𝓶𝓪𝓴𝓲 𝓭𝓮𝓿𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓮 @sweetheart-sunghoon - Tumblr Blog

𝔅𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔡, 𝔖𝔴𝔢𝔞𝔱 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔗𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔰

♡ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 › 4.5k.

♡ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 › vampire au (highkey a vampire knight au), vampire!jake, human!reader, fem!reader, childhood bestfriends to lovers, swearing, vampiric biting and blood drinking (our first bite of the series!), slightly suggestive content, use of y/n, written in first person pov, oc side characters that are actually the reader in other parts of this series.

♡ 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 › last semester, your childhood best friend, jake sim, broke your heart and completely shut you out. this semester, you're determined to find out why. nothing could have prepared you for the truth... that jake sim is a vampire.

♡ 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 › this is part three of the given-taken series! thank you @peebyum for beta-reading most of this fic for me. i'm sorry it took literally years to post this after you first saw it.

“I like you.”

I can finally breathe again, the crushing weight of holding in my feelings lifting off my shoulders. The perpetual pushing, prodding and poking from my friends, the sleepless nights, the hours of reciting my confession, and psyching myself up has all led to this moment. I’ve done it. I’ve finally confessed my long-harboured love of my childhood friend, Jake Sim, and I’ve never felt better.

I’m trying my best to contain the elation spreading through my body like a sunrise spreading its light and warmth over the earth. Because I know that whatever Jake’s reply is, we'll still be friends at the end of the day. The two of us have been constants in each other’s lives since we were little, running under the feet of his flustered mother as she hung out the laundry, and hiding in the apple tree when she threatened to peg the pair of us to the clothesline too. Whether it was just the two of us or within a group or even two separate groups, we’ve been there for each other through thick and thin. It was highly unlikely that connection would end over this. And above all, Jake was kind. He’d never hurt me.

“I’m sorry,” Jake says. “I don’t feel the same.”

It stings a little. Of course, it does, but I’ll be okay. I respond with a small shrug and a gracious smile. “That’s okay. We can still be friends, right?”

“No, we can’t.”

And just like that, my world comes crashing down like a tsunami on the seashore—suddenly and without mercy, knocking the air out of my lungs, and replacing it with salty water that burns inside and out. I’m a minuscule sea creature, swept up by an enormous wave, thrashed and thrown around, tumbling endlessly, trying desperately to find something to stabilise myself. But unlike a sea creature, I can’t breathe. I’m drowning.

Finally, I steady myself and intake just enough oxygen to get out a single word. “What?” I ask, breathless.

Jake’s face is hard and cold, like ice. “I’m sorry, but this just isn’t working. Goodbye, Y/N.” He walks away without another word.

Jake Sim had ripped my heart right out of my chest and shattered it. Almost a month later and I’m still picking up the pieces.

“It’s silly,” I say as I pin a garland of fake ivy above my bed.

“No, it’s not,” replies Shani.

The two of us were carrying out our yearly tradition of me pleading with Shani to let me decorate the dorm, her playing the tsundere and refusing, then eventually giving in after I bust out the puppy-dog eyes. This year I had purchased a plethora of fake plants and string lights to give our room a cosy fairyland theme.

“I just feel so stupid,” I continue. “We would still be talking right now if I had just kept it to myself.”

“I guarantee you, you’d still be miserable.” She pauses her work with the fairy lights to shoot me a look over her shoulder. “You’re an emotional person. When you feel, you feel hard. And I like that about you, lots of people do, but that’s not great when you have unrequited feelings. You’d be tearing yourself up from the inside out. Why are you looking at me like that?”

Wiping fake tears from my eyes, I put on my best proud-parent face and exclaim, “Oh, Shani, you do understand emotions!”

Shani rolls her kohl-lined eyes. “Just because I refuse to show my emotions, doesn’t mean I don’t understand them.”

‘Refuse to show’ is a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s true that Shani isn’t the most cuddly and friendly person on campus. It was one of the many reasons we made such great roommates. We balanced each other out: her, the stoic and calm, and me, the excitable and emotional.

Giggling, I drop the facade and hop off my bed to throw the excess leafage in the decor box. “I’m just joking. But for real, am I really that easy to read?”

“Yes, but we’ve also been roommates and friends for almost three years now.”

I flop down on my bed and roll to face her as she sits on her own. “Did Scarlett tell you she has a new roommate?”

“Of course she did. That girl can’t keep a secret to save her life.”

I laugh.

Scarlett is a sucker for gossip and drama.

“Do you think we’ll see her at the welcome party?”

“Who? Scarlett? Obviously. The new girl? Unlikely. Scar said she doesn’t seem like the type.”

“What does that mean?”

“Who knows,” Shani says with a shrug. “Either way, the party’s in an hour. We should get dressed.”

“Guys, I don’t know about this,” I whimper, tugging at the hem of my dress as the three of us make our way across the courtyard to the gym. In preparation for tonight’s events, Scarlett and Shani had squeezed me into one of the former’s skimpiest dresses: a tiny strapless number, black in colour with baby-pink lace decorating the hem and neckline, barely long enough to cover my butt. Scarlett had swept my hair up into a loose updo whilst Shani dug through her monstrous collection of black boots to find a heeled knee-high pair she claimed would match the dress perfectly.

“What if it doesn’t work?” I ask, a sheen of sweat forming at the back of my neck despite the lack of material on my body.

“I guarantee you it will,” Scarlett replies, flashing her signature mischievous smile. “He’d be crazy not to come crawling back, begging for forgiveness.”

Shani nods in agreement. “And even if he doesn’t, you still look absolutely stunning, and we’re going to have a great time dancing.”

They’re talking about Jake, of course. Aside from giving myself a massive confidence boost, he is the reason for me wearing this little black “revenge dress” as my friends have dubbed it. I want him back. Whether as a friend or something more, I need his presence back in my life. The reasonable portion of my mind tells me it would be best to forgive and forget—accept that Jake doesn't want me and move on. But the foolishly hopeful (and unfortunately stronger) portion wants me to fight for one of my dearest friends. At the very least, I believe I deserve an explanation from Jake, and if wearing a skimpy mini-dress is the only way to get one, then so be it.

The party is already in full swing when the three of us enter the gym. The lights are low and constantly shifting between hues of blue and pink. There is a banner hanging from one of the balconies reading “Welcome Back!” in bedazzled block letters, and streamers and balloons floating above the student body. Both the day and night classes are here tonight.

“Let’s get a drink,” says Shani. She leads the way to the snack and beverage table.

It’s guarded by a pair of teachers attempting to prevent the punch and juices from being spiked. I’m sure at least a third of the students here tonight are carrying flasks of alcohol with them tonight as a result. I’m even more sure that Scarlett knows every single one of them and will be able to con someone into sharing with us.

As soon as our cups are full of fruity punch and we’re out of earshot of the teachers, Scarlett confirms my suspicions with a cheeky grin. “I know who we can get alcohol from. Jay Park promised to sneak me in some after losing a bet.”

Shani recoils. “Of all the people in this school, it had to be Jay. You know I hate him.”

Scarlett waves her hand dismissively. “Hate, love, same thing.”

Shani blanches then recovers, fixing a deadly stare on Scarlett. “You little—” She calms herself with a deep breath and turns to me, planting her cup in my free hand. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

Scarlett giggles mischievously as Shani stomps away.

“She's going to actually get mad at you one of these days,” I warn.

“Eh, doubt it. She’s a softy at heart.”

I laugh in agreement. No matter how much of a tough act she put on, Shani has a lot of love to give to those who earned her trust.

“What was that about anyway? Did something happen between her and Jay? I didn’t know they knew each other.”

“Oh, they know each other very well,” Scarlett says with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows.

“Oh... Oh.”

“Yep. Now come on, I want to get drunk.” She tugs me through the crowd to her source. “Hey, Jay!”

“Hello, Scarlett,” says a boy that I can only describe as looking like trouble. This must be Jay. He’s standing with two other boys. One with a gentle expression and kind, doe-like eyes, the other with a puppy face and boy-next-door smile, kind of like—

Jake. My eyes meet his and the world stops spinning. It’s him. It’s really him. To anyone else, he looks just as he did the day he broke my heart. But there are small changes that only I can pick up on. His smile and eyes are just as joyfully boyish and kind as always, but his hair is longer and darker, and his skin is paler, clearer and almost glowing.

My heart reaches for his, and my body aches for his comforting presence. But before I can even begin to think about what to say, someone presses play and the world starts spinning fast enough to give me whiplash.

Jake’s expression drops, his hands fly up to his mouth in an ‘I’m-going-to-be-sick’ kind of way and he’s shoving his way through the crowd, rushing to get away.

My stomach twists. Does he hate me that much? So much that the mere sight of me has him hacking up his lunch? My heart stings in a way that I had only recently become familiar with. It was similar to the stinging behind my eyes when I held back tears, only worse.

“What’s his deal?” Scarlett scoffs, pushing her cup towards Jay. “Allergic to the consequences of his actions?”

Scarlett's joke brings a small smile to my face. It warms my soul to have her backing me up.

Jay rolls his eyes but obliges her, discreetly unveiling a chrome flask from his jacket. He pours a shot into her cup then mine and then Shani’s. “To be fair, you just served up his greatest desire on a silver platter in a place where partaking of said desire is heavily frowned upon.”

A tingle runs down my spine. Greatest desire? Does he mean me? But what does that even mean? How could I be Jake’s greatest desire? It was no more than one month ago that Jake wilfully ripped my heart from my chest, hurled it to the ground, stomped and spit on it. Metaphorically, of course.

Scarlett grimaces. “First of all, Jay, you need to stop talking about humans that way—it’s gross. Second of all, what are you talking about?”

“You know what I'm talking about.” Tucking his flask away again, Jay turns to the boy with the doe-eyes. “I’m going to go check on him.”

The boy nods and Jay disappears into the crowd. The boy then turns to me and Scarlet.

“I’m Heeseung, by the way,” he says with a friendly smile.

Scarlett introduces us.

“I’m sorry about them,” Heeseung says, frowning slightly. “Please don’t take anything they say or do personally. Jake’s still learning and Jay, well, he’s just an idiot.”

My brow furrows. “Learning?”

Heeseung nods. “That’s what the transitional period is: learning. His body is still changing, so intense cravings are a given. He’ll learn how to control them soon, though, and he’ll eventually be able to survive off the pills alone.”

“The pills?” I gape at Heeseung. He has such a kind face, I would have never guessed drugs were one of his hobbies. Is that why Jake cut me off? Because he’s been hanging out with drug dealers? Is he a drug dealer too now?

“The blood pills, I mean.”

“The blood pills?” I exclaim. It just gets worse.

Heeseung’s doe eyes widened in mild surprise. “Jake didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Jake was bitten by a pureblood. He’s a vampire now.”

The afternoon air is warm, a gentle breeze carrying the fresh scent of spring across the courtyards where students can be found chatting the afternoon away as they spread out on the soft green grass, or nap under a tall shady tree, the background jibber combining with the gentle babble of the fountain to create the perfect lullaby.

I, however, am on a mission. Despite Heeseung filling me in on all that is Jake this past month, I need to hear it from the man himself. A small glimmer of hope had sparked as Heeseung spoke to me. Maybe Jake didn’t mean what he had said that day. Maybe the transformation was getting to him. As cliche as it is, maybe he thought that cutting me off would ‘protect me’. I really hope it isn’t that because that is just plain stupid. Vampires and humans can coexist perfectly well. The school we attend is proof of that. Surely Jake knows that. Although, I’d prefer Jake was being misguidedly heroic rather than honest when he said that he no longer wanted my friendship.

It’s an odd sensation to let my eyes skim past all the students in black day-class uniforms and instead honing in on the white night-class uniforms in the search for Jake. Despite this, I find him with little effort. He’s heading in the direction of the exotic flower greenhouse where Heeseung told him to meet-up after class.

There’s a sharp pang in my chest at the sight of him, feelings of longing and misery storming in my heart. I miss him. Oh, God, I miss him. But he broke my heart, and whatever his reasons were, the pain was undeniable. Still, recovering my friendship with Jake would mean the world to me, and that can’t happen until he starts being honest with me. It’s time to get some answers.

I step out from behind my hiding place and follow Jake into the garden, maintaining a respectable distance. If he realises I’m following him then I’m sure he’ll flee. I can’t let that happen.

The hedged pathway twists and turns, breaking into forks at multiple points. I start to worry at a few intersections that I might turn the wrong way, but the subtle scent of orchids and lilies guides me to the centre where the glass flower house lies. I’d be remiss to simply call the place a greenhouse when the entire structure could house half the human body of students of Cross Academy. Rather, the term ‘glass palace’ seems more appropriate. Despite its crystal clear walls, the incredible volume of tropical and exotic plants and flowers housed inside block the view from outside. As I twist the golden branch-shaped handle, I can only hope Jake managed to follow the flower scent as well.

Inside, a serenade of butterfly wings flapping and crickets chirping surrounds me as I search for Jake. I find him sitting on the edge of a flower bed, twirling a hibiscus between his fingers.

Before I can even think of calling his name, he shoots up and his gaze lands on me, frantic and disbelieving.

“Jake,” I say softly, as though not to spook a small animal.

He stumbles back. “Where's Heeseung?”

“He's not coming. It's just you and me, Jake.” There's an ache in my chest that grows deeper at the sight of Jake. I want to scream and cry and tear my hair out—better yet, tear his hair out—anything to make him understand how he needlessly hurt me. But I can't bring myself to do it. Hurting him won't do either of us any good.

And the longer I observe him, the more concern starts to creep up on me. He’s changed again since the party. Then, his skin glowed and his eyes twinkled. Now, his skin is sallow and covered in a sheen of sweat, his eyes sunken beneath dark circles, and his posture weakened. Is this part of the change from human to vampire? But he looked fine at the party. What has changed since then?

“No, no,” Jake says, shaking his head, dark locks falling over his eyes. “I-I have to go. I can't do this.”

“Yes, you can,” I urge, moving closer.

He steps back. “No, I can't.”

I step forward. “Yes, you can. There's no reason you can't.”

“There's so many reasons I can't,” Jake replies, gaze meeting mine again.

The intensity of his stare sends a shiver down my spine. I try to swallow my nerves.

His eyes catch the bob in my throat. They flash red.

A gasp sweeps out of my mouth before I can stop it.

“Jake, wait,” I say, reaching for him, but it's too late, he's gone, disappearing between shades of emerald and honeydew.

A wave of panic surges through me and my legs start moving of their own accord, chasing after Jake through the greenhouse. I can’t lose him, not when I haven’t even gotten him back.

I pause in the centre of a ring of towering palm trees as desperation claws up my throat. “I know you’re a vampire!” I shout, turning in a circle. “Heeseung told me.”

Only flittering beetle wings reply. But the familiar tingle at the back of my neck, tells me he’s still here, watching me. “Jake, please. I’m not scared of you.”

A beat of silence follows. It’s broken by palm fronds brushing against each other.

I turn to the sound, but Jake’s voice echoes out behind me.

“Don't lie to me, Y/N. I saw the look on your face before.”

“It wasn’t fear,” I say, turning again, scanning the surrounding plants for a glimpse of him. “I was just a bit shocked, is all.”

More silence.

So I continue, “You’ve never had bright red eyes before, so I was surprised. That’s all. I’ll get used to it, though. I’ll get used to everything. I don’t care that you’re a vampire.”

Leaves rustle behind me again. When I turn, I find myself face-to-face with Jake. My heart skips a beat, almost jumping into my throat. His eyes are slowly returning to normal—mocha brown pushing back against the crimson red. And yet, the cold glare in them pins me in place. He's never been more intimidating, power and strength and heat radiating from his body as he towers over me.

Briefly, I wonder if the change from human to vampire is like a second puberty, because I could have sworn he only had a couple inches on me.

His low voice interrupts my thoughts. “You don’t care?” He asks. “Y/N, I’m a vampire. I need blood to survive. I crave it. And I could easily kill you to satisfy the craving. You should be terrified. I’m a monster.”

I suck in a deep breath, steeling myself. He’s trying to scare me—push me away—but it’s not going to work. Not this time.

“You’re not a monster,” I say, returning his glare, though I fear the half-heartedness of it is abundantly obvious. Despite my best efforts, I can never be truly mad at him. Frustrated maybe, but angry? Never. “You’re my best friend. You have been for the past eighteen years, and you will be for another eighteen, at the very least.”

Tears pool in my eyes and I jab a finger into his chest. He flinches, stepping back.

”You think you can scare me, Jake Sim? Think again. I’ve seen you in diapers. I’ve seen you ball your eyes out on the first day of school. I’ve seen you in heels and a dress. I’ve seen you so drunk you sang karaoke for three hours straight. I’ve stripped and bathed you after you fell in your vomit, for God’s sake!”

A rosey blush blooms across his cheeks as he takes in my words, stupefied embarrassment taking over from the faux-aggression. He parts his lips to speak but no words come out, so he closes them and hangs his head.

Jake has always been the type of person who needs a little time to process his thoughts and feelings, so I step back and give him some space while he considers my words. The cogs of his brain turn steadily, pulling his brows closer together. My fingers twitch, itching to reach out and smooth over the crease between them like I used to do when Jake got lost in his thoughts. I force myself to hold back, though.

Finally, he looks up and opens his mouth again to speak. Anticipation turns my heartbeat skittish.

“Y/N, I—“ are the only words Jake manages before his body suddenly stiffens and his eyes widen, that sickly crimson flooding the irises. His expression becomes pained, one of his hands pressing against his temple.

”Jake?” I say. “Are you okay?”

A groan and a grunt is his reply as his knees buckle and he falls to his hands and knees.

“Jake!” I reach for him instinctively, dropping to the ground next to him.

A shudder racks his lean body, the hand on his head flies down to cover his mouth and nose, and I think he might be about to throw up. A single bead of sweat forms at his hairline and trickles down.

“Jake, what's wrong?” I ask, panic shaking my voice. “Are you sick?”

I reach for his forehead, trying to gauge his temperature, but he shoves my hand away.

“No,” he groans. “Leave me alone. You need to get out of here.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“Blood,” he says through gritted teeth. “Your blood. I can smell it.”

It’s only then that I become aware of the gravel slicing into the skin on my knees, drawing thin lines of blood to the surface. It’s not enough to warrant a band-aid, but apparently enough to trigger this visceral reaction from Jake. My heart clenches as his breathing turns laboured.

A conversation I had with Heeseung whilst arranging this meeting with Jake springs back into memory.

“Jake is still in the transitional period,” he had said. “As a human turned vampire, his body doesn’t know how to survive off the small amount of blood the rest of us are born knowing to. He needs fresh blood every day to complete his transformation.”

“What if he doesn’t get fresh blood?” I asked.

Heeseung sighed. “If a new vampire doesn’t get enough blood while the change is still happening, they’ll become a Level E.”

I hesitated then, fearing his next answer. “Level E?”

“Level E is the lowest rank of vampires. They lose almost all cognitive function as their hunger for blood takes over, driving them to endless acts of violence in the pursuit of it. There’s nothing that can be done for a person if they reach that point. The only thing you can do is put them out of their misery.”

Back in the present, my mind is made up instantly.

“Jake, get up,” I say, rising and pulling his arm. “Let me help you.”

With a heavy, pained groan Jake lets me pull him off the ground and guide him to a nearby bench. He near-collapses onto it, leaning his weight onto one hand as the other shakily rakes through his hair. He throws his head back, chest heaving with each breath. I try my best to ignore the heat spreading around my body as I loosen my tie. Jake is in pain and I need to help him.

“What are you doing?” Jake asks, his usually smooth and full voice now strained and gravelly. His eyes widen as I slip off my blazer. “Y-Y/N.”

“You need blood,” I answer, undoing the top buttons of my shirt to expose my neck.

“Y/N, no, I can’t,” he says, but his eyes betray him, the warm natural brown fading to an eerily bright red.

“Yes, Jake,” I reply, imbuing my voice with a confidence I don’t have. “I refuse to let you turn into a Level E. I refuse to lose you.” Undoing a fourth button that allows my shirt to fall off my shoulder, I sit next to Jake and turn my back to him so he has full access to my neck.

Jake’s eyes fall to the exposed skin. He swallows hard. “I don’t know if I can control myself,” he confesses. “What if I can’t stop?”

“You can and you will,” I tell him. I look at him over my bare shoulder. “I know you can.”

His eyes snap up to mine. “Aren’t you scared?”

“Only of losing you.” Gently, I take one of his hands in mine and bring it up to the side of my neck where the rhythmic pulse of blood is strongest. “Please, Jake. Just take it.”

The red in his eyes intensifies at the feeling of my pulse under his hand. His breath hitches. “Okay.”

I can see how hard he’s concentrating on maintaining his composure as he straddles the bench and shuffles closer. My heart swells at the knowledge that he’s insistent on controlling himself and not letting his hunger consume him. He cares about me still, despite the harsh words he spoke before. I matter to him. I can only hope it’s as much as he matters to me.

He places a tentative hand on my other shoulder and lowers his face into the crook of my neck. I hear a low rumbling in his throat as he breathes in my scent. “I’m sorry,” he whispers before sinking his teeth into my skin.

I gasp at the sharp sting of pain, hands balling up in the hem of my skirt. It hurts more than I expected and I almost want to tell Jake to stop, but then a soft moan vibrates along my skin and his arms wrap around me, and the pain eases. He pulls my body flush against his own and the familiarity of him melts the tension from my bones so well that I find myself sighing and relaxing into him.

I want to ignore the fluttering in my stomach, but the intimacy of this situation is unavoidable. My back against his chest, his hands on my body, his lips on my skin, his teeth in my skin. It’s so overwhelming it makes me dizzy. Oh… wait… That’s true… but also… I do really feel dizzy… I think, maybe… that’s too much blood...

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