House of Desire || an ateez vampire au

Kisses for Dessert

                                  *Y/N's POV*

   I study my surroundings, admiring all the thought put into decorating this living room. I don't even notice someone else coming into the room until I feel them rest their chin on my shoulder.

    "You should go steal someone's clothes for the day," they say, I turn my head to see Wooyoung, his hair covering most of his face. "I would love if you stole some of my clothes."

   I giggle lightly, trying not to move too much, "Then let's go, I'll raid your closet."

    He lightly grabs my arm, "And I will stand defenseless while you do so." He leads me up a staircase and down a hallway to a room that looks similar to Seonghwa's but brighter almost. The color scheme is different but the decoration is the same.

   I step in and I'm immediately greeted by a pleasant floral smell, like fresh picked wild flowers. It's calming, and I can't help but relax a little.

    "Hmmm, what does Y/N want to wear today?" I say almost jokingly, I turn to Wooyoung, "So where should I start looking?"

   "Well, if Y/N is looking for joggers she should look in this drawer," he says and opens the bottom left drawer, "And if Y/N is also looking for a hoodie, she should look in the closet."

    "What if Y/N is also looking for a t-shirt?"

     He laughs, loud and almost screechingly, "Then Y/N should look in the drawer above the joggers."

    I find myself a pair of plain looking black joggers and a plain black shirt and then rummage through Wooyoung's closet for a hoodie. I find a really soft red one and I grab it excitedly. I spin on my heel to face Wooyoung, a wide smile on my face.

   "You can use my bathroom to change," Wooyoung says, "Go and change, Y/N."

    I nod at him and go to change in the bathroom, Wooyoung is much more of a clutter bug than Seonghwa. Seonghwa has everything in labeled containers, categorized by what type of product it is. Wooyoung just has everything sprawled across the counter, it almost makes me giggle how different they are.
  
    The clothes from Wooyoung are soft and smell almost like cologne, wearing them feels like being wrapped up in a tight hug.
  
    I open the door to see him leaning against his dresser, it looks like he's waiting for me.
  
    "Oh, hey again, Y/N," he says with a sweet smile, "You should probably go get Yunho and Mingi so you can go get your stuff from home."
 
   "Probably, but I have no clue where to look," I pout at him, his only response is a laugh and him ruffling my hair.
  
   Wooyoung takes my hand, "I'll take you back to the living room and and you can wait for them there. You'll be super safe with them today. So don't worry about anything."
  
     He walks with me around the massive house, "Hongjoong is a really good man, he saved my life, multiple times."
  
     "By turning you into a vampire?" I ask curiously, tilting my head to the side, my hair falling over my shoulder with the action.
  
    "Not just then, but that was the first time," Wooyoung says in a tone softer than he's used before, "When he turned me, I had gotten myself  into some dumb fight with a guy who was hiding a switchblade in his pocket." He watches me for a reaction, "It was over something so stupid I'm embarrassed we even fought over it."
 
    I smile, lightly, "Well what was it about?"
 
   "I slept with his girlfriend," he says flatly, that's definitely not what I was expecting. "Please don't think anything less of me because of this. It's in the past, Hongjoong saved me and taught me how to be a better man after that." He holds my hand tighter, a silent plead to not walk away from him.

   "How could I think less of you because of something you did before I met you?" I say gently to him, "Especially if you've changed and bettered yourself since then."

    He smiles wide, like he did before the subject of his turning came up, "I knew you were a gentle person, but I wasn't expecting you to be this gentle."

    "Hey, Y/N you ready to go?" asks a bubbly voice from behind us, "Mingi's waiting in the front hall for us."

   I turn and see an excited looking Yunho, "Sure! Let's go, I'll see you later Woo!" I squeeze Wooyoung's hand lightly and wave to him. I make my way to Yunho and link arms with him, he smiles gingerly at me and then we're off down the stairs and through the halls to meet Mingi at the door.

   "Nobody's given you any problems, have they?" Yunho asks, he sounds concerned like he's worried one of the boys he lives with is not to be trusted.

   "Nope, they've all been perfect gentlemen," I say politely, to humor him. I doubt any of these men would do anything to harm me. I don't know why o trust them so much already, but I do.
   
    Yunho visibly relaxes, and his concerned expression is replaced by that beautiful smile of his, "Of course they are, they might be annoying but they are nothing short of gentlemen."

   I see Mingi patiently waiting for us at the door, his back against the wall and eyes glued to his phone. He looks up and smiles wide, he stands straight up and I realize just how tall he is. Sure Yunho is just as tall if not taller but I feel especially small standing between the two of them.
  
    "Alright let's go, Y/N," Mingi says, his voice is deep, how come I didn't notice at breakfast. They lead me to their car, which I didn't notice last night but it's a luxury brand. How could I not notice that Seonghwa had driven me here in a Mercedes-Benz?

    Yunho smiles, "Mingi's a good driver, if that's what's got your head in the clouds."
  
   "I'm the best driver in the house, not just a 'good driver', show some respect Yunho," Mingi says, an air of cockiness in his voice, that for some reason I find endearing and adorable.

   The ride to my apartment is smooth and honestly funny, Yunho can't help but to crack jokes to keep us laughing. When we get the apartment there's yellow police tape blocking off the alleyway and a cop car still sitting in the area, but the cop seems to be fast asleep.

    "Alright let's go up, and get your things," Yunho says, his voice is cheery and sweet. I lead them up to my apartment, only to see Felix balled up by my door. I wasn't expecting him to be here, he should still be in class right now.

    I walk up to where he's sleeping peacefully, and crouch to him. He looks so sweet when he sleeps like this. "Hey, hey Yongbok, wake up. It's Y/N, c'mon."

    He immediately sits up, and I see his hair, oh my god is it a mess. "Y/N-ie? You're safe?" He says in a tone that makes his naturally deep voice sound soft and childlike.

    "Yes, Y/N-ie is safe, Yongbokkie," I say ruffling his already messy hair and pulling him up into a hug. He was tense but he noticeably relaxes when I bury my head in his neck.

    He rocks us back and forth, "Where did you stay last night if you didn't sleep here?" His voice is stern, like that of a parent, or even an overbearing brother.

    "Oh, I stayed with Yunho and Mingi and their other friends," I answer softly, squeezing him tighter.
  
   I can feel him look up and his body tenses up again, he's on guard, being the protective best friend he's always been to me.
  
   "Stand down dude, we're her friends too," says Mingi in a nonchalant way, he tosses his scarf back around his neck. He puffs his chest a little which switches his gentle playful demeanor to something a little less gentle and a little more intimidating.
 
    Yunho stands between them, "Guys chill, c'mon Y/N let's just get some of your stuff and go."
  
    Felix pulls away from the hug, "Get some of your stuff and go? What? What's going on, Y/N?"
 
   "Well, I'm moving in with Yunho and co," I say quietly, looking Felix in the eyes so he knows I'll be safe.
  
   He throws an arm around me, "Okay, Y/N, but if any of them hurt you or make you uncomfortable or anything bad happens, you come straight to me."
  
   "I know you've got my back, 'Lixie," I say scrunching my nose and squeezing his arm, "Now to pack up a few of my things and go."
   
    The three boys follow me into my apartment, Felix cuddles up on my couch with a blanket. This boy I swear to god. Yunho and Mingi follow me around holding boxes and bags for my belongings. The boys take to boxing up my clothes, while I spend my time grabbing things of personal value. Like photographs and gifts, even old sketch books.

    I break off from handling my room and go to my studio, I bundle together all my supplies and all my favorite pieces, hopefully there's room for some of these canvases. I'd really hate to leave things like this behind.

   I don't even hear Felix enter my studio, I only feel him wrap his arms around me. He rests his chin on top of my head like he always does and just hugs me. It's like being home when he holds onto me like this.

   "Y/N?" He calls out softly, his tone vulnerable once again, "Are you sad?"

   I look up at him, and scan his face, "I'm not sad 'Lixie, I just remembered my parents disowning me for choosing the arts over law school like my sister."

   He squeezes tighter, "So you are sad, but you're also a little mad?"

   "Like always," I say resting my cheek against one of his arms, "Like I always am when I'm reminded of how they treated me."

    "Don't think about it too much," he says even softer than before and he kisses the top of my head, a sign of reassurance to me. That everything will be okay, that everything that happens has its own place in my life.

    I quickly finish packing up my art supplies and head to the living room to take things to the car, I catch Yunho , Mingi, and Felix in a glaring contest.

    "C'mon, lets take this stuff down," I say, attempting to get their attention, well at least Yunho and Mingi's.

    Mingi looks away and smiles brightly at me, "Of course, c'mon Yunho, let's go."

   I go to give Felix a hug before leaving and I slip the spare key to my apartment into his pocket, "For whenever you need a break from your roommates," I whisper softly into his ear, and leave a quick kiss on the top of his head.

    I load my arms up with as many bags as I can hold and follow Yunho out of the apartment.
 
    Yunho slows down so I can catch up to him and looks down at me with a teasing smile on his face, "So Felix is really just your best friend?"
  
   "Yeah, he's my best friend, he's like family," I say clueless to why he's asking me such a silly question.
  
    Mingi turns around and sets a couple of the boxes down, "Okay, lets fit these in the car somehow."

    He pops the trunk open and starts shoving the boxes in, expertly and quickly. Some of the bags are able to be squeezed in the trunk as well, but some of them sit next to me in the car.
  
    Mingi is now back in the drivers seat, watching me through the rearview mirror, a wide smile playing on his lips. It's adorable how he smiles, it's just this big boxy smile and it's sweet.

    I'm tucked in the back with my bags full of canvas and sketch pads and charcoals and paint, the slight smell of the paint makes even the back of this car smell like home to me.

   "Y/N?" Mingi asks from the front seat, "You good?"

   I meet eyes with him through the rear view mirror, "Of course, Mingi, why wouldn't I be?"
   
    He furrows his brows, "I know it may sound like something straight out of a novel but vampires really do have a heightened sense of hearing." I can tell he's trying to beat around the bush saying something but I can't tell what he means.
   
     "And?" I say leading him to explain further.
   
     "Well, I heard you and Felix talking about something that seemed pretty serious, about your family," he says gently. Oh shit.

   I smile at him to try and prove that I'm okay, I've moved on, "Don't worry about it Mingi, it's not a big deal anymore."
 
    Yunho smiles too, "You're safe with us, you can tell us anything, okay Y/N?"
  
    "I know, I just don't like talking about it," I answer bluntly, dropping the smile, hopefully he changes the subject.

    "Alright, well should we go straight home or should we take a detour," Mingi asks, a mischievous smirk on his face. Something in the way he says it makes me say yes.

    We end up driving around for hours, stopping to look at stores and grabbing coffees, before anyone tries to contact us.
 
   Hongjoong calls us as we decide to head home, he calls Yunho and I hear him saying he'll be very disappointed and very sad if we miss dinner. He makes a kissy noise into the phone before hanging up. How cute. He's actually adorable. I feel myself smile and giggle to myself thinking about how adorable Hongjoong is.
  
    Yunho breaks my train of thought, "Well someone looks happy." He's teasing me again, I pout at him, which just makes him chuckle. "Oh come on, Y/N, smile again for me please? It's so cute."
  
    "Never, all you do is tease me," I say and I stick my tongue out, which makes him laugh a bright musical laugh.
  
    Mingi watches us play fight out of the corner of his eye, and laughs to himself, I can feel his eyes on me.
  
   When we pull up to the house I start to gather all the bags I had with me in the backseat but Yunho stops me, "We'll handle this after dinner."
  
   He keeps my hand in his, entwining our fingers and smiles, pulling me from the car to the front door.
  
   Mingi and Yunho don't even have time to fish their keys from their pocket, the front door is already swung open by Wooyoung. He's excited for us to be home. It's really cute how he smiles up at Yunho and Mingi, how his hair moves and the smile on his face.
  
   When he sees I'm just standing there he glows even brighter and he practically screeches, "Oh my god Y/N come on! I missed you! You were gone for like forever." He pulls me out of Yunho's grasp and I hear Yunho sigh.
  
    I follow Wooyoung to the dining room, excitedly, we're both skipping and chattering like wild animals. When I see Hongjoong already at his seat at the table I can't help but skip over to him and give him a quick hug. Before I can even fully process what I did he stands up from his seat and pulls me back into a hug. He's strong, I can feel the muscles of his shoulders under my hands and the strength in his arms as he holds me close.
  
    "So, Y/N, how was your little day out with Yunho and Mingi?" He asks sweetly, his breath rustling the hair by my ear.
  
   I pull my head from away his shoulder and smile up to him, "Oh Hongjoongie, it was so much fun! We packed up my things and we drove around a little. We got coffee and and and we window shopped and and and we stopped and had a snowball fight at a park."
  
     He returns my smile, his eyes sparkling, "You're so cute." He pinches my cheeks, I can tell he already feels like I'm part of his little family.

     "Alright, dinner is ready on the table, let's dig in," calls out San, I turn and see him holding two plates of meat. Behind San is Seonghwa holding rice and vegetables. They've both got relaxed smiles and they look so happy, it almost makes me happy that I was brought here.

    Jongho walks in yawning like he just woke up from a nap, "Ooo dinner. I'm hungry."

    He takes a seat next to Wooyoung, making San move from next to him to next to me. Seonghwa decides on sitting next to me on the other side. Yeosang sits next to Mingi huffily, like he's rather sit somewhere else. Yunho decides to sit opposite Hongjoong at the other head of the table spot. He winks at the leader sitting across from him playfully.

    "How was everyone's day?" Hongjoong asked sweetly to his friends, that same soft smile from earlier back on his face.

    San gets excited and almost stands up, "Well Wooyoung and I played video games and I beat him! It was fun."

    Wooyoung pouts, "Well San kept beating me at my favorite game so I'm sad."

    Seonghwa sighs, "I got a room ready for Y/N so I was busy most of the day but I don't mind if it's for her."

    "That's gross," Yeosang says jokingly, "I spent most of my day in the library. Just reading, it was nice."

    Jongho smiles at Yeosang's joke, "Well I didn't really do anything today except try and figure out how to blend in at Y/N's college. I don't have any particular set of artistic skills that would put me in the same classes as her."

    Yunho and Mingi shared a mischievous look before shouting, "We spent the whole day with Y/N!"

   Mingi giggles, "She's so funny, and sweet and she slipped on ice and couldn't stop laughing at herself. It was cute."

    "Yeah and she, like, almost tripped in a store but she caught herself," Yunho says excitedly, "But all she could do for the next few minutes was giggle and it was so cute."

    Hongjoong giggles, "It's been a good day for everyone then, huh?"

   Everyone around the table nods while chowing down on the food. I meet eyes with Hongjoong, he mouths 'wait after dinner for me' and drops a wink at me.

    Our little interaction doesn't go unnoticed, Yeosang's eyes go wide, "Wait, what is happening here. Hongjoong what is happening?"

   Hongjoong waves him off, "Don't worry about it 'Sang."

   Seonghwa pulls me into a conversation about how my room is decorated and how he was so excited to put it together. He also tells me about how they have an empty room that I could use as a studio. He's so genuine it hurts.

   I barely even notice when the other boys start sneaking off to go do whatever they want to do. I clear my plate from the table and bid Seonghwa goodnight.

    Hongjoong is waiting by the door for me, "C'mon, I have something to show you."

    I follow him through the house up a flight of stairs and down a hallway, "What is it?"

    He smiles, "It's mine and Yeosang's favorite place to go, and maybe you'll like it too."

    "Maybe I will," I say softly and reach for his hand again.

    When he opens the door I see an extensive library, thousands of books in dozens of languages. There's sitting chairs around a grand fireplace, this room smells like cinnamon, cloves, and leather, and I love it.

   "I think you already do like it," Hongjoong says teasingly, "May I show you your room, Miss Y/N?"

   "Maybe you should, Sir Hongjoongie," I giggle, squeezing his hand tighter. I have no clue why I'm so comfortable with this man, no this vampire who probably stalked me, but I am. Something about Hongjoong is just so trustworthy that I can't help myself.

   He holds my hand gingerly and leads me through the hall again going to the opposite end, "This door, all the way down on the left is you. On the right is my room. Next to your room is San's, just to help you out."

    "Thanks, Joongie," I say and pull him into another hug. He holds me tighter than he did earlier, I can feel him bury his face in the crook of my neck.

   "You're the only person I think I'll ever let call me that," he says in a carefree voice, "Now let's see how well Hwa did."

     I open the door and oh my god, the room is perfect. He kept it minimalist and the colors are the perfect balance of pastel and bold. It's fantastic, Seonghwa outdid himself.
  
    "Hwa did a good job," Hongjoong says shocked, "Y/N, do you mind if I stay with you a little longer tonight?"
  
    I smile, "I don't mind at all, Joongie."
  
   He giggles happily, "Oh my goodness, you're so cute." He reaches out and ruffles my hair and pulls me close to him, "I just really want to get to know you, you're so interesting to me. So intriguing, so alluring. I can't place it, but you're just so wow."
  
    "Well I'll tell you anything you wanna know, I'm an open book," I say in a nonchalant way, I lean against the headboard of my bed, getting comfortable. Hongjoong just looks around the room, I pat the space in the bed next to me, "Sit next to me, and we can chat all night if you want."
  
    He sits next to me and links arms with me, "So, is everyone treating you well?"
 
   "Of course, they've been nothing but polite."
 
    He nods, "Would you mind if I asked about your family? I know it's sensitive I'm just curious"
  
   "Sure I'll tell you about them," I say nodding at him.
 
   "Okay, just tell me anything you're comfortable telling me," he whispers, his voice is soft.
  
    I look at him and I smile, "Well, when I was younger my parents always compared me to my older sister. She was meant to be my 'standard' if I won awards that she didn't win or had achievements better than hers they called me selfish, but if I wasn't at least like her, they ignored and laughed at me." I pause thinking more about it, "I think they didn't actually want me to be my own person, they more wanted a clone of the daughter they already had, so when I became less interested in academics and more interested in the arts they started ignoring me."
  
   "Oh my god, Y/N you don't have to tell me anymore it's okay."
  
   "I'm fine, don't worry," I assure him, "When I applied to and won the scholarship to Korea National University of Arts, my parents cut me off financially and disowned me, that was probably a year or so ago, but it's fine. I knew it was coming so I had been working part-time jobs in school and saving any allowance my family gave me. When I got accepted to the university I bought an apartment just off campus with all the money I'd saved and got a new job closer to school. It wasn't easy but I'm still here."

    He looked at me with glassy eyes, "I admire you so much more now than I did when I first saw you." He wipes the tears threatening to spill away, "You're such a strong, humble person."

   I try and soothe Hongjoong by stroking his hand gently, "Hey, hey, don't cry Joongie, you'll make me sad."

   "Y/N, you really are incredible," he says tenderly, meeting my eyes and searching them for something. He shifts the way he's sitting, moving away from me, "I'm afraid if I sit any closer to you, I may startle you."

   I stare at him in confusion, "Why?"

    He turns to face me again, "The first time I ever saw you was a little over six months ago. I was looking for Seonghwa, he had gotten upset and stormed out of the house. And I saw you, you were with your friend Felix at a park. Having a picnic I think. And I was immediately entranced by you." He pauses and searches my eyes for any signs of fear, "I would sometimes go back by that park to try and see you again, and sometimes I saw you."

  "That's kinda sweet, that you looked for me."

   "Oh hush, but I kept trying to see you again, then when I saw you at Utopia, I knew. I knew I couldn't just not see you again. So I had the boys follow you around and then Seonghwa saved you and you're here," he says hurriedly, his voice barely above a whisper, "I'm just afraid that with you not being you here you'll get hurt, but with you being here that maybe I won't be the only person to fall in love with you."

   My jaw drops, "The only person to what!?"

   "To fall in love with you, Y/N," he answers rolling his eyes, "I've already started to fall in love with you. Ever since I first saw you, I couldn't stop thinking about you."

   "Why did you think that would be what scares me? Joongie, you're literally a vampire, how could a little love be what scares me?" I say jokingly. I watch as he relaxes and I feel the bed dip again towards me.

   He grasps my hand, "So if I do this it won't scare you?" He dips his head and rests his forehead against mine, takes the hand that was holding mine and rests it on my cheek caressing it. I feel him tilt my chin upward and after what feels like an eternity he kisses me. His lips are soft on mine and the kiss gives me butterflies. When I kiss him back I feel him smile against my lips and he pulls away.
  
   "So I'm guessing that didn't scare you at all, huh?" says Hongjoong, a playful smirk on his face.
  
   I smile playfully at him, "Not at all, but I should probably get ready for bed, so shoo." I swat at him until he's out of my room and give him a quick kiss on the cheek.
  
  San sees this as he's bringing a couple of the boxes from the car over to my room, oh shit I forgot about those. "Hey, Y/N I got some of your boxes where would you like them?"
  
   "Anywhere is fine, I should probably go and grab the rest of my things from the car, huh," I say goofily to San.
  
   San sets the boxes down next to the little desk I was given, "Nope, Seonghwa and Yeosang are right behind me with the rest."
 
   I look at him and laugh, covering my mouth, "Oh shit, I didn't mean for you guys to handle all of that."
  
   Yeosang pokes his head into the room, "It's no big deal, we wanted to help you." He sets his pile of boxes on top of the ones San set down.
 
   Seonghwa follows in with the bags, "Alright, everything is in. How do you like your room, Y/N?"
  
   "I love it you did great," I exclaim and I skip to him and hug him tightly. He melts into the hug and spins me around a little before he drops me to my feet.
  
   Yeosang smiles and waves, "Well, good night you guys. I'll see you in the morning."  I hug him goodnight and watch him off down the hall.
  
   Seonghwa ruffles my hair, "Goodnight, Y/N. Goodnight, San." He walks out of the room happily.
  
   "Well, I guess I should be off to bed too. I'll see you in the morning. If you need anything I'm right next door."
  
   I hug him tight and kiss his cheek, "Goodnight, Sannie."
   
   When he leaves my room I shut the door and search for something other than Wooyoung's clothes to sleep in. Before I can actually find anything I want to wear a wave of drowsiness rolls over me, and I want nothing more than to curl up in the comforter of my new bed, that's exactly what I do. I stop searching through the boxes and I lay down.
  
    As I try to fall asleep, I can't help but to trace the outline of my lips with my thumb, imagining the way Hongjoong kissed me not more than 20 minutes ago.
  
   I don't even notice one of the boys sneak into the room and cuddle up to me.

A/N
thank you for reading and voting❤️❤️ and for your patience through the slow updates❤️❤️