Prompt: MONSTER! Write a Monsters related story. Preferably with two ‘monsters.’

*Drabble turned short one-shot but cut awfully short, lmao.

 

The dark, damp alley hosted no one, not even the soul of the damned coursed through it. No one but a brave soul, unshakeable at the idea of the darkness hosting the most vile criminal, unflinching to the sight of a rusty, disgusting dumpster and drying off-color water dripping from it. The humid atmosphere was grotesque and it was a barely frequented alley for a reason. The city disliked it, even the thugs disliked it, but some maniacs used the short cut and its darkness to cloak themselves from the judgemental eyes.

And you’d think Kang Seulgi, someone so innocent looking, would not dare to step in it, but that innocent face had its own secrets. Inside the human look laid the fire and heart of a mythical creature that people thought had ceased to exist.

Across the dark skies she flew; a mysterious figure that the people ignored, busy with their nightlife and de-stressing to take note. It soared with incredible speed and stealth, her wings flapping cautiously, trying not to show off the absolute beauty of those red scales decorated with that golden outline. Most importantly, she didn’t want to show off those wings -- so distinctive and not at all like a crows’ or a bird’s, much less an eagle -- attached to the slim, human body of hers, the Seulgi everyone knew. But it’s okay, the world didn’t notice, especially now that it was flying too low, safe guarded through the different buildings and their rooftops, to be noticeable anymore.

Then, from high above in the sky, dropped the human-like dragon, landing on her feet with  a powerful thud that seemed to mildly shake the ground. A sight to behold, the wings graciously retreating, shrinking slowly as if it was a painless process. Seulgi held her breath at the pain until it was gone, along with her wings and the claws that threatened to fully grow, to fully transform and show off that reptile, snakey, long stretching body. But no, the dragon within her remained calm at her control.

After all, she had reasons to be in the alley. Or did she?

Standing upright, she looked around to check. No witnesses and the occasionally passing pedestrian ignored the shadowy figure in the distance, deep in the alley that seemed to stretch on for long. It was good enough, and there was always ways to fool humans.

“Nice landing, Kang,” said the stern and yet oddly seductive Bae Joohyun as she emerged from the thick darkness of the alley, letting herself be seen by that one flickering lightbulb and the streetlights in the distance. “If you weren’t a dragon, however, that would’ve shattered your knees.”

Seulgi looked at the demonic woman -- that looked very human today -- with a vague smile. Was it mildly annoyed? Was it endearing? With the dim lighting, no one could tell. But the tension could still be cut with a sharp claw, or with a demonic horn.

Technically not friends, but technically not enemies unless we were to really study our mythological history, but we don’t do that here.

Instead, these two entities presented each other occasionally and behind the occasional scornful glance was the respect -- and perhaps abstinence to spark a war against the very scarce dragon-people versus the very real demon-people. What a life, huh? Out of the enemies the demons would have, Seulgi figured that the guardian angels would be it. But that wasn’t the case.

“What brings you here, Bae,” Seulgi said, trying to avoid the pointed tone.

The demon-woman shrugged with her arms crossed. “You came into my lair, I should ask you?”

Touché.

The Demoness had a point. Why was the Dragon here in her territory, in the alley she’s known to appear? Perhaps it was the safest place to land, or perhaps it was good to keep track on a rascal that could be causing trouble. 

Or perhaps the reason was faded and dim, in the distance, but obvious.

Because their tension was beyond just a simple difference in species, or snarky comments. Their tension extended far and wide like the Dragon’s wings, it moved gracefully but both of them ignored it. Painfully at that. Because, frankly, matters of the heart were far too complicated for the Dragon and too ‘human’ for the demoness to even bother.

But it was there.

“Just wanted to land here, see that you’re not running off, scaring people near to death.”

Then came a mischievous smirk and suggestive red eyes. “You caught me about to do that, until I realized it was you.”

“You demons don’t change,” Seulgi noted with a lower voice.

“Hey, the general truce doesn’t mean we can’t give a scare to humans now and then,” Joohyun shrugged as she began to float off the ground just a tad bit, starting to hover around Seulgi. “Besides, I think you’d take it kindly when I scare the piss out of those thugs trying to sell things.”

And because Seulgi has had a personal history with those thugs, she rolled her eyes. “So?”

“Sooo, you shouldn’t be checking up on me, should you?” Said the hovering demon.

That hovering was unnerving to anyone who hasn’t used to it, but Seulgi was accustomed to it. Not fond of it, but accustomed. It was known that Joohyun wasn’t fond of walking, despite having an unique sway and swivel to her hips which was hypnotizing to everyone. Whatever the case, Seulgi  didn’t even bother to look at the woman knowing she’d just get dizzy trying to read the demoness’ face. “Sure.”

“I’m thinking…”

Oh, boy, here we go.

Joohyun hummed as she finally hovered in front of Seulgi before descending to the ground. “You’re not here for that, are you?”

“Piss off,” Seulgi said right away, but obviously without any heart to it.

Which made Joohyun laugh. “This is my territory, why don’t YOU piss off?”

Red eyes fixed on brown, human ones; a cocky smirk pulling at Joohyun’s lips while a frown knitted on Seulgi’s own brow. And yet, despite that disdain, hidden under the table, was tangible confusion.

“Make me,” said Seulgi, finally. It was a threat with no heart to it, more like a cheeky dare.

A cheeky dare that seemed to amuse the Demoness, enough to make her smirk grow to a half grin, leaning closer. Breathing into Seulgi’s own air, hearing that distant mad thumping of Seulgi’s dragon heart, looking into those slowly growing eyes and those dilated pupils. 

Hard to fake the body’s reaction.

Lips tainted with the taste of sin hover over Seulgi’s trembling pair. “Don’t play with a demon, Kang. You won’t regret it, but you’ll become addicted.”

Despite the clenching fist and the furrowing eyebrows, the nervousness of her lips and the clamoring in her chest betrayed her bravado. “That’s against the truce.”

“We both know I never followed fully through it,” Joohyun confessed with a whisper that didn’t get to spread across the alley. 

“That’ll get you in trouble one day.”

“All the better,” Joohyun pulled away a little bit, looking into Seulgi’s unmoving eyes and winking at them. “I’m a troublemaker, remember?”

Deep down inside, Seulgi wanted to know just how much of a trouble maker.

But did she really?

Then, at the blink of an eye, Joohyun vanished into thin air, like she was never around to begin with. And with a thumping heart, Seulgi heaved out a shaky sigh. In that moment, she also remembered that Joohyun was a mysterious woman…

And she loved to play games.