Chapter 2

The ordinary days were left far behind. Day after day, in the evenings, Angel took the pills kept in an old sugar bowl on the table. No matter how openly Aki showed his distrust toward capsules from an unknown supplier, he couldn’t stop the person he loved. And, truthfully, he didn’t really want to—because after their appearance, they had finally been able to experience the full spectrum of color, intimacy, and touch in their relationship.

Oh, how pleasant those moments were when he came home tired after paperwork, only to be met at the door by the same clumsy embraces, sometimes painfully squeezing his spine, wrapping around his waist and chest. Even then, Aki would bend down to return the hug, at the same time trying to close the front door behind them.

Or when they spent the evening watching a movie or a series. Angel could press against him without fear, burrow under the blanket together, and watch the screen with interest, while Aki admired him instead of whatever was playing on TV.

Neither of them could imagine life anymore without these pills—part of their daily routine and habit, like a drug they couldn’t go a single day without. The need for closeness had grown so much that neither of them wanted to acknowledge it. This realization slowly and steadily parasitized them, spreading through the crust of habits and reflexes, waiting for the right moment to make one of them slip and fall—without a helping hand—into the abyss of separation.

• • •

“Don’t you think these drugs affect you badly?” Makima asks directly, tapping a spoon against the rim of her cup and lifting a piercing gaze toward Angel, who sits across from her, waiting for his answer.

“In what sense? If you mean that the pills interfere with work, then I don’t take them until the end of the day, not until I’m home,” the demon replies, drawing his brows together slightly in confusion, pressing his wings closer to his back to feel more secure. He clearly hadn’t been called in for this conversation without reason—the manager, as always, was approaching the point indirectly, stalking it like a cat.

“I mean that you’re losing your sense of tactile boundaries. Before, you would’ve been able to stop if you felt fear and wanted to hide behind someone. I need complete confidence that your actions and your use of these drugs won’t have a negative effect or cause unnecessary deaths. We don’t need people erased by years, do we?” the woman says with a smile, taking a couple of sips of coffee, crossing one leg over the other, staring directly at the increasingly nervous young man.

“I can stop myself, and I know when I need to.”

“You can’t prove that with words alone. Please reduce the dosage to once a week. I still need useful hunters.” A peculiar kind of “you’re dismissed.” Makima’s will is unshakable, as is her decision.

Clenching his jaw in silent resentment, Angel only nodded, showing that he understood and would comply with the order. But not today.

And not anytime soon.

• • •

The end of the week and the workday arrives; outside, it’s gradually getting darker, the sun disappearing with its last rays behind the buildings on the horizon, heralding the coming twilight. A completely ordinary day has come to its end.

Drinking a glass of water and swallowing one capsule, Angel exhales tiredly, bracing his hands on the table and lowering his eyelids. Makima’s words continue to knock unpleasantly inside his head, giving him no peace, even at home. Lost in thought, he doesn’t notice Aki approaching from behind, wrapping an arm around him from the back.

“You had a hard day too, huh?” the young man murmurs affectionately, kissing the pink crown of his head with a soft smile.

“Unfortunately. Did something happen?” Angel asks, noticing his partner’s quickened heartbeat, twisting slightly in his embrace to see the man’s face. Only then does he notice the unfamiliar faint flush on Aki’s cheeks.

“Not exactly. More like… You know, we’ve been together for quite a while now, yeah… Maybe you’d like to spend this evening just the two of us?”

“As in, like usual?”

“A bit more… intimate, let’s say.”

Right now, Aki looked more like a lovestruck schoolboy who’d found an adult magazine in his parents’ closet. Angel had never seen him this vividly embarrassed, and it couldn’t help but be endearing. Reaching up, he left a familiar kiss on his boyfriend’s lips, smiling softly.

“Yes, of course.”

• • •

“I think it would be more comfortable with clothes on…” Angel’s voice grumbles quietly. He’s already sitting naked on their shared bed, fully ready. Goosebumps run involuntarily over his skin from cold and nerves, but he does his best to ignore them, watching Aki remove his shirt, his gaze tracing him from head to toe.

“We can leave that for later, if you want. Fabric would just get in the way and restrict movement—especially work clothes. Aren’t you cold?” Aki asks, barely looking up as he unbuttons his shirt, casting a brief glance at his partner.

“No. Hurry up,” the demon exhales, urging him instead of giving a longer answer.

Finally, when nothing is left to hinder their movements, Hayakawa steps closer to the waiting young man, giving him a few short pecks on the cheeks before moving to his lips. Lingering there, he leans in further, laying the demon onto his back, supporting him with his hands. Carefully studying Angel’s face and emotions so as not to make a mistake, Aki begins to slowly stroke his trembling body. This is probably the first time Angel has ever felt anything like this, and because of that, Aki doesn’t intend to start with anything complicated tonight. Deepening the kiss, listening to his lover’s uneven breathing, Hayakawa pays special attention to Angel’s ribs. Each stroke along the protruding bones sends a different kind of shiver through him, his breathing in the kiss growing more erratic. Beautiful.

Giving Angel a brief respite, Aki moves down with short kisses to his neck and collarbone, occasionally biting and sucking, one hand traveling lower and lower. The other reaches for the lube lying nearby. The semi-transparent tube has a blackberry pictured on it—rather unusual, but Angel chose it, so Aki sees no reason to object. Opening the cap, he squeezes a generous amount onto his fingers.

“Don’t hesitate to say if it hurts,” Aki murmurs, placing a soft, weightless kiss on the demon’s trembling Adam’s apple, before circling the entrance and slowly pushing the first finger in, trying to be as gentle as possible. “I think it’ll be easier if you try to relax.”

Doing his best to distract himself from the extremely unfamiliar sensations, mixed with pleasant touches, Angel closes his eyes, lightly pressing his lips together. The lube feels cold, contrasting with his partner’s fingers. Waves of heat spread through his body, making him flinch even at the simplest touches. Each time Aki asks if he can continue, Angel nods when he’s sure of himself. And at that pace, soon there are three fingers inside him, gradually moving in different directions, brushing against a sensitive bundle of nerves.

Things go faster now—and more pleasantly. Angel’s body arches at times, as if reaching toward the sensations, yielding to every caress Aki gives him. To quiet sighs and rare muffled moans, Aki pulls his fingers out and reaches for the tube again. The cold emptiness returns and Angel clearly doesn’t like it, but even then, he only grumbles softly under his breath and waits patiently.

“Are you ready, angel?” Aki asks quietly, sliding his hands from the demon’s kneecaps up to his thighs, squeezing and pulling them closer. After receiving a confident, impatient nod, he smiles and presses their lips together again, starting to push in at the same time. The kiss muffles the pink-haired boy’s more open moan as he arches and grips his boyfriend’s shoulders tightly. After a brief pause, Aki thrusts deeper twice, searching for a better angle, then begins to move at a steady, unhurried rhythm. Angel, unable to hold back his feelings and sensations, moans more freely now, sometimes even trying to say Aki’s name, though only broken syllables with drawn-out vowels slip from his throat. Pulling the fragile demon closer, Hayakawa braces his elbows on the bed so they’re both comfortable. Ignoring the dull ache in his back, he gradually increases the pace, drawing more sounds from his lover, fingers tangling in pink hair. The closeness is incredible. Their first intimate encounter—and for one of them, his very first experience. Aki desperately wants Angel to feel good with him, to remember this evening the same way he remembers their first meeting.

Short nails scratch at his partner’s shoulder blades and back, unable to stay restrained. Emotions, feelings, sensations, arousal all overflow in this moment. Angel doesn’t want these moments to end. He wants to stay longer in these hot embraces, feel his partner’s pulse and trembling through their skin, feel Aki inside him and that strange tension low in his belly. Moaning softly, eyes closed, he clings to his boyfriend. In the darkness, the scent, warmth, and every movement of their bodies feel sharper. It’s intoxicatingly pleasant.

“A-Aki, I don’t think I’ll last long…” a trembling voice breaks through the honeyed moans, forming barely coherent words. Before he can finish, a hand wraps around his length at the base, moving in rough, uneven strokes, pushing him toward release. A spasm seizes the demon’s body as he comes onto his concave stomach, sweat beading there, with a soft cry from the pink-haired boy. The orgasm makes his walls clench tighter than Hayakawa can handle, prompting a few final, uneven thrusts as he spills inside his beloved Angel.

“God…” Aki exhales, lingering inside for a moment before pulling out of his partner’s still-trembling, overheated body, trying to steady their breathing together. Knocking the tube onto the floor, he collapses beside him, feeling the ache in his arms, back, hips, and knees. Even like this, Hayakawa accepts the demon’s embrace without hesitation, scooting closer and kissing the crown of his head. “Thank you… that was wonderful. How are you?”

“B-better than ever…” Angel answers hoarsely, nuzzling into his partner’s neck as he comes back to himself. His legs and arms keep trembling while he holds the man he loves. “I’ll take a shower in the morning, and I’m not apologizing for it.”

Aki lets out a quiet laugh, ruffling his partner’s hair.

“Do whatever you want. Just don’t forget in the morning.”

“How could I forget? Even like this I can see what marks you left. When did you even manage to spread it all over my stomach?” Angel grumbles with flushed cheeks, shaking his head to let his hair fall back into place. Only now does he feel how sore his wings are, numb from hours spent on his back. “You owe me a massage tomorrow.”

“Then you owe me breakfast,” Aki replies. Instead of words, he feels a soft kiss to his neck. “Deal.”

• • •

In the morning, Angel wakes up much earlier than Aki, who’s lying on the other half of the bed, following the rules of caution they set during their first steps into shared life. Still half-asleep, smiling faintly, Angel crawls closer, wrapping himself around the man and pulling him into an embrace, feeling that familiar pleasure from simple closeness.

“Good morning, Aki,” he says with a smile—one that slowly twists into horror on his pale face.

He realizes he didn’t stop in time.