Even though it’s been two months since Kai went back to his own world, Sehun still feels nearly like husk; going day to day with very litte hope and motivation. He managed to graduate, of course, and they moved into their apartment. But he just feels empty; like something’s missing. Not something, someone.

“Sehun?” Luhan calls out. “Is that you?”

Sehun shakes away from his thoughts. “I’m here,” responds, setting his bag down. He lets out  a long groan as he stretches. “Today was long,” He announces as he enters the living room. Baekhyun is in their open kitchen with Luhan lounging on their couch. It’s not such a bad place they managed to land themselves; three bedrooms with two bathrooms. “Today ,” He complains.

“Sorry, babe,” Luhan sighs, resting his cheek on his hand. 

“Where’s Chanyeol?”

“Grocery shopping, like a good boy,” Baekhyun jokes. “He wanted bacon. So  i said if he wanted some, he’d have to get it himself.” Chanyeol had moved in with them as well; sharing a room with his petite boyfriend. They had even managed to get him a job at the same cafe as Luhan. It’s a work in progress. “What’s wrong? Why does it ?”

He sits at their kitchen counter, fiddling with his jacket strap. “I...I thought about Kai today.”

Baekhyun lets out a sigh. “Sehuna…”

“I know,” he shakes his head. “I know, trust me, I know. I...I just thought of him, I couldn’t help it.”

“You have GOT to forget about him, Hun,” Luhan calls out. “Seriously, you cried every night for the first month.”

Sehun glances at Baekhyun. “Baek, do you...do you think maybe-”

‘No,” Baekhyun interrupts. “I know what you’re going to say and no. Do NOT summon him; what if he’s super happy, huh? Like, found a boyfriend happy?”

That hurts to hear. The idea of Kai moving on from him. He supposes it’s only fair. Sehun looks at the clock and sighs. “Time for work …”

“You’ll get through this, okay?” Baekhyun smiles tightly. “You’ll get better.”

“I know,” He smiles tightly. They all look over when the door opens, revealing Chanyeol holding bags. “Hey, Yeol.”

“Heeey, how was class?” Chanyeol greets with a big smile.

“Ugh,” Sehun groans, dragging his feet to his room. His new room is less edgy than his last one; all walls white, except for a red, feature wall at the left. He refused to get rid of his old bed, centering it in the middle of that wall. This room has wooden floors as well but there’s now a large sliding door to the right, leading to his balcony. This would have been good for the two other’s paintings but Luhan’s afraid of heights and it wasn’t big enough for Chanyeol and Baekhyun to share. Thanks to Kris, his old desk had gotten broken. But he didn’t buy a new one; instead filling the room space with two night stands and other miscellaneous things. The punk had brought his strange mirror as well, propping it securely above his bed this time. The only other things in his room is his closet door, which is not a walk in, two or three paintings, lamps, an alarm clock, and a nice, black furry rug.

Sehun steps in the shower, sighing at the warm water that greets him. He pushes his black hair out of his. It feels nice after a long day. He looks down at his leg, staring at the engraved tattoo. He leans against the wall before slowly running his fingers along the forgein letters. Swallowing hard, the punk sinks to the shower floor. “Kai…” He whispers. He can’t count how many times he’s looked at these letters. At first they gave him peace but now it just hurts. “Kai...are you happy? At least one of us should be…” After wiping his tears, he shakes his head and gets on with his shower.

Sehun grips onto the ladder with his left hand, using his right one to readjust the books. He carefully lines them up, trying to make them straight and neat. He’s okay with the uniform he has to wear. White, button up shirt with black pants and an apron. They let him wear his eyeliner, rings, and boots; luckily enough. 

“Oh, who’s cute little booty is this?”

The punk slowly breaks out into a grin, glancing down. “Tao,” He greets before hoping down. He embraces the man, humming happily with his Chinese friend. “I had no idea you were in town!”

“Oh, I’m here for a whole week,” his friend says proudly. “I didn’t know you worked here!”

“Liar, you asked Baekhyun,” Sehun gives him a point look. He puts his hands on his hips. “God, you look amazing.”

“So do you, aside from the bags under your eyes; are you trying to copy me?”

The punk shakes his head. “No one wants to look like you,” he jokes. 

“Hey, since I’m in town...let’s have dinner when you get off work.”

“Okay,” He smiles. “I um...I get off work in like ten minutes; weird timing.”

Tao smiles and nods. “Weird but nice. I’ll see you then.” After another hug, his friend walks off with his book, up to the cash register. Sehun stares after him for a moment before sighing. Maybe a nice dinner with Tao will cheer him up. He’s not sure why but he’s been thinking about the demon a lot lately. He glances out the window, frowning at the rain. Maybe it’s the weather.

Sehun isn’t surprised when Tao chooses the same restaurant they always go to. They both love thsi food; with it’s delicious, authentic Chinese food. He tries not to mention any demons in their conversation as they head for their destination. But it’s hard, very hard. 

“Oh, crap,” Tao says, stopping at the door. “I forgot to pick something up real quick. Could you go in and reserve a table?”

“Sure, of course.” He nods, patting his friend on the back. “See you inside.” Tao quickly makes his way down the street, seeming to check his phone for something. Sehun shrugs it off, entering the familiar building. He reserves the table, as asked, sitting at their favorite spot. When his phone vibrates, he pulls it out of his pocket and clicks it open.

Taozi: i’ll be a bit, sorry! let’s meet at the cafe across the street instead.

Sehun frowns, furrowing his brows. “What the hell?”

Sehun: ok ok fine. Even though i reserved the table >_>

Apologizing profusely to the waitress, Sehun embarrassingly exits the restaurant barely a minute after he entered. He readjusts his leather jacket before crossing the street and entering the cafe. The punk claims a booth near the back. It’s weird for Zitao to change his mind like this but he doesn’t mind. He knows it’ll help cheer him up. Sehun smiles at the waitress as she approaches. “Hello, I’d just like a chocolate milkshake to start out with.”

“Right away, hon.” She responds and leaves. Leaning back in the seat, he looks out the window and lets out a tired sigh. It’s been a long, stupid day. Well, a long week, month, year. A long everything. He briefly looks out the window, uninterested. But he slowly sits up when he swears he sees a glimmer of smoke. Black, demon smoke. Sehun stares out for a couple of minutes before deciding he’s being an idiot. He just imagined it. “Thank you,” He mumbles when he gets his drink. He fiddles with the straw, feeling a bit odd today. Tao was acting weird. He bites his lip and looks at his phone. He rubs his eyes and groans. “I really need to sleep more.” But that's when he smells it. Fresh roses, a clear as day. This makes him perk up and quickly looks around. He looks at all of the faces outside; scanning the crowd carefully. After setting money on the table, he slips out from the booth and quickly exits the cafe. 

When Sehun turns his head to the side, he can see it, just before it turns a corner; black smoke. Clenching his phone tightly and almost without thinking, he makes a b-line for it. Despite the sun starting to set, the punk heads down the alley, the smell of roses stronger than ever. Has he lost his mind? His heart beats fast as he approaches another corner. He feels stupid but he needs to follow it. Black smoke and roses. Sehun stares blankly at a wall. A deadend wall. A stupid, useless wall. The punk takes a deep breath before angrily kicking a nearby trash can. How can he can do stupid? He feels like he’s losing his damn mind.

“I don’t think you noticed...but this is the same alley we met in.”

Sehun freezes at the voice behind him. Kai’s voice. Parts of him want to cry, laugh, and scream all at the same time. He wants to wake up, if he’s dreaming. “I hate dreams,” He laughs dryly. “They’re so...ing unfair. Please, please just stop...STOP haunting my dreams; let me rest in peace!” He snaps, turning to face the voice. But there he is. As clear as day, in his red suit, platinum hair, tan skin. Those eyes. Golden, glowing eyes; like a lighthouse in the darkness. “This is cruel.” He shakes as the demon steps closer but he seems hesitant. 

“Sehun, I don’t know...what sort of dreams you’ve been having but I’m glad they’re not your old nightmares.”

The punk stares at him oddly. “What?”

The demon shakes his head. “I’m sorry that you’ve been having dreams about me...do you have them often?”

“Yes,” Sehun admits quietly. “Ever...ever since you left.” They both go quiet, the sounds of the streets replacing their conversation briefly. “I miss you. Everyday.” When all Kai does is stare at him, the punk frowns. “W-what’re you doing?”

“Waiting for you to stop being a ing idiot.”

“You’re not this mean in my dream, why-” Realization hits him like a trunk. Sehun stares at him, unsure what to do. His legs push him forward and in front of the demon, slowly and hesitantly bringing his hands up to his arms. He swallows hard. He feels so real, so damn real. The punk stands without moving for what feels like an eternity. Without thinking, he hugs him tightly. He buries his face in the man’s chest, abruptly shaking with his sobbing. Arms wrap around him, pulling him closer to his body. The demon leans down hiding his face in Sehun’s hair. He missed this. These warm arms, this scent of roses and smoke, mixed together perfectly. “I...I thought you went home!” He blubbers. 

“I did,” he whispers. “I did.”

“W-why..why are you back? Why are you doing this to me?” Sehun asks through his bawling.

“I…” He grabs Sehun’s shoulder tightly and pushes him back to look into his eyes. He swallows hard. “I went home, I did. But I...was miserable,” He admits. Sehun glances down and smiles when he notices the bracelet. He swallows hard and gently touches it.

“You...you kept it.”

“Yeah, It...you brought me good luck.”

Sehun shakes his head. “Why...why are you here, Kai?”

Kai lets out a long, shaky sighing before cupping his cheeks. “I...tried to study so hard, for the last two months to be a bounty hunter, like I wanted,” he pauses. “I did pass, too. But I wasn’t happy. I kept thinking of you, all the damn ing time. I just...I just kept imagining you crying...I could feel how much pain you were in and it hurt so...bad.” He pauses and takes a deep breath. “...After...talking it over with my parents, I want to stay, Sehun.”

Sehun clears his throat. “W-what?” He chokes out.

“My father isn’t happy, of course not. But...my mother told me that if you love someone, nothing should get in the way,” he continues. “And I love you, Sehun. I love you more than...anything. That means staying in this weird, foreign world. And if you...mean it...I could use your help.”

Sehun nods quickly, grabbing his face. “O-of course, oh my god of course,” he laughs through his tears. He tries to breathe normally when their fingers intertwine tightly. “W-when...when did you decide-”

“Last night,” He interupts. “I...had a dream about you.”

“You slept? YOU?”

Kai scoffs and shrugs. “I um...I find it relaxing and comforting. I didn’t do it often but it...reminded me of you. And I dream of you everytime.”

“Oh good, you found him.”

Sehun and Kai both look back. The demon doesn’t seem surprised but the punk sure is when he sees Tao standing with his arms crossed. “W-what? He frowns. “Tao?”

“I...couldn’t find you,” Kai admits. “I tried your old home but you weren’t there. I...ran into Zitao and he agreed to help me.”

The punk looks back to his friend. “You tracked me down for Kai? So all of that about dinner and-”

“Pretty much an excuse to get you over here.”

Sehun rests his cheek against Kai’s chest, trying to stop himself from crying again. He never once lets go of the demon, afraid this is all a joke; that he’ll disappear. Kai stps back but keeps their hands locked. “Thank you,” He whispers. “Thank you so much…”

It takes about two hours for Sehun to stop crying and that’s even with Kai trying to comfort him. But he does manage to stop so that he can lead his demon to his new apartment. He refuses to give Kai his hand back the whole time like a stubborn child. But he doesn’t seem to mind.

“Wow, this...is nice,” Kai says as Sehun clicks a button on the elevator.

“I think so too,” he agrees. “Um...Baekhyun, Luhan, and Chanyeol live here too.”

“Chanyeol, huh,” Kai takes a deep breath. “I didn’t say goodbye.”

“What? How come?”

“I don’t know, I figured he’d return eventually.”

Sehun stares at him. “Oh...you..don’t know…”

“No, what?”

Sehun slowly opens his mouth but closes it. “Um...nothing, he’ll tell you himself; I guess.” As soon as the elevator stops, he drags the demon inside and down the hall. They stop in front of a door, both looking at the number. “All the way on the sixth floor,” he says as he fishes for his keys and unlocking. He peeks inside first, sighing when he sees Luhan and Baekhyun on the couch; Chanyeol cooking something up in the kitchen. “U-um..I’m home, guys,” he announces.

“Hey,” Baehyun greets but his smile disappears. “Oh my god, are you ok? Have you been crying?”

“Oh um...yeah, I...I guess so,” he glances around at the other two. “I...um...well-”

“Would you stop being so weird and get in here,” Luhan interrupts. “Chanyeol’s making your favorite tonight; we know that you’ve been really down about Kai.”

Sehun's grip tightens in Kai’s hand. “R-right, about that…” he steps inside, the demon slow to walk in as well. The sound of a dish crashing and breaking rings through the apartment; everyone else going silent. Their eyes grow wide, all seeming unsure what to say.

“K...Kai?” Chanyeol gasps, wiping his hands on his apron. He walks over and grabs his friend’s shoulders tightly. “Kai, what’re you doing here?!”

“I...decided to come back.”

“For good?!”

“For good.”

“Yeah!” Chanyeol laughs and hugs him tightly. “I knew it, man! I knew it!”

“Sure you did. Hey, why are you in disguise?” He asks, motioning to his friend’s black eyes. Chanyeol lets out a sigh, letting him go.

“I uh...Kai, I don't know how to tell you” He looks back at Baekhyun; who smiles and nods. “Look, I’m not...a demon anymore.”

Kai furrows his brows. “What...do you mean?”

“Last month, I um...I did return home for a few days,” he explains.

“What? I didn’t see you.”

“I know,” His friend clears his throat. “I thought that if you found out, you’d be disappointed in me or , I don’t know, try to talk me out of it! I really love Baek a-and I really like it here. So I...”

Kai stares at his friend before shaking his head. “Yeol, I get it, okay? Either way, you’re not a good demon.”

“I know!” he throws his hands up. “I really at it! But I’m a really good human!”

“Eh,” Baekhyun sets his book down. “It’s a work in progress. Sometimes he forgets to sleep or eat.”

“It’s hard!”

Kai looks his friend over. “So you...gave up everything? Home, powers...everything?”

Chanyeol smiles and shrugs. “That’s the thing, Kai. This IS my home, now. Sure, I can’t feel people’s emotions, teleport, change my clothes in the blink of an eye; but I have an adorable boyfriend, a fun job, and friends. And if you’re willing to stay, you can too.”

The demon looks at Sehun, both of them meeting each other's gaze. Sehun smiles too now, it’s tight but hopeful. “It won’t be easy...but I want to try.”

All of the pain and sleepless nights wash away when their lips finally touch. This one doesn’t hurt, feeling as if he’s being filled back up with life. He’s been missing this, he knows he has. “I...I really missed this.”

Kai brushes the hair from his eyes. “I know...Sehun. I’m sorry.”

The punk lets out a shaky breath. “Don’t leave me. Please.”

“I’m not planning on it,” he rubs Sehun’s arms. “Okay, I’m...I’m not going anywhere. So don’t cry again.”

“I know, “He mumbles. “You hate seeing humans cry.”

“No, I hate seeing you cry,” The demon sighs. “And I’ll kill as many people as it takes to stop your tears; I’ll set them on fire.”

“Wow, I..never had a man threaten to commit arson for me,” He jokes.

“It gets old,” Luhan admits, not looking up from his fashion magazine. Sehun laughs .After glancing at Kai, he clears his throat. Smiling shyly, he leads Kai to his bedroom; shutting the door behind him.

“So this is your new room.” Kai notes, slowly observing the room. “It’s less...dark than your last one. It’s much...lighter and it’s not as heavy.”

“Heavy?”

“The emotion,” He says. “It’s sad, of course, but...I sense a hope I didn’t feel in your last one.”

Sehun slowly sits on his bed. “It’s because of you.”

Kai smiles as he looks out the large window and then out the sliding door. “All I  did was kill people for you.”

“No, you...you loved me.”

“Love.” The demon says as he goes to Sehun, kneeling in front of him. “Not past tense, Sehun. I love you, I never stopped.”

Sehun lets out a sigh, closing his eyes when he’s once again kissed. He puts his hand over Kai’s. “Me neither, Kai...not once,” He whispers. “Not even once...”

------------------------------------------------------------

the ending, finally!! I had two endings, but I went with this one! Please wait out for the epilogue :)