“I don’t see how this makes earth kick-,” Kai points out, watching as Sehun places beef on the small grill. 

“Well first of all,” Sehun scoffs. “Grilled beef is a great place to start.”

“I don’t-”

“Kai, it won’t kill you to at least try to enjoy yourself,” He interrupts, giving him a pointed look before tossing some seasoning on. “I come here a lot with Baek and Lu. Sometimes in celebration and sometimes just for s and giggles.”

“I’m unsure what s and giggles are,” Kai mumbles. “I didn’t see anything like that on the menu.”

Sehun laughs a bit. “It’s a saying. It just means...you know, for the hell of it.”

“I see…”

“Here, try some,” He orders, taking some of the meat and setting them on his place. He scoots the soda over to him as well. Kai wrinkles his nose but slowly reaches for his silverware. He watches as the demon hesitantly cuts a slice and bring it up to his mouth. He sniffs it first, keeping a suspicious eye on sehun. “Are all demons such scaredy cats or is it just you?”

“I’m not a cat and I don't scare easily, Sehun.”

Sehun raises a brow, watching as the demon takes a slow, careful bite. He laughs and shakes his head. “Come on, is it really that bad?”

Kai glares at him as he chews, really seeming to think about it. He sighs a few moments later. “No...no, It’s...fine.”

“Just fine?” The punk hums. “Or delicious?”

“...It’s…” He sighs. “It’s delicious.” Sehun laughs again when the demon begins to eat the rest. Pleased, he grabs his own food and begins to eat as well. He figured Kai would be a meat kind of guy, not a sweet one. Sehun, on the other hand, loves sweet things. Boba tea, chocolate, ice creams. Baekhyun tells him it’s very ironic, considering his punk-like appearance.  “We should order more.”

“What?” Sehun looks to Kai and then at his plate. He frowns at the now empty grill. “How...did you eat all that so quickly?”

Kai clears his throat and shifts around awkwardly. “I guess I just forgot to eat since I got here,” he admits. “...Shall we order more?”

“Sure, why not,” Sehun sighs. “It’s not your money anyway…”

“I don’t understand how feeding me beef, fried chicken, and this...boba tea, will convince me that earth is ‘kick-’, as you put it.”

“Complain all you want, you ate like two buckets,” Sehun points out. “I didn’t even get a single piece!”

Kai crosses his arms as they walk. “You were simply just too slow.”

Sehun scoffs as they make their way back home. “Whatever, At least you like something here.” He stops at the front door and sighs. “Parents home,” he says, motioning to the window. The demon nods before disappearing into a black cloud of smoke. Sehun easily climbs up to his bedroom, nodding to Kai when he appears inside. 

“Do you think you’ll ever feel comfortable using the front door?”

Sehun shrugs as he kicks off his shoes and pulls off his jacket. “Maybe when my mom stops being a judgment and my dad doesn’t beat the out of me.”

“Right…” Kai grimaces a bit. “You really hate them?”

“No, I…” Sehun sighs. “Yeah, a little. I mean, they’re my parents but it’s kinda hard not to when they make your life a living hell.”

“A great example of how humans just are.”

“Not all humans are like that, Kai," The punk frowns.

“Sure,” The demon scoffs and crosses his arms. “My father was right, it seems. Humans are weak, frail creatures that lie, hurt, kill for their own greedy agenda.”

Sehun slams his backpack down after putting in the books he needs for school. I said not ALL humans are like that!” He argues. “You’ve only been here for a short time and you’re just gonna say that?”

“What else can I say?” Kai glares. “You sometimes wake up screaming at night for unknown reasons and your relationship with your parents seem bad- what am I to think?”

“That humans are different! Yes, there's some killers and evil people; but not all of them!” He tries to not shout too loud. “But then you have people like Baekhyun and Luhan. They’re kind, honest guys and they’re do anything for their friends.”

“And you?”

“And me…” Sehun sighs. “I’m...I don’t know why they’re even my friend. They have to deal with all my ing emotional baggage.”

“Given to you by your parents, right?”

“It’s not that simple…”

Kai slowly heads to the closet and opens it. He scoffs and glances at Sehun. “It never is.” He disappears into the darkness within, shutting it behind him. The punk stares at the closet door for a moment before angrily kicking at his bag. He groans loudly and falls onto his bed. He knows he said he’d try to get along with the damn demon but it’s hard. He’s completely convinced all humans are just insignificant and useless. What makes demons better? Do they not backstab each other? Hurt one another? Sehun thinks about what his friends had said and wondered; what happened to him to make him hate humans so badly?

Sehun slams his locker shut, sighing as he rubs his neck. He got nearly zero sleep last night, had stayed up with the only thing on his mind being Kai. He wants to know what hurt him; why he’s like this. Baekhyun said he was taking the day off from school to show Chanyeol around a bit. And Luhan used it as an excuse to just stay home and sleep in. He wonders how the hell those two have such good grades and yet his own is failing. He looks at the time and frowns. He doesn’t really want to face his demon yet. They ended up arguing this morning and Sehun had stormed out. And then he argued with his mother, of course. Instead of going home, he decides to just walk off his anger, putting his headphones in. He stuffs his hands in his pockets as he makes his way away from the school, past some people coming home from work, and other strangers heading off to bars or some kind of clubs. He shivers from the cold and pulls his hoodie up; paying little to no attention to everyone around him.

He’s fine until he reaches an alley, taking it as a shortcut. It’s not until partway through he’s hit on the back of the head, causing him to gasp and stumble forward. He catches himself on a nearby wall, nearly slamming face-first into it. “What the ?” He groans as he pulls his headphones out. He glares back, sighing at his three bullies. “Oh, you idiots.”

“Shut your mouth, Sehun!” One of them snaps. Without warning, he brings his arm back and hits it hard against the punk; knocking him back. “You know how much in’ trouble you got us into?!”

Sehun slowly wipes the blood from his nose. “Of course I did. What’d I do this time?”

“Lied like a little about your cigarettes,” Another spits. “Was it you who put them in our ing lockers?!”

The punk shrugs. “Maybe.” He lets out another groan when he’s hit again. He hits his head on the wall of the alley when more fists come in contact with his face. When he tries to bring his hand up to block the blows, his hand is gripped tightly and forced the opposite direction; it causes Sehun to yell out in sudden pain.

“ing prick!” Sehun cries out at a sharp kick to his side; several times.

As if making sure they really hurt him, he can feel someone stomp harshly on his wrist, crushing it under his heel. Sehun hisses, shutting his eyes tightly. He can feel his chest tighten with tears of pain but he forces them back. We won’t cry. Not in front of these guys. He begins to breathe heavily as he’s grabbed by his collar and pulls up, keeping his eyes shut as he’s slapped; it’s only one at first but several keep coming. They only stop when he stays down, groaning as he gips his side with his unharmed wrist. He slowly opens his eyes, staring up at them with heavy-lidded eyes. “Learn from this, you ing freak!”

He watches as they walk off, all three of them laughing. He swallows hard, laying still as if he’s afraid they come back. He trembles as he slowly rolls over and gets to his knees. He grimaces and ignores the blood dripping from his mouth, forehead, and nose. “Son of a ,” He mutters. “in’ cowards.” He uses the wall to help himself up, every ounce of him in excruciating pain. He stands still for a moment and takes a deep breath. 

Sehun ignores everybody that stares or even try to talk to him. He tries to concentrate on walking and not on his injures. He stops when he reaches his front door, glaring at it. He lets out a sigh as he glances up at his bedroom window. He momentarily thinks about calling out to Kai. but stubbornness causes him to push through the door himself. He holds his side as he slowly makes his way up the stairs; the wood under each step screaming, almost in sync with the pulsing pain in his ribs. He stops and slowly leans against the stairs, closing his eyes tight. His hand trembles as he grabs the hem of his uniform shirt and slowly pulls it up. He groans at the red and pink markings forming. He already knows that it’s going to bruise. Letting the fabric fall, he lets out a shaky breath and pushes his aching body. He pushes his bedroom door open, locking it behind him. With another sigh, he leans back against it and lets his head fall back. He closes his eyes, once more and keeps them shut even when he hears the closet door slowly opens. 

“What the hell?!”

Sehun looks at the angry demon, who shuffles toward him. He puts a hand up, stopping Kai from getting too close. “Not...not now,” He looks down at his bloody shirt. It’s only a few drops but it’ll probably stain. He sniffs a little, standing up straight now; or trying to. He shakes as he slowly s his shirt and pulls it off. 

“What happened?” Kai asks. “Were you attacked?”

“Yeah,” Sehun admits. “Technically.” 

“Was it a demon?! Was it Kris?!”

“No,” He mutters as he strips. He doesn't care if Kai sees anything anymore. He pulls on fresh clothes. “Instead of coming home, I spent a few hours...walking around.” He slowly sits and glances at his bloodied lip.

“What were you thinking?!” Kai sneers as he follows Sehun around the room. “You could have died!” Sehun shakes his head but he stays silent as he pulls wraps his newly sprained wrist. “What if Kris were to find you?! What if you had led him to me and-”

“I’m so sorry I forgot to think of you while I was getting my ing beat!” Sehun snaps, slamming the first aid kit down. “Oh, poor Kai! Poor ing demon! I almost got my rib and wrist broken by some s at school but who cares, right?!” He spits. “If I had died, it’d be better, wouldn't it?!”

Kai stares at him, something strange in his eyes. “I…”

“Because then our bind would be gone and you could return to wherever the hell you came from- as long as you don’t have to suffer in the ing tiny little closet of a weak, pathetic human who...who can’t even protect himself…” Sehun breathes heavily, had not realized that tears start to fill his eyes. He wipes them and looks away, feeling embarrassed. “Just…” He rubs his face. “Just leave me alone,” He whispers as he goes to his window and pushes it open. All of him ache as he climbs through and onto the roof below. The night breeze meets him, feeling a bit nice against his injuries as he sits. He brings his knees up and hugs them, stuffing his face in them.

“Hey,” Kai quietly speaks up. Sehun glances over, watching as the man climbs through as well. 

“Please, I can’t deal with this right now,” He whispers. He can feel his chest tightens as tears threaten to fall.

“No, I’m not...here to argue.”

Sehun stares at him for a moment before sighing and patting the spot beside him. Kai looks a bit uncomfortable as he slowly sits, keeping a bit of distance. “I don’t bite unless you bite first.”

“I know…” The two of them sit in silence, listening to the sounds of the cities. One or two cars drive by, lightning the house up briefly. He rests his cheek on his knee as he thinks about earlier. He groans and gently touches his side. “What happened?” Sehun looks over at Kai and shrugs.

“I decided to take a walk after school as I said. And those...ers jumped me.”

“Do they do this often?”

“Not really,” Sehun mutters. “...Lately, it seems more than usual.”

Kai furrows in brows in confusion. “Why don’t you ever fight back? You just...let them?”

Sehun swallows hard. “I don’t know…” He rubs his arms subconsciously and it seems to catch the demon’s attention.

“How many demons have you tried summoning to get that many marks?”

“Kai,” He groans. He looks at Kai and then at the confused look in his eyes. He slowly shakes his head. “No, that’s not how I...got these cuts.”

“From those men then?”

“I cut myself.”

Kai goes quiet for a moment. “Why?”

“I don’t think I have a good answer to that,” Sehun admits, smiling tightly. “You could ask my friends if you really need one. They love to speculate why I do it,” He pauses. “Luhan thinks I do it to feel physical pain instead of emotional. Meanwhile, Baekhyun thinks it could be a weird mix of trying to stop feeling numb and using it as an emotional outlet.”

“I see...and what do you think it is?”

Sehun stares at the street out front. “I don’t...I don’t know.”

There’s more silences, another minute passing. “Why are you afraid of your father?”

The punk leans back on his arm and looks at the night sky; ignoring the soreness of his body. He isn’t sure how much he really wants to say. The demon is going to leave eventually, so why shouldn't he know? It’s not like he cares either way. He closes his eyes. “My dad...he wasn’t happy when he found out I’m gay,” he begins. “He started to...well, beat me all the damn time.”

“But...why?”

“I told you before,” He replies. “I won’t pretend like he wants me to. I won’t pretend to like girls and not be who I am.” He laughs dryly. “He used to lock me in the closet under our stairs for hours on end. I used to just beg him to let me out. I cried and cried but…”

“I’m…” Sehun opens his eyes to look at Kai, who seems to be shifting around uncomfortably; seeming unsure what to say. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

‘No, it’s not,” Kai scoffs. “Sehun, you have night terrors because of your own father. Your FATHER, Sehun!”

Sehun hugs his knees up against his chest and smiles tightly. “I know...” He whispers.

“Does your mother know?”

“Know what? That I’m gay or my father beats me?” He scoffs. “Neither. It’s bad enough that her son likes to wear eyeliner and walks around in the devil’s clothing.”

Kai laughs at that. “Devil's clothing?” He raises a brow at Sehun’s leather jacket hanging off his shoulders and combat boots. “What is wrong with your fashion?”

“Nothing,” Sehun shrugs. “My mom doesn't like it, though; she assumes it’s all related to satanism and . All my piercings making it worse.”

“Hmm,” The demon nods. “You mean your piercing.”

The punk blushes as he averts his gaze. “N-no. She...doesn’t know about that and you...shouldn’t either.” He rubs his cheek. “I meant my earrings...:”

The demon looks at him in confusion. “You’re still embarrassed that I saw you ?”

“Obviously! You’re not supposed to walk in on people like that!”

“I was just seeing if you were safe. You are not often out of my sight.”

Sehun looks at him oddly. “What? You can always see me?”

“Yes,” Kai says as if it’s not a big deal. “While you go to school, go to your club, or even when you go out to see your friends; I am always near.”

“How come I never…” He sighs. “You know what? Forget it. Listen, Kai, how about you stop being weird and hiding in the shadow? When I go out with my friends, just come with us.”

“Join you...and your friends?”

“Sure,” Sehun pulls his jacket up and hugs it close to his body. “Bring your new demon friend, if you want.”

Kai shrugs. “I doubt Chanyeol will stay long.”

“I don’t know about that; he seemed pretty taken to Baek,” The punk laughs. “And he seems pretty loyal to you.”

“Baekhyun?” The demon scoffs and shakes his head. “Chanyeol is too soft on humans,” he mutters. 

Sehun stares at him for a moment. “Maybe they’ll fall in love.”

Kai raises his brows and looks at Sehun in disgust. “What?! Love?!”

“What? It’s not impossible.”

“Yes, it is!” The demon argues. “Demons do not fall in love, Sehun!”

“Oh come on! There must be SOME demons that fall in love; any?”

Kai groans and looks back at the street. He lets out a sigh of frustration. “Sure but...I’ve known one or two demons that fell for humans.”

“And?”

“One of them gave the human up, of course,” The demon shrugs. “The other...he gave everything up. His power, home...even his magic.”

Sehun looks at him and gasps. “He…he lost his magic?”

“No, he gave it up...he became human.”

“Wow…” Sehun looks at his own hands, staring at his bandage. “He became...human for someone,” He whispers. He heart pounds a bit. He’s never heard of a more beautiful show of love. To love someone so much, you give up everything for them; even such power that demons hold. “Was he forced to become...human?”

“No,” Kai replies, seeming disgusted at the idea. “He could have kept his damn powers. Of course, the human would have grown old without him.”

“So he became human so that he would live out the rest of their lives together?” Sehun asks. When Kai nods, Sehun smiles again. He hums a little as he thinks about that. But he frowns when he thinks about the demon. “Kai…”

“What?”

“...Have you ever been in love?” Kai goes silent, causing Sehun to look over at him. The man keeps his eyes trained on something ahead. He pulls at the sleeve of his leather jacket. “Never?”

“No,” Kai says softly. “I have no need for such things…”

“So you never had the opportunity.”

“Like I said...I don’t NEED useless things like love. what good would it possibly do me?”

Sehun lets out a sigh and shakes his head. He stands as he wipes the dirt from his pants. “Maybe you should let someone get close enough to try for once.” Kai furrows his brows as he seems to think about that. He looks up at Sehun, catching his eye. The punk stares at him for a long moment, the night breeze relaxing him a bit. He clears his throat and smiles. “I uh...I should really clean up all this...” he motions to himself. “Goodnight, Kai,” He whispers before climbing back through the window. He rubs his cheeks, at the heat that rises in them. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, remember how pretty Kai looked. His blonde hair wavy softly, his tan skin glowing ever so slightly under the moon. He shivers a little, thinking about his glowing, golden eyes. He can’t think about that kind of stuff. Not now, not ever. And certainly not with a demon.

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

Sehun: *gets this beaT* haha just another Monday, right?