Bora woke up next to Han Dong the next morning. She was comfortably cuddling against the other woman, one arm rested on her waist. Somehow the kitsune wasn’t bothered by the cold of her skin. She was sleeping peacefully, an arm wrapped around Bora’s shoulders to keep her close. Everything felt right. A lump came up the vampire's throat but she held it back. She had never thought she would live that kind of moment again. It was almost too much. 

“Are you alright?”

Dong’s voice came a little rough from her sleep.

“I’m fine.”

“Then why do you want to cry?”

Bora fazed, taken aback until she remembered: 

“Do you also feel everything I feel now?”

“I can turn it off if you want me to,” Dong replied a little embarrassed. “I just… wanted to make sure you didn’t regret anything.”

            So despite all her confidence the other night, Dong was scared too. Fragility looked good on her, even more so that she almost never showed that side of herself. It was comforting to be taken care of so casually. To know that, no matter what Bora decided, it would be fine. That they were together. 

“I won't ever regret this.”

            Han Dong's face lit up with the most beautiful smile. She kissed Bora, not with the same intensity as the night before but with the same amount of love. Tenderness looked good on her too. The vampire moaned between the other’s lips. She wouldn't have minded staying like that for moments longer, but the fox broke the kiss with a little moan. 

“Gahyeon will wake up soon,” she whispered in a breath. 

            Bora hummed, instinctively chasing the lips that ran away. She quickly snapped out of it though. It was important for the both of them to clarify the situation once and for all with the girl. They knew how much she had been worrying about them and she wouldn’t want to be kept in the dark when she woke up. 

“You can shower first, I’ll pick some stuff in my room,” the vampire said before leaving the bed, not without placing a last quick peck on Dong’s lips. 

            They were both chatting in the kitchen when Gahyeon joined them downstairs. Her eyes opened wide when she saw them together and for a moment Bora even wondered if they had broken her. The young fox quickly remembered how to speak, however, as she managed to blurt out. 

“You've made up?” 

“Hu-huh,” the two adults nodded. 

            The girl’s lips curled into the cutest, widest smile. She came rushing into their arms squeezed between them, comfortable. 

“I was so scared. I didn't want to lose you.”

            Guilt tugged at their chest for leaving Gahyeon alone in such a state of doubt for several days. And to think that during that time she even managed to help them both. The girl had taken so much on her shoulders for their sake. In truth, Bora didn’t know what she had done to deserve such a caring daughter in her life. Dong must have felt that because her hand squeezed her partner’s waist tighter.

            Gahyeon felt everything: the guilt, the motherly love and something that had been blossoming without her noticing. She perked up her head to study the two adults. Bora guessed where this was going when she saw the gaze going from Han Dong to her with a perplexed pout. 

“You two are together.”

            If Han Dong smiled happily at the youngest fast deduction, Bora just wanted to disappear from this world. She had barely passed the “I’m your mom” step that she was already thrown into the “meet my new partner” step before she even had time to get used to it herself. Why did that kid have to be so smart? 

“We are. But it's literally been one night, so we can take our time with this,” Bora explained in a cautious voice. 

“Thanks for the trust.” Dong exclaimed, fakely disappointed. 

            The vampire rolled her eyes at her with such annoyance that the fox had to control herself not to laugh too loudly, letting out a low chuckle instead. 

“Fine. Bora’s right. We don’t have to rush this.” Her eyes resting on Gahyeon were soft. “This doesn't change what we already have.”

***

“So you’re officially in a relationship is what you’re trying to say?”

            Siyeon was looking at Dong and Bora with quirked up brows. Checking if she understood correctly the cryptic sentence they had come up with to announce they were “thinking about a greater commitment.”

“Yeah… I know it can be a bit weird for you. Dong is your mom and I’m a stranger you met three months ago,” Bora began to ramble. 

“Don’t be ridiculous! I’m happy for you, Bora. We both are.”

            Minji had been concerningly quiet, sitting next to Siyeon. When her girlfriend's eyes rested on her, inciting her to say something, she seemed to break out of a daydream. 

“It’s true. I think it actually makes more sense to me now… to see you together.”

            She smiled as she said this. Not in a fake or contrived manner. A shy genuine smile. 

“I realise I hurt you and Gahyeon with some of my words. Even when I said I would try, I couldn’t trust you as much as Han Dong or Gahyeon did. But the facts are: you never hurt them and I don't think they would be as happy as they are now without you in their lives.”

            It was rather unexpected from the dryad to be so blunt about the situation and to be able to see where she had been wrong without an exterior push. All the more so that it wasn’t something neither Bora nor Han Dong expected her to do. She had her reasons and she had been doing her best to work on them.  

“Minji…” Bora intervened to ease the other’s guilt.

“So for the love of the Spheres, stop being so hesitant.” 

            That was something the vampire hadn’t expected. Her brows perked up, surprised and amused by the turn of events. 

“I bet you were more confident than that when you two decided to 'share a greater commitment.'” Minji . 

“Of course I was, because I love her.”

            The vampire said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. It wasn’t the first time Han Dong was hearing those words. The first time had been at the end of a completely regular day. They were lying on the couch, watching some movie. Bora was cuddling next to her. Gahyeon was already in her room. When the movie ended they stayed for a while, just being with each other. Then, all of a sudden, Bora had said them, casually. “I love you.” Three words, so many things hidden behind. Han Dong’s heart swelled every time she heard them.

            Siyeon and Minji were watching, having a very strong impression of déjà vu. A glance at each other sent them into a burst of laughter, leaving Bora and Han Dong confused. 

“You two were really meant for each other,” Siyeon managed to say when she calmed down.  

***

            Shouts in the night. This didn't happen as much as it used to, but every once in a while Gahyeon was assaulted by her dark memories within her dreams. 

“I'm going.”

            Dong patted Bora's arm before getting up and going to the girl's room. Gahyeon wasn't awake. Her eyes were moving frantically under her lids as she curled in her bed, all muscles tense. It was always tricky to get her out of her nightmares. A wrong move could terrify her even more. Han Dong had learned that kisses didn't work as they were too close to a vampire's bite. Passing a hand in her hair was also risky. The only thing that worked every time was to squeeze Gahyeon's hand while calling her name softly. The voice of someone she loved always brought her back from her dreams. 

“I’m right here, Gahyeon. You can wake up, you’re safe.”

            Dong felt the girl's hand squeezing back. Soon her eyes stopped moving so recklessly and she opened her lids. Tears had run down her cheeks, the nightmare was still there in her mind but she knew where she really was, who was really with her. 

“Okaa-san?” 

            The person in question froze in surprise. Gahyeon's shiny eyes were resting on her. She wasn’t talking to a dream figure. She really was talking to her. 

“Y—yes?” Dong stuttered despite her best efforts to stay poised. 

The girl sighed in relief. She wasn't in the dream anymore. 

“Can you hold me?” 

“Of course.”

            The woman slid next to Gahyeon in the bed and hugged the girl against her. The cub hadn't realised what she had just said. But Han Dong had. There was this warm feeling in her chest, as if she was feeling too much and not enough at the same time. 

“Little one?” 

            The girl was already falling back to sleep in her arms. She hummed, half conscious. 

“I love you.”

Dong felt a smile drawn against her skin. 

“I love you too, mom.”

***

“So, you guys are basically a family now?” Yoohyeon asked, still chewing on her braised pork. 

            Everyone was eating around a large table grilling their pieces of meat on the heating plate in the middle and sharing their side dishes. Han Dong, Bora,  Gahyeon and Siyeon were next to each other. Minji, Yoohyeon and Yubin were sitting in front of them. The two had arrived rather unannounced — Because, no, a text five minutes before taking off didn’t count — and had been invited to stay at their friend’s place for a few days. 

“Basically, yes,” Bora answered. 

“And you're not coming back to Paris, I presume.”

The vampire sighed. 

“No, I'm not coming back.”

            She knew this wasn't pleasant news to hear. Having to say goodbye to that city, to the life she had there, her friends. Yoohyeon would probably take it the hardest… 

“I know it's not easy to…” 

“Good!”

“Wait what?” Bora’s eyes were wide in disbelief. “What do you mean ‘good’?” she asked, obviously offended. 

“Because we kinda rented your apartment to someone.”

“WHAT?”

            Everyone protected their ears against the sudden ultrasound attack. 

“I told you we should have asked her first.” Yubin mumbled, not happy to lose some of her audition. 

Yoohyeon waved dismissively as if she had the situation under control, which was hard to believe at that moment. 

“She was in need of a place to stay, just the time to find something better. Isn't that what this apartment always was anyway?” 

Bora's sigh went deeper. Truth hurts sometimes. 

“What's her name?” 

“Moon Byulyi. She's a Korean student who doesn't want to go back to Korea.”

“She's also a Folk,” Yubin added. 

            The vampire closed her eyes to think. Her friends had already brought everything important she needed from her old home. The rest could stay with the apartment or be sold easily. Either way she didn’t care. A house had to be lived in. It couldn’t stay empty, waiting for her to visit once in a while. She had used it as a shelter, a safe haven, if someone else could use it too, maybe she should just be glad that this Byulyi had found a place to stay. 

“I trust you to make sure the apartment is in good hands,” Bora finally conceded. 

            The couple glanced at each other, smiling. Yoohyeon’s grin seemed to say “told you,” while Yubin’s relieved sigh replied:  “just be glad it went well.”

“Of course!” The fae cheerfully exclaimed. “And if you ever want to come and visit, you all are welcomed at our place. I mean, Gahyeon-ah was born in Paris after all, maybe she’d want to come back.”

            Gahyeon didn’t remember much of her time in Paris before she was kidnapped. It was due to the fact that she had spent that time in a wild state, roaming through the Père Lachaise Cemetery with another family of foxes. She was already aware that something was off with her, but didn’t really care. The rest of her memories from Paris were mostly tainted by trauma and fear. Nothing she’d want to come back to. 

“I’m not sure I want to go back there yet,” the girl admitted shyly. 

            Yoohyeon didn’t take it badly. Her eyes rested for a few seconds on the young kitsune, looking for something only she knew, until she cracked a smile. 

“I guess that’s fair. In that case we’ll just have to go to Tokyo more often,” and she put a piece of grilled meat in Gahyeon’s plate as she said it. 

“It must be nice though, to finally be able to travel outside Paris after a thousand years,” Han Dong commented. 

“You have no idea!”

            The fae grinned with her crescent eyes half closed. Yubin next to her smiled too, albeit with more reserve. Luck wasn’t enough to account for the way they had found each other. Fate seemed more appropriate. 

“Why couldn’t you before?” Siyeon asked. 

            She had been listening to the conversation with wide questioning eyes the whole time. Yoohyeon was really a strange person. She acted naive and nonchalant, but her words seemed to carry more wisdom than most. She could be distracted by the smallest details, yet her eyes perceived everything. She cared more than what she led the people around her to believe. Next to her, Yubin seemed like the perfect  opposite. She was quiet, but not shy, her eyes always focused on the person she was addressing. She was not the type to be fazed either, which also made her seem reliable. Together, the couple offered a good balance. 

“An old shrew cursed me ages ago for doing the right thing.”

            This was revealing as much as it wasn’t. Yoohyeon saw on Siyeon’s face that her answer wasn’t enough, and it wasn’t that she liked being mysterious all the time, but rather that she didn’t like talking about this subject. Yubin’s hand folded on hers under the table. The fae raised her gaze to meet her true love’s eyes. She was silently asking for her permission. Yoohyeon nodded.

“Yoohyeon was the guardian of a very old and very powerful place within Paris,” Yubin developed.  “But she couldn’t leave it unless some conditions were fulfilled.”

“And those conditions were… ?” Minji intervened to ask. 

“To find my true love, and have her love me back,” the fae answered, looking lovingly at Yubin next to her . 

“You’re soulmates,” Minji finally realised out loud. 

“Huh-uh.” 

Yoohyeon was grinning. She was always so proud to tell the world Yubin was hers and she was Yubin's. This unconditional love was very endearing to watch. 

“And you are too, right?”  she asked, eyeing Siyeon and Minji who were sitting in front of each other. 

            The werewolf nodded shyly.

“You know, dryads are the will of the trees, but they’re also a manifestation of nature itself. The fact that you’re linked to one, it means something about you.”

“Uh?” Siyeon stared dumbfounded by the sudden interest in her. 

“Your heart must be pure and full of love, enough to heal hers.” 

“I am… I mean, this is…”    

“It's true,” Minji intervened. “I’m always drowned in the love you give.”

“Even as a child, you cared deeply about everything.” Han Dong mused, remembering the past. 

“Ca—Can we stop,” Siyeon blurted, red from embarrassment, eyes glued to her plate to avoid looking at anyone.

            This elicited a round of light-hearted giggles from the table. Minji squeezed her girlfriend’s hand to cheer her and kissed her softly on the temple.  While the conversations resumed and everyone started commenting and adding to each other’s story. Yoohyeon scanned the table in front of her. Siyeon resting her head on Minji’s shoulder. Gahyeon being surrounded by two women who loved her. Bora, finally able to start a new life, free from guilt. Han Dong accepting other people in her life again. The kitsune seemed to be the only one noticing the fae’s sudden silence. Their eyes met. 

“I’m really happy for you, Dong Dong.”

            The kitsune studied the scene in front of her. Yubin hadn’t let go of Yoohyeon’s hand. Even when she was talking with Bora, she was still putting pieces of grilled meats or side dishes onto her girlfriend’s plate.

“I’m happy for you too, Yooh.” 

***

“Eomma! Okaa-san!”  Gahyeon called from the vestibule where she was putting her shoes to go outside. “I’m heading to onee-san’s place!”

“Alright! Have a nice evening!” Han Dong’s voice rose from inside the apartment before Gahyeon could close the door on the street. 

            She was a teenager now, officially seventeen but slightly older. She wore her dark red hair braided on one side and a mostly white outfit that contrasted with this colourful touch. Her steps were decisive. A black headset, gifted by Siyeon on her birthday, isolated her from the world. Only a few meters separated her from the set of stairs that sunk into the ground. The subway took her closer to her sister’s house and momentarily away from the last remnants of sunlight. 

“Where did she say she was going?” 

Bora’s head appeared from the enclosure of her room on the second floor. 

“To Siyeon and Minji’s,” Dong answered from the living room while putting her phone and keys in her hand bag. 

“And where are we going?”

            The voice sounded closer than the first time. Dong turned to watch her girlfriend carefully walking down the stairs. She looked stunning. Her auburn hair was tied in a high bun while scattered streaks formed bangs right above her thin dark eyes. She was wearing a grey ensemble with a cropped blazer jacket over a black sleeveless top that would match with her platform heels. The look was elegant with a touch of mature sensuality that only emphasized Bora’s natural charisma. It went really well with Han Dong’s sober black cocktail dress with a halter neckline that left her shoulders completely bare. The fox went for a kiss as soon as the vampire stepped on the floor. 

“It’s a surprise.”

            Bora smiled when their lips separated. She didn’t like surprises, but she had come to like Han Dong’s. Eternity would be dull without them. And this day was special. Two years from then, they kissed for almost the first time —They couldn’t agree on whether the actual first one should count— Bora cherished that day and all the other days that had followed. As she stepped outside and took in the full view of her lover in a black tight dress under the pink linings of the twilight clouds, the yellowish lights of the streetlamps glaring on the concrete and barely lighting their faces in the growing darkness, there was only one clear thing on her mind. 

“Dongie, I love you.”

            Her lover blinked, then immediately softened. She closed the gap between them, heels clicking in the silence of the night. A hand grazed Bora’s cheek, then lips met hers, loving, longing, caring. Even when they separated, Dong kept peering into her lover’s eyes with the same sweet smile she had whenever her words failed her thoughts. Her own shone ardently in the light of the lamps, like two black pearls lit by a secret fire 

“I love you more.”

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Thank you to all who read, subscribed and up-voted. I hope you still liked the end even if it's short. I decided to continue this au with a collection of short drabbles with the characters yu already know. I'm also planning to introduce Mamamoo members in the story. 

Take acare and see ya!