Moonlight Cafe [Lim Jaebeom] Chapter 1 of 2. Tags: 8.4k, Fantasy!AU, Vampire!Jaebeom, Fem OC, Romance, Mystery, No Warnings, Two Parts. Summary: Trapped in a small town where everyone knows everyone, you feel as though you’re going nowhere fast until a mysterious traveler begins to frequent the little roadside diner you work in and turns your small world upside down.
You live in a small house, in a small town, in what feels like a very small world.
Everyone knows everyone and the entire town population has remained unchanged since you were a child. The only difference is that you’ve lived alone since your aunt passed away a year ago. Now it was just you and Cheeseburger, her slightly overweight and terribly needy tabby cat.
Speaking of the spoiled feline, Cheeseburger’s tail swishes under your nose and you irritably twitch in your sleep, rubbing furiously to rid yourself of the sensation. You manage to stay asleep for another minute before you feel a building pressure in your chest, shifting from one spot to another, and in the haze of sleep, you can’t understand what’s happening to you.
Not until a loud meow directly in front of your face makes your eyes shoot open. Surely enough, Cheeseburger is standing on your chest, round face mere centimeters from your own. “Why?” You mumble, grunting under the now constant discomfort coming from all four paws planted on your body, “Can’t you wait? It’s only six o’clock.”
His answer is to lay down on your chest, kneading his paws into your skin. That is a resounding no, he cannot wait. He doesn’t care that you only got home about two and a half hours ago. He is going to die of starvation if you do not fill his bowl immediately. This is obviously a state of emergency and he will not be leaving until you do so.
You would think that by filling his bowl when you arrive home from work at 3:30 am that he would be satisfied and allow you to sleep through until your alarm goes off around noon but no. You are not allowed such luxuries. Not as long as your faithful furry friend is around.
You attempt to roll onto your side but Cheeseburger is a little too heavy and he isn’t going to move an inch until he knows you’re getting up to feed him. With a massive sigh, you nudge him a bit to let you up and the little shit jumps off, pushing with his back legs and mostly likely bruises the soft skin of your stomach with the effort.
Cheeseburger prances along beside you, more pep in his step walking to his food dish than he exhibits all day and you can’t help but chuckle at your portly companion. He may be a demanding little fluff ball but he’s the one thing that keeps your life interesting.
It’s almost sad to think about.
You fill his bowl and he purrs gratefully as you scratch that little spot behind his ear before he lays right in front of the bowl, dipping his paw in to scoop out a few kibbles at a time. It was one of his special quirks and you didn’t question it.
Falling back into bed, you pulled the covers back over your body and settled against the pillow. Your body was exhausted but you were still wide awake and you didn’t immediately fall back to sleep. Instead, your mind was clouded with the same thoughts that had plagued your existence for years.
You were stuck. Trapped in a repeating cycle day in and day out. Wake up at noon, eat, online classes, chores & errands, and then you’re off to your shift at the little roadside cafe on the outskirts of town. You do the same thing, see the same people, the same places every day. The only new people you get to meet spend an hour or less in town before they disappear once more.
You wished for something, anything, to change just before you passed out again.
The Moonlight Cafe was the closest thing to leaving town you were ever going to get. The little diner was located at the very edge of town right near the quiet highway. You frequently got in travelers but they never stopped or stayed in town, only grabbing a quick meal and getting back on the road.
Some folks thought it was odd, a young woman living alone, choosing to work the night shift in a cafe a little too far from home, but your shift from seven o’clock to three in the morning was when you got the most interesting visitors.
The townsfolk didn’t like new things, they couldn’t relate to you in your need for something different.
The diner was always relatively quiet. The regular dinner staff usually cleared out by eleven o’clock leaving just you and one cook behind to finish out the night. You didn’t get too many patrons past the dinner rush and you had no problem being by yourself. Your cook typically minded his own business, usually cleaning the kitchen or getting an earful from his lonely wife on his cell phone the rest of the time.
You envied the people passing through simply because of the fact that they were doing just that: Passing through. You never saw the same face twice. They came and went so quickly you never truly knew who they were or where they were going but sometimes you liked to give them stories like characters in a book.
You’d like to think that the young couple with permanent smiles and shiny matching wedding bands just skipped town to elope. Two lovers with nothing but each other and a road map.
Or the man with the briefcase who stopped in at nearly midnight for a black coffee was onto a lead, chasing a trail to solve an exciting case.
Or the young woman who seemed a bit like you except she wore a quiet smile as she twirled her fork. Something about the newfound freedom in her eyes made you ache for the same kind of feeling.
Working in the cafe was the only time you felt like there was more out there and one day, you would finally break free of this town and create a life that truly felt like your own, free from the confinement you’ve been living in for so long.
“Well, I think we fed damn near the entire town tonight,” Your co-worker, Samantha, chuckles, a wet rag still in her hand from helping you buss tables.
“You would think this was the only little cafe in town,” You huffed jokingly and Samantha tossed her rag at you, just barely missing your face.
“I can’t wait to get the hell out of here,” Samantha sighs, dropping down into an empty booth. The dinner rush always came and went all at once, leaving the cafe all but empty.
“Rub it in why don’t you?” You teased her, falling into the opposite booth, “You’ll be off in California of all places while I’m stuck here, waiting tables for the rest of my life.”
Samantha sighs and reaches for your hand over the table, “You could come with me, you know?”
You squeeze her warm hand, crushing her hopes yet again. “I can’t leave yet, I’m still saving and I haven’t decided what to do with Aunt Tilly’s house.”
It wasn’t just your finances holding you back, it was the never-ending question about your aunt’s minimal yet meaningful assets. Her passing was quick and unexpected and she left you no will nor any idea what she had wanted for her estate. Aunt Tilly wasn’t one to talk about the future and now you were stuck living in the past with no moral sense of direction when it came to moving forward.
Would she turn over in her grave if you decided to sell it? If you used the profits to run away and start a new life? Would Cheeseburger spite you for the rest of his days from selling off the only home he has ever known? Would you live in regret because of all the unknowns?
“You’re overthinking it again,” Your friend says softly and she offers you a pitiful smile when you meet her eyes again.
You release her hand and stand up again as you see some of the dinner staff members leaving. “Maybe I’ll meet you out there one day,” You smile convincingly, “Get outta here girl, your shift is over.”
Samantha grins and gets up, walking behind the counter to grab her purse before meeting you back by the doors, “You know I worry about you being all alone out here,” She says, her smile fading a bit.
“I’m not alone,” You point to the kitchen over your shoulder, “I’ve got Chris.”
You both peer through the tiny window behind the counter to see Chris already on his phone, one hand in the air in exasperation, and Samantha pins you with an unimpressed look, “That’s reassuring.”
With a little sweet talk and some gentle nudging, Samantha is out the door by eleven-thirty and you’re alone again. Mostly alone.
You didn’t even notice him come in, but there is a man sitting in the furthest booth from the doors, a book in hand, and you wonder how long he’s been here. He doesn’t peel his eyes away from the pages whilst you openly stare at him and you don’t even have the sense to stop yourself.
You have seen many strangers come and go in your little cafe but never once has one been this alluring. He is obviously not from around here and you can tell just by the way he’s dressed. The men in your town are the blue-collar type. Jeans and a button-down flannel are considered dressing up here and this man looks nothing of the type.
His black hair is short and neat on the sides and a bit longer on top, a few strands falling over his forehead before he pushes them away again. You notice that he has several silver earrings including another piercing in his nose, an over-sized black t-shirt, and loose-fitting jeans. In addition to all that, his side profile was incredible and you were entranced.
Suffice to say he was stunning and it left you suspended in mid-air as if by some sort of magic spell.
A sudden shout from the kitchen startles you into motion and you arrive at the man’s table before you realize your feet carried you there in the first place. The man folds the corner of his page and closes the book before looking up at you and you swear the air disappears from your lungs. He’s even more beautiful up close.
“Hello,” He says softly, not in the least bit bothered that you’ve been staring at him for the past five minutes. It was something he was used to and the reason he often hid from humans but he found that he didn’t mind your attention at all, he basked in it.
For the first time in a very long time, he felt warmth tingling in his fingertips and he wondered if you had something to do with it.
His voice pulls you out of your head and you blink twice before realizing you haven’t responded to him. “I’m so sorry! I don’t mean to stare…” You fumble your words almost as if your tongue is numb, too stunned to form anything properly.
The man smiles and you’re struck stupid once more, “It’s okay, really. I’m a bit out of place here, I think. Spent too long in the city I suppose.”
“The city,” You whisper to yourself, fingers ghosting over the tabletop and his eyes fall upon them almost fondly. He understands the longing in your voice. You chuckle suddenly and his eyes return to yours once more, “Sorry, can I get you something to eat?”
He lets his eyes fall to the base of your throat out of habit but quickly corrects himself before you notice, “Just a bottomless cup of coffee, please?” He replies and it takes you a minute to nod and pull yourself away from him.
Back behind the counter you finally feel as if you can breathe again. The strange numb feeling in your mouth gone in an instant and you grabbed a clean mug, filling it with your freshest pot of coffee before making your way back over to deliver it. He’s just picked up his book and you frown at the folded page corner, that poor book.
You lay down a napkin and set the mug down, appreciating the scent of the strong blend. You don’t drink coffee much yourself but you loved the smell of it and he seemed to as well. “Would you like any cream or sugar?”
“No, thank you. I’m accustomed to bitter tastes I’m afraid,” He smiles politely, “It smells wonderful though.”
“Ah, got it, and thank you,” You almost stutter, his eyes catching you off guard once again, “I’ll just... be over there if you need anything or whenever you’re ready to check out,” You point at the deserted counter and spin on your heel to walk away.
“What time do you close?” The man calls out, surprising you once more. No one really ever asked because they usually weren’t here for more than an hour.
“Three a.m.” You answer and he offers a nod before lifting the coffee to his lips and taking a long sip, going back to his book.
A few more travelers had come and gone by the end of your shift but the mystery man in the corner remained put until a quarter to three, just before closing time. You had your back facing the counter, tidying up the coffee machines and hanging clean mugs when you heard someone clearing his throat. You whipped around to find the man standing at the counter, a small smile playing about his lips.
You’re not even sure how he’d made it to the counter so quietly when he was still reading at his table mere seconds ago. You would know, you’ve been watching him all night. You had silently refilled his mug several times, emptying almost two entire coffee pots but the man looked no worse for wear. Any normal person would have had a breakdown after all that caffeine but he seemed completely unaffected.
“Didn’t mean to sneak up on you,” He smiled, perfectly aligned white teeth threatening to blind you, “Just wanted to pay you before you close up.”
“Oh, of course. I didn’t even realize what time it was already.”
You wiped your hands on your apron and moved toward the register, your limbs jittery as the man watches you press a few buttons before speaking again, “It’s just two dollars for the coffee,” You say.
“For as many cups as I've had?” His brows shoot up almost comically.
“Uh, to be honest, no one sticks around for more than a cup and refills are usually free even though they barely finish the first. I’m not even sure what to charge.”
The man hands you a ten-dollar bill and refuses change, a bright smile as he watches you struggle with what to do with the extra cash. You awkwardly deposit it into the register and you’re at a loss for words suddenly.
‘Say something!’ your brain screams at you.
“Do you work here each night?” The man asks and your brain’s cogs stop spinning.
“Not every night,” You answer, confusion obvious in your tone, “I’m off on Sundays and Mondays.”
“Good to know,” He grins, “I’m Jaebeom, by the way.”
Jaebeom. It fits him well and the name brands itself in the forefront of your mind.
He’s already moving away from the counter and toward the door but you don’t want him to leave. “I’ll see you around,” He says before slipping out the door and you stop in the middle of the cafe, unaware that you were actually following him toward the doors as if you had no choice but to follow his pull.
‘See you around?’ You whisper, maybe that was just a goodbye where he’s from. You knew the second he walked out that door that you would never see him again and your heart cracked in your chest at the thought.
The next morning, or afternoon, you lay in bed with zero motivation to move. Your chest ached for reasons beyond you and nothing seemed to help. You considered staying in bed all day until it was time to work but the absolute wailing next to your head refused to allow it.
“You know,” You huffed, sitting up in bed and staring down at the cat, “I would get you a refillable food dish but I don’t trust you not to empty the whole damn thing in one go.”
‘Mrow’ he smarts back at you before using his tiny staircase at the side of the bed to get down and lead you into the kitchen. “Damned cat.”
You went through your day in a weird haze. You weren’t exactly tired, nor were you feeling ill but the odd pressure in your chest bugged you constantly. You felt it throughout the day and all through the dinner rush, your feet carrying you through the kitchen and dining floor on autopilot, ready to get away from all the over-familiar, prying townspeople.
Finally, the dinner staff is walking out the door and you’re making your way back behind the counter, opening a bag of coffee grounds to start a fresh pot when the chest pains suddenly evaporate.
Your hands move of their own accord, pressing against your ribs and between your breasts. The pain was completely gone out of nowhere. You suddenly remembered that you were standing in plain sight holding your chest and you do a quick spin to make sure you’re alone. You’re halfway through a breath of relief when you notice the man in the corner booth. His eyes widened curiously and a tiny smirk upon his pretty lips.
He’s back. He came back and he’s sitting there watching you fondle your own chest, biting back a snicker at the pure panic on your face.
You spin away from him and brace your hands on the counter taking deep breaths to calm yourself down. After a minute or two, you fill a mug with fresh coffee and make your way over to his table where he already has a different book in his hand. He dog-ears the corner of the page again and sets it down to look at you.
“Hello, again,” He smiles the same heart-stopping smile from last night.
“You came back?” You asked before you could think and cursed yourself silently for it.
“I did,” He answers, his eyes never leaving yours, “I might be sticking around for a while.”
“No one ever stays, it’s like a town curse or something,” You chuckled nervously, shifting from one foot to the other.
“Curses don’t scare me,” He replies and you swear the color of his eyes shift before everything looks normal again but it was so fast you probably just imagined it.
“Everything ok?” He asks and you’re confused before it dawns on you why he’s asking.
“Oh,” You laugh awkwardly, “I’ve just had some chest pains since last night, probably just indigestion, but they disappeared all of a sudden.”
Jaebeom’s eyes fall to the table, a smile breaking through before he looks back up at you, “I’m happy to know you’re feeling better.”
The sincerity in his voice almost stops you in your tracks but a bell at the door signals a new customer’s arrival and you’re forced to snap back to reality. “Are you hungry?” You ask quickly, but he shakes his head, “Just the coffee.”
Much to your surprise, Jaebeom stays until closing again, reading his book and drinking endless amounts of black coffee. You spend your whole shift staring at him in a trance like you can’t draw your eyes away from him and you aren’t even lucid enough to care if he knows. And he does know. He watches you whenever you’re not watching him.
But now he’s the last one here yet again and that pressure in your chest returns. You’re squirming uncomfortably as he approaches the counter, brows furrowed as he watches you. “Is it your chest again?” He asks worriedly.
“Ahh, don’t worry about it, I’m sure it’ll pass,” You grimace, the urge to hunch your shoulders to alleviate some of the discomfort is hard to dismiss.
“Do you mind?” Jaebeom asks, holding out his hand toward the one gripping the counter and it takes you a second but you realize he’s asking for it and you hesitantly place your hand in his.
The second your skin meets the ache is dulled and he plays it off by squeezing a pressure point between your thumb and pointer finger, a spot meant for pain relief. Your eyes are soft as you watch him and his self-restraint wanes in your close proximity. He finishes applying pressure but can’t stop himself from brushing his fingers over your skin before he releases you.
“I heard that could help...sometimes,” He says quietly, scratching at the back of his neck awkwardly. If he could blush he certainly would be right now.
“Thank you, Jaebeom.”
The sound of his name coming from your lips brings an instant smile to his face and he knows his travels will have been well worth it even if this were the one and only time he would hear you say it. He hopes that he will hear it many more times though.
He wants to thank you by name before remembering that you’ve not yet told him what it was and suddenly the need to know overwhelms him.
“You’re welcome,” He hands over another ten-dollar bill, holding up a hand when you try to give him change, “I hope to see you again…” He trails off hopefully.
“Vera,” You offer shyly, “ You can call me Vera.”
Jaebeom smiles and nods before he’s walking out the door, the smile on his face faltering when he catches you rubbing your chest again.
It’s been about six weeks since it’s started and the chest pains continue but you’ve noticed they seem to be lighter at night. They practically vanish when the dinner shift ends and have been light enough when you get home that you are actually able to sleep after work.
Jaebeom consistently appears every night at eleven pm sharp but now instead of staring at him from across the diner, you sit and join him whenever it’s quiet.
He shares with you that he works as a sort of historian, an artifact collector, traveling all over the world to search for priceless pieces of history. You love listening to his stories about the places he’s been and he tells them so well that you feel as if you’ve been there yourself.
One night you find yourself across from him again, as he tells you about a recent find in another part of the world. Somewhere far off that you’ve never even heard of and the thought suddenly crosses your mind.
“Jaebeom, what exactly are you here to find?” You ask curiously, “There can’t really be anything of much worth in this place.”
Jaebeom’s eyes seem to sparkle with joy as he answers your question, “Well, it was a bit unexpected, but there is something of immeasurable valuable here,” He says quietly, his smile matching the look in his eyes as they meet yours, “It’s the greatest treasure I could ever hope to find.”
You’re enraptured by him. The way he speaks, the way he shifts closer to the table, closer to you. The way he seems so full of intrigue and respect for what he searches for. You wonder what kind of object could stir such genuine passion in him and you’re almost envious of it. Whatever it is.
“Have you found it?” You ask suddenly, voice smaller than you had expected. You weren’t ready for him to pack up and move on. To leave you behind.
“Yes, I believe I have,” He smiles softly and you try your hardest to not let your face fall in front of him. That was it, your time with him would end and you would still be here. Stuck in the same place forever.
Jaebeom tries his hardest not to show joy at the way you falter. The way you clearly convey your wishes for him to stay and he continues on, “Don’t worry, I think it’s going to take some time to uncover.”
The smile you offer him is completely unrestrained, pure happiness radiating from you now and you don’t even care to hide it from him.
Jaebeom shifts uncomfortably in the hard wicker chair on your back porch, stretching his limbs to shake out the ache of prolonged stillness. He’s been spending the early morning hours outside your bedroom window ever since he realized his proximity could lessen the discomfort you had been experiencing.
Not for the first time, he desperately wishes to adjust your sleeping position to alleviate the light snores his sensitive hearing picks up through the walls. He grins to himself as he thinks about you and the stories you told him earlier that night, mostly focused around a cat with a rotund belly and a name to match. He hoped he would get to meet the little guy one day.
He thinks about the night he met you.
He had planned to pass right through this deserted place, small towns were notoriously more difficult to hide in, but something brought him to a dead stop outside that little cafe. He knew what the little tugging notion he had felt inside his chest could mean as soon as you came over to his table, stumbling over your words for reasons even you couldn’t understand.
You were beautiful without even trying and the blush in your cheeks as you passed him that first cup of coffee would forever be burned into his memories.
Jaebeom never really had a mentor when it came to his immortal life. He was turned and abandoned in a battlefield several hundred years ago but he learned along the way. A lot of his self-discovery came with time and the help of many old texts. He had thought he had things pretty well figured out until he met you. It seemed that had been the one chapter he had skipped over, the one he thought he would never need.
It’s been three months since your best friend left for bigger and better things and your face lights up when you see a new text from her as you're hanging out on the couch one Saturday afternoon.
Sam: I miss you. When are you going to come visit me? You: I miss you too. When are you coming back? Sam: Never. You: :(((((((((((((((( wtf Sam: Seriously. It’s so amazing out here. Come join meeee. You: You’re allergic to cats. Sam: Cheeseburger is not a cat. He’s a cow. You: *GASP* I’m telling him. Sam: Go ahead. He already hates me. You: Don’t take it personally. He hates everyone but me. Sam: Hey V… Sam: Is that guy still coming in to see you?
You smile to yourself at the thought of him, just the mere mention of him makes your stomach flutter with the same warm sensation you get whenever he’s around.
You: Jaebeom :) You: Yeah, comes in every night. Kinda hoping he never leaves :)
Samantha doesn’t reply right away and you can see the three little dots come and go as if she is hesitant to respond which makes you a little uneasy. Sam is always pretty straight forward with you.
Sam: You really like him don’t you? You: He’s… You: He is very special to me. Idk if I can explain it… Sam: Don’t be mad, okay? Sam: I was curious about him and kind of asked around a little but it’s like no one knows who I’m talking about. Chris said he’s never seen him before. You: I thought we went over the fact that Chris wasn’t exactly great with observation.
You’re not sure why your skin prickles with irritation. You’re not mad at Samantha, she’s just being curious but how could Chris say he’s never seen Jaebeom? He hasn’t missed a single shift you’ve worked since you met him all those months ago.
Sam: Well, that’s what I thought too but it was just odd that he wouldn’t have seen a guy like him in the cafe EVERY SINGLE NIGHT, so I kinda mentioned it to Janae and she told me that the other night, she left her wallet behind but when she came back in she saw you bringing a cup of coffee over to an empty table.
An empty table? Why would you do that? She must have been mistaken.
You begin attempting to formulate words but Samantha continues on, adding more confusion to the conversation.
Sam: I assumed he would be staying at the Elliard’s Inn but when I texted their daughter who's been working the front desk, she said she had never seen anyone with his description and that they hadn’t had a guest stay more than a day or two at a time in months.
None of this makes sense. Sure, Chris is always distracted and never really on the floor but how could he have never seen Jaebeom? Not even once? And if he wasn’t staying at the Inn then where the hell was he staying for the last three months?
Sam: I’m sorry to drop all this on you. I was just worried and wanted to check on you. You: It’s ok, Sam. You: I’m sure there is just some confusion. Jaebeom is really great, hopefully you’ll meet him one day too. We’ll talk soon :)
The conversation bothered you for the rest of the day and your chest pains were worse than normal. It felt as if there was an elastic band in there, stretched painfully taut, seconds from snapping. You almost thought about calling into work but you knew you usually felt better in the evenings and to be honest, you had a few questions for Jaebeom.
The dinner shift was terrible. The little cafe was packed as always and poor tina ended up in the hospital from a broken wrist, leaving you short-handed. Your chest pains were almost unbearable at this point and even Chris shot you a concerned look as you popped four antacids at once before downing almost an entire pitcher of water as well.
As soon as the diner emptied and the dinner staff filed out for the night, you dropped into the empty booth you normally frequent, sighing for the umpteenth time that night. You tried to mimic the way Jaebeom manipulated your pressure points to alleviate the pain but nothing seemed to help. If this kept up, you’d probably need to call the doctor soon.
Almost an hour later, the door chimes and you’re surprised to see Jaebeom striding toward you, a worried look on his face. He doesn’t even hesitate to slide into the seat across from you, pulling your aching hands into his own and the relief in your body is so overwhelming you slump forward, your forehead touching the cool surface.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” He says, guilt clear in his tone though you can’t begin to understand why. You pick your head up slightly to look at him and can’t look away. His eyes are so soft and tender as he focuses on your hands between his, his fingers brushing over your skin soothingly.
“What could you possibly be sorry for?” You ask him with a soft smile and his eyes meet yours briefly, the small upturn of his lips clearly still apologetic.
“The pain is getting worse, isn’t it?”
You consider hiding the truth but you imagine he wouldn’t believe you anyway. “Not all the time, but yeah...today was pretty bad. It’s not like that’s your fault though,” You laugh it off, trying to convince him that you’re just fine, “If anything, you always make it better.”
At that, he finally gives you a genuine smile and you slide off the seat, “Let me go grab you a coffee, okay?”
He hesitates, his hands tightening around yours before he nods and lets you slip them free though you’re keen to stay just like that for the remainder of the night with his thumbs stroking over the tops of your hands.
When you return with the steaming mug you notice that Jaebeom is looking toward the door, eyebrows furrowed almost...defensively. You follow his line of sight but there is nothing out of the ordinary. He offers you a strained smile when you set the mug down in front of him but his body posture is too rigid.
Seconds later a group of three men walk-in, loud and reeking of alcohol. You recognize them all as former classmates, the ones who never aspired for anything more in life than cheap drinks and women. The kind that would live and die in this small town with nothing to their name. They were bar flys, you didn’t usually have to deal with them in the quiet diner.
They stumbled into a booth across the way, laughing and hollering boisterously, so much so that even Chris popped his head out of the kitchen, shaking his head at them before looking in your direction, his eyes widening oddly.
“Give me a minute,” You say to Jaebeom quietly, turning to greet the new table and get it over with. Just as you spun away Jaebeom caught your wrist and you looked down at it curiously. “It’s fine,” You tell him, gently pulling away from his grasp.
You gathered your courage and every ounce of patience before you made your way over to the table. “What can I get for you boys?”
The man on the left slumped back in the booth, his eyes raking over you in a way that made you want to scrub every inch of your skin until it was raw. You couldn’t even remember his name, something generic, easily forgotten. “I’ll take whatever you’re offerin’, sweetheart,” He drawled, earning a chuckle from his friends.
“Had a little too much to drink tonight?” You ask, your arms crossed over your chest where the third man is paying far too much attention.
“Awwww, don’t be like that sugar,” He caws dramatically, “We were just out havin’ a little fun. We just wanted a piece of old Tina’s apple pie.”
“Yeah, we just wasn’t expecting something as sweet as you,” The dumbest of the three chimes in and you’re just about ready to let them have it.
Suddenly, a tall figure is behind you and you’re not so discreetly pushed to the side as Chris glares at the men, dropping three plates with the roughest looking pieces of pie you’d ever seen. Part of you wonders if he dug them out of the trash.
“You can shut up and eat the pie, or get out,” Chris threatens and even you have to admit, he’s a bit terrifying at the moment.
The men look down at the plates and back up at your cook who looks like he is ready for a fight. The men look back at each other and decide their fun has been spoiled. “If that’s the best you’ve got in this shit hole, we’ll just go back to the bar,” The first man says, pushing himself out of the booth forcefully, though he is careful not to bump into the man shielding you.
“Girls there ain’t so fucking stuck up either,” The second one snorts, a distasteful look on his already unattractive face.
Your skin crawls once more as their gaze falls upon you and you heave a sigh of relief when the door finally closes on them. You turn to the cook whose focus is still on the three men, watching as they get in their truck and drive away.
“Thank you,” You say sincerely, patting the cook’s forearm twice to get his attention.
“You’re welcome,” He responds, finally tearing his eyes away from the empty parking lot, “Hey, uh? Is that the boyfriend Sammie was asking about?” He asks, gesturing toward Jaebeom’s table.
You both stare at Jaebeom in shock and confusion. His eyes are forward, not looking at either of you as you gawk at him. The porcelain handle of the coffee mug lay in shattered pieces next to the mug, black liquid slowly leaking out of the cracks in the cup and onto the table.
Chris elbows you into motion, “You should probably go check on him.”
You’re at his side in seconds but he doesn’t even look up at you, his body rigid and unmoving, staring at the mess before him blankly. At least, you ASSUME he’s looking at the spill, his hair blocks his eyes from your view.
“Jaebeom,” You call out to him but he doesn’t respond, not until your hand falls upon his shoulder and he blinks rapidly, the tension leaving his body all at once.
“Jaebeom, are you okay? What happened?” You ask him worriedly and his hand comes up to cover yours, patting it gently.
“I’m sorry,” He begins moving again, grabbing napkins to pat at the spilled coffee, “Let me clean this up.”
“Let me help,” you tell him, reaching for the broken pieces and Jaebeom tries to tell you it’s okay but he’s too late and in your haste, you slice the pad of your thumb, immediately drawing blood.
The sting draws a sharp, ‘Oh’ from your lips and you pull your hand away, cradling it against your chest. You’re too busy examining the cut and squeezing your thumb to realize Jaebeom has gone completely still again looking as if all the air had been sucked from his lungs.
“Vera, I,” He falters, swaying slightly in his seat before he’s pushing out of it, squeezing past your body, “I have to go, I’m so sorry.”
Before you can even blink he’s gone and the pain in your chest takes his place.
The rest of your shift was spent trying to dissect Jaebeom’s bizarre behavior. The way he looked so guilty for showing up later than usual and acting as if he were the one responsible for your physical discomfort which made absolutely zero sense. It was odd that you felt fine when you were together but the second you were apart the pains returned. That you would admit.
Then there was the weird conversation with Samantha earlier in the day and Chris’ surprising reaction to seeing Jaebeom as if he had truly never seen him before. Also, the shattered cup handle, the way he seemed totally lost to himself, the way he bolted out of the diner with no explanation. None of it made any sense at all.
Chris helped you finish closing up shop and you both walked out to your cars together. He waited for you to get into yours safely before he drove away but just before you pulled out, you realized you left your phone behind the counter and you were off the next two days.
You turned the car back off and ran inside to grab your phone (and maybe one piece of leftover peach cobbler), jiggling the handles for good measure to make sure everything was locked back up. You obviously hadn’t been paying attention because three unfortunately familiar faces were staring back at you when you finally looked up.
The drunk guys from a few hours ago were blocking the path to your car and you were now all alone, no one to back you up.
“Awfully late ain’t it sweetheart?” The first man says, a greasy grin on his face that makes you squeamish.
You hug the items in your hands closer to you, cold sweat running down your spine.
“Come on darlin’ why don’t you let us drive you home?” The third man says, a crumpled beer can falling from his hands carelessly.
“My..ah,” Your voice is weak, wracked with nerves, “My boyfriend is waiting at home for me. He’s expecting me, I need to go, please.”
“Boyfriend? What good is one man when you could have three?” The second man chimes in, the three of them now closing in on you, and the wrapped cobbler falls from your hand, thudding in the dirt.
“Please, just let me go home,” You plead, body shaking uncontrollably, eyes growing wider with every step they take.
“Leave now,” A voice comes from behind you, dark and powerful. You almost think it’s Chris who may have turned around for some reason but it doesn’t sound like Chris. It sounds like…
“Jaebeom?” His name falls from your lips but you’re stunned into silence when he comes into the light. He looks absolutely furious, flawless, far too sharp and angular in the moonlight. Your stomach flips when you see his eyes, dark red irises almost glowing in the dark. You’re sure they’ve never been that color.
“Who the hell is this guy?” The third man laughs, too wasted to realize he should be backing down.
“I suggest you learn how to mind your own, boy,” The second man spits, hands pushing up his sleeves while the other two stand beside him looking like they're ready for a fight unlike earlier. Brave now that there was no one else around and they believed they had the advantage of numbers.
“I won’t say it again,” Jaebeom threatens, never once raising his voice as he takes his place in front of you.
The third man is the first to swing and your hands fly up to your mouth in horror but Jaebeom moves with inhumane speed, dodging his blow and delivering one of his own powerful enough to send the other man sprawling to the ground several feet away.
The other two gawk at their friend and lunge at Jaebeom but he barely moves and next thing you know he’s smashing the two men’s heads together nearly knocking them unconscious before throwing them to the ground next to the other as if they weighed nothing.
Jaebeom stands above them, hands now in his pockets casually as he speaks to them in a honeyed tone you can just barely hear. “You will never come here again. If you ever see her again you will immediately walk the other way. You will not remember me, nor what happened here tonight. You were in a bar fight and lost. Now get up, get back in your truck, and drive away.”
You watch in astonishment as they pull themselves up and stumble over to the truck, pushing and shoving each other as they get into the cab and slam the door shut cranking the engine and tearing off down the road. Your body is still shaking and you can't seem to move a single one of your limbs.
Jaebeom is suddenly right in front of you, his hands stroking up and down your arms. He’s speaking to you but you can’t register any of his words and he’s worried you’re going into shock and maybe you are because you’re still entirely prone when Jaebeom lifts you into his arms and carries you to the car, setting you into your passenger seat and buckling you in gently.
He walks around the car and gets in the driver’s seat, looking at your near-lifeless form once again before pulling out of the parking lot, driving you home in relative silence. He tries to speak to you more than once but you’re almost catatonic. You hear him but the words still escape you and you can just barely feel his hand around yours in your lap.
Jaebeom carries you into your house and you didn’t even think to question how he knew where you lived. There were so many questions you wanted to ask him but your lips refused to form the words. He sets you down on your couch and kneels in front of you, peering into your unfocused eyes.
Finally, his honeyed voice pierces through the heavy blanket of shock, the same voice he used earlier in the parking lot, and you hear him clearly for the first time, “Vera, my love, come back to me.”
Your eyes pull towards his, slow and heavy and he sighs in relief, his voice back to normal, “Everything is okay, you’re home now. You’re safe with me.”
“Jaebeom,” You croak out, your hands shaking a bit as the feeling returns and he reaches behind you, pulling a blanket over your shoulders from the back of the couch before taking both of your hands tenderly.
“What happened?” You try, voice still raspy from disuse.
“You went into shock,” He sighs, eyes still tracing over you with concern, “ I wasn’t sure if you were going to come out of it.”
‘Vera, my love, come back to me’ floats around in your mind. It wasn’t just a request, a plea for you to wake up. It was a command, one that you couldn’t help but follow. A compulsion.
“Jaebeom, you’re...more, aren’t you?” You ask, realizing right after that it probably sounded absurd but he just sighs and nods.
“More than just a traveling historian, yes,” He answers with a light chuckle, thumbs stroking over the tops of your hands, “I’ll explain it all but I need to know that you trust that I care for you and that I would never place you in any harm. I wanted to take this slow.”
There were many unanswered questions about the man before you but your trust in him was not one of them. You trusted him completely. You felt safe with him and you always had from the moment you met him though you could never quite comprehend why when he was a complete stranger.
“You won’t frighten me, Jaebeom. I trust you.”
He moves from the floor to sit on the couch next to you, your hands still interlocked with his own as he begins to speak. “I was reborn in the year 1801, alone, as a young soldier on a battlefield in the middle of nowhere. I never met the vampire who turned me, only assumed that it was someone who had come to feed off the recently deceased but they mustn't have known or cared that I was still alive when they bit me.”
Your eyes widened and you swallowed roughly. Maybe you hit your head because he said vampire and though you were expecting something a little fantastical, being a vampire was not one of those things.
“I’ve never actually met another vampire but I’ve read that I’m rather young for my kind. If you consider being over two hundred years old young,” He squints his eyes thoughtfully and you nod along trying to absorb this new information.
“I will admit, my early years were a bit...messy. I had no guidance, I knew nothing about myself and I was completely alone, terrified of what I was and what I could do. Took almost eighty years before I was in full control of my abilities. Now, I live a relatively normal life. I really am a historian, a damn good one if I’m being honest, and I travel the world just to appreciate the few perks immortality has to offer.”
You blink slowly, “So you’re like...really old, huh?”
Jaebeom scoffs, a smile pulling at his lips, “Is that really all you gathered? You’re not ready to run for the hills? Villagers with pitchforks and all that?”
“No, of course not,” You choke out a weak laugh, you’re body still tremoring occasionally, “I’m not afraid of you, Jaebeom.”
His eyes soften considerably, relief clear in his posture, “You’re not?”
“I don’t really know how to explain it,” You re-situate yourself on the seat, turning sideways to face him comfortably, “I have always been comforted by your presence. You make me feel, safe, happy. I’ve never trusted someone so quickly and with you it was just...effortless. You being a..uh, vampire, doesn’t change that.”
Jaebeom’s eyes light up and he is absolutely beside him with joy at hearing your words.
“So?” You pull one hand from his, poking his chest playfully, “What cool tricks does immortal life offer, old man?”
Jaebeom runs his tongue over his teeth and smirks, “Other than being eternally good looking?” He asks, hand a little tighter to slow your tremors, “Super speed, power of influence like you witnessed earlier, and I’m ah…a little strong.”
“A little strong?” You repeat before your brows shoot up in realization, “You broke the cup!? Like with your bare hands?”
Jaebeom scratches the back of his head like he always does when he’s embarrassed. “Yeah, and that was me controlling myself. A drop in the sea compared to what I could do. I’m usually pretty good at containing it but I was furious at the way those cretins spoke to you at the cafe. I would have lost it had your cook not stepped in.”
“So when you say ‘a drop in the sea’...”
Jaebeom stands suddenly and you're confused for a second when he bends down, sticking one hand beneath the couch and you shriek as he lifts the entire thing off the ground with you still perched awkwardly on top. He grins up at your shocked face and sets the furniture back down with ease.
“Well, that’s,” You cough suddenly, your cheeks flaming red, “Interesting.” And hot. So hot.
“So, wait,” You hold up a hand as Jaebeom sits back down comfortably, “Where have you been staying this whole time? Sammie said the Elliard’s had never seen you, nor had a guest for this long.”
“I am staying at the Inn they just don’t remember because I made them forget they rented me a room,” He explains, “I tend to influence people in small towns to forget my presence when I have to reveal myself. People don’t see me unless I want them to.”
“That’s incredible,” You breathe, in awe at his abilities.
Jaebeom just stares at you for several seconds, a flurry of emotions and thoughts spinning in his mind like a tornado and he seems to struggle with words before speaking again.
“You’re taking this very well, much better than I had imagined. I thought it would be years before I would be able to tell you the truth,” He admits and you’re taken off guard by his words.
“Imagined? Do you mean you always planned to tell me?” You ask with a furrowed brow before you’re hit with another question, “Wait...years? You were planning to stay here for that long? Why?”
“I uh…” Jaebeom stalls, his hand creeping up to his head again but you grab it midair and pull it into your lap. “There is something else I have to tell you and this might actually scare you, so please understand that I have rather limited knowledge on this subject and it’s more like my understanding of my own feelings compared to the texts I’ve read and there is no pressure of course but since you’re asking I guess I might as well tell you now-”
“Jaebeom,” You stop him mid-panic, his rambling making your heart rate spike uncomfortably, “Breathe,” He inhales a big breath and exhales shakily, “What could possibly scare me off now? You already confessed that you’re a powerful, immortal vampire.”
“And you’re my mate,” He responds nervously and it’s the last thing you hear before you pass out cold.
→ Read: Moonlight Cafe II
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