I am going crazy.

He had come again last night, but this morning, he's gone, as always.

Taekwoon sits up in his bed, staring at the space Hakyeon had been in. He touches his hand to the sheets, but it's cold. As if no one was ever there.

That's why Taekwoon thinks he's crazy.

For months, Hakyeon has been turning up in his room every few days. Sometimes they sleep together, sometimes Hakyeon just plays around and bothers Taekwoon while he's working. But the thing that's always the same is he's never there the next morning.

But Hakyeon isn't a normal person. Taekwoon isn't quite sure exactly what he is, aside from supernatural.

His grey skin, red eyes, and not to mention the curled horns that protrude from his forehead definitely say ‘not human’.

Hakyeon has never offered an explanation for what he is, or why he comes. He just expects Taekwoon to shut up and accept his presence. Which is what he does.

He's too afraid to ask Hakyeon anything like that, anyway.

Finally figuring he's been staring at his empty bed long enough, he gets up, grabbing clothes and heading to the bathroom to shower.

He has class today. He doesn't really want to go. What he wants is Hakyeon. He can't help it. Ever since he first appeared over twelve months ago, he's all Taekwoon can think about. He really is insane. When he's showered and dressed, he walks out to the kitchen to get breakfast before he heads off to campus. Jaehwan is already sitting at the table, his glasses on as he flicks through a manga, an empty bowl in front of him.

"Morning," Taekwoon says softly.

"Morning," Jaehwan replies, not looking up. "How did you sleep?"

Taekwoon bites his lip. "Fine. You?"

"Eh, alright. Hyukkie kept me up on the phone for ages. I think he's lonely."

"That would make sense."

Sanghyuk is only eighteen, so he's still in high school. Ever since Hongbin and Wonshik left school last year, he's been spending all his free time by Jaehwan's side, and all his school time texting him.

"Are the others still asleep?" Taekwoon asks, referring to Wonshik and Hongbin.

The four all live together in a crappy little house near the uni campus. After high school they wanted to stick together, and the house was cheap enough for them to afford together.

"Yeah, haven't heard a peep from their room. I figure Wonshik fell asleep on Hongbin and now he's stuck." Jaehwan snorts, amused by his own words.

"Well, they better get up if they plan on getting to class today."

Taekwoon crosses the room to Wonshik and Hongbin's door, sipping on his mug of coffee. He cracks the door open and peers in.

Hongbin is up and dressed, and naturally, Wonshik is still sprawled on the bed, asleep.

"Hey, hyung," Hongbin says as he pulls his jumper down across his stomach. He walks to the end of the bed and grabs Wonshik's ankles, pulling him down and sending him crashing to the floor. He flashes a smile at Taekwoon.

This is the normal routine for them.

Wonshik swears and sits up, rubbing his head where it knocked against the ground. "Bin, please, you've got to stop doing that."

"I'll leave you to it then," Taekwoon says, backing out of the room and shutting the door.

He returns to the kitchen, dropping into the seat opposite Jaehwan at the small table and sighing.

He's staring off into space when Hongbin and Wonshik finally emerge from their room. He blinks out of the daze to see Jaehwan smiling at him.

"What?" he asks.

"Nothing, nothing," Jaehwan shakes his head, that smile still on his face as he looks back down to his book. "You just look...distracted."

Taekwoon narrows his eyes. He was thinking about seeing Hakyeon again.

Don't tell me I was smiling ... he thinks, a spike of fear stabbing into his heart.

If the others find out about his demon friend they'd think him completely mad.

No, they can never know.

---

 

Two days pass, and Taekwoon is walking across the campus field back towards the house, his friends beside him.

Jaehwan’s talking about going to pick up Sanghyuk from school and bringing him over. Taekwoon thinks it would be nice to see the younger boy again, but he's more excited for tonight, when he shuts himself in his room. He’s hoping Hakyeon comes again.

He never notices him appear. He'll turn around and suddenly the demon will be standing there, a playful smirk on his cherry lips.

Taekwoon lazes around on the couch listening to music until Jaehwan gets home again, Sanghyuk in tow.

The teenager complains about school as he hugs the others, then collapses on the couch beside Taekwoon and says that the first person who says the word 'homework' is going to get his foot up their .

Wonshik cracks a joke that he figures Jaehwan would have said it because he loves having Sanghyuk up his in some form. Jaehwan screams and tackles him, the others laughing hysterically as they play fight on the floor.

When they stop savaging each other, the group take turns playing racing video games as they eat the usual dinner; ramen, the only thing poor uni students can afford or be bothered to cook.

At some point during the evening, Jaehwan and Sanghyuk manage to sneak off without anyone noticing, until Hongbin asks what happened to them, and Wonshik pats his shoulder and calmly says, "they went to go , sweetie". Hongbin turns bright red and stammers out something only Wonshik hears, which makes him laugh and hug Hongbin against him.

Taekwoon finally excuses himself when Wonshik starts getting handsy towards his boyfriend, Hongbin blushing and swatting him away, mumbling that Taekwoon is right next to them.

He shuts his bedroom door, slumping against the wood and sighing. He trudges over to his bed and drops onto it face-first.

He's half asleep when he feels a hand slide down the back of his neck. He rolls over, looking up into crimson eyes.

"Miss me?" Hakyeon asks with a smile.

"You know I did," Taekwoon says quietly.

"Hm," Hakyeon hums as he twirls his fingers around the hair of Taekwoon's fringe. He taps the tip of Taekwoon's nose. "I missed you too, cutie."

Taekwoon isn't sure of that. Hakyeon doesn't seem to feel the same way that he does. He's always playful and cheeky, never romantic. Taekwoon figures he's just most of the time, that Hakyeon's just using him for . He'd be more hurt if he wasn't so desperate for his attention.

Hakyeon smirks as he starts pulling off his clothes. That's something Taekwoon's always thought was odd. Hakyeon is always dressed like a normal guy. He’s not wearing a chain bikini or anything weird that screams demon. No, despite the horns, the red eyes, the smoky skin...he really is kind of normal.

Taekwoon waits patiently. That's another thing he's learned. Hakyeon likes to undress him himself.

Hakyeon crawls over him, pressing their lips together. Taekwoon has always been fascinated by Hakyeon's lips. They're a bright cherry red, yet it's not makeup. The shadows around his eyes aren't makeup either. He just looks like that, 'freaky'.

Hakyeon pulls back, his brows furrowed. "What's wrong?" he asks.

"Nothing," Taekwoon insists.

"You weren't kissing me back. You seem distracted."

"You're the second person to say that today."

Hakyeon tilts his head to the side in question.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking," Taekwoon says.

"About?" Hakyeon drags the word out.

"You," Taekwoon answers honestly.

"I see." Hakyeon sits up, his legs straddling Taekwoon's hips. "Do you not want to...?"

"No!" Taekwoon says a little too quickly, his hands moving to grab Hakyeon's shirt. "No, I... I want to."

Hakyeon smiles warmly at him and nods. That's all the information he needs. Or cares about.

This time it's sweeter.

Taekwoon's never seen Hakyeon so gentle with him before. Usually he's rough in his playfulness, but not tonight. The way he kisses Taekwoon's neck, or grasps at his hair, is different; instead of being fuelled by lust, he's gentle and loving. Taekwoon is confused, but he doesn't question it. He's happy to pretend that maybe Hakyeon really does love him back.

Hakyeon snuggles against him when they're done. He does always do that, though, so Taekwoon's mind is still racing with doubt as the demon starts to snooze, nuzzled against his chest. He falls asleep with his arms tight around the grey-skinned man and his nose in his hair that smells of cinnamon, the only things to comfort his anxiety.

Taekwoon groans softly at the bright light pouring through his window. He goes to roll over onto his stomach when he pushes against something warm and solid.

His eyes snap open.

There's a guy in his bed.

At first he thinks it's Jaehwan or Wonshik, with the brown hair, and they've been kicked out of their own bed for some reason and have settled in here. But no, it's neither.

It couldn't be...

He sits up, leaning over the sleeping figure to peer at their face.

Without the shadowy eyes, grey skin, and horns, he actually does look like him.

But that's impossible. It couldn't be Hakyeon. Hakyeon's a demon, he wouldn't...

Taekwoon gently shakes the man. He grunts and blinks his eyes open. They're brown, not red.

He sees Taekwoon, and his not red eyes widen, and he snaps up into a sitting position.

"Um..." he says awkwardly.

Now in the clear light, it's obvious. It's Hakyeon. But... how?

"What... What are you... How are you..." Taekwoon is completely lost as to how to respond to this situation. "What are you doing here?" he finally says.

"I... I didn't want to leave," Hakyeon murmurs, his eyes shiny all of a sudden.

"But how are you...?"

"Human? It's because of you."

"What? How?"

"I'm an incubus," Hakyeon says, bringing a very not grey hand up to brush through his hair. "When I sleep with someone, I appear as human for a while."

Taekwoon stares at him, trying to process this. "So all this time, you've just been using me to look human?"

"No!" Hakyeon denies quickly. "No, it's not like that! I... I fell in love with you a long time ago..."

Taekwoon's throat feels dry and he swallows.

"You... "

"I could have left again. But I'm tired of leaving. I hate this. Being alone and only getting to see you for such a short time."

"But why me?" Taekwoon asks. "Why did you pick me?"

"You looked lonely," Hakyeon says softly. "I saw you with your friends, all of them together, and you by yourself. I thought maybe we're the same. Needing someone to comfort us… Do you hate me, Taekwoon?”

He shakes his head slowly. He could never hate Hakyeon.

“What are you thinking?” the now brunette asks nervously.

“I’m thinking… I don’t know. I’m happy you’re here,” Taekwoon says surely. “I… I’ve always loved you.”

Hakyeon tilts his head, smiling, his chocolate eyes crinkling up into cute crescent shapes.

Taekwoon inhales slowly as he leans in to press his lips to Hakyeon’s. He kisses the same no matter his appearance, his hands settling on the back of Taekwoon’s head and threading through his hair.

He pulls back after a minute, breathing against Hakyeon’s lips. “So, what now?” he asks.

“I don’t know. Do you still want to be with me?”

“Of course I do,” Taekwoon says, his fingertips the side of the other’s face. “But no more running away from me.”

“Deal,” Hakyeon smiles, kissing him again. He laughs softly. “That means you’re going to have to keep me looking human.”

“I can definitely do that. How long does it last for?”

“About three days.”

“How have you lived? Turning back into that every few days? Has that always happened?”

“No, it started when I turned thirteen. I freaked out, but my dad, who’s also an incubus, explained everything to me. Though at thirteen I wasn’t ready to start having , so I was just homeschooled.”

“When did you first…you know?” Taekwoon asked, swallowing nervously.

“When I was eighteen. I never chose the same person twice.” Hakyeon blushes and smiles shyly. “Until you, that is. I’m glad I picked you. You ended up being perfect.”

“You’re so different like this,” Taekwoon breathed, touching his hair. “You’re usually so outgoing and crazy.”

“I still am,” Hakyeon smirks. “But I can be shy too. I’ve never allowed myself to show that side of me to you because I wasn’t sure how you’d respond… I didn’t know if I should allow myself to fall in love.” He smiles a genuine, warm smile. “I’m glad I finally did.”

Taekwoon tugs Hakyeon against him, kissing him again and letting his hands roam across Hakyeon’s familiar skin. Ah… he feels like home.

“So, um,” he says when they separate minutes later. “How am I going to explain this to my friends?”

Hakyeon blinks. “Yeah. That’s a good question. They didn’t see me come in.”

“How did you get in?”

“Window. You know you don’t lock it.”

Taekwoon sighs and buries his face in his hands. “This is going to be a long conversation.”

Hakyeon is giddily happy as Taekwoon drags him out of the room. Clearly he’s happy to be here. Jaehwan and Hongbin are at the dining table, and they don’t even look up as Taekwoon comes out.

“Morning, hyung,” Hongbin greets, not looking up from his phone.

“Morning!” Hakyeon chirps.

Both men jump and look up at the new voice.

“T-Taekwoonie, who is this?” Jaehwan asks with wide eyes. His gaze drops to where Taekwoon and Hakyeon are holding hands.

“Uhhhh, this is going to be kind of hard to explain…” Taekwoon says awkwardly.

“I’m his boyfriend!” Hakyeon chirps again.

Jaehwan and Hongbin glance at each other, then back at Hakyeon. “WHAT?” they say at the same time.

Hakyeon is all smiles and it makes Taekwoon want to groan. “Um, I’ve been kind of seeing him for like a year,” he says.

“ What ?!” Jaehwan squawks. “How did we not know about this?!”

“Ummmm, well,” Taekwoon mumbles. “I didn’t know how to tell you?”

Hongbin’s eyes narrow. “We’ve asked you why you never date anyone and you always just said you didn’t want to. Why couldn’t you tell us then ?”

Taekwoon mentally swears. He looks at Hakyeon for help.

“Oh, right, I’m a demon!” Hakyeon says cheerfully.

Jaehwan and Hongbin stare. “Come again?” Hongbin says.

“An incubus, to be more specific,” Hakyeon adds. “I never stuck around because I wasn’t sure how Taekwoonie felt about me.”

“Is he nuts?” Jaehwan asks. “Is he actually nuts?”

Taekwoon sighs. “He’s not nuts.”

“Oh, hang on a sec,” Hakyeon murmurs. His brows furrow for a moment, then suddenly Taekwoon can smell smoke, and Hakyeon is back in his demon form.

Jaehwan and Hongbin scream.

“I told you,” Taekwoon mutters.

“The only problem is,” Hakyeon says, leaning towards his boyfriend, “now you have to sleep with me again to make it go away.”

“Holy ,” Jaehwan breathes. “Since when do you have a demon boyfriend?”

“I told you, like a year.”

Hongbin’s eyes were wide to begin with, but now they look like dinner plates. “Isn’t that kind of dangerous?”

Hakyeon pouts. “I take offence at that. I am perfectly safe! And cute!”

Jaehwan actually grins. “Okay, I kinda like him. Though that is freaky as .”

“Tell me about it,” Hakyeon says. He turns to Taekwoon. “You wanna fix my problem now?”

Taekwoon blushes, and Jaehwan and Hongbin snicker.

“We’ll clear the house for an hour then,” Jaehwan says.

“I needed to go shopping anyway,” Hongbin adds.

Hakyeon smiles brightly at them, then starts tugging Taekwoon back to his bedroom. He kicks shut the door behind them and pushes Taekwoon onto the bed. He’s back to his playful ways, and Taekwoon is exhausted by the end of it. He brushes his fingers through Hakyeon’s now brown hair as they lay together.

“I’m glad you’re sticking around,” he says.

Hakyeon smiles up at him. “Me too. I won’t leave you again.”

Taekwoon smiles back. “Good.”