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There's someone in Jake’s kitchen.
There’s a stranger standing in the middle of Jake’s kitchen wearing the apron that Sunghoon gifted him last Christmas as a gag gift. He’s acting like owns the place, going through the cabinets pulling out cups and plates, and putting them on the counter before going back to the stove to continue whatever he was doing before Jake walked in.
Jake clears his throat, “Um, who are you?”
The stranger turns around and Jake notices a flash of red crossing the other man’s eyes before it’s gone too quickly, it’s probably Jake’s sleep-deprived brain playing tricks on him.
“Call me Sunoo, I’m the demon you summoned last night.” Say what now.
“Sure, and I’m Britney Spears”
Jake takes a look at the time on his phone and comes to the conclusion that he’s dreaming, or hallucinating because there’s no way in hell he would wake up at 5:30 in the morning when he went to sleep at 3. Scratch that, Jake doesn’t know what sleep is anymore ever since he started college. Yeah, he’s definitely hallucinating, wouldn’t be the first time.
“You don’t believe me,” Sunoo states, looking mildly annoyed.
“Well, forgive me for not believing that an emo-looking high schooler broke into my house and started making pancakes at the crack ass of dawn then told me he’s a demon, kinda hard to believe, don’t you think?”
Sunoo looks like he wants to say something but the smell of smoke alerts both of them, and Jake wants to cry when he sees how the pancake is almost on fire, he’s about to rush there to try to stop any further damage -with his bare hands, mind you- before Sunoo does something and suddenly the smoke disappears and the kitchen looks completely normal. Jake stares at the other man, completely stunned.
“How did you do that!?”
“Is that how you say thank you to someone who stopped your pan from bursting into flames?” It wasn’t about to burst into flames, but that doesn’t matter now.
His brain is taking it too far with these hallucinations, he blames his electronics class for the brain damage.
“Okay then, sir,” Jake starts, sarcasm dripping from his voice “If you can stop fires, can you then make me sleep for three hours straight? I have a 10 a.m class this morning and it would be deeply appreciated if you could knock me out.”
The lights flicker for a second and Sunoo looks unamused, Jake is about to make a stupid joke about ghosts before he feels himself slipping out of consciousness, then his body is hitting the ground. Jake wonders if it’s possible to pass out in a dream, but then he remembers he’s supposed to be hallucinating and decides not to think too much about it.
At least he can get some rest now.
***
This would hardly be the first time that Jake ever contemplated dropping out of college. He’s not dramatic by nature, he’d leave that to Sunghoon, but college is always testing his patience, and Jake is a very patient person.
Midterms were two weeks ago and he had been running on five cups of coffee with little to no sleep at all during that time, went to his exams knowing jackshit about most of his classes which stressed him out more than the exam itself. And while midterms weeks always suck, everything passed smoothly, well, almost everything.
Because Jake is supposed to have his exams results today, and surprisingly, today has been by far the worst day in Jake’s college life. He started his day by showering at 3 a.m like every other college student who forgot the concept of time, and just his luck, there was a power outage when he was about to wash the shampoo out of his hair. He tried not to panic, panicking wouldn’t help in this situation, so he slowly left the shower and started navigating his way out of the bathroom and into his room to find his phone, which was a successful trip if you don’t count him running into the same wall twice and almost tripping over the rug, but who can blame him, he could barely see his hand in the pitch blackness surrounding him. Things after that became easier, using the flashlight he went to the kitchen to bring two water bottles and then made his way back to the bathroom to wash off his hair.
That was just the beginning though, and it kept getting worse after each passing second. The barista messed up his order twice and when he finally got the right one and was ready to leave, someone bumped into him causing his coffee to spill all over his hoodie. Needless to say, he was late for his class.
And just when Jake thought things couldn’t get any worse, his exams results dropped in the middle of his Latin class, and he had stared at them for quite some time, because wow, he was failing this class.
Jake had taken Latin as an elective class and for extra credits, he could’ve chosen any other language-required class, like French, or even another English class, but no, Jake thought it would be fun to take Latin because he was good when it came to learning, a new language. And look at him now, barely passing his midterm and almost failing the class.
So it’s no surprise when the professor asked him to stay after dismissing the rest of the class and to make it simple, he gave Jake a chance to pull up his grades by giving him two more options so he could get a higher score on his assignment if it was good enough. He could either write a ten-page story himself or translate a short one. Or, read a lengthy story and summarize it in ten pages like the rest of the class.
Knowing himself, Jake would rather fail than translate something that will be thoroughly read, and he sucks at summarizing stuff, so writing a story is the obvious choice here. Now he needs to go to the library and find a book that can help him because google is useless sometimes when it comes to Latin.
He goes to the hotpot place near the dorms and stays there for a little longer to finish some of his papers that are due soon so he wouldn’t cry about the deadline and not having enough time to finish anything later on. He opens his phone to check the messages and dismisses Sunghoon’s invite to have dinner with him and Jay, as much as Jake loves his friends, he can’t find it in himself to third-wheel the couple and watch them being disgustingly in love or whatever. He decides he’s not going because he already ate and doesn’t have time, not because he’s a little bit jealous of what they have and doesn’t want to witness it, nope, not at all.
The library is quieter than usual when he gets there, maybe because it’s getting late and most students go to the one on the campus since it’s closer, but Jake knows from his frequent visits that he won’t find what he needs there. He greets the librarian then makes a beeline to the languages section.
Perhaps that’s why Jake is failing his Latin class, he doesn’t understand anything he reads. He makes another attempt to find a book that might help him and he’s about to pull out his phone to translate some of the books' titles before he recognizes the word ‘guide' on a book and almost collapses to the ground in relief. He goes to check out the book and finally heads home.
Once he’s in his bed, he picks up the book and opens his laptop to start taking notes that will help him in the story writing. Jake thinks the book is pretty helpful considering there are some handwritten notes on the edge of every page explaining the meaning of some words and their proper pronunciation.
Jake tries saying some sentences out loud to see if he pronounces them good enough to pass the oral exam and grimaces, he makes a mental note to work on that later. He continues saying some words and phrases out loud while writing them down and doesn’t notice how the lights flickered too fast, or how his bed was rocking a little bit, maybe it’s the lack of sleep that made all of this go unnoticed.
Jake casts a look at the time and sighs before putting the laptop and book aside and flopping into his back, bleary eyes staring at the ceiling as he wills himself to sleep. It’s 3 a.m and he needs some shut-eye to focus on his electronics class tomorrow.
***
The pain in his neck is what wakes Jake up from his slumber, he’s laying on the couch in an uncomfortable position which explains the stiffness he feels in his neck and shoulders. He doesn’t remember falling asleep there, and when he sits up, his head throbs from the sudden change in position. God, he wants to smash his head against the wall to stop this headache.
His alarm starts ringing loudly and Jake groans before dismissing it and flopping again on the couch, he has 30 minutes to get ready for his class. He ponders skipping today but remembers he’s supposed to bring his grades back from their grave and drags himself to his room.
The scream Jake lets out is a secret between him and the walls of his bedroom, if anyone asked him about it he would profusely deny it.
“Who are you?” Jake asks aloud, way too loud to be considered appropriate at this hour.
Because someone is lying on Jake’s bed, flipping through his books with a bored expression that changes into a grimace when he looks at Jake. Wow, does Jake look that bad in the morning for a stranger to react like that upon seeing him?
“Why are we doing this again? I’m Sunno, remember?”
Oh.
That wasn’t a dream?
“I thought I imagined the whole thing,” Jake mutters helplessly
“Well, obviously it’s real and that’s why we need to talk”
That’s the last thing Jake needs to do right now, “Okay, I’m kinda running late so I don’t have time for this, but I only have two classes today so it won’t take long. We can talk all you want after I’m done. Now, would you please get out, I need to change”
Sunoo is silent for a moment, and he looks like he wants to throw Jake out of the window, which is valid, Jake also wants to throw himself out of the same window sometimes, well, most of the time.
“I don’t like waiting. If you’re not here by dusk, I’ll make sure you regret making me wait.”
“Sure!” Jake throws him finger guns for good measure, Sunoo only rolls his eyes in response before he gets sucked in by black smoke, then he’s gone, just like that. Kinda dramatic if you ask Jake.
It’s only when Jake is leaving the apartment that what happened in the last few hours seems to register in his brain. A demon?
What the fuck.
***
The convenience store isn’t that busy like it usually is, students are almost there at this hour of the day to grab something to eat between classes. Jake thinks he’ll need his comfort food if he’s going to have a conversation with the demon at home. A demon. At his home. This feels like a joke.
Jake grabs some of his usual groceries then looks at the alcohol section and wonders if he can do any of this sober, sadly, he can’t afford to get drunk in the middle of the week so he looks at the tequila bottle longingly before moving to grab a box of bandaids and heads to the cashier.
He goes straight to his apartment after that, because he doesn’t really want to know what the demon will do to him if he’s late, he doesn’t want to think about it.
The loud noises from the TV are what greets him as soon as he opens the door, it’s strange considering it’s always quiet when he gets home. Sunoo is sitting on the couch, watching an animal documentary about penguins on National Geographic and looking weirdly invested. Jake clears his throat to catch the other’s attention and raises the bag of groceries, “I’ll make us something to eat, it won’t take long.”
Sunoo only shrugs, “I don’t eat,” Jake nods and goes to the kitchen.
He finishes quickly since he’s making ramyun and heads back to where the demon is, his eyes are still glued to the screen and Jake wonders if the documentary is that interesting, probably not, but the penguins are cute so maybe that’s why.
“Okay, let’s talk now,” Jake tells him and starts eating.
The demon stares at Jake who’s so busy inhaling his food that he doesn’t notice it until he feels a tap against his shoulder and realizes Sunoo is waiting for him to start the conversation.
“How about we start with a simple question, why are you here?”
“You summoned me.” Which is absurd, Jake is not the type to play with demons when he’s bored, he’s sure he’d remember if he did it. He’s about to voice his thoughts but the demon beats him to it.
“Did you go to a sketchy-looking shop or buy an old book recently?”
Jake nods, “I bought a book yesterday, but it was to help me with Latin, and not to bring creatures from the underworld.”
Sunoo ignores his comment and jerks his head towards Jake’s hand where a bandaid is wrapped around his index, “How did you hurt yourself?”
“A paper cut,” Sunoo gives him a pointed look and Jake rolls his eyes. So what if he accidentally scratched his finger, he didn’t even feel it until he washed his hands in the morning. Was he really that tired yesterday that he couldn’t process the pain of hurting himself? Still, none of this proves anything.
“Could you then bring me the book you were reading yesterday?” Jake sighs and gets up to fetch the book from his room.
He gives the book to Sunoo and sits on his previous spot. He doesn’t know how to feel when Sunoo eyes the title and furrows his eyebrow before putting the book aside to stare blankly at Jake like he wants to punch him or call him stupid, maybe both.
“Are you really that stupid or do you just not know how to read?” At least he didn’t punch him.
“It says it’s a guide on the title!” Jake says defensively because the notes in English were really helpful.
“It literally says ‘A beginner's guide to summoning demons.” Sunoo deadpans.
Oh.
Oh fuck.
“So, what now? Are you going to grant me a wish in exchange for my soul?”
“Genies are the ones who grant wishes and they do things for free, demons don’t. And I’m not taking your soul, that’s a lot of work.” Maybe he plans on taking Jake as a virgin sacrifice, well, if that’s the case then Jake’s got some bad news for him.
“We’ll make a deal, I will help you achieve something you desperately want and in return, I’ll take something you value, something you treasure. You wouldn’t have to sell your soul to me, unless you want to, of course.” Nope, Jake would like to keep his soul, thank you very much.
Jake thinks about Sunoo’s words thoroughly and his brain screams at him for even considering this offer, he looks at the demon and is surprised to see him staring intensely at Jake. He’s hit with the sudden realization that this is the first time he actually stared at Sunoo’s face because he’s sure he would have noticed how cute the demon looked. He’s got a nice face to look at.
He’s so busy staring at Sunoo and waxing poetic about his pretty face that he misses what the demon was saying; he only wakes up from stupor at the sound of fingers snapping. “Huh?”
“I said you should take your time and think about what you want, I’m not in hurry”
“And what if I don’t want to make that deal?” It sounds like he’s challenging the demon, but Jake honestly just wants to know what would happen if he refused (he hopes it’s nothing like making him combust into blood and guts like confetti)
“Then I’ll just stay here. You summoned me and used your blood whether you meant it or not. I’m bound to you ‘til you decide what you want, then I’ll fulfill my side of the deal and you’ll be demon-free after that.”
Jake only hums in response, eyes now on Sunoo’s nail-polished fingers, they’re black and shiny and he kinda wants them in his mouth. Okay, where did that come from? He shoves these thoughts in the back of his brain and is about to say something, he swears he wants to say something important, but then Sunoo stands up to stretch his limbs and Jake’s eyes fall on his outfit, “Do the nails come with the whole demon aesthetic?” The question is out before he even thinks about it.
Sunoo looks amused, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips, “Did you want me to show up here dressed like Princess Bubblegum?” Okay, that’s valid.
“How long do you plan to stay here?”
“Why? Sick of me already” Sunoo teases, “I already told you what you need to get rid of me, until then I’ll just hang around. It’s been a long time since I’ve been up here”
Great, Jake wonders if the book comes with a tutorial on how to host a demon in your house.
***
The following days—weeks? (Jake honestly lost his sense of time at the start of the semester so it doesn’t matter) are spent with both of them getting used to the presence of each other, Jake discovers the little habits of the demon with each passing day, he doesn’t mean to pay extra attention to him, but his eyes always end up following Sunoo’s every move whenever he’s near, taking notice of how he acts when he’s annoyed or bored, and sometimes he finds himself watching Sunoo like a creep when the other is so immersed in something (like watching animal documentaries, which happens almost every day since they started living together) that he forgets about Jake’s existence.
Maybe Jake should’ve expected it when Sunoo told him that he doesn’t eat, because later when he told the demon that he could take the bed, Sunoo simply replied that he doesn’t sleep. This also leads to a series of events that Jake likes to call ‘Top 10 Fun Facts about your Hot Demon Roommate’. He wouldn’t get into details now, that’s for another time.
Sometimes, Jake would just blurt out questions out of nowhere, and he knows he should think before he speaks but sleep deprivation does this to you.
Exhibit A:
“Do you ever shower?” Because Sunoo smells good for a demon, and while Jake thought they would smell like ash and hellfire or something like that, Sunoo always smells and looks good, but Jake hasn’t seen him going to the shower once. And when he finally gets a chance to think about his question, he belatedly realizes how rude he must sound like.
“I think that’s none of your business.” Is Sunoo’s cold reply, which is, okay, he deserves that.
Exhibit B:
“Aren’t demons supposed to be scary with wings and horns and other stuff?” And while Jake admits that the demon can be intimidating sometimes, he looks so cute that most of the time all Jake wants to do is squeeze his cheeks and maybe kiss them.
Sunoo looks amused this time though, “I don’t think you’d survive if I showed up here in my true form.”
“So is this your human for then?” The smile he gets in response makes his skin crawl, in a good way. Fuck.
“I take the form of the person you desire the most.” Jake splutters, ears turning red, and before he gets a chance to tell the other that he doesn’t know anyone with that face, Sunoo bursts into laughter. It’s his first time hearing Sunoo laughing like this and he feels his heart beating irregularly, he hopes he’s having a heart attack.
“I’m fucking with you, I just like this form.”
But Sunoo also is observant, he’s less subtle about it than Jake, though. And while Jake knows he’s not the perfect example of a normal-functioning human, Sunoo still points out his obvious lack of survival skills.
“Why weren’t you scared in our first encounter?” He doesn’t think that telling the demon he thought his brain was making things up from the lack of sleep would be a great answer.
“I’m Australian,” Is what he opts to say, “I’m also an engineering major.” Like that would be enough explanation.
“You didn’t even try to find something to protect yourself with”
“Well, I wouldn’t have minded getting killed by a cute demon, you would’ve done me a huge favor.” Jake winks at him, or he thinks he does considering he had a hard time opening both his eyes, Sunoo only huffs a tired sigh.
“I think you need some rest”
Jake looks up from his laptop and smiles, “Aw, you care about my health.” Sunoo scoffs, muttering ‘hardly’ under his breath. Jake ignores that, “Don’t worry my dear demon, sleep is for the weak, and I still need to finish this assignment.”
Sunoo cranes his neck to see what Jake is doing and immediately snorts.
“What?” He doesn't think there’s something funny about what he’s writing.
“You should read the last paragraph, I don’t know how your professor would feel about you calling a character horny multiple times,” Oh. So that’s what that word meant? He thought it meant sad all that time, no wonder he’s failing that class.
“You do need extreme help, you really suck,” Jake would like to tell him what other things he can also suc—down boy, now’s not the time.
Other times, Sunoo is subtle when he observes what Jake is doing. He’d watch Jake working on his laptop or join him in binge-watching some anime, sometime he’d follow him to the kitchen and ask what he’s cooking, but never eats anything, which reminds Jake:
“Why were you making pancakes that day when you don’t eat in the first place?”
“Humans need food in the morning to function properly for the rest of the day, and I thought it’d be the same for you and we’d have our little conversation after you eat, but that obviously doesn’t apply to you.” At least he tried, even if Jake was a lost cause from the beginning.
***
Overall, Jake has been spending most of his time in the apartment with Sunoo, which means spending less time with his friends, so of course, it came back to bite him the next day.
Tuesdays are always the worst because his classes start early and would end pretty much late, and all Jake wants to do is just crawl to his bed and sleep, and he almost flies out of his seat when the professor finally dismisses the class.
Despite his rush, he’s the last one to leave the lecture hall, his bag slung around his shoulder and phone clutched in his sweaty palms. The door closes behind him and he’s ready to head home when he feels someone grabbing his arm and shoving him harshly to the side.
Jake swallows the scream that threatens to leave his lips and looks to find Sunghoon staring at him, eyebrows raised at his friend’s reaction.
“Damn, that was a y/n worthy moment, here goes my dream of being kidnapped by a hot mafia leader who will later fall in love with me then kill me because he couldn’t protect the person he loves the most. ”
“Are you done?” Jake only smiles and Sunghoon rolls his eyes, “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in weeks.” And while Jake would like to use his usual excuse about him slaving over academics, he doesn’t think Sunghoon would believe him this time.
“I haven’t been feeling well in the last few days, and I had to deal with some stuff, sorry for worrying you,” He feels like shit for lying, but he can’t tell Sunghoon the truth.
He also needs to get home quickly since Sunoo told him they need to discuss some things when he gets back.
“Are you okay now, though? You looked a little bit in a hurry when you left the lecture hall.” He’s frowning now, looking even more concerned about Jake’s well-being and Jake hesitates with his answer.
Yeah, well, there’s a blond, emo demon waiting for me at home and he’s not the most patient creature out there, so I need to go before he ends up eating my organs for making him wait. but Jake can’t really say that. So his useless pea brain decides to take matters into its own hands and fixes the situation.
“Nah, I’m just stressed but I’ve got nothing to do at the moment, how about we hang out at my place?” Shit.
Sunghoon still looks unconvinced but accepts his friend’s offer anyway, “You’ll tell me if something’s wrong, right?”
Jake tries to give him his most reassuring smile, “Of course.”
The walk home is short as always, and it’s filled with their usual banter and complaints about anything and everything. The first thing Jake notices when he opens the door is the silence. He has gotten so used to being greeted by the sound of a different animal documentary on the TV for almost two weeks that the quietness and emptiness of the apartment feel foreign to him now. He wonders if Sunoo heard him and Sunghoon and zipped out of existence again.
“Is Jay coming?”
“No, he said he’s meeting with an old friend.” Jake hums in acknowledgment. “How do you feel without your better half not being by your side?” Sunghoon throws a pillow at him.
“We all know I’m the better half in this relationship,” Jake snorts, and Sunghoon throws another pillow at him.
It takes some time until they decide what to watch, then they finally settle on the couch, Jake’s head on Sunghoon’s lap, and Sunghoon’s hand automatically tangling in his friend’s hair, playing with his messy locks that desperately need to be washed.
Halfway through the movie, Sunghoon jerks suddenly and looks down earnestly at Jake, “I almost forgot, we’re going to the new coffee shop near the campus this weekend, you should join us”
“Why? So I can watch you shoving your tongue down Jay’s throat again?” He already knows how far Sunghoon’s tongue can go down his friend’s throat, he has seen enough and he doesn’t need to see it one more time.
“You could always join us, I know for a fact that Jay wouldn’t mind—”
“I’ll have to stop you right there, please stop talking.” His friend only cackles like the gremlin he is.
“But seriously, we haven’t hung out in a while and you should give yourself a little break every now and then.” Jake nods, he misses his friends and he really needs to go somewhere other than his apartment and the lecture halls before he loses his mind.
They fall into comfortable silence after that, trying to catch up with what was happening in the movie. Sunghoon’s fingers are still playing with his hair and Jake swears he can fall asleep at any moment now, but he fights the sleepiness when an idea pops into his head.
“Hey, wanna hear a joke?”
“No, I’m not falling for your stupid jokes again.”
Jake smiles, gocha, “You know what else is falling? Deez nu—”
Sunghoon pushes him off the couch.
***
Sunoo doesn’t show up in the following three days, which is fine, totally, it’s not like Jake has spent the whole day thinking about the demon’s whereabouts or if he’s okay. This is also stupid because he’s a powerful creature from hell, of course he’s going to be fine.
Still, that doesn’t calm Jake’s nerves and you can imagine his surprise when he sees a familiar mop of blond hair peeking from the couch while an elephant documentary plays on the television. Sunoo looks up at the sound of the door snapping shut and raises a hand to greet Jake before turning back to the screen.
“Please take a shower before you throw a screaming fit, I put some clothes on the bed for you. There's also food and some cookies on the counter if you’re hungry.”
What?
“Please Jake, I know you haven’t showered in the last three days and we will talk but after you shower and eat.” Jake stares dumbfoundedly at the demon and wonders if he’s imagining things again from the lack of sleep.
He finds himself doing as told without much fight, and when he’s finally done he sits on the other side of the couch. He looks at Sunoo and all the questions he’s been preparing fly straight out of his head when he notices the change in the other’s style. Instead of his usual all-black attire, he’s now wearing light blue fitted jeans and a simple, white shirt. And Jake is grateful for that change because now he doesn’t have to look at Sunoo’s legs in those black ripped skinny jeans and think about how his thighs would be great ear warmers.
Well, now he’ll stare at Sunoo’s arms. And chest.
“That’s different,”
Sunoo hums, “Yeah, I was getting tired of wearing dark colors.”
Jake sneaks another look at Sunoo’s arms and swallows, “They look good on you.”
“Thanks, I stole them.”
“Wait really?”
“No, Jake, we have our little malls in the underworld that we go to when we feel like going on a shopping spree to pass the time.” Jake doesn’t know if he’s joking this time or not, better not question it when it comes to Sunoo.
“So, we need to talk ab—”
“Yeah, no. I’m sure you know how tired I am right now and you made me wait for three days, so I’m sure it won’t be a problem for you to wait for a few hours.” He snatches the remote from Sunoo, ignoring his protests, and starts going through the channels trying to find something more exciting. Watching too many animal documentaries will only damage his brain, Jake is doing him a favor here.
“Weren’t you saying you’re tired? Shouldn’t you get some rest then?”
Jake snorts, “My dear demon, haven’t you learned from living with me that I don’t sleep like other humans? I have insomnia and on good days I sleep a total of four hours straight, so let’s hope today is a good one because I really need to sleep.”
“I can knock you out if you want me to”
“That would be nice, but it felt like a train ran over my body in a bad way, you know?”
Sunoo makes a face at that, “Is there a good way a train can run over your body?”
“Honestly, I always feel like a train ran over my body after waking up. I think that may be my sleep paralysis demon having a party because I finally slept so they can feed on me after starving for so long.”
“You have such an active imagination.”
“Thanks, it’s one of my many useless talents.”
“That wasn't a compliment.” Jake also ignores and goes to his room to find something that can help them pass the time.
He returns not a minute later and raises the hand holding the Switch, “Wanna game for a little?”
They play for a few hours before Jake falls asleep mid-game, and when he comes to it, he finds himself tucked in the couch with a blanket and all. There’s a good smell that’s coming from the kitchen, so he sits up and stifles a yawn before rolling into the floor and starting to crawl towards the source of the smell like the uncivilized caveman that he is.
He straightens up when he gets to the kitchen and sees blueberry pancakes on the counter, Sunoo sitting there painting his nails with some shade of white nail polish. “Did I ever tell you that you’d make such a great housewife?”
“I wonder how you can still give me a headache this early in the morning. Just eat your goddamn food, Jake.” Jake happily obliges.
They sit in silence for a while, Jake eats and watches Sunoo painting his nails while also trying to force any inappropriate thought away because it’s still early. He takes another look at Sunoo’s fingers and blurts out, “I like the color.”
Sunoo gives him a small smile, “Thank you, want me to paint yours after you’re done eating?”
“Do you have a red one?” Sunoo nods and opens the bag that’s always slung around his hips to pull out three different shades of red nail polish.
“I always wondered what you have in that small bag, never thought you’d store nail polishes there.”
“I also store the souls of the humans I made deals with in the past in small vials there, but that’s a conversation for another time.” Jake doesn’t even question him, just nods silently and chooses the bright red nail polish on the right.
Jake gets up to wash his hands and dry them thoroughly before sitting again in front of Sunoo and gives him his hand. As soon as Sunoo takes his hand he frowns while examining it, “You have the worst nails I’ve ever seen in my life, and that says something.”
“I bite them out of stress!” Jake tries to defend himself.
“I need to take you to a beauty salon soon, this is just tragic.” Now that’s just rude.
“I thought you’re my demon, not my sugar daddy.”
“You should be grateful that I’m even doing this for you, demons don’t do things for free.”
“Neither do sugar daddies and if we go by this logic, does that mean you’re just my daddy?”
Sunoo looks like he’s about to pop off a vein, “I will turn you into an ugly ass frog and watch you hop around the house like a confused, sad fucker and I won’t do anything about it.”
“But will you kiss me afterward so I can return to my prince form and then we’ll live happily ever after?”
“I will flush you away in the toilet.”
Jake gives him a toothy grin, “I will crawl back to you, my dear demon.”
Sunoo sighs in defeat, “You’re so fucking insufferable, just give me your hand.”
They still bicker as Sunoo paints Jake’s nails and complains about how bad his nails are and Jake tries to tell him that he just doesn't understand the struggle and stress college students go through and that bitten and cracked nails aren’t the worst outcome from all of this.
“I almost forgot, where have you been the last few days?”
Sunoo looks up and smirks at Jake, “Why are you asking? Were you worried about me?”
Jake scoffs, “As if, you just disappeared suddenly. I thought you were gone for good before we even made the deal.”
“I had to deal with some stuff, nothing important.” He says it with a tone of finality so Jake leaves it at that. “Though, I guess it’s my turn to ask, are you going somewhere today?”
Jake hums in response, “I’m meeting up with my friends today. You’re free to join if you want to, I know they wouldn’t mind.”
“I’ll think about it,” he says and releases Jake’s hand, “There, all done.”
After that, Jake scrolls aimlessly on his phone trying to pass time until the afternoon, he dozes off a couple of times but shakes himself out of it immediately, and when he finally considers standing up his friends for the sake of sleeping a little more, the clock strikes three-thirty and he stands up sluggishly from the couch to head to his bedroom to change.
Sunoo is waiting for him at the door when he’s done, “Are you coming with me?” The other nods, “I have nothing better to do.”
Jake shoots a quick message to their group chat to let them know he’s bringing a friend along and pockets his phone. Sunoo is by his side the entire walk to the coffee shop, and the place is not far considering it’s near the campus as Sunghoon said.
He spots Sunghoon as soon as he walks in, sitting alone in the corner and playing some game on his phone that he doesn’t see them entering nor notice them approaching him. Jake signals Sunoo to be quiet and rushes to where his best friend is sitting. He puts his hands on Sunghoon’s shoulders and breathes ‘boo bitch’ in his ear then watches in satisfaction the way Sunghoon almost flies out of his chair.
Sunghoon glares at Jake as he takes the seat facing his friend, Sunoo sits next to him, watching them in silence. “You should behave Sunghoon-ah, I brought a friend.” If possible, his glare only intensifies.
Jake introduces them to each other and watches in amusement how Sunghoon attempts small talk with Sunoo, who looks like he shares the same sentiment with Jake. He decides to take mercy upon Sunghoon’s socially awkward soul and interrupt their little conversation, “Where’s Jay?”
“He’s getting our drinks, it’s kinda busy today so that’s why he’s taking so long.” he looks at Sunoo apologetically, “I didn’t know what to get you since Jake didn’t even bother telling me your name or that he was socializing with other humans so I ordered a chocolate milkshake, but if you don’t like it you can give it to Jake and order something else.”
Sunoo smiles reassuringly at him, “Chocolate is fine, don’t worry about it.”
Jay finally chooses that moment to make his appearance and puts the tray with drinks carefully on the table, he turns to look at them and Jake is about to introduce them before Sunoo beats him to it with a happy, “Jay hyung!”
He’s looking at Jay with stars in his eyes and the biggest smile Jake has ever seen and he feels something ugly curling inside him, because why is Jay at the receiving end of such a bright smile and not Jake?
“Hello, Sunoo. It’s good to see you again.”
Sunghoon looks back and forth between them, “I take it you guys already know each other?”
Sunoo nods happily in response, “He stopped a few days ago to compliment my shoes and bag. We talked for a little while after that. It’s really nice seeing you, hyung.”
They fall into easy conversations after that, they ask Sunoo about the basic stuff, where he’s from, what he is studying, which year he’s in. and Sunoo answers all of them patiently, and tells them that he’s taking a break this semester and that’s why he’s visiting Jake since he’s an old friend.
Sunghoon slumps in his chairs and huffs, “I wish I could afford to take a break like that, I’m already taking my assigned credits and I still feel like I’m falling behind.”
“At least you’re not taking twenty-one credits per semester like Jake. look at him, he’s barely functioning as a human being.” Why did this conversation take that turn?
Sunoo nods in agreement, “He lacks basic survival skills.”
“I do not, I’m just chill and I already accepted that death will come knocking on my door at any moment. Life becomes easier after that.”
Jay straightens his posture and looks at Jake, “So tell me, what would your reaction be if you found out you have a stalker, and said stalker contacted you to say that they watch your every move and even see you showering. What would you say?”
Jake answers without hesitation, “Do I look submissive and breedable while showering?”
Sunghoon facepalms, “Zero survival skills, Jake. Zero.”
“Can we talk about something else? Don’t make me regret leaving the comfort of my room so you can question my fight or flight responses.”
Jay looks at Jake’s eyes and smirks, and oh, he won’t like what he’s about to hear, will he? “There’s a party tomorrow and you’re coming.” Well, it could've been worse.
“Do I even get a say in that?”
“No, and we’ll drag you out of your apartment if we have to,” Jay’s eyes are sharp and challenging as if he’s waiting for Jake to refuse or throw a fit, but when he sees none of that he diverts his gaze towards Sunoo and smiles gently, “You should come, Sunoo. I think it’ll be more fun than spending your time in that guy’s boring apartment.”
Sunoo returns the smile and nods, “I’ll make sure to drag him with me, don’t worry about it.”
They start talking about random stuff after that and Jake watches them getting lost in their own little world, they look like old friends catching up. The sight is weird, considering how Jay acts around strangers and how he shows blatant favoritism towards the people he actually likes and considers close to him. Because right now Sunoo is talking animatedly and Jay is watching him with that fond smile that he reserves for the special people he likes the most.
Maybe it’s one of Sunoo’s tricks to make Jake’s friends soften around him enough to like him. Or maybe that’s just Sunoo’s normal effect, you can’t help but like him.
***
Jake is not drunk, despite what anyone might tell you, Jake is drunk. A little tipsy maybe, but not drunk. The party isn’t overcrowded like how he expected it to be but there are a lot of people there.
They’ve been here for a while, Jake’s friends all but dragged him to dance as soon as he arrived and he had to shoot Sunoo an apologetic look before the demon assured him that he'd be fine. He drank a little, danced with his friends until they disappeared to god knows where, grabbed another drink then danced with whoever was there around him. He only stopped when he finally felt tired and tried to find a less crowded place.
Which is how he ended up sitting on the kitchen counter, nursing another drink and swaying slightly to the beat. He wouldn’t bother with trying to locate Sunghoon and Jay’s whereabouts, he’s pretty sure they’re too busy sucking face against some surface at the moment like they always do at parties, so he decides to look for Sunoo after he finishes his drink.
“Enjoying the party?” Jake turns around quickly to the source of the voice and his face breaks into a huge smile, “Sunoo! I was about to start looking for you!”
“Were you now?”
Jake nods, “It started getting boring, do you want to get out of here?”
“That sounds like a cheap pick-up line.”
“I don’t need pick-up lines when I know you’re already coming home with me.” He winks and Sunoo looks unamused as usual.
Jake swallows the rest of his drink in one go and hops off the counter almost losing his balance if not for Sunoo’s hands steadying him, “You’re so drunk.”
“I’m not!” Sunoo raises an eyebrow and Jake deflates, “Okay, maybe just a little bit.”
They squeeze their way between the sweaty bodies in the living room and try to avoid getting hit by the overexcited people playing badminton in the front yard. Sunoo’s arm is around his waist the entire time, steadying and guiding him.
“I texted your friends so they won’t have to worry about you,” Jake remembers seeing them making out under the stairwell and snorts. “I think I’m the least of their worries right now.”
They walk in silence and Jake leans against Sunoo when he starts getting tired, he blames it on his drunk-addled brain when he finds himself burying his face in Sunoo’s neck and smelling him like he’s some sort of a dog. “You smell really nice”
Sunoo huffs a laugh, “Thank you, Jake.”
“No, you don’t understand. You always smell good it drives me insane. I thought demons were supposed to smell like sulfur or like the burned skin of the tortured people in hell, but you don’t! You have that earthy scent that smells like cypress and bergamot and maybe juniper berries, you know? It’s really nice and fresh. I like it.”
He notices they stopped walking suddenly and looks up at Sunoo to see what’s wrong, the other is just watching him with, dare he say, a fond smile, the tips of his ears are pink but maybe it’s from the cold. “You really are drunk.”
“So you’ve said,” he mutters and tucks his face in the demon’s neck again, “Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
Jake feels giddy, he smiles and blurts out the question he’s been dying to ask for a long time, “Do you have tentacles?”
Sunoo almost throws him on the sidewalk, “What the fuck, Jake?”
“It’s an innocent question!”
“Nothing about tentacles is innocent, you freak!”
Jake shrugs, “If you think about tentacles in a sexual context, then that’s on you.”
“Oh please tell me in which context should I be thinking about when it comes to tentacles?”
“Doesn’t matter, just answer the question.”
“I’m not going to.”
“That only confirms my suspicions. You do have tentacles”
Sunoo rolls his eyes, “Sure, Jake. Whatever helps you sleep at night.” He looks at the demon, a joke at the tip of his tongue but his mind blanks out when he notices something that wasn’t there before, “I know I’m drunk, but I don’t think there are drinks that make you start seeing things because where the fuck did these horns come from?”
The smile the demon gives him is downright devilish, he raises a hand to lightly touch the sharp tip of the right one, Jake’s eyes following the motion, “They’ve always been there, they just came out now.”
His mouth is dry as he keeps staring at them, “Can I touch them?”
The smile drops off Sunoo’s face immediately, “No.” and Jake wants to whine but remembers that he can’t do anything the other doesn’t want him to.
“Do you have a tail then? Or wings?” Because that would be so fucking hot, and also bad for Jake’s poor heart.
“Why? Is that another weird kink of yours?”
“Hey! We don’t approve of kinkshaming here. And that was just another innocent question.”
“Sure,” Sunoo drawls, “But yes, I do have wings.”
“That’s hot,” Sunoo snorts at his bluntness, “Why did your horns appear just now? You’ve been here for over a month or something.”
Another mischievous smile, “Oh, wouldn’t you like to know.” Yes, Jake would really like to know.
They reach Jake’s apartment and he almost whines out loud when Sunoo leaves his side to go to the kitchen. He toes off his shoes and goes straight to his room, or he tries since he keeps stumbling and walking straight into walls. He sighs in content as he finally enters his room and throws his body carelessly on the bed.
He’s about to doze off when a hand shakes him and he slowly blinks up to see Sunoo holding a water bottle, “Drink this before you sleep.” He helps Jake sit upright and hands him the water bottle. When he’s done, he gives it back to Sunoo and falls against the mattress.
He’s out before his head even touches the pillow.
***
“Hey, how do you write ‘their tongues fought for dominance’ in Latin?” Jake barely avoids getting hit by the flying remote.
“I really hope you fail that class with your badly written fanfiction.”
Jake pouts at his laptop screen, “Don’t jinx it, I already failed my last quiz.” He really can’t afford another bad grade.
Sunoo looks at him for a few seconds before coming up to sit in front of Jake at the kitchen counter, “on that note, I think we need to talk.” About what exactly? Because Jake gets the feeling that it has nothing to do with him embarrassing himself at the party a few nights ago.
He puts his laptop aside and signals for the other to start speaking, “Have you decided what you’ll ask for? For our deal, I mean.”
“If I told you that I want to pass my Latin class, would you do it?”
Sunoo shrugs, “If that’s what you want, then sure. It’s kinda funny considering it’s the lamest request I’ve ever gotten.”
Jake sighs dramatically, “Well, sorry I’m not interesting like your other clients. I just want to survive college without failing any class, that’s my ultimate goal at the moment”
“Boring.” Sunoo boos and Jake scoffs at the audacity. “Anyway, what did the other people ask for to make my request ‘the lamest’ among them?”
“Some of them ask for the usual stuff, money, fame, success, you know? Others ask for similar stuff but with different outcomes, like one time someone wanted unlimited access for first-class seats without having to pay for it, things like that. I haven’t made a lot of deals considering I’m still kinda new to it.”
“Aww,” Jake coos at him, “You never told me that you were a baby demon, you’re adorable.”
“I will break your bones.” So cute.
“So how do you know that what you’re taking is something they value? Maybe they’re tricking you into thinking what they gave you in return is important to them.”
Sunoo smirks at him and Jake feels his heart beating a little faster for some reason, “They can’t. The moment we seal the deal, I get a glimpse of what they truly value at the time.”
“You can’t deceive demons after all,” he concludes, “Why did you bring it up now, though? You said I can take my time.”
“I overstayed my welcome.”
Jake stands and goes to sit next to Sunoo, “You didn’t. I like spending time with you.” I like you is what he’s trying to say. “But if we have to do it now, then you already know what I want, so, how do we seal the deal? Do I need to sign a contract or something?”
Sunoo doesn’t answer, he stares at Jake’s eyes for what feels like centuries, neither of them breaking contact before Sunoo reaches to cup Jake’s face and leans to kiss him square on the mouth.
Jake’s mind blanks and before he gets a chance to reciprocate the kiss Sunoo pulls back, looking mildly confused and angry.
“Well, that- that was goo—” Sunoo cuts him off when he surges to kiss him again, Jake immediately kisses back this time.
The way Sunoo is kissing him is desperate from how hard he’s pushing himself against Jake, teeth biting and pulling angrily at the other’s lower lip. One of his hands is tugging harshly at Jake’s hair, pulling an embarrassing whine out of him while the other is clutching the front of his shirt like a lifeline.
Sunoo pulls back slowly, releasing his iron grip on Jake who does the same. He tries to catch his breath, eyes still closed. He can hear shuffling and he’s too afraid to look.
He’s alone in his apartment when he opens his eyes.
***
Everyone leaves for winter break and Jake has rejected Sunghoon’s offer to spend it with him and his family this year, Jay will go to Sunghoon’s home this time and he doesn’t want to intrude. He still assures them that he’ll be completely fine, and yes, he’ll go to them if something happens.
He busies himself with different things so he won't have time to overthink and worry, he finishes some of the assignments that will be submitted before the break ends, tries to study for his upcoming finals, watches some anime, and buys himself a new game to pass the time.
Though, in the end, he can’t help it when his mind wanders about Sunoo, how he hasn’t seen him since the demon suddenly disappeared after their kiss, which if you ask Jake, is kinda rude and unacceptable. How can he kiss Jake like that then drop off the face of the earth without any trace? You can’t just do that.
Jake eyes the blank document on his laptop and heaves a tired sigh before closing the laptop and putting it back in his bag. He looks around the cafe and sees the few people sitting there immersed in what they’re doing and thinks he must find another place to empty his mind so he can focus and finish his tasks.
He gathers his stuff and leaves, the cold December air hitting his face as soon as he walks out of the door. He walks around aimlessly, still thinking about the demon and that fucking kiss. He still doesn’t know what it is that Sunoo took when they sealed the deal, most of his things are still there, and his precious laptop is neatly tucked in his bag.
He shivers when the wind blows in his direction and decides he should go back to his warm apartment.
The apartment is eerily quiet, it has been like this for several days and Jake doesn’t like it one bit. He puts his bag on the counter and heads to his room to change and sleep for a little.
His phone rings once he gets comfortable in bed and groans, picking it up to see Sunghoon requesting a video call. He accepts the call and his friend’s grinning face greets him immediately. “Merry Christmas, you sad bitch!”
Jake rolls his eyes, maybe he should’ve ignored him, “I always forget how cheerful you get during holidays, though, you look happier this time,” he pauses to wiggle his eyebrow suggestively at Sunghoon, “Any particular reason?”
Sunghoon smirks and Jake feels dread, knowing he might actually get an answer he doesn’t want to hear, “Want me to give you details about the thrill of having my boyfriend in my childhood bed ready to corrup—”
Jake interrupts him immediately, “Get fucked, Sunghoon.” He belatedly realizes he could’ve chosen a better way to word that sentence when his friend snorts, “Already did that, babe.” Jake throws up a little in his mouth.
“Anyway, what are you doing tonight? And please don’t tell me you were going to do school work or I’ll strangle you.”
“Of course not,” Jake lies, “Is that what you think of me? I was going to rest and make something to eat.”
“Now that’s just a sad way to spend Christmas eve,” Jake splutters a weak ‘hey’ that Sunghoon ignores, “You should’ve come with us, my mum was mad at me because I didn’t drag you here.”
Jake smiles at that, “It’s just this once, and don’t worry, I’ll raid your fridge when you come back.”
“I’m counting on that,” he returns the smile. “All jokes aside, how are you feeling? You seemed sad in the last couple of days and I didn’t want to pressure you.”
Ah, there is it. Honestly, Jake has been expecting this conversation but maybe not right now, he was hoping maybe they’ll talk after the break when Sunghoon gets back and barges into Jake’s apartment demanding answers. He doesn’t know what they’ll even talk about.
He’s about to tell his friend he’s fine, that he doesn’t need to be concerned about something that isn’t that serious but Sunghoon beats him to it, “Is it about Sunoo?” and the words die on Jake’s lips at that.
Upon seeing his silence, Sunghoon continues, “You said he left suddenly because something happened back at his home, is that why you’ve been sad? Because he left?”
And he’s not completely wrong, because Jake wasn’t prepared for the emptiness that consumed him from the inside when he found himself alone after a kiss that felt like a desperate, silent confession from both of them. Because he got so used to Sunoo’s presence that he still feels it lingering in every corner of his apartment, in his life. Because Sunoo slipped slowly between the cracks of Jake’s ribs and clawed gently at his heart until he managed to create a space that could fit him as he crawled inside, just to disappear all of sudden leaving Jake feeling hollow.
So he braces himself and tries to organize his thoughts, “I think it’s because I don’t know when he’ll come back.” If he’ll come back.
Sunghoon looks at him intensely, eyes sharp but still soft around and the edges. It makes Jake feel vulnerable and he almost throws his phone away, he doesn’t like it one bit.
“You miss him,” he concludes, “I’m sure he’ll come back soon, Jake, he seemed to care about you as much as you did.” And as much as Jake would like to deny what his friend just said, he does miss the demon. A lot.
There’s a beat of silence and Jake wonders when did the atmosphere get this heavy, he opens his mouth to crack a joke when Jay’s face suddenly appears next to Sunghoon. “What are you guys being dramatic about? Is this about Jake moping and acting like a puppy that has been abandoned by his owner? Are we making fun of him for that, because I want to join.”
“Hey!”
“He’s not wrong, it was pathetic to watch.” Jake stares at Sunghoon, eyes shooting daggers. “I thought you’re my best friend! You’re supposed to be on my side.”
Jay takes the phone from Sunghoon before they start bickering, “You should listen to him, Jake. Sunoo will come back sooner than you’d expect.”
Jake narrows his eyes, “You sound so sure about that, what do you know?”
There’s a glint in Jay’s eyes that he can’t decipher, “Don’t you believe in Christmas miracles?”
“You’re full of shit.”
Jay grins, “And you’re a heathen. Have a little faith, Jakey.”
They talk about random things after that, no particular or important topic but just useless conversation that never fails to lift his mood. He hangs up after a while, Sunghoon shouting “Cheer up, bitch. It’s Christmas.” before the call disconnects. He puts his phone on the bedside table. His stomach growls and he wonders if it’s worth leaving the comfort of his bed before deciding that he’s a weak human and surrenders to the warmth. He’ll make a proper meal later after getting some rest.
That proves not to be the case because Jake believes he hasn’t even slept for that long before he’s rudely awakened by the noises coming from the living room. He pauses and thinks who might be out there since all his friends are gone, maybe it’s a thief who was bored and thought no one was home? Jake looks around his room trying to find something to defend himself with before sighing in defeat, he grabs his pillow against his chest and leaves the room.
A documentary about felines is playing on the TV and he spots a familiar figure sitting on the kitchen counter. Jake’s brain is in a total mess when Sunoo looks at him and smirks, “Were you going to attack me with that pillow?”
Oh god, he’s seeing things now. Maybe he’s even still sleeping and this’s just a cruel dream his brain came up with.
Sunoo hops off the counter and starts making his way towards Jake, “Do you know that you’re the cheesiest motherfucker I’ve ever met in my life?”
“What—” He doesn’t give Jake a chance to finish his question before closing the distance between them and pulling him into a bruising kiss, and holy fuck he’s not dreaming.
Sunoo pulls back slightly and frowns at Jake, “Something you value, I had to take that from you after the first kiss, but what do I see when I’m kissing you? Me! I fucking see myself because your cheesy ass decided that I’m something you treasure at the time. I could’ve taken Sunghoon! Isn’t Sunghoon your best friend? I could’ve taken him and he would’ve annoyed the fuck out of me so I would’ve brought brought him back before my mentor kills me. I really fucking hate you Jake Sim.”
And Jake can only stare at him in astonishment, “I did value the time we spent together,” he takes a shaky breath, “and I like you. I like you a lot.” Sunoo doesn’t answer, instead, he pulls him again for another kiss that turns into a long make out session.
They settle on the couch after that, basking in each other’s presence while watching the documentary because Sunoo thinks the felines are more interesting than Jake. At least now Jake knows his place in Sunoo’s priorities list, below the felines. Wonderful.
“Sunoo,” the demon hums, “Are we going to have hot demon sex now?”
Sunoo almost chokes, “Right now?”
“No, I mean just in general.” Sunoo shrugs and nods, “Sure, if that’s what you want.”
Jake beams, “Great, because I need to claim my righteous title as a monsterfucker soon.”
“You’re so fucking insufferable.”
“So you’ve said, my dear demon. And you like it, don’t even try denying it.”
“That’s debatable, baby,” Jake’s heart skips a beat at the pet name, “I need to call Jay hyung and tell him about this.”
Oh, that’s new, “I didn’t know you’ve gotten that close to Jay.”
There's a mischievous glint in the demon’s eyes when he replies, “We’re already close, he’s my mentor.”
Jake is confused now. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that Jay is also a demon.”
“What?”
Sunoo continues as if he hasn’t heard Jake, “Sunghoon of course knows about this and they wanted to tell you but didn’t know how, so I thought this would be the best way to break the news to you—”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Jake interrupts him, “But are you telling me that I’ve been rejecting their offer to join as a third party when I could’ve been having that hot tentacle sex the entire time?”
“God fucking dammit, Jake.”