………………………………………………..

………………

‘WH-arhd- akhshf!!!!!’ – As Sehun choked again, though, she just turned to beam at them, apparently, by some miracle, having misinterpreted Tao’s rather explicit tone of voice. ‘Really~~ So you’re not just friends, you’re best friends, huh~~’

‘Well….you could say that, but we do loads of stuff that even best friends don’t usually do – like in the evening – oh, sometimes during the day time too, when we’re all alon-‘ ‘TAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’ Springing up out of his chair so fast he overturned his bowl, sending cereal and milk and bits of fruit flying out to splatter all over the table, Sehun reached ‘round to grab his collar, pulling him halfway onto the floor. ‘Sorry – Sorry mom, gotta go – we have to ..er…discuss the report – there's no time – no time – ‘

Hurriedly calling out apologies and excuses as his mother gasped and gaped after him, Sehun dragged Tao out of the room, pulling him up the stairs before she’d even opened to scold.

‘yo-yo-you…. YOU ING !!!!!!!!!!!!!’ Stammering in total outrage, Sehun cried at Tao, traces of milk-flavoured spit flying as he flung him across the room, slamming the door shut behind him. ‘WHAT THE  WERE YO-‘

‘Ehehe… ehehe… didn’t I tell you~~ or have you forgotten human speech, birdbrain~~’ smirking languorously, Tao sat back, letting a pair of fangs slide out the corner of his lips. Gone in an instant was the preppy, honour student - leaning against the wall of Sehun’s bedroom like he was sitting on a throne was nothing less than a whole blooded, out and out Demon, from midnight-inky hair sharply bristling itself into spikes, to the slender wrist he rested carelessly against a knee; from the dangerously fiery dark aura that swelled and grew about him, hotly filling the room, right down to the lava trickling through his veins. His eyes narrowed ily as he growled at Sehun, the lashes sooty and heavy again. ‘You’ll regret being such a prick. I can make life really difficult for you, you know.’

His voice seemed to slither through the still… his cold, carelessly drawled words dropping heavily to the floor, to serpent their way through the slats, setting the hair on Sehun’s neck on end, before sliding their clammy scales down his spine.

‘…..Yo…ou… woul..dn’t…’

‘Oh, wouldn’t I~’ Smiling even broader, so those familiar lips twisted themselves into a cruel leer, Tao lazily turned his hand over so his palm faced upwards, his fingers slowly curling inwards, stretching and elongating as they did so, the nails reverting quickly back to their usual bestial span… before wreathing themselves in bright, crackling flames. The fire curled in spires of orange and red to wind bout each finger, right around his knuckles, all the oxygen out of the room. The heat instantly flashed through to fill the sudden breathless vacuum that surrounded Sehun.

‘Why don’t you just tell me your stupid wish….before things get..’ Chuckling, Tao slowly lifted his hand into the air, the trickles of fire pushing themselves out like curious snakes, testily sniffing at the air. ‘..out of hand..’

 ‘…………. Tao!!!’ Pushing his own hands out, albeit in a gesture of surrender, Sehun edged gingerly towards him. ‘What the hell are you doing, stop going all…. Evil super villain on me, .’ – thanking his lucky stars his voice held steady, not betraying the nauseating plummet of terror that his stomach had dropped down.

‘Ha! I think the  is the human who thinks he’s fireproof.’

‘….. oh c’mon, demonboy!! What the ’s gotten into you, you’re kinda …freakin’ me out!~~’

‘………………. …………….. ……… are you ing kiddin me??!!!!!!!!!!!’ All trace of his domineering, patronising indolence burnt away, Tao leapt to his feet; stalking over to Sehun, his ears popping out of his head to stick right up, his tail slicing through the air stiffly like a whip, its end thickened and edged into a blade as long as a broadsword, a strip of black flames bursting to life about it – to match the new blaze that had ripped out over his other hand too – the rage settling in a miasma around him, mustering power and magic so ruthlessly potent, Sehun felt like his skin was cracking and shrivelling under the strain.

‘I want to go home!!!!!!!!! I want to go home!!!! You were the one who ing summoned me here, you’re the one who cast the Spell, so ing finish it!! The IS WRONG WITH YOU!!!!!!’

Slowly, Sehun stopped, turning slightly away.

‘…….. ……………. ………….. you’re….right…hehe..’

Laughing mirthlessly, he let his hands fall uselessly to his side. ‘This… has… gone on long enough.’

Taking a deep breath, he stepped away, walking to his bed… Clasping his fingers together on his lap, he sank down despondently on it, pulling his feet up to tuck them under himself. ‘If I….’

His voice fell off, and sighing, he looked down at his hands, twisting his fingers about…nervously locking his knuckles together hard enough to bruise them…

‘If…. If I….’

Swallowing awkwardly, he stopped again – before taking another deep breath and plunging in.

☲☲☲

‘Okay…so.. erm.. first of all, you have to know, I had no idea it would even work – the Rite, I totally thought it was just a joke, so I didn’t expect… well, you, or..well, anyone, I mean… ‘

‘….. Sehun!!! C’mon, tell me!!’

Excited and happy at having finally gotten through to him, Tao bounced over to him, to kneel on the floor, putting his chin in his lap to peer breathlessly into his face – his Tao, just like that, in the snap of a finger, totally back to his cuddly cute innocent kitty-cat normality – so adorable, Sehun felt the words freeze up in his throat.

‘….Sehun…?’

‘……………………’

‘Sehun!!!’

‘Ah, forget it, really I can’t tell you.’

‘…………………. ………………….. ……………… SEHUN!!!!!’  His expectant grin fading, Tao snapped back, to glare at him, his eyes flashing red, his tail starting to rise angrily up again. ‘WHY??!!’

‘…well….well, if I tell you – you’re such an idiot you’ll totally actually even do it – and then your stupid Rite will be finished and you’ll go home, right!?? You’ll leave!!!!!!!!!!’

‘…………well… yeah!!?’

‘…..arrrrrrrrrrghhhhhh!!!!!!! You’re such an IDIOT!!!!’

Snarling in frustration, Sehun flung himself face down into the bed – pausing only long enough to slam a pillow into the retarded demon’s face first.

‘You …’ Unexpectedly – damnably, a sniffle slipped out of him – and just like that, it leeched out his frustration and anger, leaving behind only this empty hollow ache…like a lump rising up, feeling so wronged and…abandoned and unwanted…. Burying his face deeper into the pillow, ‘you just wanna hurry up and go away – ha, I’m so stupid for wanting you .. to…not…. leave… me.’

‘……………….. …………………… ……………………. Se..hun….’ Startled, Tao gaped at him…

Before he bounded up onto the bed to straddle Sehun’s back, vigorously pawing his shoulders and back, his tail pushing and prodding its way underneath the arms he held tucked deep into his chest. ‘Sehun!!!Sehunsehunsehunsehunsehunsehunse-‘

‘WHAT!!!!’

His tears clogging in his throat, making his yell harsh and terribly rough, Sehun snapped around – twisting so sharp, he managed to push Tao over so he fell against the wall that bordered his bed, slumping down by his side. ‘WHAT!!!!!!!!!???’

‘Se…Hun….’ His eyes still gawping round, Tao worked the sounds about his lips in way that had Sehun – even in the midst of his hurt – wondering why he’d never realised before, in all these years, how tenderly y his name was.

‘Was that…was that why you didn’t want to tell me for so long!?’

‘…….’

……………………..

………….

‘You !!’ Snarling, fumes almost coming out of his ears in his rage, Sehun pulled the remaining pillow out from under his head, to thump it into his face as hard as he could – he was GRINNING!!!!!!!!! Grin- actually ing SMILING the the idiot the ing jellyfish!!!!!!!!!!! –

‘Coz…. You’d miss me??’

‘………………. No waay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’ Hurriedly, Sehun grabbed the pillow back – so he could bury his own face in it – before, with a spew of incomprehensible curses, slamming about to dig himself into the bed, facing away from the demon, silently be the fact that is bed was so tiny, he couldn’t put any distance between them.

‘Sehun~~~~’ Gloatingly, beaming fit to burst, the demon snuffled into him, pushing his hands around and under him despite all of Sehun’s protests and refusals, planting big wet sloppy kisses on every bit of his skin he could reach -  his voice falling gently down the scale as he went from calling out Sehun’s name to whispering it, to simply breathing it over the flesh he was ling into his mouth…