House of Desire || an ateez vampire au

The Allure

                             *3rd Person POV*

Lee Y/N's Monday morning starts as they all do, with much reluctance. She pushes herself up from her bed at the sound of her overly obnoxious alarm. She slowly makes her way to the bathroom to start physically and mentally preparing herself for her first class of the day: Myths and Legends. The professor is a prickly old man, very strict and old fashioned when it comes to assignments and tests. He prefers hand written assignments, saying technology is not to be trusted.

Y/N tugs at her loosely braided hair causing the dark locks to spill around her face, with a satisfied smile at her appearance she leaves the bathroom. She bends to slip on her shoes and grabs her book bag and heads out of the apartment. She pops in her earbuds and decides to jam out to her TWICE playlist, because there's nothing like TWICE  to cheer up a gloomy winter Monday. When she sees Utopia Café she decides it can't hurt for her to grab a quick cup of coffee.

"Hello, welcome to Utopia, what could I get started for you today?" calls out the barista, "Oh Y/N, it's you I'll get your usual started for you right now!"

Y/N smiles at her, "Thanks Sujin, you always make my coffee so much better than Byeongkwan does."

"Only the best of the best for my favorite customer," Sujin giggles, neither girl aware of the boy in the corner of the café watching the interaction with a calculating stare.

Sujin turns back around with Y/N's mocha latte, "Here you go, Y/Nie, I'll see you tomorrow!"

Y/N accepts the coffee and tucks a few bills into the tip jar next to the register, "Thank you Jinnie, see you tomorrow!"

The man from the corner of the café walks to the register, "May I have a mocha latte, miss?"
  "Sure thing, can I have a name for when your order is ready?"

"Hongjoong, and here," the mysterious man says handing a few bills over to Sujin. "Does that pretty girl come here often? It seemed you knew her order."

Sujin smiles at the thought of Y/N, "Oh Y/N? She comes here often enough." She doesn't want to give out too much of her friends information, just in case.
 
"Y/N? That's such a beautiful name for an even more beautiful girl," he says a small smile creeping up to his cheeks.
   Sujin stares at him slightly uncomfortable and places his coffee on the counter in front of him, "Here you go, sir, have a good day!"
  "Ah, thank you miss, and to you too," he says politely, trying to mask his displeasure. He really had hoped to garner more information from the silly girl in the café about Y/N, the girl with the alluring aura.
  
   Hongjoong finds himself slipping into the crowd of commuters on the side walk, hoping to catch wind of the girl again, just so he can figure out what is so special about her. He finds her easily, she stops to help someone who had dropped a few papers in the fresh snow. He can now see just how striking she is, her dark hair flying into her pale face, looking like ink spilt on a page. Her cheeks are a soft rosy shade due to the cold, her eyes are a soft amber color. Perfect, he thinks to himself, just absolutely perfect.

   She catches him staring as she's shuffling the papers, and meets his eyes. Hongjoong draws in a sharp breath as he looks at her lips, though curved into a smile they're plump and the color of fresh strawberries. He looks away quickly, hoping she didn't notice the intensity of his gaze.

   When she begins walking again he follows closely, still keeping a safe distance, out of her line of sight.
   He watches as she heads into a university building, Korea National University of Arts. She must be talented to be accepted there, but it appears she didn't go to the main arts building for the fine arts courses, but the Literature building. And with seeing where she has gone to, Hongjoong turns and heads in the opposite direction, towards his house and seven noisy housemates.
   Y/N enters the brightly lit classroom, her professor is seated lazily at his desk waiting for the class to begin. His feet atop the desk, but with Y/N entering the classroom he sits upright, she's his favorite pupil. She pays attention, asks questions, frequently participates, and never questions his teaching style. To him, a perfect student.
  
   "Good morning, Professor Jung," she calls happily to him.
  
   "Good morning to you, Miss Lee, are you prepared for the test today?" He answers, quirking his eyebrow, he already knows the answer is yes, but still he feels the need to have a conversation with one of the few students that don't find him completely out of his mind.
  
   She smiles again, "I always am sir."
 
    Professor Jung nods and resumes his lazing until the bell calls for the start of class. He greets the class and passes out the tests, looking forward to taking it easy during this class period.

    As usual, Y/N is the first done with the test, she passes it to Professor Jung and he tells her she may leave early. Which she gratefully accepts, she needs to spend some time working on a project in her mixed media art course. She heads down to the art campus, shaking the feeling of being watched.

   She stops at Professor Ahn's room, making sure she's not interrupting a lesson. When she's certain the professor is alone she knocks on her door.

   Professor Ahn greets Y/N with a smile, ushering her in. "Did Jung let you out of his room early again?"

   "It's not my fault his tests are easy to me, but don't tell him I said that," Y/N laughs lightly, taking in the surroundings and scavenging out the supplies she hides around the room.

  "Your secret is safe with me, dear," Ahn smiles, "Are you looking to work on your project? Or did you just want to bask in my delightful company?"

   Y/N chuckles at Professor Ahn's question, though she is quite close with the professor, "Would it be bold to say both?"

   Hyejin laughed loudly, "Of course, but that's what I appreciate about you, Y/N."

   As Y/N gathers her supplies she feels Hyejin's careful gaze on her, making her feel small and scrutinized almost. But Y/N knows better, she knows the professor is only assessing her features, for a piece, of course.
  
   Professor Ahn and Y/N spend enough time together that the professor has grown to sketch the girl while she works, the concentration she displays is admirable.

  To Professor Ahn Hyejin Y/N is the perfect model, from her fine features to the emotions she puts on full display. Ahn takes note of the small frown on her pupils lips, and the way she holds the charcoal almost like one holds a throwing star.

   "Professor, could you assess the portrait so far? I'm trying to model it after someone I saw earlier, but I'm not sure how good it is."

   "Of course, dear," Hyejin makes her over to the girls canvas and rests a hand lightly on her shoulder, "It looks fantastic, dear. The man in your drawing looks other-worldly. So full of life, but also so withdrawn from this world."

   She ruffles her pupils hair, "I can't wait to see the portrait in color."
 
    "Me either, Professor."
 
   "Y/N please, just call me Hyejin when it's the two of us, we are close as friends at this point," Hyejin lightly scolded, disappointed that Y/N still refuses to call her by her first name, even given their closeness.
  
   Y/N blushed lightly, "Of course, Hy-Hyejin."
 
   She begins to pack up her belongings, hiding the art supplies throughout the classroom, "Well, Hyejin I hate to cut our time short but I should probably head to work now."
  
   Standing and poorly trying to hide her still pink cheeks, she bids the Professor goodbye and heads to a little convenience store just off campus. She admires the snow falling as she walks, oblivious to the two pairs of eyes watching her every move.
  
   With a soft smile she greets her coworker, Felix, her best friend. She shoves her bag into the small locker that the store provides the employees and quickly throws the store polo over her long sleeve shirt.
 
  "Ah, Y/N, come on, we need to catch up! I haven't seen you in like a day," Felix calls out to her, making her giggle.
 
   "Any Changbin news?"
 
    "I mean not really but still!" He cried out, looking forward to complain about how he couldn't admit his feelings to the boy.
 
   Y/N fake scowls, "Then I don't wanna talk to you." She juts her chin in the air and turns away from the boys pleading eyes. It doesn't take long for her to dissolve into a fit of wild giggles and pay attention to Felix, they really didn't have many customers to worry about, this store was never busy.
  
   As Felix is talking about how he missed the perfect opportunity to tell Changbin about his feelings the store bells rang, which brings a bright smile to Y/N's face, talking to customers is her specialty.
  
   "Hi, miss, I uh found everything I was looking for," a soft voice comes from the other side of the counter, the owner of the voice being a tall boy with a lithe dancers build, his hair black with one single patch of teal in the very front.
 
   Y/N smiles, "Did you find everything okay, sir?"
 
   He returns her smile, "Yes! I can't believe I've never noticed this place before. I'll have to make sure to come back when I need a quick snack."
 
   "That's good to hear, sir, would you like a bag?" she asks brightly, her voice sweet like honey.
  
   The boy shakes his head, "No not today. Thank you, miss."
  
   When the pair behind the counter hear the bells chime again the slump back in their chairs, "You were totally checking him out Y/N and don't even lie to me! I was watching you! Oh my god my Y/Nie isn't hopeless! She catches feelings too."
  
   "Oh my god Felix, I look at ONE boy and you freak out."
  
   Felix takes offense to this statement, "Well maybe I wouldn't freak out so much if you actually had a love life like a real human being."
  
   And the pair spend the rest of their shift together poking fun at each other and teasing the other about their failed love lives.
 
   "Well, 'Lix the night crew are here, we are free!" Y/N shouts, excited to go home to her bed, she hugs the blonde boy tight before practically bolting out of the store. She almost doesn't notice the guy walking directly at her, luckily she moves out of the way at just the right time. The only thoughts running through her head right now being how cold her feet are and the portrait in her bag. She definitely doesn't notice that a barely familiar pair of eyes are following her as she stumbles and slips on the ice and snow.

   The man in the shadows watches her lazily as he munches on the snacks he bought from the convenience store she works at. He's careful not to be noticed, but his curiosity begs him to follow her up to her room. He has to remind himself of what Hongjoong said, Watch over her but absolutely do not make unnecessary contact, but oh does he want to. He can't help but to feel a magnetic force pulling him to her, she's so alluring.

   But San knows that he must stay away, at least for now. He watches her enter the building and turns to head back to the house, back to his favorite people.