#ayno fluff

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It was a little before two when you woke up cold and alone. You slipped out from between the covers and wrapping the throw blanket at the end of the bed around your shoulders, went in search of your demon and his unnatural body heat.

You found him- sitting on a blanket on the living room floor, knees pulled to his chest and his chin resting on them, gazing up at his beautiful glowing Christmas tree.

“Ayno? You ok?” you asked softly. He unfolded himself and opened his arms, beckoning to you with his hands. You went straight to him, letting him wrap his arms around you and pull you to lay on the floor with him. “Did I wake you?”, he asked as he placed a kiss on your forehead, “I was trying to be quiet.”

“No. I was just cold…and I missed you being next to me. I know the not needing sleep thing makes it boring just laying there.”

“I do not mind. I like looking at you when you sleep. You are so beautiful and peaceful. Sometimes I talk to you…”

“I’ve never heard you…”

He smiled and spoke in barely a whisper “I am very quiet. And I speak in my language so it will seem like background noise to you.”

You giggled, “What do you say? Are you telling me demon bedtime stories?”

He laughed lightly, “I do not think we have those…our stories are not the kind of thing that helps people sleep.”

“I don’t know…you seem to help me sleep…”

Ayno smiled and gave a slight laugh “That is not because I am telling you soothing stories, it is because I wear you out…” he said as he brought his lips to yours.

His kisses were achingly soft as he lifted you and slipped your shirt off over your head. You felt the cold sting your nipples to rigid attention. Ayno cupped your breast and let his thumb graze lightly over the bud as he lowered you back down to the blanket. His hands traveled down your sides and waist until he hooked his fingers into the waist of your pajama shorts and underwear so he could pull them off as he continued down your legs to your feet. He reached down and slowly ran his hands from thigh to ankle, and cupping your heel he brought your foot to his lips, delicately kissing the ball, arch and heel before bringing his lips to your ankle bone and beginning to leave a trail of kisses along your calf, the back of your knee, and up your inner thigh. You could feel his hands running soothingly up and down the outside of your leg as he went. You giggled as he nipped gently at your inner thighs “Mmm what are you doing No?” He smiled against your skin. “I am memorizing you. So even if I spent a thousand years in the circles of hell, I would still know every line and every curve.” He skipped over the place you most wanted him to touch and instead went straight to your other inner thigh kissing and nipping and working his way back down to your foot just as he had on the other side. After he had kissed each of your toes gently from biggest to smallest, he leveraged himself over you, and starting at your hip bone begin placing kisses in an arc just above your pubic bone before stroking his cheeks on your stomach, and ghosting kisses around your belly button. You ran your fingers into his hair, thumbs brushing over his temples and cheekbones as you breathed soft sighs of contentment. While you kept wanting Ayno to rough you up a little bit now and then, there was no denying that when he loved you gently you melted under his touch. His lips continued to explore your skin as he worked his way up your body, leaving gentle touches in the valley between your breasts, and then gently circling your mounds until he placed his hot mouth over your cold nipples, swirling his tongue and sucking. He ran his hands from your hips up your sides and breasts over your shoulders and down your arms until he reached your hands, threading his fingers between yours, and lifting your hands over your head. Ayno lowered his body and positioned himself at your entrance while still gently kissing your face and neck. He pushed himself inside at a slow steady pace, until he filled you completely. He stayed there, his body was flush with yours, creating as much skin on skin contact as possible. He pressed his cheek to yours as he continued kissing and sucking your neck and earlobe as he gently thrust into you at a steady pace. You closed your eyes, focusing on the incredible feeling of his weight on you, all over you, moving inside you. Wishing there was a way to get even closer, you wrapped your legs around his hips. Ayno lifted his head and kissed you passionately. He stayed close, nuzzling your nose with his, and lips still brushing yours and leaving fleeting kisses. When you opened your eyes to look at him, the tender look in his eyes caused your breath hitch. He looked deeply into your eyes with that soul penetrating gaze he had. “Thank you for keeping me. In all my years, nothing compares to these last weeks. Nothing even comes close.”   His words left you speechless, so you squeezed his hands and brought your mouth to his, hoping you could convey your emotions in the kiss. You felt his thrusts gaining speed and getting more intense. The familiar heat began to build in your belly, your toes tingled, stars appeared in your vision and you keened softly when Ayno hit the spot that made your legs start shaking and your whole-body jolt.  Your walls tightened around him as he took you over the edge. He slowed his pace, his hands squeezing yours tightly until he thrust into you one last time. He laid there and kissed you tenderly as his body softened and he could slide out of you without overstimulating you. 

 You had no idea how long you just laid there in each other’s arms just nuzzling and kissing, but Ayno’s bond with you told him you needed some after care. He wrapped you in your blanket before he padded off to the kitchen. He returned a few moments later, pajamas having magically reappeared on his body, with ice water and snacks- which he promptly began feeding you.

 “Do you want your present now?”, he asked, looking over at the tree, barely able to contain his excitement.

“It’s not Christmas yet!”, you laughed.

He pointed at the clock. “It is three hours past midnight. It is Christmas Day.”

Technically he was right, and he looked so hopeful.

“Ok,ok! Do you want yours?”

“I get a present too?”

“Of course you get a present! Did you really think I wouldn’t get you something?”, you said with mock offense.

He grinned. “Never got a present before! ...never celebrated Christmas before either. I did not really expect anything...already have you, so I consider myself spoiled anyway.”

If any other person had ever said that to you, you would have considered it the cheesiest fake line ever...but you knew Ayno meant it with utter sincerity.

He reached under the tree and pulled out a brown cardboard gift box

“You first!”, he said excitedly. “If you do not like it, tell me and I will fix it.” He seemed a little nervous. What kind of presents did demons give exactly? You undid the bow and cautiously opened the lid. You parted the tissue paper and pulled out a long, wide scarf that had been knit in an intricate open pattern out of soft cloud-like yarn in the most luscious color you had ever seen. “Do you like it?” he asked as he took it from you and began to drape it around your neck.

“Ayno, this is beautiful! …it’s so soft! …and the color is amazing…where did you get this?”

Ayno smiled shyly, “I made it for you.”

You sat staring at him with your mouth hanging open. “You made it???”

“Mmm-hmm. There is a shop downtown called “Knitch”. It is populated mostly with women who are nearer to death than not. They practice the old arts by using sticks and hooks to make things from fibers. I liked watching them. They noticed my interest, so they showed me how to do it…apparently I am clever with my hands. Do…do you like it?”

“I love it. It’s beautiful. I’ve never had someone make me a gift… I had no idea you could do this. I don’t ever want to take it off.”

He smiled proudly. “Now I will know you are warm when I am not with you. It is made from the hair of an alpaca and an angora rabbit, so we will have to clean it carefully.” He paused as he fluffed and adjusted it around your neck. “I am so relieved it pleases you…I was afraid you would not like it.”

 You took a small box out from under the tree. “I feel a little guilty about yours now. It seems so impersonal.”, you said as you somewhat reluctantly handed him the box.

Ayno’s face glowed as he turned the box over in his hands and ran his fingers over the foil paper. “So shiny! You wrap so well. I must learn this from you.” You expected him to rip into it with the fervor of a five-year-old, but he surprised you by carefully removing the tape at the seams and unfolding the edges. He lifted the paper away to reveal the gleaming white box with the holographic rectangle and number. He looked at it curiously before sliding the lid off and staring wide eyed at the object inside. He looked at you, and back at the box, a smile slowly spreading across his face. “For me??”

“Yes.”

“It is real? I may use it?”

You laughed. “Of course it’s real. And I got it so you could use it.”

He gently lifted it out and turned it over in his hands. “It looks just like yours! It even has the little apple on it!”

“Yes- we have the same model iPhone. But you have your own phone number. I hated that we had no way to get in touch with each other during the day, and well…it seems like you’re going to be staying awhile…”

You looked up into his face, his dark eyes filled with affection. He pulled you back into his arms, burying his face into the crook of your neck beneath the scarf. You realized that for you, giving Ayno his own phone had been a practical decision…but for Ayno it was far more: he had keenly observed that couples seemed to be linked by their phones – sending texts, calling, shared calendars and lots of pictures. While you had verbally acknowledged the relationship- and your desire to continue it…to him this was a physical symbol of that: a sign that you had accepted- and desired him as something fixed in your life.

“So exciting! Now I will look like everyone else at the coffee shop!” he said grinning.

“We can set it up and order you a case tomorrow, well, later today,” you said as you watched him power it on. “…or right now…”

“Can I play Candy Crush on it??”

“Yes, but you’ll have to start back at level 1.”

He was undeterred. “That is ok. Then I will have three stars on all my levels.” he said giving you a pointed look.

“So many languages…” he said scrolling through the list to make his choice.

“Is yours there?” you asked curiously.

He laughed “I think not…although more of us have cell phones than you might imagine.”

He happily set about picking a background, chose dark mode, let it scan his face for ID, set up a passcode (your birthday), found the app store and began downloading Candy Crush and Snapchat. Then he opened his “contacts” icon, pushed the “+” sign and handed his phone to you. You typed in your name, cell and office numbers, e-mail, and the apartment address.

“No picture?” he said as you handed it back to him. “Well, it’s the picture that will take up your whole screen when I call… so I’ll send you one that wouldn’t embarrass you…or me…to have everyone see it.” you explained.

Suddenly his face lit up. He pulled you into his lap, and turned on the camera to portrait mode, flipped it to front facing, and held his arm high as he brought his head next to yours and snapped his phone’s first selfies. He smiled with joy as he gazed at the two of you: still flushed with afterglow, colored lights reflecting off his blonde hair, bright smiles and all wrapped in each other’s arms. He immediately set it as his lock screen. “You don’t think we’ve taken better pictures?” you asked looking at your happy but disheveled faces .

He shook his head, “Look at us”, he said admiring the pic again, “so beautiful- happiness…affection...look how we fit together…all that is good in your world is reflected in us here. Now I have this moment forever.”

You threw your arms around him and held him as tight as you could. His arms came around you, holding you fast against him, his fingers in your hair and his soft cheek rubbing against yours. You wished you could stop time so this feeling would never end.

“Merry Christmas, Ayno”, you whispered.

He wore a cap and a mask and while you two stood on the bus stop, you took the chance to snuggle up to his side, both of you with your hands shoved deep inside your pockets because of the cold.

The market was everything you had ever expected it to be. It was colorful, busy, loud and fragranced. Yoonho took your hand and kept a firm grip on it the whole time you walked through the market. It was way warmer inside so he ended up removing his mask and you could see his whole face as he answered all your questions with a smile. Every couple of stands you’d ask what this or that was and he’d patiently explain it to you, often chuckling at your reactions to things. There was so much that was new to you that you were just ecstatic, going through everything.

As you walked by different things, he’d tell you you should try this or that and even if you only halfheartedly agreed, he’d instantly ask for things. Seeing a good-looking young man, most of the ahjummas would give him a little extra something “because he was good-looking” they’d say. You found the whole situation so funny you kept giggling in secret as he thanked profusely, visibly embarrassed.

“I guess I need to bring you along with me to markets more often.” You joked as you popped some extra sweets he’d gotten at one of the stands into your mouth.

The way he laughed in such an embarrassed way made your heart overflow and you just had to step closer to him and press a kiss to his shoulder.

At the end, when you two got tired of wandering around, he suggested you’d sit down enjoying tteokbokki and a drink, which you agreed to. You two went to find a table and he insisted he’d go get the food and drinks and that you should just wait for him, which you ultimately did, sitting there by yourself, watching your surroundings as you waited for him. It did take him a little bit to get back to you, and when he did, he had a soft flush on his cheeks, like he was hot.

“Thank you.” You told him, reaching across the table to stroke your cold fingers against his warm cheek.

“Oh my god… you’re welcome.” He breathed out, leaning into your cold touch.

You laughed and kept your hand against his cheek for a little longer until you felt your fingers getting warmer against his skin and decided to remove your hand. He took off his jacket when you moved away and you popped a bit of food into your mouth in the meantime. You two sat there, enjoying your food peacefully, exchanging lighthearted words about everything and nothing. When you were done, he turned towards his jacket and started looking for something in his pockets.

“Here,” He offered, pulling out two bracelets out of his pocket. “One for you and one for me.” He explained, handing one out to you.

“This is why you took so long to get the food?” You asked with an amused smile, to which he responded with a half laughed out “Yeah.”.

You looked at the bracelet and couldn’t help but smile. It was a hand-braided thin bracelet, and the two were opposite colors.

“Thank you.” You smiled up at him and he smiled back at you, shrugging. “Put it on for me?” You asked, raising out your arm.

He took the bracelet off your hand and wrapped it around your wrist, tightening it just right and after that, you did the same for him. It just so happened that you decided to put the bracelets on your opposite arms so when you decided to leave and took each other’s hand, you were connected by tangled fingers and bracelet strips.

“What is that?” Ayno asked again, this time pointing to the large oak tree in the corner of the yard. You laughed, “That is my treehouse! It was my favorite escape as a kid. C’mon, I’ll show you.” A moment later you had dragged Ayno across the yard and were climbing up the rickety ladder with him. You shoved hard, and the hatch opened to reveal the small space that had seemed so big in childhood. It was covered in dust, and the walls still had faded posters from your pre-teen years. “I spent hours up here. It was my happy place. I always envisioned it as being an escape and a private place during my teen years…but…that’s not how things worked out.” Sensing your wistfulness, Ayno bent his head and kissed you sweetly.

The moment was interrupted by the sound of a car door signaling the arrival of your step-brother and voices in the yard. “Oh good! Ayno! C’mere & give us a hand with this.” Your step dad called as you descended the ladder. Ayno squeezed your hand reassuringly and went to help them.

The rest of the day proceeded like most awkward family events. Inappropriate and embarrassing stories were told, too many snacks and too much alcohol was consumed. Ayno stuck by you working in the kitchen, happy to do whatever was asked of him, and content to let you deflect conversation and answer questions about him. Eventually he felt comfortable enough to go sit on the patio with everyone and listen to your family’s chatter. Everyone seemed to think he was nice, if not a little odd.

You had serious doubts about the sanctity of the meal when your drunk uncle announced it was time to do the turkey, and came into the kitchen where you were assembling more snacks and yanked the still frozen fowl from the freezer and headed for the backyard.

In the next 3 minutes of your life events occurred simultaneously in what felt like slow motion.

“Will ya all jist shut the hell up? I know what I’m doin’!” your uncle said as he lowered the ice block of bird toward the overfull deep fryer. He released the clip and the turkey dropped like a bomb splashing into the vat and sending boiling oil flying into the air and cascading over the edges of the deep fryer straight into the flame below it. As soon as the frozen meat hit the scalding oil, everything exploded into a giant fireball raining hot flaming oil and chunks of turkey all over the dead un-mowed backyard, causing the whole thing to burst into 3 foot high flames.

The sound of the deep fryer being blown apart startled your mother so badly that she dropped the pan with the ham in it that she had just pulled out of the oven. The chunk of pork bounced out and the pan landed upside down in the middle of the kitchen floor, bubbling ham juice running out and turning the white tile brown. Something brushed passed your leg, and you looked down just in time to see Patches run into the kitchen making a beeline for the downed ham. Your mother saw it too, and she tried to run and grab the meat before the dog made off with the only (mostly) surviving entrée, forgetting about the bourbon and brown sugar grease lake that now coated the floor. You watched helplessly as her feet hit the grease and slipped right out from under her and she landed face down in the gooey puddle with a thunk on her right arm.

A blur out of your opposite eye diverted your attention back to the yard where your step-father was beating your slightly- on- fire uncle with a dry crispy chamois from the garage yelling “Roll, Duke, roll!!” He was distracted and missed the moment it became obvious that your step-brother had flunked high school chemistry class, because he turned the hose on to the raging grease fire turning it into what would later be known in your family as The Turkey Inferno.

You stood there, stupidly, as the mayhem raged around you, with a useless crudité platter in one hand and your forgotten cell phone in the other. You heard sirens in the distance, and hoped they were heading your way. And then, another sound: laughter. You looked over to see Ayno, laughing so hard he was crying, huge smile and face lit up, so delighted he was slumped back in the plastic lawn chair clapping his hands and his feet. “It looks just like the Seven Pools of the Damned!” he cried excitedly.

*          *          *

Two hours later, you were a hot, sweaty, filthy mess. After the fire department had arrived and hosed down the back yard in some kind of foam, and the ambulance had taken your mom and uncle to the hospital; you got to work cleaning up the kitchen, which was not only a disaster from the whirlwind of cooking, but now included the ham lake and burned sweet potatoes that had been forgotten in the oven. Ayno had helpfully begun un-setting the table and cleaning up the back patio.

Patches, having feasted on a whole ham and who knew what else, began throwing up and having explosive diarrhea all over the house. It was while cleaning up the 5th pile of puke that you discovered your good for nothing step-brother was sitting in the den watching football leaving you to do all the work. You handed him the paper towels and cleaning solution and told him to get off his lazy ass and clean up after the dog…he elected to go to the hospital to “check in on everyone”.

That was it. You were done. Everyone but you and Ayno had gone to the hospital, you hadn’t seen him for a while, and you weren’t sure where he was, and at the moment you didn’t actually care. You had a splitting headache and you were not doing this by yourself. You walked into the guest room and fell face down onto the bed.

You had no idea how long you had slept, but it was dark when you felt Ayno gently shake you awake. “No? Wha-“was all you got out before Ayno gave a soft “Shhhh” and placed his finger to your lips. He looped your arms around his neck and you wrapped your legs around his waist as he stood up, yanking the quilt off the bed and wrapping it around you as he carried you through the dark house and across the still smoking backyard. He walked straight to the treehouse, and climbed the rickety ladder with you still wrapped around him like a baby koala.

Now you knew where he’d gotten to. He had cleaned up the tree house, and covered the entire floor in pillows that he’d swiped from the house. He’d even grabbed the battery powered candles from the dinner table, so the whole thing was bathed in soft fake candlelight. He set you down in the pile of pillows and closed the hatch.

Without a word he pulled you onto his lap and began kissing you. Softly at first, his hands on the sides of your face, but becoming harder and more needy by the second as his fingers threaded through your hair and his tongue plundered your mouth. He broke away long enough to pull your sweater off over your head, before returning his lips to your now exposed neck. His mouth worked its way from your jawline to your shoulder in a long trail of wet kisses punctuated by gentle sucking and bites that were just harsh enough you knew they would leave marks. You were so distracted by his mouth that you almost missed his hands unfastening your bra and tossing it to the side. The cold air coming in contact with your fully exposed breasts caused them to immediately flush and harden. You reached down and grabbed Ayno’s sweater and turtleneck and yanked them both off of him at the same time, desperate to press your cold skin against his unnatural warmth. He obliged you, taking the opportunity to begin marking up your shoulder as he hiked your skirt up over your thighs letting it pool around your waist. His hand slipped down to begin rubbing your throbbing clit through your silky underwear. You moaned softly and pressed your mound harder against his hand. Ayno lifted your hips slightly and re-settled you on his right thigh. “Ride it”, he whispered. You nodded and began rolling your hips against the rough fabric of his jeans, trying desperately to satisfy the ache he had created in your core. You gasped as he took one of your nipples into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the hardened bud, and then hollowing out his cheeks and sucking. You quickened your pace and trembled slightly at the friction. Breathy moans spilled from your lips as you felt your climax building and your thighs starting to shake. “Ayno…” you moaned, without slowing your pace, causing him to release your nipple with a lewd pop. “Ready to cum baby?” he asked rubbing your sides soothingly. You nodded and whined as your walls began clenching around nothing, feeling your wetness release and soak through Ayno’s pants to his skin. You dropped your head to his shoulder “Not enough, not enough…” you whined into his ear, “Fill me…please…” you begged. Ayno laid back into the pile of pillows unbuckling his belt so you could drag his pants to his ankles. You wasted no time pulling his boxer briefs down behind them, watching as his erect cock sprung free. You straddled his hips and he gently stroked himself a few times before holding it vertically so you could slide onto him. You moaned as you felt the tip of his length at your entrance, already so wet that you pushed him easily between your folds, until he was fully buried in you. Soft high pitched noises came from your mouth as you circled your hips feeling his slight movements deep within you as his fingers rubbed circles on your clit in time with your movements. Knowing you needed more, he lifted your hips up, and began jackhammering in and out of your sopping pussy from below. Every stroke the head of his cock pounded into your cervix, causing you to throw your head back and cry out in a mix of pleasure and pain. “Oh fuck yes! Don’t stop…” you gritted out through clenched teeth as your vision got hazy and your second orgasm hit you and you could swear the whole room was moving. Ayno released his grip on you and let you slide back down his shaft while he rolled his hips to let you come down from the high, but you still felt like you couldn’t get enough. You put your hands on the top of his pecs, fingers digging into his shoulders for leverage as you began lifting your hips up and slamming back into his harshly. The whole treehouse creaked and moaned with every thrust. “Not enough baby?” he asked breathlessly. “Noooo…” you moaned, “I just…I need…you feel so good…” you whined.

You thrust down hard and suddenly there was a loud crack. Not your imagination this time, the whole floor jolted down and tilted to the left. You froze. “Ayno…I think we have a problem…” He opened his mouth to reply when there was a loud snap and the entire floor detached with you and Ayno riding it like an elevator to hell, and went crashing to the ground below, pillows flying everywhere. Unable to be harmed by something as trivial as a six foot drop, Ayno wrapped himself protectively around you, holding your head to his chest and covering you with his arms.

Suddenly the still of the evening was split by the sounds of voices you knew all too well. “Oh my God!!” “What the shit was that?!” “Oh hell! The patio cover didn’t collapse did it?!” as the backyard floodlights came on and your family, having returned from the hospital unnoticed by you; came running across the yard to find you and Ayno, mostly naked, obviously in the middle of copulation, laying in the middle of the destroyed treehouse. You stared at them. They stared at you. Then it seemed your mother gathered her wits and took in the situation, a look of horror crossing her face as she screamed “OH MY GOD!! ARE THOSE MY CHENILLE THROW PILLOWS??? THOSE ARE POTTERY BARN!!” Ayno burst out laughing.

*          *          *

An hour after you got home you were feeling much better having showered off the horrific events of the day and slipped into your PJs. You found Ayno lounging on the couch in flannel pants and an oversize sweatshirt…hair having suddenly turned platinum blonde but his eyes still a deep chocolate brown according to your whims. He sat up just enough to grab you and pull you down to lay on top of him, wrapping his arms around you and giving you a quick kiss in the process.

“I have enjoyed this ‘Thanksgiving’. We should definitely participate in this more often. When is the next one?” Ayno asked happily.

“Sorry sweetheart. Thanksgiving is a once a year thing. There won’t be another one until November of next year.” you informed him.

“Very well. Then I will look forward to it.” he said with a smile.

“Ayno? You do understand that I mean 365 days from now?” you clarified.

He nodded. “I understand your measurements of time.” he said matter-of-factly.

You laid there stunned for a moment. Ayno was talking about a year from now…still being here a year from now. This was the first mention of anything long term, of some kind of permanence to the situation.

Ever attuned to you, Ayno looked you straight in the eyes and asked softly “Am I really your boyfriend?”

“Do you know what a boyfriend is?” you countered.

“Yes! ‘A male that is close to your heart. He is the one you can't stand to go a day without seeing. He provides everything you need, including sex, love, protection, comfort and an escape from the world. A lover who admires you for who you are. Knowing him makes you a better person. And being with him makes you smile.’”

Well. That was a startlingly accurate description. “Ayno, where did you hear that?”

“Urban Dictionary.”

“…and did Urban Dictionary tell you what a girlfriend is?”

“Uh-huh. ‘A female who you love, admire, respect, and desire to be with; a girl who makes you laugh, smile and who brings out the best in you, the one person that you should value over every other thing. You must protect her for she is the most special thing that could ever happen to you. She’s someone that you want to hug and kiss all the time and make love to, and is also able to bleed for a week without dying.’” He paused. “I find this description to be accurate of my feelings toward you...but I do not know if I meet the boyfriend requirements.”

You smiled down at him. “You more than meet them. Do you want to really want to be my boyfriend Ayno?”

He grinned. “Yes! In over 800 years I have never had a ‘girlfriend’. I promise I will take good care of you.”

“You already do.” You said as you snuggled into him and laid your head on his chest.

“So since I must wait for Thanksgiving again, is there another holiday that…how did your mother put it? We can ‘ruin forever’?” he asked hopefully.

*          *          *

You walked twelve blocks through the chilly night air into the area of downtown known as The Mews. The Ace of Cups was located in the third quad you came to. Ayno placed his hand on the small of your back and gently guided you past the ornate iron gates and into the crowd of people in the courtyard. You went to the food table so he could drop off the rosemary and sea salt roasted almonds he’d spent the afternoon making. You stood taking in the sight, eventually realizing someone was staring at you. The man in question was tall and broad shouldered but slender. He had high rounded cheekbones and his eyebrows arched at an angle that make him seem exceptionally intense. His nose was long and angled, and tilted down above his full lips, before the lower part of his face curved into an oval. You nudged Ayno who turned and followed your line of sight. “That is Leo”, he said raising his hand in greeting. Leo raised his hand back, and then disappeared into the crowd.

There were more people than you had thought there would be. You weren’t sure what you were expecting, but people were wearing outfits that ranged from Game of Thrones to Wall Street day broker. There was a small bonfire near the front that some of this odd assortment had gathered around keeping warm. Scattered around the courtyard were tables that seemed to have various crafts to do, wares to buy; as well as one for food, another for drinks and a third for sweets. Toward the back, there were paper bag luminarias arranged in a spiral.

You and Ayno took a slow lap around the place looking at all the different things and Ayno said hello to people. His eyes lighted on one of the craft tables and he said, “Oh wreath making! We should make a wreath- we do not have one on our door.”

“Now that you mention it- we don’t, do we? I used to have one with glass balls on it- but it broke.”

You approached the table and looked at what appeared to be a pile of dismembered Christmas tree, baskets containing things like holly and cinnamon sticks, rolls of red, green and white twine, and stacks of what looked like twigs that had been bent and tied into rough circles. “I don’t think I’ve actually ever made a wreath before” you said looking at all the supplies and wondering how exactly to start. “It is not difficult I will show you how”, Ayno said happily. He walked you over to the wreath making table and selected a circle of vines that had been tied together. Then he carefully selected a piece of evergreen and wound it between the vines and used green twine to tie it in place. “See?”, he said, “Easy. We just keep doing this.” Five minutes later it became obvious that you did not have the knack for this. Ayno laughed and told you to choose the evergreen boughs and he would tie them on. In no time at all, you had a beautiful fluffy green wreath that smelled fabulous. Ayno pointed at the baskets on the table, “Oh holly and pinecones! We must have those too. You choose, I will arrange.” You pulled some sprigs out and a couple of pinecones and handed them to him. Ayno talked while he worked, “The wreath is a symbol of the wheel of the year. Holly is masculine. It is used on wreaths because the thorns are thought to keep evil spirits from entering a home”, he said as he arranged them and used more twine to tie them in place. Then he ran a fat red ribbon through the back as a hanger. “What do you think?” he said holding it up for your inspection. “It’s beautiful” you said with a soft gasp, “You know, you’re actually very artistic.” “Thank you!” he smiled, “I am satisfied with it. I think it will look nice on our door.” Ayno carried it over to the fence and hung it around one of the loops in the rod iron, next to the other ones that had been completed as well. “We can hang it here for now and take it with us when we leave tonight.”

You moved on to another table where there was a strange assortment of supplies. “What is all this Ayno?” He smiled, sat down & patted the chair next to him. “We are making things to hang in the trees for the birds. Part of the joy in the solstice is giving back to the earth and providing for rebirth and spring.” A nice woman in a green velvet cloak came over smiling “Merry meet Ayno! This lovely lady must be your girlfriend. Would you like to make birdseed ornaments?” Ayno nodded, “Yes Celestine! How do we make?” She told you to choose shaped cookie cutters as she poured birdseed into bowls. Then she patiently showed you both how to dissolve flour and gelatin into hot water and mix it into the birdseed. Then you pressed the sticky mixture into greased sun and heart shaped cutters you had picked. You stuck a drinking straw into it, and then lifted the cookie cutter off and pulled the straw out. “Excellent work. When they set, we’ll run a ribbon through the straw hole, and hang them in the trees for the birds!” Celestine said as she added them to a cookie sheet with others and bustled them off to fridge to set up.

The next table had large baskets of oranges and bowls of cloves and cinnamon sticks. “Ah! Pomanders! Have you made before?”, Ayno asked. These you knew. “Aren’t these from the Victorian era?” He nodded, “They were very popular then.” You paused for a moment as a realization hit you, “You were there- in the Victorian era- weren’t you?” Ayno gave a small smile and nodded, “Yes. I have been making these for a long time.” You sat watching Ayno braid ribbons and wrap them around the oranges, suddenly awed at how old he really was and how many times and places he had seen and experienced. He handed it to you when he finished and began another for himself. You set the orange down and wrapped your arms around him, hugging him tightly and nuzzling into the crook of his neck. He placed a soft kiss on your temple and whispered “I do not know what has caused this, but I would like it to occur as often as possible.”

It did not take long for you to finish your pomanders- Ayno’s a complicated pattern of swirls ringed with rows of cloves and cinnamon sticks tied at the top, and your simple- if slightly crooked- rows of peeled stripes and clove buds. Ayno hung them on the fence with your wreath and led you over to a tall table that had strips of paper and assorted pens. “Mmmm. This is important. Choose a paper, and on it write down that which you would you want to let go of in your life. Anything you would like to unburden, things you would like to leave behind in the darkness. You can use as many as you need: one, ten, a thousand.” You took a paper and stared at it, with a ball point pen poised above trying to think of all the things in your life that weighed you down. You glanced at Ayno, who seemed very comfortable using a glass fountain pen, dipping it into a vial of ink and writing words gracefully across his paper in a language you didn’t recognize. “Your writing is beautiful.  What language is that?” You asked. “Mine.” He said simply. 

“For something that is supposed to be evil it’s awfully pretty.” 

Ayno’s hand paused, and without looking up he replied, “There are many things in the world that are purely evil but come wrapped in the guise of beauty.” 

You weren’t sure if you shivered from the cold or Ayno’s words, but he noticed your blue lips and sent you to wait near the dying fire while he got you something warm to drink.

He’d only been gone a moment when Leo seemed to magically appear at your side. He watched Ayno go and then looked at you quizzically, “Tell me, Ayno’s foolish mortal girlfriend: whatever possessed you to summon a demon and then keep it as a pet??”

“I didn’t summon him”, you stated.

Leo seemed confused. “That’s not possible. Ayno cannot simply appear- he has to be summoned.”

So, you told Leo the story about the Halloween party, and the book, and how Gia had summoned him, and he had come through your mirror.  

“Interesting”, he said, “You didn’t actually summon him… yet he remains bound to you…but why did you keep him?”, Leo pressed.

You shrugged, “Well…he’s very good at what he does…and my apartment was kind of messy…my life was kind of messy- I needed some help, and it turned out that I liked coming home to him …he’s easy to talk to and has a good sense of humor and one day I realized I didn’t want him to go…so I just never released him.”

“In other words, you kept him as a sex slave and a maid and then discovered he was actually a sentient being, is what you’re telling me?”

You were embarrassed. It sounded so awful when he said it like that. “Wow that makes it sound really bad. I know- in retrospect my reasons were feeble, and it was not exactly ‘right’ …but it’s not like that anymore. I care about him- so much. If he is unhappy all he needs to do is say it, and I will let him go- I would never want him to stay against his will.”

Leo looked at you -the challenge visible in his eyes. “Yes”, you whispered, “I love him.”

Leo nodded and gazed off into the distance for a moment. “You do know that he can kill you right?”

You were silent for a moment and then nodded, “Yes, I suppose he can, but I don’t really think that’s Ayno’s thing.”

“No”, Leo said “It isn’t. But he is still a demon- keep that in mind. It’s like getting a tiger cub and raising it as a house cat. Just be careful.”

You glanced up to see Ayno making his way back to you across the courtyard. Leo followed your gaze. “Ah- wassail. That will help warm you up, and it is almost time for the Yule log, so the fire will warm you too.”, Leo said as he started to move on and then stopped, and turned and looked at you. “For what it’s worth- he’s in love with you too.”

A few moments later, someone began ringing a bell and calling for everyone to gather around the fire which had diminished itself to embers. Ayno came and stood behind you, pressing his warm body against yours and wrapping his long arms around you.  Celestine and Aysheh wove through the crowd carrying baskets of holly and acorns. Ayno instructed you to take one of each. You watched as Leo and 3 other men carried in a large oak log decorated with ribbons, evergreen boughs, holly and mistletoe. A man wearing an outfit that looked like Santa Claus styled by the renaissance faire and a woman who looked like every illustration you had ever seen of a medieval druid came forward and began speaking. They called for all the lights to be extinguished; then they welcomed everyone. They asked all present to take a moment to dwell in the darkness -to know that this was the longest night of the year. They invited you to think about the past year, the old the things that you were ready to shed and leave in the darkness, and to envision the light returning- coming back to you- bringing new things into your life- awakening parts of yourself that had gone dormant and slept. The Santa Man stepped forward and raised his hands, as the Yule log was placed into the glowing embers everyone chanted with him “May the log burn, May the wheel turn, May evil spurn, May the Sun return.” The fire began to grow, and as it did, people stepped forward to toss the holly and the acorn in – some calling out things they were thankful for or hopes for the new season. Next, you tossed in the slips of paper you had written on- symbolically leaving those things in the past. When the crowd had committed their personal pains to the fire and vowed to embrace the possibilities of the coming year, everyone cheered and rang bells before launching into a lusty rendition of Deck the Halls.

Somewhere around the second chorus, Ayno pulled you away and led you to the spiral of luminarias at the back of the courtyard. He walked slowly backwards, holding your hands and pulling you through the softly lit path. “Thank you for coming with me tonight. I have had such a good time. I was so happy to share this with you; I hope you were not bored.”

“No! It was really interesting! …and I’m really glad I came. Now I understand how you feel all the time: having little to no idea what is going on, and just trying not to call attention to yourself and look like you know what you’re doing. Afraid you’ll say the wrong thing and give yourself away. Honestly Ayno – you’re amazing, and I have new respect for how hard you try every single day.”

Having reached the center, Ayno stopped walking. He pulled you in close and brought your face to his. “Worth it”, he said as he kissed you gently and deeply.

“I’m cold”, you said, “Let’s go home and you can warm me up.”

“Look at that”, he smiled as the burgundy flooded his eyes, “Solstice wishes coming true already.”

*          *          *

 Leo stood leaning against the door of the shop, humming to himself as he watched you and Ayno depart the festivities. Your coat pulled tightly around you, your hair lifting slightly in the winter breeze; Ayno towering over you with your tiny hand in his huge one, his wings folded gently against his back, tail swaying as he walked, and his horns spiraling gracefully up into the moonlight.

Celestine paused as she walked past with another tray of completed birdseed ornaments, “Leo- what are you humming? I know that tune, but I can’t place it.”  Leo gave a small smile, and sang in his soft angelic voice:

“Just a little change

Small to say the least

Both a little scared

Neither one prepared