Chapter Text
Chan quickly glanced at the clock on his computer screen, eyes widening as he noticed that it was nearing 5am. The time itself wasn’t a worry, he was technically nocturnally inclined you could say, but Chan could have sworn that he had finally adjusted to a more human schedule. He briefly considered just turning around and napping on the couch, but he could feel the beginning stages of hunger filling him.
Chan huffed but quickly began saving the various things he was working on. As he went through his routine of shutting his workspace down, he could finally feel the aches of his body from sitting at his desk all day. Not for the first time, Chan spared a thought to thank Jisung for nagging him to take breaks throughout the day. He could also feel his hunger increasing since he was finally aware of it.
As he walked through the hallways, it was obvious to him that he was the only one left in the building. Not that Chan was friends with anyone other than his two studio mates, Changbin and Jisung, but the quiet of the studio building at 5am was unnerving even to someone like Chan.
As he left, he let the door automatically lock behind him, the loud bang startling him. Chan put a hand to his chest, why was he so jumpy tonight? He tried to shake it off before he turned back towards his destination.
He had thought he was paranoid tonight but as he passed a dark alleyway, one he passed nearly every day, he stopped. Surely, he was just hearing things, right? But there it was again, a slight shuffling noise, a small whimper, nearly silent.
Switching to his natural, silent steps, as opposed to the loud, clunky walk he usually adapted to blend in better, Chan carefully headed down the dark alleyway. He couldn’t hear his steps over the music that he could barely make out as he crept towards the end of the alley. He must be near a club or something. Chan was surprised he had managed to hear the whimpering over the music. The tall buildings on either side of him blocked most of the streetlights, but Chan could still make out the source of the sound as he slowly rounded a few overflowing trash cans.
He froze, eyes widening before his brow furrowed in anger. A small child, curled in on themselves and shaking, was huddled against the wall. Chan could see the way the child’s hands clenched against his sparse clothing, the way Chan could make out every single bone on the child’s hands. The child’s hair looked muddied and clumped together as if he had been pulling at his hair. Chan could probably guess why.
Chan took a step forward, footsteps almost silent, but the child quickly looked up, teeth automatically bared, hissing. Chan saw his eyes flash red, confirming his suspicions.
He slowly crouched in front of the child, hands up in a bid to calm him. The child crowded against the wall even further, teeth still barred. Chan was glad to see how cautious the child was. It had surely been the one thing that had kept him alive all this time.
Chan shushed the child before finally daring to speak, “How long has it been since you fed, little one?”
Immediately the child tensed, breath stopping, his eyes started darting, looking for somewhere to run. His eyes were still red, his fangs still on show.
Quickly shushing the child once more, Chan allowed his own eyes to flash before smiling at the child, his own fangs pushed out.
Almost instantly the child’s eyes grew wide and he let out a breath, his posture relaxing. Seeing how fast the child relaxed, Chan inched forward a bit. Pushing the boundaries but not enough to scare the child anymore.
“How long?” he asked the child again, a gentle tone.
The child’s hands still shook, but he quietly responded, Chan could barely hear him. If Chan had possessed normal human hearing, he definitely wouldn’t have caught what he said.
“I, I don’t know.” The child looked almost scared, his eyes huge and red as he stared back at Chan. He hunched in on himself as if Chan could get angry at him for not knowing.
Chan nodded, forcing a small smile on his face to ease the child.
“If you come with me, I can feed you.” He carefully held out his hand towards the boy, head tilting in a question. He kept a calm smile on his face.
But, as much as Chan had tried to calm the boy, tears instantly came to the boy’s eyes, “I don’t want to kill anyone else!”
Chan’s heart sank, the smile dropping from his face, as huge tears started falling from the child’s eyes. The child fell forwards, curling up in a ball, shoulders shaking as he cried.
Chan had a feeling that he knew what this child had been through. Chan has been through this before.
Chan shuffled forward and quickly picked up the child. An easy feat as the boy weighed almost nothing in his arms.
“You won’t have to kill anyone if you stay with me, I promise.” He could feel his shirt growing damp, but he felt the boy nod against his neck, taking that as a yes to coming home with him. He shushed the child again, before standing and quickly moving towards the end of the alley.
Chan looked up and down the street, seeing a few too many humans for when he had a starving child in his arms.
Backing up into the darkness again, he crouched down with the boy still in his arms. He leaned back against the wall, slowly sliding down until he was sitting with the boy in his lap. Chan looked down at the boy, it seemed the crying had knocked the child out. He freed one of his hands and reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. He dialed, waiting for the other to pick up.
It was almost a whole minute before he heard a groggy voice answer the phone. “Chan, what the fuck?”
“Changbin, pick me up on the corner by work. Bring two bags.”
Knowing that he would have to give the other a longer explanation if he stayed on the line, he quickly hung up before the other could say anything more.
His phone vibrated with a text message only a few seconds later.
From: Bin
asshole
Chan chuckled before looking down at the child. The crying had most likely taken the last of his strength. Chan could only hope his instincts would let him drink from the bag Changbin was bringing. Using the opportunity, he gently grabbed the boy’s hand, shining the light of his phone on his wrists, Chan’s jaw clenched when he found what he was looking for.
The lightened skin, scars, and red marks caused by handcuffs.