It was a nice day, today.

 

It was indeed a nice day as the first droplets of rain graced the earth for the first time. Jinyoung had been there, reporting to his duty as the angel of the Eastern Gate. Things were already set into motion and were going as planned, seeing as Adam was trying to protect the expecting Eve from a ravenous Lion. It was all part of God's ineffable plan.

 

"That's a bit of a bummer, huh?"

 

Jinyoung startled. He frantically looked around and found the cause of his alarm, slithering near his feet. A serpentine form which was slowly fizzling into a more familiar human shape.

 

"What is?" He asked warily. Almighty taught them to always be kind to all creatures, and Jinyoung was seldom anything but polite. But this was a demon he was dealing with, he ought to be cautious.

 

"All this business about eating an apple falling from grace, blah blah blah. Bit of an overreaction, really," the demon replied. He gazed at the scene below for a moment then whirled towards Jinyoung, wide pools of honey with black narrow slits cutting along the middle blinking at him as if he saw him for the very first time. Not that honey was invented yet. He had eerie eyes, but for some reason Jinyoung didn't find himself unsettled by them.

 

"Well, would you know better? You are a demon, after all. You were the one who tempted them."

 

The demon raised his hands, "I'm just doing my job. I'm not as bad as you think I am, I just hung out with the wrong people."

 

The angel quirked an eyebrow, "And I am not as good as you think I am. It would be in our best interests to stay away from each other and do our parts," He replied.

 

"Well, we are going to be here for a long time. I do not wish to make enemies with the only other supernatural entity, you know," the demon smiled lopsidedly.

 

"But we are enemies!" Jinyoung exclaimed.

 

"Look at it this way. We are just here to do our jobs and report back to the HQs," the demon pointed up and then down, "once in a while. I suggest we stick together and maybe lend a helping hand if need be. It will make things easier, and also less boring."

 

Jinyoung considered it. While it was true that if he was caught fraternizing with the other side it will bear some serious repercussions on him, but it was also true that the arrangement will make things easy. And if Jinyoung was being honest with himself, the demon was interesting. It also would be nice to have someone else beside himself who understood him in a way, having been saddled with similar responsibilities, albeit polarly different. 

 

"How do I know it's not one of your demon tricks, and you are not sabotaging me?" Jinyoung asked.

 

The demon extended a hand towards him, "Well, you will have to trust me and see for yourself, then."

 

The offer was too tempting. And so, despite all odds Jinyoung found himself taking his hand. It was surprisingly soft, small but long nimble fingers. Now that he had a good look at the demon, he realised he had a slight and wiry frame, smaller than his own, and delicate features. He would have mistaken him for an angel himself, if not for his intense eyes and giant wings the colour of the night, which extended as far as his own did.

 

Jinyoung was still in a bit of a trance when he said, "Deal." He was brought back by a firm squeeze of the demon's hand.

 

The demon grinned, pearly white teeth pointed like claws, glistening in the midday sun like they were ready to devour their next victim. Jinyoung felt a shiver run down his spine. The demon was a veritable paradox, and Jinyoung was suddenly very keen to solve this mystery. They shook on it, and there was no way back from here now, only forward.

 

"Oh, terribly rude of me for not introducing myself, My name is Yien," the demon said, now smiling in a way which was less predatory and rather amiable. "Though, I'm thinking of changing it," he mused.

 

"I'm Jinyoung." He replied.

 

"Well, Jinyoung, pleased to make your acquaintance. See you around." Yien said, backing away with a salute until he winked out of existence.

 

"Yeah… see you." Jinyoung replied dazedly in the direction Yien disappeared in. He had no idea what he had gotten himself into, but there was a sparkling of excitement in his veins. He wasn't sure if anything good was to come out of that arrangement, but he supposed it wouldn't be too bad considering he played by the rules.

 

"All part of the ineffable plan," he murmured to himself and gazed upwards. Orange and purple streaks grazed the sky, and the sun was making its slow descent. Below, Adam and Eve had found shelter in a cave, lying on a bed of leaves locked in an embrace as if shielding each other from harm's way. It was going to be alright.

 

                                                                 ——————

 

That marked the start of an unlikely friendship. They went from begrudgingly tolerating each other to sharing about their ups and downs over a cup of coffee. They rendezvoused at parks, diners, cafés, and a multitude of other places wherever they could get food. Mark (formerly Yien, who did follow up on changing his name shortly after their first meeting) was very particular on this, for he always said that 'stomach was the way to a man's heart', or something. Jinyoung didn't quite see his point, they only inhabited these human vessels and therefore, its biology wasn't much of their concern. But he let Mark has his way and was content to watch him eat to his heart's delight.

 

Centuries and centuries on Earth had mellowed Jinyoung out. He had grown far more comfortable here living as a partly human entity than he had intended. And he would say it was the same for Mark. They had done their part in building the world long ago, but it grew too familiar and dear to part with. This is where they belong.

 

That was why when calls of Armageddon came, they did everything they could to stop it from happening. Surprisingly, it did. It has been eleven years since, and people still didn't know what really transpired on that fateful day when the world was about the end. 

 

But that story was for another day.

 

Or maybe not.

 

"Say, Jinyoung, have you confessed to Mark yet?"

 

Jinyoung spluttered, choking on his coffee and staining his pristine white shirt. He materialized a soft cotton handkerchief and shot Jackson a nasty look while dabbing his mouth. Jackson Wang, former Witchfinder slash Fencer, current trophy husband of a Witch and a Social Media Influencer. In general, a humongous pain in Jinyoung’s .

 

“W-What? I don’t know what you are talking about? Why would I do that? What confession? What for? I don't-”

 

“Woah woah woah slow down, Angel boy. If you discorporated from choking or asphyxiation Mark will actually kill us both.”

 

Jinyoung took a deep breath and fixed his attention on the other person at their booth. Im Jaebeom, former Witch, current aforementioned trophy husband’s Witch husband. Nowadays he works as a freelance music composer, though he still has his witchcraft abilities and isn’t afraid of using them if need be. If it’s just to appease his husband’s ridiculous whims, that’s only for him to know.

 

Jinyoung rolled his eyes. “He’s my best friend, of course he’ll take his revenge. Vengeance is his favourite vice.”

“He’s my BEST FRIEND,'' Jackson mimicked him in a high voice. “Dude, we have only known each other for eleven years, and I can only imagine how short a time for you that is, but even we can tell that Mark has been in love with you for six thousand years! What is stopping you?”

 

 Jinyoung took a big inhale to retort but Jaebeom held up a hand.

 

“And don’t you dare say you don’t actually love him, we have been seeing you pining after him since years.”

 

Jinyoung immediately deflated like a sad, pathetic balloon. There was no denying it, he had been madly, deeply, irrevocably in love with Mark since perhaps time immemorial. He didn’t know when it started, or how he realized it. He had never even admitted it to himself, much less anyone else. Over the years, Mark has come to mean to him more than any other person has. He knows him in such an intrinsic way that his every little idiosyncrasy and quirk has become the very part of Jinyoung’s own being. He thought it was only natural, sharing a good part of your existence with someone would result in such an inseparable bond, and hence never questioned what it all meant. Mark was special for him, and he knew without a kernel of doubt that he was special for him too. But now Jinyoung wanted something from him which Mark might not want in return. He had always known the thing between them had been building up day by day, but refused to name or acknowledge it in fear of driving the only person who meant something to him away. And he wasn’t about to let his feelings ruin his friendship. Not centuries back and certainly not now, and he told them just that.

 

Jaebeom sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. “Jinyoung, what are you so afraid of? Why are you denying yourself the happiness which you deserve, and which you might be denying Mark too by holding yourself back?”

 

“We are happy as it is. I don’t want to take the risk of ruining what we have just because I went and developed feelings like a . Besides,” Jinyoung scoffed, “How can you so surely say he actually does love me back? There’s no way of knowing that.”

 

“There’s no way of knowing until you try!” Jackson screeched.

 

“Why do I have to be the one to confess anyways? If he actually does like me, hypothetically of course, why can’t he be the one to confess first?”

 

“Because he’s also a who probably thinks you don’t like him back. Are you really just going to sit back and wait for another six thousand years for him to fess up or will you put your big boy pants on and march up to him, get down on your knee-”

 

Jinyoung squawked. “I thought we were talking about confessing our feelings not proposing marriage!”

 

“Mhm yeah, semantics,” Jackson said, making a so-so gesture. “What’s important here is that you shouldn’t wait and let the opportunity pass by. It’s simple, really,” He held up both of his hands. “You like him, he obviously likes you back and boom!” He clapped his hands and clasped them together. “Bunch of beautiful half demon half angel babies!”

 

Jinyoung narrowed his eyes. “You are way too much invested in marriage and babies, I didn’t take you for much of a domestic man.”

 

“Oh Jinyoung, what would you know, married life really changes you,” Jackson sighed happily and laid his head on Jaebeom’s shoulder, who looked down at him fondly. Jinyoung gagged out of disgust. Maybe he was a little jealous, too.

 

“We can’t have babies anyway,” Jinyoung said, rolling his eyes for the millionth time since this conversation started.

 

“You both have supernatural powers, go figure,” Jackson said. “But first things first, you need to tell Mark that you love him.”

 

Jinyoung sighed frustratedly and put his face in his hands. “I just don’t know I- It’s a lost cause. I’m just going to embarrass myself and make everything awkward. He most probably doesn’t like me back.”

 

“Jinyoung, look at me” Jaebeom said.

 

Jinyoung came out of his hiding spot and looked up at him. Jaebeom was watching him with a shrewd look, and that never bode well. He felt his wariness rise.

 

“Think back. Was there really never a time when Mark showed interest in you? Or you felt that he might like you back?” Jaebeom asked.

 

Jinyoung flushed and started nervously playing with his fingers. “W-Well, there were a few times where I felt the air between us was different and that he might, and that’s a big might, maybe, perhaps, like me? But I didn’t really think much of it because he likes to play around like that and I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

 

“See! That’s what we had been trying to tell you. Even you noticed, right? Mark isn’t someone who just ‘plays around’ like that, Jinyoung. You know him better than anyone,” Jackson said.

 

“I know, I know but- you don’t understand. He’s always teasing me, it’s his favourite pastime,” Jinyoung said, rolling his eyes.

 

Jaebeom cut in. “Okay but you did just say you felt different in those moments, didn’t you? Why don’t you walk us through them, jog your memories and maybe it will all add up?”

Jinyoung sighed. “You know what? Fine. Let’s do this. If not for my own peace of mind then better yours.”

 

Jackson and Jaebeom both immediately leaned in, eyes sparkling like kids who are about to be told the secrets of the universe. In a way, they are, for the angel and demon in question had contributed towards a considerable amount of things which exist right now. Jinyoung’s personal achievement had been the gramophone. Recorded songs wouldn’t have existed if he hadn’t planted that idea in Emile Berliner’s head. It has gone out of fashion now, and people have made various advancements in technology that everything exists in a cyberspace now. Mark particularly took pride in inventing the whole concept of selfies. Jinyoung didn’t understand what was so great about it at first, but slowly came to appreciate it because Mark always took a lot of selfies with him. They are Jinyoung’s most prized possessions, including ones of Mark alone where he looks insanely adorable and--

 

He was going off track. Jinyoung shook his head, and began.

 

---

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Prompt by parccgase

To my Prompter,
Thank you for this prompt! It's only the beginning but I hope you like it and it lives up to your expectations haha. There's more to come of course, I will try my best to deliver on everything you asked for.

 

FIC FEST TEAM'S NOTES: This is a chaptered fic and is currently ongoing/unfinished. The author would like to work on it on their own time, so please anticipate the next chapters! We will refer you to their account once the author reveals come.