The rain hitting against the windows finally lessens to a degree. But it's not loud enough to drown the doorbell ring followed by incessant knocking. It has Key grumbling and cursing at both the rain and the random person knocking at his door so late. At the same moment he opens the door, Taemin rushed in without letting Key say a word. He barely caught his bearings, shocked as he stumbles back from the intrusion.

“What the f-”

“Key help me!”

Taemin had barged into Key's apartment soaking wet while carrying Minho on his back. The wet tarp that had covered the both of them in an attempt to help them stay dry slides down, dropping to the floor creating a wet and dirty mess.

Key is shocked, slowly comes out of his shock just in time. “Don't put him on my couch!”

Taemin paused, the tip of Minho's hand just barely grazing the couch as Taemin adjusts his hold. “Where am I supposed to put him? On your bed?”

“Don't you dare!” Key tiptoes over the tarp to avoid touching it with a hint of disgust, making his way to Taemin. “Just what is going on?! You're both wet and – is that blood?! Ewwww!!”

“Please!” Taemin begs. “I need your help! It's Minho – he's hurt!”

“Then take him to the hospital!” Key throws his hand up. “Why did you even come here for?! He's bleeding all over the place – is he dead?!”

“Because your place is much closer! And I can't take him to the hospital!”

“Why?! Because he has no money? Because he's a criminal? No insurance?”

“He's a demon, Key!”

The confession stuns the both of them leaving Taemin and Key breathing heavily from all the shouting and stress they've experience. The last of Taemin's strength left him, forcing him to let Minho go, dropping him on Key's white carpet creating a wet and bloody mess. Key would have freaked out by now if he wasn't so stunned.

“I'm sorry – what?!”

“Minho is a demon,” Taemin repeats. In a way it felt like a burden finally left his shoulders, someone knows about Minho.“That's why I can't take him to the hospital.”

Key blinks, shakes his head. “Are you joking? Why are you – why is he – Taemin, what is going on?!”

There's so many questions right on the tip of Key's tongue but all were put to a halt when Taemin starts to tear up. Realization comes to Key as he takes stock of Taemin. Soaking wet with desperate eyes while carrying Minho on his back all the way to his apartment in the storm. It must have been difficult to do as his apartment is a good distance away.

“Taemin-ah,” Key puts a hand on Taemin's shoulder reassuringly. “Don't cry. I'll help, okay?”

Taemin sniffs, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “Thank you, Key.”

The questions can wait. With Key's help they brought Minho to the bathroom to clean and treat his injuries. Parts of Minho's clothes are stuck to the burns, peeling them would tear his skin and make him bleed. Some of the burns are too severe looking that had both Key and Taemin retching as they both never had to to deal with something like this.

Minho stayed unconscious through the whole process, only grunting when their treatment was slightly painful. This only made Taemin stress, hoping Minho would wake up soon.

The most particular injuries they saw were two long identical scars on Minho's back. Misshapen wounds that happened a long time ago, improperly healed. It stands out amongst the burns littered on Minho's back. Key is lost for words while Taemin looks with morbid fascination. Just as Key decided to throw in the towel, the burns on Minho's body are slowly getting smaller, slowly healing itself one by one. All but the scars on his back were healed. An otherwise a glaring flaw to Minho's smooth and clear sculpted muscles.

When Minho is finally clean and treated, wearing some borrowed clothes from Key, they laid him on the living room couch. Free of one patient it's now Taemin's turn to get treated. After a quick shower and into some clean clothes, Taemin is under Key's care.

“That bruise on your neck is nasty, it will have to heal on it's own,” Key shuts his first aid kit closed. “And this cut on your hand, why didn't I ever notice it before. When did it happen?”

Taemin looks down at his hand, his eyes widened. An old scar runs across the palm of his hand. The same length and position where a scissor slashed his palm and inadvertently summoned Minho in his bedroom. But it wasn't there before only appearing after that fight with Suho and Chen.

“I-I don't remember...”

“Be honest with me, did he do that to you?”

“What?! No!” Taemin strongly denies. “Minho didn't hurt me.”

“Then start talking. How did you two end up like this?”

Taemin recounts the whole incident with Chen and Suho, how the two ambush them at school and hurt Minho to such a degree. It raises more questions that Taemin had to start all the way from the very beginning when Minho was summoned in his bedroom. The whole time Key has been frowning, his hand toying with the first aid kit with worry as Taemin explains just about everything related to Minho.

“I knew there was a reason why I don't like him,” Key sighs and shakes his head. “Only you, Taemin, can summon a demon by accident.”

“It was an accident!”

“An accident that has you one step closer to Hell,” Key massages his temple, looking like he's aged in one sitting. “It's just hard to process right now. Just – why didn't you tell me?”

“Would you have believe me?”

“Probably not at first. I'm disappointed that you were hiding something like this from me. Even if you didn't say anything you didn't correct me and didn't tell me right away.”

“I'm really sorry Key.”

Taemin turns away to look over at Minho lying on the couch, still hasn't regain consciousness. If he hadn't experience what happened earlier, he would've thought Minho dead with his closed eyes and serene face. But the gentle rise and fall of his chest and soft huff breaths are the only indicators of Minho still alive.

Enraptured he was startled by Key snapping his fingers at him. “What are you looking at?”

“Huh?” Taemin shakes his head, giving an embarrassed look. “S-sorry. It's just that... I never seen Minho sleeping before. He just looks... so peaceful.”

Minho groan as he slowly wakes up, sitting up. Sharp awareness makes him wide awake as he takes in his surroundings. He's not in Taemin's apartment and the clothes he's wearing are not his. His suit is gone, replaced with dark long sleeve and pants made for sleep. The clothes are a bit short, barely come to his wrists and ankles. He had been sleeping on the sofa, the blanket that was covering him had slide down from his movement.

A soft huff near him has him startled, relaxing when he realizes it was Taemin. Taemin is asleep on an armchair near him with a blanket over him and his head tucked in his arms. Minho's eyes softened at the sight, reaching over to tuck the blanket carefully under Taemin's chin.

“You're awake.”

Minho snaps his head, his hand quickly retracts. He sees Key in the kitchen area staring at him with his arms crossed over his chest, shooting Minho an irritating look.

Minho gives a quick once over of the apartment. “Is this your place?”

“Very astute of you, demon,” Key dryly replies. “You owe me a new carpet and a first aid kit. I had to use most of my supplies to fix you up.”

Minho raises an eyebrow. No more pretenses. With a wave of his hand; the carpet looks brand new and another first aid kit appears identical with Key's next to it. As an added bonus, the tarp that Taemin used disappears and the mess by the front door is cleared spotless.

Key glances around, doesn't look the least bit impressed of what Minho did. “Anything else?”

Minho looks impassive. “Taemin told you.”

Key rolls his eyes. “Of course he did. He came here with the both of you looking like that. I'm half tempted to tell him to throw you in the dumpster behind the apartment.”

“You helped me.”

“I only did it for Taemin otherwise you'll be waking up in the dumpster instead.”

Minho looks down on himself. His body felt stiff, covered in bandages and gauze. He peels one the bandages off his hand revealing unblemished skin. No burns or cuts left on his body.

“If I had known that you would heal like that I wouldn't have waste my time on you,” Key says, unaware of Minho's thoughts. “But Taemin thinks you're worth it. Dragging your deadweight in the pouring rain.”

Minho looks over at Taemin carefully. Bruises wrapped around Taemin's neck. It fills Minho with anger before shaking it off. He gently touches the side of Taemin's neck, the bruises healed.

He withdraws his hand when Taemin starts to slowly wake up. He slowly blinks, still wrapped up in sleep. “Demon hyung...”

His voice stirs something in Minho's chest and answers back. “Little one.”

The smile that graces Taemin's lips has Minho unconsciously do the same. He goes to Taemin's side closer and speaks with a soft voice. “How are you feeling?”

“I'm doing okay,” Taemin answers, voice laced with sleep. “I was more worried about you.”

“Takes a little bit more than rain to stop me,” Minho replies.

The smile on Taemin dims a little, reaching out for Minho's hand. Taemin's hand is small compared to his, squeezing it. Minho can feel the worry and concern from that simple action, lacing his hand and softly squeezing it back reassuringly.

Lost in a space of their own they didn't care about their surroundings. Not even when Key gags at the sight before leaving to answer the door. But it was Minho's instinct that acted out of his control, his body moving before he could think. In a space between what seems to be a few seconds, Minho has Jonghyun pinned to the wall.

“What the -”

“Hyung!”

Minho ignores Key and Taemin, focusing on the threat in front of him. “Did you have something to do with last night?”

Jonghyun glares as Minho's arm that bars against his chest. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

The irritation is like ringing to Minho's ears, pushing up on Jonghyun. “Do you really want to go there? It has your kind's scent all over it.”

They kept glaring at each other until Jonghyun answers. “No. I have no idea what happened or how. I was just as surprised as you.”

“Do you swear,” Minho's arm pushes as emphasis, any harder and a normal human's chest would crack. “You better not be lying.”

“I swear I have nothing to do with it,” Jonghyun snarls, there is no crack of fear or hesitation in his voice. “If I wanted to kill you I would have done it myself. Why waste that much holy water on a pathetic demon like you?”

Minho narrows his eyes, gauging Jonghyun of his intentions and the truth. Seeing there were no lies Minho lets Jonghyun go and steps back. He still keeps an eye on him as Jonghyun do the same. The atmosphere is so intense that if the wrong thing is said they wouldn't hesitate to attack each other.

“What is going on here?!”

It had been Key who spoke up, looking freaked out and confused. Taemin looks just as nervous, franticly looking between Minho and Jonghyun. Onew walks in looking intrigue, he had been taking off his shoes when Minho made his move, ignorant to what just happened.

“Did you invite the whole neighborhood?” Minho question is directly at Key while keeping his eyes on Jonghyun.

“I called Onew over because I don't know how to deal with... whatever this is,” Key replies evenly, a hint of nervousness laced in his voice. He looks at Jonghyun curiously. “Are you the same as him?”

Jonghyun shakes his head. “Quite the opposite.”

Sensing he's not going to get his answers Minho moves to leave the apartment. He doesn't answer Key's questions where he is going, doesn't reply to Jonghyun's demands, nor Onew's inquiries. All those voice faded into background noise.

A hand appears on his arm, bringing Minho back to the presence. On instinct Minho would have slapped it away before realizing it was Taemin looking up at him with worry. “Hyung.”

Taemin's concern is a stark contrast compared to Jonghyun, Key, and Onew's cautious look. He gently removes Taemin's hand and leaves without another word.

Minho doesn't waste any time to reach the other side of the city for Changmin's bookstore. It's morning so the shop is open for business, filled with human presence. Usually Minho would meet Changmin at the bookstore after hours but this is urgent and can't wait until night.

He goes in with determination and follows his senses to find the bookstore's owner. He sees Changmin by the bookshelves, putting in books from the cart. Even though Changmin had sense Minho's presence, he doesn't pause in his task.

“I'll be right with you, Minho,” Changmin says, not looking at Minho's way. “Just let me finish up here.”

Minho grinds the back of his teeth to stop himself from lashing out. It wouldn't do any good being impatient.

It felt like Changmin is taking his sweet time restocking the shelves with how slow he is. With a tilt of his head, Changmin directs Minho to follow him. They pass the humans milling about to Changmin's private office. The door shuts, finally just the two of them.

“Did you know anything about what happened last night?” Minho starts, his hand clench into a fist on his side. “About the rain?”

“Raining holy water,” Changmin leans on his office desk in thought. “Did you also notice how quiet it was when you came here? Anything remotely demonic or evil in the area was purified and killed instantly on contact. I never seen anything like that before used to this extent.”

“I encountered the pests who were responsible for the rain,” Minho sits down on the sofa. “Same kind I had fought. One of them manipulates lightning and the other water. But how they managed to get their hands on holy water and make it rain is an entirely different matter. They were aware of my identity as a demon and mentioned someone is helping them.”

“Did the angel have anything to do with this?”

“I questioned him. He has no idea how this happened either.”

“He could be lying. I wouldn't put it past his kind to lie for their cause.”

“He wasn't lying. I could sense his intentions and he is just as clueless as we are.”

“Then I guess this is a bad time to tell you that Luhan escaped.”

“Who?”

Changmin's mouth twitches slightly upwards, amused. “You can't be serious. That guy you brought here to kick for funs and giggles escaped. You wanted me to find out what he is and how he became like this.”

Minho honestly forgotten about Luhan's existence. There was a lot happening around him and Taemin has occupied his mind. And the rain with holy water is much more important.

“Luhan took advantage of the rain to escape so I couldn't follow him.” Changmin continues. “After the rain stopped I followed his trail to a dead end.”

“Is he dead then?”

“Possibly. I didn't look any further. What about the two that you fought? Where are they now?”

“Somewhere I guess? I don't know if I finished them off or not. If they survive I'll find them and get to the source. Even finding the one who supplied holy water to them.”

They both fell into silence as they contemplate the situation.

“You survived against holy water,” Changmin starts. “Came out without a scratch or a burn.”

“Holy water is painful,” Minho brings up his hand, flawless without a burn. “I was burned from head to toe – submerged in it. I woke up healed, not a burn or scar left on my body.”

“Impossible.”

Changmin tugs off his glove he had been wearing the whole time to reveal angry red and pink burns spotted on his hand. It looks so painful like the skin is close to melting.

“Holy water is deadly to demons and evil just as hellfire is deadly to heavenly beings and all things alive. It is something that can't be easily healed,” Changmin slowly clench and unclench the injured hand, the twitch of his eye is the only indicator of his pain tolerance and annoyance. “I came in contact with holy water when I tried to stop Luhan. It was only a drop but this was the damage it did. My healing would not work nor my enchantments to cover up the damage. I'd be lucky if this heals at an average human pace.”

Minho stares at Changmin's damaged hand compared to his own. Not even a scratched or sensitivity of his skin. There should be questions about this linger in his mind but Minho crosses his arms over his chest and smirks. “Maybe it's because I'm stronger than you.”

Changmin scoffs as he puts his glove back on. “Exactly who is the one who rushed all the way here in their pajamas, let alone without shoes?”

Minho looks down, the tip of his ears flushed pink when he notices his attire. He hadn't notice the whole time, rushing to seek answers. He's still wearing the clothes he woke up in that didn't belong to him. His feet is bared, feeling the soft texture of Changmin's rug under him. Minho coughs, looks away embarrassed. His clothes quickly replaced with his usual attire including shoes in a blink of an eye.

“With all these fights and dangers you've been getting into lately, I think it would be best if you return to Hell.”

Minho sharply looks up. “What?!”

“Exactly what I said,” Changmin says, his voice leaves no hesitation. “This whole time you hadn't been successful in making a contract with your human so why are you still here wasting time? If I hadn't known any better I'd say you've gotten fond of your human. Becoming distracted enough that you couldn't finish off these pests you encountered.”

Minho's eyes flared and in an instant crowded in front of Changmin to the desk. His eyes flare with black fire in the peripheral, glaring. Changmin doesn't flinch, meeting his gaze head on in what seems to be boredom.

This only makes Minho angrier. “Do you want to test me? Exactly who wasn't able to heal from holy water and who did?” The black fire in his eyes flares wildly. “If you think I would become soft because of a human, well think again!”

“I'm only reminding you and I have mentioned this a couple of times,” Changmin evenly replies. “You were lucky to have emerge victorious after each encounter but this latest skirmish you just barely survive. Our strength lies in our intentions and will, we can't be distracted. To forget and lose our purpose, to become obsessed, makes us no different than the weak mindless demons that are easily killed from being distracted. I can see how much you changed each time you come here. All because you keep hanging around with that human.”

Minho grits his teeth, itching to strike at Changmin for presuming something he doesn't understand. Minho hasn't gotten weak, he's strong as ever. He crawled and make his way to the top, taming and wielding the darkest hellfire that no one was ever able to before. He never hesitates to strike and get his prey.

And yet.

Sometimes he feels lost and frustrated. Lately he's been feeling all sorts of things because of Taemin. Things he never thought to feel felt so foreign. All the things he keeps telling himself; the prestige and power he wields, how he emerge from the ashes victorious in all his conquest. They felt like empty words he keeps repeating for the sake of it, to remind himself who he is. But in the face of it none of that matters when he thought of Taemin. All because he dares to feel something for Taemin he denies himself of that can't be possible for a demon like him.

This was what Changmin warned him about.

“You're wrong,” Minho softly says, looking anywhere but Changmin. The words felt hollow as he says it. “You're wrong.”

Changmin sighs, his expression resigned. “As demons our emotions are strong enough that it often gets the best of us,” he gently pushes Minho back for some space. “I can see that yearning in your eyes of something you can't have. We are demons, we do not love – cannot love. Love kills us. It will kill what we care for in each other. Humans can love but demons cannot. I heard even angels can't love as well but they are allowed to care for each other – self-less love.” Minho and Changmin makes a disgusted noise at the idea. “Minho, we are not born in this world. We were never human, there is no way back for us. The desire to be something other than what we are not is a death sentence. Permanent death sentence.”

*Me strangling my self-control*: Stop getting distracted all the time! Didn't we promise to finish this fic this year?! This is why we can't finish anything!

Fic goes brrrrrrr