"Is Choi Seungcheol your real name? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Are you living in Hell? Is it hot there? Does it smell like ? Where's your wings?"

Seungcheol shakes his head and his legs are crossed in its usual, graceful way. He rests his left elbow on top of the table, putting his chin at the back of his left hand. Seungcheol's lips quirk as he weighs whether if he'll entertain the human's intruding questions or not.

"Choi Seungcheol is my human name, I can't go around telling people that I do not have one once they asked for it." Seungcheol lifts an eyebrow as he observes how Jihoon is listening at him attentively.

"Why did you choose that name?" Jihoon asks.

"Nothing, I randomly choose it." I don't know why but the name Choi Seungcheol is always in my mind, he wants to add but thinks against it.

"In human's definition, sister or brother is someone who has one or both of the same parents as you. If that's what you mean, then I have two brothers." Seungcheol answers.

"How about in devil's definition? Do you have any?"

For Seungcheol, Jihoon is a human full of surprises. Who in their right mind would call a devil and had a deal with it? And when he finds out that he's living with that devil, he started questioning him about personal stuffs as if getting to know him. As if getting to know someone who will eventually become your friend.

"I do not have any. It's just that there are two other devils sharing the same bloodline with me. You actually met one of them a couple of days ago."

"Oh really? Where? When? How did I not know?" Jihoon's ears perk up and his eyes as wide as saucers.

"You met him in the library." Seungcheol grins as Jihoon's face pales. Oh. My. God. So the encounter in the library isn't a dream?

"When it comes to where I am living, Hell is a place that you, human's invented. I am not living in hell. The place where we are living doesn't have any name and it definitely didn't smell like . It is clean and well-maintained. The place where I am living is closer to the human's definition of a paradise."

Jihoon bobs his head. He looks like a pupil listening to his teacher minus the paper and pencil for notes of course.

"About my wings, I lost it."

Jihoon's eyes automatically roams over Seungcheol's shoulder as if a pair of magnificent wings will suddenly appear. But nothing came. "Why? What happened?"

"Funny you asked because you are the reason why I lost it."

Jihoon's mouth falls as he disbelievingly look towards Seungcheol. Seungcheol laughs. His voice, melody to Jihoon's ears. Jihoon is willing to give anything for him to hear Seungcheol's laughter every day. Jihoon flinches at these thoughts. How can he give anything and everything if he had already given his soul to this devil in front of him.

"It's part of the deal. Once a devil made a contract with a human, his wings will vanish and will just return if the soul of the human is collected or if the bounded human dies." Jihoon nods in understanding and frailly smiles.

"Don't worry, I will not kill you." Seungcheol said. Jihoon chuckles softly. "No it's not that. It's just a shame that you lost your gorgeous wings because of the agreement we had."

"It's just temporary. No biggie." Seungcheol shrugs.

"The agreement we had. I- I kind of forgotten it. I- I. . . It seems a little foggy in my memory."

Seungcheol opens his palm out, then two pieces of slightly crumpled and blood stained papers magically appear. The devil lends it to Jihoon and Jihoon reads it silently. His eyes moving from side to side as he commits in his memory the written rules and regulations. Jihoon looks up.

"The numbers 5 and 10? It says here that my memory would be wiped and I couldn't see you until the collection of my soul. I couldn't either touch you or feel you. But why can I?" Jihoon's tone is crossed between being amazed and being nervous. Why can't those rules work to me? Did something happen? Is there something wrong?

"That also is still a mystery to me." Seungcheol side glances at Jihoon. "Are you sure you're a human?"

"Of course I am! Why would you say that I am not?" Jihoon asks, defensively.

Yes, he's weird and is always lost in a trance that he ended up not knowing what happened and what is happening. He'll wake up from his trance as if he's awake but not really. As if his body is working on its own while he's unconscious. That's the reason why people don't like him, that's the reason why people distance themselves from Jihoon, that's the reason why Jihoon doesn't have any friends, that's the reason why he wishes for someone or something to arrive, something or someone who can be his friend.

That something or someone takes the form of an alluring devil.

"There are non-human qualities that manifest in you." Seungcheol decides not to mention the way Jihoon levitated and made the things around him float as he controlled those, and how his eyes changed into violet. Those citations are reserved for the one Seungcheol knows can answer all his inquiries, the King of the Hell himself.

"Oh. Like what?" Jihoon presses. He knows something is happening whenever he's on his trance but he doesn't know what. It started when his family died. Being stuck in a trance is a welcome distraction for Jihoon's grieving young mind back then, and it carried until Jihoon became an adult.

Seungcheol yawns. He's in his human form and human body needs sleep. Jihoon notes it and calls it a night.

"Can I ask you something?" Seungcheol asks out of nowhere.

"Yeah, sure." Jihoon shrugs.

"Why did you wish for me to be your friend instead of wishing to have as many friends as you like?"

Jihoon is taken aback at the sudden question but answered whole-heartedly and truthfully nonetheless.

"Because I want other people to like me for me. I want them to be my friend not because of some black magic but because they find me interesting and deserving of their trust and company. Goodnight Seungcheol."

The two of them exchanges pleasantries as they both headed towards their own bedrooms.

Jihoon crawls under his bedsheet. He envelopes himself with his warm and comforting blanket. For some reason, it smells like Seungcheol. Jihoon smiles to himself.

Choi Seungcheol is a heaven sent devil.

†††

"What do you want?" Seungcheol's eyes turn into ruby red as he stares into the darkness. He hears a low laugh and Seungcheol swears that there is a hint of mockery in it.

"How are you doing first born?" A bronze-like pair of wings shines through the darkness. "What are you doing here third born?"

"Nothin. Just checking if you're still alive." The other devil laughs again. "I'm fine. Thanks for the concern." Seungcheol sarcastically bites back. His eyes slowly closing because of sleepiness.

"Second born told me something about your bounded human. I heard he's special." Seungcheol's senses become hypersensitive at the mention of Jihoon. Seungcheol sits on his bed, his bare chest glistening against the moonlight coming through the curtain spaces.

"Leave him alone." Seungcheol states, his eyes are now a black pit of orbs. "Easy there first born. I won't touch him. Not yet." The other devil's eyes also turn into black.

"Not yet. But soon, sooner. He'll be mine." And with that threat, the devil vanishes together with Seungcheol's sleepiness. Seungcheol stands and walks out of his room going into Jihoon's. He enters the room, passing straight through the closed door.

"Who are you and why does everyone wants a piece of you?"

Seungcheol thinks to himself. He creeps beside Jihoon who is sleeping soundly. Seungcheol puts an arm under Jihoon's head, acting like a pillow. Jihoon automatically attaches himself to Seungcheol, hugging the devil's waist. Seungcheol rests his chin on Jihoon's head and closes his eyes.

Having Jihoon so close to him like this is another thing that Seungcheol craves to do. There is something about Jihoon that magnetizes him not only because they are bound but also of something that Seungcheol can't quite put a finger on. Jihoon feels like something that Seungcheol unknowingly wants. Jihoon feels like a dream come true that Seungcheol never dreamt. Being like this with Jihoon feels familiar to the devil, it's like they did it million times before.

Jihoon feels like. . .

"Home." Jihoon quietly said.

Either it is Seungcheol's wishful thinking or Jihoon is a sleep talker. Either way, Seungcheol knows Jihoon is correct.

Jihoon feels like home.

And the devil is finally home.