Prompt: A vampire and a werewolf, both trying their hardest to remain hidden, become roommates.

Les had only been a landlord for the last three weeks, and he didn't like it.

As a union rep and a socialist it was always something he felt uncomfortable about, making someone pay you just to live in your house, it was just wrong wasn't it. Exploitation of the working class. He hadn't bought the house specifically to make money, he was living there, but he still felt a bit grubby.

But he needed something that would pay the bills, he'd not long done up his house and the strike had given his wallet another huge hit. It was definitely not going to be the last one. His salary was too low in any case, that was why the union was so important. If the next round of negotiations failed, he was looking at losing his job. So he had advertised on Rightmove that he had a room available. He was charging the lowest rent he felt he could get away with, although he wasn't stupid. He was as helpful as his condition would allow, but his conscience still troubled him.

What also troubled him, was that there was something about Val that made him uncomfortable. He didn't know what. At first he had told himself this was the guilt talking. But as the two sat in the kitchen together and Val poured herself a drink, he realised how unsettling he found her.

'Well, great news to start the weekend with. I got a promotion,' Val said. She was a 40 year old IT manager at a school, who had recently split up with her husband.

'That's nice, congratulations,' Les said. He felt less uncomfortable at having to charge her a higher rent, he probably earned less than she did.

'Yes, it's brilliant,' Val said, and she went to the fridge and poured herself a glass of wine. Val was obviously quite a feminist. She had put a calendar on the fridge with certain days marked off every month. He was an open minded man and liked women to be comfortable in talking about their problems. Yet, to his mind, this was a little too much information. He didn't need to know when her 'time of the month' was, did he?

'You know, the entire time I've lived here, I've never seen you eat or drink anything and you've never got any food in the fridge. Aren't you going to join me with a glass of wine?' Val said, as Les rolled some tobacco. It was his only vice these days.

'Ah, you see, I don't get hungry,' Les said. 'I ate earlier.'

'You're such a good cook, but you never eat anything,' Val laughed as she topped up her glass.

'Yes I do,' Les said, defensively. This was the problem with suddenly not living on his own. He had forgotten about how strange aspects of his lifestyle could seem. And Val, he had discovered, could be very nosy. Les finished rolling the cigarette and stepped outside into the pitch black night. He lit it up and inhaled deeply.

'Oh, I never smoke any more, I just vape,' Val said, looking at him judgementally. 'You should try. It's not as bad for you.'

'I'm too old to take up vaping,' Les laughed, and he wondered whether she was going to drive him crazy.

Val had no idea how true this statement was.

'How old are you?'

'I'm 54,' Les said, shifting about in the doorway as he puffed on the rollie. He stared up at the moon, which would be full in a couple of days. It was a clear night and it looked beautiful.

'Oh, you don't look 54,' Val said.

'You're too kind.' The truth was, Les had been 54 for a very, very long time.

'Really, you don't,' Val said flirtatiously.

'No - look, I promise you,' Les laughed. He turned around and saw Val gazing at the moon.

'Oh, for God's sake,' she sighed. 'Look. Les. I've got a bit of an issue at this time of the month, I know this is awkward, but as you're my landlord, I have to let you know. When the moon is full, which it will be in a day or two, this problem I have becomes an absolute nightmare.'

'Oh,' Les said, embarrassed. For a second, he saw a bit of an animalistic look in her eyes. 'Well, um. I don't know what to say. I - look, there are all sorts of treatments you can get these days for women's issues like that. Have you been to the doctor?'

'It's - it's not the sort of thing you can go to the doctor for, like the NHS would be any use,' Val sighed.

'Put my foot in it again, haven't I,' Les said, and there was a moment of silence between them. Les sparked up another roll up and inhaled deeply.

'You smoke too much. But, I guess, you don't have to worry about getting cancer.'

Les shook his head. 'Nah. Not any more. Fortunately.'

Val was a gossip. She couldn't keep a secret. This was a huge mistake. Les's heart pounded as he realised what he'd done. He took a step towards her. His cigarette dropped to the ground on the mat, and smouldered a little before dying.

'I didn't mean -' he gasped, but she cut him off.

'No. You can't fool me. I've never seen you eat or drink anything, and you never go out during the day. I've never seen you. If I am wrong, explain it to me.'

'Wrong about what?' Les pleaded innocence.

'You know what I'm talking about.' She spoke triumphantly, but then looked down at her arms and peered at them intently.

'Have I - have I started changing, Les? Can you tell me? I'm supposed to be going to my bestie's hen do. She's getting married for the second time. I don't know what she sees in him, personally...'

'Changing?' Les was still stunned. How had this unassuming, slightly creepy woman guessed his secret?

'Yes. Changing. Do I have hairs on my face? Like, big, black ones? I feel like I'm getting a cold. My nose gets wet, you know, like an animal's. And that's how it starts.'

'I can't see any hairs,' Les said. Val sighed heavily.

'Thank God.'

'I used to have a big husky,' Val said. 'And so, when it happened every full moon, it wasn't as noticeable for people out in the neighbourhood. The dog walker would come and they just thought they were walking two huskies, and one was my sister's. My dog was my baby. You could say, in our family, he was the Alpha because he was so spoilt. But he bit my husband and so he got him rehomed with a friend, without my knowledge. That is why we got divorced.'

'It,' Les said, the implications of his tenant's statements sinking in. 'You mean...'

'Yeah. I've got lycanthropy. Is that a problem? Not many people know. My husband didn't, I made sure he never dealt with the dog walker. God knows what he would have said.'

'Of course not,' Les said, and Val looked genuinely relieved at his reaction. Her arms seemed much hairier than at the start of their conversation.

Les was unnerved.

'When did you...you know?'

'1972,' he said. 'I was 54. Just like I am now.'

'At work?' Les scoffed.

'No, I had just finished my shift. It was the night shift as usual, the same as now. I was coming back on the bus when a geezer tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I wanted immortality. I said, yeah, why not?'

Val laughed. 'Does anyone else round here know?'

'Old Mrs Pilkington across the way, she was my latest, actually. Poor lady was feeling very lonely, stuck at home in a tiny flat. I paid her a visit. She was almost going blind, poor woman. But that certainly fixed her eyesight and put paid to her worries about death,' Les laughed and showed a set of gleaming fangs.

'Do I have any hairs on my face?' Val asked again. Les gave her a brief glance then shook his head. She looked completely unconvinced.

'No, you look fine.'

'I better get ready, then. I'm cutting it a bit fine this close to the full moon but she doesn't know and she'd never forgive me if I didn't show up.' And Val went out of the kitchen and trod heavily up the stairs. As she did so, Les smiled to himself as he stared at Val's calendar.

Les didn't know much about lycanthropy, but after their sharing of secrets, he felt better about having Val as a tenant. She wasn't the mere nosy, judgemental human he had assumed. He went into the utility room and opened a small fridge where he kept a number of bottles a friend of his had got him, discarded at the local hospital. He took one out and poured himself a glass while he rolled his next cigarette. Apart from still needing occasional visits to the dentist, his health was utterly perfect and had been since 1972, so he smoked as often as he liked.

He took the glass of blood and the cigarette and went and stood outside in the garden. The moon was rising high in the sky. After a few minutes, he heard, 'Oh, shit!' and other incoherent shouts, then a scream.

There was another shriek of frustration. He inhaled deeply. After he had finished, he would go and see if she was OK.

'Oh - Oh. Owoooooooooooooooooo!' Val yelled. There was the sound of a glass breaking. The sound of animal feet skittering on the carpet. And then, a grey and silver wolf bounded through the kitchen door, leaving dirty paws over his new wooden panels.

Yes, Les could see that this could be a challenge.