“How’s she?” Chaewon asked as soon as Hyunjin stepped inside.

“Feeling better. But I still left her alone for now, so she can organize her thoughts.”

Chaewon sighed. “Thank you again, Hyunjin.”

Heejin stood up and grabbed hers and Chaewon's empty bowls.

“I can do that, you go and rest or go play with Chaewon.”

“You already cooked, so it’s only fair.”

“This is my house, my rules.”

Heejin’s chin dropped. “Wow, okay, I see,” she said, pretending to me mad, but Hyunjin could clearly see how she fought back a smile.

“Exactly. Now go.” Hyunjin stole the things from Heejin’s hands, moving to the sink.

And as she washed the dishes and cleared the table, Hyunjin couldn’t help but peek at Heejin from time to time, as she sat with Chaewon and talked about what they should do for the day.

“Let’s just play all day,” Chaewon said. “Or watch movies.”

“Or an anime!”

Hyunjin snorted as she finished drying up the dishes. “Like what, Vampire Knight?” she asked, walking to sit on her armchair.

“Oh, are we watching vampire movies?” Chaewon suggested.

“As long as it’s not Twilight,” Hyunjin said.

“They’re not bad!”

“Do I look like I shine to you? I’m a vampire, not a fairy.”

“Just ignore that part.”

“Why would you want to watch vampire movies?”

“We used to watch a lot of them when we were younger,” Heejin said. “You know, when I found out about vampires, I watched movies and shows to know more about them.”

“The only thing that’s accurate about all that junk is that we drink blood.” Hyunjin rolled her eyes.

“Every movie or show about vampires portrays them in different ways.”

“I know, I’ve watched many as well. And none of those ways are completely realistic.”

Silence won for a few moments.

“So, are we watching Twilight?” Chaewon broke the silence.

“If we’re to rest today, watching movies is a good idea. Where did Jiwoo and Jungeun go?" Heejin asked.

“I don’t think they would want to watch Twilight, anyway...” Hyunjin mumbled.

“Let’s play while we wait for Hyejoo, then.” Chaewon reached for the controllers, giving one to Heejin. “Wanna join us?” she asked Hyunjin.

Hyunjin shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

Chaewon started the same racing game she was playing with Hyejoo before, Mario Kart. And she didn’t expect it to be so much fun.

Hyunjin thought if it was okay to be relaxed like that. But, what could they do? She was the one deciding that the training would only start the next day, and after everything that happened in the previous days, they deserved some rest and time to relax. It was not like they could do anything at that exact moment, so she forced those worries to the back of her mind and focused on the game.

The door opened, and the second Hyejoo came into view, Chaewon threw the controller away and ran to her, jumping to her embrace.

Hyunjin observed, aware of the smile growing on her lips. She wasn’t sure yet about what their relationship was, but she could see how much they loved and cared about each other. And with that thought, her eyes wandered to Heejin. She also stared at them, but she probably felt Hyunjin's eyes on her, so she met her stare. Hyunjin looked away, clearing .

“Feeling better?” Hyunjin asked, as they pulled away and Chaewon dragged her to the couch.

“A lot. Thank you.”

“We were just waiting for you to go watch Twilight!” Chaewon beamed.

“Oh, is that so?” Hyejoo asked, and Hyunjin wasn’t sure if that meant she was happy that they waited for her, or that she didn’t want to watch it.

Hyunjin ended up accepting, since she also didn’t have any other ideas. They were about to reach the midpoint of the first movie when Hyunjin could hear and smell Jiwoo and Jungeun approaching.

“You’re watching Twilight?! And you didn’t wait for us?” Jiwoo pouted.

“Hyunjin said you wouldn’t want to watch it!” Chaewon said.

Jiwoo gasped. “I love this saga! How could you, Hyunjin?”

“I just… Assumed?”

Jungeun shook her head, rolling her eyes. “Let’s just join them.”

“Did we miss the baseball scene? Because if we did, you’re gonna rewind.”

Gladly, they didn’t, and it actually came up soon after. Jiwoo was enjoying it even more than Chaewon, and Hyunjin guessed Jungeun was like her, watching it just because they were. But if she was already at it, might as well watch it properly. If Hyunjin managed to, because occasionally peeking at Heejin was far more interesting. She seemed to like the movie as well, by her focused expression and how she laughed and reacted to the more intense scenes.

Jiwoo kept on holding Jungeun’s hand, just like Chaewon did with Hyejoo. But as Jiwoo put the second one, New Moon, right after the first one, Hyejoo reached for her Switch.

“You won’t pay attention if you’re playing!” Chaewon whined.

“That one is super boring, and I can do both. I need to farm to upgrade my equipment, remember?”

Chaewon pouted and approached her ear. Hyunjin knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t stop herself from hearing her whispering “I can’t hold your hand if you’re playing Zelda.”, and she had to actually press her lips together not to laugh. Hyejoo went red in the cheeks and remained silent.

No matter the movie, a marathon could always be tiring. Jiwoo made sure to play the third movie right after, only giving everyone a five minute break. Hyunjin was starting to get restless, now petting Selene who rested in her lap (needless to say Diana preferred to stay with Heejin, laying down on her lap receiving scratches all along her grey fur.)

Until she arrived - Hyunjin’s salvation. The second the door opened, Hyunjin jumped on her feet, holding Selene close to her chest. “Jinsol, hey, you’re here!”

All eyes turned to her.

“Hey, everyone. I said I would be coming for dinner.” She lifted the bags in her hands.

Hyunjin let Selene down on her armchair and rushed to help her. “Come, everyone, dinner time.”

“Just say you didn’t want to watch the movie,” Jiwoo mumbled.

“It’s not like I didn’t, but it was too much already.” She sighed. "And Hyejoo was right, the second one is... so freaking boring."

Taking four bottles from the fridge, Hyunjin leaned against the kitchen counter, observing how Jinsol opened the bags, removing the food, while Heejin searched the cabinets for something.

“There’s only four chairs,” Jiwoo said.

“The humans can sit,” Hyunjin said, and said humans turned to her. “What? Aren’t you, though? It’s not like we have a proper meal to eat, so go ahead and sit down.”

“There will still be an empty chair,” Jinsol said.

“I’m fine, one of you can take it.”

Chaewon sat down, patting the chair next to her, and Hyejoo sat there without a word, her eyes focused on all the food in front of her.

“S-Sorry, I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Chaewon muttered.

“It’s okay.” Hyejoo smiled at her, and Hyunjin didn’t need to listen the ‘I want to sit next you’ part to know it was what it meant.

Hyunjin handed a bottle to Jungeun, Jiwoo, and Hyejoo. “Bon appetit, everyone.”

She took a gulp, still observing them. It was the first time, ever, she had so many people in her house, let alone having dinner together.

Heejin and Jinsol dove into their food, but Chaewon stopped herself after grabbing a mouthful of japchae with her chopsticks, peeking at Hyejoo with a pout. Hyejoo laughed at her, resting a hand on her head and messing up her hair. “Just eat.” Chaewon nodded, and bit on her food, while Hyejoo took the bottle to her lips and took a large gulp, trying her hardest not to make a face.

“Hey, Jinsol, did Yerim talk to you today?” Hyejoo asked.

Jinsol choked on her food, and while everyone rushed to check on her, Hyunjin bit back a laugh. That girl couldn’t even handle someone mentioning Yerim’s name.

“You okay?” Jiwoo squatted next to her.

“Y-Yeah,” Jinsol said, her voice coming out in a weird, husky tone. “Sorry, you know when you’re eating and you inhale at the same you gulp the food? Yeah.”

Hyunjin shook her head, crossing her arms on her chest, but Jinsol didn’t even dare to look at her.

“And answering your question, yes, she talked to me. She already knows I’m working with you, and she said that it doesn't matter if she's from the Silver Blades as well, she will always choose her friends’ side, so we’re partners now, and then shook my hand with a lot of energy,” she explained, the red painting her cheeks evident.

“Typical of Yerim.” Hyejoo chuckled. “We talked to her earlier and explained everything to her. You can trust her.”

“Bring her next time,” Hyunjin said, making everyone turn to her. “We should meet her, if she’s on our side.”

Jinsol widened her eyes at her, and Hyunjin could clearly read the ‘please don’t make it worse’ on her eyes.

“Yes, please do that! We don’t know how and when we can see her now,” Chaewon said.

Silence kicked in after that, but Jiwoo was fast to break it. “Let’s all share our experiences!” she said with her lively voice. “We can bond more if we know about each other. I can start!”

“Sounds good,” Jinsol said, scanning the other’s reactions, and everyone nodded, including Hyunjin.

“I’ve been a vampire for almost thirty years, and I was turned when I was twenty-five-”

“Twenty-five?!” Heejin gasped. “I could swear you would be, like, eighteen. Human years, I mean.”

Jiwoo beamed, shaking her hands. “I get that a lot. A vampire attacked me, turned me, and I had no idea what was happening to me. I went to the police but they thought I was pulling a prank, saying a middle-aged man bit me, so they did nothing.”

“ the police,” Jinsol mumbled.

“Aren’t you from the police, though?” Jungeun asked.

“I’m competent, not like those ers.”

“Anyway,” Jiwoo continued. “I returned home, tried to eat, and I couldn’t. When the hunger started to kick in, and I still couldn’t eat, I attacked my dad.”

Now, even Hyunjin widened her eyes. To her, what was the most surprising, was how light-heartedly Jiwoo was talking about that.

“Did you really?” Chaewon asked.

“I did. How could I know I would do that? I never meant to do it, I would never hurt my parents, but I lost my conscience. When I was back at it, I was tied to a chair. I was so scared, like, why would my parents tie me to a chair? Until I saw the bleeding on my dad’s arm, and I asked what had happened, and they told me I had attacked him. That was when I ripped the rope, so easily that even I got scared at myself. They thought I had gone crazy, and for a moment, I thought so as well. I talked with more people about it, that I couldn’t eat food, and had to drink blood instead, everyone thought I had gone crazy. I had no idea what had happened to me, so everything I could do was try and ask for help. But it got so bad, so out of hand, my parents wanted to put me in an asylum. I mean, I don’t blame them, but I knew I wasn’t crazy, so one night, I grabbed my things and left.”

Everyone looked at Jiwoo, yet, no one could mouth a word.

“I came to Seoul, as I was still finding out about my new self. My senses, my eyes, my strength. Until I finally found another vampire.”

“From the Blood Alliance,” Hyunjin stated.

“Yes. Yeonjun is his name. As I told you, the Blood Alliance was not like this at the beginning. They genuinely welcomed me, gave me a new home and food without judging me. The rest, you know about.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Heejin mumbled.

“Oh, it’s okay, it was a long time ago, I’m over it, don’t worry! Now, who wants to go next?”

“I’m a recent vampire, turned six years ago through the Blood Alliance’s stupid plan. Yeonjun turned me, Jiwoo found me after I got turned, brought me there, we bonded, and here we are," Jungeun said.

“W-What about your family?” Chaewon asked.

“I’m not from here either, so they think I got a good job and that I'm living my best life in Seoul.”

“That Yeonjun you mentioned, is he on your side?” Hyunjin asked.

“Yes. We frequently talked about how we hated to do that, and he still resents having turned Jungeun. And, well, everyone else he did, of course.”

“Why didn’t you worry about him yesterday when we were running away?”

Jiwoo and Jungeun shared a look. “It’s not like we didn’t, but we couldn’t afford to lose more time. Also, we know he’s alive. Jungeun didn’t feel him leave.”

Chaewon and Hyejoo frowned. “What does that mean?” Hyejoo asked.

“When your sire dies, you feel like something’s being ripped from your body and your soul all at once,” Heejin said.

“How do you know?”

“Hyunjin explained it to me. I didn’t know as well.”

“So, that means... the motherer that turned me is still alive,” Hyejoo said, her fists balling on top of the table. “I didn’t feel .”

“Then we have something else to take care of,” Hyunjin said, and Hyejoo met her eyes. “Jiwoo, do you have someone else inside the Blood Alliance who you trust like that? Who shares the same opinion as we do?”

“Yes, Yeonjun’s sister, Ryujin.”

“And are you a hundred percent sure we can trust them? And that if you asked them to join us, they would?”

“They would,” Jungeun said. “They’re just scared, like we were.”

“Do not talk to them just yet. Let’s use that to our advantage, to get info from the inside. But let’s not worry about that now. Go on with your stories.”

“I joined the Silver Blades eight years ago, when I was fifteen,” Heejin said, the attention shifting to her. “Hyejoo’s older sister, Yves, found me just before the vampire who killed my parents could kill me.”

“I was only ten,” Hyejoo said. “I joined with my sister, since our parents were killed. I lived more than half of my life with them. The first couple of years were very hard, but then Gowon joined." Hyejoo threw her a smile, and Chaewon answered the same way.

“I was thirteen when I joined. Hyejoo was just a baby-”

“I’m only one year younger than you!”

“She was always alone, playing on her Nintendo DS, and only talked to her sister. She was so cute, she had long bangs and her cheeks were even bigger!”

Jiwoo squealed, and the others laughed, while Hyejoo hid her face on her hands. “Enough.”

“Why did you decide to approach her?” Jinsol asked.

Chaewon looked at Hyejoo, like she was looking for the answer. “I don’t know. I’ve always liked videogames as well, so I guess I wanted to play with her. And she looked lonely.”

“You two are so cute!” Jiwoo said, leaning on Jungeun’s arm. “What about you, Jinsol? What is it like being a detective?”

“Fun!” Jinsol said. “Dangerous, but we all know that concept here. I joined the police at a young age, I was only twenty. You know, basic policeman work for like three years, until I finally made it to detective. And then it was normal detective work, taking care of murderers and stuff like that, until I got to investigate a vampire without knowing he was one. Hyunjin here,” Jinsol  her chair, looking at her. “Saved me that night.”

Wows echoed in the room, expect for Heejin. She already knew that.

“She put a bullet to that vampire’s head just before he jumped on me. I made her explain to me what that was, and insisted she should let me repay her, but she always refused. But I guess I’m too charming that even heartless, loner Hyunjin wanted me around.”

Hyunjin glared at her, shaking her head. “I could get valuable intel from you, that’s all.”

“Isn’t she such a cute tsundere?” Jinsol asked everyone around.

“Your !”

Loud laughs erupted in the room, making Hyunjin roll her eyes.

“Just Hyunjin left. The best for last, am I right?” Jungeun snickered.

“Hi, I’m Kim Hyunjin, I’m sixty-seven years old, turned at twenty, I have two cats, Diana and Selene, and I love the moon.”

No one said a word. Instead, the others girls shared looks between themselves.

“And I make bad jokes.” Hyunjin sighed. “Okay, here it goes. Jaebum killed my family and turned me-”

“Jaebum?!” Jiwoo and Jungeun shouted at the same time.

“Right, I haven’t told you guys. He’s my sire.”

“That’s why you left like that yesterday?” Jungeun asked.

“Yes. I’m sorry for worrying you. He killed my parents and oldest brother, turned me and my other older brother. We lived together for many years, and... those weren’t my best years. At the time, there were lots of vampire clans, who normally fought for area dominance, and just to see who was the strongest. Me and my brother served as mercenaries in the middle of that. A clan asked us to kill another clan, we would do it for a lot of money. I’m not proud, but it’s because of it that we managed to get this house.”

Hyunjin hadn’t revealed this part of herself to Heejin yet, so she met her eyes to study her reaction. She kept her lips a thin line, staring at her attentively.

“W-Where’s your brother?” Chaewon asked, her voice low and hesitant.

“Dead,” Hyunjin said, and she could see Hyejoo and Heejin dropping their heads. “I got away with these scars, but he was killed by a slayer ten years ago.”

Jiwoo had a hand over , and the other grasping hard on Jungeun’s hand.

“I’m sorry for asking,” Chaewon mumbled.

“It’s okay. His death made me change. Before that, we used to slay vampires, not only the ones that we were asked to. We were basically slayers, because we also thought that they were all the same. But when he died, after we pleaded and explained that we weren’t bad, I realized that there must be other vampires trying to live normally. That’s why from that night, I always got to know my prey before making the kill. After his death, I swore I would become a loner, so I wouldn’t see anybody else dying. Sure, Jinsol showed up and changed that, and now... I have you guys as well.”

In the following silence, Jinsol jumped from her seat and threw herself at Hyunjin, who barely had time to open her arms to receive her in a tight hug.

“I’m so proud of you, you big baby,” Jinsol whispered in her ear.

Even if Hyunjin wanted to curse at her for that, she could only hug her back and dig her face in her neck.

“A toast for Hyunjin!” Jiwoo said. “For bringing us all together!”

Jinsol pulled away and grabbed her glass, raising it in the air. Hyunjin shook her head, asking them not to, but they still did it – clinking their glasses and bottles, waiting for Hyunjin to do the same. Reluctantly, and rolling her eyes, she joined her bottle to theirs in the air.

“And now, let’s watch the next movie!” Jiwoo said, sprinting to sit on the couch, pulling Jungeun with her.

“Oh, goddess...” Hyunjin sighed.

“I’ll stay and watch it with you,” Jinsol said.

“You don’t really have to.”

“But I want to! I think I’ve never watched the third one.”

Hyunjin rolled her eyes, and Jinsol laughed, as they walked to the living room.

The light was off as they watched the movie, but not even half of it went by, and Hyejoo, Chaewon, and Heejin were fast asleep, heads resting on Hyejoo’s shoulders, who sat in the middle.

“I think we should stop for now,” Hyunjin said, pausing the movie.

“Why?” Jiwoo pouted.

Hyunjin pointed at the big couch, where the girls slept.

“Oh, poor them.”

“Heejin barely slept tonight, and I bet Hyejoo and Chaewon didn’t get that much sleep as well.”

“Should we wake them up, or let them sleep like that?” Jungeun asked.

“It seems uncomfortable to stay like that for a whole night of sleep, and we’re starting practice tomorrow.” Hyunjin stood up and the light.

The girls grunted, opening her eyes and moving their tired bodies.

“What time is it?” Chaewon asked.

“Time to sleep, you must be exhausted.”

“Where will everyone sleep, though?” Jiwoo asked.

Hyunjin looked around, thinking. She would sleep in her room, no doubt of that. There was the mattress on the floor, where Jungeun and Jiwoo had slept the night before, so two people would sleep there, and then one person on the couch. There were still two people, though...

“My couch turns into a bed,” Jinsol said, as if reading Hyunjin’s mind. “I guess Heejin and Chaewon can come with me, since I have food at home-”

“No!” Hyunjin and Chaewon said at the same time.

Jiwoo smiled. “Me and Jungeun will go. We just fed, and we’ll be returning here tomorrow morning for practice, so we should be fine.”

“Fine by me,” Jinsol said. “How you guys feel about that?”

“Sure.” Jungeun shrugged.

Chaewon nodded, giving her a thumbs up, and Hyunjin avoided her eyes. Why would she even oppose to her initial idea? It was the most logical.

“We’ll be going then!” Jinsol walked to the door. “Sleep well, everyone. I’ll probably show up tomorrow, as always. Good night!”

“Good night.” The other girls bid them goodbye as they left the house.

An awkward silence followed. Hyunjin cleared . “So, yeah, I-I'll be heading to sleep as well. Good night,” she said, rushing to the stairs.

“Good night, Hyunjin,” it was Heejin’s voice that echoed louder in Hyunjin’s ears, even though Chaewon and Hyejoo said it as well.

Hyunjin looked back and gave them a small smile before heading upstairs, straight to her room. She closed the door and leaned her back against it, with a sigh. And instead of dwelling on the whys whispering in her mind, she walked over the window and opened it, the summer breeze welcoming her. She looked up, smiling at the marvelous waxing crescent moon shining upon her.

What a day it had been. No, days. It had been only three days since the plan had worked and they stumbled on Jiwoo and Jungeun, yet, so much had happened. But it was not the time to go back at everything. So, stripping her tank top, and pushing the Blood Alliance, Yves, Jaebum to the back of her mind, she laid down on her bed and closed her eyes, allowing Heejin and everyone else to be there instead as she drifted off to sleep.

—

“Hyunjin.”

Hyunjin opened her eyes, her attention being driven to her hearing. It felt like nothing but a whisper, so low she probably dreamed it. But, was she really dreaming about Heejin’s voice calling for her-

“H-Hyunjin.”

Yes, it had been a barely audible whisper, coming from just outside her door, but she was sure she heard it now. She bolted out of bed and opened her door. Heejin recoiled, eyes widening as she scanned Hyunjin from head to toe. Yeah, she might had forgotten she was in shorts and a sleeping bra.

“Are you okay?” Hyunjin asked, ignoring how Heejin struggled to find where to look.

“Can’t sleep.”

“Alright, I’ll sleep on the couch, just sleep in my bed,” Hyunjin said, walking past her, but a hand in hers stopped her and made her look back.

“S-Stay.”

Heejin’s hand shook around Hyunjin’s, and her heart beat too strong for Hyunjin to ignore her request. She stepped inside her room again, pulling Heejin with her, and closed the door. Heejin still stood, taking a look around her room, but there wasn’t much to look at. Hyunjin’s room was pretty simple – a big bed, with a galaxy pattern sheet, occupied the majority of the space. Other than that, just a simple black desk to the side, her closet, and a window covered in thin drapes.

Hyunjin went on ahead and laid down, and now Heejin followed, laying beside her and pushing the sheets up to her neck, even though it was a warm night.

“Bad dream?” Hyunjin asked in a whisper.

“Yeah. How do you know?”

“I can hear your heartbeat. It’s pretty strong.”

“Well, watching you and everyone else die in front of me while I’m locked up and I can’t do is pretty ed up.”

Silence followed, because Hyunjin didn’t know what to answer to that. She could only imagine how awful it must have been.

“You’re shaking a lot,” Hyunjin said.

“You can feel that?”

“Yeah, you know, the bed shakes as well.”

“Wow. You’re amazing.”

“Is there something I can do?”

“Actually… c-can I come closer?”

Hyunjin turned her neck at her, at Heejin’s pleading eyes. Instead of answering, Hyunjin raised her arm, and Heejin scooted fast, gluing her body against Hyunjin’s, resting her head in her shoulder and her arm around her bare stomach.

Hyunjin let her hand rest on her arm, rubbing it slowly.

“You’re not gonna watch anyone die. Nor will I.”

Heejin nodded, and she was so close Hyunjin could feel her breathing on her neck, like a warmth that spread through Hyunjin’s body.

“Feeling better?” Hyunjin asked, and Heejin nodded again.

But then, why was Heejin’s heart still beating that fast? Not as fast as before, but stronger. Hyunjin closed her eyes, and even unconsciously, focused on her other senses. On how she could feel the scent of her own vanilla shampoo in Heejin’s hair, on how soft her skin felt against hers.

And Hyunjin found her own heart beating as fast as Heejin’s.

“Everything’s gonna be fine, right?” Heejin asked, another barely audible whisper.

And an almost uncontrollable urge to roll to her side and embrace her fully in a hug crossed Hyunjin's mind, but she went only as far as holding the hand that rested on her stomach.

“I can't really lose anyone else, so, everything will be fine. I promise,” Hyunjin said, letting Heejin squeeze her hand.

Hyunjin could almost hear Jinsol’s voice calling her a tsundere, or even a softie. No, in fact, Jinsol would be shocked if she was to see that, how shamelessly Hyunjin let Heejin cuddle against her. Hyunjin should be shocked herself. But she wouldn’t bother. Not when the truth was that she enjoyed it, maybe too much for her own good.

---

A/N: OH BOY, OH BOY, THE FLUFFFFFFFF

I don't hate Twilight, in fact I watched the first two movies recently just so I remembered, and yes, New Moon is boring af LMAOOO

And yes, Ryujin's in this story as well, can I have a fic without her? Absolutely not :DDD