The cold warmth

Songs for the characters

| Chapter 1 |

| Chapter 2 |

| Chapter 3 |

| Chapter 4 |

| Chapter 5 |

| Chapter 6 |

| Chapter 7 |

| Chapter 8 |

| Chapter 9 |

| Chapter 10 |

| Chapter 11 |

| Chapter 12 |

| Chapter 13 |

| Chapter 14 |

| Chapter 15 |

| Chapter 16 |

| Chapter 17 |

| Chapter 18 |

| Chapter 19 |

| Chapter 20 |

| Chapter 21 |

| Chapter 22 |

| Chapter 23 |

| Chapter 24 |

| Chapter 25 |

| Chapter 26 |

| Chapter 27 |

| Chapter 28 |

| Chapter 29 |

| Chapter 30 |

| Chapter 31 |

| Chapter 32 |

| Chapter 32 | - 1

| Chapter 33 |

| Chapter 34 |

| Chapter 35 |

| Chapter 36 |

| Chapter 37 |

Songs for the characters

Braylon F0E0 Bloom- Bonus Track by The Paper kites

JaylonF0E0 Keep it Gold by Surfaces

Marcellus F0E0 Walking On A Dream by Empire of Sun

Adan F0E0 Sunset Lover by Petit Biscuit

Nathan F0E0 Everytime Tha Beat Drop by Monica (feat. Dem Franchize Boyz)

Cameron F0E0 Water Fountain by Alec Benjamin

Mykel F0E0 Teen Romance by Fatboibari & ilyTOMMY

| Chapter 1 |

“The grim reapers have been sending complains for months.”

Adan hummed in response. He was seated behind his ebony desk while listening to Marcellus, who was informing them of the current situation.

Braylon was lying on the dark grey couch that was situated in the corner of Adan’s office. He was absentmindedly playing with a flower that he brought from his shop on the surface. The flower should be wilting down in the underworld, but it remains fresh and vibrant with its shades of purple as long as it stays in his hands.

“So they want Braylon to deal with it?”

The head of the demon world spoke up while raising an eyebrow at the messenger who was seated at the other end of his desk. Marcellus just nodded, but had to hold back his smile that tried to make its way on his face.

“Yes. Aziel said that it was too much of a waste of their time. They’re already really busy with collecting normal souls. It seems that a stubborn soul which needs some time of coaxing isn’t really their cup of tea.”

“That’s true, but it’s not one of Braylon’s tasks…”

Adan’s words got cut off when a flower flew across the room. It hit him square in the face before instantly wilting and soon turning into nothing but dust.

“I want to!”

The one guilty of throwing the flower interrupted. He jumped up from his spot, only to approach the desk and plop himself down on Marcellus’ lap. The taller messenger snaked his arms around the florist’s small waist and rested his chin on Braylon’s shoulder. The both of them were smiling with fake innocence.

Adan couldn’t do anything but sigh at the sight in front of him.

“You,” The eldest of the three pointed his finger at Marcellus, who was his younger brother, “you talked him into this.”

“No he didn’t. It’s my own decision.”

Braylon swatted Adan’s hand away impatiently and making the other gasp dramatically-

“Braylon! You cannot treat your boss like this!”

“I’ve been treating you like this for years now!”

“Ah, I’m glad you’re aware of that.”

Marcellus cleared his throat.

“Anyways, the said spirit or ghost if you will, is at an old apartment just five minutes away from Braylon’s shop. There are still people living there, but they are constantly complaining about the noise that is coming from apartment 307.”

“Come on Adan!”

Braylon slammed his hands on the dark desk while leaning forward when Adan moved away and spun his chair to turn sideways from them with his hands neatly clasped in his lap.

“You don’t know how spirits can become when they are too long on the surface. It’s been eight months! He could lose control any second and you won’t be able to handle him!”

“I promise I’ll be out of there if he starts showing any signs of losing it.”

“And I’ll visit the apartment every week.” Marcellus added, earning a glare from Adan that was soon followed by another sigh.

“I need you to do your own duties… that goes for the both of you.”

“We are doing them!” The two younger ones answered in unison.

“Stop that, you do not gang up on me. I’ll send some other demon to take care of the spirit.” Said Adan firmly.

“But!” Braylon crawled to sit on the desk, leaving Adan to stare in disbelieve at his scattered notes.

“He’s just a kid! He needs talking and understanding! You said it yourself, it’s been eight months but still nothing happened and he still has control over himself. I know I can do it, please, please.”

Marcellus hummed in agreement. “He is something special Adan. Most spirits loose themselves after only six months, but this kid is still going.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“You’re just mean! Let me do this job! Just this one time.”

Braylon was ready to throw a tantrum but he reluctantly scooted away when Adan stood up to his full height. They stared at each other for a few moments until the eldest gave in with a loud sigh.

“If I see you neglect any family-“

“I won’t! They’ll get my flowers, I promise.”

Braylon’s face lit up, he was smiling so wide that his gums peeked out as he moved closer to the taller.

“And if anything- anything happens to you,” The demon leans down to plant his palms on the desk, caging the younger in his arms, “I will go up there myself and the spirit will regret hurting you for centuries.”

“Awwww! You’re so scary!”

Braylon and Marcellus take turns in making cooing noises, teasing the older and reaching over to poke the demon’s stoic face until he shook them off.

“Shut up, I’m being serious here… and you,” He pointed at Marcellus again, “If you don’t report back to me in two days after you visit- “

“Understood! You can stop right there, I don’t want to hear what you’ll do to your own little brother.”

The demon messenger clapped his hands over his ears and closed his eyes as if trying to get rid of any horrific images in his mind. Adan sighed for the ninth time of the day, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. Braylon smiled widely and reached up to pull the hand away, stretching himself upwards to give Adan a small peck on his nose.

“Don’t worry, I’ll guide the spirit safely to the afterlife before you even know it.”

“That is not what I’m worried- “

“Okay, let’s go Marcellus! To my new home!”

Braylon shouted, standing on the desk to jump on Marcellus’ back and in a flash of smoke they were gone. Adan cringed at his ebony desk that was once beautifully polished and now stained with the footprints of a certain half demon.

He slowly sat back down, eyes landing on a framed picture he keeps face down besides other pictures of him and Braylon. The head demon picked it up and brought it closer to see the same old picture that has been here for as long as he knows.

Sunset A field of pale yellow flowers glowing brightly. A figure sitting right in the middle, turning around to smile over his shoulder. So widely it makes his eyes turn into little crescent shapes.

Adan stared at it for a few seconds longer before flipping it down on the desk again, mumbling quietly to himself.

“… It’s been too long.”

| Chapter 2 |

“Marcellus! Stop! Someone is calling you!”

Braylon squirmed in the arms of the taller, trying to dodge the pouty expression directed at him.

“But you won’t let me go and see the ghost with you!”

“That’s because someone is calling you for the third time in the last ten minutes now.”

Braylon was starting to get annoyed by the beeping noise from Marcellus’ watch that has rang since they arrived at the florist’s home. The demon had offered to help Braylon pack his stuff from the small and cozy apartment right above the shop. They had bickered their way through it, Braylon protested because he didn’t have that much stuff and in the end it was only three bags.

Once they finished, the florist tried to say goodbye and urged the other to go do his job but Marcellus was persistent. He wanted to walk Braylon to his new apartment. So they end up tangled up in each other, one trying to escape and one holding on as tight as ever.

“Ugh!” The demon groaned loudly, letting the older go to press a button on his watch, which immediately silenced the beeping. “Why can’t they deliver their own messages and stuff?”

“Hey!” Braylon called out with a scowl, drawing out a deep chuckle from Marcellus, who draped himself over the half demon again.

“Not you! I like delivering your flowers.”

“You better.” The florist mumbled under his breath before starting to squirm again. “Okay, let go now. I can walk there by myself, you have a job to do. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Marcellus huffed, finally letting go but didn’t forget to plant a big kiss on the soft honey blond locks of Braylon before disappearing into thin air.

“Great, not even a goodbye. Sulking brat.”

Braylon muttered and set off, locking the shop behind him and walked over to the apartment. It was near, but Braylon never really had a purpose to walk past it, but now it was going to be his new home. He was quite excited to meet the ghost and hopes to befriend it, so he could have a new friend instead of just Adan and Marcellus.

The half demon pulled out a copy of the report, there were only a few words from the reapers but it helped Braylon to prepare himself mentally.

‘Male, 22 years old 8 months Doesn’t speak much, mischievous, smiles a lot. Overall, looks alive and healthy, not pale and gray like normal souls Capable of interacting with solid objects. Remembers his name but wouldn’t tell.’

Braylon scrunches up his face at the third line. He hopes that he would be able to coax the spirit to speak up more. He’s also surprised that it was still looking alive and well. Most souls start with a less saturated color than normal that fades over time.

A few moment later he reaches the apartment and makes his way in easily with the obtained keycard. Despite looking old on the outside, the apartment’s interior was warm and cozy. Decorated with antique furniture and small green plants.

/ I might consider living here myself when this whole thing is over. /

The half demon climbed the stairs up to the third floor, heading straight to number 307 and unlocked the door, trying to heave his luggage into the dark hallway inside the room.

Jaylon perked up at the sound of someone unlocking the door. He was lying on the bed, enjoying the silence and lost in his thoughts when the small beep of the electric lock was heard.

/Great, another one/

He mentally groaned, getting up and peeked his head out from the bedroom, squinting in the darkness. His apartment room was simple, a narrow hallway and if you look from the entrance door, the living room is on the right while the kitchen is on the left. Walk a bit further and the bathroom is right next to the kitchen, the bedroom is next to the living space. At the end of the hallway is a balcony, which has heavy thick curtains hiding the glass door.

Jaylon could see the outline of a small figure in the darkness with some light flooding in from outside. The guest tried flicking on the switch near the door a few times, but the ghost knew that it didn’t work since it broke a few weeks ago. He heard a small sigh and the door closed, before the hallway was dimly illuminated by small rays of light from a phone. Jaylon chuckled softly, pushing his bedroom door open and turned on the light so it can pour in the hallway for the other to see.

Jaylon watched as the smaller jumped a bit at the sudden light and slowly raised his head. The small catlike eyes were wide in the dimly lit hallway, pouty lips gaping at the sight in front of him while Jaylon felt himself freeze as well.

/Oh. It’s a pretty one this time. /

| Chapter 3 |

Braylon almost shrieked when the ghost started flying in the air with a lopsided grin plastered on his face. He was twisting and turning around him and was shooting in and out of rooms through the walls instead of using the doors. Braylon waited for a while to see if he would stop, but nope, he started to play with the lights. The ghost was switching the lights on and off in every single room.

/ Oh fun, he is a brat/

“Hey! Get down here...”

The half demon weakly tried to persuade the playful one. He finally stopped moving but was now hanging upside down from the ceiling while grinning cheekily at him. Braylon bit his lip nervously, thinking that it might be a good idea to start with an introduction.

“Well okay, ummm, that’s better I think. So… hi? I’m Braylon. I’m here to help you so… can you tell me your name? I don’t want to call you ‘it’.”

The ghost started to pout, sinking through the ceiling until only his hair and eyes could be seen. Braylon started panicking and waved his hand anxiously in an attempt to stop the ghost that was in front of him.

“Oh! Um… you don’t have to answer me… just take your time ok? I’ll be staying here for a while, look.” He stepped aside to show his luggage. “If you feel like talking, please don’t hesitate to call me! Err… now I need a place to sleep… so if you don’t mind…”

Braylon bravely dragged his stuff forward, peeking into the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom and finally found the bedroom. Each room was a bit dusty, but it was habitable and neatly furnished. Now the half demon started to wonder where he should sleep.

If the ghost has haunted this place for eight months it surely meant that this apartment is something that holds great meaning to him and the bedroom might have been his own. Braylon nodded to himself and turned back to the living room, trying to ignore how the ghost slowly revealed more about himself. He was slowly dropping down from the ceiling to the floor. It was a bit eerie but Braylon has seen creepier things down in the underworld. The only difference was, that Adan never let him near the spirits. It's still a new feeling to him, but he could handle it.

Suddenly a cold wisp of air rushed past him. The young spirit stood proudly at the entrance to the living space and pointed to the bedroom.

“Oh,” Braylon raised one of his eyebrows. “I can sleep in the bedroom? Isn’t it yours?”

The ghost just looked at him and shrugged, not giving a single sound from him.

“It’s okay, the couch looks comfy enough for me.” Says Braylon, while carefully looking at the other’s reaction which resulted in a scrunched up face and a small shake of his head. Braylon was going to continue his protesting but the ghost just huffed and picked up his bags like it was nothing. He moved past Braylon towards the bedroom. The half demon took his chance to look at the spirit closely. He looked younger than his actual age, had chocolate brown hair, was tall and had some muscles.

Braylon shook his head, softly slapping his cheeks to stop checking the ghost out before following him into the brightly lit bedroom. His bags were stacked on the bed and the ghost was once again doing flips in the air.

“Don’t you get tired- … oh, you’re a ghost.” Braylon scratched his neck dumbly. The other grinned at him brightly and plopped himself down on the bed while patting the spot next to him and looking expectantly at Braylon.

“Ah,” The florist was a bit flustered, “I need to wash up a bit… I’ll be right back, wait a minute”

He quickly approached his smallest bag to find all his hygiene products and quickly left the room to do his business in the bathroom, aware of the spirit’s eyes that were fixated on him.

A few minutes later Braylon found himself lying on the left side of the really soft bed, facing the ghost who was in the same position again with a big grin plastered on his face. The half demon scanned the other’s clothing. He was wearing a large black hoodie and dark grey sweatpants while he himself was wearing an oversized white sweater and black sweatpants. The spirit was staring at him with his round eyes as if he was waiting for Braylon to say something.

So he did.

“Ummm… do you sleep?” A nod.

“Will you sleep here tonight?” Another nod.

“Oh… well, it’s getting late and I’m a bit sleepy now… I’m going to sleep, okay?” Two nods with a warm smile.

“Will you talk to me tomorrow?”

There was a moment of silence before the other stretched out his hand, his palm facing up. Braylon stared at it in confusion, not sure of what to do, so he just mirrored the younger’s action. The spirit lightly traced his finger on Braylon’s palm, writing out a ‘maybe’ and retracted his hand back to tuck it under his head. The demon stared at his own hand, feeling the light coldness that was lingering in it. He was still a bit fascinated by how the other could make himself solid whenever he wanted. He was determined to learn more about the spirit tomorrow, already satisfied with the little progress he made today.

“Okay then… goodnight kid.”

| Chapter 4 |

Jaylon was excited to have a living roommate.

At first, he thought that it was another boring grim reaper that was trying to be intimidating and drag him to the afterlife. Turns out it wasn’t. This time there was actually someone trying to get to know him slowly and spend time with him. The spirit felt giddy. He couldn’t stop moving last night but seeing the tired face one of the smaller forced him to eventually lie down.

Today he woke up earlier than normal. He was sitting patiently at the end of the bed and waiting for his roommate to wake up.

/Is he an angel? Why is he pretty? /

And then it struck him… he didn’t even know what Braylon was. Well he has the intention to get to know everything about Braylon as soon as he wakes up.

The ghost waits and waits and waits. He waited until the clock hit seven-thirty and Braylon’s phone starts to ring loudly. The owner groaned softly, pulling it out from under the pillow to turn the alarm off before sitting up. He was blinking slowly at Jaylon who was smiling at him.

The half demon smiled back, still looking very sleepy. “Uh….. Good morning?”

Jaylon was ready.

“Morning.” He says, observing the small eyes widening in surprise before a smile follows ´. The smile was so wide that it was showing the perfect white teeth and pink gums of the demon.

/Oh shit, he’s cute/

“You can talk! I mean you’re talking to me!”

“Yeah, I’m capable of that.” Replied Jaylon happily.

“Can you tell me your name now?”

“I’m Jaylon. This here was my old apartment.”

“Ah, I see… is that all you can remember?”

Jaylon shrugged, “Are we seriously going to play twenty questions this early in the morning?”

Braylon smiled sheepishly while muttering an apology before glancing at the clock. “I have work to do at nine but I’m leaving early today okay? Gotta find some breakfast for myself.”

Jaylon’s face fell at that, he thought the other was going to stay with him all day.

“When are you coming back?”

“Maybe five or six? I’ll try to close the shop quickly.” Answered Braylon, scrambling out of to do a few stretches and gathered his things to take a quick shower before getting dressed. After ten minutes Jaylon was still rooted to the same place and pouting at Braylon, who entered the room again to pack his small everyday bag.

“Hey,” Jaylon spoke up, making his roommate look up with a smile. “Are you a reaper?”

“No,” he says. “I’m half demon and half human.”

The spirit made a small noise of acknowledgement, but was still a little bit curious.

“Then why are you doing the job of a reaper?”

The demon hummed in response and tilting his head a bit. “I don’t really see it as a job, I’ve never done this before, but I just want to help.” He paused for a few seconds. “And… my shop is near too. So why shouldn’t I try to help?”

Jaylon listened closely, feeling his heart inflate at the kindness the one in front of him radiates from his words. He also perked up at the mention of a shop.

“Your shop? You sell stuff? Can I go with you?”

Braylon raises an eyebrow at him. “You can go outside?”

“I think so…. If someone accompanies me it should be fine.”

The older looked uncertain, shifting his weight from foot to foot before finally saying “I’m sorry, maybe on another day?”

Jaylon frowned, giving a small nod and slid back down on the bed. He was covering himself with blankets. The spirit could already feel himself start to sulk. He knew he wanted attention and when things didn’t go the way he wanted, he sulks. He can hear Braylon shuffling nervously at the side of the bed before he received a slight pat on the head through the thin cover.

“I’ll be back soon and I’ll promise we’ll get to know each other ok? Nice meeting you Jaylon, I’ll see you tonight.”

Jaylon laid there silently, waiting until he heard the older leave the room before throwing the covers off of him. He walked over to the window, pressing his face to the glass and watching people walk in and out of the building. A little while later Braylon was one of them. He was waddling away from the apartment dressed in an oversized shirt and ripped jeans. His bag was hanging from one of his shoulders and lightly swaying in the wind.

The ghost smiled to himself, adoring how tiny the half demon looked from down there. Sadly his smile quickly faded when he remembered, that the other won’t be coming back until late in the evening. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was only 8:16 o’clock.

“Ah… shit. I just met him and I’m already getting attached…. what’s wrong with me?”

The ghost mumbled quietly, crouching down to roll over on the floor in boredom. At least he has something to look forward to today.

Wait for Braylon to come /home/.

It definitely seems better than staying by himself in this room, but time passes slower when he steals a glance at the clock every minute. Jaylon sighed loudly, climbed up on the bed and decided to go back to sleep since he didn’t have much to do. He snuggled under the blankets facing the left side of the bed and was reminded of the sight of his roommate peacefully sleeping there earlier.

/Ugh, he didn’t even do anything and I still got attached. /

| Chapter 5 |

Braylon felt bad. He knew he made Jaylon upset, but he couldn’t risk anything happening in his shop where humans come and go. He barely knew the ghost, let alone how he could control him when he has too much energy to spare.

Braylon sighed while unlocking the store only to find, that it was already neatly cleaned. Chairs that were previously on the tables were now tucked under them and ready to be sat on. The different kinds of flowers that were huddled in baskets seemed to perk up at his arrival. They were looking fresh and full of color.

His store wasn’t just a flower shop. One side of it was a small café with three little tables. The coffee machine was already turned on, warming itself up and getting ready for its first shot of coffee.

Braylon could spot a small bag of cookies on the counter with a small yellow sticky not stuck to it. He immediately recognized Marcellus’ messy handwriting.

‘Good morning Braylon, I prepared everything for you already. Hope you have a great day☺.

The half demon smiled at the cute little emoji drawing at the end of the note and made his way behind the café counter to make himself a cup of black coffee, nit forgetting to pull out some frozen cookie dough to let it thaw. He quickly ate and went about his daily routine of checking the tidiness of the whole store before flipping the ‘Open’ sign at the door. He then made his way to the small greenhouse behind the store where numerous flowers were growing in full bloom.

Braylon never really understood his love for flowers and how they seemed to lean into his touch when he was younger. The instantly looked brighter and colorful whenever he touched one of them.

He didn’t understand what was going on until Adan explained to him, that his grandmother was a nature witch and Braylon somehow inherited some of her magic even though his mother didn’t.

He was then assigned the job to arrange flower bouquets for the family of the deceased at their requests. The reapers would send in their orders and Braylon would carefully follow it, adding some more until it seemed perfect. Then he would put them in an enchanted box for Marcellus to deliver.

He loves his job. It never gets boring and there were a lot of times where human teenagers come in and buy some flowers for their loved ones. Considering the fact that there’s a university only a few miles away, he has a lot of young customers. They were a curious bunch, always asking where he gets the flowers during the winter, but every time he would reply with a small smile and say ‘It’s a secret.’

Adults came often too. More for the coffee and cookies than flowers. Hey were polite and friendly, always striking up a conversation to keep him company when Marcellus was too busy with his deliveries.

Today seemed like it wouldn’t be too busy for Braylon. He glanced down on his tablet as soon as he came back inside with a basket full of flowers hanging from his wrist. There were only six deliveries today. The half demon is only responsible for the deceased in North America, while other places in the world are taken care of by other demons who spent years in studying nature magic.

It was some kind of extra service, a last goodbye from the dead to bring ease to the living.

Braylon started to arrange his first bouquet of the day. He was totally immersed in it, so much that he didn’t even hear when a customer entered. Only looking up with a jump when a velvety voice spoke up in the silence.

“Is the café open yet?”

“Oh, yes! Of course, err … what would you like?” He managed to stammer out, peering up at the stranger who was warmly smiling at him.

“An iced vanilla latte and a slice of chocolate cake please.”

“Coming right up in five minutes.” Braylon smiled back, scurrying over to the café side and started to whip up the drink, glancing at the cakes in the display case to make sure there were still a few slices of chocolate cake left.

He peeked over the coffee machine to look at his customer. He looked strangely familiar but Braylon has never seen him around. He has blond hair with dark roots starting to peek. Chocolate hazel eyes and plump pink lips, honey kissed skin. The man was really beautiful and the half demon couldn’t get rid of the feeling that he’s so familiar with. He tried to ignore it, finishing up the order and serving it quietly. The customer looked up with the same smile, “Thank you.”

Braylon smiled back and returned to his post, still glancing at the stranger from time to time until he finished and paid, leaving the store with a red rose that he bought from the florist’s collection. At the same time Marcellus enters the shop through the door like a normal human being, which he was forced to do after he kept popping up behind the counter. The two at the door glanced at each other for a second. The strangers’ plump lips stretching into a small smile while the demon kept his stoic face and then, a second later, the customer was gone, walking along the sidewalk.

“Who was the shorty?” blurted Marcellus out, earning himself a glare from the only other person in the shop.

“Do not call my customers short! It offends me too.”

“But he gives me creepy vibes, is he human? I think he’s not human,” the messenger whined.

“He’s human, I didn’t feel anything.”

“Just because you don’t feel anything doesn’t mean I don’t feel something.”

The two continued to bicker, only stopping when a small group of office workers come in. Marcellus offered his help while Braylon was working on his third bouquet. Just like that, the day went on smoothly. Marcellus was popping in and out, checking the flowers and baking cookies or just coming in to annoy the little one with pouts and whines of wanting to see the ghost.

“For the last time - no means no!”

“I just want a glimpse!”

Braylon sighed, placing the last bouquet of the day in the box and silently held out his hand to the demon. Marcellus pouted but gave in, sliding his own hand over Braylon’s and held it tightly, a small end to their disagreement.

“I just want him to trust me first… you know, the reapers said that he doesn’t speak much, but he talked to me this morning! He’s opening up to me so I don’t want to overwhelm him. And I think I made him a bit upset too so…. Not today, okay?”

The florist explained gently, knowing that the other was probably worried and wanted to check out the apartment, but he was a little uncertain of how unpredictable Marcellus could be sometimes.

The demon sighed, leaning in to softly pinch the older’s cheek. “Fine, you’re lucky you’re cute though.”

“I’m always cute. Now, go deliver these flowers.” The half demon picked up the medium sized boxes from the floor, extending its straps and hung them over Marcellus’ shoulder. Once they bid their goodbyes, he was gone in a flash, leaving Braylon to quickly close up the store. He was done before six and was picking out some of his stuff upstairs when Adan called.

“Yes? Hello?”

(“Braylon, I ordered some of my men to buy all the basic things for your new home. They already cleaned it up too, sorry for not doing this earlier.”)

Braylon halted, thinking of Jaylon, “What about Jaylon?”

(“Oh, his name is Jaylon? Well, they said that he gathered your stuff and retreated out to the balcony. He was watching them until they left.”)

“You have to tell me first, don’t send strangers barging in without notice!”

(“It’s fine Braylon. The kid’s fine. Go and check if you don’t believe me.”)

The half demon huffed, hanging up the call and quickly stashed his belongings and some extra stuff in his bag. He made his way down, grabbing a small pot of flowers he prepared earlier and left, locking the store securely behind him.

| Chapter 6 |

When the florist arrived at the apartment he was relieved to see, that Jaylon wasn’t sulking, but happily bounced to him and took the pot of flowers into his hands.

“Welcome back! Is this for the balcony?”

“Y-Yeah, I’ll bring more. So you can take care of them and have something to look forward to.”

Jaylon smiled wide, bearing his front teeth that were bigger than the others. “But I’m already looking forward to you coming back here.”

“Oh,” Braylon could feel himself start to blush, “That’s… I`m glad, really.”

The spirit beamed at him and skipped away to the balcony, probably finding a nice spot for the white daisies while Braylon busied himself in the kitchen. He discovered that the fridge was full with freshly bought groceries and it was more than enough for his dinner tonight. The half demon decided to cook a simple and basic pan of fried rice with some meat to go with it.

Jaylon returned with a rush of cold air and started to twirl around the other who softly asked how his day was. The younger hesitated for a second before replying, “It was nice, a bit boring though.”

Braylon faltered, hearing the little sadness behind the words. He looked up with a reassuring smile, “I have some gifts for you, but later.”

“What- really?!” The ghost’s big, round eyes widened in surprise, “Why wait? Can I have it now? Please? Please, please!”

Jaylon landed on the floor and latched himself on to the older while chanting the words in his ears. The smaller flinched, almost shying away from the touch but he tried to stay still.

Braylon didn’t want the atmosphere to lessen and he himself wasn’t uncomfortable or anything, just not used to someone touching him apart from Marcellus and Adan.

“Come on, please!”

“Hey,” the half demon pointed at him with the spatula, “Behave or you won’t earn it.”

Jaylon huffed, blowing out his cheeks when things didn’t go his way. The younger opted for clinging on to Braylon quietly until he was finished with cooking and they settled down at the small table.

The florist asked about the demons’ visit and Jaylon bounced in his seat, explaining in a hurry of how he thought they were coming to take Braylon back so he gathered his belongings with him to the balcony. The half demon laughed at that, making the ghost blush and nudge his shin lightly with his foot.

“Hey, don’t laugh at me!”

Braylon waved his hands frantically, wiping the tears at his eyes away and calmed down enough to reply, “Sorry and I’m not leaving, you don’t have to worry about that.”

He continued eating, answering questions from time to time. Jaylon learned that his new friend had a demon father and human mother. His father was punished because he broke the rule of loving a human and bearing a child. He was send down to the lowest level of the underworld and has never been seen since then. His mother died after giving birth and Braylon was given to the family of the head demon to be taken care of.

Jaylon listened intently to every word, eyes widening at every sentence and when Braylon finished he looked sad and tried to say something, but the demon just smiled at him and reached over to pat his head.

“I know how you feel, but trust me, I’m okay now. There’s no need to be sorry for me. Things just … happen, you know?”

It was the first time that Braylon had seen such a sad smile on the face of the younger.

“Yeah … I guess … I appreciate you for telling me that though, I wish I could tell you something about me too.”

“No need to hurry. You’re probably fed up of being stuck in here, but take your time.” The older stood up to wash the dishes and Jaylon scrambled up to stand beside him too. Braylon glanced at him fondly, before asking the other to get his bag for him which was located in the hallway.

The younger obediently flew his way through the walls and returned in a few seconds with the bag hanging in his hand. Braylon passed, wiping his hands on a towel before rummaging in the bag to pull out a plastic bag full of movies.

“Here,” he handed Jaylon the bag of movies while hugging his own bag close to his chest, “I noticed that there was an old DVD player in the living room, maybe you can pick one for us tonight?”

The spirit stared at the smaller one with his big eyes, then slowly looking down to the bag in his hand and then slowly looked up again at Braylon. The blonde tilted his head in confusion, wondering why the other won’t leave yet before being attacked with a sudden hug.

“Thank you! Oh my god, this is the best gift! Oh- can I mention god to a demon?”

Jaylon wondered, still bouncing on the balls of his feet and accidentally lifting the demon up a bit while he was still going on with his rant. “I haven’t watched a movie in months! This is really the best!”

“H-Hey,” Jaylon looked up to see a flustered florist, his face just inches away from his. “Put me down. Go-pick out the movie.”

The ghost smiled wide, feeling an urge to boop the scrunched up nose but decided against it and gently set the older down. “I’ll help with the dishes first!”

“No, just- there’s only a few,” Braylon mumbled, ushering him out of the kitchen. “I’ll finish up here and then take a shower before joining you. You can watch it first though, I already watched it all.”

The spirit shook his head stubbornly, but the blonde returned it with a stern look and turned back to wash the dishes and pan. Jaylon still lingered at the door, waiting and following the other to their bedroom, then proceeded to wait in front of the bathroom.

Braylon waltzed out after a few minutes, wrapped in a black bathrobe and raised one of his eyebrows at a lazily floating Jaylon who was hanging from the ceiling and moving the movies close to his chest.

“Jaylon.”

The ghost perked up at the firm tone, scanned Braylon with his eyes from head to toe before grinning cheekily and zooming past him to the living room. He eagerly poured out the movies, scattering them properly to look at each one and gasped when he saw Iron Man. Jaylon immediately put it in the player, turned on the TV and sat patiently on the sofa, sinking in and out of it to kill time.

A minute later Braylon walked in yawning and eyeing Jaylon who popped out of the sofa with big eyes. “You tired?”

“Nah, I yawn all the time. What are we watching?”

Jaylon grinned as Braylon flopped down beside him. “Iron Man! It’s my favorite!”

Braylon smiled along as the movie began to play, the ghost’s eyes were glued on the screen for most of the time but he still found some chances to scoot closer to the half demon who was watching with sleepy eyes.

Half an hour in and the spirit felt something soft hit his shoulder, a weight resting against it. He glanced down and was met with a sight of honey blond locks and a small button nose jutting out from his view.

Jaylon smiled fondly, deciding to just turn off the movie and carefully scooped up his roommate in his arms. The half demon slept soundly, breathing in and out evenly while Jaylon carried him to their room with soft steps. He gently laid the florist down on the bed, quietly rustling the newly bought blankets before covering Braylon with it. He smiled proudly once he was done, glad that they could sleep in clean sheets. The demon had sneezed a lot in the last night, even though he tried his best in dusting everything, but now, Jaylon thinks, that he would sleep well tonight.

The younger slowly slid himself under the blanket, laying on his side to watch the older’s face. Yes. It was a creepy behavior, but who could resist with this pretty pale face and these rosy cheeks?

Well, certainly not Jaylon.

He laid there, just simply staring at Braylon’s face with warmth spreading inside his chest. Jaylon felt so so happy with today’s events, all the kind gestures and the florist’s softness was doing things to him. Like- a lot.

/Am I going too fast? / He wondered silently.

The spirit bit his lip nervously before lifting his head to push his pillow, closing the gap between him and the older. He wriggled closer, finally shutting his eyes to go to sleep.

He felt content, felt something blooming in his chest.

| Chapter 7 |

Braylon woke up snuggled in white, clean covers only to see the other side of the bed empty. He slowly sat up, stretching himself with a yawn before sleepily walking out of the room to look for Jaylon.

He found the ghost sitting straight up on the sofa, eyes glued to the TV screen where Iron Man was being played. Braylon could feel a smile creeping up on his lips while he stood there, leaning on the doorframe just to watch the younger. It took a few minutes for the spirit to notice him, but when the kid did- “Oh! You’re awake”, with a grin blooming on his face.

“Morning, watching movies so early? Didn’t we watch it last night?”

The half demon greeted, squinting at the screen which was now paused. Jaylon chuckled at his words, jumping up to float closer.

“You fell asleep! So I carried you to bed.” The spirit says, puffing out his chest proudly.

Braylon made a small noise of acknowledgement, suddenly realizing that he didn’t remember going to bed by himself. He sent a small smile to the ghost, patting his chest softly.

“Well thanks. Sorry for that though… you could just leave me there next time.”

Jaylon frowned, making a face like Braylon just said that he killed his dog or something. “I can’t do that! Come on, I made breakfast.”

The younger grabbed Braylon’s shoulder, turning him around to push him to the kitchen. The half demon let himself be maneuvered easily, entering the kitchen to see a plate of toasted bread, scrambled eggs and some sausages. All of it was a little burnt, but it still looked edible. The florist didn’t have the heart to tell the other that he usually doesn’t eat much in the morning. The spirit prepared all of it for him, there’s even a small cup of steaming black coffee on the side.

Braylon turns back to look at the ghost, who was fidgeting on his spot with round, eager eyes. He was clearly waiting for a reaction.

“Bend down a bit,” The demon beckoned.

His roommate raised an eyebrow at him but obediently lowered his head down for Braylon to reach up and ruffle his hair fondly.

“Thanks, you did a good job.”

The ghost instantly lit up at the praise, beaming brightly and sat across from the florist to watch him eat it all up. After that, Braylon went on with his morning routine while Jaylon returned to his movie. Right before leaving for work he popped in the living room, clutching his bag nervously.

“Jaylon?”

The younger hummed in response, one hand grabbing the remote to pause the movie.

“I’ve got something for you.”

“Really? Another one?” Jaylon stared at him with wide eyes, looking a bit hesitant. Braylon didn’t miss that. He curled in on himself, feeling really uncertain.

“Um, if you don’t want it-“

“What? No- I mean- I do want it!” Jaylon rushed up to him, waving his hands around in panic. “I just- you know… you already gave me these movies and I… I’m really really grateful for that.”

“Is that why you made breakfast for me?”

Braylon peered up at him, feeling a bit better that Jaylon still wanted his gift.

“Yes, but- I wanted to do that, with or without the gifts. You’re here to help me and you have other work too while I’m doing nothing.”

The ghost mumbled with his head down. Braylon felt bad, seeing him like this, so different from his usual playful self. “I feel like I’m receiving so much from you and I can’t return all of that… I don’t like it…”

Braylon sighed quietly, stepping forward to cup Jaylon’s cheek with one hand and gently pushing his head up so that they can see each other properly.

“Please don’t think like that, ok? You can return the favor by not thinking of unnecessary things like that and focus on what you want to do.

Cooking, cleaning, sleeping- anything. You do your best and I’ll try to do that in my end too. Alright?”

Braylon didn’t know what he was saying, he certainly wasn’t a man of wise words, but he is trying to convey his feelings and comfortable the other at the same time. It looked like it worked though, Jaylon looked like he was going to cry and slowly leaned in, wrapping Braylon in a chilly hug and pressing his face into the older’s neck.

The half demon squirmed at the sudden coolness on his neck. The hug though, was kind of comforting and Braylon didn’t even feel cold due to the sudden flustered feeling he was experiencing.

He cleared his throat, awkwardly patting the younger’s back. “So… do you still want my gift?”

“Yes of course☺.” Jaylon mumbled into his neck, still not moving.

“Ok… well, I have a gaming console for you.”
“What!?” Jaylon literally shouted, startling the older as he pulled away from the hug to stare at the half demon. “A-Are you kidding me? Please say that you’re not.”

Braylon couldn’t help but let out a soft giggle, shaking his head and finally pulling the console out of his bag.

Jaylon watched him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, whispering a small ‘wow’ at the sight of it and suddenly hugging him again tightly.

This time, Braylon swore he felt the small tinge of warmth hidden beneath the coldness.

| Chapter 8 |

A week had passed by with them living together.

Jaylon seemed to be more comfortable and really touchy with Braylon. The older blushed furiously every time the ghost was too close or in an intimate position that he really wasn’t used to. Jaylon was oblivious to the flustered florist, always having his own way of hugging and cuddling Braylon without a word of complaint from the other.

Jaylon also got better at cooking with Braylon’s help of little tips and tricks day by day. He prepared breakfast and dinner for the half demon every day, except for the days Braylon decided to stay in because of the lack of orders.

Marcellus gets really sulky on those days. Demons can teleport to a lot of places but they couldn’t really enter in a private place like a human’s home, so the messenger couldn’t just appear in Jaylon’s apartment. He bombarded Braylon’s phone with tons of texts and calls, whining to see his friend and meet the young ghost.

“Please… I’m really bored.”

“Don’t you have a job to do?” sighed Braylon while stirring a small pot of stew with his phone squeezed between his ear and shoulder.

“I don’t! I’m today free today. Adan has been nagging at me to check up on you too.”

“Okay fine! But don’t come empty handed!”

Braylon had already mentioned Marcellus to Jaylon a few times, but the younger didn’t really seem to be interested. He always shrugged with a small pout when the half demon asked if it was okay for them to meet.

Braylon lowered the heat of the stove to the lowest setting an inhaled a deep breath before raising his voice to call the ghost.

“Jaylon!” The younger immediately appeared at the kitchen doorway, bouncing in with a wide grin to take a look at the demon’s stew.

“Ohhh! That smells so good, I wish I could eat.” He pouted, clinging onto Braylon again, a habit he had picked up lately. The older smiled softly, reaching up behind to pat the younger’s head and breaking the news to him.

“Um… remember the demon I told you about? He’s coming over.”

The two stood in silence for a moment before Jaylon huffed loudly, moving his head from Braylon’s shoulder to rest on the honey blond locks instead. The florist frowned at the huffing, turning around to look up at the pouting ghost.

“Why are you sulking Jay? Don’t you want more friends?”

“But I have you,” The younger stubbornly said and even though Braylon could feel his heart flutter at that, he continued to muster up a stern look.

“I know that but… give Marcellus a chance, ok? If you don’t like him by the end of today, then- I’ll make sure that he won’t come to bother you again.”

Jaylon started to float up and down, still pouting and staring at Braylon, so the older continued, “Marcellus’ really a nice guy once you get to know him, I promise.”

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Jaylon sank into the counter at the sound of it and Braylon started to get a bit worried, wondering if it was too much. The doorbell rang again after a few seconds and Braylon just send Jay a reassuring smile before walking over to the door to welcome Marcellus in. The spirit immediately flew over to latch himself on the half demon, wrapping his arms around the shorter just before the door opened.

On the other side of the door stood Marcellus with a huge backpack hanging from his shoulders, taking in the sight before him.

Braylon was standing awkwardly in the hallway with a taller kid clinging on to him, sending a glare towards the newcomer. The demon was amazed at how the ghost was so full of color, looking alive and well, Marcellus was really tempted to touch his skin, just to see how it feels. But….

“Uhhh… why is the kid glaring daggers at me?” he asks.

Braylon gave him a nervous grin, “I don’t know… but well, Marcellus, this is Jaylon. Jay, this is Marcellus, a demon messenger and also my childhood friend.”

Marcellus extended a hand, he had a box like smile stretching on his face. “Hey kid! Nice to meet you, I’ve never seen a ghost so bright of color!”

The demons anxiously waited for a reply, but the ghost just harshly breathed air out of his nose and took off, levitating upwards and twirling around as an act of disobedience.

Marcellus shot a look of confusion at the florist, who just shrugged at him and leaned in to whisper, “If you don’t befriend him by the end of the day, I will not allow your presence here ever again.”

The demon messenger smirked back, “Don’t you know who I am? I brought something for the kid.”

Marcellus turned around and wriggled a bit, shoving off his backpack before marching inside the living area with Jaylon watching cautiously from the ceiling.

Braylon followed the other demon, throwing himself down on the couch while the demon was seated on the floor with his back to him. The messenger pulled out a laptop and a lot of accessories, including a keyboard, mouse, mouse pad and a pair of speakers. He started to set it upon the small table. Braylon was slowly catching onto what he was doing. Jaylon still hovered near the ceiling, clinging on to the doorway, his big eyes now had a hint of interest in them when he saw the equipment.

“Jaylon,” Braylon called out softly, holding his hand out and the younger quickly moved forwards to take it. He was snuggling close to the half demon with his legs up to his chest.

“Do you play computer games?” whispered the half demon, eyeing how Jaylon eagerly nodded, gesturing with his hands that he played a lot.

“That’s nice… you can play with Marc, you know. He won’t bite.”

The ghost pouted, turning his attention to the laptop screen again, carefully observing how Marcellus was messing around with the settings before launching a familiar online game. Braylon smiled as he saw how interested Jaylon became and silently thanked the demon in his mind. He stood up, nudging Marcellus lightly with his foot.

“Are you hungry? I’m going to check my stew.”

“The red haired demon stared up at him with his lips pursed, “I missed you, can I have a kiss?”

Braylon was about to throw a snarky comment back, but Jaylon acted first. He was pushing Braylon towards the kitchen with a grunt, ignoring how Marcellus laughed loudly behind them.

“Jay, no, you’re staying here. Go on, you can watch him. Marc is really good at this game.”

Braylon pushed the spirit’s chest lightly when they reached the entrance of the living space.

Jaylon huffed, “I’m much better.”

“Yeah? I’ll come back to see you pay then.” The florist gave him an encouraging smile and left for the kitchen to check his stew and make some noodles.

Even though demons don’t really need human food, Marcellus still has a weird craving for noodles, so Braylon decided to make some for him. He was also planning to make some rice cakes for later too, so he busied himself in the kitchen, getting lost in the making of the dough for almost an hour before finally starting on the noodles. When he was finished, he carefully balanced it on a tray along with some sweets and a drink to deliver to Marcellus.

To be honest, Braylon was a bit surprised at the scene in front of him. Jaylon was kneeling besides Marcellus, intensely watching him play while bickering with the others.

Yes, bickering.

“Don’t go over there! That’s suicide!”

“No it’s not! It’s better than your current spot and it’s perfect to camp.”

“But if the enemies come out from there they can see you?”

“I’ll take them out before they can!”

“Watch out! Your left! Left, left! Behind the boxes! No, the other left!”

“Nooooooo!”

Braylon squinted at the loud noise, shaking his head in annoyance but he was still glad that they seemed to get along… maybe.

“Marc, I made noodles for you, come and eat. Let Jaylon play for a bit.”

The florist set the tray down and Marcellus turned to him with a pout, reluctantly moving away from the laptop to approach his food while Jaylon just sent a happy grin in Braylon’s direction.

Turns out, Jaylon was such a professional at the game, leaving Marcellus to watch with his mouth agape. They started talking softly to each other about the game, completely forgetting that Braylon was even there, so he quietly left the room to take in some fresh air at the balcony. It was now a bit more packed, different kinds of flowers were neatly standing in their pots beside each other. Jaylon took great care of them, the half demon didn’t even have to do anything.

He still decided to move some flowers to a bigger pot though, just something to busy himself with while the two younger ones have some bonding time over games. Braylon himself was not a fan of shooting or action games with loud noises, he prefers peaceful games with cuter graphics and soft music instead. He obviously couldn’t share the others passion over these kinds of games.

Time passed by quickly and the florist decided to rest a bit in his bed after gardening. He was scrolling through his twitter feed when the spirit came twirling into the room.

| Chapter 9 |

“Why won’t you come watch me play?”

The younger whined, hovering above him and shoving his face through Braylon’s phone so that the older could only focus on him.

“Oh. You remember I’m here?” teased Braylon the ghost, turning on his side to continue scrolling through his phone.

Jaylon chuckled, lowering himself down to crush the half demon in a hug. He groaned at the sudden weight crushing him and halfheartedly tried to push Jaylon off.

“Get off kid. I’m dying here!”

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Jaylon rolled over to lie on his back, still holding on to Braylon so that the smaller was now lying on top of him.

Braylon was about to complain some more, but a deep voice interrupted him, “Cuddling session! Why didn’t you guys invite me?!”

Marcellus boomed out at the sight of them on the bed before jumping with intention to crash onto them, but Jaylon just whined out a “No!” and rolled over to the other side, shielding Braylon from the attack and making Marcellus fall onto the empty space.

“Ugh, what happened to gaming?”

The florist voiced out his thoughts and wriggled out of the strong hold only to land on the floor and evacuated to sit at the desk instead.

“Brat, you’re stealing him from me!” Of course Braylon was ignored and Marcellus started to fight with Jaylon by nudging him with his foot.

“You’re his childhood friend, you basically had him since you were born!”

“Okay, that’s not exactly the truth-“Braylon cut in.

“Yeah, that’s right, you’re jealous, huh?” The demon’s loud voice completely drowned Braylon’s and the two younger ones started to playfully wrestle each other, rolling around on the bed with Braylon sulking at the desk.

Just as he was about to leave- again, Jaylon jumped out of bed to pull him over and they tumbled onto Marcellus who groaned loudly. The half demon untangled himself from the mess and sat cross legged at the end of the bed.

“So… you guys finished your games?”

“Yep!” Jaylon happily answered, rolling over to rest his head on Braylon’s thigh. “We took turns playing the game and Marc really sucks.”

“No, I’m not!” The demon protests, propping his chin on Braylon’s other thigh. “We played against different enemies, you can’t compare that!”

Braylon sighed, not knowing what they were talking about. “Okay, shut up you two. I need some peace here.”

The younger ones both pouted and fell silent for a few seconds before Marcellus perked up again. “Ah, I just remembered. I was walking past your shop earlier. The shorty guy was there, staring at the door before walking off. He’s so creepy.”

Braylon lightly swatted at the demon’s head, “His name is Mykel and I said don’t call him short and creepy Marc! He was probably wondering why it’s closed.”

“Who is he?” A customer?” asks Jaylon, receiving a nod from Braylon.

“Yeah, he’s been stopping by the shop a lot these days. Charming fellow.”

“He’s creepy! I told you that I felt some weird energy from him.” huffed Marcellus.

Braylon just sighed at that and Jaylon frowned, not liking the fact that a creepy dude was lurking around his friend’s shop.

“Bray,” The ghost tugged at his sleeve and Braylon raised an eyebrow at him curiously, hearing his name from Jaylon for the first time. “Can I go to your shop tomorrow?”

“Awww the kid is worried. Don’t worry Jay, I go there all the time.” cooed Marcellus while reaching over to pinch Jaylon’s cheeks. The spirit pushed the demon away with a scrunched up face.

Braylon broke the mini fight, guiding Marcellus’ hands back to himself and turned around to give Jaylon a tight smile.

“I’m sorry, maybe someday later? I have somewhere else that I’m planning to take you to. On my next day off.”

Jaylon sat up immediately, staring at the half demon with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, unable to find any words to reply. The messenger also sat up, tilting his head in curiosity.

“Huh? Where are you taking him? Can I come too?”

Braylon stuck out his tongue at him. “It’s a secret and no, you can’t accompany us. I’ll make sure, that you have something to do that day.”

“Meanie!”

Braylon giggled, always feeling some satisfaction from teasing the young demon, before shifting his attention back to Jaylon, who scooted closer to him. His eyes were still opened widely.

“Really Bray? You’re gonna take me outside?”

“Yeah for sure. I think it’s going to help with your memories.”

The youngest sniffed, wrapping the florist in a tight hug, “You’re the best!” and the older actually felt a bit of warmth underneath the cold.

“Yes, my Bray is the best.” Marcellus agreed, snuggling into their hug too, making Jaylon grumble loudly about how it was his hug only. The demon retreated with a chuckle and announced that he has to leave for some errands, so they said their goodbyes and Marcellus was gone in a flash, leaving his laptop and the extra equipment behind for Jaylon to use.

The news of Braylon promising Jaylon to take him out somewhere left the ghost in a really good mood. He bounced around the apartment happily, helping the demon with dinner and letting him choose the movie for once. He cleaned up all the dishes and utensils by himself, also going as far as cleaning the whole bathroom, insisting that Braylon should just sit back and relax.

That night they laid side by side, hands tucked under their heads and facing each other. Braylon asked the spirit about Marcellus and the younger just shrugged, saying that the messenger was fine in his opinion. The half demon smiled fondly, knowing that the ghost was just being shy when in reality he had a lot of fun and felt really happy that Marcellus left his laptop behind for him.

Jaylon fell silent for a minute before scooting closer with a giddy smile on his face.

“Bray,” he whispered, “I think I remember something.”

Braylon perked up at those words, “What? Really?”

The other nodded quickly, “Yep, it was like- I don’t know, some flashbacks? Like in the movies? I saw myself here in this room, playing games at my desk. There was a nice looking computer, you know? For gaming. The keyboard, mouse and chair looked very cool, like there were all bought together in a set.” Jaylon explained excitedly with the other listening to every word with a genuine smile.

“That’s great Jay. You must have been quite a gamer back then.”

Jaylon smiled back sadly, thinking about his life that he used to live through but he could barely remember anything except his name. He went to university and this was his room. What about his major? Who were his friends? What about his family? Did he have any pets? There were so many things that Jaylon spent his time wondering about, but he couldn’t find any answers. Today was a good day, playing games triggered his memories and he finally got a glimpse of his past life.

The half demon seemed to understand what he was thinking about and he reached down to grab Jaylon’s cold hand, embracing it with his warmth.

“You ok?”

The younger slowly nodded, ducking his head down to look at their linked hands and tightened his hold before looking back up to the half demon.

“Can we cuddle?”

“Yeah… uh, sure.” Braylon replied softly, feeling shy all of a sudden. Jaylon quickly slid off the bed to find a spare blanket in the closet to wrap around the half demon before spooning the smaller happily, hugging him close to his chest and feeling content.

| Chapter 10 |

Marcellus sipped his warm latte, sitting on a stool behind the counter. He stared intensely at the only occupied table in the shop, where Braylon and Mykel were conversing softly together. Mykel was drawing something and Braylon, being the curious little bean he was, politely asked about it when he passed by. Mykel invited the owner to sit with him, explaining on what he was doing and then making small talk to keep the conversation going, oblivious to the fact that Marcellus was listening in on every word they said. Sadly his mission was coming to a fail when Braylon got up to prepare another slice of cake for Mykel and caught sight of Marcellus’ watch.

“Hey, your watch is flashing, did you mute it?”

“No?” tried the messenger, pulling his sleeve down to cover it up but the half demon just sighed, crossing his arms in front of his chest and looking at him sternly again. He didn’t say anything but kept staring, putting Marcellus under pressure until he gave up.

“Ok, ok! I’m going, geez. Can’t even worry for you now, huh.”

The florist put a finger to the demon’s lips, gesturing for him to keep it down and quickly turned around to pack some cookies into a paper bag.

“Here, eat.” He pushed it into Marcellus’ hands. “I know how you feel, but honestly, there is nothing to worry about. We’ll talk later, ok? Go do your work now or Adan will nag at me again for keeping you here.”

The demon huffed and stomped out of the shop with the bag of cookies clutched to his chest. Braylon sighed again, walking over to Mykel to serve his blueberry cheesecake and apologizing for taking so long.

“Ah, don’t worry. I noticed your friend doesn’t seem to like me that much?”

“Oh- no, no… um- he just- doesn’t like strangers talking to me.” Braylon gave him a nervous laugh, feeling relieved when Mykel laughed along with him.

“I think he’s really protective over you.”

“ … I guess so.”

Braylon smiled sheepishly, looking back down to Mykel’s sketch that he finished just a few moments ago. It was a field of flowers on a hill, two figures- one taller and one shorter- were holding hands and looking up to the sky, which was full of clouds. Even though it looked like a messy sketch from afar, but it actually has a lot of details that Braylon thought it completes each other and looks very pretty to him.

“Do you believe in soul mates?”

Mykel asked suddenly while digging into his cheesecake, making Braylon look at him curiously.

“Soul mates?” He voiced out his question, thinking about it for a moment before shrugging. “I never thought about it.”

Mykel smiled, propping his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand to stare at his new friend.

“Why don’t you try answering?”

Braylon swallowed nervously under the other’s stare, soft warm looking chocolate eyes that he got used to seeing look much darker today and he felt a slight chill running through his body. Were Marcellus’ words getting to him now? Braylon wasn’t that dumb, he knew what worried the demon and he himself experienced it, the sometimes weird answers, weird looks and some behaviors that Braylon didn’t really understand. He shook his head slightly, trying to chase his thoughts away and considered Mykel’s question for a while before answering.

“I think I do believe in them, but… it’s not really necessary?”

Mykel hummed in response, narrowing his eyes at the half demon. “How so?”

“Like… you can also love someone that isn’t your soul mate and be happy with them? Both in the platonic and romantic way. I think… waiting for your one and only is a waste of time.”

The other male chuckled at that, straightening himself up and took a sip of his drink before replying, “Your answer reminds me of someone.”

The florist felt the corner of his lips tugging into a small smile, “Did that someone give you the same answer as me?”

“Something like that, yeah. I’m the type of person who really believes in soul