Sana awoke from her dreamless to the sound of clothed feet tip toeing across the bamboo floor towards her bed. She didn’t used to be such a light sleeper, but her daughter and her girlfriend really changed her sleeping habits. Sana cracked open one eye to find her little daughter with her eyes wide and tears on her cheeks while clutching her stuffed tiger like a lifeline.

“Nico baby,” Sana yawned and sat up, reaching down to lift her daughter onto her large bed. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s a monster, outside my room.” Nico sobbed, wrapping herself tightly around Sana.

“Baby girl,” Sana sighed and put her hand on Nico’s back. “Monsters aren’t real.” Sana bit her tongue at her own words, she needed to wait for Nico to fall back asleep to check if there really was something lurking outside their house. But the fact Nico was claiming to have seen something was a bit, unsettling. Even if Sana suspected it was the result of her overactive childhood imagination.

“But it is real mommy!” Nico insisted. “I saw it!”

“Do you want mommy to go check?” Sana asked, kissing Nico’s forehead. Nico nodded, her tiny face pressed against Sana’s chest. She was no longer crying, just breathing quick breaths while her eyes drooped. “Okay,” Sana stood up with Nico in her arms, she felt her daughter nuzzle closer to her, and she made sure Nico couldn’t see how Sana’s free hand ventured between the crack of the bed and the wall. She felt around for a few moments before pulling out a tiny silver pistol and tucking it into the back of her pajamas. She wasn’t wearing a holster, but she would have to make do.

Carrying Nico with one arm wasn’t as easy as it used to be, but Sana liked to think she was strong. Nico didn’t move her face from Sana’s neck, listening to Sana’s heartbeat in an attempt to ignore the terrifying childhood paranoia she was feeling. Sana thanked god Nico was preoccupied, she couldn’t bring herself to remove her hand from the silver pistol in the back of her pants. Once they reached Nico’s bedroom, Sana pushed open her baby’s door with her foot. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Their pet cat was sprawled across Nico’s bed and her sheets were in complete disarray but nothing out of the norm. Sana breathed out the breath she was secretly holding in, if there really was a monster, Nico’s bedroom would look a lot different. 

“Where was the monster baby girl?”

“Outside the window,” Nico pointed to her large window, the curtains were pulled back and you could see into their large backyard. Sana looked out the window for a moment, but she saw nothing for Nico to be frightened by.The gate was still locked shut, and everything looked perfectly in place. 

“Baby girl there’s nothing out there.” Sana turned to her daughter. 

“But mommy-”

“Nico monsters aren’t real.” Sana insisted. “Okay?"

“But I saw one outside!” Nico was sobbing again and Sana knew it would be difficult to argue with her. 

“I’ll go check for you okay?” Sana yawned. She really didn’t want to go outside, it was cold and wet and windy but Sana knows if she didn’t go check outside Nico might never fall asleep.

“Thank you mommy,” Nico whispered. 

“I’ll be back okay?” Nico nodded and buried herself under her light pink star patterned covers. Sana surprised a groan as she walked down their grand stair case and gently pried open the obnoxiously heavy glass sliding door, leaving the door slightly ajar as she looked around the yard. She took a deep breath in, Sana loved the post rain smell she was afforded by living in such a rural area. It smelled so different in the cities. She slowly descended the stairs of their deck before surveying the yard once again. Nico must have been imaging things, again. She groaned when she realized she still had her socks on and they were now wet and cold and Sana had to take them off. 

Sana sighed when she felt a strong wind blow past her. She heard the sound of a branch scrapping against the house and realized that’s probably what Nico was talking about. Children were spooked so easily, Sana realized for the nth time. Nico was just being paranoid. 

She took one last look around the yard, practically daring anything that lurked in the shadows to come at her. She nodded her head when after a few seconds, she was still standing at the end of the deck with her hand awkwardly hovering over just above her . She shrugged and decided she had looked enough to calm Nico, before she heard something behind her. Sana turned as quick as she could, her fingers making quick work to grab and release the safety on the gun tucked against her .

“Woah there is this how you greet your girlfriend?” Sana heard a teasing voice ask. She had to tilt her head a bit to look at the woman’s face, but she knew the voice better than anyone else. Chaeyoung was back. 

“Chaeyoungie!” Sana cheered, hand reaching over to turn the safety back on and running to embrace her girlfriend. “Your home.”

“Yeah I am,” Chaeyoung smiled. “Why are you outside at one in the morning in your puppy pajamas?” Sana had completely forgotten she was wearing her puppy printed pajamas. Nico had asked her to wear them and even if it was embarrassing Sana would do anything for that girl. 

“Nico thought there was a monster, but clearly she was just imaging things,” Sana explained, suddenly feeling self conscious about her attire. “Why are you in the backyard and not entering your house like any sane person would?”

“I was looking for monsters,” Chaeyoung smirked a bit. Sana rolled her eyes at the childish phrasing before leaning in and pecking Chaeyoung’s lips. Chaeyoung didn’t fight her, and the shorter one wrapped her arms around Sana’s neck. “You can tell the princess there aren’t any.”

“How was the mission?”
“Well I think I broke my finger, but other than that it’s fine,” Chaeyoung shrugged.

“Let me see it,” Sana groaned. 

“See what?"

“Your finger ,” Sana nodded her head.

“Don’t worry babe, Jihyo already bandaged me up after I dropped my bike at Tzuyu’s shop on the way here. I had to pay an insane cab fare, so you should be happy I love you.” Chaeyoung smiled at Sana, uncurling one arm from Sana’s neck to show her her hand. There was a white bandage on her pinky finger, and it looked like it had been set with a piece of wood. It was rudimentary, but Sana supposed it worked, for now. If it wasn’t one am, she would care a lot more, but at that hour of night, Sana wanted nothing more than sleep. 

“I should go put Nico back to sleep, make sure she knows there’s nothing to be afraid of.” Sana yawned. “Can you get back to the bedroom yourself or do you need me to carry you too?”

“Sana I’m not drunk,” Chaeyoung pouted before leaning in and giving Sana the softest peck to the nose. “Kiss Nico for me okay? I’ll surprise her with pancakes tomorrow I’m sure she’ll love it.”

“Always one for the dramatics aren’t you Chaeyoungie?” Sana teased. 

“You know me babe,” Chaeyoung yawned.

“I do,” Sana giggled and wiggled out of Chaeyoung’s embrace. “And I know you exhausted, go to bed.” Chaeyoung nods sleepily at the suggestion, and Sana finding herself yawning too. Chaeyoung pecked her cheek before going back into the house, grabbing the gun that was tucked into Sana’s waist band cheekily.

Sana gave one last scan of the backyard. There was nothing there. No monsters. No murderous animals. Just their damp backyard taking a quiet bath in the moonlight. 

xx

“I think Nico is old enough for trick or treating,” Sana suggests the next morning as their waiting for Nico to wake up, a pen tucked under one finger and her eyes focused on Chaeyoung. 

“You think?” Chaeyoung asked, her eyes trained on a bowl of pancake mix in front of her. 

“She’s already three babe,” Sana knew about Chaeyoung qualms with the