Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at

http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/9200306.

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: M/M
Fandom: EXO (Band)
Relationship: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai
Character: Do Kyungsoo | D.O, Kim Jongin | Kai
Additional Tags: zombie kyungsoo, vampire jongin, Mild Gore, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Stats: Published: 2017-01-04 Words: 1736

Be Still (My Deadbeat Heart)

by Maaneskin (Hjertevarm)

Summary

Kyungsoo is a zombie with anxiety, and Jongin is his vampire nurse.

Notes

See the end of the work for notes

Kyungsoo is a college student.

And a zombie.

At the college, there are lots of other supernatural beings in this dimension where they all live
alongside each other.

However, there’s a lot of stigma about zombies, because zombies have always been seen as the
vilest of the kind – mindless, cunning and hungry no matter the circumstances.

That’s not the case though, and it only occurred back in time when they were underdeveloped and
had no language. It’s a long story that goes way back. But Kyungsoo is just a small zombie boy
who minds his own business, always quiet except that he grunts a bit and constantly wears a
pollution mask (as not to infect mortals or those who’re fragile about germs, even if his teeth aren’t
out of the norm. He even wore braces when he was younger, though he had to get new ones
because he had a period where his cheekbone hung and his jaw dangled.)

His eyes are drowsy-looking but big, and one of them is gray-whiteish as if he’s blind. The veins
are slightly red in the white of the eye. His skin is gray and pale but his hair is always neatly
groomed and his clothes is picked nicely. He wears 10 sprays of perfume every day, showers
often and gets sanitized at home as a daily routine, because he gets dirty easily and flies sometimes
gather around him even if he’s tidy, good at cooking and knitting. He especially likes to knit small
scarves in the pauses in-between classes.

Zombies in this generation are supernaturally strong and have a conscious mind, though they’re
mostly known for acting like that of autists; some can be a bit socially underdeveloped in some
areas and have narrow interests but are good at the given tasks and live best with structure and
instructions.

Then there are others who’re social butterflies and who go with the flow, or the third part that
comes out entirely different on a wider scale. What they have in common is that they all
disintegrate sometimes, meaning they lose limbs but grow them back eventually (or simply
reattach them if the limb is in a good condition). They’re hungry for raw meat but can settle with
that from animals. How the hunger settles depends on each zombie.

Kyungsoo is a diligent student even if he’s a little lazy and daydreams a lot. He almost never talks
and people have never seen his mouth, so they think he’s got no tongue. Maybe it’s rotten and
can’t be used. No one knows. He’s very helpful and super polite but only grunts when people
thank him for helping them with errands or tasks.

It’s not that he’s stupid. His (albeit rotten) brain is filled with thoughts of all kinds, and he’s doing
well with his grades. Fact is that he’s awkward, and doesn’t know how to reach out to his peers.

He’s one of the few zombies at the school. Whenever he’s hungry, he goes to the hospital
establishment. Here, he always asks for the same nurse, that being Jongin.

Jongin is a young vampire. His eyes are blood-red, his canine teeth sharp (growing sharper and
longer when he’s hungry, angry or aroused), his skin is tan with a transparent gleam going over
the surface whenever he stands in the sunlight (he’s always wearing a beautiful ring on his finger
that’s got an onyx gem in the middle that protects him from the effect) and his hair is black. He’s
very determined and loves his job, smiles warmly but is a force to be reckoned with if he disagrees
about something; the type to send the nastiest killer looks that’ll make any other vampire wish
they’ve stayed in their coffin.

Jongin gets a lot of visits from the zombies around the campus since he specifies in this area as one
of the first and newest nurses of that specialty. With a matching strength he can outwit any zombie
in an outburst. But he especially loves the visits he gets from the gentle zombie boy, Kyungsoo.

And Kyungsoo always knocks exactly three times on the door and waits fifteen seconds before he
peeks in. His watery eyes blink slowly as his low and nearly incomprehensible voice asks if it’s
okay for him to pay a visit, words muffled by the mask.

Jongin twirls around on his chair and nods, lowering his thin-framed glasses on the bridge of his
nose. He’s quick on his feet because he knows what Kyungsoo has come for.

They’ve got a special agreement. Kyungsoo isn’t comfortable eating in public with the rest, so he
eats here with Jongin. It’s a problem that occurred over time where Kyungsoo had gotten ticks and
acted oddly in class and was told to go to the nurse to get himself checked, where it had shown he
hadn’t gotten anything to eat aside from small snippets of meat from a quick breakfast, and he
never ate in the breaks or ate in the dorms in any sense.

Now, Kyungsoo silently walks over to sit on one of the chairs, holding a hand over his grumbling
stomach.

Tinfoil paper crackles soundly in the room after Jongin has had a hand in the refrigerator, fishing
out a package with Kyungsoo’s name scrawled on the front and words that say ’midday, Tuesday
9th February 2016.’

At first, Kyungsoo didn’t like it when Jongin was in the same room while he ate.

Through time, the zombie has sobered up in that regard.

He growls a (zombielike affectionate) thank you when he’s handed the package, and starts
unwrapping it on his lap.

Jongin sits, as per the usual, down on his office chair that’s got wheels under it, leather strung for
skin and all.

‘’Is today an okay day?’’ he asks, still smiling like he’s looking at a pixie glossing their wings.

Not Kyungsoo, who’s nodding slowly as he takes off the mask and sinks his teeth into a big piece
of raw meat, munching and keeping his gaze down, a habit he won’t lightly let go of.

A zombie with anxiety. Bet you’ve never heard of that before.

‘’Got a lot of assignments?’’ Jongin continues, adjusting his glasses, red eyes glowing through the
panes.

It can’t have been long since he graduated from university and landed a job.

Kyungsoo nods.

Grunts.

Eats some more.

His feet wiggle as the only blatant resemblance of contentedness showing.

‘’Economics… is hard…,’’ he murmurs in-between a bite, tongue sticking out to lick a droplet of
blood away from the corner of his mouth.

‘’I can only imagine,’’ Jongin easily agrees.

‘’How’s the eating? Do you get dinner?’’ he pries.

Kyungsoo nods. He’s getting better, and he’s started eating in the evenings, even if he still does it
in the bathroom of the dorm when everyone’s in their own room.

‘’Still don’t like… eating in front of... people,’’ Kyungsoo lower lip tucks up, forming a pout.
Blood dribbles down his chin, and his eyes focus on a smudge on the floor.

‘’I know,’’ Jongin says softly.

He stuffs his hand with a napkin from a box in the window sill, rounds the table and comes over
to dap Kyungsoo’s chin with it.

Kyungsoo’s first instinct is to back away, but that’s only because he doesn’t want to infect anyone
in case he’s got another case of blisters in his mouth or something else, even if he checked his
mouth this morning and it was fine. However, he gets jittery about it – no matter the case, as long
as anyone tries to get close to him, because he’s ought to be filthy. That’s in his nature.

Yet he also knows that Jongin’s heart doesn’t beat. The vampire can’t get infected in any way,
can’t get sick and won’t be affected by Kyungsoo’s state no matter what it is.
So Jongin kneels there and dries the blood till there’s only the caked outline.

They get eye contact, and Kyungsoo’s knees assemble in the middle due to the strange urge inside
him.

Like he wants to take a bite of Jongin, even if he knows he actually doesn’t want to. Not like that.

He’s sure he should be blushing, but his blood circulation isn’t very well and his skin remains the
same lifeless color.

Jongin doesn’t lower his hand at first.

Instead, he brushes two fingers over the side of Kyungsoo’s cold cheek in a gentle caress.

Jongin stares so intently, mouth agape and the tip of his canine teeth peeking forth, sharper than
earlier.

His gaze goes down to the piece of meat half-wrapped in tinfoil.

‘’Eat up,’’ he says and looks up again.

Kyungsoo swears the heart of a living being flutters in his chest when soft, icy lips touch his
forehead; his bangs strayed aside by Jongin’s hand so that Jongin can kiss him there.

The rest of the time is spent with Jongin asking more questions about Kyungsoo’s welfare, some
chatting back and forth and moments of comfortable silence.

Kyungsoo gets up when he’s done eating, cleaning his mouth with at least five napkins to make
sure there’s no blood or decay. He’s so persistent that a layer of his skin comes off, and he
swallows three mint refreshers before he smacks the mask onto his mouth.

He’s almost halfway out of the door, but stops before his hand touches the doorknob.

Turning around, he can see Jongin still sitting there, flickering through some papers in deep
concentration.

The nurse turns his head when a decent amount of silence has passed and no door has opened and
closed.

‘’Soo?’’ he prompts, running his fingers through his dark hair, a ray of sunshine managing to filter
through the curtains to gloss the top of his head.

Kyungsoo doesn’t say a word, but the soles of his shoes tap over the ground upon approaching
Jongin.

Jongin’s eyes are curious, looking the zombie over. He doesn’t do anything though. He’s as
patient as he’s been from day one.

Kyungsoo blinks his odd eyes and crooks a finger over the edge of his pollution mask.

He lowers it just enough for his lips to show.

He returns the favor –

 Kisses Jongin’s forehead with a feather light gesture, lingering a second longer than what he
should allow himself to.

For a zombie, the speed of his feet running out of the room can be considered impressive.

End Notes

reposted.

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