Moonbyul never saw it coming.

She tried to recall the best she could how this came to be. The tv has always had that infernal child safety feature that only Solar knew the combination to. Not to say Moonbyul was technologically illiterate, but there was only so much she could find out and she wouldn’t dare try to figure out the password. She didn’t want to start up an argument like that; she had other-even more fun ways.

The books were also out of the question. Wheein was five, and although she’d praise how smart her baby girl was there was no way she could read that well even if she somehow got her little hands on the more… mature books. No. The books were definitely out of the question.

“Maaamaaa!” A prolonged whine coupled with the tugging on her sleeves brought her back to her predicament. She could feel the cold sweat breaking out of her skin but she put on her best smile anyway as she picked up her little pumpkin, setting her securely around her waist.

“And where did you hear that word? Hm? Mama never told you that.” Moonbyul squints her eyes in suspicion. “Did you hear that from school? Did a friend tell you that?”

“Hwasa-nim told me!” Wheein chirped as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

“Ah… your… friend under the bed?” Moonbyul grimaced. Normally, children were deathly afraid of the monsters under their bed. Moonbyul recalls how she used to cry at night because she thought the monster under her bed tried to eat her stuffed toy. She always made sure to tuck her toes under her blankets so the monsters wouldn’t eat them off. But here she was, years later with her own little munchkin who seems to not bat an eye at the prospect of monsters and whatever others lurking in the dark. Seemed to have made a friend of one too.

“Yup!” Wheein grinned, wrapping her arms around Moonbyul’s neck as she looked up at her expectantly. Waiting for the answer of her not so innocent question.

“Hwasa-nim said you and mommy have at night. What is ? Can I eat it?”

“Oh my God…” Moonbyul groans. Solar would be so pissed if she heard this. She’d most likely blame her too.

“No pumpkin, it’s not something you can eat.” Not under my roof, she added in a dark mutter, already murdering her little pumpkin’s future prospects in her mind. Not in her house and not with her innocent, angelic pumpkin who could do no wrong. “Oh, my little pumpkin, don’t you dare grow up so fast.”

Her mutters are responded by giggles and a small peck at her chin. She looks down to her baby girl grinning up at her and couldn’t help but bring the little girl up to press as many butterfly kisses all over the giggling girl’s face.

“Mama, stop! You didn’t answer my question.” Wheein whined, placing her hands on both sides of Moonbyul’s face. Her small pout soon turns into a smile as she begins playing with Moonbyul’s cheeks. She didn’t mind, if it got the darn question out of her hyper active girl’s mind then she could do whatever she wanted.

Unfortunately, her little one had a one-track mind and if she had a question she better get an answer or she’d never stop her pestering. “Is a bad thing?”

“It’s an adult thing.” Moonbyul finally sighs an answer she thinks Solar would approve off. Her expression turns grave at the thought of her wife and she addresses Wheein in her rare strict voice. “You are not allowed to even say the word until you’re 20. Understand? I don’t want to hear that from you ever again. And you definitely can’t say that to your mommy, got it?”

“But 20 is so far away! I’m 5!” Wheein protests and goes limp onto her mother’s chest. Moonbyul huffs but gently pats Wheein’s back comfortingly.

“I wish you’d stay just 5 years old.”

“Mama that’s silly! I’ll be 6 next year.”

“Well, I don’t want next year to come.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want Wheeinie to grow up.”

“But why?” Wheein stresses on the why, not understanding her mother’s train of thought on the age matter when all she wanted was to be as grown up and amazing as her two wonderful mothers.

“Because,” Moonbyul looks down to meet Wheein’s wide, innocent eyes looking right back at her in the most serious look a child could give. She sighs, gently pinching one side of Wheein’s rosy cheeks. “I just don’t want my little Wheeinie to grow up and forget mommy and mama.”

A toothy smile blossoms at Wheein’s face as she wraps her arms around Moonbyul’s neck and places an innocent peck on her upturned lips. “Mama will always be my mama.” She states proudly, the wide grin on her face and the sparkling browns orbs gazing with pure love and innocence melts Moonbyul’s heart even more than it already had. It was no secret she was putty when it came to her adorable pumpkin. But as a parent Moonbyul couldn’t help the overbearing protectiveness come out full force. She could never see Wheein as anything more than that little bundle wrapped in a huge blanket on the first day of her coming to the world. So delicate and fragile.

“Hm..” Moonbyul hums. Then her wistful smile turns wicked as she pulls Wheein back so she could look at her properly. “Wheein can’t have a boyfriend or a girlfriend until she’s 25, right?”

“But 25 is too far away!” Wheein instantly whines, and Byulyi is certain her little girl can’t really phathom how long 20 years really is. But being a mommy’s girl and always wanting to act like her mommy she’d oversell her reactions anyway. It’s something Byulyi just finds so adorable and she can’t help but crush Wheein back into her secure embrace.

“No kissing other people until then too. No! You’re not allowed to kiss other people. Period.”

“Mama!” Moonbyul laughs over the whines and showers more pecks around Wheein’s face.

“I love you, baby.”

Wheein instantly stops her whining to present Moonbyul her best toothy smile. “I love you too, mama. Lots and lots!”

“How much?” Moonbyul shuffles her in her arm so that she had a good and steady grip on Wheein in one arm. With her other free, she extended it as far as she was physically able to, arching a brow at Wheein. “This much?”

Wheein shakes her head, slightly bouncing against her mama’s side. She purses her lips in thought, very cutely Moonbyul likes to add, before throwing her hands up in the air. “I love you forever and ever and ever and ever. To the sky and-and-and even bigger than our house! Even more than Hwasa-nim.”

Again with the Hwasa. It was not the first, nor would it be the last Moonbyul would hear of the invisible friend hiding under the bed. Sometimes she wonders if she should be jealous of the imaginary friend that seems to always be in her little pumpkin’s mind. She shakes her head off the ridiculous thought.

Patting Wheein’s bum Moonbyul lowered the little girl down. She still had spaghetti that needed to be cooked and God forbid she accidentally burns the noodles. With one last kiss on the forehead Moonbyul sends Wheein back to her room to play with her toys- and, Moonbyul sighs, Hwasa-nim.

Wheein immediately drops to her belly as soon as she’s shut her door. There’s a bright grin on her face as she watches the dark-haired woman slowly coming out of the darkness that seems to engulf the entirety of the space under her bed. Wheein backed up to a cross-legged position as the woman fully emerged from the darkness. She ruffled her waist-length hair, bushing them off her shoulder, sitting daintily down on Wheein’s mattress as if she owned the place.

“Hwasa-nim, mama got upset when I asked her what is.” Wheein dutifully reported, much to the woman’s amusement.

“Oh, really darling? Well, I did say not to ask her.”

“But why won’t anyone tell me what it is?”

“It’s..” Hwasa elegantly chuckled behind her hand, “it’s a very… adult thing to talk about. And you, my darling sweet, are too young to corrupt.”

“I’m not too young. I’m 5! I’m grown up.”

“And in 15 years time, you wish you were back to 5.” Hwasa hums listlessly, flicking a random lint off her red, body-hugging dress.

“I don’t get it.”

Hwasa chuckles. “Of course, you don’t my darling sweet.” She says beckoning for Wheein to come closer. Wheein hops to her feet, scurrying close to Hwasa and lets the woman lift her up to her bed where she begins bouncing lightly on her heels.

“You children always wish to grow up quickly. But when you’re all grown up you’ll wish to be young and naive again.”

“Who doesn’t want to grow up?”

“Many people, my darling sweet. Most people who call for me.”

Doubt crosses Wheein’s face. She had always thought growing up was something to look forward to. All of her friends would occasionally talk about what they wanted to do when they were bigger and taller. To be able to play the games they weren’t allowed to play with and say words that only adults were allowed to say. Even Wheein thought of what she would do when she’s grown up. “Why?”

“Because.. people are greedy for life. Too greedy that they’ll give anything away for more time, more things, more of anything and everything.” The dullness in her eyes recedes the moment they fall back on the small face frowning up at her and Hwasa smiles, gently flicking a finger down Wheein’s nose. “Not that you’ll ever be like those people. You’re special my darling sweet.”

And like a true child Wheein follows up with a small squeak or a question “How?”

“Because you have me.” Wheein perks up at Hwasa’s statement and throws her arms around Hwasa’s shoulder, giggling elatedly.

“Hwasa-nim will stay with Wheein forever, right? Just like Hwasa-nim promises, right?” Hwasa chuckles, patting Wheein’s head fondly.

“Hwasa-nim made a promise, and demons never break their promises my darling sweet.” Hwasa says, gently wrapping her hand around the back of Wheein’s neck. Her eyes glimmer at sight of the scroll lying innocently at the bedside table, the unbreakable contract that would forever bind Wheein’s soul with her. “Hwasa-nim and Wheein will be together. Forever.”