“Creek is joining our study-time, is that alright?” Abel asked and handed me a cup of coffee.

“Sure,” I muttered and took a sip, not looking up from my laptop. I had stayed the night and we had cuddled all night. Kissed a lot. It had been one of the best nights of my life so far, to be honest.

We had also gone and picked Dave up because honestly, I wasn’t sure when I’d be home again, so he needed to come. And then we had gone on a little walk around the neighbourhood. It had all just been so nice and normal. Which I hadn’t expected it to be, considering I was a werewolf and Abel was a vampire.

Dave was lounging on the couch and Gary had been very hesitant at first, but now she was sleeping on top of him. Dave had always loved everyone and everything, so he barely lifted his head when Gary had made herself comfortable in his long fur.

“How’s the studying going?” Abel asked and bent down, placing his chin on my head.

“I’m so bored. How design and art have parallels isn’t really within my biggest interest, I’ve got to admit.”

“Hell, you’re even talking like an essay waiting to be written,” he laughed and placed a kiss on my hair.

“I just wanna study art, but they continue to push us together with the design department and I don’t care about design, Abel,” I whined and tipped my head up.

“My poor artist,” he murmured and kissed the side of my throat.

“You’re distracting me.”

“You like it though.” He let his fangs graze over my throat, and I moaned quietly. There was always a little danger in letting Abel do this. I knew he wouldn’t bite down, but the fact that he’d still tease me with it was exciting. “Hey Gael…”

“Yeah,” I panted, running my hand up in his hair.

“Would you ever let me see your wolf?”

I had been running my fingers over his scalp, but I stopped. “You want to?” I asked and pulled away so I could look up at him.

“Yeah. You’ve seen me. I want to see you too.”

I was staring up at him trying hard to figure out what to say. Luckily a knock on the door bailed me out.

“Think about it,” Abel said and gave me a quick kiss before going to the door.

“Heyo, I brought left-overs. Ribs, wings, sweet potatoes, the whole lot. My mum sends her love.” Creek was carrying several tubber wares putting them on the cooking island in the kitchen. “The way to a healthy mind is a full stomach, she says.” He turned to me and smiled. “Hi Gael.”

“Hey Creek. Remember to thank your mum for the food for me.”

He smiled very widely. “I will! And you’ve got to come over soon. She’s starting to get offended you haven’t been over for dinner yet. Tried telling her we’re all busy studying, but she’s not really taking no for an answer.”

“I’ll come over. Just tell me when.”

“Deal.” He dumped down next to me and brought out his own laptop. It was filled with stickers from comic books. He was on the animation course and wanted to do cartoons. He was a really great illustrator and concept designer. He’d probably get jobs at all the big studios once he finished uni.

“What’re you doing today?” he asked and glanced at my screen.

“Slowly withering and dying.” I lowered my head down on the table, gently banging my forehead against the wood.

“Poor Gael has to learn about design,” Abel chimed in and popped a mug in the microwave. He leaned against the counter and smirked at me.

“I hate design,” I cried dramatically.

I felt someone pat my head and I turned it, looking up at Creek. It looked like he tried to smile emphatically but it came out looking a little sarcastic. I knew I was being dramatic, so I didn’t blame him.

“We’ll get some food in you in a minute and then it’ll all be better.” Abel opened the beeping microwave and joined us at the table. He took a sip of his cup, the blood staining his lips before his tongue wiped it off.

“I do need food. Food makes me a lot less cranky.”

“I know.” Abel smiled at me and fitted his fingers in between mine on top of the table. “I’ll heat it after I’m done. While you and Creek study. So, thirty more minutes. Forty tops.”

I groaned and returned to my studies. Creek’s assignment looked a lot more fun. He had to animate a character walking and have the clothes move along with the body.

Abel finished his blood and went to the kitchen to prepare the food. He turned on a speaker, jazz flowing out through the loft. Creek glanced at me, leaning back in his chair.

“You’re not freaked out by the blood, right?” he asked with a low voice.

“Nah,” I muttered and frowned at a particularly bad paragraph.

“Gotta admit, I was in the beginning. Got over it, obviously, but it’s good you’re not freaked out. Did Abel tell you about the ex who fainted at the slightest sight of blood?”

I snorted and nodded.

“But it’s good you’re not freaked out.”

“I’ve experienced worse,” I murmured and switched tabs to my document and wrote some notes for my essay.

“Really? You don’t have to elaborate or anything.”

“I turn into a wolf every month. The wolf gets hungry and yeah. Blood isn’t an issue for me. Especially not when he drinks it out of mugs with cute animal babies on them.” I leaned back and turned to Creek. “Why are you asking?”

“I… Just find you really interesting. Haven’t met many wolves before.” His cheeks darkened and he started pulling on the strings on his hoodie.

“It’s alright,” I said and smiled a little. “I’ve never met a banshee before either.”

A smile fought its way back on his face and he straightened his back a little. I was pretty sure I’d kill for Creek. He seemed so nice and pure. Like there’s these people who’re just so inherently nice that I felt the need to protect them at all cost. Creek was one of those, for sure.

“We’re nothing special…” he muttered and scratched his head.

“Aren’t you able to connect with the other side? Like ghosts and stuff? Because that’s really cool.”

“Uh yeah, I am. But like they come to me, so it’s not like I can be a medium and contact your diseased loved ones or anything.” He fiddled with the string before stuffing it in his mouth, chewing on it.

“I think that’s cool.”

“Are you two studying or chatting? Because you should be studying,” Abel yelled from the kitchen, his back turned to us.

“Totally studying, Dad,” Creek shot back and rolled his eyes.

Abel turned around and put his hands on his hips, holding a spatula, giving us a scrutinising look. “You worked so hard to get into this course, Creek. Don’t blow it.”

“I’m not blowing it by taking a five-minute break, Abel.” Creek rolled his eyes again but did return to his laptop.

“And you shouldn’t distract him.” He pointed the spatula at me. “Back to studying for you too, mister.”

I snorted and held my hands up, returning to my laptop too.

“He’s not trying to be annoying,” Creek said with a low voice. “He’s just like… A big brother. He helped me with getting into uni.”

“I don’t think he’s annoying. He’s being cute,” I murmured back and smiled a bit.

Creek smiled at that.

“I’ve been wondering… What’re the chances almost everyone in our little group is supernatural and queer?”

“Almost everyone? Everyone is.” Creek shrugged.

“I didn’t wanna assume…”

He snorted. “It’s alright. Not like I’m waving the biggest rainbow flag around, but I’m batting for the gay team. And the non-binary one. Masc-leaning.”

“I’ve been misgendering you?” I asked and cringed hard.

“I go with he or they pronouns. Just switch them up sometimes and we’re good. Most use it as an excuse to just continue with ‘he’, which… Yeah, just switch them up.”

“Right,” I said and smiled, making a mental note of that. “Ah. So, weird still, huh? Double minorities. Or triple, I guess.” I frowned a little.

“Well, I’m a quadruple, aren’t I. Black, gay, trans, and supernatural. And Fred and Abel are brown.”

“Right.” I had no idea what to say to that because I felt like an asshole for not considering that too.

“And it’s not like it’s a coincidence. Lots of supernaturals in this town to hang out with, but it’s just nicer to be around your own, you know?”

“There’s more? Even at uni?”

“Sure. There’s this one group of vampires who all study business. Abel hung out with them before he came to hang with me and Fred. Also, some witches and other banshees.”

“No wolves?” I asked a little hopefully.

They glanced up at me and shook their head. “No, I think you’re the only wolf in town right now.”

“Because of that purge some years ago, yeah?”

They nodded. “They weren’t exactly… Nice. I don’t remember much from it, but it wasn’t a good time in this town’s history.”

“Wait, you were alive when it happened?”

“Yeah, I was like… Six, I think?”

“Abel told me about it, but I thought it was way long ago. Should I even be here?” I closed my laptop, getting ready to bolt immediately if Creek said the word.

“Yeah, don’t worry. The peace treaty was put in place so we wouldn’t have these issues in the future. No one wants a race war.”

I nodded a bit.

“Sorry about the history lesson,” Creek said then and cringed.

“Oh no, don’t apologise. I was about to apologise for asking.”

“And now you can both apologise for not studying,” Abel interjected and put plates on the table. He gave us a stern look. “Twenty more minutes to go.”

“Yes, Father,” Creek muttered under his breath and sent me a look.

I snorted, opened my laptop again, and to my dismay found my essay hadn’t written itself.

Rude.

The dinner was absolutely lovely, and I was actually sure Creek’s mum had to be a chef and not an accountant as Creek claimed. I was so comfortably full, enjoying the company of my new friends.

Creek was explaining their assignments to Abel and Abel was eagerly listening and then almost demanded Creek joined us again for studying. I wasn’t sure if Abel understood anything Creek was saying, but he was so supportive. He was definitely the kind of guy who went batting hard for his loved ones and was there a better quality in a guy? I couldn’t think of any.