Byulyi glanced up from the animated show she was intently watching, her brain slow in processing Wheein’s words as her fun-sized flatmate shoves an arm into the belly of the refrigerator. Glass containers clink annoyingly loud in the silence of the early morning as Wheein pushes them to the sides in her desperate search for whatever it was she was craving for. Byulyi’s eyes lazily trailed to the round clock hanging right above the tv, squinting to try her luck at deciphering where the clock’s hands were pointing at. The bluish light flickering from the tv and the orange glow from the fridge wasn’t really helping but she figured it was too late for a midnight snack.

“Do you know what time it is?” Byulyi slurs, her voice taking on a little rasp from hours of disuse and packets upon packets of salty chips that had dried up . “It’s tomorrow. What are you doing up?”

Without missing a beat, Wheein answers, “As I've said, I want strawberries.” She halts her perusing, looking over her shoulders to address Byulyi properly. “I’ve been craving for them for a while now. I swear I saw a box not too long ago.” A thoughtful look takes over her face before she plunges face-first into the cool box in search of the elusive strawberries.

Byulyi chuckles at the funny image. She wishes she has her phone nearby but an unfortunate series of events led her to accidentally dropping the device from the rooftop of their apartment building. She’d heard it ping off the large garbage bin and smack against the brick wall of the neighbouring building. She had only managed to salvage her sim card and memory stick, coldly dumping the mangled piece that had served her well enough for the last 3 years. She needed a change of device anyway.

Turning the tv off she forced herself up from her comfortable slouch on the couch to get the blood flowing back into her numbing limbs. Darkness unfurls behind her, encompassing nearly the entire living room as she lets out a big yawn followed by a weird jumble of satisfied noises. Once she shuffles into the farthest reach of the yellowish fridge light the darkness around her receded back into nothingness.

“We don’t have any more strawberries here, Whee.” Byulyi gives Wheein’s a soft pat as she passes her on her way to flicking on the lights for the kitchen. Wheein responds with a sort of gurgling like noise but keeps her head where it was- halfway into the top shelf, trying to sniff out the sweet treat.

“I saw a box here.” She whines loudly, petulantly stomping her right foot. Cute, Byulyi thought as she leaned on the wall, crossing her arms as she watched the youngin continue her fruitless search for a while longer.

“Fall’s ending. The only strawberries in this place are either frozen or rotting in the trash.” Byulyi states flatly. When Wheein shows no signs of acknowledging Byulyi’s words she reached to open the freezer door overhead, grabbed a large packet and placed it over Wheein’s back.

Wheein squeaks, retreating from her quest to do a little shimmying jig from the sudden chill at the introduction of the cold packet to her back. She shoots Byulyi a pout, reaching around her to pat away the slight dampness left on her cotton shirt.

“I don’t like frozen strawberries. They taste..” Wheein gags, sticking her tongue out like she’s eaten something sour.

Byulyi rolls her eyes as she shoves the package of frozen strawberries back into the freezer. She brushes the few ice particles sticking on her hand over Wheein’s back. Wheein throws her an annoyed glare but huffs in defeat and toes the fridge door close.

“Do you think the grocery stores sell fresh ones around this time?”

“Wheein, we’re going into winter.”

“So?”

Byulyi sighs, “No. And if they are, they’re going to be expensive.”

“I should swing by the grocery. See if I can find some.”

“It’s too early. They’re still closed. Wheein, where are you going?!”

Wheein whirls around, cheeky grin in place as she blows a kiss towards Byulyi. “I’m going to find some strawberries. See you, unnie!” She quickly slips on her shoes at the foyer, patting her baggy sweats for her things before throwing a goodbye wave at her flatmate’s weary form.

Once the lock clicks into place Byulyi sighs and shakes her head. She reaches into the pockets of her shorts, taking a few seconds patting around for her trashed phone before remembering what happened to it. She makes a mental note to get another phone as soon as possible as she drags her feet to her room. She’d give Wheein a proper scolding in the morning when she has her fill of coffee and all her brain cells are working at the optimum level.

The next time Byulyi sees her adorable flatmate was late in the evening the following day. The loud clicking of the door snapped Byulyi out of the deep, whirling haze in her mind and she instinctively flew off the couch, breath heavy as she considered the blank look on Wheein’s pale face. Her flatmate didn’t present herself at all like her usual, lethargically dragging her feet into their shared flat instead of the usual hurricane hyperness Byulyi was used to receiving. She’s quick to brush down the creases on her shirt as she rounds the couch, a smile she hoped didn’t look too nervous playing at her lips.

“I thought you weren’t coming back so soon.” There’s a slight guilty edge in her voice that would have been a dead giveaway, but it doesn’t seem like Wheein had even heard her. Byulyi watches on as Wheein shuffles aimlessly around the kitchen, opening random cupboards and drawers she passes by before settling in front of the fridge, hand on the handle but she does not open the door.

The expression on her face Byulyi couldn’t quite understand. It was blank one second before a small smile lifts one side of her lips and twitch back to a neutral look. Wheein was physically there but it looks like she was mentally absent.

Byulyi’s tense shoulders sag. She was both relieved and disappointed at the anti-climactic end to what she had thought was going to be a telling of one hell of a complex excuse. Bummer. And she was hoping to use her newly improved glamour.

“Is she alright?” Byulyi rubs the back of her ear, looking over her shoulder to Yongsun’s flushed face worriedly looking over the direction of the kitchen.

Even with her hair sticking on her sweaty face and her clothes in disarray, to Byulyi, Yongsun still looked like the prettiest woman on the face of Earth. Then again Byulyi was a bit biased. Her eyes scanned the ethereal woman as she tried to fix her appearance wherever her hands could reach. Byulyi’s chest puffed out in pride at the fresh, red, claiming mark by the base of Yongsun’s throat which the woman in question still hadn’t taken notice off. Byulyi was sure Yongsun would throw a fit once she sees the state of herself in the mirror, even though she wasn’t exactly against it when Byulyi had her pinned on the couch.

Clicking her tongue Byulyi reached to slick down the few strands of hair sticking out Yongsun’s silky tress. She shrugs her shoulder, parking her over the couch’s arm. “Never know what’s going on in Wheein’s head. But I’m sure, if we give it some time, she’ll be back to her usual self.”

Yongsun’s face scrunches in annoyance. She reached out, pushing Byulyi off with just enough force to knock her off her perch. She shoots a look towards Wheein, silently urging Byulyi to do something about it. Byulyi shakes her head, putting on the pout Yongsun had always said looked cute on her.

A silent argument passes between them, locking them in a staring contest that they’ve dubbed the battle of wills-stubbornness-. They were both too competitive that sometimes Byulyi wondered how they’ve not managed to knocked a few teeth out when they were a lot rowdier. They used to clash a lot worse before with fists flying and kicks that yielded ugly bruising around the legs and shins. Now, having grown tired of getting physical they’ve settled for the less painful, sometimes childish, methods of problem-solving.

It doesn’t take too long for Byulyi’s eyes to start stinging from the dryness and she relents, blinking her eyes rapidly to ease the soreness. She sighs in defeat, rolling her eyes at the satisfied smirk claiming home on Yongsun’s pink lips as the elder shoos her with dainty flicks of her hand.

“You’re lucky I love you.” Byulyi grumbles. Yongsun sends her a flying kiss before giggling lightly, clamping a hand over to muffle the sound. Byulyi shakes her head, takes a deep breath, and starts for the youngest flatmate.

“You alright pup?” She asks, gently tapping Wheein’s shoulder to grab her attention.

Wheein breathes out heavily, blinking hard before shaking her head. She lets go of the fridge door, slapping both her palms over the sides of her face. Byulyi grimaces at the loud slapping and reaches up to check the reddening cheeks.

“Strawberries.” She mutters distractedly.

Byulyi pauses in her check-up, feeling like she knew where this was going. “Whee, I told you-“

“S… mells like strawberries.” Wheein interrupts. Her hands drop as she turns a confused look to Byulyi, like she expected her to know all the answers to her unvoiced questions.

“So much like sweet strawberries and summer breeze.”

“Summer breeze?”

“Like summer.”

“Like.. summer?” Byulyi quirks a brow, unable to follow Wheein’s train of thoughts. She looks over her shoulder to Yongsun, asking for any kind of help or interpretation of the matter. The woman merely shrugs her shoulder, tilting her head to the side to listen some more.

“O-kay. I think you need some rest now, Wheein. Why don’t you go to-” Byulyi’s words are immediately cut off when Wheein clamps her hands around Byulyi’s arms, startling Byulyi enough to get her to bite her tongue. Big, brown eyes full of confusion stare up at Byulyi, begging for clarity.

“She smells so good! Why does she smell like that?”

“She?”

“The girl. The one working at the convenience store a bridge over.”

“Convenience… store?” Byulyi shares a confused look with Yongsun, the latter unhelpfully shrugging her shoulders again. “Uh… I.. am not following.”

“She’s so pretty. I think.. I think… I don’t know what to think.” Byulyi catches the gasp at the abruptness of Wheein grabbing her wrists and pulling her so that they were almost nose to nose. With a blush crawling at her neck, Byulyi clears , leaning away from the awestruck face to regain some of her personal space back.

“I’m going to go see her again.” Wheein suddenly declares, letting go of Byulyi to round on her heels and make her way back to the entrance of their flat, leaving two very confused elders to watch her retreating back.

The ‘she’ Wheein was referring to was the girl working the night shift in a convenience store on the east side. She was pretty, even Yongsun agreed with her observation rather than calling her a flirtatious jerk. She doesn’t look to be all that much taller than anyone of them, a little bit on the plumper side, but very well proportioned. Byulyi tries not to comment further and ignite Yongsun’s jealousy, even though it meant having to bite her tongue from the teasing she was just itching to dish out on her favourite junior.

The three of them watch the woman bustle around the convenience store through the wide glass windows, staying among the shadows just out of sight. Byulyi’s pitch black wings helped kept the illusion of the shadowy darkness between the rows of trees, Yongsun safely tucked away in her arms to keep the succubus, who was insistent in wearing crop tops under a thin jacket, away from the cool night air. Wheein had found a lazy perch on a strong branch, occasionally sniffing the air and swooning like an idiot.

Byulyi snorted. After years of being on the receiving end of Wheein’s jabs of her being weak against the pull of the succubus here was the best opportunity to fire back. Byulyi wanted to pitch back all those teasing but, judging by the look on Wheein’s face and her lack of information on the woman, well, Byulyi didn’t want to scare away the possibility of her dear friend exploring the wonderful realm of dating. She could hold her tongue for a bit longer. Nuzzling her face at the crook of Yongsun’s neck, Byulyi settled for quietly observing the woman, for the time being.

It only takes Byulyi about five more minutes of idling before her impatience gets the better of her. Tucking her wings back, like a chameleon blending into its surroundings, the glamour kicks in masking them into a long black coat. “This is ridiculous. Wheein you’re an idiot. I’m going in.”

“Byulyi!” Yongsun’s protest is met with deaf ears as Byulyi began to drag the unwilling woman along by her wrist. Halfway through, Byulyi rolls her eyes at the slaps to her arm and she swings Yongsun around, wrapping her arms around the squealing woman as she awkwardly carries her flailing form the rest of the way.

She lets go soon as she steps foot inside the store and Yognsun rounds on her, giving her arm a good few jabs before storming away in a huff. Byulyi lets her be. Nothing a little ice cream and promise of back massages can’t fix. She gives the woman a nod of acknowledgment and a smile, mentally debating whether to talk to her when the door behind her opens and the soft chime rings again. Byulyi’s lips quirks into a thin smile hearing the stuttering breath coming from Wheein who had just entered the store.

This was going to be fun.

It was not fun at all. Byulyi regretted barging into the convenience store- nay, she regretted agreeing to Yongsun’s initial pushing to follow Wheein that night to “make sure she’s safe”. Wheein was a werewolf. She could snap bones in half if she wanted to, how much safer could she get?

Intently watching her noodles in the microwave Byulyi huffed. It has been a little over three weeks and without fail they’re back at the convenience store at the dead of night. Wheein has somehow sparked some sort of interest in Hyejin, they found out her name thanks to the plastic nametag that was often set askew on her green apron, though Wheein hasn’t really done anything to charm her more than the random small talk here and there. She knew Wheein was a bit dense, but surely she wouldn’t have missed the stares Hyejin had been boring through the back of her head.

Taking her cup noodles out of the microwave Byulyi heads straight for the empty seat beside her favourite succubus. Yongsun had been in a bad mood for the last couple of days, the red tide is not easy on her and she had been constantly popping pills to help ease the cramping of her abdomen. She had been snippier whenever Byulyi tried to do anything more than a peck on the lips, something about being low on energy and being unable to get excited to bother feeding.

Byulyi eyes the dissected sandwich Yongsun had bought. She had been absently nibbling on the cabbage for the last minute not even putting up a fight when Wheein happily swipes half of the ham and devours it in one go. Mixing the noodles properly Byulyi pushes the tray of mangled food scraps away, switching it out for the noodles. “You’ve got to eat something.”

“Not hungry.”

“You’re looking paler than normal. It’s not healthy.”

“I’m already toeing the line between the two realms. The only thing I look forward to is the peace I find in the unconsciousness of slumber.” Yongsun monotones as her eyes stare straight into nothingness.

Byulyi couldn’t wait for the end of her monthly cycle. Yongsun tended to get irritatingly dramatic and overly sensitive during the long week. Rolling her eyes Byulyi pulled her chair closer to Yongsun, sliding a hand to rest over her stomach. She mutters a short incantation and Yongsun sighs at the heat warming her lower abdomen. She leans her head against Byulyi’s shoulder closing her eyes as she finds a comfortable position, the persistent frown finally lightening up.

“Jezz, couldn’t you guys wait until we get back to the apartment?” Wheein says, scrunching her nose at the sight of the two basically cuddling.

Byulyi grins teasingly. “Forget us. We’ve been here for over three weeks. Aren’t you going to make a move?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Well you’re obviously infatuated with her. I mean, three weeks? A little crush would have gone away by now.”

“Could you say that louder? I don’t think she heard you.”

Byulyi shrugs. “I said-“

Wheein hissed, jumping off her chair to slap a silencing hand over Byulyi’s mouth. It almost sends both the fallen and the succubus off their chairs. Byulyi ends up pulling Yongsun halfway over her lap, eliciting a surprised yelp, holding on tightly as her other hand reached to grab the table to help steady them.

“Okay! Shush, unnie! You guys are so loud!” Byulyi glares at Wheein as she jerks her head away from the werewolf. She was about to reprimand the younger woman when she felt dull teeth burying hard onto her shoulder. She yelps, letting go of Yongsun and the succubus hopped off her, glowering at the both of them before stalking off heatedly, leaving the two to look after her retreating form.

“Oops.” With her best apologetic look, Wheein sheepishly smiled. “Sorry, unnie.”

Lips pressed together Byulyi rubbed at the sore spot on her shoulder, waving away Wheein’s apology as she hurriedly gathered the notes Yongsun had lain out and her own material. So much for studying. Pushing the untouched noodles over to Wheein she bids the werewolf a goodbye, hurrying after the succubus.

Byulyi sighed exasperatedly as her fully transformed wolf companion rolled listlessly on the forest ground. It was the full moon, which meant a forceful transformation for Wheein and an annoying buzzing in Byulyi's ear for blood. Usually, Byulyi was the only one feeling sour during a full moon. The blood-lust was stronger when the realms between Earth and the spirit world thinned and the screaming from the veil of the afterlife was harder to drown out. Despite the forceful transformation Wheein usually found something to entertain herself while they were far out of the city limits, hiding out in the middle of the forest.

Now, it meant no nightly visits to the convenience store which put a damper on the normally happy-go-lucky werewolf. The hulking beast snorted at the fallen leaves, tail planted listlessly on the ground. From where Byulyi was sitting, Wheein looked like a kicked puppy; a massive, half-wolf, monstrosity that could and would easily rip anyone who angered her to shreds. But a puppy none the less. A pitiful one.

“It’s three nights. Be glad it’s just three and not a whole week.” Byulyi growls chucking a nut over Wheein’s furry head.

The wolf turns her eyes up at her, shifting just slightly to get a better look.

“Don’t look at me like that. You can go one day without looking for her.” She gets a soft whine. Byulyi rolls her eyes. “Pathetic Wheein. That is just pathetic.”

Byulyi knew her scathing retort was uncalled for, but the steady thrum of veil calling for blood to be spilled was thinning her patience. She likes to think she’d feel better if she was cuddled right up to Yongsun. She always was a comforting presence for her, and well, the succubus also served as a very good distraction all through the night.

“Have you even talked to her?” Wheein makes a few stuttering barks and yips, nothing Byulyi could decipher. She chucks a stick at Wheein, this time getting a warning nip in the air and a low growl. “I meant more than the small talk when you go up to pay. The weather is, like, the least interesting subject to talk about.”

Another sequence of yips and soft barks.

“You know, at this point I really don’t think this is just a small crush. You’re obviously head over heels for her- oh, don’t give me that look. You are. You totally are. You get all giddy whenever we’re at the store, doesn’t matter if you’re short on sleep. It’s like you regain your energy at just the thought of her. I have seen you perk up from being a living zombie at just the mention of her name.” She chucks the collection of leaves she had been mindlessly shredding, giving the top of Wheein’s dark fur a peppering of green. “You like her, obviously, so go ask her out. What’s so hard about that?”

The werewolf huffs, remaining sprawled on the forest floor.

Byulyi leans back against the trunk, letting one leg dangle from the branch she had perched on, growling her frustration. She looked up to the full moon, sneering at the circular dish looming over them.

She decided that full moons and pitiful werewolves were the most annoying combination and she couldn't wait until it was over.

“I think I’m in love.”

Byulyi looks up from nuzzling her face into a distracted Yongsun’s neck. She blinked at the wistful look on the werewolf’s face then scrunched her nose at the strong wave of the werewolf’s natural scent bowling her over. With a low growl, Byulyi pulled the absent-minded succubus closer to her, one wing materialising to act as a sort of barrier between them.

Byulyi knew Wheein meant nothing of it, but she couldn’t help the way her skin prickled and the anger flaring. Whether she knew it or not Wheein was scenting the place, her body’s way of preparing for a suitable place for when she brought home her mate. Byulyi had only seen it happen once before when the young Wheein first met Yongsun. She had been smitten by the succubus and scented the whole apartment. It had taken weeks of airing the place out and Yongsun’s apologetic rejection before things went back to normal.

Byulyi’s growl made the succubus finally look up from the game she was playing on her phone, looking between Byulyi intensely glaring daggers at Wheein and the dumb look on werewolf's face. “Did I miss something?”

“Wheein’s finally admitting to have fallen in love with the shop keep.”

Yongsun’s eyes widens excitedly, squirming around to get a better look at their small friend. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Other than stinking up the place, it is.”

“Unnie, I can’t help it.. she’s just so.. so…” Wheein trails off, sighing wistfully.

Byulyi rolls her eyes, wrapping her arms firmer around the squealing succubus. “Go ask her out then.”

“But I’m shy.”

“Stop stinking up the place!”

“I can’t help it.”

“You’re giving me a headache.”

“I’m going to go see her.”

“She’s not working the weekends, right?” Yongsun points out. The twinkle in Wheein’s eyes dim as the thought processes in her mind.

“W-well.. I-I can.. we-I do..” she stammers, pausing to ponder a little more, before finally sighing in dejection, shoulders falling in defeat. “Right.”

Byulyi snorts, grinning wryly at the pouting werewolf. Maybe this was the final push the werewolf needed. Byulyi certainly hoped so, because as much as she loved their little werewolf she was becoming a little too pitiful to look at.

Byulyi readjusted herself on the hard, plastic bar stool- the stupidly bright yellow ones for the high table that just seemed out of place in the convenience store. She was sore and they were not the most comfortable seats but she didn’t really have a choice.

She sent a withering look over to the jovial succubus typing away at her laptop, a soft glow about her. Byulyi would have appreciated a little warning before she was attacked that morning, stripped off her coherent thought process from dawn to near dusk as the woman had her way. She knew Yongsun’s energy levels were completely depleted after her week of suffering and Byulyi would have been more than happy to cater to her needs had she asked nicely.

Not anymore.

There was no doubt in her mind she wouldn’t be regaining her energy quickly enough this time around. Judging by the predatory leer Yongsun had given her when she finally let her breathe she was still not completely satisfied with her feeding and will be hounding her for more. As much as Byulyi liked , she hated when Yongsun got into one of her insatiable moods. She would Byulyi dry before realising she had gone too far, leaving her as near death as an immortal could come to.

Wheein was no better.

Byulyi absolutely refused to acknowledge the teasing grin on Wheein’s stupid face as she pretended to be occupied with her ramen. It took a lot of effort in the fallen’s part not to jump over the table and strangle the werewolf by that dumb hexed scarf she had secured around her neck. Byulyi would rather not find out what sort of Hex was imbedded into the scarf.

They had heard through the grapevine of a pair of unstable madmen heading towards their town. It had sent Yongsun’s protective instinct going into overdrive. She had taken lengths to put a protective barrier over their flat and bought each one of them a specialised item for extra protection. As if they couldn’t protect themselves if it comes to a brawl. Still, the press of her newly acquired dagger against her ankle gave her a sense of added confidence.

A hand crawling up her thigh popped Byulyi’s train of thought and sent shivers up her spine. As subtle as she could, she brushed Yongsun’s hand away from her inner thigh, frowning at the sly grin growing on Yongsun’s face. Yongsun easily shakes her off, replacing her hand right where she wanted them and then she gave a firm squeeze.

Byulyi tensed, breathing harshly through her nose as her arousal began to tingle. Gritting her teeth, she sends the succubus a look of warning, grabbing her wandering hand and locking their fingers, bringing them up to the table for good measure.

Wheein passes a look between them, eyes switching from Byulyi’s look of deadpan, to Yongsun’s teasing grin, to their clasped hands, her smile widening by the second.

“Hm..” Yongsun hums, seductively biting her bottom lip. With her other hand, she cups Byulyi’s face, turning her head towards her, demanding for her attention. “have I ever said that I think your possessiveness is hot?”

Wheein loses it, head tilted back as she chortled loud, hand slamming on the table. Byulyi manages to land a kick on her shin, but not without agitating her sore muscles and the tenderness in the apex between her legs. She hisses, shaking Yongsun off her, flipping the chortling werewolf the birdie as she hobbles to the exit. She gives the tired shop keeper a shaky smile and a small wave, pretending not to notice the pursed lips and the subtle glances to their group and her slight limping gait. Byulyi makes a mental note to buy something else on their way out and “accidentally” drop extra cash for the poor overworked girl.

Instead of relief, her muscles tensed at the unholy chill permeating the night air. She looks to the empty stretch of the street beyond their little hangout spot, her feathers bristling at the eerie silence. There was a faint, trace of malicious intent souring the air, like a plague creeping unsuspected in the dead of night.

She warily eyes the convenience store. It was slowly reeking of Wheein’s scent, something Byulyi hoped would be sufficient enough to drive away anything that had any malice. Gritting her teeth, Byulyi turned back hoping to relay the information without freaking the two out.

Little does she know how the night was going to be the last time they visit the small convenience store.