Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jeongyeon had been feeling watched.

She had no idea where it was coming from, but every time she left her house, it felt like a pair of eyes were watching her every move. Even if she looked around once, twice, or even thrice, she couldn’t find anyone stalking her, just the normal busy streetlife of Seoul.

There was really no reason to be watching her, right? Jeongyeon was, well, very average. Worked all day, then revised her own work at night. What could she have possibly done to elicit a stalker?

But lately, she had been noticing the same scent wafting into her nose, a saccharine sweet scent and skin. Everywhere she went, it immediately stood out to her.

Maybe she was truly going crazy.

Or maybe Seoul wasn’t as normal as it seemed.

—

It was another busy day, right before the holidays when everything began to get more and more stressful as more clients poured in.

Jeongyeon felt she was being worked to the bone.

She had to work on 2 projects, not to mention her coworkers slacking off, leaving her with their burdens. The pressure was getting to her, the stress unbearable. Her mind was reeling with all the work that was piling up, the aches in her hand, a migraine that..

“Jeongie~”

Jeongyeon snapped her head up from her monitor, a cute brunette appearing to her side. She stared at her for a moment, her mouth agape at the sight.

Horns? A tail? Was she hallucinating? What the hell was even that??

Maybe she really should stop working so much. The side effects were really getting to her. She looked at her, appalled. Jeongyeon's mouth hung open, staring at the beauty.

The brunette giggled, “Are you amazed by my beauty? I know I'm pretty, but there's no need to stare..”

Jeongyeon frantically looked to the left and right to see if any of her co-workers were seeing this… girl. Who had infiltrated the office and was terrorizing Jeongyeon with her teasing.

No such luck.

Everyone was sucked into their computer screens, of course, not even working. What was even the point of them?

“Hello? I’m right here, why are you ignoring me?”

Ah, right, her.

Jeongyeon stood up, signaling the… thing to come with her to the bathroom silently. She didn’t want to risk looking like a total creep talking to herself in the middle of work hours. How embarrassing would that be?

“Ooh~ Kinky~” The devil incarnate herself cooed out, “Trying to have your way with me in a work bathroom is one of the bolder things you humans do when you see me.”

Jeongyeon let out a groan. This 60 second walk would feel like a lifetime with that thing by her side.

—

Now that Jeongyeon was alone with her, she took a second to truly admire the little devil’s beauty.

Her horns were quite small, colorized with a deep red from the base to the tip. A tail swished behind her, almost like a cat.

And her face, wow. Though she was making the most lewd faces at Jeongyeon, she still had an adorable face. When she smiled or smirked at her, she could see two little bunny teeth poking out. Truly unfair, how she could be so cute while being so dirty.

Jeongyeon steeled her face in an attempt to seem unamused by this whole.. Situation.

“Are we gonna fuck now?” Nayeon exclaimed innocently, like she wasn’t saying those lewd words..

Jeongyeon’s voice came out more shaky than she’d like it, but strong enough, “No. We are not fucking. And I have some questions for you, you…” Jeongyeon looked her up and down, “...thing. Why are you here, and why are you trying to disturb me while I’m trying to work?”

“Huh?”

Nayeon got more distraught by the second. Her eyebrows were knitted together, and she was getting upset. She looked genuinely confused at what Jeongyeon was saying. It made Jeongyeon a bit nervous. That was not the reaction she was expecting from the demon creature.

Jeongyeon rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Huh what? And what even are you? Satan? If you’re gonna try to take my soul just do it, I could die now. This work is killing me.”

The two just stared at each other, Jeongyeon getting more nervous by the second. She just kept… staring at her. Like Jeongyeon was the crazy one. Was she actually gonna take her soul? Dear God.

“Oh- shit- um. I’m Im Nayeon,” Nayeon said, a bit more reserved from her earlier spectacles.

“...Okay? And? Am I missing something?” Jeongyeon spoke, terse. Her patience was starting to wear out.

Nayeon looked around the bathroom, seemingly very nervous and…hurt?

Okay this was getting weird.

“Are you not attracted to me?” Her voice came out in a whisper and she had a very exaggerated pout on her face.

Jeongyeon’s eyebrows furrowed at her statement, her very bold one to say the least, and before she could try to say what was on her mind a little nicer, she blurted out an, “Excuse me?”

Her sharp fingernails fiddled with each other as she looked down at her hands, seeming like a kicked puppy. The cat-like tail she had noted earlier was tucked low between her legs. It was pulling at Jeongyeon’s heartstrings a little; her face seemed so genuine and dejected.

“I’m a succubus. You’re supposed to… supposed to be attracted to me. In fact, we should have been fucking since 5 minutes ago! What, am I ugly?” Tears started to well up in her eyes, and Jeongyeon actually felt bad about what she had said earlier.

“N-no– I– Well–,” Before she knew it, Jeongyeon was rubbing her back and consoling the crying little succubus that was bawling her eyes out now. She was shushing her, telling her everything would be just fine, cradling her head in her arms, things she'd thought she would never find herself doing.

This was so weird.

10 minutes later, Jeongyeon had finally gotten Nayeon to calm down. During that entire debacle, Nayeon had been trying to slyly unbuckle her belt and pull down her pants.

She didn’t know if she was being manipulated or that was just part of Nayeon’s succubus nature.

“Um. Well, I have to get back to work now,” Jeongyeon muttered, not making eye contact with Nayeon, “So uh, you can go back to your demon-succubus realm.”

Her eyes widened at Jeongyeon’s statement, and she quickly grasped onto her like a koala bear, “B-b-b-but! We haven’t even fucked yet! That’s what I’m here to help you with!” She seemed genuinely distraught and was clinging onto her harder by the second.

“What the fuck! Let go, I’m sure you can find one of my perverted ass co-workers to indulge in your little succu-fucking session!”

“No way, I’ve looked in this whole little area, there’s no one as…” she stopped to think, seeming to be finding the right words to say, “...deserving of it as you here! I’d know, I’ve been stalking you for the past month!”

What???

“Okay, that’s it, I’m getting back to work, no way I’m getting involved in any of this,” And before Nayeon could beg her not to, she swung open the door and marched right back to her desk.

Her mind was racing as she speedwalked to her desk. That was it? A succubus was stalking her, and that’s why she couldn’t have one moment of peace outside?

As she plopped down into her seat, an idea formed in her brain. She sniffed her dress shirt’s collar, wanting to confirm.

The scent of sweet, burnt sugar quickly coated her nostrils.

—

The sound of Jeongyeon’s shoes clacking on the cold floor reverberated on the empty street.

She looked to her left, and then her right, and then stopped.

“I know you’re stalking me again.”

A beat of silence.

Then:

A huge poof then the sound of a large crash came from behind her. Followed by a very annoyed, very exasperated, “Ughhhhh!”

Jeongyeon turned around, eyes locking with the succubus’ dark, alluring purples. Nayeon’s eyes quickly looked down, backing down immediately.

Huh.

She could use that.

The succubus was pouting now, looking down at her feet. “You’re not supposed to say anything. Just let me watch!” Her eyebrows furrowed deeper, “You know, most humans would actually be grateful that a succubus took interest in them. I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but I will seduce you. Just mark my words!”

“From this point on, I am not talking to you anymore. Go home, Nayeon,” Jeongyeon muttered.

The succubus grabbed her arm, her legs floating as she let Jeongyeon drag her; almost like a balloon, floating, being pulled by her little subject. Her lips pursed, and she did her best puppy eyes, her head right next to Jeongyeon’s face, “But I don’t have a home… sniff… A-And I was just hoping that I could stay with you… Because I know you’d never ever take advantage of me, right Jeongie?”

They continued walking in silence, Jeongyeon making a point not to look at her. But Jeongyeon’s expression had softened a little.

“You know, I could be torturing someone who’s more fun than you right now. Someone hot, someone fun, or someone nice.” She emphasized that last word, making a point to Jeongyeon.

“Definitely not opposed to that, go ahead, go torture someone else.” she deadpanned.

“But I chose you,” Nayeon whined, shaking her shoulders like a toddler having a tantrum, “Shouldn’t that mean something to you? For succubi, that’s a big deal, you think that every succubus goes around and chooses a grumpy, stoic little office worker? And look, you are talking to me even though you said you wouldn’t from that point on! I have to mean something to you, right?”

“You mean as much to me as a speck of dust on the floor.”

“Are you this mean to everyone? I'm a guest, you know! A beautiful one at that! And I am very cold right now, how do you humans survive like this?” Nayeon complained, shuttering.

They stopped.

Shrugging off her blazer, Jeongyeon opened her blazer up, offering it to Nayeon. Nayeon quickly took her up on the offer, shimmying into the jacket like it was her own.

“Dawww! That was the cutest thing any human has ever done for me! I knew I chose the right human to follow~”.

Jeongyeon rolled her eyes so hard she could almost see the back of her skull. But she didn’t push Nayeon off of her, instead letting her cling onto her shoulders as Jeongyeon carried her. She ignored the weird stares she got for her jacket to be seemingly floating behind her, she was way too tired to care. Too tired of work, and more importantly, too tired of that bratty succubus to care.

Nayeon’s mouth ran a mile a minute as she continued to complain and chatter about anything and everything.

They arrived at Jeongyeon’s apartment, and Jeongyeon held open the door as they entered. As they entered the elevator, Jeongyeon wasted no time on laying down some ground rules.

“Don’t touch my stuff. Don’t disturb the neighbors. And don’t try to seduce me in my own house. Got it?”

Nayeon clapped her hands like an excited child, her eyes crinkling into a cute, genuine smile, “I knew you’d never let me down! Thank you very much!” she sang out.

“Don’t make me regret this.”

A ding rang out from the elevator as they arrived at their floor. Jeongyeon pulled her keys out of her pocket, unlocking her door and turning behind her to see if Nayeon was still following her. She already knew she was, but she wanted to be sure.

As soon as they walked in, Jeongyeon’s dogs, Nanan and Peanut scampered to their feet, smelling the new person who had entered their space.

“Awww! Jeongie– you should have told me you had dogs! They’re so cute! Aren’t you?” Nayeon had already kneeled to their level and was scratching their fur and giving them little kissy faces.

Jeongyeon squinted down at the sight, albeit a little confused, she croaked, “How in the hell can they see you? I thought that you were invisible to everyone but me.”

“Well who isn’t an animal lover? I obviously make myself visible to animals so I can pet them!" Nayeon continued petting them vigourosly before adding, "Animal always sense the truth."

Nayeon looked up from the two dogs to look around Jeongyeon’s house for a second. It was very clean. It seemed almost unlived in, too.

“Are you sure you live here? Your place is so… sterile. Super boring.” Nayeon announced, seeming very proud of her observation.

Jeongyeon glared at her. “Of course I live here. I just don’t like living in a pig-sty.”

Nayeon cozied up on Jeongyeon’s couch immediately, her knees pressed up to her chest as she stared up at Jeongyeon, like a cat silently asking for attention, pretending to not want pets.

Before she could stop herself, Jeongyeon ended up sitting down on the couch, plopping down next to Nayeon.

For a second, they looked each other in their eyes, and it was quiet.

Jeongyeon felt her heart flutter.

“Why can’t you go back to the demon realm? Why are you here?” Jeongyeon’s voice came out scratchy and small.

The succubus’s eyes softened a little bit, and she looked down at her knees. She stopped to think, before she quietly opened her mouth.

“You needed me,”

She blinked. “What?”

Her voice was solemn as she spoke, “As a succubi, we can just… hear it. We hear when someone is truly lonely or needs a pick-me-up. So I came to you to offer my body to you,”

It was silent for a moment, before Nayeon continued.

"I dont need to seduce you to live or anything, but, it's kind of my job. I'm supposed to connect with people like that to cheer them up. Except, when I came here… I just– I noticed how caring you were. And how kind you were, and when you weren’t immediately seduced by me, and you consoled me and you worried for me I just…” Nayeon paused again, searching for words that would express the feeling in her heart. “No one has ever done that for me before.”

Jeongyeon froze. Her heart was in her throat, but she smiled at Nayeon. “Dont read too much into it.”

A giggle was heard from the other woman, and she spoke once more. "You know, when I was crying, I didn't expect you to console me like that. I was trying to manipulate you, you know? And dont call me a bad person, it was for your own good. I guess I needed a cry or something, because it turned into whatever happened there."

Maybe this demon wouldn’t be so bad to keep around.

Chapter Text

Jeongyeon felt bad after their conversation.

Her arms were stretched over her head as she replayed the conversation over and over again. The buzz of her fan in the corner helped to drown those thoughts, but not enough.

Nayeon was annoying. Scratch that, she was very annoying. She was pushy, stubborn, and very manipulative.

But still.

Jeongyeon couldn’t help but feel a bit of warmth in her heart for the succubus, for all she’d been through. And well, who wouldn’t?

The fact that she had no one to take care of her tugged at her heartstrings. She hadn’t gotten used to kindness without someone wanting… sex in return. She hadn’t said any of it out loud, but it was evident how she talked about Jeongyeon’s hospitality.

A sigh left her throat.

Nayeon wasn’t as bad as Jeongyeon thought.

She was lonely. And very scared.

Shifting her position, Jeongyeon groaned into the mattress for what seemed like the umpteenth time. Her shoulders started to relax, her mind starting to drift away.

Between sympathy and annoyance, Jeongyeon didn’t know how to feel before she let her body relax into sleep.

–

“Jeongyeonie~”

Hot, hot, hot.

Jeongyeon’s eyes snapped open.

Nayeon.

Right on top of her, pressing against the bulge in her sweatpants.

“Haah~! Feels so good…”

“What the fuck.”

Jeongyeon scrambled to get up, but Nayeon quickly pushed her shoulders down. Her purple eyes were blown wide with lust, looking straight at Jeongyeon.

“Relax, Jeongie. Enjoy it,” Nayeon grinned wickedly.

They were on Jeongyeon’s couch, Jeongyeon laid down, her hands by her sides awkwardly. Everything felt fuzzy and hot. Every time Jeongyeon tried to get a good view of Nayeon by squinting, her vision would go blurry, and her head felt like it was getting stabbed by a huge dagger.

She was narrowly aware it was a dream, but everything felt so real.

Wait.

If it was a dream, that meant she could do whatever she wanted, right?

Jeongyeon didn’t let herself think further.

Her eyes flicked up at the top of Nayeon’s head, where her horns were resting. A deep purple was starting to spread from the tip of her horns to the base. And then, Jeongyeon grabbed them.

And Nayeon moaned.

“H-Hey! What do you think you’re– haah– doing?!” Nayeon was trying desperately to squirm off her lap now, pulling her head down to try to get the heady pressure off of her horns.

“You sure you're a succubus? These are puny. Thought you’d be big and bad.” Jeongyeon smirked.

The dynamic had quickly changed. Nayeon was being pushed and pulled around by Jeongyeon now.

It was out of her control, the words coming out of Jeongyeon’s mouth. But it felt so right.

Nayeon was squirming on her lap, right on her cock, causing shockwaves of pleasure throughout Jeongyeon’s being. She felt she was in heaven and hell at the same time, the smoldering temperature and the intoxicating pleasure mixing to make an out-of-body experience.

Using the leverage of the horns, Jeongyeon pulled the squirming Nayeon towards her. Their lips met sloppily, teeth clicking together as their tongues danced with each other in a rhythm. Desperation coursed through them, Nayeon pressing her face closer even with their lips connected.

Nayeon pulled back first, their lips connected by strings of saliva. For a moment, they locked eyes with each other, their breath mingling and creating a dizzying feeling in Jeongyeon’s brain.

Jeongyeon ghosted her lips against the shell of Nayeon’s ear, her breath making Nayeon shudder in pleasure. Her voice deepened as she whispered,

“Strip.”

Their clothes came off in a cloudy haze, and before Jeongyeon could register their new, clothless forms, Nayeon had her manicured hands on Jeongyeon’s thick cock. Her eyes were dilated, staring down at Jeongyeon’s cock with a sliver of drool escaping from the corners of her mouth.

She rubbed it up and down, spitting on her hand to get it wet and to properly jack her off. The pressure on her dick felt so good, the light touches around her veins sending shivers up her spine and making her eyes roll back.

“Jeongyeon-ah~”

Nayeon’s words kept echoing through Jeongyeon’s head, her repeating her name until…

“Jeongyeon-ah! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

They were suddenly back in Jeongyeon’s room, pillows and blankets strewn everywhere.

“That stupid alarm has been going off for 10 minutes now! Don’t you know that succubi have to sleep too?” Nayeon’s eyebrows were furrowed, her full lips pouting, “And why are you so flushed? Wait– Don’t tell me you were having a naughty dream,”

An evil grin started to form on Nayeon’s skin. She was openly ogling Jeongyeon’s drowsy body on display, her body warm, and her face glowed with it.

Jeongyeon groggily picked up her phone, letting out a disgruntled groan.

Friday, 7:56 AM.

“Shit–!”

Her body moved before her brain could, jolting herself up. She ran to the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror for a second.

She looked like a mess.

Her hair was a wild jungle of tangles and poof, and her face, good lord. The flush on her face did not convince anyone that she was not totally dreaming of getting jacked off by a succubus.

Ice-cold water hit her face over and over, to attempt to get herself to calm down.

“Jeongie~ You didn’t deny it, you had a dream about me, right? I bet you did. Was I as hot as I am in real life?”

As well as a disgruntled office worker could, she brushed her teeth, cleaned herself up, tried not to look like a hormonal teen, and ignored Nayeon’s teasing remarks. Harder than it sounds, especially that last part.

Jeongyeon escaped the bathroom, the door slamming behind her. As she tried to put on her socks and bookbag, Nayeon poofed behind her, her legs bent off the ground as she followed her around the house.

“I knew I heard a moan last night and I wasn’t crazy. Maybe you do need to relieve that stress inside you more than I thought. Don’t be shy, Jeongie~”

“No I didn’t– Just shut up!”

“Don’t lie. I know you were, was I good at least?”

Jeongyeon’s phone was snatched from her nightstand as she stormed towards the front of her apartment. “I don’t have time for this.”

“You always have time for me, especially in your dreams–”

The door was slammed as Nayeon finished, a ridiculously huge grin on her face. She waltzed back into Jeongyeon’s room, her normally spot-free room disturbed by the mess of sheets and pillows on the floor.

“Definitely was about me.”

–

Nayeon was bored.

Her favorite human was gone; how could she not be bored?

She considered coming to Jeongyeon’s work again, maybe this time dressed up as a client there for her to see her ridiculously adorable flustered face.

But Nanan and Peanut had lured her in, their cute puppy dog eyes begging her to stay with them.

So, with 2 pups who were definitely not allowed on the bed, Nayeon was rolling over and tossing on Jeongyeon’s comfortable mattress. Her eyes flicked to Jeongyeon’s open closet, which was only left open by the whole debacle that morning.

A taped closed shoebox overflowing with paper immediately stood out to Nayeon.

Nayeon wasn’t usually one to respect privacy (when had she ever?), but the idea of looking gnawed at her heart a bit.

But it was right out in the open! How could she not look? It was her god given right! (or devil given?)

Carefully, she shimmied towards the closet, kneeling at the box’s level. With her long, sharp nails, she ripped open the sloppily applied tape holding it shut.

The box sprang open earnestly. Inside the box were many, many photos and messily written notes, yellowing and curling from age.

One showed Jeongyeon, awkwardly standing next to a taller woman, seeming to be her mom. There were tons more photos, many of them showing her in class settings or events.

As she flipped through the photo album, she saw that each photo of Jeongyeon showed her at the very edge of the group, no one’s arm slung over her shoulder as they would the rest of her peers.

At the bottom of the box, letters. Tons of letters.

Delicately, she grabbed a handful of the notes. Her eyes skimmed through the multitude of them.

“You are probably the most awkward, stubborn person we have had to hang out with. We don’t want to be your friend anymore.” Written in bright, pink, glittery gel pen.

Nayeon’s tail hung low between her legs.

“My dearest Jeongyeon,

It has been getting more and more apparent how much you’ve been isolating yourself. You push us away, and expect us to still care about you. How could you? We try so hard to love you, we put so much effort into you, and this is how you repay us–”

She couldn’t finish the note.

Her hands carefully picked up the stack, placing the papers back in the order she had seen them, with a deep sigh. The lid softly closed. It seemed to let out an exhale, the pressure of keeping secrets in finally released.

Nayeon stood up, her hands on her waist as she let out a sigh.

Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.

She was not supposed to be getting emotionally attached to Jeongyeon. That was not in the slightest her job; her job was to watch over Jeongyeon and cheer her up, and usually she would use sex.

But.

Her job also entailed caring for her subjects and making them happy by any means possible.

Nayeon smiled, her mind made up.

“Alright then, Jeongyeonie. Operation seduce the lonely human is a go. And emotionally support her too, I guess.”

She plopped back onto the bed, scratching both Nanan’s and Peanut’s heads respectfully.

Nayeon smiled to herself.

“Wow, I am just a saint, aren’t I?”

–

Nayeon was standing with her arms crossed at the oven. She had been racking her brain for something to cook for Jeongyeon, to surprise her and make her happy when she came home.

4:39 PM

Perfect, just enough time to make food and have it hot and ready for Jeongyeon.

Her mind came back to the sight of Jeongyeon, face frazzled and leaving without even coffee, all because of her! She needed a meal when she got home.

After a month of stalking Jeongyeon, Nayeon knew a lot about Jeongyeon. Scratch that, she knew everything there was to know about her while she was out, even the way she’d talk to stray dogs and cats on her way home.

Most importantly, she knew what she liked to eat.

Jeongyeon was a simple creature. She loved eating the classics, bibimbap, ramyeon, fried rice, nothing out of the ordinary.

Nayeon rubbed her chin as she scanned through what Jeongyeon had in her fridge.

Leftover rice, eggs, and a huge container of kimchi.

She snapped, eyes lighting up. “Kimchi fried rice!” she declared to no one in particular.

Pans clanked against each other as Nayeon searched for a suitable one for cooking in Jeongyeon’s cabinet. Eventually, Nayeon’s head emerged from the cabinet with a medium-sized pan, perfect for fried rice.

Nayeon adjusted the heat of the stove with a few clicks, applying a healthy amount of oil in the pan. She stood, unmoving, waiting for the oil to heat up.

But her mind kept going back to the notes.

“What a sad human,” she mumbled, mostly to herself.

It wasn’t a shocking realization. Nayeon had followed her around every day. She had seen how she went home with an eerily stoic face every day, how she would talk to stray cats and dogs on her way back home. How she’d never talk to anyone after work.

Nayeon’s tail swayed low to the floor.

“Why would she keep those notes?” The oil cracked in a gentle warning, “That’s so… stupid.”

Her hold on the spatula got tighter. “If I were her, I’d burn them. Better yet, let me burn them! It would be so cool, watching them shrink and shrivel into the sky!”

The oil sizzled in warning, heating up.

Nayeon paused.

“She was probably rereading them.”

A beat.

“She probably was reminding herself why she was so lonely, huh?”

The oil burst loudly, creating a splash and landing on Nayeon. It was angry.

“Shoot,” she said, quickly adding garlic. Her arm tossed the minced garlic around the pan fervently, her body channeling her silent rage into her movements.

The air was sizzling in the kitchen, the sound of angry hisses and chopping being heard. It was starting to heat up.

“She must’ve–” chop

“–thought she was the problem–” chop

“ –And everyone around her made her believe it.” She slammed the kimchi into the pan. The pan screamed back at her.

Nayeon’s brows knitted together.

“Too bad for her. She has me now.” Nayeon mused, slamming open the shells of the eggs with a spoon, shell included, “And I’m gonna help her, whether she likes it or not.”

She tossed the eggs with her spatula, scrambling them and incorporating them into the kimchi-garlic mixture. Just like her thoughts. Scrambled and messy.

Murmurs came from Nayeon, her silent rage bubbling up. “And I’m gonna seduce the hell out of her.” Finally, she slapped the cold rice inside, mixing the ingredients with a passion.

The pan hissed as Nayeon tossed and pressed the rice into it, silently agreeing with her.

Nayeon cranked the heat to off, exhaling. With a newfound care, she scooped the fried rice onto a plate.

She was done.

It was the farthest thing from perfect you could get. But Nayeon tried her utmost best.

She had made the mistake of not trying it as she went, burnt flecks of garlic adorning it, and tiny pieces of brown shell were obvious from the outside. The plating was as messy as the dish itself, rice piling unevenly, on one side there was too much, and on the other was too little. No garnish, no plating.

But it was Nayeon’s way of saying, ‘I’m here for you’.

Her way to tell those stupid pink glitter pen girls and whoever had told her she was hard to love to royally fuck off. To show Jeongyeon that in no universe would she ever be hard to love, that she was around total assholes.

And to show that she had someone there to care for her.

Nayeon stared down at her plate, smiling.

“That’s for you, you dumbass.”

She clanked the plate onto the dinner table roughly, making a clink!as it touched down onto the wood.

–

With a click to her front door, Jeongyeon entered her house.

It was warm. Very warm.

And the scent of toasted garlic made its way to her nose.

Before she could question it, Nayeon’s head popped over from the kitchen, looking at her and smiling. “Welcome home! I did something for you!”

A smile crept onto Jeongyeon’s face before she straightened it. She carefully walked through her hallway, slower than she usually would.

Her feet were planted on the ground as she looked at Nayeon, a plate in hand. “What… is that exactly?”

Nayeon smiled brightly, her face unchanged even through Jeongyeon’s unsureness. “Cooking! For you!”

Her hands were outstretched, the plate in front of Jeongyeon. It was fried rice. Kinda?

There were bits of eggshell in it (was she trying to kill her?), and it was scorched and burnt in places where it should not be. But it smelled so, so good.

Jeongyeon’s face morphed into a grateful smile, her lips curling up without her meaning to. She haphazardly made her way to her dinner table, Nayeon placing the plate in front of her.

“C’mon! Try it! I made it for you, you’re welcome.”

She was silent as she grabbed her spoon, shoveling a small bite onto it. Her hands shook as she raised it to her mouth, but she couldn’t place why.

But before she could even take a bite–

A tear rolled onto the plate.

She stared down at the messy plate of rice, the plate that could not be good for her in the slightest. Her eyes had started to swim, the plate going blurry before she could focus on it again. Her heart hammered against her chest, and her throat tightened.

She took the bite. It was salty, and she could taste the bitterness of the burnt garlic.

It was the best thing she had eaten in years.

A sob wracked her body, coming out sharp.

“W-What?! Is it that bad?”

Nayeon looked hurt and nervous, her fingers intertwining with each other and fidgeting. Her tail hung low to the floor, unmoving. They were silent for a while, what felt like an eternity to Nayeon.

“No, it’s just that…” Jeongyeon paused and looked up at Nayeon with her now red eyes. “I think this is the first time I came home and someone was there for me.”

They stared at each other, just like that, and instead of making a teasing remark or jab at Jeongyeon, Nayeon placed her hand on top of hers, rubbing small circles on it with her thumb.

“I’m really happy right now. Thank you, Nayeon.”

Nayeon plopped down on the chair next to her, her hand still holding Jeongyeon’s. “You’re welcome,” she said, more solemnly than before.

Jeongyeon continued to eat the fried rice like it was her last meal, and Nayeon watched every second of it with a smile, their hands intertwined.

Yeah, caring for this human would be easy.

–

“You’re not doing the dishes, my rules! Sit back down, now!!” Nayeon roared, a playful fury raging through her.

Jeongyeon looked at her, hesitant.

Then she sat back down.

The sun had started to set, golden rays filtering into the kitchen. It was a comfortable silence, the sound of Nayeon doing the dishes and Jeongyeon’s dogs scampering the only things disturbing the quiet afternoon.

Chapter Text

Nayeon wanted to go out.

Like, really, really bad.

She had been cooped up in Jeongyeon’s freakishly clean apartment for two weeks at this point, and Jeongyeon had told her specifically not to come back to her workplace. And, well, she thought about disobeying, but she was very adamant about that.

But, besides that, she just wanted to spend more time with Jeongyeon and see the world. Hanging out with her favorite human in her house was fun, but just imagining hanging out with her, seeing the world and having fun made her giddy with excitement.

Alas, Jeongyeon was busy and, for some reason, still hadn’t gone out with her.

Nayeon let out a groan, placing her face into her palms, her tail slowly swaying side to side on the couch.

Then, the door clicked.

Nayeon’s tail started to wag a bit faster.

The sound of rustling plastic bags and Jeongyeon’s shoes coming off made Nayeon feel giddy with excitement. Before she could stop herself, she found herself running up to the door, Peanut and Nanan following close behind her.

“Hey! What the hell!” Peanut and Nanan had already found their way up on Jeongyeon, pouncing on her for cuddles, and before she knew it, Nayeon had joined in.

With a thud, all four of them met the ground in a flurry of giggles, woofs, and unamused groans from Jeongyeon.

“God dammit, you guys. Why can’t you just let me enter my own house in peace?” said an exasperated Jeongyeon.

“What’s the fun in that? We missed you!”

“Well, could you care to show that in a way that doesn’t knock me onto the ground?”

Nayeon only smiled as Jeongyeon got up with a groan, carrying the plastic bags into the kitchen, Nayeon and the dogs following close behind.

Jeongyeon was pulling out the contents from both hands, and Nayeon couldn’t help but blush at how slender and long her hands were. God, why was she so hot?

Before Nayeon could keep getting distracted with her thoughts, Jeongyeon spoke up.

“Nayeon-ah, I bought takeout. Do you want some?”

She felt her heart skip a beat or two at the informality.

Instead of showing it, she smiled, her grin wide, and sat down next to her at the table.

“Of course I would.”

For a while, they sat in a comfortable silence, Nayeon mostly watching Jeongyeon as she ate the Chinese food. She subconsciously started to notice how Jeongyeon would jut her bottom lip out while she chewed.

She caught herself smiling.

“Got something on your mind?”

That snapped Nayeon out of her Jeongyeon-induced trance as she came back to Earth.

“Errr… Actually, yeah,” Nayeon spoke, her face being held up by her palms, “Do you think we could ever– like– go outside? Together?”

Jeongyeon’s chewing slowed as she stopped to consider Nayeon’s words. “...Outside?”

“Yeah! Like a date! We could go to the park, or eat ramen, or– ooh! Dessert! I would even disguise myself so no one would know I’m a succubus!”

“As what? Like… a normal girl?”

“Yes,” Nayeon said, flatly, “Exactly that.”

“I don’t know…” Jeongyeon said, chuckling, “I don’t think I want to be seen with your ass anyway.”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying! I’d make it fun, you know? You wouldn’t even have to plan anything.” She paused. “I just– want you to spend time with me.” Nayeon found her sentence drifting off into a more sincere tone as she spoke.

Nayeon embarrassingly felt her tail wag behind her as she thought of hanging out with Jeongyeon, thumping into the chair over and over. Jeongyeon’s gaze softened as her eyes followed her wagging tail. Even as Jeongyeon’s face warmed, Nayeon kept her gaze averted from Jeongyeon’s eyes.

Then Jeongyeon smiled. Like, really smiled.

She exhaled through her nose, slightly smiling as she looked back at her food.

“One day, okay?”

There was more to Jeongyeon’s promise, something soft that lingered between the newfound silence. It didn’t seem like just a brush-off to get Nayeon to leave her alone, almost like Jeongyeon meant more– like she was willing to let herself learn how to enjoy.

But the moment resided in her mind, her heart fluttering with a foreign heat.

The rest of dinner went on without a hitch, Jeongyeon sitting with Nayeon quietly as she polished off the dumplings.

But as Jeongyeon got up to start doing the dishes, Nayeon felt her tail brush against the floor, restless and anxious. She couldn’t stop thinking about how Jeongyeon looked at her and smiled, like she was considering tearing down her walls, all for Nayeon.

She wanted to see Jeongyeon smile more, laugh more, all because of Nayeon. Wanted to be the only one who received the warmth that Jeongyeon rarely showed.

Her eyebrows furrowed.

Succubi were supposed to crave attention, but those feelings that fluttered in her chest didn’t quite feel like attention. No, it felt more like…

Affection.

“Oh, crap.”

She liked Jeongyeon.

Like, really liked her.

And Jeongyeon’s dumbass had no idea.

—

Jeongyeon was slung on the couch with a tub of freshly sliced fruits. After she finished dinner, she got into her checkered pajama pants, with her glasses and her hair tied up messily.

Nayeon blushed a little seeing her like that, so relaxed and carefree.

She was watching Jeongyeon from the kitchen, her head poking out from behind a wall. (creep!)

For a while, Nayeon sat there, just observing Jeongyeon. Every small habit she would unconsciously do was imprinted in Nayeon’s brain. She noticed everything.

“Nayeon-ah, I know you’re watching me.”

Ah, busted.

“Why can’t I just watch? You’re such a bummer!”

For a moment, Jeongyeon paused, not looking at her. A weight formed in her chest, like she had done something wrong or–

“I wouldn’t mind if you came over here.”

Nayeon slowly padded over, her tail betraying how excited she was. She plopped down a little too close to Jeongyeon before scooching even closer.

“You’re so freaking obvious, you know. Watching me like a creep, and it’s not even the first time. What, got a staring problem?”

Nayeon reached over to the tub of fruit, popping a melon into her mouth. “Pfft, don’t pretend like you don’t like it. Just making sure you're not lonely.”

“Hey! I cut those myself! And for your information, I’m used to it, loser.”

It stung a little to hear Jeongyeon say that about herself, but more than that, Nayeon noticed how her ears went pink behind her hair. She tried not to stare even harder.

Instead, Nayeon rolled her eyes and scooted up right onto Jeongyeon’s shoulder.

“You say that, but you just looove hanging out with me.”

“You’re so annoying.”

“But I’m cute.”

Nayeon evilly grinned as Jeongyeon only let out a huff in annoyance, but scooted the fruit bowl closer to her.

Her heart fluttered. She bit her lip to try to stop herself from smiling too widely.

For a while, they sat in a comfortable silence, Nayeon pressed up against Jeongyeon’s shoulder as she just let her. Jeongyeon snickered at the cheesy pickup lines in the film, but instead of watching the movie, Nayeon was watching her.

Nayeon found herself staring at her sharp jawline and how attractive she looked, even with her hair all messy and her glasses on. Nayeon’s eyes shone like she held the stars in the sky, like she wanted to etch every part of Jeongyeon into her brain.

Jeongyeon suddenly side-eyed Nayeon and covered her face with her hand. “Stop staring at me, you creep! Seriously!”

“I can’t help it! You’re just too cute like that!”

That made Jeongyeon freeze for all but a second before she turned back to the movie. Nayeon tried not to notice how red her ears were.

“Go watch the dogs or something.”

Chapter Text

Jeongyeon had returned an hour ago, and Nayeon had already slithered her way up to her shoulder and wrapped herself around her arm.

They were sitting in a familiar, comfortable silence, some documentary about who-knows-what playing as background music for Nayeon as she tried not to stare obviously at Jeongyeon. Her eyes were twinkling, while Jeongyeon was immersed in the documentary.

A comfortable silence enveloped them as the sounds of people talking drifted in the background.

It felt like nothing could break that moment, that they would stay like that forever, wrapped in each other’s embrace.

But of course, Nayeon had to ruin it with her stomach rumbling.

“Ew, you’re gross.”

Nayeon scowled for a moment before Jeongyeon’s stomach growled too.

“Hah! And what does that make you?”

“...Don’t drag me down with you.”

Nayeon only let out a huff before cuddling impossibly closer to Jeongyeon, her head now against Jeongyeon’s chest.

“Well, I’m hungry!” She whined, kicking her feet, “So why don’t you get started on dinner? Something nice and greasy, yeah?”

Jeongyeon rolled her eyes. “What do I look like, your personal maid?”

“I give you emotional support! This is like, the only payment you could give me!”

Jeongyeon sat, eyebrows furrowed and twiddling her fingers, before pulling out her phone.

“I’m kinda lazy, so do you wanna go out to eat?” She croaked, her voice wavering.

Nayeon could’ve sworn she heard angelic bells ringing. But she couldn’t miss her opportunity to tease her favorite human, never. So instead of squealing and freaking out the way she felt, she straightened her face and tried not to blush like a schoolgirl.

“What, like a date? You’re real bold, Yoo Jeongyeon.”

“NO! Definitely not! Just food, y’know, because I’m lazy.”

Nayeon didn’t miss how Jeongyeon’s ears went red.

“Well, m-kay. Ya’ don’t need to be so shy, Jeongie.”

Jeongyeon only rolled her eyes.

–

Jeongyeon sorta-kinda was starting to regret inviting Nayeon out to eat.

Not in a bad way, not at all; it was just that, for some reason, her heart was starting to flutter at the sight of Nayeon.

They had found themselves at a small Japanese diner near Jeongyeon’s apartment, nothing flashy. It was cute and small, and Nayeon had been lured in by the smell of fried food and meat.

So there they were, in a lonely diner late at night, seated across from each other in a diner booth; Nayeon bouncing up and down cutely on the “squishy seats.”

She found herself staring at the succubus almost fondly. Recently, Nayeon had been… less annoying. Don’t get her wrong, the succubus was still a huge pain in the butt, but it was nice having her around.

Nayeon caught her, quirking a brow at her.

Jeongyeon dug her face back into her menu, feeling a blush creep up her face.

“Who’s got a staring problem now, Jeongie?”

She paused for a moment. “...Shut up.”

“God, why do you have to be so rude to me?!” Nayeon whined.

Jeongyeon rolled her eyes. Yup, this was the Nayeon she knew (and loved).

“It’s not being rude if you were being rude first, idiot.”

“HEY! I was not being rude–”

Nayeon quickly shut up as she noticed the waitress sauntering over to their table. She casually pulled out her notepad, her face uninterested.

“What can I get you two?”

Jeongyeon stood up a bit straighter, “I’ll get the tonkotsu ramen.”

The waitress scribbled down her order quickly, her face now directed at Nayeon.

“M’kay, and you?”

Nayeon paused, looking back and forth at the menu again, her eyebrows furrowed as her hands fidgeted.

“Uhm… I’ll get…”

Jeongyeon’s heart clenched at how distraught she looked. Her eyes squinted across the lines of the menu, her fingers drumming against the table. Jeongyeon’s own fingers twitched, wanting to reach out and steady Nayeon’s shaky ones.

Can she not read?

The thought tugged at her heartstrings a bit.

“She’ll get a chicken katsu with no vegetables.”

The waitress looked at her, smacking her gum, before looking back down and scribbling on her notepad.

“Kay, that’ll be out shortly for ya.” The waitress dully spoke, flipping her notepad back down and strolling away coolly.

Jeongyeon’s head turned back to Nayeon, and she was met with something unexpected.

Nayeon was looking up at her like she held the stars in the sky, like she had just saved her from impending death. Her mouth hung open, a blush creeping up the sides of her face.

Huh. Weird. She didn’t think it was that cold in the diner.

“What’s with that face?” Jeongyeon grumbled, even though her heart fluttered at the sight.

“Ugh! I hate you, Yoo Jeongyeon!” she cried out, her horns under her hoodie starting to flash with color, “That was like… the nicest thing you’ve ever done for me, and you’re so… nonchalant!”

Nayeon’s blush deepened, growing down her neck, her usual playful banter gone. Her eyes shone with unshed tears.

Jeongyeon only groaned seeing Nayeon so emotional over literally nothing.

“I don’t even know why, but… like, thank you.” Nayeon continued, the diner started to warm as her energy permeated the diner, “It’s like– like you read me, and you understood me, and y-you cared for me!”

Jeongyeon was starting to get very concerned at the rising temperature and Nayeon’s now uncovered tail wagging all over the place.

Her heart didn’t know where to go between comforting her and scolding her like she always did.

“Yeah, right, um– Nayeon, I think you should put away your tail–”

“S-Shut up! Let me finish! And I’ll do it later!” She exclaimed, cutting off Jeongyeon. “I just… like being with you, Jeongyeon, and I don’t usually let people see me like this, but ugh– you’re just so…”

Jeongyeon felt her face burn as she listened to Nayeon, watching her.

“So good to me.”

Jeongyeon swallowed hard, her face flushing at the episode Nayeon was having. “Um, okay, wow, that was very emotional.”

Nayeon let out a breathless laugh, half-tears and half-amusement.

“Ugh, you’re so stupid.”

Jeongyeon couldn’t find it in herself to find a snarky remark, so for once she let herself stare fondly at her favorite succubus, even if she didn’t know why her heart was hammering in her chest.

—

“Ugh, I’m so full. Can we take a walk to digest?” Nayeon groaned, leaning back in the booth chair.

Jeongyeon let out a series of grumbles, but even so, she was standing up, reaching her hand out and helping Nayeon out of the booth.

Nayeon smiled and eagerly grabbed Jeongyeon’s hand.

“Gosh, you act like you hate me, but really, you’re a sweetheart.”

“Stop saying weird things.”

Nayeon giggled wickedly as the bell above the door rang as they made their way into the quiet night.

The walk started silently, Nayeon holding onto Jeongyeon’s arm like a lifeline in the cold. She smirked, feeling Jeongyeon’s heart beat faster than it ever had.

“Mm, this is nice.” Her voice saccharine, dripping like honey, “You, me, under the stars. So romantic.”

Jeongyeon used her best unaffected look, but Nayeon couldn’t miss the tips of her ears going red, not from the cold, “Stop making everything weird.”

They stopped, Nayeon leaning closer to Jeongyeon’s face, until she could feel Jeongyeon’s warm breath mingling with hers. Her gaze was akin to seductive, purple eyes piercing through Jeongyeon’s own in a way that made Jeongyeon’s heart beat leap through her chest.

Nayeon tilted her head, flush to Jeongyeon’s ear, still smiling.

“You’re so cute when you’re flustered.”

She tensed, her brain screaming at her to give another witty comeback, but her body had given up on her, heat crawling up her neck. She shoved her hands into her pockets, muttering, “...insufferable.”

But it carried no bite, not when she felt like her heart was going to explode. If she wasn’t careful, maybe Nayeon would find out how much she really didn’t mind being teased, especially from her.

They continued their walk in silence, Nayeon now excitedly talking about everything she liked and didn’t like during their dinner, leaving no room for Jeongyeon to talk.

Jeongyeon expected to feel that annoyance she had felt when she had first walked home with Nayeon, but instead, her heart was full with something akin to fondness listening to her.

…Maybe something a little more than that.

Chapter Text

Jeongyeon had known that Nayeon loved to cuddle ever since she started getting comfortable at her house.

She hadn’t even been aware of how simple cuddling after dinner had escalated into.. this.

They were in Jeongyeon’s bed, Nayeon straddling her lap, her head pressed against Jeongyeon’s chest with a very smug smile. Her horns and eyes were glowing a radiant purple, tail swishing playfully against Jeongyeon’s thighs as she maintained eye contact with her.

She swore Nayeon could feel how fast her heart was beating.

…Why did she have to be so pretty?

Jeongyeon had always found Nayeon beautiful, even since Nayeon had popped up at her desk one day and never let go. But this was… different. Nayeon wasn’t just attractive; she was actually starting to be less… insufferable.

She was funny. Kind of.

And Jeongyeon didn’t mind the teasing advances anymore.

And well… Of course, she couldn’t deny that Nayeon was beautiful.

She shook herself out of those thoughts, but as she placed her hand on her cheeks, she could feel the burning sensation of a blush on her face. Darn.

The damn succubus powers must have been clouding her head. Nothing more.

Nayeon giggled evilly, seeing how red Jeongyeon was getting. “Doing okay, Jeongie? You seem a little red.” She purred, her voice sultry.

Jeongyeon managed to roll her eyes, but it ended in a soft groan as Nayeon started to feel up her abdomen, sneaking up to her chest through her shirt.

“Y-yeah. Doing fine. Just a bit haah~ hot.”

Jeongyeon groaned as Nayeon’s hands started to snake lower and lower, her manicured fingernails toying with the waistband of her boxers.

Was it always that hot in her room?

Her grin widened even farther. “You sure? Then… Shouldn’t I help you out?”

Nayeon’s hands looped inside her shorts and boxer briefs, leaving Jeongyeon’s head reeling. Her ass pressed down on Jeongyeon’s bulge, grinding down on her.

“Wouldn’t you let me help you cool down, hm? Don’t you want me to take this off? Must be so hot, and oh so achey~”

Nayeon had to be doing some sort of succubus magic because under the dim lights of her room, she looked so damn hot, and beyond Jeongyeon’s better judgment, she said something she thought she would never say.

“...Go ahead.”

At an agonizingly slow pace, Nayeon stripped off Jeongyeon’s boxers and shorts, still keeping eye contact with Jeongyeon.

Her cock sprang up to Nayeon’s ass, pressing against it. A gasp ripped from Nayeon’s mouth, before her eyes darkened with lust again.

She adjusted herself on Jeongyeon’s lap again, letting her cock rest between her plushy thighs, biting her lip.

Nayeon spat on her hand, rubbing the spit against the palm of her hand, and slowly began to stroke up and down, her fingernails barely grazing the sensitive veins and skin of Jeongyeon’s cock.

Her eyes widened as her fingers moved up. Jeongyeon was big. Nayeon’s fingers didn’t even meet as she circled Jeongyeon’s shaft.

Slowly, Nayeon began to rub Jeongyeon, up and down, fingers still not touching.

“F-Fuuck…” Jeongyeon whined, rolling her head back.

Nayeon’s right hand continued to stroke Jeongyeon’s cock agonizingly slow, while her left began to drift down, fondling Jeongyeon’s balls.

It was silent for a moment before Nayeon’s horns began to glow a brighter purple with an undertone of pink.

There was an inkling of what that meant in Jeongyeon’s mind, but she tried not to think about it too much.

One of Nayeon’s hands slid up to Jeongyeon’s hand, grabbing it and leading it down to her lacy panties.

“Mmph~ Feel me, Jeongyeonie… You made me so wet, and you’re not even taking care of me.”

Jeongyeon’s hands trembled in Nayeon’s own as the pads of her fingers came down into her panties, feeling her slick. Trembling, Jeongyeon’s thumbs hooked inside of her panties, slowly pulling them down.

There were lines of slick connecting Nayeon’s core to her panties, showing just how affected she was by Jeongyeon. Jeongyeon’s face flushed a little more red.

Nayeon raised herself up before pressing the tip of Jeongyeon’s cock against her warm slit, barely inside. Her eyes were flashing now, a mix of pink and purple, swirling in her iris and her horns.

She slowly lowered herself on Jeongyeon’s thick cock, eyes rolling back in pleasure.

“God, you’re so big…”

Jeongyeon couldn’t control herself anymore.

Her hands fastened around Nayeon’s waist, holding her impossibly closer, their chests pressing against each other. Slowly, she began to thrust up into Nayeon, which elicited a high-pitched whine from her throat.

Jeongyeon’s pace quickened, her hold on Nayeon’s waist getting tighter. It was almost feverish the way her urges to be close, to be inside Nayeon, were making her act. Her head was reeling, but there was one thing she could make out.

How much she actually liked being around Nayeon.

Jeongyeon looked up at Nayeon, the succubus who had shown up at her cubicle while she was working, the annoying girl who just loved to annoy her so much, someone who made Jeongyeon’s apartment feel alive again.

She couldn’t imagine not living with her.

Their eyes met, and it felt like everything else was fading away. The fact that Jeongyeon was inside her right at that moment didn't matter, not when Nayeon looked at her like that. Pleasure was fading into warmth, real, true love.

Nayeon’s irises were flashing between pink and purple, like a dance of color. Fighting for dominance, before they shifted towards a brighter hue.

A bright pink.

A small gasp came from Nayeon’s mouth as her eyes and horns glowed a new color, one she’d never experienced before. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.

Before she could talk herself out of it or even think about it, Jeongyeon leaned in.

And Nayeon met her halfway.

It was hungry but longing, all at the same time.

Jeongyeon could smell her shampoo on Nayeon, but it smelled so much better on her. All the thoughts she had kept to herself about Nayeon were rushing and crowding in her mind now that she had given them space to fester.

For just a second, Jeongyeon pulled away.

But that was before Nayeon pulled her right back in, ready for round 2.

It was right between the hungry, devouring kiss one would expect from a succubus and a longing, needy kiss from a loved one. Jeongyeon didn’t know which one she’d prefer.

When they both pulled away, looking at each other longingly in the eyes, Nayeon grinned evilly.

“You know,” she grunted, Jeongyeon’s cock still sheathed deep inside of her, “I didn’t use any of my magic.”

—

It was 1:24 AM, and Nayeon really couldn’t sleep.

Usually, cuddling with Jeongyeon would definitely help her, but after what just happened, she just couldn’t. Her heart was hammering so hard against her chest, she was so sure Jeongyeon might wake up and scold her.

Succubi weren’t supposed to feel like that.

She could remember ever since she was young, her parents cooing over what a pretty face she had, how potent her aura was, and how humans and demons alike would no doubt fall for her.

But Jeongyeon was so different.

She didn’t chase her like all those mortals had; she was the one person she couldn’t make come closer. Jeongyeon wasn’t affected, no matter how much succubus pheromones she pumped into the air, no matter how much of her powers she used, Jeongyeon wasn’t affected.

It made her realize how much she wanted to be loved, just for being herself.

When Jeongyeon had leaned in for a kiss, when Jeongyeon had let her explore the most intimate parts of her, it was all on her own accord. She hadn’t used an ounce of her power. She didn’t have to. Everything Jeongyeon had done tonight was because she wanted to.

She kicked her feet in giddy excitement, grinning ear to ear.

Nayeon’s arm tightened around Jeongyeon’s middle.

“I love you, Jeongie.”

She was half expecting a twitch, or even for Jeongyeon to turn around and respond, but nothing came.

So she sighed and snuggled herself back into Jeongyeon’s shoulder, content to wait.

—

Jeongyeon’s cheeks flushed red as she felt Nayeon’s breath slow.

God, what was she gonna do?

—

The sun had barely woken up, and Jeongyeon was pacing in her kitchen.

She was a creature of habit, so she had already made her morning coffee, gotten dressed, and brushed her teeth.

All just 2 hours earlier than usual. On a weekend, too.

Nothing strange.

She quickly made herself busy, scrambling to her office to work on a project that wasn’t even hers (the one her coworkers hadn’t worked on for months). Anything to stay busy, to keep on schedule, she told herself.

With a plop, she dropped herself into her office chair, prepared to work her ass off per usual. Something she hadn’t done for days, actually. She hadn’t thought about that.

Nayeon had given her something to look forward to; she was someone who finally convinced her to leave work at 5 pm instead of 9 pm without even saying anything.

She was just her friend, and even that was a stretch. Nayeon was just an annoying succubus that wouldn’t leave her alone.

Right?

..Then how come she hadn’t kicked her out yet? And, well, how come that kiss came with so much clarity instead of that heady feeling succubi pheromones make you feel?

She shut that thought up as quickly as she could, furiously typing away on her computer instead, the one thing she knew she was good at. Working.

Not feelings, not stupid giddy emotions, and definitely not “friends”.

Her fingers trembled over the keyboard for a moment.

That heavy feeling in her gut rested heavily in her. The same one she had been feeling since she was a kid, the one that reminded her of her overwhelming loneliness.

Oh.

A warm, wet drop appeared on her face before her brain could stop her.

She really tried to stop it, the flood of memories that she had thought she suppressed. Forcing her eyes shut, trying that stupid breathing technique she found on the internet, trying to chase those memories away.

But they came back anyway.

—

Jeongyeon’s earliest memories were of a silent house, only broken up by the sound of her mother quietly doing chores.

She didn’t hold any bad memories of her mother, not at all. They were mostly just… quiet. Her mom was always tired, always working, always moving.

Honestly, it was more like a lack of memories with her.

When Jeongyeon was little, she would sit on the floor of the kitchen, tugging at her mom’s sleeve.

“Eomma! Look, I made a drawing of you and me, and we’re hanging out together!” she’d chirp, holding up a crooked drawing she’d spent the whole day on. She mostly remembered the hope whilst making it, the hope that maybe her mom would finally want to spend time with her after seeing how hard she’d worked.

If that was how her mom showed love, by working hard, then maybe Jeongyeon could show her mom how much she loved her, too.

But instead, she was met with a half-assed glance at her drawing, her lips pursing. Her mom’s voice was terse, but not unkind.

“That’s great, Jeongyeonie. How about you spend the rest of the day in your room, though? Eomma is busy today.”

And then, the sink would turn on once again, drowning out the sound of Jeongyeon’s soft sniffles.

She’d only find her mother’s love in the tireless days she would spend doing chores, working, and giving her a roof over her head. It was all perfect, all neat and organized.

But warmth?

That was something she’d find in the storybooks she would read while cooped up in her room. She learned to stop asking for it quickly.

She never really stopped trying, of course. In first grade, she’d approached a girl she wanted to be friends with. The girl raised her eyebrow, sauntering away.

Middle school is when she thought everything might change. She tried out for the tennis team, somehow making it onto the varsity team. She walked onto those courts for the first practice, ready to be a part of something, ready to belong.

Instead, during scrimmages, she was paired with the coach. She’d never be part of the inside jokes; most of her season was spent picking up tennis balls after her unnies.

In high school, she had stopped trying.

She didn’t miss the subtle relief on her peer's face when she’d pass by, no forced smiles and awkward, knowing looks at each other.

And so, Jeongyeon perfected the art of making herself small. She learned to expect nothing because if she wanted anything more, she’d be met with denial.

Jeongyeon left for college remembering one thing.

If you don’t expect love, you’ll never be disappointed; and if you never rely on anyone, you’ll never be a burden.

So when her mom randomly started calling her every so often, wondering how she was doing, if she was eating well, she didn’t know what to say.

Once, she asked if Jeongyeon had made any good friends in college.

She lied right through her teeth, saying, “Yes, Eomma. They’re really nice, maybe you could meet them one day.”

That night, she remembers crying herself to sleep, replaying the conversation over and over in her head.

Because how could she explain to her own mom that she was a total loner? And that the fault was hers, for making her feel like a burden for even expecting love from her, let alone from strangers?

—

It was so hard to breathe.

She was back at her desk now, her breathing jagged and unsteady. Her chest was heaving like it was trying to break out of her chest.

Nayon had triggered that thought that was so ingrained in her mind. She had stopped crying about it so long ago, she thought she was finally over it, but stupid Nayeon.

Stupid Nayeon for making her think she could be loved.

What was she even doing?

Her hands trembled as she tried to make sense of the world, fingers shaking. Yoo Jeongyeon didn’t need love, she didn’t initiate kisses, and she would never fall for anyone. Like she always has, she would work until she would fall asleep at her desk. That was who Yoo Jeongyeon was.

The door creaked open.

“Jeongyeonie?!”

Nayeon’s voice was half terrified, half concerned.

Jeongyeon hated how loving she sounded.

Her body stayed planted at her desk, her body unable to turn around and face Nayeon. A few firm steps came her way before a gentle hand caressed her shoulder.

God, her chest felt so tight. Her entire body was shaking along with her tears. Nayeon’s soft, manicured hands were no help in stopping her tremors. It was like every single memory, every rejection was crowding for attention in her brain, but every single one hurt more than the last.

Jeongyeon’s vision was clouding more and more every second, before her head collapsed towards the hardwood of her desk.

Don’t expect love. Don’t rely on anyone.

Before she could wallow in her thoughts any longer, Nayeon forcefully grabbed her shoulders, sitting Jeongyeon upright again.

“O-oh my god! What’s wrong with you? Are you like– okay?!” Nayeon yelped, panicked. She looked at Jeongyeon in her red, swollen eyes with a face of pure anxiety. “What do I do?! Ugh! Humans are so… complicated!”

Nayeon’s hand came to Jeongyeon's own trembling ones, rubbing the backs soothingly. “Okay, you’re okay, Jeongie. C’mon, breathe with me, okay?”

Jeongyeon’s words came out in wet, teary sniffles. “I– hic I’m being a burden again, aren’t I? Oh god–”

“NO! No, don’t say that, you’re not-” Nayeon tripped over her own words, toppling over into Jeongyeon’s lap. But instead of panicking, she slung her arms over Jeongyeon’s shoulders, wrapping her into a tight hug. Her tail was swinging erratically behind her, knocking over a pencil cup and a lamp in its wake.

“I’m making it hard for you, sniff, you were probably sleeping and I woke you up, God, I’m so stupid–”

Nayeon pushed a finger to Jeongyeon’s mouth to shut her up. “Shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Now straddling Jeongyeon, Nayeon leaned back to look her in her eye.

“You’re not a burden. If anything, I am,” Nayeon let out a breathless giggle, “freeloading off you, barging into your house.”

She took a deep breath in, steeling herself.

“I read the notes in your closet. I’m not stupid, I know what your life is like. For god’s sake, I even stalked you for a month before even talking to you. I know you talk in hushed tones to your coworkers because you’re afraid of bothering them, I know you try to make as small as you can to not ‘bother’ anyone.”

Nayeon’s horns were emanating a deep red underneath the pink.

“You think I didn’t notice? And even if you didn’t, are you just stupid?”

Ouch.

“I’ve stuck around you all this time, even when I’m probably supposed to be out seducing god knows who, and somehow, you still think you’re a fucking burden.” Nayeon growled lowly, “You don’t scare me, you don’t annoy me, and you don’t burden me.”

Her tail slowed, curling around Jeongyeon’s wrist, “So if you were a burden, if you really were, why would I still be here?”

Hey, she wasn’t crying anymore.

She finally looked at Nayeon, right into her pink eyes. And she smiled.

—

It was 15 minutes after Jeongyeon’s panic attack, and Nayeon was still impossibly stuck on her lap. Jeongyeon wasn’t really complaining, though.

Nayeon’s thumb lingered on her jaw, her tail wrapped around her waist possessively, as if saying ‘stay here with me forever!’.

She leaned her chin on Jeongyeon’s shoulder, leaning closer to Jeongyeon’s ear, so close she could feel the succubi’s warm breath.

“Y’know, if I didn’t know better, I might think you actually like having me around.”

Jeongyeon huffed, “Don’t start that.”

“I’m serious,” her voice was quieter, more sincere, “What… What would be so wrong if you did?”

Jeongyeon tensed, her chest tightening. It wasn’t from panic, but rather from something she was terrified to face.

Especially when it came from Nayeon.