baekyeol; I’m ready for the fall (ready for the colors to burn to gold and crumble away) [epilogue]
I’m ready for the fall (ready for the colors to burn to gold and crumble away)
Maybe I’m destined to be distraught
Always a reason
Breaking me down to my knees in the dead of night
I keep on praying to see the light
Maybe I’m breaking up with myself
Maybe I’m thinking I should just keep to the things that I’ve been told
Wait for the colors to turn to gold
The Fall - Imagine Dragons
epilogue
Six nights later
They say it's a New Year's Eve party, but there is no music, no dancing and, as much as Chanyeol can see, no fun. It's only the biggest vampire reunion of the last fifty years and everyone is just standing still, looking like freaking clothes hangers wrapped in the most expensive clothes Chanyeol has ever seen - and with clothes hangers Chanyeol really means extremely good looking models - and making small talk.
One of the main topics of the night is, of course, Kang Seulgi, the infamous killer who terrorized the vampire community of the city for two months before Kim Minseok took her down. They still haven't found the missing heads of her five victims. Chanyeol hears one of the Jung Ladies say that the vampire hunters affiliated with the Fil Rouge used to keep the heads hidden as a prize, but no one has ever found the trophy room and, now that Seulgi is dead, no one ever will.
Following Kang Seulgi's death, the second most talked gossip of the evening is that Kim Junmyeon has finally decided to tie the knot, Bonding his new fledgling. Chanyeol knows it's just a rumor. Junmyeon would never Bond his mother until she's at least one hundred years old and out of vampire teen age, apparently - he still has no qualms about fucking her, though. Still, everyone is whispering about it in low tones, pretending not to know that the people concerned are present and perfectly able to hear everything. According to Jongdae, vampires don't really have much to talk about, so when they meet they usually gossip shamelessly about each other.
A low level lackey passes in front of Chanyeol holding a tray of flutes full of blood and the boy winces, wishing intensely for a glass of vodka to appear instead. There are only a few humans at the party and finding something to drink that doesn't contain hemoglobin is Chanyeol's main purpose for this evening.
He zig-zags through the crowds, earning some suspicious glances as soon as the vampires realize who he is, until he reaches the giant Van Gogh painting hanging near the entrance. He immediately spots Kim Jonghyun's new human lover drinking something that might be whiskey.
“Where did you find the booze?” he asks, and the boy blinks, his brow furrowing.
“You're Park Chanyeol, right? I spent three hours at the police station last April, waiting for you to decide whether I was Charmed or not.”
Chanyeol sighs. The worst thing about having arrested or tried to arrest every single vampire in the city is that everyone at this party remembers his face with not so fond feelings.
“Look, I just need to know where the alcohol is, no hard feelings.”
“Is it true you're fucking Lord Byun?”
Blunt and merciless, wow... Now it's Chanyeol's turn to blink, faking a polite, surprised expression. “Excuse me?”
“Come on man, you can tell me. I've bet against my boyfriend that it's true, but he said that there's no way you two are together.”
The boy steps closer, lowering his voice to lure Chanyeol into talking, but the fact that every vampire in the room is suddenly extremely interested in our conversation doesn't escape Chanyeol's attention.
“I don't know what you're talking about. I'm here because I'm grounded and because my mother is playing house with fucking Kim Junmyeon. Now if you can't tell me where to find the quickest way to get drunk I think we have nothing else to say to each other.”
He leaves before the boy can ask anything else, but he can feel everyone's eyes glued to his back as he hastily retreats to the darkest secluded corner he can find in the wide hall.
This is the real thing. Kim Junmyeon's love affairs and Kang Seulgi's deathly danger forgotten, there is only one hot topic among all the vampires of the city. Is the most ancient, elusive and asocial vampire of the city really fucking a hunter who hates vampires on principle?
It seems like this dilemma has shaken the entire vampire community and the incredible affluence of guests to Junmyeon's party only confirms it. Most of them probably came just to take a good look at Chanyeol before they decide that, really, he's not worth it, not even close, it must be a lie.
Only one thing can distract them and keep them from swarming all over Chanyeol like flies in front of honey, and it's the appearance of Byun Baekhyun himself.
Baekhyun's first public appearance since the end of the Blood War happens in a religious, dramatic silence. Everything stops as all the vampires present in the room drop every pretense to turn and stare at him. He looks breathtaking and fashionably bored. The crowd parts for him as he reaches Junmyeon for a quick greeting, before he retreats towards the balcony. He completely ignores Chanyeol as he walks in front of him - and Chanyeol can feel the spike of interest in everyone when his and Baekhyun's eyes meet - but he wasn't expecting anything more. Baekhyun, as it seems, is still quite angry with him.
He waits a reasonable amount of time before he leaves, just enough to see at least Jongdae and Kyungsoo. The former winks at Chanyeol, while the latter merely frowns. They both disappear into the crowd quickly, probably to avoid the flock of curious friends wishing to know if the latest rumor is true.
Then Sehun crashes the party when he shows up hanging from Minseok's arm - second collective gasp, two legendary vampires who live a really private and discreet life showing up on the same day and on the same place seem to be too much for the entire vampire community. Minseok flaunts both his young lover and the translucent scar on his neck like prizes and the gossip-thirsty vampire ladies in the crowd go crazy with the sudden boost of juicy information.
Chanyeol quietly thanks them for being the best decoy ever before he leaves the room without turning back.
Do you know?
Do you know?
You’re all I know
You’re all I know
When everything
Comes crashing down
You’re all I know
You’re all I know
The Fall - Imagine Dragons
Chanyeol doesn't need to look for Baekhyun, the Bond leads him to his lover. The Bond also tells him that his lover is still quite resentful, but Chanyeol doesn't let Baekhyun's wrath stop him from wrapping his arms around his lover’s shoulders.
“You should get inside, it's quite cold tonight,” Baekhyun says, casually, colder than ice.
“Only if you come back with me,” whispers Chanyeol next to him.
“And throw myself in the lion's den?” He snorts. “I'll have to share the next eternity with these people, the less they know about me the better the rest of my life will be.”
They stare at the city, in silence, looking at the dark sky. It's too cloudy to see any stars, and even if it was clear, the lights of the city are too strong, too flashy and brash. They'd annihilate the pale, cold light of the stars anyway.
“You didn't drink anything,” comments Chanyeol, trying to be casual about it.
Baekhyun scrunches his nose. “You know I hate frozen blood.”
“But you have to take care of yourself. I worry about you, you know? You're my-”
“Don't say it!”
“You're my mate, Baekhyun.”
The vampire shakes his head, stubbornly. He's been like this since Christmas, since Seulgi's death, since... the Bond. Baekhyun is angry, distant and cold, so cold, but every night he walks barefoot to Chanyeol's room and silently slips inside his bed, kissing flowers of pleasure on his neck and stealing Chanyeol's breath with his frozen, nimble hands.
Baekhyun murmurs something, so low Chanyeol can't hear it.
“What was that?” he asks, leaning his chin on top of Baekhyun's head.
“I said you should eat more. Since I'm... always drinking your blood. You're so tired, it's not good for you.”
“Do you worry for me too? Because I'm your-”
“Don't say it!”
Chanyeol doesn't. He doesn't need to. The Bond seethes between them and he leans down to kiss Baekhyun's shoulder, not caring if all the vampires in the world see him. Baekhyun grumbles and tilts his head, letting Chanyeol's lips trail on his neck.
“You're awfully pliant for someone who is supposed to be angry with me.”
Baekhyun bristles and turns around, hissing like a cat and showing Chanyeol the tip of his fangs, but Chanyeol just laughs and leans down to kiss the tip of Baekhyun's nose.
“This is so much better.”
He can see Baekhyun's eyes flare, but his lips tremble from the effort of containing a smile.
The rest of the world starts counting down the last handful of moments before the beginning of a new year, but inside Junmyeon's luxurious condo there are only people who live outside time, so no one counts - or maybe they're just counting in the silence of their head, Chanyeol doesn't know.
As for him, he counts, under his breath. To his new permanent job in Jin-ah's department and to the first family dinner when he hasn't tried to arrest his mom's new boyfriend. To Seungwan, who can’t forgive herself for what he did but has been forgiven by everyone else. Chanyeol does it for Baekhyun too, who doesn't count but is looking forward to the new year more than anyone else, even more than Chanyeol maybe - Baekhyun doesn't tell, but Chanyeol can read it in his mind anyway.
“Happy new year,” he whispers.
He doesn't wait for Baekhyun to say it back. He leans down to kiss him while fireworks explode all around them, painting the night with their colors, burning the sky to a fiery gold before they slowly crumble away.
I’m ready for the fall
I’m ready for everything that I believed in to drift away
Ready for the leaves
Ready for the colors to burn to gold and crumble away
The Fall - Imagine Dragons
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…and they lived happily ever after! It was an angsty ride, but I hope the happy ending makes up for it <3
Thanks again to everyone who supported me these past four days since I started posting. Thanks to lj users clio323 and inky_starlight for commenting every single chapter. Thanks to the Felisati Yard Girls, who allowed me to keep editing and posting this chapter during our Halloween party. You’re the best.
And finally, thanks to the people who stayed with me in real life. It was a crazy week, but you were there for me. ty ♥