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Mina slurps noodles from a cup of instant ramen, sitting on her couch in the dark living room. Her glasses keep sliding down her nose, but she’s too engrossed in the movie playing on TV to push them back up. She twirls her chopsticks and brings the food towards her mouth, but the climax of the movie is getting more and more intense, so her hand stays still before she can take the bite.
Her eyes are fixated on the screen, she’s leaning forward and her mouth is ajar. All of her attention is on the movie.
A black cloud of smoke appears in front of the TV with a puff . The cup of ramen slips from Mina’s hand and the contents fall all over her lap and couch. She screams, out of surprise and because the food was hot.
“Oops, sorry.” Sana dusts off her cloak, covered in ash, and grabs a napkin from the coffee table to wipe the water from Mina’s legs. Mina snatches it from her hands and walks away from Sana, towards the kitchen.
“How many times have I asked you to not appear in the apartment? It freaks me out.” She whines and glares at Sana, who removes her cloak and lays it over the couch backrest. “And you’re gonna stain the cushions with ash. Again.” Mina’s shoulders slack as she lets her head hang. She takes a deep breath, wets the napkin in the faucet and leans down to clean her legs.
Sana stands in front of her, leaning her hip against the counter top and with her arms crossed over her chest. Mina straightens up and throws the paper towels away. She mirrors Sana’s position, although she puts in effort in keeping a straight face. Her annoyment quickly crumbles the second Sana tilts her head and smiles. She opens her arms and it’s like Mina is being pulled by a magnet. Sana’s hugs are warm and gentle— Mina can’t find it in herself to be mad anymore.
“Sorry darling, I thought you would be asleep by now.” Sana presses her cheek against Mina’s and swings her in her embrace. As always, Mina’s heart skips a beat at the pet name, and as always, Sana tries to ignore it.
“I got caught up with a movie,” I was waiting for you, is what she really wants to say, “How was dinner?” Mina sighs and breaks the hug, although they stay close.
“Alive, but not for long.” Sana evil laughs, fake and exaggeratedly deep. Mina rolls her eyes and pushes her playfully.
“Let me rephrase it, then. How did the meeting with your parents go?”
Sana grimaces and looks away, biting her lip. “You know… same old, same old.”
“They’re still insisting you go back to the coven?”
“They’ve kinda gotten over that, they seem to understand I have my life here now. Although they’ve found something else to annoy me with.” Sana purses her lips and glues her stare to the magnets on the fridge behind Mina. “They think it’s time for me to… settle down.” Sana sighs, avoiding Mina’s eyes at all costs. “Or at least meet someone— I don’t understand what’s their hurry.” Sana adds when she sees how quiet Mina has become. She glances at Mina briefly, and sees she’s staring at her own fiddling hands.
“You’ll find someone, for sure.” Mina shrugs, giving Sana a tight lipped smile that doesn’t meet her eyes.
“But I don’t want—” Sana stops mid sentence and shakes her head. “Doesn’t matter.” The mood in the kitchen turns heavy. Sana doesn’t know what to do with her hands, so she stuffs them in her tiny front pockets of her jeans. “You should go back to your movie.”
Mina peaks behind Sana, where the credits are already rolling on the screen. She missed the last part, but she isn’t too bothered by it. “I think I’ll go to sleep instead.”
Sana nods and moves out of the way. Mina waddles down the dark hallway with her head low. Sana stays in the kitchen, feeling a bit like an idiot. She pouts and whines to herself like a little kid. She snags a blood box from the bottom of the fridge (just like a juice box, but with blood) and doesn’t bother getting a straw, she just rips it open with her teeth and starts drinking. She sits on the couch and throws a blanket over her legs, grabs the remote and exits the movie.
She chuckles when she sees Mina has been watching Twilight. But her smile is bittersweet— thinking about her roommate often feels that way.
In the silence of the night, Sana listens attentively and she can hear Mina’s breathing from her room. It’s calm, slow, and it eases the pressure in Sana’s chest (which is funny to her, considering her heart doesn’t beat).
Mina lays in her bed, tired but unable to sleep. She never met Sana’s family, but she knows they’re traditional and don’t like when people break the rules. She knows what they want for Sana— a classy, preferably wealthy vampire —not a skimpy human who still gets grossed out by all the blood sometimes.
But the main thing that’s bugging her is what Sana thinks. Mina knows she doesn’t share all of her family’s values, but there’s still the chance she’ll want a traditional vampire life.
The idea of being with someone for eternity seemed scary but intriguing, and oddly romantic.
Mina tosses and turns, trying to stop thinking about Sana for just one second.
The sun rises and Mina forgets about the issue, too preoccupied with being late for work.
She walks out of her room while buttoning her shirt and with her toothbrush hanging from her mouth. She heads to the kitchen, intent on making some coffee and heading off to the office, but instead she almost runs into Sana.
The vampire is cutting strawberries on a wooden board, sticking her tongue out in concentration. When Mina walks in, she looks up with wide eyes like a kid caught doing something they shouldn’t.
“Why are you up?” Mina mumbles through the toothbrush. She looks at her watch, “it’s eight a.m.”
“I couldn’t sleep.” Sana shrugs and puts the strawberries in a bowl filled with cereal and other fruits. She hands it to Mina with a shy smile. “Thought I’d make you breakfast.”
Mina’s mouth hangs open slightly and her eyebrows furrow in endearment. “You didn’t have to…”
Sana chuckles and nudges her with her elbow. “Go wash your teeth, I’ll set this up for you. And I can give you a ride to work, too.”
“Isn’t it too early?”
“A little bit of sun never hurt anybody.” Sana winks teasingly and Mina accepts her help.
Once Mina has rinsed her mouth, she sits down on the small kitchen table where Sana placed her bowl of fruit along with a glass of orange juice. Mina keeps glancing at her watch, but if Sana is taking her then she will make it on time. While chewing on a piece of kiwi, Mina grabs some letters from the table. There’s the usual bills and a notice from the landlord to renew the lease, but an envelope in particular catches her attention. It looks fancy and has a big stamp with a crest on it. Mina flips it, and although there’s no address or name, it’s obvious that it’s for Sana. Mina leaves it on the table along with the other mail, not thinking much of it.
When Sana returns to the kitchen, all of Mina’s attention is set on her. Sana doesn’t leave the house during the day often, preferring to sleep while the sun is up, but when she does go out, she goes all out . With Sana dressed in black from head to toe, Mina has to remind herself that staring is rude and that Sana is her roommate and friend, nothing more and nothing else. The issue makes its way back into Mina’s mind, and as she drinks the last bit of orange juice it leaves a sour aftertaste in her mouth.
“You’re such a stereotype.” Mina teases her while she leaves her dishes in the sink. Sana sticks her tongue out. “There’s some mail for you, by the way.”
Sana grabs the envelope from the table and looks at it with furrowed eyebrows. Her parents never mail her anything and besides, she saw them last night. Maybe they forgot something? Sana leaves it on the table and decides to open it later.
Sana drives Mina to work on her motorcycle, looking straight out of a movie. In moments like this, Mina indulges herself and hugs Sana’s waist, enjoying the excuse to hold her close. When they arrive, Sana kisses her on the cheek. It makes Mina turn deep red and babble out a quick thank you before running inside the building.
Sana walks into the apartment with a cup of lemonade and cheeks red from the sun. She drops her helmet on the couch and is about to sit down when she remembers the letter. She picks it up from the kitchen table and rips it open. The paper inside is an old parchment written with red ink— if Mina thinks Sana is a stereotype, she will be surprised if she ever meets her parents.
She sips from the straw as she begins to read the letter. It’s shorter than usual, but it begins as always, with a polite greeting as if Sana was a stranger. However, what she reads next makes her spit out her drink and crush the cup in her fist. The table and floor are covered in lemonade, and so is the letter, but the words are still very clear.
Sana crumples the paper and throws it in the bin.
Sleep is a great way to avoid problems, so that’s exactly what Sana does. She stomps into her room like a broody teenager and slams the door. She gets under her covers with a pout and a frown, but she makes sure to set an alarm to wake up before Mina gets home; she’ll kill her if she finds the kitchen all sticky with lemonade.
(Sana sleeps through her alarm).
Hours later, when the sun is about to set, Mina knocks on Sana’s door gently. When she gets no reply, she opens it and peaks her head inside. Sana is a mere bump in the bed, hidden under her comforter and a pile of stuffed toys. Mina is about to leave to let her rest, but Sana props herself up on her elbows and looks towards the door. Her hair is tousled and her eyes are barely open. She looks around, obviously disoriented, and it makes Mina chuckle. She walks in and closes the door, not wanting to blind Sana with the light from the hallway. She sits on the edge of Sana’s bed and the vampire buries her face in her pillow. Mina still hears her whine, so she rubs her back comfortingly. For an ancient blood drinking creature, Sana could be a huge baby sometimes.
“I’m sorry…” Sana mumbles without facing Mina.
“What for?”
“The kitchen is a mess. I meant to clean before you got here…”
Mina chuckles and runs her hands through Sana’s hair. “Don’t worry, silly.” There’s silence as Mina wonders whether to ask or not. In the end, she knows that if she doesn’t, Sana will never tell. “I don’t mean to intrude, but does your grumpy mood have anything to do with your parents?”
Of course Mina knows, always so aware of Sana and everything that goes on with her. Sana nods and finally shifts in her bed to face Mina.
“Do you remember the pictures I showed you of myself when I was thirteen at a vampire ball?” Mina chuckles, because she could never forget a prepubescent Sana with cute braces. She nods and Sana sighs. “Well, that event is happening again, and I am expected to show up. With a date .”
Sana huffs and hugs the blankets under her chin. Mina purses her lips and thinks of anything she can say to make Sana feel better about it.
“When is it? I’m sure you can find a date in time.”
“It’s next month. But where am I supposed to find another vampire that’s willing to put up with meeting my parents? That would be like, our third date, maybe. I’d get dumped immediately.”
Mina feels a pang in her heart, but she ignores it, and so does Sana. “You can put up an ad online.” Mina mumbles, trying to lift up the mood, but Sana’s pout is persistent. Then, her eyebrows shoot up and her eyes glint. Sana sits up on the bed, looking beyond excited as she seems to be gathering the right words.
“Be my date to the ball.” Sana grins, displaying her fangs. It’s obvious she thinks it’s a genius idea, but it makes Mina choke on her spit. As Mina coughs and Sana gently pats her back, Mina’s mind races a million miles per hour.
“I thought you had to take a vampire.” Is the first coherent thing she can say.
“They won’t know the difference! I will train you, I will teach you everything.” Sana holds Mina’s hands and starts bouncing on the bed slightly. “Please, we just need to go there, dance to a song or two, you don’t even need to talk to my parents that much! I will make an excuse and we can leave early.”
“Sana, I’m gonna end up being somebody’s dinner,” Mina shakes her head, feeling all the blood in her body rush to her face. “That’s a terrible idea.”
“I would never let anything bad happen to you,” Sana’s face is hopeful and her tone absolutely serious. Mina knows Sana means it. “Please Mina, one night, and they’ll be off my ass for a good couple of months.”
Damn Sana and her puppy eyes and her dumb pout that has Mina caving in within seconds.
Mina pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs, then nods.
“You’ll do it?” Sana shifts until she’s on her knees, mouth open and eyes shiny.
“Yes.”
Sana jumps to hug Mina, but she doesn’t measure her strength and they fall to the ground. Mina grunts from the fall, but Sana only giggles on top of her. Sana’s dark hair falls over Mina’s face like a curtain and all she can see is Sana, with her chubby cheeks, her eyes like half moons from smiling, and her lovely smile, fangs and all. Mina takes a shaky breath in and places her hands on Sana’s hips to move her and get up. She knows she’s getting into a huge mess, but there’s nothing she wouldn’t do for Sana.
Vampire lessons aren’t as bad as Mina thought. For the most part, it feels like she’s about to meet human royals and not creatures that could tear her throat out in seconds. Sana teaches her some manners like always lifting a glass with the left hand, or how to properly bow according to coven ranks.
There’s one thing that keeps making Mina’s breath catch and heart race, though, and it’s Sana constantly hugging her and pressing her cheek against her neck. The first time it happened, Sana could feel and smell all the blood rushing through Mina’s neck towards her face, and she licked her lips instinctively, tempted to take a bite, but it was a very brief moment of losing her composure.
Mina stammered for three minutes straight after that, and her face was a tomato. Now she knows that Sana is on a mission to “get rid of her human scent” and thinks that by rubbing against her, she’ll succeed. Mina doesn’t know if it works, but she can’t say she complains.
She spends sleepless nights with Sana learning about coven members and more customs to make everything look more natural. The only thing they still have to work on is blood .
Mina hasn’t seen Sana feed from a human, ever; and it isn’t something Sana particularly wants her to see either. But sometimes, when Sana drinks from the blood boxes stored in the fridge, Mina gets lost watching the way Sana’s fangs tear through the cardboard. If she wonders how that would feel on her neck or not, it’s something she’s gonna keep to herself and never speak out loud.
A week before the ball, Sana quizzes Mina. She prepares cards and gets a whiteboard to write down Mina’s scores. For every correct answer, she gives her a cookie. Mina thinks it’s adorable, how hard Sana is trying to make sure everything will go well, but also how she never fails to make Mina feel safe and heard.
Mina finishes the quiz with almost a perfect score and twenty three cookies.
Mina has been to dances before. She went to one in her junior year of high school, to her job’s christmas party, and to her aunt’s wedding reception. All three times, she went alone (she went with her friends in school, but she didn’t get to slow dance with anyone).
Now, she’s going with Sana. As she fixes her lipstick on the mirror, she tries to ignore how she’s only attending a dance with her out of convenience, doing her friend a favor more than actually being asked out. But then Sana walks out of her room looking beautiful and delicate in a tight black dress that reaches above her knees, and Mina is left speechless. Right then, Mina decides to enjoy the night, go with the happy couple act, and pretend that when the night is over, Sana and her will come back home and kiss and be happy, together.
Before they leave, Sana holds Mina’s hand in their dark living room and presses her cheek against her neck. A shiver runs down Mina’s spine when Sana’s lips ghost past her skin.
“Thanks again for doing this,” Sana sighs and smiles, tucking a strand of hair behind Mina’s ear. If only Mina knew how alive she made Sana feel. “If something happens or you feel uncomfortable, say the word and we’ll leave immediately, alright?” Sana cups Mina’s cheek and Mina leans against her touch before nodding, eyes closed.
Sana hugs her and wraps her cloak around both of them. “Hold tight.”
Mina hides in Sana’s neck and grips her waist, feeling everything around them shift and her feet leave the ground. She’s scared to open her eyes— Sana told her not to, anyway, so she focuses on Sana’s hand on her lower back keeping her steady.
Her feet hit the ground and the reverberation in her head stops, replaced with faint music and the shuffle of leaves.
“We’re here,” Sana sighs, mentally preparing herself. Mina opens her eyes and realizes they’re in a forest. There are fairy lights lighting a path towards an area full of gazebos and people gathered. She starts to feel nervous, but then Sana’s touch on her neck gets her attention. “You got a bit of ash here,” Sana mumbles and swipes her thumb over Mina’s skin.
Noticing Sana is worried, Mina holds her hands and looks into her eyes. “Hey, we’ve got this, alright? Let’s have fun and then never see these people again.”
Sana smiles and hugs Mina in thanks. “Well, my love, let’s go.” Sana offers her hand and Mina takes it gladly, walking together towards the party.
When people notice Sana arriving they start flocking towards them, greeting her and wanting to know who Mina is. Mina is overwhelmed by the amount of vampires around her— Sana looked like a human, a very pretty one, while some of the guests had pointier ears and sharper fangs —but Sana places her hand on her hip and keeps her close to her. Her reply is always the same: this is Mina, my lover. Mina smiles every time Sana says it. She only greets everyone with a curt nod and they don’t give anyone much of their time, constantly moving towards the less crowded areas. Mina thought Sana would want to find her parents quickly, but she seems to be avoiding them.
“This is exhausting,” Sana complains in a hushed whisper near Mina’s ear. “I haven't seen these people in years, the only reason they’re coming to talk to me is because I have a date and they want to gossip,” Sana grabs two glasses of blood from a waiter that walks by and gives one to Mina, just to keep appearances. “Can’t say I blame them, though. I do have the prettiest date.” Sana winks at Mina and takes a sip from her drink to hide her smirk.
Mina playfully pushes Sana, not expecting Sana to flirt with her when no one is around.
A loud, high pitched scream reaches their ears. Mina grimaces but Sana smiles and stands on her tiptoes, searching for someone in the crowd.
“Minatozaki!” A girl with black hair walks towards them, pushing the people in her way. Another girl trails behind her, this one brunette and with pointy ears peeking out of her hair.
“Hirai! Im!” Sana waves and jumps like an excited puppy. The first girl collides into Sana with force and tackles her into a hug, but Sana keeps her feet firm on the ground. The other girl catches up and joins the hug. “I didn’t know you’d be here!”
“We didn’t know you would come either,” The black haired girl punches Sana’s shoulder with a big grin.
“I see you have company,” The brunette smirks and looks at Mina with sharp eyes. She looks her up and down, slightly squinting. She extends her hand out and Mina shakes it without thinking much about it. Nayeon's handshake is awkward, holding the bottom of her palm and part of her wrist. Sana bites her lip in worry. “I’m Im Nayeon, and you are?”
“She’s Mina, my lover.” Sana replies instead, looping a protective arm around Mina’s middle. Nayeon nods slowly and lets go of Mina’s hand, but her face is smug and Mina doesn’t know why. Then she feels someone breathing near her neck, sniffing her, so she backs out in reflex. “Momo, what the fuck?” Sana asks through gritted teeth, pushing Momo away.
“You smell kinda funny,” Momo sniffs again and tries to get close to Mina, but Nayeon slaps her shoulder and tugs her back.
“Where have your manners gone?” Nayeon chastises Momo and she bows in apology. “Sorry, werewolves can’t control their impulses sometimes.” Nayeon smiles and Momo scoffs.
Mina’s eyebrows furrow when she hears werewolves , Sana had never mentioned other creatures, but it makes sense that they exist as well. Nayeon doesn’t take her eyes off Mina.
“Mina, these are my friends, sadly.” Sana rolls her eyes.
“So you get a girlfriend and suddenly you don’t like your friends anymore?” Nayeon quirks an eyebrow.
“You’re gonna scare her away,” Momo nudges Nayeon.
“You’re a quiet one, aren’t you?” Nayeon asks again, this time directed at Mina. She feels very intimidated by the vampire and tries to hide behind Sana.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Mina fakes a smile and intertwines her fingers with Sana, trying to find some stability to hide her nerves.
“How’s your drink? Super fresh isn’t it?” Nayeon nods at Mina’s untouched glass. Sana gulps and moves to stand in front of Mina.
“Nayeon, enough.”
“You bought a human as a date and thought you’d get away with it?” Nayeon hisses, quietly so that people around them don’t hear. Mina’s heart drops at Nayeon’s words. She can’t believe their cover was blown so quickly. “You always had crazy ideas, Minatozaki, but this one takes the cake.”
“Ah, so that’s the smell,” Momo comments offhandedly.
“How- how did you find out-” Mina asks with a shaky voice, barely looking at Nayeon from behind Sana.
“You shook my hand instead of bowing, and I felt your blood flowing in your veins. Also, you do smell funny.”
Mina turns her head to sniff her shoulder, then looks at Nayeon offended. Nayeon rolls her eyes, Sana was ridiculous for trying to get away with it.
Before Sana can explain why they’re there, Mina feels an uncanny cold shiver go through her body. A shadow casts over them, and even Sana tenses up.
“Hello, dear.” The man smiles tightly, it doesn’t meet his yellow eyes.
“Welcome home.” The woman says.
It doesn’t take a genius to guess who they are. Mina never thought Sana’s parents would be the book definition of a vampire, crossing every possible stereotype on the list. Her dad has pitch black hair, slicked back, and her mom has long blonde hair that goes past her waist. They’re both wearing black cloaks, old but very elegant, and their skin is white as paper.
“Mother, father,” Sana bows and taps Mina’s hand, signaling for her to do the same. “This is Mina. My, um, lover.” Sana says, averting her eyes. Mina smiles as politely as possible without showing how scared she feels. The two vampires in front of her are eyeing her up and down, and it feels like they can see right through her and into her very soul.
“Hey,” Mina waves awkwardly and then feels a shove on her ribs— it’s Nayeon, who’s now by her side and looping their arms together.
“Count, countess, I bet you have lots of things to talk about with Sana, so we will give you some time to catch up.” Nayeon bows and Mina copies her. Momo takes her other side, also looping their arms together, and they practically drag Mina away from the Minatozakis, leaving Sana behind glaring daggers into the back of Nayeon’s head.
Sana clasps her hands and swings on the ball of her feet. “The decoration is lovely.”
“Why didn’t you mention you were seeing someone when we met last month?” Her mother cuts to the chase.
“It’s very recent… Please don’t mention anything about settling down, I don’t want to scare her away,” Sana laughs emptily and cringes when her parents don’t react to her poor attempt at humor. She downs the blood in her glass.
Her parents glance at each other briefly. “Come with us, will you? There’s someone we want you to meet.”
Mina didn’t prepare for being separated from Sana. Even though Momo is friendly and Nayeon is, well, not the most threatening vampire in the premises, Mina can’t help feeling in danger. They’re sitting together on a table away from the main crowd, with Mina in the middle. Nayeon swirls blood inside a glass and Momo eats a meat brochette.
“I knew Sana was living with humans, but I didn’t know just how close she was getting…” Nayeon quirks an eyebrow, enjoying the way Mina flushes so easily.
“Sana and I are only roommates… we’re not actually together.” Mina slumps her shoulders, trying to be as small as possible and go unnoticed. Nayeon and Momo share looks of disbelief over the table.
“You’re not dating?” Momo whispers.
“No,” Mina whispers back.
“Right…” Nayeon says, stretching the i . “You’re very brave for a human. Most of your kind wouldn’t be so willing to live with a vampire.”
“How did that even happen?” Momo asks.
“When I was looking for a roommate, Sana showed up and was very upfront about it, but I thought she was joking. She seemed nice so I got her to sign the lease,” I also thought she was beautiful, Mina thinks, “But then I grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge and it was blood. I yelled and Sana woke up, startled— mind you it was four p.m.” Mina smiles involuntarily, reminiscing their first week together, almost two years ago. “I still thought it was some kind of joke, and Sana didn’t understand why I didn’t believe her. She turned into a bat, and then I believed her.”
“And you didn’t think of getting a new apartment? Or calling a priest?” Nayeon scoffs.
Mina shrugs, still smiling. “I guess I didn’t.”
“Aren’t you afraid she’s gonna, you know,” Momo hisses and bites the air, making claw motions with her hands.
“If she kills me she’s gonna have serious trouble paying the lease.”
The feedback of a microphone resonates and gets everyone’s attention (and makes Momo’s sensitive ears hurt). The girls turn to look at the tiny stage set up a couple of meters away. There’s a three-people band getting their instruments ready, and a short pale girl waiting with a big smile in front of the mic. She has cards in her hands and, once she’s satisfied with the eyes on her, she taps the mic again.
“Hello dear guests, I’m Kim Dahyun, your host for tonight. Thank you all for coming to the 324nd annual Park Coven ball. Today marks the 158th year since our werewolf friends joined our ranks; 158 years of peace,” The girl claps and everyone follows. “Let’s hope that lasts,” She comments with the tiniest hint of sarcasm as she skips to the next card, and by the way she bites her lip, it occurs to Mina that she didn’t mean to say that out loud. “I hope you have been enjoying mingling so far, but now it’s time for some real fun,” She cheers into the mic and is met with awkwards coughs and silence, but that doesn’t deter her. “Grab your partners, if you don’t have one then grab a friend, and get ready to get that blood flowing,” The drummer plays to go with the joke. It gets a small laugh out of Mina.
The band begins to play, not a waltz like Mina was expecting, but not something fast paced either. Nayeon and Momo don’t move from the table and Mina is silently thankful.
“You guys aren’t gonna dance?”
“Our partners are busy,” Momo rests her chin on her hand as she looks dreamily at the tall girl playing the bass. Nayeon looks bored, staring into her glass of blood.
“And you?”
Nayeon nods towards the host, who’s busy trying to coerce people into dancing.
“Excuse me, may I have this dance?”
Sana stands behind Mina with a hand stretched towards her. Mina smiles in surprise and stumbles as she gets up. “It’d be an honor.” Sana gently leads her towards the dance floor. Nayeon and Momo watch them go and scoff at the same time.
“Not together my ass.” Nayeon rolls her eyes.
“Right? Did you see how Mina smiled when she talked about Sana?” Momo comments excitedly. If they won’t dance, at least they can theorize about their friend’s love life.
Sana holds Mina’s shoulders and Mina loops her arms over her hips. They dance slowly, focused on not stepping on each other.
“Is everything okay?” Mina says quietly as they sway.
Sana nods and brings Mina a bit closer. “They didn’t ask much about you, I just had to go over some formalities with the council.”
“I thought they wanted to meet your partner,” Mina jokes— they’re both thankful they didn’t have to answer any questions, even if their nights of trivia seem like a waste.
“About that,” Sana laughs and spins them around so that Mina can discreetly look over Sana’s shoulder. “You see that girl sitting next to all the old people? In the large table,” Mina hums yes and Sana twirls them around again. “She’s the daughter of the head of the council, Jihyo. She’s around my age, only like fifty years younger. My parents have such low expectations for me that they actually thought I would show up alone, and they meant to set me up with her.” Sana laughs as if it’s a ridiculous idea, but Mina feels a sting in her heart. Jihyo is beautiful, and clearly someone with a respectable position in the coven. It makes sense that Sana’s parents want her to be with their daughter.
Sana notices Mina is distracted, so she tilts her chin until their eyes meet. Mina realizes just how close they’ve moved and feels shy, although she doesn’t back out. “What’s wrong?”
Mina tries to bite her tongue, she really does, but she still says, “She’s very pretty. Maybe you should date her.”
Sana laughs again and shakes her head. “Can you keep a secret?” Sana asks and Mina nods, although she feels a lump in her throat. They twirl again, and Sana points to the band. “You see that blonde on the drums? That’s Jeongyeon. She’s Jihyo's girlfriend.” The shock on Mina’s face must be evident, if Sana’s laugh is anything to go by. “Has been for the past seventy years, actually.”
Mina lowers her head, amused and ashamed at the same time. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Sana sighs and presses her forehead against Mina’s. The song slows down, and now there’s no space between their bodies.
“You’re awfully smiley,” Mina comments, expecting Sana to be more brody in the event she dreaded so much. “Did something happen?”
“I’m just happy to be with you.” Sana’s bluntness is a direct attack to Mina’s fragile heart. Sana smiles again when she feels how fast it’s beating. She just hopes that if she presses her own chest against Mina’s, the rest of the vampires won’t be able to feel it. Mina can’t tell if they’re even acting anymore— or if they ever were.
“We should do this more often.” Mina blurts out.
“Slow dance?”
“Yeah,” Mina shrugs, trying to calm her heart. Sana stares into her eyes and Mina swears she sees stars swirling inside.
“I’d love that.”
The music stops and they break their embrace. Dahyun taps on the microphone and it feedbacks again. “Thank you for participating in the dance. We will be back after a small break, but for now feel free to enjoy some drinks.” She finishes with a big grin.
Sana’s parents walk up to them before they can say anything . The man places a hand on Sana’s shoulder and smiles, displaying his fangs. His wife stands behind him, wearing an equal smile. “Won’t you girls join us for an aperitive?”
Sana thought her parents didn’t want to meet Mina, but she still nods. Mina follows, recalling every piece of trivia she learned. Luckily they sit in a private booth, near the council’s table. The parents are on one side of the table, and Sana and Mina opposite to them, holding hands. On top of it, there are four glasses and a bottle waiting for them.
The man grabs it and smiles as he reads the label. He dusts it off and uncorks it with one of his fangs. “Ah, I’ve been waiting to drink this all year.” He starts pouring a generous amount of the contents on each glass. It’s dark and thick and, frankly, it smells foul. Mina resists the urge to gag. The vampires lick their lips.
Sana practically gulps her glass down, which earns her a glare from her mother. Sana apologizes under her breath and drinks it slowly, slightly raising her pinky finger. Her parents also drink the blood with enthusiasm, and when they put their cups down, they look at Mina expectantly. Sana nudges her with her knee and Mina takes a deep breath in. She shakily raises the glass to her lips and, pressing them against the rim as hard as she can, lifts the bottom of the cup. She closes her eyes and pretends to swallow, trying to ignore the warm liquid against her skin. When she puts the glass back on the table, her eyes are slightly teary.
“Mmhm, delicious.”
Sana chuckles and reaches over. “You got something here,” She wipes a thumb over Mina’s top lip, collecting the blood mustache Mina had. Sana instinctively licks her thumb, but freezes when she realizes what she did. Mina bites her lip and takes a deep breath.
“So, Mina, how did you meet our Sana?” The woman asks, refilling her glass.
Here it is. The moment Mina prepared herself for. She knows the speech like the back of her hand, and now is finally the time to show what she learned. She takes a deep breath and opens her mouth.
Nothing comes out. She stammers and starts panicking, so she quickly taps Sana’s thigh begging for help. Sana laughs awkwardly and grabs the hand hitting her leg to hold it on top of the table.
“It’s so romantic Mina gets speechless just thinking about it, isn’t that right darling?”
That damn nickname doesn’t help Mina at all. Still, she nods and gulps. “Yeah, it’s something hard to put into words.” Mina shrugs innocently and laughs.
“We met in a cooking class for vampires.” Sana avoids looking into her parents’ eyes, finding her cup much more interesting. She didn’t prepare for this. “We got paired up and hit it off instantly.”
“We learned how to utilise blood in different dishes; edible to us, obviously. Us as in us vampires.” Mina says through a tight smile. Sana nudges her knee.
“Obviously…” The man quirks an eyebrow, eyes switching between the two girls in front of him. “What’s your favorite type of blood, Mina?”
“Red,” Mina replies with total confidence. Sana’s head drops.
“ O, is her favorite type. Blood type O.”
“Right,” Mina prays to whoever is out there, just, please— “You know me so well, honey.”
The parents share a concerned look. The woman shrugs and, gently, takes Mina’s hand in her own.
“Do you love my daughter?” She asks tenderly.
“Mom…” Sana complains, looking away, embarrassed.
“Yeah,” Mina replies breathlessly, surprising Sana. “I do. I love her like crazy.”
“What do you love about her?”
Sana looks at Mina expectantly, but Mina doesn't meet her eyes. She does answer, though.
“She’s the most caring, selfless, kind girl I’ve ever met. In my many years of life, that is. She never gets mad, even when she should, and she’s always there to listen to me after a bad day. She helps people even if that means a disadvantage or inconvenience to her, and she sleeps really cutely,” Mina is lost in her thoughts, smiling like an idiot without knowing. “She always pouts and her ruffly hair gets all over her face. She gives very warm hugs and—”
Mina breaks out of it, feeling mortified that her feelings dripped from her mouth like that. She finishes her sentence anyway.
“I love Sana.”
The girl in question has her mouth open. She’s embarrassed and utterly flustered. Her chest, weirdly, feels tight. Her parents smile, more genuinely than Sana has ever seen. The woman lets go of Mina’s hand, and Mina feels lighter.
Sana squints at her mother. Surely she didn’t use her powers to compel Mina to answer with total honesty… did she ?
“We’ll leave you girls to enjoy the party now, but please Sana, visit more often.” Her mother pleads. Sana nods and gulps down the lump in her throat. She can’t believe they made it through the interrogation. Both girls don’t waste any time standing up and bowing goodbye before running hand in hand back to the party.
“She’s a bit slow witted, but she’s genuine.” The woman tells her husband.
“Long as she doesn’t date some werewolf .”
“Shush, keep your voice down.”
With the weight of meeting the parents off her shoulders, the party seems lovely. That doesn’t mean Mina’s heart isn’t pumping with adrenaline and about to break out of her chest.
They forget all about the party and run straight to the forest, to the spot where they landed on. Sana lets out a loud laugh full of relief. Mina laughs as well, bent over and resting her hands on her knees.
“Red blood? Are you serious?” Sana slaps her arm and their laughter slowly dies down.
“You’re no better, a cooking class? Really? I thought we settled on meeting at a vampire bar.”
“Cooking seemed more romantic.”
They walk barefoot through the empty street towards their apartment— Sana didn’t want to get ashes on anything this time. They carry their heels on their hands, but the unoccupied ones keep brushing against each other as they go. The night is cold, but Mina’s face feels warm.
Neither can wait to get out of the uncomfortable dresses, so the first thing they do when they arrive is change into their pajamas. Then, they sit together in the kitchen.
Mina sits on the counter, eating cold leftovers. Sana sits on a chair, sipping from a juice box.
“If you were so hungry, you could’ve eaten some of the werewolves’ meals.”
“I’m not big on raw meat, actually. Only on century-old blood.”
Sana’s shoulders shake in laughter. “Yeah, I could tell.”
Silence falls between them. Mina looks sleepy, but Sana is wide awake with many questions in her head. She thinks of what the best approach to talk about feelings is, but it’s been a while since she had to do it.
“Did you mean what you said earlier?” Her voice comes out uncertain and high pitched. Great job, Sana.
Mina hums and takes another bite of her food. “What do you mean?” She feigns ignorance.
“Everything you said about me…” Sana fiddles with the little plastic straw of her juice box. Mina’s heart rate picks up. “Am I really a cute sleeper?”
Mina chuckles. She looks at Sana with eyes full of warmth. “Yeah, you are. Sometimes you sleep with your window open and, I don’t know if this is good for you or not, but sunshine looks beautiful on you.”
“Flirt…” Sana attempts to play it off, but Mina looks serious. “Mina…”
“I meant it. Every word I said.” Mina hops from the counter and nervously runs her hands down her sleep shorts. “I think I’ll head to bed now, if you don’t mind. Those heels killed me.” Mina heads towards the door, but Sana stands up and accidentally knocks the chair down. Mina stops and looks at her, nerves evident in her face.
“D-do you think I can cuddle you?” Sana stammers. It’ll have to do. “I’ve heard I’m a great hugger.”
Mina smiles widely, gums and all. She nods and Sana doesn’t waste another second before sprinting to her side, taking her hand and leading her into her room.