Wheein

Hyejin hated going through her bouts of insomnia, not just because she was left dealing with a horrible migraine the next evening, but also because she’s come to realize that dealing with her roommates on less than a full night’s sleep was not ideal. After tossing and turning for what felt like hours on her bed, she gave up on the prospect of sleep entirely and ambled out of her room and downstairs to the sofa where she could see Wheein furiously drawing something on her sketchpad.

“Can’t sleep again?” The werewolf asked, not looking up from her work. Hyejin only managed a grunt in response before plopping down beside her friend, which, to her great misfortune, unleashed a cloud of wolf fur into the air around them.

“What the--” Hyejin coughed, sitting up and scooting away from Wheein, swatting at the floating tufts and strands of fur in the air, “Wheeinie, what the heck?”

If Wheein’s glare could stake her through the heart, she was pretty sure she would have been a goner right then and there. Luckily enough though, her roommate just sniffs, affronted, and continues sketching furiously. “You don’t have to sit there you know.”

Hyejin ignored the comment in favor of swiping the fur off the couch and unto the floor, “Why are you shedding?”

As if on cue, Wheein’s tail popped out and wagged hard enough to almost smack the vampire in the face. “It’s almost summer, okay? Wolves shed, and tonight is a full moon.” 

“Yeah, but--” Hyejin tried to wrack her brain for any memories of their apartment being covered in fur last summer and came up empty, she decided to switch tactics, “Do the Unnies usually help you with that?”

Wheein sighed, grabbing at her eraser and rubbing out a harsh line on her sketch. Hyejin was afraid the paper might rip under her friend’s aggressive handling. “Yeah, but Byulie-unnie is out of town on an extended shoot and Yongsun-unnie is volunteering at a children’s hospital today and she won't be back until really late.”

“Would you like me to help you with it?”

The scratching noises from Wheein’s sketchbook finally stopped and she looked at Hyejin, eyes going wide, and pleading almost. “You’d do that for me?” It was already hard enough to resist Wheein anything on a normal day, but beneath the full force of her puppy dog eyes, Hyejin was defenseless.

“Of course!”

Wheein abandoned her sketchbook entirely and launched herself into Hyejin’s arms, hugging the vampire tight around the middle. “Hyegi thank you, thank you, thank you!” 

Hyejin laughed, hugging her roommate back while simultaneously trying not to get hit by Wheein’s wagging tail again. Wheein had grown to be one of her greatest friends, and if anyone asked her, Hyejin might even say that their bond transcended friendship, bordering on something closer to true sisterhood. Which was to say, she would do anything for Wheein. Besides, how bad could it be?

--

It was, apparently, really bad.

“You told me this would be easy!” 

It was already later in the evening, they had to wait for Wheein to transform before they could start, and presently, Hyejin was practically shoulder-deep in bath water and canine shampoo. Their apartment’s shared bathroom had a shower area that was situated in a sort of small sitting tub, just small enough for one person to clamber into and crouch in should they choose to submerge themselves. Which was to say, it was the perfect size for Wheein’s wolf form to sit in and smile that wolfish smile at Hyejin as the vampire continually rubbed shampoo and combed at Wheein’s wet fur with a wooden comb.

Right before she had transformed, Wheein had handed Hyejin a basket of soaps and shampoos that were only meant to be used while she was in wolf form. The shampoo, apparently would help the most with the shedding during the summer months. 

“We only have to do this for you during the summer right?” Hyejin asked, massaging the lather into her friend’s spine. Wheein barked once. 

“Good,” Hyejin pulled at the plug at the bottom of the tub listened for the steady gurgle of water going down the drain before she the shower head and began rinsing Wheein off, watching as the sudsy water sluiced and slid down her wet pelt.

When the water finally started running clear and all the bubbles had gone from Wheein’s fur, Hyejin helped carry her friend out of the tub before proceeding to dry her off with a fluffy bath towel and a strategically positioned hair dryer. “This would be easier with two people,” Hyejin muttered, after the third time the hair dryer almost slipped from her hand whilst she juggled it and the towel.

Wheein barked once. By the time her friend was fully dry, fur looking shiny and soft to the touch, the entire front of Hyejin’s house shirt was wet and there was a sizable puddle on the bathroom floor. She stared at Wheein for a beat before sighing and opening the door to let her friend out, “Go on and wait for me downstairs, I’ll clean up here first.”

It was only after Wheein had left that Hyejin peaked back into their shower tub to find the drain completely clogged up with wet wolf fur. She resisted the groan of disgust that was just at the back of , instead sticking her head out of the bathroom and yelling out, “Next time stick to conning the Unnies into giving you a bath!”

Downstairs, Wheein barked once, and if there was a teasing note to her bark, Hyejin couldn’t hear it over the squelch of wet fur in her hands.

----

Yongsun

If she were to give in to her more poetically, greasy tendencies, Byul could tell you that she knew Yong better than anyone, better than any other angel, better even than her own sister. They’ve known each other longer than any human will ever know another human, there were mountains that were younger than their combined history together. They’ve seen each other through the good and the bad and have come out stronger for it. There was nothing Yongsun could do or say that would drive her away at this point.

Still, that didn’t mean being with the angel was all sunshine and butterflies twenty-four seven. There were days when they got on each other’s nerves, or days when their arguments eventually devolved into a pseudo wrestling match in the middle of their bedroom. Or days like today, when Byul woke up to a flurry of feathers all over their bed and a veritably irritable angel in her arms.

She grunted, blinking blearily at the sunlight streaming in through their window. As if on cue, Yong whined in her sleep, both legs suddenly kicking Byul very violently in the shins.

“Yah,” she said, kicking the angel back, “wake up.”

When Yong finally blinked her eyes open, it was a bit hilarious to watch the range of emotions play across her face. From sleepy, to confused, to disgruntled, and then finally, the disappointed resignation that came with realizing her wings had molted in the night.

In all fairness, it wasn’t often or even annual that Yongs wings would molt, just a sign that she had been on Earth for much longer than any one angel had and was due for a quick burst of Heaven’s Light. It also meant that Byul would have to engage in one of her least favorite activities, since meeting the angel.

“Has it been that long since the last time already?” She asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. As she rose from the bed, a flurry of feathers followed in her wake, gently fluttering to the floor. 

“Probably,” Yong stretched out her arms and her wings, which only served to scatter more feathers around their room. A few more feathers escaped from the folds of Yong’s wings and in the light of day, the angel’s wings looked almost frail and tattered, lacking their usual ethereal shine and lustre. Yong herself was also looking a little worse for wear, with dark circles under her eyes despite having a full night’s sleep and a rather pallid color to her skin.

Even at that state though, Byul wasn’t above leaning over and smacking the angel in the arm. 

“You’re making a mess.” She said. Yongsun’s reply was a simple glare, that lacked any real heat in it to be actually threatening. Byul scratched at the area around her horns before sweeping away at some of the feathers on the floor with her foot.

“I’ll leave you to, ah, charge up? Just do--er. Well. I’ll be back.” She said, grabbing some clothes from their shared cabinet and making her way towards the door.

“You’ll help me with the feathers though right?” Yongsun called out behind her. Byul absently waved a hand behind her in agreement. Right before she left the room, she could already see Yong kneeling just by their bed, hands folded, with eyes turning heavenward and just as she closed the door, Byul could smell the petrichor that came with a portal to heaven opening in their bedroom.

From the cracks of their door, Byul could see and feel the white hot heavenly light seep through, and she could feel an integral part of her demonic nature recoil from it. Which was probably a sign that she should get changed and prepare herself for the rest of the morning to come. 

“Unnie, what’s going on?” Wheein called from below.

It felt as if they had been living with Wheein and Hyejin for so long that Byul sometimes forgot their other two roommates hadn’t necessarily experienced everything Byul and Yong had been through together. Particularly, Hyejin and Wheein had never seen Yong like this, and Byul wasn’t sure how the angel felt about that. 

“Nothing,” she called out, making a beeline for the bathroom to hopefully prevent any further questioning. 

In the safety of the bathroom, Byul took a few moments to compose herself, gently slapping at her face to wake herself up all the way before making quick work of washing her face, fixing her hair, and changing out of her pajamas. By the time she was done and presentable, she exited the bathroom to find Wheein standing awkwardly just outside their bedroom.

“Is Yongsun-unnie okay?” the werewolf asked, staring suspiciously at their door. The sharp smell of ozone was thickest by the doorknob and there was no denying it. Byul winced, “Yeah, it’s just an angel thing.”

Wheein nodded slowly, unconvinced. “Do you guys need help?”

Byul looked from the werewolf, to the door, still unsure. If there was one thing Byul knew about Yong, it was that she didn’t like other people seeing her so vulnerable. So she gave Wheein a smile, but gently shook her head. “We’re fine, don’t worry.”

She waited for Wheein to head back downstairs before opening the door and stepping back into the bedroom. The heaven portal had already closed, but the sharp smell still permeated every surface, and right in the middle of it all was Yongsun, looking much better and less sickly, with both wings looking fluffier and healthy again.

“Feeling better?” Byul asked, sidestepping the feathers on the floor littered like tiny, fluffy, white landmines. Yong nodded.

“Could you get a--”

Byul was already way ahead of her, snapping a small pail of warm water and a washcloth into existence right by the foot of their bed. “Let me,” she said, climbing back unto the bed arranging the both of them so that they were back to front, Yong’s wings in full display in front of Byul while the angel sat at the V space between her legs.

In all their time together, Byul had ever only done this part twice before. Back then Yonghee was still on Earth to help Yong with post-treatment. Still, she carefully soaked the wash with the water, wringing out the excess before weaving her fingers through the gaps between feathers in Yong’s wings.

Healing herself with Heaven’s Light usually had an instantaneous effect on Yong’s wings, but it also left a hard, keratinous substance in the places where the new feathers grew out, which tended to get quite itchy if it wasn’t treated right away. Which was what the wash cloth was for.

Byul tried to be as gentle as she could be, nimble fingers feeling along the feathers for hard, scaly bumps before gently wiping them away with warm water. Still, it was a long and arduous process, so they were in for the long haul.

“You don’t have a job schedule today do you?” Yong asked, trying and failing not to let the worry in her voice show. Byul shook her head, before remembering that Yong was facing away from her, “Don’t worry, I’m all yours today.”

“Ugh,” She felt more than saw Yong’s whole body cringe, and Byul smiled shamelessly to herself. “I hate when you say stuff like that,” Yong complained. Byul nudged at the angel’s leg with her foot. “Be nice, I’m grooming here.”

After a few more hours of silent grooming, Yong reached out to pat at Byul’s knee. “Thank you for doing this.” 

Byul leaned forward to place a kiss just at the juncture between Yong’s wings. “Anytime.”

“You know we still have to clean up the feathers on the floor and on the bed right?”

“‘We’?” Byul asked, teasing now, “Those aren’t my feathers. After I finish with this you’re on your own.”

“You better not,” Yong threatened, her voice turning whiny, which only made Byul laugh, and they spent the rest of their morning laughing together.