, and so what if your life is going to be like a reverse harem. what's so bad about that?" he shrugged, "nothing i haven't seen before."

"w-what?"

"after being around for seven hundred years, you see things." he leaned back on his chair. "and also..." he started, "it's a normal thing in our society," he explained.

"two men and two women will get married to each other and other things similar. it's normal," he shrugged again.

right... it's normal for them to see.

i wonder why they aren't married now?

they could have turned the woman, or person, they loved and spent the rest of eternity together. how come they haven't done that?

i pondered for a moment, "keep in mind, i was raised as a human, i still am a human. monogamy is the norm for me," i continued to look down at the food. it looked so good a moment ago...

"you're right," he smiled lightly.

before i knew anything, when i was in the dark about everything in my life, i had never given much thought to polyamory. it's unheard of in today's society. and if by some chance it does happen, that person is considered a whore. (a/n that includes a man whore)

it's shunned, almost hidden from us.

🌷

after an unappetizing dinner, we both got in his car and started driving home, and an intimate silence fell on us. it's the type of silence where you can just enjoy each other's presence without needing to say anything, knowing it was just enough to have the other person beside you.

it calmed me.

made me feel safe.

one hand was on the steering wheel and the other on my thigh, gently squeezing every once in a while, almost to make sure that i was still there.

and slowly, as the night became deeper, we arrived at our apartment and the sound of sudden rain replaced our silence. it seemed like one of those nights where you could just cuddle up with your significant other and talk about anything and everything.

i was craving that intimacy, even though i already had it, i wanted more.

having them makes me even more selfish than I was before.

i'm a selfish person when it comes to the things i truly, truly, want.

we dashed to the door of our home, giggling at the droplets of water that fell on us, our bodies becoming soaking wet in a few moments.

"c'mon," he laughed, pulling me under the roof, "we have to get inside."

he opened the door with his keys, our bodies tumbling inside in a flurry of laughter. but that laughter died the instant we were met with seungcheol sitting at the dinner table, waiting for us to get home.

"hello, lovebirds."

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