Baekhyun's plans for a long weekend include shutting himself in his room and raging through some online campaigns, catching up on a drama recommended by a friend, and ordering lots of takeout. Basically, it's three days of self-love and pampering. To others, it seems he has nothing to do, and Baekhyun is nothing if not generous and kind, so when he fields a phone call from his boyfriend asking for helping painting his apartment, he says yes and does not groan until the call is ended.

He shows up bright and early—in time for lunch—and only critique's Kyungsoo's choice of paint color for half and hour while being critiqued himself for rolling too fast and spattering white paint everywhere.

And it's not like that even matters, because everything is covered in plastic sheets. Kyungsoo is very conscientious and careful. Even Baekhyun wears a paper-like suit provided by him, as well as glasses. Baekhyun catches some paint on his lip with his tongue, though, and slows down with the roller. Up to the left, down at an angle; up to the right, down at an angle to make rough Ws.

It's tedious.

"Couldn't you just, like, magic your rooms with color?" As if white is even a color.

"Demons are not magical, Baekhyhun," Kyungsoo replies from his perch on a ladder, using a brush to draw even lines along the ceiling. "I've explained it to you."

"Well then illusions or whatever!"

"I would still know they're a hideous burnt orange."

"And it would just mess up your feng shui, I know..." Baekhyun wipes the sweat from his upper lip. It smears the paint on his thumb. Gross. "Hey, while I’m slaving away, could Master spare a bottle or water or something?”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and lightly backhands Baekhyun’s buttcheek as he leaves. He senses the human’s playfulness, but he doesn’t have an idea of what he’ll be returning to.

So he goes to the kitchen, grabs a couple bottles of water, waters a cactus that’s due, and returns. Baekhyun’s sitting on a low rung of the ladder, a little breathless, but pops up onto his feet and smiles. White flecks his hair, standing out like snowflakes.

Kyungsoo stops.

He physically stops, as though frozen in place. His feet just won’t move, but there’s nothing sticky or magnetized on the floor that should hold him.

Looking up, he can see the fresh paint glisten, curved lines closing in a circle with swirls of symbols within it.

“You son of a—.”

Baekhyun shrieks with laughter. “It actually works!”

“Just wait until it dries, Byun Baekhyun. I’ll make sure your body never works again.”

His boyfriend waves the threat aside and cracks open his water bottle. He's confident enough to approach Kyungsoo in the circle. “You love me too much to kill me.”

“I didn’t say I’d kill you.” His skin splits as his horns form and grow, sprouting from his forehead and curling tortuously and sensuously slow. “I’ll just maim you until your own mother won’t recognize you. I’ll take a half of each pair of organs you have and make myself jjigae.”

Baekhyun grimaces. “Okay, now you’re getting personal.”

“You drew a demon trap in my bedroom,” Kyungsoo seethes, sulfurous smoke curling from his mouth.

“Yeah, I probably should’ve drawn it over your bed, actually…” Baekhyun picks up a paintbrush and eyes the ceiling over the plastic-covered bed.

“Touch that ceiling, and I will bring it down.”

“Not until that paint dries, you won’t,” Baekhyun sing-songs.

Sometimes, he forgets just how powerful a demon he’s dating.

He senses darkness, a coldness that creeps over his feet and up his legs. It pricks his flesh with heated needles followed by a vibration in his teeth that manifests around him. The floor shakes; the walls quake; and the ceiling shimmies and cracks, splitting the seal.

And he’s screwed.

“N-Now, Soo, it was just a joke…” Desperately, Baekhyun searches his pockets for the crucifix given to him by an aunt as a graduation present. He finds it just in time, but it barely holds Kyungsoo at bay physically. He can still trigger remote attacks.

Such as making the floor cave in.

“Jongin!” Baekhyun slides down a broken joist. “Jongin, where in Hell are you?”

Black smoke creeps along his legs, and he comes to a stop at the feet of his yawning, bleary-eyed demon.

He should review their contract. Jongin is supposed to answer when summoned once—as in immediately, not at his convenience.

Kyungsoo stops with the other demon between them, flames jumping in his eyes.

“What’s going on?” Jongin lets himself be manhandled to shield Baekhyun from Kyungsoo's evil eyes.

“Kyungsoo wants to kill me!” Baekhyun whines, peeking from around Jongin's shoulder.

“He trapped me,” Kyungsoo spits.

Jongin frowns at Baekhyun, a bit of disappointment in the creases of his sleepy eyes. Baekhyun shrugs, voice rising in pitch as he laughs. “What? I thought it’d be funny.”

“That’s just tasteless.”

“Alright, well, I’m sorry, okay? I won’t do it again.”

Kyungsoo looks unconvinced, eyes falling from his boyfriend’s nervous grin to the crucifix in his hand.

“I’ll even get rid of this! It was a gift, but it can just sit in a drawer at home. Alright? No more anti-demon artifacts. I’ll be completely at your mercy. I promise.”

The long tail whips behind Kyungsoo, curling a little. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Jongin yawns, and Kyungsoo excuses him. He nods gratefully and dissipates within more dark smoke. Some demon protector he is; he’s supposed to follow Baekhyun’s instruction. The contract will definitely be reviewed.

"Finish painting in here."

"But the ceiling..." Is normal. Flat, crack-free. The floors, too.

Demon illusions.

"Did you really think I'd destroy the entire apartment to get to you?" Kyungsoo's offended. That offends Baekhyun, who feels he's evidently not worth the additional effort. "When you're done in here," Kyungsoo continues, rubbing along his forehead with a clean rag, "you can move to the bathroom." He lightly taps along his hairline as though making sure his horns are gone. Maybe checking for more blood.

"What, by myself?"

Kyungsoo returns the incredulous stare with flat affect. "Consider it punishment for goofing off."

Baekhyun whines but refills his tray with paint. "I said I was sorry!"

"You did, and I accept your apology." Kyungsoo tilts Baekhyun's head back by the chin to kiss his pout. "Now you can accept your punishment."

"Yes, o mighty Master," Baekhyun grouses obediently. He knew he should've stayed home today.

---

A/N: This was started a long while ago, probably for a fest I didn't end up joining; I don't really remember. It seemed fun, so I reworked a bit.