The bathtub was still in the small apartment. There was nothing inside except a large vat of black liquid at a complete still with the only sign of life coming from it was the light grey swirl in the center churning slowly. A few bubbles started to pop up from below, and a mass suddenly grew from the liquid, forming a hand that grew into an arm, a shoulder, and then a signature spiky afro that soon formed a head and torso beneath it. Another arm developed from the opposite shoulder, fully forming the upper body. Urch let out a groan as his body settled into its solid state as he stretched his limbs. Once everything was into place, he glanced at the digital clock on the bathroom sink: 4:48 AM.

Only an hour's worth of sleep.

After gathering the energy to form the rest of his body, he went over to his room to grab a pair of shorts to lounge around the house in. He slowly walked down the hallway to make sure he wouldn't wake up the baby imps catching up on some much needed Zs. He opened the door and saw his friend Chuck asleep on the nest of clothes he made. Normally, the much smaller imps would be scattered around the room sleeping in different areas, but this time it was different. All his "troops", as he called them, were all cuddled around him from head to toe with one letting out a big yawn in its sleep before turning over in Chuck's arm to face him in its sleep. Urch had to admit that it was the cutest thing he's seen in a while. To make sure he wouldn't disturb them, he managed to tiptoe across the scene to a dresser and headed towards the kitchen to cook once he got what he needed.

He laid out all of the ingredients on the counter next to the stove. A few eggs, some rice, vegetables, and a bowl full of marinated beef he made earlier thanks to him scaring a human to do his errands. Normally, he'd make soup to calm his upcoming nerves but he needed a longer distraction this time.

He grabbed the pot from the rice cooker and rinsed it off before pouring the rice in. When it rose to two cups, he went over to the sink and rinsed out all of the starch before filling it up with just enough water. He stuck in one of his fingers to make sure the measurements were right and set the pot back in the cooker. After closing the lid and turning it on, he rested his hands on the edge of the counter and hung his head low facing the stove. A heavy sigh leaves his mouth and closes his eyes.

–

"How do you make that?"

"Make what?"

"Bibimbap."

His mother transfers the gosari from the bowl to the cutting board. The child steps back to make sure he's not in the way while she chops up the roots.

"It's really easy to make it, but don’t worry about it now, okay? Go play in your room."

"But I wanna help."

The mom looks over at her kid already pouting that he's being locked out of another activity he wanted to do with his parents. They can't help being busy all the time with their jobs, but she realizes she owes this rare moment to him for being gone for so long. She’s not the type to normally let this slide, but for now she’ll make an exception.

"I'll tell you what. Get some vegetables from the fridge."

"Okay!"

The kid quickly runs over to the fridge and grabs red peppers, carrots, and zucchini and places it on the counter. His mom had to remind him about the spinach and mushrooms.

"What about the meat?"

"Don't worry, my son."

–

It's already seasoned.

Urch set the steel bowl to the side to make room for the cutting board. He placed a carrot horizontally and started to slowly slice through.

Make sure not to cut yourself.

He sliced through the carrots, the zucchini, and then the bell peppers. All were placed in separate bowls. There was something else he was missing.

Don't forget about the spinach.

Urch opened the fridge and skimmed through it. He had the doraji ready, he had the gosari boiled and ready to go, but the problem lay right in front of him.

He didn't have any cooked. And he didn't want to wake any of the imps in the other room from the scent that would come from it. He needed to be alone.

He slowly closed the fridge and sat down on the floor. Yet another setback to his night. First, he got foiled by that bat-swinging brat yet again and now he's getting upset over some damn vegetables. Something he should've had ready beforehand.

He looked over at the ingredients he had laid out. Of course, he's still gonna cook for his little squadron of implings but he felt an emotion crawl up his spine. It was all too familiar, and it was all too painful.

Why do I do this? What am I trying to accomplish here? Who am I even doing this for?

His knees met his face and his arms hugged them dearly. He can already feel it happening again. The spikes on his head shuffled to where they hide his face.

You're a goddamn demon. You're supposed to thrive off of carnage and misery like you should be doing now, not this!

He hated this.

Who are you doing this for? Chuck? The imps? Yourself?

Your past?

Stop.

You know it's true. You've been getting these memories and you've been getting weaker and weaker the more you continue this charade.

No.

Yes. When will you quit, Urch? This pursuit of knowledge you got going on? Pointless. You're an afterthought here. Never in your life have you had control and you'll never reach that goal of freedom. Nobody is gonna be there for you once he's gone with somebody else.

Not a single soul would risk their life for you. Just quit while you're ahead.

--

Tears were streaming down his face. He hated feeling like this. It's not on purpose, he'd promise. The tears can't stop flowing no matter how hard he tried to force them to stop. He's not gonna sob over it, hell no, he told himself. Like hell he's gonna let anyone waltz in here and see him in this state.

"Love?"

Urch said nothing as he flicked a finger in Chuck's direction and sent a trail of black liquid rushing his way. The line split in two, creating a wall right in front of him. The urchin didn't even look in his direction.

Chuck, on the other hand, was a bit startled at the sudden obstacle. He knew Urch had his moments, but it didn't mean that none of them hurt to see. Chuck slowly reached for the wall in front of him, hoping for an understanding this time.

"Don't." Urch croaked. "'S not worth it." Chuck retracts his hand at the command he was given. A flash of defiance went across his face before he halted himself. It's not his fault. Just give him some space to cool off. Chuck lets out a small huff and crosses his arms. "...I can't make tea with this wall blockin' my way to the sink."

Urch said nothing as he paused before scooting the wall towards him. "Thanks, love." Chuck said. Not an ounce of annoyance or anger came from him either...just calmness. That didn't go unnoticed by Urch. The stocky imp opened one of the bottom cabinets and grabbed the components for the gray electric kettle. He popped open the lid and let the tap water do its job and shut it off once he was satisfied with the amount he got. His tail slowly moved from side to side as he reached to plug in the plate from across the counter as he stood on the tip of his toes. After he managed to plug in the plate, he set the kettle on top and turned it on. Chuck turned around and leaned back to face the stove. He saw all of the delicious ingredients in front of him in separate bowls, including the rice cooker that woke him up. Looks like another memory of his returned.

"...Making another dish today, eh?"

Urch sniffed. Still no words from him.

"...It looks tasty."

"...Thanks."

A moment of silence went between them. Chuck turned off the kettle with his tail before it beeped and turned back to the counter to grab two mugs from the dish rack. He opened up the top cabinet to get his stash of assorted "definitely-bought" teas he got from both demons and humans. He flicked through the tea bags in the box looking for some flavors and finally came across one he was looking for.

"What kind of tea do you want?" Chuck asked the other, picking up a sealed packet of Earl Grey.

A pause came between them.

"Earl Grey."

The imp smiled to himself as he guessed right. He put the satchel in the mug followed by his own tea in the other. He poured the scalding water in both and set the kettle to the side. Another waiting game. Chuck looked over to the ingredients again and stepped in front of them.

"I bet the others would love this. They need their nutrients 'n vitamins."

"Yeah..." Urch responded. The wall was lowering between them. Not by a large margin, but the warrior was glad to see it. Chuck turned his head to face the wall as a way to talk past it. "Care to teach me how this goes?"

"Maybe later."

The imp nods in understanding. "D'you mind if I put this all back in the fridge, then?" He peeks over the wall and starts to see the side of Urch's face. One of his eyes met Chuck's and he turned away again. Now he was hurt. He sighed and moved all of the vegetables and meat inside the refrigerator one by one and made sure to cover them this time. Once he closed the fridge, the shorter demon glanced at the mugs he set. At least there’s one thing that can come out of this, he thought. He walked over to the hot mugs on the counter and threw away the tea bags after taking them out. With both mugs in hand, Chuck stepped over to the wall and lifted his head again.

“The tea’s ready.” Urch was hesitant to let the wall fully down, so he let it down low enough for Chuck to step over. The imp slightly smiled a bit before going over to Urch’s territory. “Here. Just like you wanted.” Urch turns his head to look down at the mug in front of him. It smelled delicious. He sniffed and wiped his face from the tears and grabbed the mug. “Thank you,” the urchin said in a low tone. Instead of taking a sip, he stared at it. He doesn’t even want to drink it. Chuck’s disposition started to get somber, but he got closer and offered his mug to him. “Want a sip o’ mine, then? It’s one of my favorites.” His tail started to curl around Urch’s torso, not too tight but just enough to relax the taller one a bit. Urch finally looked into Chuck’s eyes and then at the hot pink liquid in front of him. He grabbed the cup and took a sip from it as he put his hand over Chuck’s. A slight blush crept up over Urch’s face. “Devilfruit, huh?” “Aye. It always lifts me up when I need to.” The imp took a swig himself and sat down right next to the lankier demon. A blush crept up on his face, too. He leaned into Urch, and in turn, Urch wrapped his arm around him. The urchin started to lean closer to the warrior’s face, who also in turn, gave his tear-stained cheek a soft, tender kiss. “I need some space right now. Just make sure the rest don’t wake up.”

Chuck looks at the clock on the oven. 5:28 AM. Only two more hours before the mischievous pranksters start their shenanigans.

“Alright, my dear. Just try to save some rice salad for me, yeah?”