Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

dani liked routine.

as much as people never believed her, her job offered the perfect routine; it paid her bills, kept a roof over her head, and it was something she was good at.

at work, they called her angel.

and she was a stripper.

people often associated her job with whores, drugs, dirty money— and while there was plenty of that to go around, there was also heart; determined people who didn’t have anywhere else to go, people trying to survive, people who would do anything it took to protect her.

she quickly realized it would be hard to gain respect with her profession, sex work had always been frowned upon. it was something she often hid, something she lied to her family about.

but at the end of the day, she was safe, brought in a substantial amount of money, and worked with people she loved.

of course, there were still downsides.

many downsides.

it took her awhile to build a name for herself— to climb up the ladder. it wasn’t always easy. she’d endured many months of bouncing between peep shows, clubs, shitty bosses, coworkers, bouncers, and so especially customers.

but eventually, after hard work, fake smiles, and the perfect amount of pushing and pulling at connections, she’d finally landed a job at the most revered, high-end (and safest) club in town,

katseye.

at katseye, she had built a perfect routine for herself.

unofficially, she was one of their manager’s favorites. (not in a creepy way), jules was actually the nicest manager she’d ever had, he always had their best interest in mind. he liked dani because she brought in a lot of money, and because she never put up a fuss or caused fights in the dressing rooms.

officially, she was one of katseye’s most popular, highest earning girls. meaning, she got to pick her dance shifts, and her position.

most nights, she was at the center.

she didn’t necessarily prefer it, but everyone always wanted center, the higher point in the club. it made it easier, faster. the moment her shift on the pole ended there was always immediately someone asking her for a dance, a private, or even better, to vip.

aside from a better income and the control she had over her shifts, katseye was also safe. it was tamer than every other place she’d ever worked at, with more bouncers who actually did their jobs, and a manager who cared about them, with a zero tolerance for any prohibited behavior from customers.

the girls she worked with were nice, too.

of course, a few of them bickered and tussled here or there, over stealing customers and tips, or being favored by jules.

she’d certainly been on the receiving end of some sour looks, but at the end of the day they all cared about each other.

her closest friends at katseye were megan and lara, or, cherry, and raja at work. they even hung out outside of work hours, having built a bond she’d never had with her co-workers prior to working at katseye.

but dani’s favorite thing about working at katseye were the customers.

obviously, a large percentage of them were creepy. but this was a strip club, so it’s not like dani ever expects gentlemen.

but because the bouncers and jules did their jobs correctly, none of the customers ever touched the girls, or went out of line.

it was a relief, to rarely, if ever, have to deal with a customer who broke rules.

and of course, it was a great bonus that the customers at the katseye club always tipped, and tipped well.

dani (or, angel) even had a familiar rotation of customers for privates, giving her, at least a little, sense of safety.

so, it was safe to say, her routine was firmly in place.

and it would be,

until a certain sophia laforteza.

-

sophia hated routine.

but who could blame her?

she’d been alive for over a hundred years, about 122, to be exact, and she thinks she’s tried just about every possible job she could get under her unique circumstances.

22 wasn’t the worst age to be eternally.

at least she wasn’t stuck bouncing between schools, unable to work, like yoonchae.

after decades of some honest work, a couple identity changes, and bouncing between cities, sophia was finally going to retire.

just until she gets bored of being jobless.

she isn’t so sure if she was considered to be retiring early, because she looked 22 forever, or if she was retiring insanely late, having been working for over a hundred years.

regardless, sophia was now free.

essentially, she was loaded, not having to ever spend her money on food or her health, she could really do whatever she wanted.

anything under the sun, as the expression went. except what sophia could do was everything— except things that were literally under the sun.

she consulted manon about it,

about how to kill her time for awhile, entertain herself, have some fun and let loose, maybe even feel young and normal again.

manon was her mentor, of sorts. she was about a hundred years older. the one who’d saved sophia all those years ago.

no matter how many decades passed sophia never forgot how it happened.

it wasn’t a remarkable day.

not until she died, of course. that was something a vampire never forgot, how they died, and subsequently, how they survived, how they lived to see another day, to see many, many, many more days to come.

she was just walking home after a night out clubbing with some friends.

the same friends who got too drunk, and left her for a dance, some random guy, or straight up couldn’t be found anywhere.

so, she walked home alone.

of course, being a girl and walking down a dark alley left her vulnerable.

she knew that, knew she could’ve been mugged, chased, kidnapped, even stabbed, or worse.

but what she never could have expected, was to be eaten.

to be consumed alive; all her blood completely drained from her.

all by a fucking vampire.

and to think she always used to tell people they were just a children’s tale, a myth, a lie.

that night, as the lay on the floor, she accepted that it had been her last. she would go on now, to wherever or whatever the afterlife was or looked like. sophia accepted her fate, her death.

a tragic end to her short life.

but then manon found her, gasping, taking pity on her for a reason she had never asked for or understood. immediately, manon had sliced her own wrists with a small wooden blade, aiming the wound to drip into sophia’s mouth.

and just like that, before she could even process what was happening, sophia was alive again.

she’d done the same thing for yoonchae, just years after.

once yoonchae entered the picture, the three of them had vowed to save people who they felt deserved it, who were taken too early, without thought or mercy.

they’d also vowed to never kill without thought.

it was difficult, to establish a set of morals as a creature who was forced to kill and feast on humans to survive.

but, not all humans, at least, according to their standards, deserved to live.

so, they meal planned.

killing the guilty who were freed, people actively committing crimes, hurting others, predators, you name it.

sophia didn’t like it, to have to ‘ play god’ , to some extent.

but she didn’t choose this life.

and this was certainly better than simply attacking the first person around when they got hungry.

so, it was safe to say, there wasn’t much that was stable in sophia’s life.

after awhile, things always changed, and people passed or got too weirded out by her only going out at night to even begin to care.

that is until, daniela avanzini.

-

it was an average night at katseye.

nothing out of the ordinary happened, dani took her usual shift at the center pole between megan and lara.

most, if not all, the customers were katseye regulars, and dani immediately had 3 vips waiting for her in a private room when she’d finished her shift up front.

as she retouched inside the dressing room, she sighed, mentally preparing herself for small talk using her ‘work’ voice for…

“hey jules, how long with mr. ford again?”

“they paid for an hour!” jules calls out, currently in the middle of talking to a bouncer to kick out a previously prohibited customer.

“okay, thanks! i’ll be out in a minute!”

she stands in front of the mirror, the lights lining it creating a white ring in her eyes as she examined herself.

dani had worn her leopard lingerie set tonight, a lacy print adorning her smooth, glittery skin.

her nails were long, matching with her current set, a work expense she was spared from because one of the girls at katseye did nails for a living, so she often did them for a discount, sometimes even for free (as long as dani gave her center pole some nights, or recommended her to her regular customers)

she tightened the straps on her favorite clear heels, a gift she cherished, despite having gotten it from a particularly creepy customer from one of her old jobs prior to katseye.

“it’s a boring night, huh?” megan says as she comes up next to her,

dani shrugs, “that’s my favorite kind of night,” she says, laughing slightly. lara comes up behind them, sitting on the couches, “too bad, angel, you’re busy almost every night.”

“and i’m very grateful!” dani says, adjusting her bra.

slipping back into her short dress (which, also matched her lingerie, of course), she finishes herself off with a couple strategically placed sprays of perfume.

“mr. ford again?” megan asks as she’s about to walk away, to which dani nods, sighing, “well, he tips great,”

“oh we know, he’s had a private with every girl here!” lara calls out, their laughs fading, replaced by loud music and a bass that pounded through her chest as dani walked out the dressing room.

a bouncer leads her to the vip area, smiling at regular customers as she passes by.

before entering the door, she reminds herself just how lucky she is.

how safe she was,

especially compared to how she’d started out in this industry.

she shivers slightly, before immediately switching to work mode, entering the room and very enthusiastically asking who the birthday boy was, hands already reaching for the zipper of her dress.

-

manon convinces sophia to go clubbing.

every vampire fell into that hole at some point, what, with most of them being insanely rich, insanely bored, and eternally young.

but not sophia.

ever since she’d died, she vowed never to go out drinking ever again, at least, not at clubs.

manon understood her at first, but after a couple of years, she thought it was ridiculous. especially because alcohol couldn’t even affect her anymore, and moreso because she was practically invincible.

but, in sophia’s search for entertainment after deciding to retire, manon brings up a good point.

“laforteza, you’re bored, correct?”

sophia reluctantly nods,

“and of course, it would be entertaining if you tried something you haven’t done before, or at least not since you turned.”

again, sophia nods, even more reluctant.

“i guess..”

she trails off, and manon tsks, “you have to at least try to have fun sometimes, yoonchae goes to school, she has friends too. me, i have sophie. you need to find a past time besides work.”

sophia groans, trying to come up with an excuse not to go.

“what if i see a friend of someone i’ve killed? there are some creeps that—“

“not here, there’s a new club that screens their customers, sophie couldn’t find a meal in that area at all.”

with a heavy sigh, sophia floats off her chair, staring at the ceiling.

“you’re going, no excuses. and get down from there!” manon says, leaving the dining room.

sophia returns back to the ground, going up to her closet to figure out what people wore to strip clubs in the 21st century.

-

dani wasn’t lying when she said she liked boring nights the most.

lara and megan often teased her about it, they called her the most boring stripper they’d ever met.

maybe they were right.

if not for her profession, dani would sit around in sweats all day, reading, maybe going out for coffee every now and then.

people often thought she was wild, dating around, drinking or smoking every night, fucking any guy who would pay her enough.

they couldn’t be more wrong.

sure, dani got paid to dance almost naked, sometimes topless, to give lap dances, the whole shebang.

but she never let anyone fuck her for money. she didn’t need to, not anymore, not after things had gotten better.

people offered, a lot.

but ever since working at katseye, dani gets by perfectly fine, not a single hand ever needing to be laid on her to keep a roof over her head, to feed herself, to keep herself alive.

but, every girl liked some interest to shake things up every once in awhile.

even dani.

so, when she exits her private and sees a fresh face at katseye, she forgets about her break, immediately hustling the new girl to convince her to get a private for her first time here.

what? it wasn’t often girls came to katseye.

especially not young, pretty girls. (not unless they were here against their will, on a date with their asshole boyfriend or sugar daddy)

“i don’t think i’ve seen you around here before,” dani says, a wicked smile on her face, that lull and loudness in her voice she only used with customers, especially ones she took a liking to.

the girl smiles at her politely, meeting her eyes. dani’s almost offended,

“is it your first time here?” she tries again, sitting on the arm of the couch the girl was sitting on. dani suddenly realized she was completely alone at a table with a quota, typically reserved for groups of 5 or more.

“yeah, uhm.. i don’t really go out much at all, actually.” the girl responds. dani has never felt more unwanted in her entire career.

maybe she was with her boyfriend.

but dani was never one to give up, especially not after targeting a customer. “are you with any company tonight? you have a pretty big table,”

if she says yes, maybe one of her friends might book a private and dani would have at least gotten something out of this, awkward, horr—

“oh, no. i’m completely alone, actually.”

dani fights the urge to scream. “would you like some company?” she asks, pushing, her tone nothing but suggestive.

she mentally prepares herself for the first rejection of her career, when suddenly, the girl smiles, nodding,

“sure.”

dani slides down on the couch next to her, reaching out her hand, “i’m angel, pleased to meet you, cutie.”

the girl shakes her hand firmly, pursing her lips, “sophia,” is all she says.

man this girl— sophia, was cold.

oh well. she tried. maybe she wasn’t her type. “i’m actually on break right now, but in a couple of minutes i’ll be up there,” dani says, pointing at the pole at the center of the club. “or, if you want an angel, you can book me for a private.”

she stands up and winks at her as she walks away, swaying her hips just a little more than usual.

once she enters the dressing room, she realizes she wasn’t the only one who had noticed the new girl.

sophia was the talk of the town.

“she’s the first girl i’ve ever seen in here!”

“did you see her table? she’s probably fucking loaded!”

“i heard she’s completely alone tonight,”

“she’s so hot, she looks like a model.”

“she probably tips $100s,”

“she’s just so mysterious!”

“i think she was totally checking me out,”

“i bet i can get her to get a private with me first!”

“take her straight to vip!”

dani goes to sit on the couch, sighing heavily, pulling out her phone and scrolling mindlessly.

lara comes to sit next to dani, “did you see the new girl?” she asks, buzzing, dani rolls her eyes. “mmm, seems everyone did,”

“what’s up with the bitchy attitude? isn’t she your type?” lara asks, and dani winces, “sorry babe, it’s just that i tried her already, she was.. kinda cold”

megan sits between them, spraying some perfume on, “wait, your telling me she rejected you?”

dani nods “sort of?”

“holy shit, we should tell everyone to pack up their pussies and stop trying, then.” lara says, and all three of them laugh.

“you still taking that second shift up front tonight?” megan asks, and dani nods, “yeah, a lot of girls didn’t clock in tonight,” she starts, and lara agrees, having already taken three slots at the poles.

“it’s a slow night, none of my regulars are here,” megan adds, retouching her lipstick.

“well, if new girl doesn’t want me, i need to book another private, i have this red set i saw last night i’m saving for,” dani says, pulling out her phone to show the two.

as she’s looking for the screenshot on her phone, jules calls her.

“angel! breaks over! you got another private in room 1!”

she whips her head towards him, ignoring the murmurs of the other girls about her getting two vip rooms in one night (again)

“okay! give me a sec, who is it?”

dani rushes to fix herself up, checking on her lipstick and spraying on a fuck ton of perfume.

“ms. sophia laforteza? she’s new.”

oh?

now dani was for sure getting that set.

-

sophia leaned back on the couch

although she was anything but comfortable, twiddling her thumbs, staring at the pole in the center of the room like it was going to attack her.

there were drinks laid out in front of her, different kinds of alcohol that she downed whenever her throat felt dry.

she missed when alcohol could affect her.

now, it really was no different than a glass of water, or anything else liquid, really.

the last time she’d been at a place like this, she was alive. and given that she’s been, well, essentially dead, for 100 years..

it had been quite awhile.

and yet somehow, here she was, having booked a room with an angel.

not an actual angel, of course, she’d never met one, though, she doubts she ever would, or if they even existed.

but of course, anything could be possible, she was a vampire, after all.

angel as in, the stripper, at katseye.

yeah. this is what her 122 years of living had led to. an extremely fancy strip club.

sophia doesn’t remember the last time she’d felt nervous.

or the last time she felt anything, for that matter.

she only really interacted with people for work, other than that, manon and yoonchae were the only people she really confided in, and they were both, well, dead. so, that didn’t really help.

sophia isn’t really sure why she spend an unholy amount of money on a vip private with this girl.

she wasn’t even sure she wanted a lap dance.

or anything, for that matter.

but she could admit, angel was really pretty. she’d piqued her interest. of course, sophia knew that probably wasn’t her real name, and that talking up sophia was, well, her job.

it didn’t matter, she still felt so much anticipation.

she wasn’t sure if it was excitement, or nervousness, but whatever it was, sophia almost felt like her heart would start pumping blood again.

but that wasn’t possible.

so she waited, trying to appear like a normal

person who was not overthinking what to do in a private room with a stripper she didn’t necessarily want to get naked and sit on her.

that just wasn’t her style.

but not wanting a stripper to strip was, well, insane. especially for someone who just paid an extra amount of money for 1 on 1 time with— angel.

but alas, even if her heart beat couldn’t really speed up at all, she had to appear calm.

when angel enters the room, sophia smiles at her, standing up, immediately reaching out to shake her hand.

sophia realizes it’s weird when it’s too late.

angel laughs, but it’s a polite, cute laugh, like she’d practiced it before.

“i believe we’ve met before?” angel says, accepting her hand shake, guiding her back to sit on the couch right after.

“we have, haven’t we?” sophia says, and angel winks at her, “couldn’t resist me, huh?” she says, easily, like it was second nature.

sophia wondered how long it took, to get used to speaking to strangers like that.

it would probably take sophia an eternity, but she had that, didn’t she?

angel didn’t.

maybe that’s why she adapts faster, she knows she doesn’t have forever.

she’s pulled out of her thoughts, realizing that angel’s dress was now on the floor, the exact same pattern underneath, on her..

“any requests?”

sophia swallows, maybe taking a sip of alcohol would make her look normal.

“uhh, no, just— do whatever you feel like.” sophia says, trying to choose her words carefully.

angel smiles down at her, “sure thing,”

immediately, she walks towards the poll, hoisting herself up, music seeping into the room, but not quite as overwhelming as it was outside.

sophia watches, intently, unsure of what to do with her hands.

angel was an amazing dancer— moving with a grace sophia had never seen before, as if she’d been doing this her whole life.

briefly, sophia wonders how old she was.

definitely younger than her, that she could be sure of.

sophia’s eyes were glued to her, as angel spun with ease on the poll, eventually coming to a halt and coming down, just as gracefully, crawling toward her.

the closer she gets, sophia feels the need to hold her breath, reminding herself to breathe in case she just.. forgets to.

angel stands right in front of her, looking down at her fidgeting fingers, “hands under your legs, baby,” she instructs, and sophia obliges quickly.

turning around, angel sits on her carefully, grinding down into her lap, bending forward before flipping back up just as quickly.

“just relax, sophia, enjoy yourself.”

once angel says that, sophia leans back, letting herself fully relax into the cushions.

maybe manon was right.

maybe this wasn’t so bad.

-

“no fucking way,”

lara gasps, a cigarette in between her fingers, coat wrapped tightly around her.

“yes girl i’m being serious!” dani exclaims, standing in front of lara, shivering as the breeze gets under her coat. lara offers her a stick, but she declines. “one of the biggest tips i’ve ever gotten, and she just, hands it to me!”

megan walks up to them, throwing on her coat as she sits on the curb, “whatcha talking about?”

before dani can answer, lara beats her to it, “new girl gave dani $500,”

her mouth falls open, “holy shit, on her first time?”

“that’s not even the crazy part, she gave it to me so.. politely?” dani says, and lara and megan both laugh, understanding what she meant. “no like, honestly, like, she said thank you in a tone i never hear at work.”

dani says, perplexed.

this was probably the weirdest customer she’d ever encountered, but not in a way that made her uncomfortable.

just.. confused.

“whatever, i just hope she comes back,” lara says, putting out her cigarette. dani just nods slowly, and megan stands up, linking arms with her, “let’s go back inside, i just have one more shift then we can all go home,”

“okay,”

-

sophia indeed, comes back.

dani didn’t intend for it to happen, but the news of her giving out a large tip had spread like wildfire amongst the girls at katseye, and now, everyone was thrilled at her return, fighting for a chance to be bought a private with her.

the ‘ new girl’ was all everyone talked about for days, the buzz about her never really dying down until she came back a little over a week later.

dani was on pole when she arrived.

coincidentally, the set she was able to afford courtesy of sophia’s generous tip had arrived that same day, so of course, she immediately wore it to work.

she’s upside down when she sees her enter the doors, but even flipped over, dani recognized her immediately.

it certainly helped she was the only female customer there.

dani eyes her in her peripheral, taking a few tips from the crowd near the stage as their eyes meet. instinctively, dani winks at her, turning around and strutting back to the pole.

and yeah, maybe she puts in a little more effort than usual.

sophia was being escorted to her table, but she pauses as she notices dani, excusing herself, walking toward the stage.

dani spun easily on the pole to the beat of the music.

a beat,

she slides down gracefully, landing on her heels and turning around,

a beat,

there’s a big smile on her face as she shakes her hips, her bottoms flaring out, bright red accentuating her ass.

a beat,

she bumps her hip on the pole before climbing back up, spinning with her legs open to a split.

a beat,

dani slides down the pole once again, landing in a split before crawling forward to receive a few tips, sliding them into the hem of her skirt and panties.

as she reaches the end of the stage, she spots her, standing amongst the crowds, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the older men who usually filled katseye.

when dani met her eyes, she smiled.

her demeanor almost falters, because it wasn’t the usual— hungry smile dani was used to seeing directed at her.

maybe she was overthinking it, it was just a smile.

it just looked.. different.

like it wasn’t a smile that was ogling her, undressing her, or wanting to feel her up, those eyes that wanted to get off on her.

this smile just, looked like a normal smile.

she shakes away her thoughts, getting on her knees to prop herself up, about to return back to pole when sophia frantically pulls out a tip.

$100.

dani leans forward, directly in front of her, grabbing the tip gracefully yet firmly, never breaking eye contact as bites her lip, sliding the bill slowly into the front of her panties, letting it stick out her skirt.

it was her favorite trick.

she pulled it out every time she got a large tip from the crowd, and it usually came with an influx of tips right after, people desperate for the same treatment, the same amount of attention.

sophia just watches her, a look on her face dani couldn’t quite put a pin on.

she blows her a kiss as she walks back to the pole, trying to take her mind off sophia as she catered to the rest of the crowd.

dani waits for her to go sit back down at her table, but she doesn’t, staying completely in place the whole time dani’s on shift.

the moment she comes down from the stage, sophia’s there to greet her.

though he doesn’t really say hello.

“are you busy tonight?”

sophia rushes it out, like she’d been mulling over whether to say it or not. immediately, dani turns on, smiling at her, “never too busy for you, baby,”

“you know what to do if you want an angel,” she says, winking at her before walking away.

once she enters the dressing room, lara runs up to her.

“new girl is back, did you see her?”

she says, and dani just smiles, pointing down toward her crotch, and lara gasps as she eyes the $100 bill.

“wait weren’t you on shift?”

lara follows her as the walks up to a mirror, fixing her hair, “i was, she gave it to me from the crowd.”

she tries to say it quietly, but the girl she was on shift with, ruby, immediately runs her mouth.

now everyone was on her ass.

(and not in a good way)

she hears some girls mumbling to each other, nagging about how dani always stole away the high-tipping clients.

some girls even told her to her face, which,

she honestly preferred.

“you already got her last time!” one of the girls exclaims, and dani rolls her eyes, sighing, having had enough “i’m on break, whores! if you really wanted to you could go out there and hustle her right now! i didn’t even try anything tonight, she. came up. to me.”

that quiets everyone down.

jules enters the room, perfectly timed for right after the bickering had quieted down. how convenient.

“miss angel makes a good point,”

he stands in the middle of the dressing room, crossing his arms “none of you girls have a right to claim any of your customers, not even the regulars. but, a customer having a preference is not the dancer’s fault.”

suddenly, everyone minds their own business. (of course, not without some muttering of curses under their breaths and eye rolls, this wasn’t a convent.)

once everyone busies themselves again, jules leans closer to her, talking at a level that no one else could hear,

“that being said, ms. laforteza paid for another private with you after your break, room 7.”

oh .

-

“back for more?”

dani says as she enters room 7, a wide smile on her face. sophia doesn’t stand up to shake her hand this time, which is definitely an improvement. “did you miss your angel?” she says, walking up to lean over her.

immediately, sophia tucks her hands under her legs. dani smiles, “good girl,” she says easily, straddling her.

biting her lip, dani stands up, walking towards the pole.

sophia watches her, eyes glued to her but yet still seemingly filled with thought.

and okay, maybe it sounded mean, but most customers at katseye, especially once with dani in vip, usually didn’t have many thoughts, if any.

but dani couldn’t let that stop her from doing her job, so, she continues with her banter, doing what she did best.

“like what you see?” she asks, bending over, a light, airy giggle following her words. facing toward her, she runs her hands across her body, sensually, slowly— perfectly. “thank you, by the way, ms. sophia.”

she starts, and sophia furrows her brows, eyes trailing over her, “for what?”

“well, this pretty little thing on me,” she says, stretching the fabric of her skirt and panties, letting the elastic snap against her skin, “i bought it courtesy of your generous tip from last time, so essentially, it’s from you.”

“oh,” she says, sitting up slightly, “how’d you know red was my favorite color?”

dani walks toward her,

“lucky guess.”

as dani’s about to sit on sophia’s lap, she blurts out a ‘wait..’, hesitantly. dani turns to face her, a questioning look on her face, “yeah? what do you want, baby?”

sophia looks into her eyes, inhaling deeply. “it’s just.. uhm, if its okay with you, i have a.. weird request”

dani flashes a polite smile, rehearsed.

here it comes—

every good tipping customer always came with a but.

dani braces herself internally, all the creepy, gross possibilities running through her mind, having been asked for many, many odd things before.

some customers had even gotten kicked out for inappropriate requests, which, for a strip club, was pretty hard to do.

her fake smile started to hurt her cheeks, “what is it?” she asks politely.

“promise me not to laugh? it’s really.. it’s just, you know, not really customary for uhm.. for a club,”

fuck. maybe this was too good to be true.

“i promise.”

she was on full defense mode, sophia’s image in her mind morphing completely as she anticipated her request.

sophia takes another deep breath.

“would it be okay if we just.. talked?”

what?

dani wondered if she needed to clean her ears, not believing what she’d just heard. she hadn’t realized that she’d reacted out loud until sophia laughed.

“sorry! it’s weird, i know, but i really mean it. i’ll still pay for the room, and tip you of course, because this is time you could be earning otherwise..”

cautious, dani steps closer, “oh. i’m sorry for reacting, i just— i got surprised,”

she drops the voice completely.

even her tone and posture.

for the first time in her career, she wasn’t ‘turned on’ on the job, too perplexed to put up her usual front.

“if you don’t want to that’s okay, i’ll go home and pay anyway, i uh.. i mean it, though. you could just, sit down.. i kinda just want to get to know you? without overstepping of course!”

dani sits down, a respectable distance away from her.

“no, it’s alright, we can talk, if that’s really what you want?”

“it is,”

“okay.”

dani plays with the hem of her skirt, she’d never felt more awkward in her life. a part of her wishes she was topless in a room of ogling old men, somehow, that seemed less embarrassing.

“did you uh, did you actually get that from my tip, or do you say that to all your clients?”

she laughs.

“it is, and no, i’ve never used that line before.. but maybe now i might.”

did this count as exposing work secrets to clientele? do stripper secrets even exist?

sophia smiles, “and uhm, angel, that isn’t your real name, right?”

dani winces a little, personal life always a sensitive topic at her workplace.

but she doesn’t lie,

for some reason, she didn’t feel like sophia was out to get her.

“no, it’s not.”

“how’d you come up with it? with the name angel?”

dani smiles, having expected her to push for her real name, pleased that she didn’t.

“do you want the short story or the long one?”

“long. uhm, please.” sophia said, flashing her a sheepish smile, and dani scooted a little closer.

“well, my first night as a dancer, like, a long time ago, i wrangled a customer out of a club for touching a friend of mine. she called me her guardian angel, and it just kind of stuck.”

sophia stares for a minute.

“oh. that’s— not what i expected.”

dani laughs, “yeah, most girls just pick something they think sounds cute, or sexy.”

“i like angel, it suits you.”

“thank you,”

a pause. then, sophia seems to remember something, “by the way, do you want anything to drink or.. eat? aren’t you tired or, hungry or something? i can get you anything you want since i’m taking up your time—“

dani laughs, “i don’t drink on the job, actually. but uhm, a water would be nice?”

quickly, sophia pulls out a water bottle she’d previously ordered, handing it to dani, along with a glass and ice.

“thanks,”

as she gulps it down, sophia watches her, not in a weird way or anything, just, looking, with no intent behind it.

“if you don’t mind me asking, ms. sophia—“

“you can just call me sophia,”

“oh, well, sophia , why come all the way here, you know.. to a club, if you just wanna talk?”

sophia shrugs, “because of you,”

she says it easily, like she didn’t have to think about her response. dani didn’t know how to respond to that.

“not! not in a weird way, although i’m sure you’re used to that anyway, but uhm.. i really, i really just wanted to see you, to know you, and i didn’t know where else to find you.. so,”

“oh.”

sophia sighs, “and i can’t really- i’m busy during the day, and i figured you’re working nights..”

“right,”

“sorry, you probably think i’m a weirdo,” sophia says, laughing slightly,

dani laughs, too, a real one.

“trust me, i’ve been asked much, much worse.. but uh, this is.. definitely, new.”

sophia pulls her hands out from under her legs, fidgeting with her fingers, looking down the carpeted floor. “tell me something about you, something you like about yourself.”

dani thinks.

she hadn’t expected a question like that, “i don’t know.. i mean, i’ll have to think about that one..”

“oh. you don’t have to answer that, sorry.”

she smiles, laughing a little, “you don’t have to keep apologizing, sophia.”

“right. sorry—“

they both laugh, and dani leans back, relaxing into the cushions of the couch, leaning on her elbow, propping up her chin to face sophia “you know, i just realized i’ve never actually sat here before.”

“really? how long have you been working here?”

dani tsks, thinking, “about 7 months? something like that.. i’ve been a dancer for almost 3 years though. but this place only opened last year,”

“i wouldn’t know-“ sophia blurts out, dani laughs again, “mm, you aren’t really our usual clientele,”

“is that a bad thing?”

sophia looks at her, an almost guilty look on her face, and dani shakes her head, reassuring her, “not at all.”

“i am curious though, what brought you here? to katseye, i mean, like you said, you don’t usually come to clubs,” dani asks, curiosity taking over.

leaning her head back, sophia looks up at the ceiling, “my uh, friend convinced me. i just re.. i just quit my job, temporarily, i’m on a break.”

dani tilts her head,

sophia continues, “i’ve been working for.. awhile, i don’t remember the last time i did anything to enjoy myself, so, she told me to come here.”

“did it work? did you uh, enjoy yourself?”

smiling, sophia looks at her, “now i am.. but uh, i think i realized it isn’t really my thing, you know, the loud music and the drunk people— i don’t think i get the appeal of almost-naked strangers all over me i just feel, wrong,”

not knowing what to say, dani stays silent, but then sophia back tracks.

“fuck, sorry, i didn’t mean it like— i don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, it just isn’t for me..”

dani laughs,

“don’t worry about it, i get it, it’s not like i think this is the most wonderful place on earth, it’s just my job.”

“but i like you— uhm, being around you, i mean.”

she smiles, looking at her, “why thank you,”

“i mean it, angel.”

the bouncer knocks on the door, likely checking in on her, or maybe her time was up, and dani finds herself hoping it wasn’t the latter.

“well, you know where to find me.”

-

angel never leaves sophia’s mind.

she’d never been so enamored by a someone before, let alone a human, at that.

and all it took was a few visits to katseye.

the more she learned about her the more she wanted to see her more, spend more time with her, learn everything about her.

sophia doesn’t mention it to manon or yoonchae.

they didn’t ask about her whereabouts, letting her enjoy her break. manon only had one rule, that she come home before the sun rises, or that she tell manon if she were to sleep somewhere else.

but sophia wouldn’t do that.

it was too much of a hassle to find a place without windows, or to block them out. bringing her coffin was of course, out of the question. she never even used it anymore, not after all the windows at manon’s house had been blacked out.

she still kept it, more for sentimentality than anything else.

while manon was in charge of pretty much everything serious, like changing their identities and keeping their money clean and, essentially, their entire existence unsuspicious.

sophia had one job;

meal planning.

it was never really that hard, all she had to do was pay particular attention to the news, or hangout near the dark alley’s where crime often occurred.

yoonchae needed to eat the most often as the youngest.

sophia had to find yoonchae 3 meals a month, whilst her and manon could get by with just one, with manon being able to go two months without a full meal.

they’d managed to lessen their victims with a steady supply of animal blood from their farm, and manon had some friends from hospitals who could steal away a pack of blood or two every once in awhile.

but they couldn’t survive off of that alone, it just helped nourish them so they didn’t have to kill as often.

she always picked out victims for yoonchae first, giving her older, weaker people.

all she did was provide them with names, addresses, and details, nowadays she got to give them photos too.

sophia had found a wide array of victims for them.

following their, complicated morals, sophia often looked for people who, to their standards, deserved death.

she didn’t like it, of course.

they all agreed to make the deaths of their victims hurt as little as possible, even if they were horrible people.

because she was the one planning meals, she always made sure yoonchae and manon had their list at the start of each month— before planning for her own.

she had run a little behind this month.

perhaps it was because of a certain, distraction ; one that went by the name of angel.

it was fine. she was worth a little hunger.

plus, isn’t this what manon wanted? for her to get out there? to make connections?

she huffs in frustration, watching as her victim walked into another packed restaurant. she’d been trying to wait for him to walk by an empty alley for the past few days, even having to skip going to katseye because of it.

sophia was starving.

she’d already consumed all the blood bags hidden away inside her room for emergencies, and she was almost two weeks behind on her meal, which, she hadn’t done since turning.

sighing heavily, she decides to lure her victim, something she hadn’t done in awhile.

entering the restaurant, sophia plays out her plans in her head, walking calmly towards her victim.

suddenly, he calls out to her.

shit.

“hey! i know you!” he says, and she wonders whether she should run away or come toward him to not raise any suspicion.

she chooses the safer way, walking toward him. “i think you’re mistaking me for someone else,”

“no, no, i’m almost sure.” he leans in a little closer, and sophia stays put, defenses up, “do you go to katseye?”

“excuse me?”

“don’t be shy with me, i’ve seen you tipping that one with the ass, angel? she’s been my favorite lately, but you took her before i could,”

he takes a bite from his fries, pointing them in her direction,, “it’s a fun time with that one, real perky. it’s a real shame you’re a dyke, you’ve got a pretty face, too.”

she clenches her fist at her side.

sophia was good at this, learning the dark and twisted about her victims, even if they were rich and powerful enough to hide it.

but she’d seen his dirt firsthand,

mr. ford was really good at covering his tracks, never messing with any of the girls from higher-end clubs.

let’s just say he wasn’t a kind man, not by any means.

“i was actually on my way there,”

she purses her lips, trying her best to not sound disgusted at what she was about to suggest, “the girls are really protected over there, i’m sure you’d love a try at ‘em, huh?”

he perks up, turning to face her properly.

“you got connections?”

she winks at him, starting to walk away, gesturing for him to follow her.

he does.

what a fucking dumbass.

“you just have to set up a good deal, i’m meeting up with a girl nearby, just come with me. we have to walk there, though, car won’t fit.”

he just nods along, dumbly, practically tripping over himself.

sophia quickly finds one of her usual

spots, dark, empty, no cameras, and no way out.

“she on her way?” he asks, craning his neck to look around. “even if she was, you won’t be here to see her.”

she laughs, and his eyes fill with realization, but then he tsks, opening his mouth, probably to tell her about how he was much bigger than her.

but sophia doesn’t let him.

she shoves him against the wall, full force, one hand grabbing him by his neck to keep him pinned against rough concrete, her other hand grabbing his hair roughly, craning his neck to the side.

“now you can never think about angel ever again,”

she grips onto him tighter, her fangs protracting.

finally, she bites into his neck, sucking the blood out of him.

usually, she finished them off this way,

making the pain quick and easy. but something shifted inside sophia, hearing the way he spoke about angel— knowing what he’d done to other girls.

the clean up wasn’t easy.

and maybe she’d gotten less out of her meal because of how messy she decided to be, how slowly she decided to suck the life out of him, to make him feel every second of it.

but as she finishes up, she feels a sense of pride, knowing in some way, she was helping protect her. protect angel.

this mess, it was all for angel.

-

dani joins lara for a smoke break.

she’d quit a long time ago, but with the news that had come in tonight, she considered herself deserving of just one stick.

“i can’t believe it, to think he was supposed to come in tonight?” another girl outside, ruby, adds.

lara nods, “it’s weird, i don’t really know how to feel about it, obviously i feel bad, but it’s just..”

dani blows out smoke, rolling her eyes,

“it’s just he was one of the weirder ones. come on, he was married with kids and he always asked if he could touch us, didn’t he even tell cherry she looked like his daughter one time? he gave me the heebie jeebies.”

all the girls outside agree, before jules comes out to join them, asking one of them for a stick, too.

“girls, be careful coming home tonight, please, and avoid that alley. we have no idea which sick fuck did this, but all of you better tell me when you’re home, alright?”

they all nod, saying yes in unison.

after awhile, everyone else comes back inside, only leaving lara and dani.

“i mean, it is too bad we lost a good tipper,” lara says, trying to lighten the mood. dani laughs, putting out her second stick, throwing in onto the floor and stepping on it with her heel.

once she re-enters the club, she immediately sees sophia there.

she had come in a little later than usual today, and dani was starting to think she wasn’t coming tonight (and was she a little disappointed? maybe.)

dani smiles, immediately beelining toward her. “hey there,” she says, sitting on the arm of the couch sophia sat on.

“aren’t you on break, angel?”

with a huff, dani nods, “maybe,” she says, a mischievous grin, but sophia was.. too nice, at least, way too nice for the usual crowd here at katseye.

sophia looks up at her, “finish your break, okay? get some rest, i already booked room 7.” she said, and dani thought back when she’d told sophia she liked that room the most because the couch was a cute color and the pole was the most steady.

“i got you for an hour,” sophia says with a wink.

a wink that meant dani wouldn’t really be working during her hour with sophia.

dani smiled, getting up off the couch, “whatever you say, ms. sophia!” she teases, walking away, back into the dressing room.

she smiled as she fixed herself up, waiting impatiently for her break to end, ignoring the knowing looks from megan and lara.

“new girl isn’t so new anymore, huh?” megan comments, and dani laughs, “i guess not,”

instead of waiting for jules to call her out, she walks over to sophia, “my break is over,” she mutters, grabbing her by the hand and leading her into vip.

sophia laughs as the door closes behind them, sitting on the couch as dani sits next to her.

“thank god you came in today, everyone’s so.. down back there.”

sophia raises an eyebrow, pouring out drinks for the both of them, with dani immediately taking a sip. “oh? why? what happened?”

“a regular here got murdered,”

almost choking on her drink, sophia puts it down, “holy shit, how’d you find out?”

dani rubs her back gently as she takes a sip of water, continuing, “it was on the news, and they showed his car nearby which one of our security recognized.. they haven’t announced who it was, but we connected the dots.”

“oh. i’m sorry.”

biting her lip, dani looks at her, “can i be honest?” she asks, and sophia nods, “of course,”

“i really didn’t like that guy— he gave me the creeps and talked about his daughters in this, weird way. honestly, whatever happened to him was probably some dirty business out to get him. i just, feel bad for his family.”

sophia laughs,

“what? it’s true!” dani defends herself, and sophia shakes her head, “no, i know, you’re probably right, i just.. didn’t expect it.”

as sophia takes another sip, dani stares at her. she looked— different, today.

different in a good way.

sophia raises her eyebrows, noticing dani’s gaze, “what?” she asks, and dani smiles, leaning in, hand under her chin to examine her face.

“you look good today, did something good happen at work or something?”

rolling her eyes, sophia tsks, “you are such a smooth-talker,”

“no, i mean it. you’re so pretty, sophia.”

sophia gently removes her hand from her chin, holding onto it with both hands, smiling, “thank you, angel.” she says, her tone unreadable.

suddenly, she let’s go of her hand, leaning in slightly, “you just want a bigger tip, huh?”

dani laughs, rolling her eyes. “oh my god. you’re so mean,” she says, as sophia leans back on the couch. sophia was joking, dani knew that, their banter having gotten more playful over the handful of visits sophia’s made here, the two of them just talking every time, with sophia consistently insisting on paying for her time.

but the thought irked her.

what if that’s really what sophia thought of her?

she’s silent for awhile, and sophia notices immediately, frowning, “hey, you okay?”

dani tries a smile, but it doesn’t work so well, “yeah, yeah.. i just, can i ask you something?”

“anything,”

“i just— i don’t think it’s fair, i still don’t think you should be paying me, not anymore at least..”

with a tsk, sophia answers “i wouldn’t if i didn’t want to. i love seeing you, and i really am busy during the day, it’s complicated, but this really is the only time i can see you.. i refuse to take your time from your job.”

she looks at her properly, a small smile on her face, reassuring. “so, if it’s okay with you, i’m gonna keep coming, and that means i’m gonna pay for your time.”

dani smiles, playing with the hem of her dress, mulling it over.

“give me your phone,”

she instructs, without context, but sophia doesn’t question it, handing it over, typing in her password carefully beforehand.

immediately, dani goes straight to the contacts app, adding a new contact.

she types in her number.

sophia watches, leaning over her shoulder, a puzzled look on her face.

then, dani hovers her fingers over the “Name”, biting her lip. maybe she was breaking work code, just a little bit.

swiftly, she types it in,

‘Dani’

behind her, sophia smiles, as dani turns around and hands her back her phone, mirroring the smile on her face.

“i don’t believe we’ve met yet, sophia. i’m daniela— dani, it’s nice to meet you.”

sophia takes her hand, laughing softly, rolling her eyes. “i take it back,” sophia starts, and dani lets go of her hand, “huh?”

“angel doesn’t suit you, not as much as daniela. it’s much prettier,”

“now look who’s the smooth-talker..”

“just take the compliment!”

Chapter Text

sophia isn’t sure how.

but suddenly, she’d become a katseye regular.

time had always been weird for sophia. having been around for so long, her days always felt like they stretched on for eternity.

sometimes she’d get caught up in a routine; distracted, mindless consistent movement that made everything go by faster, kept her busy.

it wasn’t the first time sophia lost track of time.

but never like this.

it all happened so fast, and yet somehow it didn’t scare her.

days stretched into weeks and suddenly, it had been months.

the bouncers up front recognized her instantly, the waiters knew her name, and the other girls never came up to her anymore. they all knew she was dani’s.

well, angel’s.

sometimes, sophia wondered what the outsiders thought about her. did they think she was some obsessed creep? a closeted cheating wife? a suppressed heir of some dynasty?

she wasn’t blind, she see’s the dirty, or confused looks that people give her.

sophia was uncommon at a place like katseye.

a “ young ”, wealthy girl at a place filled with rich, old, powerful men, likely cheating on their wives or running away from their crises.

it was sure to raise suspicion— curiosity.

she tried her best not to let it get to her. after all, manon had all their technicalities and legalities all sorted out.

but a part of her always feared someone would figure her out.

that was ridiculous, though. most people didn’t even believe her existence was possible.

plus, people at katseye were either too drunk, distracted, or too busy working to really think that deeply about her— let alone whether or not she was human.

it was constantly in the back of her mind.

it was hard to forget, considering she was always in disguise in public. her fangs were retracted, she constantly avoided being in front of mirrors, using her full strength, and had to remember to pretend to need the bathroom.

the closer people got, the harder it was to hide.

meaning, with dani always around, she had to be more careful. to have her guard up.

recently, though, it’s been getting harder and harder to do so. and dani just— kept getting closer.

literally

sophia laughed, as dani told her a story about her roommate.

“honestly, that girl is crazy! i’m the girl who works a night shift and yet somehow, i’m home earlier than her most nights!”

her legs were propped up over sophia’s lap, facing toward her, sophia’s jacket draped over her shoulders.

“does she know? about your job, i mean,” sophia wonders, and dani shrugs.

“oh, i don’t know actually. i don’t really try to hide it? maybe she’s assumed. we don’t really talk.” sophia hums a response, leaning back against the cushions.

a comfortable silence takes over.

sophia listens to dani’s heartbeat.

dani looks at her, and sophia has to reassure herself her fangs weren’t out, and that she’d eaten recently, so she didn’t look unnaturally pale.

she hadn’t said anything weird.

right?

“enough about me,” dani pulls a stray piece of hair off sophia’s shoulder, and she has to remind herself not to flinch.

“tell me something about you, your co-workers maybe? anything.”

she props her chin up on her hands, looking up at sophia expectantly.

sophia tenses.

she can’t remember the last time she’d let a conversation with anyone get this far, the last time she had built a meaningful connection.

so far, she’d gotten by with surface level details, deflecting any questions directed toward her.

a fleeting thought enters her mind, for her to spout out the usual lies about her life she used in these situations. lies she’d built with manon’s help to make her seem more normal, more human.

but sophia wanted this to be real, for dani to trust her— know her.

she had to open up.

“well, i’m not close enough with any of my co-workers..”

dani opens her mouth to say something, probably a complaint at the tip of her tongue. “but, i can tell you about my family,”

sophia notices dani’s heartbeat speed up a little, watching her as she perks up. “i’m not blood related to them. they’re more of my chosen family, but i live with them and.. i love them a lot.”

she stares off into the distance. it felt so foreign, hearing herself say something so honest out loud.

“manon is like my older sister, she takes care of everything. yoonchae’s still in school,”

“i don’t know where i’d be without them, especially manon. i’d probably be dead in a ditch somewhere,”

sophia laughs as she says it.

of course, she couldn’t tell her the whole truth. but for the first time since turning, sophia wishes she could. sophia trusted her, sophia wanted her to know everything.

for once, it didn’t feel natural to hide.

her instincts gnawed at her every time she was with daniela. it consumed her, the guilt of lying to her, of having dani give her details about her life that sophia couldn’t return.

sophia was starting to question things, things she’d been doing for a century. things that she could change to consider dani, plans that involved a future that wasn’t in solitary.

it scared her.

sophia wasn’t just a katseye regular.

she was dani’s regular.

the lines had blurred. this wasn’t just infatuation, not anymore.

daniela had become a constant.

and in sophia’s life, everything was temporary. she would remain far after everything else faded away.

getting used to something, a routine, a person— a feeling.

that was the scariest thing possible.

-

angel was the shit .

dani had worked hard for it to turn out that way. she’d fabricated a character, had a good work ethic, and she never got comfortable.

all the hard work dani did; angel benefited from.

angel got the clothes,

the tips,

the praise,

the recognition,

all of it. or, most of it at least. angel got most of dani’s time and effort. she got it all so that on her off days, where she was just dani, she could send money back to her parents, and not worry about whether or not she would have a place to call home. (even if it was a shitty apartment with an equally shitty roommate.)

still, even with dani’s hustle and good luck, there was no escaping slow nights.

not even at katseye.

not even for angel.

so, on a night like tonight, dani hustles.

none of her regulars were around, and nobody tipped well enough to catch her eye during her shift up on the pole.

skipping her break, she struts around the club the moment her shift on stage ends.

she quickly spots a new face on one of the bigger couches. it’s obvious he’s the one who’d brought his friends here.

expensive watch,

the one ordering the drinks,

and seemingly, the one paying the bill.

bingo.

she quickly approaches him, “hey there, i’m angel,”

she flashes him a smile, reaching her hand out, which he gladly accepts, a wide smile on his face. “why hello, angel. nice to meet you,”

“is this seat taken?” she gestures to the spot on the couch next to him, and he quickly shakes his head, watching her intensely as she slides next to him.

“such a pretty thing, aren’t you?”

“well, i aim to please.”

there were steps to her excellence.

it was all calculated. her effortlessness took an immense amount of effort— years of desensitization and practiced polite smiles, even at the most vulgar statements thrown her way.

her tone was flirtatious; straightforward but never too pushy. just that perfect sweet spot to get the client interested, in a way that makes them feel like they chose her, like they had the control.

“wanna go get a private?” she asks, easily.

“uhh.. yeah, yeah, sure!”

he says it with a laugh, turning to his friends and gloating, making a face at them. making a spectacle out of her. out of the attention she’d given him. the control he had over her.

of course, he didn’t really have the control.

people assume that’s what her job is, to give away control, her body, her dignity to a bunch of strange men.

but that wasn’t it, no.

dani’s job was to make them all feel in control. because really, the only thing these people want stroked aren’t their cocks, but their egos.

he tipped well enough.

not well enough for her to stop hustling, though. she needed at least one more private with a decent tipper if she wanted to get that leak in her sink fixed.

she scans the room, still not having taken her break, when her eyes land on a familiar face.

sophia.

without a second thought, she rushes toward her, all prior goals forgotten.

“hi!” dani said, her tone dropping completely. enough so that it even alerts a bouncer near by, craning his neck to see why dani was herself all of sudden, with angel nowhere to be found.

dani turns to the bouncer, gesturing that she was okay— which he already knew once he saw sophia.

“hi da- da angel! you’re the angel,” sophia stutters, and dani laughs, unable to keep it in.

she’d come in a lot later than usual today.

(dani doesn’t remember when she’d started keeping track.)

they stand still.

somehow, dani felt calm, even with the blaring music that usually pressured her to get to work, to hustle, to let angel take control.

but when sophia was around, it started to get harder and harder to have angel even exist at all.

“room 7?” sophia asks with a wink, her voice cutting through the music.

dani wants to say yes.

it would be smarter to say yes. she’d be resting, happy. and she could get that leak fixed in her sink.

but if she said yes, she’d stay a lot longer.

which meant, a lot later.

plus, dani couldn’t just rely on sophia forever. she had to remind herself how to exist without her help.

“i’d love to,” she starts “but, um— i just need one more private and then i can come home tonight..”

“oh,” sophia says, disappointment evident in her tone. but she smiles anyway, trying not to make it obvious.

dani reaches out a hand, rubbing her shoulder gently, “hey, i really want to, it’s just that megan and lara aren’t here tonight and they usually take me home.. so i just need to get home earlier than usual.”

“of course,”

she flashes her one last smile, a real one. but before she can walk away, sophia grabs her arm gently, undemanding.

“uhm, only if it’s okay with you, i could walk you home? i’ll just wait for you,”

“oh, that would be great actually. thank you so much, i’ll try to be quick, i promise!”

sophia smiled as dani rushed off.

unfortunately, dani was the only one in a rush tonight. at least, her client certainly wasn’t.

most nights, getting a vip with a good tipper who continued to extend his time was something to celebrate.

but most nights, there wasn’t a certain someone waiting for her outside.

angel clocks out at closing hour.

like usual.

but for once, that wasn’t what she’d planned.

“oh my god, i’m so sorry!” dani rushes out, watching as sophia stood awkwardly in the middle of the almost empty club.

“don’t worry about it, i wasn’t gonna let you go home by yourself this late.” sophia reassures, taking off her coat and draping it over dani’s shoulders.

dani smiled, thanking her, releasing a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding as she laughs. “didn’t they try kicking you out? we’re literally closing,”

“i was scared they would! but one of the bouncers overheard our conversation awhile ago, so he let me stay.”

“fuck, okay, remind me to thank him tomorrow.”

sophia nodded, laughing. dani held onto her hand, dragging her with her to their dressing room.

something that really wasn’t allowed.

most of the other girls were still there, and most of the other girls also, minded their business.

except ruby.

“oh? angel’s breaking rules now i see? weren’t you just on our ass about bringing clients backstage just last week?”

dani rolls her eyes, ignoring her, letting sophia sit on the couch as she gathered her things.

but ruby doesn’t let up.

“all that talk about how ‘it’s dangerous’, are you really just exempted from every rule?”

she closes her eyes, trying not to make a scene. not in front of sophia. “it’s not just about the client being back here, ruby, it’s about how you fuck them. that’s the dangerous part.”

she says it calmly, but ruby gasps, offended.

“oh and you don’t fuck her? just because we never see it doesn’t mean we don’t know it, angel. come on, you think we believe you get tips that big without breaking any rules?”

dani’s about to retaliate, but suddenly, sophia’s standing up, hand wrapping around her waist. “maybe if you were a more pleasant person, you’d get better tips.”sophia spits back at her, effectively shutting her up.

sophia guides them out the club through the backdoor, and dani hears the chatter behind her, knowing she was in for a treat when she came in for work tomorrow night.

the walk home is silent.

sophia sticks close to daniela, letting her lead the way, but also staying attentive.

dani pretends not to realize when she switches sides when they cross the street, always keeping dani on the “safer” side.

when they get to dani’s apartment building, sophia almost looks disappointed their walk had ended.

“oh, it’s really close..”

“you can uh, you can come in if you want?” she asks, not really sure why she did in the first place. just that she wanted to.

“i do, but i can’t.. it’s too late, or i guess, early?”

dani laughs, not wanting to go inside quite yet. or maybe she just didn’t wanna leave sophia.

“thank you again, by the way. for walking me home and for, you know, defending

me awhile ago. you didn’t have to.”

sophia shakes her head, “of course, tell me anytime you don’t have a ride home. i’ll call a driver for you if i’m not here,”

instinctively, dani almost declines.

but she doesn’t, she just smiles, thanking her again.

before she overthinks herself out of doing in, dani walks back down the steps of her apartment building, leaning in and giving sophia a peck on the cheeks.

“goodnight, sophia.”

that night, dani slept with sophia’s coat tucked under her chin, arms wrapped around it as her perfume calmed her, helped her doze off.

the lines had blurred. sophia wasn’t just a client, not anymore.

dani broke rules, broke her routine. she did things she told herself she’d never do— all because of sophia.

in dani’s life, angel was the focus. that’s how she stayed safe, that’s how she survived.

but with sophia, it was different.

it felt like she was wanted as dani, not as angel. like everything she did was for daniela , and daniela only.

and that scared her. more than she’ll ever admit.

-

sophia insisted on walking dani home.

they’d exchanged contacts before, often texting each other about stupid things, or, dani would text, and sophia would struggle to respond.

she knew how to use a phone.

she just… wasn’t so used to it, especially not having to immediately check it the moment she wakes up.

her texts always start with an apology.

because dani always texted her during the day, when she was asleep. but she couldn’t tell dani she was nocturnal, so she just tells her she’d gotten busy, or that she’d lost track of time.

and yeah, maybe sometimes sophia woke up a little earlier, while the sun was still up.

maybe she stayed in bed, texting dani back, smiling to herself under her sheets.

her phone was outdated, yoonchae tells her.

she’s also the one who explains why dani’s texts always had a box with a question mark inside.

apparently, they were emojis.

so, sophia buys a new phone, setting it up with lots of difficulty, even with yoonchae’s help.

she only had one contact.

(and maybe she only had apps that dani would bring up, just so she could pretend to relate. maybe she made an instagram for her.)

of course, the reason they’d started texting in the first place was so that dani could tell sophia when she didn’t have a ride home.

but sophia quickly realizes dani had a bit of an issue with asking for help.

so, instead of waiting for her to ask, knowing she never would, sophia shows up almost every night.

she showed up even when she didn’t have the time to come into katseye, waiting outside during closing hour.

dani opposes the first few times.

but sophia would never get tired of reassuring her, so eventually, she got used to it. she even stopped apologizing so often, calling herself a hassle.

it was a few minutes before closing, and sophia was out later than planned. having missed her usual meal time by about a week, she realized she was starving on her way to katseye.

fortunately for her, (and unfortunately for him.) one of yoonchae’s victims for the month had passed by her on her walk.

she made quick work of him.

it was painless, mostly.

“fucking hell,” sophia said to herself, dragging his heavy body away somewhere she could eat peacefully, “humans are so lucky they have.. restaurants,” she muttered under her breath, propping his body up against the wall before biting into his neck, promptly draining him.

it was a sloppy job, she even disappointed herself— meaning clean up was grueling.

this is why vampires shouldn’t get hungry.

that was her job, to make sure the three of them never got hungry. so they didn’t feel the need to rush. because if they rushed, they didn’t think it through. and if they didn’t think it though, they risk getting caught.

with a sigh, she flies back home, needing to clean herself up and a change of clothes.

“where are you going this late? the sun is about to rise.”

manon chastises her as she throws on a clean coat, “i’ll be quick, i promise.”

before manon can question her further, she stands right in front of her, “do i have flesh in my teeth?” she rushes out, opening her mouth wide, fangs still out.

“no, but just brush one more time to be sure,”

“i already brushed three times.”

sophia sprays on a gross amount of perfume, especially on her coat, because she usually let dani use it.

manon coughs, not leaving sophia’s doorway. “we aren’t done talking about this, laforteza. you’ve been slacking off, acting strange. whatever or, whoever the reason may be, that is no excuse.”

“i’m sorry, i swear i’ll—“

cutting her off, manon waves her away, “we talk later, leave, now. you better make it back on time.”

“i will,” sophia starts, opening up her window, “oh, also, tell yoonchae i ate mr. smith.. sorry, i’ll give her a replacement tomorrow!”

she flies away before manon can yell at her.

sophia always landed a block away from katseye, in an area that she’s sure is always deserted, behind a building that burnt down a couple years ago.

when she walks up to the back door of katseye, dani’s already outside. there’s a cigarette in between her fingers, the wind giving her a hard time lighting it.

“i thought you quit,”

sophia says, letting her presence be known, startling dani. she looks at sophia, guilty, tossing it on the ground. “i did,” she says, and they both stare at the wasted stick on the concrete.

taking a few steps toward her, sophia raises a brow, and dani smiles, “mostly.”

“right.”

a few droplets of leftover rain drop down form the awning, landing on sophia’s head. she steps back, now standing beside dani.

“did you wait up for me?” sophia teases, bumping shoulders with dani, a smile on her face.

“i almost didn’t,” dani spits back, and sophia sighs, looking at her properly. “yeah, i’m late, i know. i’m sorry.. i got caught up in something i couldn’t get out of,” sophia lies.

she couldn’t really tell her the truth this time, it was too morbid. to hard to twist.

humans didn’t take over an hour to eat a meal. and humans didn’t have to clean up blood off of the concrete after they ate, either. so sophia couldn’t just tell dani she was a slow eater, or something along those lines.

luckily for her, dani never really questioned her weird excuses. dani trusted her.

“it’s okay, we closed a little later than usual anyway.”

reaching out her hand and stepping forward, sophia looked back, “now, let’s get you home before the sun rises.”

dani accepts her hand, intertwining their fingers as they walked forward, slowly.

it’s quiet. sophia listens to their own footsteps, watching dani for any sign of being cold, ready to give up her coat at any moment.

“was it important?”

dani breaks the silence, catching sophia off guard, “hm?”

“what you were doing, you know, before you came to pick me up.”

they stop at a pedestrian stoplight, and sophia thinks for awhile. she’s pretty sure eating for her survival was kind of important. at least, dani would probably consider that important, if she knew.

“kind of,”

somehow, dani calls her bluff. “you don’t need have to always come pick me up, especially if you’re busy. i can take care of myself..” she trails off, the light turning green.

but sophia holds onto dani’s elbows, keeping her in place.

“i know i don’t have to, dani, i want to.” she says, taking her coat off, wrapping it around dani, leaning in to kiss her forehead.

dani smiles, reaching her hands out to cup sophia’s face, leaning in,

“you are so fucking corny!”

she shoves her shoulder lightly, not being able to hold in her laugh, grabbing her hand and crossing the street.

they turn the corner, walking slower, now. she almost wishes dani lived a little farther, but if she did, it would be a lot harder to make it before the sun rose. so maybe it was good she lived so close to katseye.

“i mean it, i like walking you home. it’s nice, to hang out with you without deafening music in the background.”

dani laughs, fog coming out her mouth as she did.

it was getting colder, lately.

“it’s also nice not worrying if i’m keeping you from working,” sophia finishes off, looking at the ground.

she notices dani come to a stop, and when she looks up, she realizes they had arrived.

“i like it too.”

sophia smiles, and dani takes two steps up, turning back, “thank you, sophia..” she trails off, biting her lip.

“i’ll text you, if uh, if i can come tomorrow.” sophia says, and dani nods, staying where she is, “right. yeah, text me.. goodnight.”

she turns around to leave, but she doesn’t move immediately, lingering.

sophia stays put. not sure why.

suddenly, dani turns back around, rushing back down the steps and wrapping her hands around sophia’s neck, leaning down to kiss her.

surprisingly, sophia doesn’t worry.

she doesn’t worry about whether or not her fangs were out,

she doesn’t worry if she tastes like blood,

she doesn’t worry that dani could somehow tell.

sophia just, exists.

she exists right now, and that meant that dani was kissing her. all she had to do was kiss her back.

so she does.

and even though she’s existed for so long, and was cursed to continue existing for much longer, sophia finally felt like right now was all that mattered.

her immortality made everything feel insignificant.

because everything would go away, it didn’t matter.

but dani?

she mattered because she could go away— she mattered the most right now, because she didn’t have forever.

when they separate from the kiss, sophia doesn’t let go, smiling up at dani like an idiot.

dani doesn’t move, either.

“i missed you,”

sophia says, not really thinking much of it, just letting out the thought. dani laughs breathily, looking at her with a glint in her eyes. “you just saw me yesterday..” dani teases, and sophia hums out a sound of defeat.

“you know what i mean,”

“do you.. do you wanna come upstairs?” dani asks, quietly, like it was a secret. her breath was on sophia’s face, still so close to her.

“i wish i could, really. but i have to go,”

neither of them move, and sophia just laughs, leaning up for one more kiss, lingering a little longer this time.

just a little longer.

-

the holidays were upon them.

for most people, that meant colorful lights, cheery music, giving or receiving gifts, and spending time with family.

a time for joy,

the most wonderful time of the year, like that one song said.

but sophia always felt like the holidays were mocking her. reminding her of what she didn’t have, what she couldn’t have.

it was a bright, colorful, loud reminder that a year was ending.

a bright, colorful, loud reminder of how many years sophia had been around, and how many more she would have to be.

so, as much as possible, sophia tried to ignore the holidays.

which, granted, was almost impossible.

everywhere she walked there were bright lights, tacky reefs and ornaments, topped off with christmas music playing in every store.

it certainly didn’t help lift her spirits that two of her targets for the month of december (hers and manon’s, yoonchae didn’t hate christmas yet, so she didn’t wanna ruin her mood), were santa claus impersonators.

one at the mall nearby,

and one a little farther, where manon’s girlfriend lived.

so, maybe sophia enjoyed it a little too much to have to kill santa claus for her meal during the holiday season.

she was actually on schedule for once.

meaning, she could spend all the time she wanted orchestrating the demise of the secret predator santa claus at her local mall.

of course, even if she was mildly amused consuming him while he was in costume, sophia still made it mostly painless for him.

plus, the messier she was, the less she got out of her meal, anyway.

and santa was a big meal.

christmas was for eating, too, right?

-

dani loved christmas.

a stark contrast to how much sophia despised it.

and surprisingly, katseye is packed during the holidays.

sophia’s plan to ignore the holidays were promptly thrown out the window when she entered katseye and realized how much they loved christmas in here.

even she could admit, dani did look cute dressed up as rudolph.

but she still didn’t understand what the hype was all about. it also rubbed her the wrong way how many men apparently had a fantasy of fucking fantastical holiday creatures.

she tried not to be a negative nancy, or the grinch, she supposes. especially because dani was in such good spirits.

sophia didn’t really buy privates with dani as often as she used to, not since taking her home every time after work.

dani refused to let her spend so much money just to hang out with her, anyway.

most nights, sophia still came in. usually just slipping dani a tip or two despite her protests, waiting around awkwardly until it was closing.

but because the holidays were so busy for them, they’d extended hours, and dani’s schedule had become more full, hectic.

so, because sophia couldn’t take her home while the sun was rising (she’d made up an excuse about early office hours), and because dani needed a break in between all the shifts and dances— dani had let her buy a private most nights, just like old times.

of course, sophia still insisted on paying the holiday rates and tipping her, no matter how much dani declined.

sophia leans back against the leather couch, staring at the christmas-y label on the champagne they served her, a frown on her face.

“jesus, they find a way to make everything themed..” she mutters to herself.

just as she takes a sip, dani enters the room, antlers and all.

“oh sorry i think you have the wrong room.. santa claus isn’t here, there’s no sleigh for you to guide.” sophia says immediately, and dani rolls her eyes.

“shut up!” she says, but she’s smiling, turning around and pointing at the tail attached to the top of her mini skirt.

“it’s cute though, isn’t it? jules really went all out this year. we’re always really packed during the holidays, even uh, without the costumes.”

sophia nods, flicking the tail out of curiosity.

dani tsks, slapping her hand away, “hey, don’t break it! it’s like, their favorite part.” she says, plopping onto the couch, laying her head in sophia’s lap.

“do you have costumes every day of december?” she asks, moving the hair out of dani’s face, looking down at her.

shaking her head, dani closes her eyes, stretching out on the couch, “no, it’s just a few nights. we expect more people when we announce we’re in costume, though.”

“geez, didn’t realize men were so aroused by reindeer...” sophia trails off, not really thinking much of it.

but suddenly, dani sits up, straddling her, a look in her eyes she hadn’t seen in awhile.

leaning in, dani kisses her, and sophia grips onto her waist, pulling her closer. dani pulls away from the kiss, moving to nip at sophia’s ear gently, “what’s wrong, this doesn’t do it for you?” she asks, that lull in her voice that was slightly familiar but also completely new, like it was reserved for sophia, and sophia only.

sophia shivers.

suddenly, it didn’t feel like winter anymore.

“you always do it for me, dani.” sophia says, watching as dani’s dark eyes trail over her.

dani leans in for another kiss, and sophia lets her deepen it, their tongues sliding against each other’s easily, their breathing becoming uneven.

grabbing at sophia’s hand, dani moves it to rest on her upper thigh, and sophia rubs her thumb over her soft skin, inching up slowly under her skirt.

sighing into the kiss, dani starts rolling her hips into sophia’s lap.

sophia remembers something.

the music starts to seep in from the outside, and sophia pulls away from the kiss, becoming way too aware of where she was right now.

“what’s wrong?” dani asks, her chest heaving, lipstick a little smudged and glossed over.

she moves both hands to wrap around her waist, reassuring her, “nothing, nothing’s wrong..”

“trust me, i want you more than all those weirdos out there combined,”

sophia leans in kiss dani on her (red) nose, cupping her face with her hands, looking into her eyes.

“it’s just, this feels wrong. in here, at least,”

dani nods for her to continue, “i mean, first off this isn’t really allowed.. jules would kill me if he found out,” sophia says, and dani laughs, agreeing. “mm, that he would.”

“yeah, plus, i know we’re far past.. all this, i know you know i care about you outside this all,” sophia gestures to her antlers, her clothes, flicking her tail again, a smile on her face, unable to hold the laugh in.

before dani can retaliate, sophia continues,

“but, i’d still like to remind you. that i care, i mean.”

“and you know, that means not breaking rules at your workplace. except the one of giving you a paid break, that ones an exception.”

dani laughs quietly, leaning her head on sophia’s shoulder.

“you know, kissing me is breaking a rule, too.” dani says, straightening back up to see the look on sophia’s face.

“..that’s another exception.”

dani leans back in for a soft kiss, “i’ll take it,” she mouths into her lips, smiling into it.

a little later, after a short 10 minute power nap on sophia’s lap, sophia wakes dani up gently.

they had about 10 minutes left to themselves before dani had to be pulled away by the entourage of christmas fucking freaks, as sophia had so kindly named them.

sophia starts to rub her hand along dani’s back, wondering how dani didn’t get cold in here, especially nowadays.

it was good that sophia had just eaten, so that she could be warm for dani.

“so, are you saying you’d fuck me if we were someplace else?” dani mumbles into sophia’s shoulder, and she gasps dramatically.

“you are so vulgar!”

“and you’re a prude in a strip club,”

they both laugh, and dani lifts her head, speaking properly, now. “what i mean is, take me out, then. on a real date. not here or in between here and my apartment,”

“of course. i’ve always wanted to.. i’m just, finding the time.” sophia says, kissing her temple.

“i’m in no rush,” dani says, sophia swallows down a comment about the irony of it all.

“and then after the date you can fuck me in my shitty apartment, and then i can get revenge on my roommate,” dani jokes, but sophia doesn’t laugh.

“actually, uh, about that..”

sophia bites the inside of her cheek, nervous.

dani raises a brow, “hm?”

-

“are you being fucking serious?”

jules exclaims, and dani just nods, beaming up at him. “it’s real jules, we’ve seen it ourselves,” megan says, backing dani up.

he smiles, “i mean i knew she was a high-baller but not like this!”

rolling her eyes, dani leans in, giving jules a hug, “i just need onee night off to move all my things,” she says, smiling up at him, a pleading look on her face.

with a sigh, he reluctantly agrees.

“dios mio, daniela. don’t let her take one of my best girls from me, okay?” jules says, looking at her like she was his daughter about to move out, “oh my god, dude, calm down. i’m taking one night off!”

“that’s how it always starts!”

she ignores his dramatics as she leaves his office, going back into the dressing room, with lara sitting at the mirrors waiting for them.

“how’d it go? did he almost cry and act like you were about to quit?” lara asks, and dani and megan both laugh.

“he told me the high-ballers were stealing his girls away,” dani added, doing her eyeliner as she spoke.

they all stay quiet for a moment, focusing on getting ready for another long night.

holiday rates truly kept them going.

“i can’t believe your moving into a penthouse, don’t forget us when you’ve become all fancy!” megan jokes, and they all laugh.

“but seriously, though, i’m so happy for you. i mean, you hit the sugar mommy jackpot,” lara says, and megan hums in agreement.

dani waves them off, “it’s not like that,”

she looks down at her heels, and lara gets off her chair, standing next to her and bumping her shoulder lightly,

“i’m just messing with you.”

dani stays silent, and megan props herself up to sit on the vanity in front of her, “you like her a lot, don’t you?” megan asks.

putting on her lipstick, dani purses her lips, “maybe..” she trails off, and lara hums. “well then, she can be your girlfriend and your sugar mommy.”

she couldn’t be mad.

it wasn’t like they were wrong, sophia did shower her with gifts. ones that dani could never really afford on her own.

and dani was no stranger from being spoiled like this, but usually, the gifts weren’t really for dani, they were for angel.

clothes, lingerie, perfumes, jewelry..

but with sophia, everything was for dani.

they had talked about this all before, and they’ve both reassured each other countless times that this wasn’t transactional. that the care went beyond the gifts and the pleasantries— the superficial.

even then, dani wishes she could do more for sophia.

dani turns around, leaning back against the vanity, head in her hands. she sighs dramatically, “she’s not even my girlfriend!” she frets, leaving out the yet.

she didn’t wanna jinx anything.

just as she’s fake-sulking, ruby passes by.

“of course she isn’t, she probably just wants her play thing in a cleaner box!” she exclaims, and lara’s about to retaliate, but dani pulls her back, “she isn’t worth it,” she mutters under her breath.

luckily, ruby doesn’t hear her, being called away for her shift.

she usually took on earlier shifts, when the club was more empty.

jules tells her it’s because he didn’t want her to get tired if she dances too late. he was lying. he had told dani the truth, but jules was too nice for his own good.

and dani, although she could rip her apart with everything she knew, she refused to stoop as low as her.

“you shouldn’t let her talk to you like that all the time, you know she’s just jealous.”

megan says, draping her arms over her shoulders from behind her.

dani shakes her head “i know, but maybe that’s why i should let her talk to me like that. if i don’t react she’ll stop.”

“fair enough.” megan says, and dani turns around, tapping on megan’s knee.

“dude, get down from there, we aren’t insured if you get hurt and you know jules will kill us if he has to replace the vanity.”

megan pushes her out of the way, jumping down from the vanity.

“ugh, i forgot there’s a reason why you’re his favorite, you goody-two-shoes.” megan says, and the three of them laugh.

“right. and because i’m so good i guess i won’t tell jules to recommend you two to my regulars on my night off..”

dani laughs as she rushes to the bathroom,

outside the door, megan and lara knock, “bitch! we were joking! please tell him!”

“i will! i’m just fucking with you,” dani calls out from inside, going to check her phone, smiling as she sees notifications from sophia.

new girl

9:17 PM

new girl: Hi Dani, I just dropped off the keys at your place.

I think you should get a better hiding spot for your spare key.. I forgot where you told me it was but I still found it.

9:22 PM

new girl: Also, your roommate’s cat tried to kill me.

dani smiles by herself, sitting on the toilet seat, reminding herself to change sophia’s contact name.

to what? she wasn’t sure yet.

-

sophia hated christmas.

even if she secretly funded a christmas party for daniela and her co-workers. all the staff at the club, essentially.

she had to talk to jules to plan it, who had immediately tried to hug her.

sophia politely declined.

but he was thrilled anyway, promising not to tell anyone. sophia didn’t want someone to pick a fight with dani or think she was showing off, especially that ruby girl.

it was hard to keep it from dani.

mostly because jules seemed to be a terrible liar, but so far he made it until the night of the party without a hitch, so sophia considers it a success.

sophia waits for dani to come home from the party at her new apartment, the one dani had finally let sophia buy her a week ago after much reluctance— (sophia had to tell her it was from santa, and declining would put her on the naughty list forever, and dani laughed so hard she conceded.)

while waiting, sophia figures it would be a good time to surprise her by setting up a christmas tree.

of course,

sophia still hated christmas.

but she liked dani, so she figures it’s a fair trade.

she groans, exasperated, having spent over three hours just putting the tree up. surprisingly, none of her powers were of any use whatsoever. sophia thought the tree was her biggest enemy, but turns out, the tree was only there to introduce her real nemesis; christmas lights.

the moment the took them out of their godforsaken box, they were immediately tangled.

she was in the about to give up and chew through the wires with her fangs, when suddenly, a key twists in the front door.

“shit!” sophia curses under her breath, looking around and staring at the mess.

the doorknob wiggled, and sophia stood up, the lights wrapping around her ankle as she did, her hands still stuck in all the wires.

dani walks down the hall of her entryway, a smile on her face.

sophia prods at her teeth with her tongue, checking to make sure her fangs were hidden before she spoke.

“surprise!”

she announces, lights tangled all around (and on) her, a mess of ornaments and empty packages still on the floor.

“i was supposed to finish before you got home,” sophia says, smiling sheepishly.

dani attempts to hold in her laugh, dropping all her things down onto the floor before walking up to sophia, giving her a quick kiss.

she leans down to help free sophia from the lights, “well, i’m glad you didn’t finish. now we get to decorate the tree together. it’s the best part, didn’t you know that?”

once she’s freed, sophia let’s out a sigh of relief, sitting down on the couch. dani follows after her, sitting on her lap, arms wrapping around her neck.

“no, actually. uhm.. we don’t really do christmas back at home,”

dani gasps, offended.

“well we can’t have that! we’re gonna have our own christmas, then, tonight.”

sophia’s about to complain, but then she looks up, being met with dani’s perfect smile, and her perfect eyes— and sophia is truly, a lost cause.

“okay.. what do we do first?”

“well, it’s not really, traditional, especially since the tree isn’t finished yet,” she teases, and sophia groans, “i tried!”

dani laughs, leaning in to kiss her temple, “i know.. but i uh, i already got you a gift. hold on a sec, stay here.”

quickly, dani stands, going to grab something in her bedroom.

when she returns, she carries a box, wrapped in red, shiny, tacky wrapping paper, bow and all.

“hey, no fair! i don’t have a gift for you..” sophia trails off, and dani tsks, “you’ve given me plenty, sophia. plus, jules told me you paid for everything awhile ago, he can’t lie for shit, especially not to me.”

sophia mutters a ‘traitor’, and dani laughs, “but seriously, you’ve made everyday feel like christmas since i met you.. i just wanted to give you a little something too.”

she hands it to sophia, who looks up at her, curious.

“open it! hurry!”

dani says, impatient, and sophia laughs, ripping the packaging.

immediately, she knows what it is.

the green textured leather, and the gold crown embossed at the bottom. her hands ran over the surface gently, mouth hung open.

sophia was never really one to purchase any luxury items for herself, even if she could afford it. she just never really had the thought to, or felt the need.

she looks at dani, perplexed, who just shrugs, biting her lip, gesturing for sophia to open the box.

carefully, she lifts up the lid of the box, revealing a beautiful watch with a red dial.

“i know you like red.. and uh, it reminded me of the second time i met you..” dani explains,  taking it out of the box and slipping it on her wrist.

sophia just stares at dani, in awe.

“i also figured it would help if you could tell the time faster.. since you know, you’re always late,” dani teases, and sophia laughs, her eyes glossing up.

she didn’t even know she was still capable of crying.

sophia learned new things about herself everyday around dani.

“do you like it?” dani asks, fidgeting. sophia can’t believe she would ever think otherwise.

“i love it.” sophia says, pulling dani closer, “i love it because it’s from you,” she plants a kiss on dani’s forehead, then her cheeks, then her lips, soft and slow, trying to tell her everything she couldn’t express with her words.

“it’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me. thank you, dani.”

dani sighs, laying her head on sophia’s lap, “i was scared you already had it or something,” she admits, and sophia laughs, running her hands through her hair, “i don’t own anything quite this nice.. never have,”

“speaking of which, this is an extremely extravagant gift—“

sophia starts, more concerned that anything else, but dani puts a finger to her lips, “uh-uh, i will not accept any complaints or worries,”

dani grabs sophia’s face with both hands, leaning close to her as she spoke.

“you are the best thing this fuckass world has given me, okay? this is nothing compared to what you mean to me.. don’t worry about it.”

sophia opens her mouth to say something, but dani covers her mouth with her entire hand now.

laughing, sophia gently takes her hand off, “i was gonna ask if i could kiss you.. but if i can’t talk then i guess tha—“

dani cuts her off with a kiss.

sophia smiles into it, thinking about how she should ramble a lot more often if this is how it ends up.

she could get used to this.

actually, maybe she already has.

later that night, when dani falls asleep on her on the couch after setting up the tree and having a couple of drinks, sophia tucks her into bed.

it was a bit of a gamble, flying her there, knowing she’d he found out if dani woke up.

but she one hell of a deep sleeper.

she watched her stretch out on the bed, reaching out to wrap her arms around a pillow, just as she’d wrapped herself around sophia on the couch.

sophia smiles to herself, floating above her, watching over her. she took in all of dani’s features, especially striking when she was completely at rest; peaceful.

she checks the watch on her hand, and it tells her she had about 30 minutes before sunrise.

so she stays about ten more.

before she leaves, she plants a kiss on the birthmark above dani’s brow, “i love you,” she whispers, quietly, more to admit it to herself than anything else.

she makes it home just in time.

staring at the pretty red thing ticking on her wrist, she wonders how she ended up here. staring at the passing hours, hoping it would go slower instead of faster like she always has.

for once in her life, time mattered.

only, it wasn’t her own that did.

-

as promised, sophia eventually takes dani out on a real date.

many real dates, actually.

at restaurants, bars, or anywhere sophia deemed romantic that was open at night.

they tend to be few and far between, with dani always having to work and with sophia sometimes being.. busy.

with what exactly? dani was never too sure.

but even if they didn’t necessarily get to go out on conventional dates all that often, they still always saw each other.

as sure as the sun would rise, sophia would send a driver to pick up dani every night she had work, with her new apartment being a little further than before.

and as sure as the sun would rise, sophia would be waiting for her in the backseat, that, or she’d be at katseye with her, standing around and still, despite many, many protests, slipping her tips with a sly smirk paired with a wink.

dani had convinced sophia to stop paying for privates with her… for the most part.

but if sophia ever noticed a slight frown on her face or an ache anywhere on her body while she worked, she wouldn’t hesitate to drag her into vip, adamant that she lay down, stretch, eat, take a nap; rest.

and dani would have to admit, it was quite nice.

better than nice, actually.

as much as dani loved their dates outside, she also loved their nights in at her apartment.

maybe she loved them more, actually.

but sophia always looked so proud of herself whenever they went out, so dani could never admit that to her. she would never wanna burst her bubble.

sophia’s been busy lately.

she still comes to see her almost every night, but usually, she couldn’t stay long. she’d told dani that her and manon had argued about something, and that she needed to start helping her more with business.

it was always so vague with sophia. but dani trusted her, even if her head was always filled with questions that were always left unanswered.

tonight was dani’s day off.

so, sophia had freed up some time for a date.

but this time, it wasn’t sophia who would be planning it, but it was dani.

as much as sophia prided herself on taking dani out, dani could tell she liked it better at home, too. so, to switch it up a bit, dani asks sophia to come over for dinner at 8.

dinner wasn’t the new part though.

what was new is that dani would be the ine to cook.

new for their dates,

new for sophia,

and also, new for dani.

she has no idea where she got the absolute genius idea of planning to cook for sophia, when she’d never touched a stove in her life.

but, dani was never one to give up.

so, armed with nothing but hopes, dreams, a cute apron, and her mamá’s cook book, dani entered the battle field of the kitchen, hoping to come out unscathed.

she flips through the cook book, starting to wonder if she was in way ahead of herself.

dani furrows her brows, chewing on the inside of her cheek. she hadn’t even started with the cooking part and she was already panicking.

suddenly, she remembers how sophia said she’d liked the steak at that one place they ate at a few weeks back. she flips through the pages, slower.

and then she finds it; churrasco.

dani remembers liking it whenever her mamá would make it for her, and reading through the steps, it didn’t seem all that hard. dani could surely make sophia some churrasco.

right?

“dani?” sophia says as she arrives, and dani calls out from the kitchen, “i’m in here!”

when she walks into the kitchen, dani turns around to greet her, having already set the plates and candles.

“you got here just on time, i literally just finished cooking..” dani smiles, and sophia raises her brows, walking over to sit at the bar stool across the counter from where dani stood. “you cooked for me?”

sophia reaches forward as she says it, tugging at dani’s apron, “so that’s what this is for.. looks good on you,” sophia says, staring.

“all right, eyes up here!” dani jokes, and sophia rolls her eyes, leaning forward.

“what did you make me, hm?”

excitedly, dani turns around to place a platter of grilled streak in front of sophia, who seems to be quite impressed. “it’s called churrasco, my mamá used to make it for me,”

dani buzzes, putting a few pieces onto sophia’s plate, “i tried some of the sauce, but it haven’t tried any of the meat yet.. so you’re gonna have to be the first taste! so be honest, it’s okay if it’s—“

sophia slices a piece, and immediately, red spills out from the cut.

dani’s about to apologize, but then sophia takes a bite. “is it bad? it’s probably bad.. i can cook it more!”

but sophia shakes her head, taking another bite, “oh no it’s okay.. i actually like my steak this way.”

“you’re joking.”

dani says, wide-eyed, but sophia is completely unphased, even going to grab more pieces from the platter. “it’s really good with the sauce, you did great!” sophia speaks, her mouth full.

“aren’t.. aren’t you gonna get sick?” dani wonders, and sophia laughs a little, “trust me, i won’t. but you can cook yours more, your stomach isn’t used to it.”

“right, yeah. okay.”

the rest of the night goes off without a hitch. and surprisingly, dani’s cooking actually wasn’t so bad, at least, after she actually cooked it. she has no idea how sophia liked it beforehand.

after their odd meal, dani shows sophia her favorite part of having dates at home.

and by showing her, she means making out with her in her bedroom.

“soph, fuck—“

dani mouths into sophia’s lips, breathing ragged as sophia’s knee becomes very acquainted with her crotch, lodged in between her legs as she presses up against her.

her hands tangle in sophia’s hair, pulling her closer, annoyed at the amount of clothing standing between them.

sophia pulls away, and dani pulls off her own top, propping herself up on her elbows, looking up at sophia with dark eyes.

biting her lip, sophia leans in for another kiss, more eager this time, nipping softly at dani’s bottom lip before pulling away, peppering feather light kisses down dani’s neck and chest.

dani holds onto sophia’s head firmly, whimpering as she finds a sweet spot, sucking on it gently.

likely leaving a mark behind, sophia pulls away with a whine, moving to another spot, marking dani up.

suddenly, teeth drag softly along dani’s neck and she shivers, biting her lip.

“you can uhm, give me more..” dani says, and sophia pulls away suddenly, tensing. “i can’t—“

sophia sits up, and dani frowns, confused.

that was another thing with sophia.

she seemed to be very comfortable with dani, physically. but at some points sometimes she’d tense up and back away.

dani tried to bring it up before.

but sophia just got defensive, and dani didn’t wanna be pushy. especially not with something so sensitive.

“what’s wrong? i thought you.. well, actually whatever. it doesn’t matter.“

dani sits up, rubbing sophia’s shoulders gently, “we can just, sleep, if you want. can you at least sleep over tonight, please?”

sophia smiles, kissing her birthmark.

“dani i would, i’d love to, i promise— i just, i really just can’t..” sophia reasons, and dani’s smile fades, finding it hard to listen to the same excuse over and over again.

“why not, sophia? why can’t you ever give me a clear reason?” she spits out, and sophia shrinks. dani feels bad, she wants so badly to comfort her.

but dani couldn’t just live with all these questions forever.

“i’m sorry, i can’t.. i promise you i’m telling you everything i can..”

sophia looks down, avoiding dani’s eyes.

“why can’t you choose what you tell me?” dani asks, a crack in her voice.

she hadn’t realized how much this all affected her up until this point.

dani meant it, she trusted sophia.

but sometimes it was hard not to wonder. not to be scared. if sophia’s life was still too busy for her— even after all this time. how was dani supposed to be sure she wasn’t just temporary to sophia?

sophia reassured her, a lot.

recently it had been getting harder and harder to find comfort in that. especially when everything was always so vague.

“i can stay,” sophia starts, glancing down at her watch. it was bittersweet. she always used it, which was nice to see. but at the same time, every time she did, it meant she was counting down when she’d have to leave. sophia gazes out the window, pursing her lips “i can stay until about 6:30?”

sophia shifts to be closer to her, but dani doesn’t look at her.

“we can sleep.. or you can, and i can just wake you up when i have to go if you want?” sophia tries, a smile on her face.

but dani’s heard it all too many times.

it never made any sense to her.

“just go, sophia. you’ll leave anyway.” dani spits out. sophia tries to move toward her, but dani crosses her arms in front of her, knees coming up to her chest. forcing space between them, her throat starting to burn.

sophia stares at her, but dani doesn’t move her gaze away from the floor. “if.. if that’s what you want..” sophia’s voice cracks, and it takes all of dani’s strength not to hold her.

“just go.”

she reaches out, but then pulls back, standing up and walking out the door without another word. dani heard the front door click behind her, and finally, she lets the tears fall.

dani just couldn’t take it anymore.

-

“what.. is all this..”

jules says, eyeing the flowers that filled the dressing room, varying from boxes to bouquets, all with a huge ‘ i’m sorry ’ note attached to them, scribbled in bad handwriting with a sad face.

he watches as the girls all crowd around dani, all chattering about things he couldn’t quite make out, their voices overlapping.

lara comes up to him, “dani and ms. laforteza fought,” she whispers, and he quickly connects the dots.

right.

this is why he never takes a day off.

he’s gone one night and suddenly the dressing room has turned into a flower shop.

“this started yesterday?” jules asks, quietly, as they both watch the scene fold out in front of them. lara nods, leaning in to whisper into his ear “yeah, but all the other girls already took home all the flowers from yesterday.. everything in here is just from today.”

“ay coño de la madre..”

“what?”

jules sighs “nothing, nothing.. what’s daniela saying?” he asks, and lara thinks for a moment, just as all the girls squeal out at something dani opens.

they both watch silently as dani pushes past the crowd, frustrated, stopping when she see’s jules.

he looks down at her, clearing his throat, arms crossed in front of him.

she smiles, like a kid who had just broken a vase in the house. “oh! jules! you’re back!”

“a word please, angel?”

the girls all react behind her as he speaks, and she turns around to flip them all off, sticking her tongue out.

she follows jules into his office, shutting the door behind her.

dani anticipates a reprimanding, but jules just sighs, a worried look in his eyes.

“dani, what happened? lara told me you had a fight with sophia. are you okay?”

sitting down on one of the chairs, she groans, “it’s petty. i just, need a moment.. away from her,” she says, not wanting to spout details about her love life to her boss, who was pretty much her second father.

“are those.. from her?” he says, carefully, pointing at her neck, and dani quickly shakes her head, mortified.

“no! i mean, yes.. but not like that! she would never, i promise.”

jules’ face shifts in realization, and he looks just as mortified for a second, before speaking up again, “okay. well, your personal life is none of my business, as long as you’re safe.. but daniela, don’t let this go on, okay?”

dani looks down, nodding.

“you have to talk at some point. and you can’t let her turn this place into a jungle.. please.”

she laughs, looking back up at him, “i won’t.. i promise, but i’m busy tonight. tomorrow, maybe.”

as she exits his office, dani see’s that all the girls had gotten back to getting ready, with only megan and lara left where she was sitting previously.

“ugh, don’t tell me you two are fawning over this too,” she says, sitting back on the chair, looking down at sophia’s most recent apology.

it was a stack of books, tied together with a bow, the titles on the spine spelling out a message.

i’m sorry

daniela

let’s talk

please

there was a note at the top, with sophia telling her that she only thought dani might like reading the ‘let’s talk’ book, and that the rest might be bad.

“you have to admit.. this ones a little cute,” megan says, eyeing the note.

dani rolls her eyes, but when she’s sure no one was looking anymore, she pulls out her phone and snaps a picture, smiling to herself.

“maybe it’s a little cute.”

-

dani comes out for a smoke.

but she quickly hides the stick and lighter when she walks out and immediately sees sophia standing outside, a single rose in hand.

“i thought you quit..” sophia says, teasing, and dani laughs, not expecting it. “i did, i haven’t since you last saw me.”

a silence lingers between them.

dani almost wants to go back inside, to avoid her like she’d been doing the past two days. but sophia didn’t deserve that.

she sighs, taking a step down the stairs of the back door, sitting on the steps.

“..are you still mad at me?” sophia asks, gently, and dani looks up at her. sophia looked cold. dani reaches out, grabbing the rose from her, staring down at it as she spoke. “i was never really mad, i just, i needed time to cool off.”

sophia leans on the stair railing, looking down at the ground.

“i meant everything i said that night, dani. i promise i really, really wish i could tell you everything. it’s just.. i don’t make the rules. i wish i did.”

when dani lifts her head, she’s met with sophia’s eyes. she searches, as if they somehow held all the answers.

squatting down in front of her, sophia grabs both her hands, looking into her eyes.

“you are the most important thing in my life, i promise. the things i can’t tell you.. none of them have or will ever matter to me more than you do, dani.”

dani smiles. dimple and all.

rolling her eyes, she leans in, kissing sophia, hands cupping her face gently.

when they pull away, sophia beams at her,

“does this mean you forgive me?”

“kind of,”

“i’ll take it.”

-

sophia gets caught up easily.

it wasn’t a problem she ever had before, not until meeting dani.

she’d been doing well for herself.

for a short while, she felt like she finally found the balance. sophia felt like she could do both; fulfill her role to herself and to dani.

and she did, temporarily, find the balance.

but what she’d failed to consider was that the two most integral parts of her life needed to co-exist. and one definitely could not outweigh the other.

if sophia wanted to love dani, she needed to be alive to do it.

unfortunately for her, it was hard to fulfill two responsibilities at once if you decide to immediately and completely separate them from each other.

sophia loved dani.

but truly being with her wasn’t as simple as intention, as feeling.

it required effort,

attention,

and honesty.

something that she, essentially, couldn’t give her. something she refused to.

sophia always believed that it was okay to lie to someone if it protected them, if it made things easier.

but what she didn’t realize was that you couldn’t protect someone you loved with a lie, not if you are the lie.

it’s easy to hide at first.

but the more time she’d spent building up this connection— these feelings. the more used to it sophia had gotten. the more addicted she got to the feeling of being free.

the more she felt like the lies weren’t lies anymore, like they could be reality.

loving dani had contorted into something detrimental to sophia’s life,

it had turned into a fantasy. a fantasy of mortality. a version of herself that wasn’t shackled to eternity.

and that? that was something sophia could never have.

quickly, her responsibilities for dani had begun to outweigh those for herself. after their fight, sophia overcompensated, spending as much time she could with dani.

without realizing it, sophia had entirely forgotten to consume blood for two months.

she’d flown too close to the sun.

the fantasy had taken over, and she’d lived the lie for so long that she forgot it was a lie in the first place.

that she wasn’t human.

and she couldn’t just act like one and pretend like everything would be okay.

that she would be okay.

sophia was with dani, when she remembers.

they were having an early dinner before dani had to go to work tonight. daniela had again, insisted she cook for sophia.

it was sweet, and dani looked cute when she focused, so really, sophia had no complaints.

it all goes smoothly, despite dani being in a rush. she’d been cooking for sophia a lot recently, having gotten the hang of it.

that is, until, she cuts her finger.

immediately, she flinches, cursing under her breath and lifting her finger up to inspect it.

the cut is small, but it bleeds.

it bleeds, and immediately, sophia smells it. the moment the skin breaks and the blood leaks out, sophia’s senses are overwhelmed.

there’s nothing else she can think of.

she grips the countertop in front of her, tightly, her head starting to feel light, fangs threatening to come out of her skull, and her stomach grumbling excruciatingly.

it hits her suddenly.

she hadn’t fucking eaten.

she hadn’t skipped a few days, a week, not even just a month, but two.

sophia had many rules she had to follow.

but the most important one of all was that a vampire should never, under any circumstance, go hungry.

dani steps away to bandage up her finger, and sophia calls out while she still can, “dani? i’m feeling really, really sick.. i think i have to go,”

before dani can respond, or see her, sophia runs out, shutting the door behind her and rushing toward the fire escape.

once she flies away from the building, sure that dani was far, far away from her, sophia loses consciousness.

her instincts take over, her body having realized her mind had betrayed her.

sophia was in a frenzy.

and there was no way to get out of it, not until she was full.

she feels disconnected from her own body, having lost all control. she feels herself walk into the nearest store she sees, like an audience to her own actions, unable to control herself.

she bites into the first person she sees.

vaguely, she registers a deafening screams from the crowd, a loud alarm ringing through her ears, people scrambling around her, overwhelming her senses.

the body below her slumps as she drains the life from it, draining all blood from the source.

her vision starts to get clearer, but she still wasn’t full. sophia needed more.

and she needed it now.

without much effort needed, she rips off an arm from the body, biting at the flesh roughly, quenching her thirst momentarily.

she fades in and out of consciousness, her logic starting to slowly return as she takes in her surroundings. she was in public. people were frozen in place, trembling, attempting to stay hidden.

but one person was standing, unperturbed, phone out and filming, an almost amused look on his face.

sophia lunges at him.

she breaks his phone, grabbing him by the hair and dragging him out of the store, flying both of them to the nearest alley she could spot.

it seems familiar,

but sophia was still hungry, and she wasn’t strong enough to think, or to remember, not quite yet.

so she slams his face into the ground, silencing his protests as she bites into him, draining him completely, blood spurting out on her face, too starved to be clean.

she’s about to rip his body apart, eat flesh off his bones— something she hadn’t done since first turning, before learning to control her instincts.

but suddenly, she hears a scream.

her mind still wavered, not having recovered fully. but sophia knew that voice more than anything.

sophia was sure.

-

“did you hear? two people were just murdered at the 711 nearby,”

dani nods, overwhelmed. the whole dressing room was in shambles, with everyone freaking out, understandably.

she worries her bottom lip between her teeth, and lara immediately notices, “you okay?”

she nods, unconvinced even by herself.

“yeah, it’s just.. sophia left in a hurry awhile ago, she said she felt sick. i don’t know if she got home safe, she hasn’t replied to me.”

ruby passes by, coming up to dani, “i read somewhere both the victims were male, maybe the killer is only after men or some shit. i’m sure she’s fine,”

dani gives her a small smile,

she’s about to thank ruby, but suddenly, jules walks in the dressing room.

he looks just as shaken up as all the girls, horrified by the news. “girls, gather around, please.” he announces, and they all immediately huddle, silenced.

dani thinks it’s the most quiet it’s ever been backstage.

on different terms, she would probably celebrate, or tease them about how they finally learned to shut up.

but now dani wishes more than anything that everyone could be loud again.

“okay, i know you all know what’s happening. so, in light of this news we’re gonna close early tonight,”

his voice starts to shake as he continues, “please pack up your things and get home as early and as fast as possible, okay? and i need everyone to tell me immediately when they’re home.”

everyone nods silently.

all dani can think about is sophia.

did she get home safely?

was she outside?

why was she sick?

is she hurt?

dani feels herself hoping sophia wasn’t able to make it out her building, hoping that she’d returned to the apartment, hoping that she’d be at home when dani returned.

a hundred possibilities start to fog her mind, so much so that when megan and lara ask her about a ride home, she just nods, not really comprehending what they were telling her.

it almost feels like a dream.

maybe it was because she didn’t want to let herself believe any of it was real. maybe it was because it scared her less, to not process everything all the way.

so, instead of really thinking about what happened, what was happening, she thinks about sophia.

putting one foot in front of the other, she walks home, trying to get there as fast as possible, telling herself that sophia would probably be there waiting for her when she arrives.

as she walks, she hears footsteps behind her.

she attempts to ignore it, to remain calm. she starts walking faster, trying not to make her panic apparent.

but the footsteps speed up, too.

perhaps she was just hallucinating it.

yeah, maybe, maybe she was so scared that she’d started imagining a threat.

she pauses, assessing herself, quickly realizing she’d forgotten to put a coat on, and also forgot to change her shoes.

meaning, everyone could tell who she was, where she worked, or more specifically, what she did for work.

dani looked like a stripper.

it was clear as day. and unfortunately for her, that was a big detriment to her safety.

so, she starts walking faster, pretty much running, at this point. the steps behind her match her pace, and then she confirms to herself she wasn’t just hallucinating, peering over her shoulder to see a guy, very clearly chasing after her.

carefully, but as fast as possible, she grabs her keys from her bag, trying her best to stuff them between her knuckles.

but by then it’s too late.

he tackles her, much stronger than she is, shoving her roughly to the ground.

she puts up a fight, yelling out as loud as possible before he roughly places a hand over her mouth. she shoves and shoves against him, even being able to scratch at his face with her keys, drawing some blood. but he was relentless, and she was far too weak.

he grabs the keys away, tossing it off, and suddenly dani had nothing left to fight with.

tears start to flow out of her, and she attempts to numb herself, bracing for the inevitable.

suddenly, he’s ripped off of her.

dani gasps out, startled, instinctively propping herself up and crawling toward a wall. she leans back against it, wincing, her body bruised from the impact of hitting the concrete.

she blinks away her tears, trying to make out what was happening a mere few feet away from her.

and as she does, she wishes she hadn’t.

she watched as a figure threw the man onto the ground, too far away to make out who it was. but she could tell it was a girl.

dani expects her to throw a punch,

maybe pull out a knife,

a gun, even.

but instead, the woman grabs onto both of his arms. suddenly, dani hears a crack, and the man yells out.

before dani can even think to look away, the woman grips his head, ripping it cleanly off his body.

blood spills out everywhere, and the figure leans down, just as dani pinches herself, willing herself to wake up from a nightmare.

unfortunately, dani feels the pinch.

this was all real.

after hunching over the body, the woman straightens, turning around, rushing toward her.

once she’s close enough, dani can finally make out her features, her face, who she was.

it was sophia.

“shit.. fuck, dani, are you okay? i’m so sorry i shouldn’t have left you to go home on your own.. i didn’t, i didn’t know..” sophia rushes out, out of breath.

dani freezes.

she stares, taking in her appearance, holding her breath. two sharp, prominent teeth poking out as she spoke. blood, everywhere, all over her, more than what she could’ve gotten from the one guy.

she starts connecting all the dots.

her eyes widen, realization quickly sinking in.

the late nights,

the excuses,

the murders,

it was sophia, she was..

“it’s not what it looks like, dani, please let me explain,” sophia says, standing in front of her, and dani tries to stand, to run away. but everything hurt.

dani tries again, but she almost falls over.

sophia catches her, and the blood gets on dani. she looks up at sophia, mortified.

she loves sophia.

and maybe she still does, maybe she just doesn’t understand if she’s still allowed to, if that was a possibility for her.

but right now— she couldn’t be the dani that feels, the dani that loves.

because dani wouldn’t be able to feel anything if she was dead.

somehow there’s still that aching part of her, the part that makes her throat burn, the part that screams at her to just let it happen, to trust.

to trust because she knows her.

she knows sophia.

but she didn’t. not enough, at least. not entirely.

and even if she wanted so badly to reminisce, to remind herself of what she did know, of the time she had spent with her, of the trust she did have for her—

daniela needed to survive.

and to do that, she needed to push away everything else.

“get the fuck away from me,”

dani spits it out, malice laced in every word, and sophia nods, but doesn’t make any move to leave. “i will. i will, but i can’t— i can’t leave you like this. i have to get you home.. please..”

her voice cracks as she speaks, and dani pushes off from her, managing to stand up straight, taking a few steps back, adrenaline allowing her to ignore the pain that screamed at her.

“i said get. the fuck. away.”

sophia doesn’t move,

and dani doesn’t, either.

Chapter Text

it’s silent.

silent enough that whenever blood drips down off of sophia’s body or clothing.. you can hear it.

nothing dares to break the silence. the tension. only the sound of their heavy breaths and a quiet whir of an air conditioning unit nearby to fill the space between them.

they were less than a foot away from each other.

dani couldn’t get far.

not right now, not in her state.

which is why sophia couldn’t leave. she couldn’t bear to let dani to fend for herself, not when she was injured.

so she stood still.

she let dani stare her down, a look in her eyes that sophia wasn’t familiar with— but one she was sure she never wanted daniela to look at her with.

but she was.

she knew now.

and sophia couldn’t do anything about it. can’t turn back time, make better decisions, had her find out in a way that wasn’t so.. terrible.

sophia breaks the silence.

“i promise i’ll leave you alone,” she starts. dani tenses when she starts to speak, taking a step back, watching her carefully.

she breathes, as gentle as possible. “just let me call you a car or something.. please..”

“give me your phone,”

dani says quickly, and sophia immediately steps forward, taking it out of her pocket to hand it to her. “no, don’t— don’t come near me. just drop it on the floor, kick it over..”

she does as dani asks.

acarefully, dani squats down to pick it up, standing back up again and dialing a number.

sophia stands still.

the wind howls. sophia could’ve sworn there hadn’t been any wind tonight.

“laforteza, what the fuck have you done?” a voice speaks behind her. she watches as dani’s eyes narrow.

manon steps forward, surprised.

“a human.. and she’s alive?” manon asks, curious, and sophia steps in front of her before she can reach dani, fangs coming back out. (she had hidden them for dani’s comfort. it didn’t work. but it was worth something.)

“don’t touch her. i just.. need her to get home safely.”

manon looks past her, giving dani a once over, eyes lingering somewhere sophia couldn’t tell, before sighing. “i see.”

suddenly, manon reaches out, grabbing sophia’s face. it wasn’t rough, but it was nowhere near gentle, either.

“go home, laforteza. i’ll clean up your mess.”

“no. i’m staying until da—“

she’s cut off, manon lifting her off the ground. “if you don’t want your little friend to see you lose a fight, i’d suggest you go home.”

sophia shoves her hand off her face, hissing, hovering above her. “if you fucking lay a hand on her,”

“sophia. leave.”

daniela interjects. both sophia and manon turn look at her as she drops sophia’s phone on the ground, kicking it back toward her.

sophia lands on the ground to pick it up, looking at dani, tears welling up in her eyes. “please..” daniela says, her voice cracking.

with one last look back at her, sophia runs away.

once she’s out of sight, daniela loses her composure, falling to the ground, clutching herself.

manon looks at her.

“are you gonna kill me?”

she says, sharply, and manon just laughs. “of course not. if i was planning to you’d be dead by now,”

dani stays in place, unable to move.

manon moves over to the dismantled body lying limp on the floor, picking the detached head off with a tsk. “i’m going to fucking kill her,” she mutters to herself, and dani grunts, sitting up.

“are.. are you manon?”

she whips her head back, “she told you my real name?”

walking toward her, dani flinches, before nodding her head. manon takes a deep breath, “we aren’t supposed to tell.. humans these things, you’re lucky i have a heart, or i would’ve killed you just for knowing.”

dani tenses, and manon squats down in front of her, eyeing the marks on neck. “i know you’re scared, i can feel it. but i won’t hurt you. i like to think i use my brain more than my heart, unlike sophia apparently. but i still have my morals,”

“so, tell me, how are you getting home, hm?”

“none of your fucking business,” dani spits out, and manon just sighs, tired.

“look, just tell me what i can do to make sure you get home in one piece. you should consider yourself lucky i’m keeping you alive.”

weighing her options, dani gives in.

“the century penthouse..”

manon lets out a long groan. muttering another curse under her breath.

dani decides not to question it.

-

“let me get this straight,”

“you’ve been spending your money on this girl— this, human. and she’s a stripper?”

sophia doesn’t quite nod, “well yes, but it’s not like tha—“

manon cuts her off.

“just say yes or no, laforteza. i am sick of your fucking excuses. not today. i’m not hearing another word.”

looking down, sophia just nods.

“and that penthouse you said you rented out, god, i thought you were helping us out— that was for her?”

guilty, sophia nods again.

“don’t even get me started on that stunt you pulled. it was all because of her? right? how distracted you were. how long did you go without feeding?”

“a little over two months..”

yoonchae gasps from across the table, covering her own mouth in disbelief. “어떻게?” she exclaims, and manon stares her down.

“sorry, it’s just.. isn’t that, like, dangerous?”

“thank you for pointing that out, yoonchae. you’re right, it is. i’m surprised your aware because apparently not all of us here are!”

sophia sucks in a breath, hands tangled in her hair, “i know, i fucked up. i’m sorry,”

manon stands up, slamming her hands against the table, shaking the ground below them as she does. “fucked up? you fucked up? do you have any idea how dire this is! do you even know how many people saw you? the council would have executed you for this if i wasn’t friends with some of the jury, sophia. you have no idea how much trouble this mess has caused me— has caused all of us.”

a pause.

sophia’s voice shakes as she says it, “i’m sorry..”

the room goes quiet, tension coming to a standstill. somehow it was more suffocating in the silence.

manon walks up to her, cupping her cheek with one hand before slicing into sophia’s neck with a blade, shoving something inside and letting it heal over.

caught off guard, sophia clutches her neck.

“what the fuck?”

it didn’t really hurt her, to a human it could probably be compared to a rough pinch. her skin immediately closing back up.

“you can’t be trusted. not anymore. i need to make sure you stay home until i sort this all out.” manon says matter of factly.

“so you fucking bugged me? what am i? a dog?” sophia exclaims, hands gripping the edge of the table tightly. manon doesn’t waver, even when sophia glares at her.

sophia storms off into her room, slamming the door behind her.

she slams it hard enough to shake the room, and yoonchae catches a cup from falling off the table, looking at manon.

“can i go now?”

she asks, careful. manon sighs, “yes. but don’t you dare forget everything i told her, if you ever repeat her mistakes—“

“i won’t. i promise.” yoonchae reassures her, smiling at her, “i’ll be back in a bit, and you’ll know where i am! my life 360 is on..” she says, getting a small smile out of manon. “you know you’re my favorite, right?”

standing up, yoonchae goes over to give her a kiss on the head, “mhm!” she says, before opening up a window and flying out.

manon looks out, watching yoonchae disappear into the distance.

perhaps she was too harsh.

she walks toward sophia’s bedroom, resolving to apologize. maybe hear her out, let her explain. she knocks twice before opening the door, slowly.

“sophia?”

manon calls out, peering into the room.

quickly, she realizes the room was empty. the window was cracked open, the chip she’d put in sophia lying on the floor, covered in blood.

she leans down and picks it up, crushing it with her fingers, breathing out, exasperated.

looking around her room, manon does something she promised herself she’d never do.

she snoops.

rummaging through sophia’s belongings, she bugs her clothes, her coat, all of it. even that watch she so carefully cleaned, the one she almost never took off.

manon wonders briefly why she left it behind,

wonders why she owned it to begin with.

their kind didn’t like to be reminded of time.

it felt like a mockery.

a reminder that even when the clocks stop ticking they’d still be around. counting felt useless. it almost hurt, in a way.

she holds onto it gently.

manon had a feeling it meant more— more than manon knows. more than what she could ever understand.

sophia was still young.

well, young as far as vampires go. of course living over a hundred years wasn’t young to any human.

sophia still remembers what it’s like, to be human. to be innocent; to live.

manon doesn’t, not anymore. she hadn’t in a long time.

but she had accepted it.

and for a long time, she thought maybe sophia had, too.

maybe she was wrong.

maybe sophia could still be freed.

-

sophia was desperate.

she didn’t know what she was doing. wasn’t sure how to fix things. how to go on.

everything felt wrong.

but sophia didn’t have time to second guess herself, to think things through.

all she knew was that she needed to see her.

it didn’t matter to her anymore if daniela was repulsed by her. all sophia cared about was making sure she was safe, that she was okay. sophia needed to see it for herself. manon telling her just wasn’t enough.

she needed to be sure.

without thinking she rips out the chip from her neck roughly, flying out before the scar even heals over, going as fast as possible. as fast as her body would let her.

sophia had already made up for her months without feeding.

but her body didn’t work that way.

it wasn’t that simple.

there was a reason they followed a schedule. consistency was important. it kept them healthy, sure. but above all it kept them in control.

her body was that of a creature.

not of a human.

meaning, instincts could easily take over. could lead her every move, but only if she let it. that was what the schedule was for.

to keep her mind above her body.

but when vampires got hungry, their instincts— their body took over. and when you let that happen, it wasn’t as easy as getting fed to recover.

see, sophia didn’t feed as often as she could, as often as she wanted. sophia, along with manon and yoonchae, ate the bare minimum.

the least they could get away with.

just enough to get by.

it was rare, for a vampire to choose morality. to choose self control over their primal instincts.

most vampires massacred.

cleanly, usually. but no matter what, it was almost impossible to trace anything back to them. they protected each other, lots of their kind infiltrated integral spaces.

their egos would never let them admit it, but most vampires always had their asses saved by their lack of reflection.

video evidence was never admissible.

not if all that could be seen in the footage was a floating set of clothes with a victim.

sophia wasn’t like that.

she worked hard to be safe. to be careful. to be moral, as much as she could possibly be.

but she fucked up.

she had let herself go, gotten distracted. and now she had a mess she didn’t know how to clean up. pieces she wasn’t sure how to pick up, to put back together.

there’s a blind spot at the penthouse.

a window where sophia could peek in, but not be seen from the inside.

that’s where she always checked first.

sophia peeks, the view was the bedroom, where dani most often was when sophia wasn’t around.

but it was empty.

the cabinets were left open, clothes strewn about carelessly. and dani wasn’t like that. dani was clean, tidy. a neat freak, even.

her senses were heightened, still recovering from the takeover. her body was still hyperactive, as if ready to discard her mind at any given moment.

she could smell her.

but it was only a trace. only what was left of her clothes, her sheets, the things she’d left behind.

daniela wasn’t here anymore.

sophia barges inside through a window, quickly taking stock of how she had left, senses strong enough to tell what she had touched last— where she last stood.

she doesn’t know where she went.

and dani probably didn’t want to be bothered. especially if she had even gone so far as to have run away from a place, simply because it was associated with sophia.

sophia grabbed her pillow, where her scent lingered the strongest.

wrapping her arms around it tightly, she buries her face into it, tears spilling out as she sobbed into it uncontrollably.

daniela wasn’t here anymore.

-

everything hurt.

the blood was all over her, none if it her own. most if it from somewhere— someone she didn’t even know. couldn’t even name.

dani looked in the mirror, locking eyes with her own reflection, staring, scared.

parts of her she didn’t even know existed ached. every step she took felt like a hundred tiny knives poking inside her skin. like she had been struck by lightning.

she couldn’t bring herself to go to the hospital.

maybe it was smarter not to.

or maybe she was lying to herself.

if she went to the hospital in this state, looking this frazzled and bloody, they would ask questions.

questions dani couldn’t answer.

not right now,

possibly not ever.

what would she tell them? the doctors? how would she explain how she had been saved.. who saved her?

how could she explain the bodies,

the blood,

the tears,

the way she still missed her. how can she explain that in spite of the fear she couldn’t stop thinking about her? couldn’t stop caring.

the shower was hot against her skin, heat that numbed so much it almost felt cold if she stayed there long enough.

water dripped off of her, and all she could look at was how she turned the water red.

she washes the blood off her hands, telling herself that none of the blood was on her hands.

but it still felt wrong.

it felt wrong because it didn’t. because after the initial shock and fear wore off.. dani didn’t truly believe sophia was wrong.

dani wanted so badly to give her the benefit of the doubt.

to let her explain, to hear her out.

underneath it all she still trusted her.

and that was scarier than if she hadn’t. than if she actually believed sophia was nothing more than the monster she had seen.

dani wasn’t scared because sophia was something that she couldn’t understand.

she felt hurt because despite knowing everything, having all the pieces, all the strings attached, the things that could never be; sophia still did it.

she let dani fall.

dani wondered if the reason she loved and trusted sophia so much wasn’t true— that sophia may have been in it for herself,

just like the rest of them.

with a loofah, she scrubs harshly at her skin. she was clean, but she couldn’t stop. not even until it hurt.

tears spill out of her eyes without permission. dani ignores them, keeps scrubbing, as if she could take off not just the blood but what it meant, too.

if she scrubbed hard enough maybe it could take away what she felt.

take away the pain.

when she steps out of the shower her skin tingles. without much left in her (and with possible injuries untreated), she throws on the first shirt she sees.

unfortunately for her it was sophia’s.

it still smelled of her perfume.

even without trying to, dani smells it. smells her. and again, without her permission, her tears fall.

she sobs uncontrollably, letting her legs buckle as she sits down on the cold bathroom tile.

after awhile she managers to muster up enough energy to crawl into her bedroom, burying herself under covers.

covers that also, still smelled like sophia.

covers that sophia had picked out and bought for her.

she cries into them, too.

before promptly telling herself just how pathetic she was— she looks around her room, realizing everything in here was attached to a memory with her.

everything felt like a bitter reminder. like it wouldn’t let her rest, let her forget.

for now, maybe she deserved to hide. to run away. to pretend like everything was exactly how it was supposed to be.

like everything was fine.

she couldn’t do that here.

not when everything she looked at practically yelled for attention, for her to remember.

so she leaves.

dani decides all this was too complicated to explain to her mamá, so she goes to the next best thing; megan and lara.

packing up a few of her things hurriedly, she shoves them into a bag, her phone ringing next to her as she calls the two.

it rings on and on until the line beeps.

they were probably asleep.

with a deep sigh, dani texts them she’s on her way, putting on her glasses and walking out the door.

she hopes she can knock loud enough to wake them up.

-

lara startles awake, loud knocking coming from the front door.

gently, she slips out from under megan who’d fallen asleep while they watched a movie, distracting themselves from the prior horrors of the night with some random romcom.

“okay! i’m coming, hold on..”

she trails off, tripping over a shirt on the floor, cursing under her breath and catching herself on a wall. she rubs at her eyes, tired.

“who is it?” she calls out once she’s at the door, looking through the peep hole.

it’s dani.

not only was it dani, but it was dani with a large, not neatly packed bag. a shirt that was too big on her and smudged makeup, glasses slipping down the bridge of her nose.

lara immediately opens the door.

she let’s dani in, and before she can even open her mouth, dani wraps her arms around her, sobbing into her tank top. lara doesn’t speak for awhile, rubbing her back gently.

the commotion wakes up megan, who wobbles over tiredly, her eyes widening when she realizes what was happening.

megan joins lara in rubbing her back, coaxing her to take deep breaths. “dani, babe—talk to us, what happened?” lara says gently.

dani sniffles, unable to speak clearly.

“hey, it’s okay.. let’s come in the living room, you should sit down,” megan says, leading daniela onto the couch while lara goes to get her some water.

she grips the glass like it’s a lifeline, taking small sips. her breathing evens out a little, but she’s still just staring into the wall.

lara and megan share a worried look.

carefully, lara sits next to her, “.. is it— is it sophia? did something happen to her?” she asks, hesitant.

dani starts to nod, but then she shakes her head.

“no, not that. she’s okay.. it’s just,” her voice starts to shake, her lip quivers slightly. “i don’t think we are, i don’t know. i don’t think i’m supposed to see her again.”

she hugs her knees to her chest, tucking them into her shirt.

“oh,” megan says, unsure of what to say. neither of them had ever seen dani like this before. “what do you mean?” lara asks, her eyes trailing over her figure, noticing the bruises,

“did she hit you?” lara says, suddenly alert, her eyes widening, hands lifting up her arms to examine them.

dani shakes her head aggressively, pulling her arms away from lara, “no. she’d never. she.. she saved me. this guy followed me home..”

“what the fuck, are you okay?” lara moves a little closer, “you got hurt, didn’t you? we have to go to a hospital dani,”

“i’m fine.” dani says, defensive.

megan crosses her arms in front of her, brows furrowed. “dude, no you aren’t. we don’t have to talk about it, i get it.. i promise. but please. if he tackled you you could’ve broken something.”

she breathes deeply, “tomorrow.. okay? i swear i’ll get it checked tomorrow. for now can we just— pretend like everything’s fine? please?”

megan’s about to protest, but lara raises a hand up, stopping her.

“okay, it’s okay.. come here,”

she opens up her arms, letting dani settle into her, rubbing her back gently.

“you’re okay,” megan says as she wraps a blanket around her.

dani falls asleep eventually.

but even in her dreams, she’s still reminded of sophia. it’s all about her.

she can’t run, not forever.

-

sophia continues to come back.

the trackers were easy to get rid of. not that manon made it easy, sophia was just putting in a lot of effort.

manon was smart, sophia could admit that. she was probably a lot smarter than she was. and of course sophia was grateful to her— she wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for her.

maybe manon accepted that she couldn’t keep sophia inside.

a part of sophia thinks manon lets her break her rules. she knows manon could keep her in place if she really wanted to.

she was her maker, after all.

manon was much stronger than her.

but the difference between them, is that manon conceded.

manon accepted the problems that came with their life, accepted the rules, accepted her roles, manon had learned to love her nuances. the responsibilities the council would push onto her.

sophia didn’t.

not anymore.

she used to. she’s had opportunities to be part of the council. and she even used to be the founder’s favorite.

sophia used to be even more well-behaved than manon. a perfect vampire, as far as the council was concerned, at least.

she stayed under the radar, followed rules, brought in a lot of money, and never talked back.

that was, until, the routine got tiring.

everything sophia was doing had started to feel robotic, like it wasn’t for herself anymore but for some bigger reason she wasn’t even privy to.

so she stopped.

sophia decided even if she had forever to do so, she deserved to enjoy her life, however long and grueling it may be.

she anticipated it to lead her to new places, cultures, or maybe a fun new hobby.

sophia never thought she’d end up here.

sitting on an empty couch of an apartment she’d purchased, but not for herself. clutching onto clothes, sheets, whatever she could get her hands on that still smelled like her.

she promised she wouldn’t skip meals again. and keeps that promise.

but her senses are weaker when she’s full.

it’s even harder to find remnants of her.

she waits there everyday.

most of her days for the past two weeks had been spent scouring through dani’s apartment, waiting by the door, buying food they eventually went bad and got thrown out, hoping she’d come back.

a part of her knew she wouldn’t.

and no part of her knew what the right thing to say was. how she would explain or apologize, how she could make it all better.

maybe that’s why she was really here, waiting, instead of actually looking for her.

because sophia was scared.

right now, the rejection didn’t feel real.

sophia had anticipated this part. the way dani would widen her eyes in shock, the way she would coil away, confused— scared.

but sophia wasn’t prepared for what came after. for the time in which she’d have to accept that daniela knew now.

the time in which she has to accept that she might never accept it.

sophia might never see her again.

without noticing, she scratches up her own thigh, squeezing tightly. her blood oozes out, and she looks down, unfazed, letting it drip down onto the couch.

she could clean it later.

she could clean it much later.

because dani wasn’t coming back. not here, not anytime soon.

not to sophia.

-

yoonchae was young.

everyone always told her that. currently, she was the youngest vampire registered in the system.

of course, she didn’t feel young.

she was 60.

unfortunately, she looked 17. and she was stuck looking 17 for the rest of her eternal life.

which meant, schools were where she could blend in the most. where she could integrate into society without question.

she’d been to 43 schools.

and she’s been a high schooler for 4

decades. but yoonchae seldom complained. it wasn’t too bad.

yoonchae was easy.

she prided herself in being a rule-follower. in not causing trouble, being and doing where and what she was supposed to.

she did it because she was grateful.

it was rare to have a maker who wasn’t trying to kill you, but trying to save you, instead.

manon with sophia was one of the first cases, and no other cases have been recorded since but hers. so, of course, yoonchae loved sophia.

not only because she would be dead without her, but because she’s happier now.

her life wasn’t easy before she turned.

she was supposed to be an exchange student, moving away from her family to finish her studies abroad.

but that wasn’t how it panned out.

there had been a miscommunication, is what she was told. but that wasn’t true, yoonchae knew that they lied, that they took advantage of how bad yoonchae needed the opportunity.

her scholarship wasn’t revoked—

but it was a lie, a scam. she couldn’t have possibly asked for more money. sending her away in the first place had already cost them more than what they could afford.

so she faked ID’s, worked jobs that accepted her wonky papers.

she worked the graveyard shifts, trying to make enough to to fly home and have something to show for herself.

yoonchae saved every dollar she made, skipping meals, walking home.

that was when it happened.

at first she’d accepted her suffering had ended. that her life was meant to be difficult, that it ending early meant less pain.

she laid limp on the floor, her vision was blurry, but she watched as a figure came up to her after dealing with her killer.

she remembers the first taste of blood in her mouth. as sophia let her own blood drip into her system. it was jarring, and she was unsure of what was happening.

but then her vision went clear.

and suddenly, she wasn’t dying.

yoonchae was alive.

sophia helped her with money, too. she’d sent some back to her parents, and both sophia and manon helped her fake photos, orchestrate safe visits the council didn’t know about where they wouldn’t be able to tell.

eventually it became too suspicious to come and physically see her family.

but it took awhile to get there.

yoonchae got to watch her family rise from hardship, got to be the one to pull them out of it.

she watched her parents grow old naturally, happily. and she was able to pay to put them in the ground, somewhere beautiful, somewhere they used to only dream of.

and it was all because she died.

now, with no family around anymore, no responsibilities, yoonchae paid her dues. sophia saved her, sophia saved her family.

yoonchae owed her everything.

so, when sophia comes into her room when manon is away, begging her to keep a secret and do her a favor; she sighs dramatically and rolls her eyes.

but of course, she says yes.

sophia just wanted her to keep a girl safe and stay hidden while she was at it. couldn’t be that hard, right?

so, here she was, at a strip club.

in actuality she was the age of a senior citizen, but again, she still looked 17. to say she was out of place was an understatement.

anything for sophia, she guesses.

-

as promised, dani gets that check-up.

and as expected, she has a sprain and a mild concussion. so, naturally, she can’t work for a about a week or so.

ever the workaholic, daniela complains a lot. desperately needing to move, to distract herself. to do anything but rot on lara and megan’s couch.

of course they refuse to let her work.

(which, with the doctors diagnosis, she doesn’t think is even legal, but she pushes anyway)

they even have jules come over, partially to bring her soup, but mostly to lecture her about taking care of herself and work not being more important that her or whatever.

dani had to admit, it was quite nice.

she hasn’t told anyone what actually happened. she doesn’t think she ever will.

to them, this was just some break-up. maybe a misunderstanding, a fight, maybe a lie revealed.

they were right about that last part, but they could never understand the depths of it. how complicated it all was.

but no one pried.

no one asked questions. the moment they found out she was safe they were relieved, happy to just visit her and bring her food or just give her company.

when people weren’t around to entertain her by attempting to cheer her up, dani still didn’t feel all too well.

but not because of the injuries.

daniela still didn’t know how to process everything. how to move forward, or if she even wanted to move forward. if she ever could.

she didn’t even know where she could find sophia if she wanted to.

dani hadn’t tried.

maybe she didn’t want to. maybe if she did it would feel more final, more like a decision instead of something that was bound to happen, something they both expected.

lara and megan are at work when her fingers find their way to her contact.

her thumbs hover over the call button, lingering.

she stares at her contact name she still hadn’t changed.

new girl

sophia was far from that. not anymore. not after all this time, after everything. she wonders if anything was ever real, which parts were a lie and which parts were true.

it was hard.

dani knew sophia wasn’t just what she was physically, what she couldn’t help.

she didn’t believe her being inhuman made her inhumane.

but dani couldn’t trust her.

not anymore.

she couldn’t trust everything she told her, everything they did, everything she meant.

she didn’t know what to believe anymore.

daniela missed her, she missed sophia more than anything. but she wasn’t sure if who she was missing was even her.

before she can second guess herself, she blocks her number, deleting the contact along with it.

there’s a dull ache in her chest.

she ignores it.

instead, she opts to distract herself, turning on the tv and scoffing at the first suggestion netflix suggests she watches.

“how fucking ironic,” dani mutters to herself, letting her remote stay hovering over the option. she laughs, thinking— knowing it was stupid.

it was ridiculous.

but maybe that was just what she needed.

so she clicks play, cuddling up on the couch and even making herself some popcorn, readying her eyes for two hours of the most drab color-grading she’d ever seen.

she needed to cope somehow.

and this wasn’t exactly ignoring it, per say.

-

“dani, we got you some yogurt! it kind of melted though…”

lara calls out as she opens the front door, megan trailing behind her, “it’s perfect, isn’t soup good for her?” megan says, and they both laugh, closing the door behind them.

the apartment is almost quiet, which is hard to achieve when someone’s awake since it’s so tiny.

lara and megan share a look, wondering if dani had fallen asleep.

they walk towards the living room, hearing a faint sound coming from the tv. the volume was so low it seemed like it had been turned it down to hear something else.

trying not to make their presence known, they tip-toe slowly, peeking their heads to see what was going on.

dani sniffles, quietly, somehow it’s louder than the tv.

lara tries to make out what she was watching, whisper-arguing with megan about what movie it was.

she had seen dani cry before.

but never like this, never for real. daniela cried about dramatic commercials, videos of happy rescue dogs, her friends getting an achievement.

it was always silly tears, happy tears.

when she saw dani that night she first showed up at her apartment, lara was scared.

she had never seen dani look so genuinely scared, unsure. she had always been the stable one, the one lara and megan always looked to for advice. the one who had everything together, who didn’t let things affect her.

and now here she was, crashing on their couch after a break-up, unable to work from injuries and crying over some sad movie.

lara isn’t so sure what movie it even is.

megan taps her shoulder aggressively, pointing to the screen just as a familiar scene plays.

“holy shit.. is she sobbing to twilight?”

lara whispers, and megan just looks forward in shock, covering her mouth and trying not to burst out laughing.

megan lets out a particularly loud breath, not being able to hold it in anymore, and dani pauses the movie, wiping away tears and blowing her nose.

“megan?”

the two walk out from behind the doorway, pretending like they weren’t just stalking her with wide smiles on their faces, “heyyy… what are you up to!” lara says, awkwardly,

dani laughs, “i know you saw me. shut up. just give me the yogurt soup,”

they hand it over to her as she continues to watch the movie, not caring about their presence, tears dripping into the yogurt as she continued to cry silently.

lara drags megan away, letting her be on her own.

now lara was really worried.

-

“a fake ID? are you sure?”

yoonchae runs her hands over the plastic, looking over the details. sophia shrugs, “just in case they ask. i’m sorry it’s bad quality, manon would’ve found out if i had gotten it from our usual guy,”

she worries her lip, sighing, “okay, fine,”

sophia squeals, reaching out to side hug her, to which she just stays still. “do i have to.. like, tip them? or? get a room.. i don’t really know how these places work.”

“use up the allowance i gave you, just tip when it feels right. don’t forget to, though.”

nodding, unsure, yoonchae takes the bills sophia hands her, not making any statements about the ridiculous amounts of money people spend at these places.

people meaning sophia .

yoonchae hesitates to leave, still a little nervous. sophia holds onto her shoulders, “you don’t have to do this if you really don’t want to, okay?”

but then she shakes her head, “no way, i’ve already committed.” she smiles at her, and sophia smiles back.

“just stay out of the radar and fly out when she’s about to leave, you don’t even have to tell me where she’s going. all you need to do is make sure she gets home safe.”

perfect. yoonchae hated the spotlight.

all she had to do was watch over one girl without attracting attention to herself.

this was going to be a piece of cake.

-

room number 3.

that’s where yoonchae ends up, a glass of alcohol that she hasn’t drank and a girl standing in front of her— raja.

she guesses 3 was her lucky number, because this was her third time here, and it was the first time the girl sophia was looking for was actually here.

granted, getting a private has nothing to do with her objective, especially because it wasn’t even with the girl she was supposed to be protecting.

but raja offered a dance, and sophia did say to spend all the money each time, so.

“okay, i know you’re a minor, i can tell. i brought you in here because i was worried about you being outside,”

the girl says immediately, and yoonchae face palms internally.

so much for going unnoticed.

“i’m not, genuinely. but what makes you think that?” yoonchae asks, wondering how she could improve her undercover skills.

“well, you have baby face. your nervous, you look lost, you haven’t drank anything, and you avoid all the bouncers and staff like they’re going to catch you.”

oh.

“oh,” yoonchae says, not really seeing the point in keeping it in anymore.

“are you guys not gonna let me in anymore?” she continues, sad, realizing she’d fucked up before she could even start.

the girl laughs, nodding, “i’m sorry sweetie, maybe in a year or two,” she says, and yoonchae rolls her eyes.

“if i told you the real reason i look nervous will you believe i’m not a minor?”

amused, the girl nods, “sure, try me.”

“you know sophia, right? i’m her friend, like family. she sent me here to make sure nothing bad happens to her..”

“her..?” she starts, but then her eyes widen, “oh. angel. her.. her dani?”

yoonchae nods, “i’m only here for that. she didn’t even ask me to report anything back to her, she just wants her safe.”

she reveals everything, leaving out the part that neither of them were human.

the girl juts out her bottom lip, pouting “that’s so fucking sweet… maybe i will let you keep coming. promise you aren’t underage?”

she places her hand over her heart, “i promise, i swear on my family. i just look like this, unfortunately.”

laughing, she sits down next to her.

“fine, i believe you. but you aren’t getting any services from me, i am not going to catch a case!” she says dramatically.

“can you help me with dani, please?”

the girl clicks her tongue, thinking. “i don’t know.. i don’t wanna be the reason for anything, but i’ll help you get in. that’s all i can do.”

yoonchae nods, thanking her.

they let a little bit of time pass so it didn’t look suspicious, and yoonchae still gives her a tip like sophia said.

she expects some resistance, but raja gladly accepts it.

when she exits the room, dani is right in the middle of the club. the two girls next to her practically disappear while she dances, most of the crowd directing their attention and tips at her.

even the dj changes the music, a track she’d clearly chosen as she hits all the beats.

yoonchae stands in a corner somewhere, keeping an eye on her.

she had to be more careful.

-

“i don’t think she’s a minor,”

megan says, defensive, and lara just laughs,“whatever. i’m only letting her in because i want those two to make up.”

“you want them to make up or do you want dani to move out our couch?”

lara rolls her eyes, “do you really think she isn’t a minor or do you just find her cute and don’t wanna be a creep?”

they both laugh, and dani comes out from the restroom, walking up to them, “what are you two laughing about?” she asks, fixing her bra in the mirror.

“nothing, just the girl who’s been coming here. lara thinks she’s underage, but i don’t think she is.”

dani hums, but then she seems to remember something.

she thinks for a moment, before asking, “did you find out her name?”

the two shake their heads.

“why?” megan asks, and dani breathes out sharply, “nothing. never mind,”

she stays silent for awhile after that. neither of them question it.

there are always moments like that.

moments they know matter more than what dani lets on. things they both know she isn’t telling them. of course, they get curious. but dani was pretty closed off, the most she ever shared about her life was when sophia was around.

it was a weird shift.

she almost seemed more closed off than before. megan just wanted things to be better again. for dani to be happy.

and maybe sophia was the solution.

but megan didn’t know what happened between them. she didn’t want to impose.

perhaps a certain someone could help her put together the pieces.

she perks up, getting ready quicker than usual before heading out, going straight to the cute girl with the straight black hair.

“hey there,”

megan starts, and the girl is startled, seemingly not expecting anyone to talk to her. she looks at megan, a small smile on her face.

when saw she doesn’t respond, megan drops her tone, winking at her, “my friend told me why you were here, i can help you.”

the girl smiles.

“really?”

megan nods, grabbing her hand and leading her to vip.

the moment they’re inside, the girl sits on the edge of couch. her hands rest on her lap, and she doesn’t lean back.

thinking, megan starts, “the most i can do is text you every time we get home. would that help?”

the girl nods, “it would, actually..”

megan smiles, “but i’d need your number to do that, right?” she asks, without really realizing the implications.

“oh. yeah, um.. can i have your phone?”

megan hands it over, looking at her as she types, expectantly.

when she hands it back, there’s no contact name.

“what should i name you as?” megan asks, easily. the girl seems to mull it over.

“yoonchae.”

she says it with a smile, and megan can’t help but smile back, typing in her name and saving it to her phone.

“got it. thank you, yoonchae.”

-

“yoonchae showed me her ID, by the way. and i got her number.”

megan says, a smug look on her face as she shows lara, who just rolls her eyes. “congratulations, you aren’t a pedo. want a medal?” lara teases, and megan just turns away.

without them noticing, dani had overheard them.

yoonchae.

the name was familiar, dani was almost sure she’d heard it before. no— she was 100% sure. she heard it from sophia.

she turns away before they can notice her, hiding in the bathroom, thinking.

why was she here?

there was no doubt it was because of sophia. she knew yoonchae was young.. or, younger at least. she doesn’t know what to believe anymore.

all she knew was that there was a reason she was hanging around here.

and that reason had something to do with sophia.

why she couldn’t have just come here herself, dani isn’t sure.

she’s glad she hasn’t.

it would make things harder.

it would make it harder to numb herself, to forget, to stop feeling all of the stupid things that for some reason didn’t stop when she found out she had been lying.

daniela wasn’t sure what to do.

but she was sure that whoever yoonchae was, she probably wasn’t human, either. she was probably like sophia.

she didn’t want to hurt anyone.

not even some inhuman creature she didn’t understand. one she didn’t know, had never met.

but even if she isn’t sure which parts were true or not, dani still met sophia. dani cared about her— she knew she cared about manon, and about yoonchae.

dani couldn’t live with all the reminders.

she couldn’t possibly move on with her life if yoonchae continues to show up. or worse, if sophia does soon after.

she doesn’t know if she can take it.

to have to reject her again.

or worse, to learn she doesn’t want to.

to learn that deep down, buried under the fear and regret, there’s still a larger part of her that doesn’t want it to be real. that doesn’t want it to end.

a part of her that wishes she’d come back.

dani couldn’t let that happen. she couldn’t let one girl ruin the life she had worked so hard to build for herself.

to put her safety in jeopardy.

to ruin her routine— her stability.

she couldn’t deal with something new, something unsure. someone she couldn’t predict.

the ache in her chest never really goes away.

even as she looks up ridiculous queries about creatures that were only supposed to be fictional.

even as she goes out and buys the garlic.

even as she asks jules if they can hang it outside the door.

he wonders, of course, what she’s up to. why she’s being so peculiar.

but he doesn’t say a word, calming her shaken self and nodding along, letting it happen, doing whatever it took to make her feel safe.

this was why daniela couldn’t risk it.

she was lucky.

with katseye, with megan, lara, and jules.

all of it.

her life was stable.

so she would just have to learn to live with that dull ache. the hurt that never subsided.

she has to put up the garlic.

even if it makes her crazy.

-

the moment yoonchae walks up to katseye, she smells it.

garlic.

looking up, she notices the heads and cloves hung up by the door. it’s hidden away from the sight of an average customer.

but yoonchae was smart.

she was careful.

she stares at it for a long moment, before sighing, immediately retreating and hiding in a nearby alley before flying back home.

sophia is waiting by a window when she arrives.

she’s fidgeting, nervous.

yoonchae wonders if this is how she always looked while she waited for her. while she waited for hours and hours on end, just for yoonchae to tell her she was okay, and nothing else.

but that’s all it took.

immediately, sophia’s shoulders would stop tensing, her hands stopped moving, finally at rest.

her muscles would calm, and she would smile, as if her safety kept her going. kept her alive.

it was sweet.

it was also a little sad. it scared yoonchae. was this their fate? to fall in love and have to wait for the moment it fades away?

for it to happen over and over again?

above all things, yoonchae was grateful. her immortality never scared her— not until now. not until seeing sophia like this.

manon had talked about it before, how their kind mated for life. how there could only be one they would truly be bound to.

that they could feel it.

how she would immediately just know.

what would it be like? to find and lose your mate?

was that what was happening to sophia? could your mate be mortal? a human?

yoonchae shivers at the thought.

she hated seeing her like this. so shaken. so unsure. sophia had always been so strong, steady. everything came easy to her, and nothing could ever shock her, hurt her.

but now, here she was.

a mess of unresolved emotions. of fear. of things yoonchae couldn’t even name, things she wouldn’t know. things she’s never felt.

and yoonchae was about to deliver news that might make her feel even worse.

she takes a deep breath as she steps forward, the old wooden floor creaking beneath her. it alerts sophia of her presence, who looks behind herself from where she had been looking out the window.

“yoonchae? you’re back early.. why? did something happen— is dani okay? is she—“

she shakes her head, cutting her off before she can ramble on. “she’s okay,”

“okay..” sophia trails off, expecting her to day more.

she almost didn’t want to.

but she had to. she couldn’t lie to sophia.

“but, uhm.. there’s s different problem,” she starts, and sophia’s fists clench at her sides as she eagerly awaits for yoonchae to continue.

she pauses, thinking of the way to say it lightly. but there was no way. she had to just say it.

“she knows. that you sent me, and that i’m.. not human. i don’t know what she believes, but they put up garlic by the entrance of the club.”

sophia slams her hands against the table, causing the floor to shake. “fuck. she believes that stupid myth?”

yoonchae shrugs, “sophia she isn’t even supposed to know we exist. it’s not like there’s a book out there with the real details..”

with her head in her hands, sophia sighs.

“i’m sorry,” yoonchae says, unsure how else to help.

sophia softens, moving closer to her, “it’s okay.. it’s not your fault. you’ve done more than enough, thank you.”

“are you sure you don’t want help with anything else? i can maybe find someone who—“

“it’s okay, yoonchae.”

looking at her, yoonchae reaches out before deciding against it. she turns around, going to her room.

before she leaves, sophia thanks her again, smiling at her.

but it wasn’t a real smile.

she couldn’t even see her fangs.

yoonchae had failed.

-

sophia couldn’t take it anymore.

she couldn’t take standing around doing nothing. she felt useless. like she was letting other forces decide her fate.

and maybe she was.

sophia was scared.

the right thing to do was unclear.

nothing felt right. everything just felt like a step in the wrong direction. like she was trying and pretending but it wasn’t working.

she couldn’t keep still anymore.

something needed to be done.

it still didn’t feel right. sophia could never be too sure. she thought about it a lot. wanting desperately to choose correctly, for everything to play out in the best possible way.

she couldn’t bear to have dani reject her again. but more than that she couldn’t bear to not know if she was okay. if she was hurt.

if she needed help.

saving daniela had caused her everything— everything selfish, all the good she ever had and might ever have for her eternity.

but if saving daniela meant sophia lost everything, then so be it.

she would do it a million times over if it meant dani would be okay. even if it also meant sophia might never feel anything again.

at least, not for another being.

not like this.

daniela had ruined her.

it hurt more than anything, seeing the look on her eyes as she looked at sophia with nothing but confusion, fear.. distrust.

not even all eternity could make her forget. could make the pain of the reality that lies ahead go away. the reality of losing her.

but she wouldn’t really lose her.

dani would still be around.

just not around her. it would never be the same again.

the world just wasn’t made for this. she was never supposed to care for a mortal— to fall for a mortal.

but she did.

sophia loves daniela.

and because of that, she couldn’t just stand around and let her drift away, let her exist without protection.

sophia never expected this to last.

she savored every moment before the inevitable happened. before daniela found out and everything crumbled.

even if sophia could accept that what they had would never return, that dani would never see her the same way ever again— she couldn’t accept not knowing if she was okay.

so, sophia moves.

manon is away when she leaves for the night. yoonchae was, too.

she flies straight to katseye, waiting by the back door. it’s hard to fly carrying something so large and heavy, especially something she had to be careful with.

one wrong move and she was dead.

and not in a hyperbole, dramatic way. she would be actually dead.

it was hard to kill an immortal being.

but every creature had its weaknesses.

there were lots of myths, with legends and many pieces of literature and fiction written about the existence of their kind. most of it was bullshit, like the garlic.

some of it was real, though.

nothing could kill them. silver couldn’t, a knife, a gun, anything, really. they would bleed out, and it might hurt a little. they would need to feed more than usual to heal, but they wouldn’t die.

not unless they were stabbed.

but not just by any blade— by a wooden stake. straight through the heart.

a thick, heavy, pure wooden stake.

they didn’t just have them lying around. that would be stupid. most vampires would never even go anywhere near any sharp pieces of wood.

sophia had bought this one herself.

it was custom made, even with a smooth handle.

she didn’t want dani to get splinters.

after all, this is what all of this was for. for dani. for her safety.

the moment she lands and walks up to the door, sophia is overwhelmed by her presence.

she can smell her, feel her.

sophia realized she hadn’t seen her in so long that she had stopped being desensitized by her.. she felt like a new person again. almost like a stranger.

she braces herself to see her again.

she isn’t sure if she can handle it. if she could handle dani looking at her like that .

not again.

sophia places the stake carefully on the ground, not wanting to startle dani when she walks out.

she waits outside the door for hours.

dani always came out here before going home, even if she didn’t use the back door to exit, she always went outside for a bit.

sophia never found out why.

she probably never will.

it’s starting to get cold again. when she breathes the air fogs up in it’s wake, reminding her how long it had been.

she shivers, wrapping her coat tightly around herself, just as the door creaks open.

as expected, dani walks out.

immediately, they lock eyes. their gaze is steady, but her heart is anything but. sophia looks at her like it’s a challenge. dani doesn’t let her win.

“sophia.. please don’t make this harder than it already is.” dani pleads, looking away, staring at her shoes. “please just go.. i can’t—“

the wind moves around them.

it lingers, as if it wants to know what’s about to happen, too.

“i know, i’m sorry. i’ll do whatever you want me to, just, please hear me out. please dani. i just need to ask one thing, and i promise if that’s what you really want you’ll never see me again.”

sophia looks down at the stake, her breathing ragged and uneven.

gently, she kicks it toward dani.

it hits the bottom of the rusty staircase, making a loud sound that echoes between them.

dani flinches. so does sopphia.

“take it. i know it’s hard to trust me.. it might make you feel better. it’s the only thing that can kill me.”

looking down, dani picks it up, gripping onto it tightly. it was heavier than it looks.

“i don’t want to kill you.”

she says it, like she would never even consider it. she almost looks offended. sophia stares at the stake in her arms, an incredulous look in dani’s eyes. “that doesn’t matter, not anymore,” sophia starts, smiling sadly.

“i just want you to go away. please.” dani says, practically begging.

sophia sighs, “can you just let me ask one thing.. please? one last thing..”

daniela looks up, meeting her eyes.

she stares for a moment, holding her gaze like it meant something.

“okay.”

she nods as she says it, using it as an excuse to finally look away.

with a deep breath, sophia starts.

she knew what this conversation would be. regardless of if daniela agrees or not— this was the beginning of the end. one that felt more permanent, more real.

sophia doesn’t think she’ll ever be ready.

but she has to push through.

she was already here.

and dani was willing to listen, standing at the top of the staircase, fidgeting, looking at anything but her. but she was here. and she was staying to hear her.

sophia looks down at her shoes.

“i know i don’t deserve to ask anything from you anymore.. i should never have known you, or let you know me,”

dani shifts, moving to face her body toward sophia, still not looking at her.

“but i promise everything between us was real.. i meant everything i ever said. i told you things i wasn’t supposed to. i gave as much of myself to you as possible.. what i thought was safe to give,”

sophia laughs, bitter. “but that doesn’t matter. it doesn’t matter what i intended— i fucked up. you shouldn’t have seen any of that..”

she looks up, just as dani does, too. their eyes flicker away immediately, but her head doesn’t lower, eyes lingering somewhere behind where dani stood.

“i want you to know i regret everything, that i’m sorry for everything. but i need you to know that i don’t expect you to forgive me.”

dani finally looks at her.

but sophia can’t do it. she can’t meet her gaze. not when she fears it could be the last time dani ever looks at her again.

“i’m not asking you to understand me, i never expected you to. i’m not asking to know you, either. or to see you, to talk to you. i knew the moment you found out i’d have to let it all go.. everything we had..”

“but dani, i can’t.. i can’t not know if you’re okay or not. it doesn’t have to be me. it can be a human for all i care, i just.. just let me help, let me send someone, anyone that can keep you safe.”

a pause.

sophia allows the silence to linger, even if it meant dani was left waiting for a moment.

the faster she spoke the sooner she would have to leave. the sooner dani would decide and sophia would never see her again, at least, not like this.

not like how she really wanted to.

but it didn’t matter what she wanted. that wasn’t how the world worked.

“it’s still up to you.. but i’m, i’m begging. just let me help keep you safe. that’s all i’m asking.”

she says, finally, looking up and meeting dani’s eyes.

sophia immediately regrets it.

she looks at her properly now, for the first time in months. all the could think about was how she could savor this moment. if it was possible to ever feel this way again.

dani moves her hand with the stake in it. sophia flinches, but she doesn’t move an inch, unsure if she trusted that dani wouldn’t hurt her or was simply willing to accept whatever she would do to her.

the silence was deafening.

she doesn’t let go of the eye contact, dani holds her gaze, before dropping her eyes to look at the stake in her hands.

sophia tenses, raising both hands in the air, trying not to make any sudden movements.

taking a few steps closer, dani comes down the stairs. she looks straight into sophia’s eyes, dropping the stake on the floor.

startled, sophia just looks down, staring at it.

just as sophia’s about to ask dani what she’s doing, dani kicks the stake, letting it roll away, farther than either of them could reach.

sophia just watches it tumble off into the distance, confused.

she opens her mouth to say something, but before she can speak dani cuts her off, closing the distance between them.

daniela cups her face gently, leaning in and kissing her.

sophia doesn’t expect it.

her hands instinctively fall to her sides, reaching for dani’s waist. but she doesn’t pull her in, doesn’t hold on tight, afraid if she did it might all disappear.

it didn’t feel real.

sophia pulls away first, unsure.

but dani doesn’t immediately recoil, or take anything back. she just looks at her silently, eyes pleading, before leaning in for another kiss.

she deepens it, and sophia lets her this time. her arms tighten around her waist, pulling her closer.

by the time they pull away, they’re both breathless.

sophia doesn’t wanna say anything.

the moment felt fragile.

as if one wrong move could shatter it all. could make everything go wrong. like everything that mattered could dissipate into nothing.

daniela mumbles something into her lips as she leans in again, quietly.

sophia almost doesn’t hear it.

she does, but maybe if her senses were of a normal human she wouldn’t have.

but dani doesn’t know that.

so she smiles, pulling back but staying just a mere inch away from her face. “come again?”, she teases.

dani pulls her even closer, leaning in so her mouth was closer to her ear. “i said; i don’t want anyone else..”

for a moment they stay still.

sophia still wasn’t sure if this was all real or not. she was scared to believe it.

“are you sure..?” sophia asks. dani just pulls her into a hug, burying her face into sophia’s neck.

sophia feels a wet warmth against her skin.

dani was crying.

“now come home with me so you can tell me what the fuck is going on..”

her voice cracks as she speaks, ruining her attempt to be serious.

sophia laughs quietly, her eyes glassy. her arms wrap around her, hands caressing the back of her head. she plants a kiss gently on her temple.

“i’ll take that as a yes.”

-

dani was glad to have answers.

sophia was always willing to answer any questions dani had, both promising that there would be no more lies or secrets between them.

but it still wasn’t easy.

figuring out a normal relationship was hard enough, let alone one wherein one of you was a different species.

in simpler terms, it wasn’t easy dating a vampire.

especially one that was this stubborn.

“we can’t keep doing this,”

dani complains, stuffing the bottom of the door with towels to make sure no sunlight gets in. “why won’t you just install the tint for my windows? you can still see through them right? i swear it won’t bother me.”

sophia floats above her, stuffing the top of the door, too.

it was protocol every-time sophia slept over, per dani’s request.

they were lucky there was a room in the apartment without any windows, or dani would have gone insane having to block windows, too.

returning back to the ground, sophia sits on the floor next to her, “i just don’t wanna make this place for me.. i got this for you, it’s yours. i don’t want you to lose a real view of the sun just because of me.”

dani rolls her eyes, “i can just go outside, you know. i’d rather have you be able to stay the night without all this effort.”

with a sigh, sophia looks away, pulling at the strings in the rug beneath her. “okay, i’ll consider it. but hey! this is cute and comfy for now, right? like a slumber party.”

sophia points to the bed, where they had snacks, water, and blankets set up. they practically hoarded most of their belongings in here, since they’d have to camp out here until the sun rises and sets again.

she can’t help but smile.

getting up off the floor, she crawls back into bed, sitting up on her elbows as sophia hovers above her, “a slumber party huh? do you kiss all the girls you have sleepovers with?” she teases, reaching up.

sophia sinks down onto the bed, propping herself up with her hands.

“i wouldn’t know, i’ve only had them with you.” sophia says, smiling.

“good answer,”

dani leans up, kissing her softly, her tongue immediately finding hers, biting her bottom lip gently as she pulls away. she trails kisses down sophia’s neck, smiling to herself as she hears her breath hitch above her.

she lingers in one spot for a moment, before pulling away, groaning. “i think,” dani breathes, kissing a little lower, “it’s unfair that i can’t mark you up..”

sophia laughs above her, looking down at her, “well, technically you can— but only right after i feed. it’ll just be a lot of work, and it’ll fade away immediately..”

“exactly. your hickeys always take so long to go away on me.. it’s. so. unfair.”

dani says, kissing down sophia’s collar between each word. she shivers above her, and dani takes that as her chance to flip them over.

straddling her, dani bites her lip, rocking her hips into her slowly as she leans down for another kiss.

sophia leans up, gripping onto her waist, pulling her closer.

nipping at her ear, dani whispers into it, quietly. “why don’t you show me,” she pauses, rolling her hips forward— intentionally. “show me other things you can do?”

sophia sits up, pulling dani in closer, kissing her softly before pulling away. she looks at her, seeming to be lost in thought.

“turn off the lights,”

she says suddenly. dani blinks, not expecting it. “oh.. okay,” she agrees, not wanting to question it.

getting up off her, dani moves to turn off the light switch.

given that there were no windows in this room, it was suddenly pitch black. dani waves her arms in front of her, unsure of how to get back to the bed.

suddenly, there are two small sources of glowing light that catch her eye. it takes a moment for her to process, but she realizes it’s sophia. sophia’s eyes.

their hue shifts between a green and a yellow, and she slowly walks toward her, almost bumping the bed frame on the way before sophia guides her onto the bed.

immediately, dani forgets every other (not so innocent) thought she’d previously had, holding onto sophia’s face with her hands, looking inquisitively into her eyes.

“why didn’t i ever notice this before?”

sophia blinks up at her, hands going to hold onto her waist firmly. “you always fall asleep before i turn the lights off,” sophia reasons, and dani laughs breathily.

“and you know, i used to turn it all off whenever i was around you.”

dani lays on top of her, her eyes closing as sophia drags her nails along her back under her shirt.

she revels in it for a moment, always finding comfort in her touch. dani hums, “so i’m a turn off then,” she retorts. sophia stops, groaning.

“you know what i mean!”

laughing, dani apologizes, pressing down into her, “hey, do it againn..” she pokes at her arm, but sophia doesn’t respond.

“sophia, baby,” dani tries, not even knowing where to look anymore since sophia had closed her eyes.

she grabs her phone for a source of light, but before she can turn it on, she’s on her back.

her eyes are open again, so she looks up at them. “you’ve lost your back scratch privileges for being mean,” sophia states, like it’s a fact, and dani just laughs.

“are you serious?”

nodding, sophia lays her head on dani’s chest, looking up at her. “you’re cute. you look like a cat,” dani says, thinking out loud.

“oh i see how it is, and you want scratches too? i’m just a cat to you huh?” sophia laughs as she speaks, unable to keep a straight face. dani reaches toward her face, pulling her in for a kiss, “you know what i mean,” dani says when she pulls away, a teasing lull to her voice.

“well, now we’re even,”

sophia leans down, kissing her. dani immediately deepens in, holding onto the back of sophia’s neck and pulling her in closer.

dani lifts up her knee, lodging it between soohia’s thighs. her hips grind down subconsciously, and dani pulls away, kissing at her jaw gently.

“is this okay?” she mumbles into her skin, stopping when sophia doesn’t reply.

looking up at her, dani moves her hands to cup her face. sophia sighs, frustrated. “sorry, i just—“ dani cuts her off, “hey, you don’t have to apologize. i don’t want to do anything you don’t, okay?”

sophia nods, “i know, i just don’t want you to think i don’t..” her voice softens, almost whispering, “that i don’t want you. i’m just, scared. i don’t want to end up hurting you.”

smiling up at her, dani rubs her thumb over her cheek, “i know, it’s okay. i trust you..” she trails off.

“which means, i trust you’ll know when it’s the right time, okay?”

sophia releases a breath, plopping down onto the bed beside her, reaching for a lamp near the bed and turning it on.

dani covers her face dramatically, her eyes adjusting to the light. “oh my god calm down, you aren’t the one with the light sensitivity in this relationship.”

throwing a pillow at her, dani laughs.

“come heree,”

sophia holds her arms out, and dani happily crawls into them, snuggling up against her. as if on instinct, sophia rubs circles into her back gently.

“does this mean i have my privileges back?” dani mutters softly. sophia rolls her eyes, but she doesn’t stop,

“only for now,”

sophia stays silent for awhile. dani listens to the quiet thrum of her heartbeat.

she had never met anyone who felt more human than sophia.

it was ironic.

but dani didn’t mind. not at all. especially not after sophia proved just how willing she was to be honest with her.

there were still lots of things they’d have to work through. problems they would have to face together. things dani would still have to slowly get used to.

daniela trusted sophia,

and sophia trusted her in return.

for now, that was all they needed.

above her, sophia yawns, and dani glances down at the watch on sophia’s wrist. “the sun should be rising soon, don’t you wanna go to sleep?”

sophia shakes her head, “maybe in a bit..” she starts, but another yawn interrupts her. dani tries to stifle her laugh, shoulders shaking.

“go sleep, i could use a nap too.”

she pulls the covers up on top of both of them before settling back on top of sophia, nuzzling her head into her neck. “just so you know, i usually don’t fall asleep this early.. we just stayed up really late the other morning,” sophia reasons.

“hey! to be fair, you were the one who wanted to finish breaking dawn..”

“and you fell asleep on call before we could get to part 2!”

“look who really likes the twilight franchise..” dani teases, and sophia huffs out an annoyed breath, “i don’t like it, it’s entertaining because it’s so stupid.”

dani gasps dramatically, “wow. i’m so disappointed. edward cullen and bella are peak romance, i thought we were living it out!”

sophia laughs, cut off by another yawn. dani rubs a hand up her arm, coaxing her to sleep. “get some rest, baby,”

nodding, sophia closes her eyes, falling asleep within minutes.

soon after, dani dozes off, too (but not for long.)

a couple of hours later, dani wakes up from a cold breeze underneath her. she opens her eyes slowly, rubbing at them before glancing over at sophia who was still asleep.

the blanket was still over both of them.

why was it so cold?

she cranes her neck, quickly realizing that she wasn’t on the bed anymore.

dani tries not to panic, which is pretty difficult, given that she was floating about 4 feet up in the air. the only thing keeping her afloat being her girlfriend, who was sound asleep.

gently, she taps sophia’s shoulder, trying to stay still.

“soph.. sophia! wake up!”

dani learns sophia was quite a deep sleeper, as she shakes her a little harder. “sophia!” she says, louder.

finally, sophia’s eyes flutter open, a sound pulled out from her throat as she whines, unsure why she was woken up.

“sophia! put us down!” dani exclaims.

sophia smiles at her, amused, her arms wrapping around her tightly, “i got you,” she says. when dani still tenses, sophia looks at her properly, asking, “do you trust me?”

dani smiles, she could never know for sure if she was safe,

but she felt she was.

all the fears and questions quelled by trust.

“of course,”

sophia leans in, “stay up here with me a little longer,” she says into the kiss, smiling into it.

dani sinks into her, relaxing, arms slinging over her shoulders and tangling into her hair. when they pull away, dani rests her forehead against hers, smiling.

“i love you,” sophia says, easily. like she didn’t have to think about it at all.

dani beams up at her, the biggest smile on her face. “i love you, too.”

she does indeed, stay a little longer.

but after awhile she gets cold, and sophia puts them down, falling back asleep.

later, dani learns that sophia only floats in her sleep when she was the most comfortable, or if she was having a particular good dream.

so maybe waking up midair every once in awhile wasn’t so bad.

-

it was a lazy night in.

dani had finally convinced sophia to install the tint on her windows so they didn’t have to hide in the windowless guest room every time she slept over.

sophia was still stubborn.

but they were improving, slowly.

it was sweet, anyway. the reason why sophia was so uptight about not crossing certain boundaries— why she was so careful.

dani found it cute.

(not that dani would ever admit that, it would only encourage sophia’s stubbornness.)

the two of them lounged on the couch, with sophia looking through netflix for something to watch. they had already finished all of twilight, which was honestly more entertaining than either of them would ever admit.

she tsks, seemingly not happy with any of the options, her brows furrowed.

dani just watches her, not really paying attention to any of the options she brings up. she hums when sophia asks something, and sophia quickly looks up at her from her place on her lap, “are you even listening?” she asks, and dani doesn’t respond.

reaching forward, she takes off sophia’s glasses, curious. dani puts them on herself, confirming her suspicions.

“these don’t have a prescription,”

sophia sits up, kneeling on the couch next to her. “yeah, they don’t..” she trails off, looking at dani intently.

she tilts her head, questioning, “why do you wear them so often?”

shrugging, sophia puts down the remote somewhere on the couch. “i don’t know, i guess i just got used to it.. i started wearing them because i wasn’t used to bright lights all the time back when i worked, our lights at home are dim so we can tell if any sunlight seeps in.”

daniela hums, going to take them off, but sophia stops her.

“keep them on,” she pauses, crawling toward her and cornering her on the couch, “they look good on you.”

sophia stays in place, not moving away or any closer, breath against dani’s lips as she speaks.

she continues to stare, her lips curling into a smile as dani swallows, biting her lip.

sophia shifts, and dani closes her eyes, instinctively, expecting a kiss.

but sophia only cups her face, gently.

“i love you the most like this..” sophia says quietly, as if it was a secret. “you’re so cute when it’s just us at home, just like this,” she admits, tracing all the birthmarks on her face with her fingers lightly.

she reaches for the glasses, taking them off.

replacing her fingers with her lips, sophia pecks all over her face gently. ghosting her lips over all her features.

it almost tickles.

dani laughs, breathily.

sophia saves the one above her lips for last, pecking it gently, “so pretty..” she whispers, before finally kissing her.

she pulls away too quickly, dani almost chases after her lips.

her eyes trail over dani’s face, leaning in to bite her cheek gently. it’s hard to tell, but dani feels her retract her fangs as she does.

as she pulls away, dani grabs onto her face, “stop that,” she says, and sophia raises a brow, “stop what?” she asks, worried.

dani runs her thumb over her bottom lip, “your fangs.. stop hiding them. i want all of you,” she explains. sophia doesn’t say anything, but something in her eyes shift, trailing over her lips, down her body.

sophia leans in, kissing her.

it’s rough. but there’s still a softness behind it. there always was with sophia.

dani drags her tongue across the sharpness of her fangs gently, making sure sophia feels it. feels that dani knows they were there. that dani wanted them there.

her hands start to wander, splaying out underneath dani’s shirt, knee pressing up against her. dani whimpers into the kiss, rolling her hips up.

sophia pulls away from the kiss, her breath hitching as dani’s thigh presses up against her.

she rolls her hips down as dani bucks up, and they fall into an easy rhythm.

it’s hot.

all dani can think about is the wet heat pooling between her thighs, the delicious friction against sophia— the friction that wasn’t enough. that left her aching for more.

she moans out softly, leaning her head back against the armrest. sophia follows her, leaning down to kiss at her neck.

before she can get there, they’re both startled by a clatter.

their eyes both turn to find the culprit, staring as the remote lay broken on the floor, batteries spilling out.

dani opens her mouth to say something, but before she can, she’s interrupted by sophia picking her up, carrying her easily.

biting her lip, dani wraps her legs around her waist. sophia moves to hold onto the bottom of her thighs to support her, smiling as dani continues to unconsciously roll her hips against her stomach.

quickly, they find their way to the bedroom.

dani isn’t even sure if sophia walked or flew there. but it didn’t matter. right now, the only thing that mattered to dani was having less clothing between them.

starting with herself, dani lifts up off her back, taking off her shirt, leaving her in nothing but her ruined panties.

she reaches out to tug down sophia’s sweats, but before she can sophia pins her down.

sophia holds dani’s wrists above her head, eyes trailing over her entire body, her tousled curls against the pillow, her heaving chest, the way her hips buck up against nothing, impatient.

her eyes get impossibly darker.

dani squeezes her thighs together, blinking up at sophia.

she mutters something under her breath, and sophia moves closer, still too far away. “hm?” she hums, inviting dani to say it again.

looking directly into her eyes, dani speaks up, a little louder. “please..”

“please what, baby?” sophia teases, her free hand trailing up her thigh slowly. dani cranes her neck, and sophia understands, leaning down to kiss her. “please touch me,” dani answers, mumbling it against her lips.

sophia pulls away, biting softly at dani’s neck, lingering near her ear. “i already am,” she rasps out, and dani huffs out a breath.

“sophia..” she hums, trying and failing to find friction against the body on top of her.

“tell me what you want,”

dani looks up at her, gaze challenging. but sophia doesn’t falter. it was fascinating. she wasn’t used to this, to be the one who’s buttons were being pushed.

she was used to getting what she wanted— at least, in the bedroom.

no one was ever strong enough to resist her. to hold up their end of the teasing. to drag it on in a way that actually made her ache for more.

everyone else was always too eager.

not that sophia wasn’t. dani could always tell; the way her breathing would falter, the way her eyes flickered with want.

but sophia was always composed. purposeful.

she exhibited a self-restraint that was always meant to unravel with grace, with intent.

right now, dani was watching that restraint fall apart. it wasn’t clumsy, or rushed. it was a choice, one that sophia had complete control over.

and sophia was using that to her complete advantage. she pushed, wanting dani to be the one to falter first.

well, two can play at that game.

dani arches her back up off the mattress, just right, shifting her gaze expertly. “i think you know what i want, baby..” she trails off, craning her neck to lean up and kiss at sophia’s jaw.

she sinks into it, leaning closer to her lips. dani smiles, continuing, “the question is, can you handle it?”

something shifts in the air.

one of them puts their pride down. or maybe its both of them, dani isn’t sure.

but suddenly, they both move.

sophia lets go of dani’s wrists,

and dani reaches for sophia’s hoodie, tugging it off. she curses under her breath when it takes longer to than immediately. sophia laughs, helping her, tossing it off somewhere.

she sighs, happy to have access to more of sophia’s skin. but it wasn’t enough.

just as sophia’s lips latch on to her neck, her hands find their way underneath the elastic of her sweatpants, tugging harshly.

sophia pulls away, already having left a mark, lifting up slightly as she lets dani tug them off. she hovers up off the bed, seemingly just remembering she could, making it easier.

the moment its off her, sophia gets back on her stomach, trailing kisses along dani’s collar and chest, lingering at every spot she had any birthmarks.

wrapping her lips around her nipple, she laps at it, teasing, looking right into dani’s eyes.

she feels all her resolve fade away.

dani grips onto sophia’s head, keeping her in place, fingers tangling in her hair. her hips roll up, desperate.

sophia’s hand trails over her stomach, pushing her down, “be patient, dani,” she pauses, moving lower, kissing down her stomach.

she twitches, raising a knee up, spreading her legs to give her space. sophia immediately takes advantage of that, hand moving to grip behind the back of her knee, cheek resting against her thigh.

daniela sucks in a harsh breath, watching her intently as she plants a kiss on the inside of her thigh, feather light, before moving back up, head leaning against her knee.

a hand sneaks up, rolling a nipple between her fingers, chuckling mischievously as dani whines, her hips twitching up unconsciously.

“i thought you could handle me, baby?”

she says, testing her.

dani opens her mouth, closing it again when no thoughts arrive. dani doesn’t know what to say.

so she gives in.

she lets sophia win.

“soph.. fóllame—“ she pauses, cutting herself off, “fuck me, please.”

smiling, sophia shifts her body further down,    fingers moving to hook underneath her panties, snapping at the elastic playfully as she bites into her thigh. “well, since you asked so nicely..”

daniela feels her hot breath against her core, and she shivers above her, legs stretching open, wider, both knees bent.

sophia notices, gripping onto her thigh with one hand, holding her open.

with her other hand, she drags her fingers slowly over her panties, over her slit.

her mouth opens slightly, watching dani as her breath hitches— feeling her wet warmth against her fingers. then, she moves away, using the same fingers to spread her open, tongue darting out to lick a stripe up her pussy, through her panties.

they’re thin, soaked. dani feels everything. but it isn’t enough. sophia’s still fucking teasing her.

she whines out, a strangled sound caught in her throat, gripping onto sophia’s hair tightly.

sophia moves away, and dani thinks she’s about to explode. but before she can react, her panties are off, and she feels the air hit her bare pussy.

suddenly, sophia’s fingers are back on her slit, biting her lip as she spreads her wetness around.

“what a mess..” sophia mumbles, pulling the tips of her fingers into her mouth.

dani watches, dazed.

leaning forward, sophia sucks her clit into her mouth, her tongue lapping at her, slow but firm.

she throws her head back, a long, earnest moan escaping her.

dani grips onto her hair, hips rolling up into her tongue incessantly. sophia moans against her, hand tightening around her thigh, spreading her open wider.

“soph, fuck—“

her breathing becomes ragged, a few stray pieces of hair sticking against the sweat on her neck. she urges her on, whimpering as sophia’s fingers tease at her entrance.

before she starts to beg, sophia slowly sinks two fingers inside of her. dani mewls, clenching around her.

sophia pulls her mouth away from her clit, only to look at her.

she watches her face intently, curling her fingers, hitting just the right spot with each careful thrust of her fingers inside her.

dani can feel her hesitate.

it’s still enough to get her off— but she can tell sophia’s thinking, holding back.

gently, she grabs onto her wrist, and ever so attentive, sophia immediately stops, looking up at her with eyes filled with concern.

a quiet giggle escapes her throat as she reads her expression, quickly explaining, “i’m okay, don’t worry..” dani trails off, biting her lip, sophia’s fingers still buried deep inside of her, unmoving.

she lets go of her wrist, and sophia starts to move again, slowly, “don’t hold back,” dani manages to get out in between soft moans.

sophia looks at her expectantly, slowing down.

“i can take it, baby. i trust you.”

dani rolls her hips as she speaks, causing sophia’s fingers to go deeper inside of her. she stays still, worrying her lips between her teeth, a fang peeking out. “what if.. what if i can’t control myself?”

“i don’t want you to,”

she continues to gyrate her hips, practically riding her fingers, finding it hard to find her words. “let go, soph.. make me come,”

sophia shivers, leaning back down, mouth working at the same time as her fingers.

her tongue laps at her roughly, flicking at her throbbing clit as her fingers thrust inside her, quickly. dani’s eyes roll to the back of her head as she keens, her senses overwhelmed.

dani’s not even sure if she’s going at a human pace— but she doesn’t care.

her breaths start to come out in shorter huffs, her moans getting more incoherent, higher in pitch, her hips shifting clumsily. “right there, sophia— fuck ,”

daniela clenches around her, vision clouding as she comes around her fingers. it lasts and lasts, and she vaguely feels the wet heat pour out of her as sophia moans against her, making her twitch.

her thighs threaten to clamp around her head, but sophia holds her open, pulling her fingers out and lapping at her entrance with her tongue.

sophia eats her out, relentless. dani starts to see stars, overstimulated, having just come.

her tongue prods at her sensitive, swollen clit, and dani squirts all over her face.

she whines out, high-pitched, breathless.

but sophia doesn’t stop.

dani immediately cums again, and sophia moans against her as she twitches, moving down to lap at her entrance, licking her clean.

when sophia rises up from between her legs, dani looks down at her, spent, her chest heaving.

she smiles up at her, chin glistening, soaking wet.

sophia licks her lips subconsciously, and dani stares, clenching around nothing.

“come here,”

sophia crawls up her body, and dani leans up, kissing her softly. she tastes herself off her tongue, and she moans into the kiss.

it quickly gets heated again, with dani pulling her fingers up between their lips, pulling them into her mouth.

her fingers find their way inside sophia’s panties, rubbing firm circles over her clit.

the girl above her moans out, head falling into the crook of her neck as she stays with her back arched up.

dani sucks at her neck, whining, unable to leave a mark.

sophia laughs softly, lifting her head back up to kiss her, just as dani pulls her panties off.

carefully, dani guides sophia onto her back, laying next to her, head propped up on her elbow, lodging sophia’s thigh between her own, spreading her open.

she works her up, quickly, fingers sinking into her as she thrusts.

“you’re so tight, so wet..” dani breathes out, obscene sounds filling the room as she pumps in and out of her, thumb rubbing at her clit.

sophia, surprisingly sensitive, continues to moan out, unable to form a coherent thought as she bucks up into her hand uncontrollably.

“dani.. don’t stop, please,” she rasps out, desperate.

her fingers continue to work her up, curling inside her. she feels her pulse around her fingers, and dani speeds up, her thumb brushing at her clit more firmly.

suddenly, her breath hitches, and she whines out, hands clutching at the sheets, pulling them off the mattress as she falls apart underneath her.

pulling out, dani rubs soft circles around sophia’s clit as her thighs shake, letting her ride out her high.

dani discovers vampires are warmer after they orgasm. possibly even warmer than when after they feed.

or maybe that was just sophia.

she didn’t really care.

either way, she nuzzles into her, suddenly getting hit by how cold it was. “you’re warm,” she states, and sophia immediately wraps her arms around her, pulling the sheets up over them.

“really?”

“mm, yeah. you don’t know about that?”

“sophia thinks for a moment, hiding her face in dani’s hair. “no.. uhm, you’re my first. after, you know, turning.”

dani sits with that information for a moment, realizing how long that was.

“wow,”

it’s all she can come up with, sophia whines, shaking both of them gently, “wow? you’re so mean.”

they both laugh, and dani lifts her head up, pecking sophia on the lips, “hey, don’t get me wrong, i couldn’t tell.. if that makes you feel better,” sophia hides her face again, grumbling.

“i’m serious! i thought you were never gonna let me go for a second there.”

sophia groans, leaning down to kiss dani’s temple, staying near her ear.

“not my fault..” she shifts, nipping at her ear, “you just taste so good,” she practically whispers, and dani shivers.

“oh my god, shut up..”

“make me,”

-

the moment sophia comes home, manon can smell it on her.

yoonchae does, too.

although she doesn’t know what it is, or what it means— just immediately complains about sophia smelling off before walking out the room.

once they’re alone, manon comes up to her, eyeing her carefully.

sophia shrinks, “what’s wrong..?” she asks, unsure of what she had done.

she remembers telling manon where she was during the day, manon had even asked her about the tint they installed at dani’s.

manon stays silent for a moment, mulling it over. eventually, she decides on something, sighing.

“laforteza.. you know she’s mortal, right?”

sophia quickly turns her neck to look at her, confused. “of course, why do you ask?” she wonders, puzzled. manon had never spoken to her like this before, like she was avoiding something. manon had always been straightforward with her.

hesitantly, manon reaches out, holding onto her shoulders, before immediately pulling away.

“you let her claim you.. i can smell it. and you’re burning hot.”

sophia looks at her, mortified, “why are you.. what do you mean?” she asks, having no idea what manon was talking about.

“have you talked about it? about your plans.. does she want to be turned?” manon rambles, panicked.

she had never seen her like this before.

it scared her.

“manon? what’s gotten into you? why are you getting so.. so panicked on me? i don’t understand you.”

she sighs, exasperated, running a tense hand through her hair.

“did you read everything?”

“what?”

“when i turned you, i gave you a stack of books— did you read everything?”

manon says, raising her voice slightly, taking another step toward her. sophia steps back, nodding. “i did, i’m sure i’ve just forgotten some parts.. it’s been awhile so—“

“this is serious sophia!”

she cuts her off, and sophia frowns. she doesn’t know what was causing manon to blow up on her like this. it wasn’t like her to be so jittery, to be so upset without explanation.

“i’m sorry.. it’s just, you know how mates work, right?”

sophia nods, slightly unsure.

manon sighs, explaining, “you only get one,” she starts, and sophia smiles, sadly, “i know.”

“no, sophia, you don’t get it. you can’t.. you can’t lose your mate, you’ll never recover— you won’t be able to function normally after.”

“what are you trying to say?”

“i’m saying i’m not going to let this happen to you, sophia. daniela can’t die. it’ll wreck you.”

her voice cracks as she speaks, and sophia meets her eyes, taking note of how glassy they were. sophia speaks up, shakily, “i can’t.. i can’t do that do her. i don’t want her to live like this..”

a tear drops from sophia’s eyes, and she quickly wipes it away, looking down.

“i’m not gonna turn her, manon. that’s final. even if it ruins me.”

manon breathes in deeply, “remember my maker?” she asks. sophia nods, “your maker is your girlfriend, so yeah, of course i do.” she replies, her tone sharp.

“i lied. when i said she saved me, that wasn’t true.”

sophia raises a brow, listening.

“i didn’t meet her because she saved me, i met her far before. i.. i asked her to turn me.”

“what does this have to do with me?” sophia says, annoyed. she didn’t want to think about this. not yet. not now.

she was never going to ask daniela.

sophia wouldn’t let her.

“we lied to the council to protect her. but we were the first, no one ever found out.”

“the first what?”

manon looks at her, “i was the first human to mate with a vampire.” she finishes, and sophia falters, her defensive demeanor dropping for a moment.

reaching forward, manon holds onto her hands. sophia doesn’t pull away. “i’m not asking you to do the same thing we did.. but the council, they find out eventually. they don’t like it when we mingle with mortals, with humans.”

sophia blinks up at her, “what i’m saying is, you need to be more careful— start thinking about it.”

manon expects her to get mad again.

but she doesn’t.

suddenly, arms wrap tightly around her, and sophia leans into her chest, sobbing.

“i can’t lose her..”

she mumbles through broken sobs, and manon rubs her back gently, “you won’t. i’ll make sure you can figure something out, okay?”

sophia looks up at her, eyes pleading.

“i’m not turning her.”

she says it with a finality, and manon just nods, accepting it.

“i know..”

-

sophia watches her.

she doesn’t know sophia was awake yet, bare back pressed up against her as her neck cranes to look out the window.

the sun was setting.

dani was watching, her breathing was calm, her heartbeat steady.

for a moment, sophia stays silent. pretending to still be asleep.

she wonders what dani was thinking.

reaching forward, she runs her nails gently along dani’s arm, “good morning,” sophia mutters, moving to plant kisses along her shoulder.

dani turns around, smiling up at her, leaning in for a chaste kiss. “technically it’s good night,”

sophia rolls her eyes, flicking her on the thigh playfully.

her hands linger, inching up.

dani breathes in sharply, “don’t start.. i have to get ready for work,” she warns, making no move to get out of bed.

glancing down at her watch, sophia hums, “since when do you need 3 hours to get ready for work?”

suddenly, dani rolls on top of her, the sheets falling off her. “since a certain someone gave me a bunch of hickeys i have to cover,”

sophia doesn’t respond, just wraps her arms around her, fingers drawing circles on her lower back. dani arches into the touch slightly, “maybe i could stay.. just a little longer..”

she laughs, breathy, raw.

it was always a gamble with the two of them, whether or not they would make it out of bed on time.

neither of them were particularly good at keeping their hands to themselves. at resisting.

dani had been late to work once or twice before, nothing too bad.

“it’s okay, baby..” sophia smiles down at her, “you should honestly get more rest, aren’t you going to the beach with megan and lara tomorrow?”

her eyes widen, and she feels for her phone on the bed, eyes squinting to check the date.

“oh fuck, i forgot—“

she shifts to get off sophia, scanning around the room for her clothes, laughing as sophia tosses over her panties, which, somehow made their way on top of her nightstand.

throwing on a shirt, she breathes out, thinking. “i wish you could come with us..”

sophia doesn’t know what to say.

she just nods quietly, smiling, trying to hide how clouded her mind had become from just  the one sentiment.

dani immediately backtracks.

“i’m sorry.. uhm, i’m sure we can plan something with all of us soon. they would love to hang out with you.”

sophia reaches her arms out, and dani walks into them, standing next to the bed as sophia hugs her tightly. “i know that isn’t what you meant,”

looking down at her, dani opens her mouth to speak, probably to deflect like she usually does. but sophia doesn’t let her, not this time.

“you’re allowed to talk about it, you know. i’d rather you tell me how you feel,”

dani sighs, sitting on her lap, arm draped over her shoulders.

“i know.. i just don’t want you to feel guilty or anything. it’s not your fault. i don’t want you to feel obligated to change anything, i know what i signed up for.”

sophia stares at a wall across the room. all she can think about was what manon had said.

“you’re allowed to complain. i’m lucky to have you, and i know you want this, but— i’m just saying we have unique problems. you can want change, i mean.”

“i’m don’t wanna wish for something you can’t give me, sophia.”

she says it with conviction, looking right at sophia, making her lose the staring contest she was having with the wall.

sophia’s about to respond.

but just then, dani yawns. she yawns because she’s tired. of course she is— she had been staying up every night she didn’t have work. nights she was supposed to be using to sleep, to rest.

daniela needed rest.

she needed rest at night.

because dani was mortal, she was human. and sophia.. wasn’t.

“go get ready, dani. jules is gonna kill me if you’re late again,” sophia forces out a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. she isn’t sure if it works.

dani agrees, moving to walk toward the bathroom, yawning again before she can reach it.

sophia notices.

“dani?” she calls out, and dani turns around, a small smile on her face. “i might not stay over after uh, after your shift tonight..”

she raises a brow, questioning.

“manon was asking me for help with something and i blew her off the other day, so,” sophia reasons, but dani still continues to look at her, seeing right through her.

sophia sighs, “and i think you should get some sleep before your beach trip.” she admits.

dani nods, turning around quickly.

“okay, just.. text me?”

sophia floats out of bed, getting dressed as she collects her own clothes around the room, calling out. “of course.”

once she’s fully dressed, she hovers behind dani as she brushes her teeth, wrapping her arms around her.

daniela looks into the mirror, rinsing her mouth before looking back at her, a hand reaching back to cup her face.

“i’ll never get used to that,” she mumbles, looking back at the mirror, staring at sophia’s reflection; or, the lack thereof.

sophia stays silent for a moment.

she stares into the mirror, only being able to see daniela and the sleeves of a hoodie floating around her.

it was another reminder that they were different.

of what couldn’t be.

“do you want me to walk with you to work or should i call a driver?” sophia asks gently.

daniela turns around, hands reaching out to fix sophia’s tousled hair, running her hands through carefully. “you can call a driver.. if you blew off manon i’m sure she’d appreciate it if you came home a little easier.”

she knows dani didn’t really believe that.

she always called her bluff, could always see right through her, even without the mirrors.

dani knew her too well.

but sophia doesn’t argue, choosing to just nod. she gives her a quick kiss, smiling into it like nothing in the world was wrong.

tonight, they both ignore it.

they let it go.

and for awhile, it could work just like this.

the ignorance, the bliss. the late nights, silly arguments, and all the times they could choose to keep each other in bed a little longer. to stay in their little bubble before stepping back into reality.

but sophia wasn’t naïve.

she knew it wouldn’t be like this forever. it couldn’t.

because dani didn’t have forever.

that was reality.

and sooner or later, sophia would have to face that reality. to get out of bed. even if she didn’t want to.

even if all she wanted to do was stay.

just a little longer.

-

daniela was on her path to quitting.

it was just really, really cold that day. (and maybe sophia not being around had something to do with it.)

but it wasn’t like she was the only thing between her and her cigarettes.

she just felt a little less guilty.

sophia had told daniela in advance about her schedule, her feeding schedule.

so, she knew where sophia was.

she also knew that it was nearly impossible for her to ever get hurt, or get caught. she had long gotten over the initial shock of the murders, as well. especially after sophia explained exactly who they kill, and why they choose those people.

dani never expected herself to justify murder for her girlfriend.

but the circumstances were unique.

plus, sophia was a more moral person than most people dani had met in her life, anyway.

stepping outside the backdoor, she leans against the railings of the staircase, a lighter between her hands.

the breeze is still for a moment, letting her light the cigarette up.

the warmth fills her lungs briefly, before she releases the air, looking out at the sky. the taste had started to bother her. she noticed it now, which, she decides is a good sign.

“i wouldn’t do that if i were you,”

a voice cuts through the silence, sharp. dani, startled, drops the cigarette, cursing out as she does “fucking hell.. why does that always happen,”

the source of the sound steps out of the darkness, and dani stands up straight, recognizing her immediately.

“manon,”

she greets, politely, although with no attempts to hide the clear confusion on her face. dani had no idea why she was here.

“daniela, long time no see. i hate to start off with a question, but why do mortals love to shorten their already fleeting lives so much?”

dani gulps, tossing the other stick in her pocket to the floor. “honestly, i couldn’t tell you.”

manon walks closer to her, smiling, “don’t worry, i wasn’t actually expecting an answer,”

she clears her throat, “there is a proper reason i’ve come here, but we can’t talk here.. would you be alright with meeting up somewhere more private?”

pocketing the lighter, dani reminds herself to return it to lara later.

“i know just the place.. but you have to come in through the front, in disguise. uhm.. please,”

dani smiles, sheepishly, still a little (a lot) intimidated by her.

sophia had started to talk about her a lot more lately, and although she had never mentioned an explicit age it was clear that manon was a lot older.

perhaps a lot scarier, too.

but maybe dani was just biased.

dani often teased sophia about how out of placed she looked inside of katseye. but manon easily outdoes her.

the moment she enters, she immediately tensed up. she follows dani to vip like she was walking on eggshells, looking around, stunned.

when they enter the room, manon stares at the pole for a little too long, before moving to sit on the couch, clearly uncomfortable.

“i didn’t realize you would take the word ‘private’ so literally. but, this works perfectly, actually.”

dani stands awkwardly in the middle of the room, a respectable distance away from her, arms crossed tightly in front of her.

“right.. so, what do you need to talk to me about? does sophia know you’re here?”

manon shakes her head “no. and it is imperative that you do not tell her, understood?”

she doesn’t agree immediately, hesitant, “can i know what this is all about first?”

“of course,” manon says, pulling out a book from her bag. it looked like one wrong move could cause it to crumble completely. dani moves closer, curious.

“i did some research, a lot of research, actually.” she flips through the pages, landing on one and turning the book around to face dani.

manon hands the book to her, and she runs her fingers across the page, gently, almost holding her breath.

“i spoke to laforteza. she’s adamant on not turning you, which i respect. but i hope you understand that i can’t let sophia have a mortal mate, not when she’s, well, immortal.”

dani listens, looking up at manon as she continues. “it’s a really rare ritual. but it’s been done successfully before.”

manon gestures to the pages on the book, and dani looks down, staring at the image in front of her.

an image of what seems to be a vampire, a human, and.. a stake.

there was no way.

manon couldn’t possibly be asking her to—

“you have to kill her. but, if it’s you, and she accepts it, she won’t die.”

dani freezes, not knowing if what she was hearing was real.

“w-what?” she chokes out, and manon moves to sit on the ground in front of her, holding onto her shoulders gently.

“you’ll just be killing her immortality, in a sense. what i’m saying, daniela, is there’s a way. sophia can be mortal again.. but it has to be you.”

she looks up at her, unsure of what to say. a part of her tells herself she should be happy. that this news should be good.

but it scared her.

“what if.. what if it doesn’t work?”

manon looks away, eyes flickering somewhere else before she returns her gaze. “do you love her?” she asks, and dani nods, immediately.

“then it will work.”

dani exhales, shakily, clutching onto the book. “i’ll leave it with you, along with a few other pieces of literature that might help you,”

she pulls out a bag, filled with papers, notebooks, as well as another book. dani had never dreaded reading more in herife. she doesn’t think she ever has.

not until now.

“ultimately, it’s still all up to you,”

“but i advise you to push through. and again, you cannot ever tell her, not until after the ritual. it won’t work if she knows.”

dani nods, unable to muster up anything else, placing the book on her lap into the bag, leaving it open.

manon stands, now, getting ready to leave.

“i trust you with her, daniela. don’t disappoint me.”

and with that, she exists the room.

daniela stares down at the bag for a little longer, suddenly realizing there was a stake inside, too.

it leaves a hollow feeling in her chest.

like she’d already been stabbed.

only, she would never know what that would feel like. because the weapon was in her hands.

it’s all up to her.

-

everything was blurry.

more importantly, everything hurt .

sophia was used to pain. a little retaliation from her victims here and there had ended in more than just the blood of her meal being shed.

she’d been scratched, cut, and even shot.

so of course, sophia was no stranger to a little ache every once in awhile.

but the thing about being immortal was that the scratches, cuts, or even gunshot wounds— they always healed.

the pain was always temporary.

quick, even.

she would feel a sharp and fast pain shoot throughout her body. it would pulse for a moment or two, before immediately starting to heal over.

her body could mend itself, make the pain numb or go away, like magic. sophia was practically un-killable.

right now, all of that was thrown out the window. her defenses lowered, weaknesses long revealed.

the moment dani walked up to her, she felt something was off.

she had been acting strange for awhile.

at first sophia thinks she’s reading into it, perhaps even projecting. but sophia wasn’t stupid, and sophia knew dani.