Sehun stares at him with wide eyes as he slowly stands up. “Summon...you?”

 

“You summoned me to this disgusting world!” The man snaps, causing the shaking boy to jump. 

 

“L-look, if it’s money you want-”

 

“I do not need money! I need to know why you summoned me!”

 

“I didn’t…” Sehun trails off, memories of last night floods through him like a tidal wave. The blackout, the blood disappearing from the page. He slowly furrows his brows. “Oh...oh my god. It...it worked?!”

 

“Of course it worked!” He hisses. He aggressively grips his jacket and vest, revealing the right side of his torso. Sehun stares dumbfoundedly at the carving on the man’s collarbone. Sehun’s name, clear as day; in his own handwriting. “Sehun, is it? I demand you send me back! I will not sign any contract with a child!”

 

“I’m not a child!” Sehun snaps back. “I’m seventeen, alright? And...wait, you're...you’re really a demon?” The demon glowers darkly at him, going silent. The punk smiles widely.“I...I can’t believe it worked!” He laughs as he looks the man over. “The red attire seems right but where're your hooves?”

 

“What hooves?! I don’t have hooves!”

 

“I thought demons had those?”

 

“No!” The demon snarls as he grabs Sehun’s shirt tightly. “Send me back!”

 

“I-I don’t know how!” Sehun stutters, staring with wide eyes.

 

“Reverse it, then!”

 

“I c-can’t!” The man stares at him for a moment before finally letting him go and taking a step back. “So you’re...you’re Kai?”

 

Kai crosses his arms. “Yes...but how did you know that?”

 

Sehun rubs his neck and shrugs. “Well, I had to...chant it. And when I did, it... it felt like it was being...carved into my mind.”

 

“Well, your name was literally carved into me!” Kai sneers.

 

“C-come on; I had no idea that’d happen…”

 

“Children should not play with dark arts!”

 

“I’m not a kid...” Sehun sighs and looks around. “Look...I…” he messes up his own black hair and looks back at this demon. “I brought you here, right? I-It’s only fair that I find a way to return you.”

 

Kai glares at him. “It’s your duty! You signed a contract, so you must!”

 

“I signed a contract?” Sehun frowns. “What contract?”

 

“Before anyone can successfully summon a demon, they must write their name in blood. Most humans try to fake it by using animal blood so it never works.”

 

“S-so?”

 

“We’re bound by blood and word- your blood and YOUR word!”

 

Sehun rubs his face as he tries to wrap his mind around everything. “Okay uh…l-look, can we go to my place? I really...really need to think.”

 

Kai crosses his arms. “Where else would I go?” He replies bitterly. “I technically have to follow you everywhere you go.”

 

“Uh, no,” Sehun laughs nervously as he begins to lead Kai out of the alley in the direction of his house. It’s much closer than he originally thought. “Not...EVERYWHERE.”

 

“Everywhere until you send me back, as you promised.”

 

“I don’t...remember promising anything,” Sehun says as they approach his front door. “But fine.” He slowly peaks his head into his home and pauses. “I”m home,” he announces. When no one replies, he steps inside, ushering the demon inside. Kai steps in as well but he looks tense and cautious. He quickly leads Kai up to the stairs to the right and into his bedroom down the hall of the second floor. For once, he’s glad his parents aren’t here. He doesn’t even want to begin explaining this red-clad man to his family. 

 

“Why is your house so small?” Kai asks.

 

“Small? This is small to you?” Sehun laughs a little as they enter his bedroom. His room is his sanctuary. No one aside from his friends is allowed in. With black carpet and walls painted ruby red, most of it’s covered by drawings and posters. His queen-sized bed is pushed up horizontally along the far wall, to the left; there’s drawer storage built under with black blankets and many pillows decorating on top. Beside it is a mirror that fills up half the wall, stopping inches below the ceiling. At the middle of the far wall is a window and to the right of it is a desk pushed up into the corner. The only thing on top is some sketchbooks, pencils, a lamp, and his laptop; perfect for research of the occult and everything strange. Aside from some CD stands, an end table, and a fur rug, there’s not much more inside his room. Beside his bed, however, leads to his walk-in closet. He hasn’t really found any use for it other than to hide most of his dark magic things; so there’s still quite a bit of space inside. “Mi casa es tu casa.”

 

“What are you saying? Are you speaking in tongues?” Kai asks, seeming suddenly alarmed. “Are you casting a spell?”

 

Sehun blinks. “Dude, no,” he shakes his head as he goes to his desk and grabs the spellbook from last night. “It’s just Spanish. It means ‘my house is your house’.”

 

“Oh…” Kai sighs. “You’re being hospitable...”

 

Sehun begins to pace around his room, trying to wrap his head around everything. “O-okay, I need to think,” He mumbles. “I have a demon in my room,” he says. “I have a demon...in my ROOM.” He looks at Kai for a moment before grabbing his phone and opening his group chat with his friends. He bites his lip as he hovers over the letters; wandering what to text. He stands there for a moment before sigh and tossing it on his bed. He doesn’t even know where to start, what to say, what to do. He already knows he needs to tell his friends. That’s obvious. But he doesn’t know when or how. Or even what to say. 

 

“Sehun, show me the spell.”

 

“What?” Sehun looks at the demon. “Oh, right.” He sits at his bed and flips through the pages. When he lands on the spell he did before, he hands it to the demon. “I signed my name, right there at the bottom; like it said to. Or at least that’s...all I was able to gather”

 

The demon sighs. “Your Latin isn’t great, is it?”

 

“...No.”

 

Kai once again rolls his eyes. He tosses the book onto the desk again before pulling out what seems to be a faded, folded paper. Sehun frowns as he accepts it, pulling it open to read. “Wait, what?! Your name has to be carved into me too?!”

 

“Yes.”

 

“No way! I’m not doing that!” He has about two secret tattoos by now so it’s no big deal; it’s just the idea of some guy’s name permanently carved into him. 

 

“You have to!” Kai snaps. “Otherwise our contract cannot be finalized and I will be left to roam your pathetic excuse for a world!”

 

Sehun groans. “Do I have to?”

 

“Yes,” Kai crosses his arms and stares at Sehun expectedly. “Take off your shirt.”

 

Sehun grabs onto the bottom of his own shirt. “What?”

 

“Remove your shirt,” Kai orders again. 

 

“Why?”

 

“So we can complete the contract- stop being childish and hurry up!”

 

Sehun lets out a soft groan as he reluctantly stands. He’s slow to pull his uniform jacket off and begin to work on ing his shirt. He lets it slip off his shoulders and onto the floor. His cheeks heat up when the demon stares. “Why...are you staring?”

 

“Why do you have so many bruises and scars? Were you in a war?”

 

“No…”

 

“Then why?”

 

“Can we just get on with this?”

 

Kai grabs Sehun’s arm and looks at the old scars along his inner forearm. “I see it took you a few tries to summon me; that’s what these cuts are for, yes?”

 

Sehun pulls his arm back and averts his gaze. “That’s not what it is,” He whispers and turns. “J-just do it on my back, okay? Somewhere that’s not embarrassing…”

 

“Very well, I’ll put it on your right shoulder. ” Kai huffs. “Prepare yourself.”

 

Sehun does as he says as he grips tightly onto his discard shirt. He closes his eyes tight as he waits for the pain. And when it comes, it really does hurt. The sharp edge of something carving his skin, it burns as something wet drips from it. He begins to shake from the pain, trying to not let it show too much. But he can’t stop when tears begin to fill his eyes. This feeling is nothing he’s experienced before. Nothing he’s ever done to himself or even anything his own bullies have done to him. He’s lucky the demon’s name isn’t so long. He wonders if it’s the actual carving itself that hurts or if Kai is doing something else to make it burn so bad. He freezes when he feels something soft on his new marking. He raises his brow and turns his head. He watches as Kai steps back, wiping the blood from his lips. The pain no longer present. “W-what did you just do?”

 

Kai stares back at him flatly. “I kissed the carving.”

 

Sehun raises his brows. “Um...why?”

 

“To stop the pain.”

 

Sehun’s shoulders lower as he becomes less tense. “Oh…”

 

“Strange,” Kai scoffs as he takes this time to now explore Sehun’s room.

 

“What?”

 

“I just figured someone with your sort of...dark appearance would be more comfortable things like that.”

 

“My  appearance?”

 

“Your eyeliner, black hair, chokers, combat boots,” Kai motions to Sehun. “You seem to have a lot of old scars as well.”

 

“Can you stop bringing that up?” Sehun frowns when he hears the front door open and someone steps inside. He listens for a moment until he hears footsteps coming up the stairs and towards his room. “Oh ,” he groans. He grabs Kai by the arm, causing the demon to growl lowly. He shushes the man as he opens his closet and shoves him inside; it’s a pretty spacious little room, so he should be fine. As soon as he shuts Kai inside, there’s a knock at his door.

 

“Sehun?” His mother asks.

 

“Uhh, yeah?” Sehun quickly grabs the spellbook and shoves in the closet as well. 

 

“Sehun, why is your door locked?”

 

“Because it’s MY room!” He retorts as he swiftly pulls on a shirt. Once he’s sure there’s nothing weird, he unlocks it. He steps back, letting his mother enter. She looks around the room oddly.

 

“Why...does it smell like roses?”

 

Sehun sniffs and crosses his arms. He didn’t realize it was coming from Kai at first. “Incense,” He lies.

 

“Oh, you know I hate that stuff,” She sighs. “I asked you not to burn it.”

 

“You didn’t say anything about burning it in MY room.”

 

“I know but-”

 

“Did you want something?” Sehun interrupts as he sits on his bed again.

 

“We’re all having dinner tonight, you have to eat with us.”

 

“No.”

 

“Sehun-”

 

“I said no,” Sehun scoffs. “Every time we have dinner, all you guys ing do is constantly criticize me.”

 

“Sehun, watch your language!”

 

The punk rolls his eyes and groans. “Just great. I meet a demon and he has to hear me getting ing lectured.”

 

His mother gasps. “Demon?!” She grabs the cross around her neck and looks around in a panic. 

 

Sehun clears his throat. “It’s a metaphor.”

 

“What a horrible metaphor, Sehun!” His mother does a quick sign of a cross from her head, chest, and to each shoulder. He shakes his head as he watches. “Just come down for dinner,” She commands as she heads for the door.

 

“I’m not going to,” Sehun argues as he goes over as well. She gives him a pointed look before leaving, causing the punk to slam the door after her. He lets out a groan of frustration, glancing over when the closet is pushed open. “I’m sorry you had to hear that.”

 

“I didn’t hear anything.”

 

“Really?”

 

Kai crosses his arms. “No, I was just being polite.”

 

Sehun rubs his face. “Whatever. Just...please, go before she comes back.”

 

“What?” Kai glances at the door. “No, I have to stay here.”

 

“Where?” Sehun motions to his room. “I...I’m not sharing my bed with you.”

 

Kai fixes his fancy, red suit as he looks around again. He shrugs and opens the closet door once more. “I will stay here.” Sehun opens his mouth to fight it but he easily gives up, If Kai is here, in his closet, he’ll be easier to keep an eye on. Deciding it’s better to have him nearby, the punk falls onto his bed; unusually exhausted than usual.

 

“That works,” He mumbles. “Make yourself comfortable. I have extra blankets for when you sleep.”

 

“I don’t sleep.”

 

“Really?” Sehun turns his head to look over. “Demons don’t sleep?”

 

Kai crosses his arms. “We don’t need to but we can.” Sehun nods weakly. He curls up and shuts his eyes. He knows he shouldn’t be able to sleep, especially after everything. But his eyelids feel so heavy. The punk lets out a soft, comfortable sigh. Sleep comes easy and it allows Sehun to put away the events of the day.

 

“And what do I do while you’re gone?”

 

I don’t know,” Sehun admits as he buttons his uniform shirt. “Explore the city?” He smiles a bit when the demon looks disgusted. He frowns, however, when he sees his gold eyes. “Kai, you have to do something about your eyes. 

 

“Why?”

 

“Why?” Sehun repeats as he pulls his jacket on, furrowing his brows. “They’re glowing! Can’t big, powerful demon do something about that?”

 

Kai lets out a low growl before seeming to give up. He sighs and closes his eyes briefly. When they reopen, they’re black instead of their usual gold. “Better. Now go explore or something. Please, just...don’t get into trouble okay?” The demon glares at him, his eyes never leaving him even after the punk is out the door. He manages to hold in a curse when he sees his mother standing in the doorway that leads to the dining room.

 

“Sehun, you didn’t come to dinner.”

 

“I said I wouldn’t,” Sehun replies curtly. Without a reply from his mother, he pushes out the front and down the driveway. He looks at his window, frowning when he sees Kai staring down at him. He shakes his head at the man before heading to school; mentally preparing himself to act like nothing happened.

 

 

 

Sehun runs his hand through his still damp hair as he rummages through his locker. He curses when he remembers when the textbook he needs is. On his desk. He was supposed to put it in his bag before he fell asleep. “Damnit!”

 

“Someone needs to get laid.”

 

The punk glares at Luhan and Baekhyun as they approach. “Is that all you think about, Baek?”

 

“I disagree, I think he needs a nice date,” Luhan argues. “Someone hot and romantic!”

 

“I don’t have time for or romance,” Sehun exclaims.

 

“Yeah right,” Luhan giggles. “The last time you had , it was with Tao!”

 

“That was last year, right?” Baekhyun snickers. “Having with a college man, you highschooler. Saucy.”

 

“I’m a senior,” The punk shuts his locker. “And he was in his first year.

 

He doesn’t push Baekhyun off when his friend wraps an arm around his shoulder. “Seriously though, you seemed super stressed all day.”

 

“It’s...my parents again,” Sehun whispers. That’s half the truth. “They’re ing , as usual. My mom had a fit that I didn’t have dinner with them last night,” He complains. “Even though every time I go down, all they do is bully me.” He sighs when he sees that familiar group coming down the hall. “Speaking of bullies.”

 

“Hey, freaks,” One of the boys snorts as soon as they approach. Already feeling irritated, Sehun gives him a blank stare before turning back to his bag. 

 

“Hey, off!” Baekhyun spits.

 

“What, nothing to say? Gotta have your talk for you?”

 

“You know, acting like a won’t make yours any bigger,” Sehun finally responds as he shuffles through his bag. He pulls out a pack of cigarettes and offers it. “You smoke? You look like you need one.”

 

Their so-called leader that was previously hassling him widens his eyes. “Are you ing crazy?!”

 

The punk shrugs. “Sanity is highly overrated.”

 

They all give each other weird looks. “What’s wrong with you?”

 

“You want a list or…?” He watches their horrified expressions when he sets a cigarette between his own lips and fishes for a lighter. They stare at him for a moment before heading off in the direction of the counselor's office. 

 

“Sehun, what the hell are you doing?” Luhan gasps. “They'll tell on you!”

 

With a scoff, Sehun tosses the pack of cigarettes and his broken, empty lighter into the trash furthest from his locker. “I know and when they search me, they won’t find anything.”

 

“So they seem like liars,” Baekhyun laughs. “I love it! God, you seem weirdly confident against them.”

 

“You almost seemed possessed.”

 

‘You guys aren’t...sick of them messing with us?” Sehun asks, staring off in the direction of his bullies. “

 

“It doesn’t really bother us, to be honest,” Luhan shrugs. “They never get physical.” Sehun gives his two friends a tight smile. He never told them about how they sometimes find him when he’s alone and drag him off for a brief beating. He subconsciously rubs his freshly cut wrist. “Your eyeliner is all ruined, Baek. Want me to help fix it before we go? We’re still going to that restaurant, right?”

 

“Thank god it’s Friday,” Sehun confirms and smiles when they both nod with excitement and rush to the bathroom. He sighs and stretches. Those two idiots are like girls sometimes. He looks around as he waits, keeping a lookout for those boys. But when he sees a familiar figure nearby, it makes him frown. Gasping, He pushes from his spot and hurries over. “Kai! what the hell are you doing here?” Sehun asks, quickly exiting the school building and going to the demon. 

 

Kai crosses his arms. “To protect you.”

 

“From what? Education?!”

 

“Nothing can harm you until you can keep up your end of the bargain.”

 

“Okay, but you can’t-”

 

“Sehun!” Luhan calls out, waving his arms obnoxiously. Baekhyun trails beside him, making his way over as well. “Hey, we’re ready!”

 

“Whoa,” Baekhyun raises a brow at Kai. “Ohh, you have a boyfriend now, Sehuna?”

 

“N-no! Kai isn’t my...,” Sehun blushes at the smug look the demon wears. “He’s…” He pauses. “He just moved here.

 

“Really, from where?”

 

“...Busan?”

 

“Is that a question?”

 

“No…?”

 

“Kai, is that a tattoo?” Luhan asks, motioning to the Korean symbols peaking out. When the two boys go to take a peek, Sehun lets out a weird noise and quickly grabs onto the demon’s jacket, “Whoa! Look at the time!” he laughs nervously. “Sorry, guys. I can’t go today. We’re late for...class!”

 

“But class is out, Sehun,” Baekhyun looks at him oddly.”

 

“He um…”

 

“I’m teaching him Latin,” Kai interrupts.

 

“Latin?” Luhan laughs. “More of your weird occult stuff, Sehuna?”

 

Sehun laughs again as he grabs Kai’s arm. “You bet! Okay, see you guys later.” He quickly drags the demon away. Once they’re out of view and hearing range from Sehun’s friends, he turns. “Kai, you can’t just show up at my high school like this.”

 

“Why not?” Kai frowns. “Well, either way, it’s obvious your friends don’t know I’m a demon....you should come up with a better lie.”

 

Sehun rubs his face. “Look, I don't want to lie to my friends,” He admits. “I...don’t know how I’m going to tell them.”

 

“Can you really trust them?” Kai asks skeptically. 

 

“I’ve known them my whole life, Kai,” The punk replies as gets to the front door. “And when I tell them, Could you...maybe do some of your weird demon ?” He frowns when he hears voices inside. After cursing, he motions for Kai and leads him around to the side of the house. He approaches a tree and easily jumps up, grabbing onto one of the branches. He pulls himself up and glances back down at the confused demon. Sehun just shrugs. “I don’t want to talk to my family.”

 

“You have a strange relationship with them,” Kai notes, continuing to watch as Sehun climbs up to a higher branch and toward his bedroom window. He slips in without any trouble, had obviously done this before many times. And he isn’t sure why but he’s not surprised when the demon appears in the room; smoke appearing and disappearing as fast as it came.

 

“Do that often, do you?”

 

“You would too if your parents constantly berate you for every tiny little ing thing you do; taking out their fear and anger that I'm not the perfect little boy they wanted me to turn out to be,” He tosses his bag. “Instead of hiding my true feelings and self, I decide to live my life the way I want to instead of pretending. I won’t pretend to wanna girls,” He pauses. “But that’s more my father’s problem.”

 

“Your mother doesn’t know you’re gay?”

 

Sehun shakes his head as he opens the closet and rummages for different clothing. “Dare I ask of your own parents?”

 

Kai crosses his arms and leans against a wall. “My mother is a typical demon housewife and my father is quite into politics.”

 

“So, he must be pretty strict with you.”

 

“No,” The demon leans back against the wall. “Demon society is immensely different. Unlike you humans, we demons consider things like drinking, partying,” He pauses and Sehun shivers when he feels eyes on his . “, to be praised.”

 

Sehun clears his throat as he quickly pulls a shirt on. He’s a little shy at how natural Kai sounds saying all that; how he annunciates it. “I-I need to get some sleep,” he mutters. “Tomorrow, we’ll tell Luhan and Baekhyun about you. Maybe they can help me find a way to return you,” He announces as he tosses his covers over and crawls underneath.

 

“Do you often sleep so early?” 

 

“No,” Sehun laughs softly. “Only when demons show up to my school unannounced”

 

Kai smirks as he heads for the closet, giving Sehun a strange look. But he says nothing as he slowly closes the doors, disappearing inside. The punk shallows hard before shutting his eyes. He knows the realization that a demon is staying in his closet will hit soon, but he has more to worry about for now.