#writtensilly

“Welcome home, deviant,” the incubus greeted from somewhere in the apartment. Judging based on the sound of his voice and the consistent days they’ve come home to find him in one room, they guessed that he’s lying on their bed doing gods know what. They’re not worried about him going through their belongings; he has already seen them in their rawest form (i.e., picking their nose and flicking the booger, not taking a bath/wearing the same clothes for days, or having a mental breakdown because of the mountain-high load of schoolwork) and didn’t shame them for having an Indiana Jones shrine next to their shelf filled with various manga and comic books or the Erwin Smith dakimakura (body pillow) with one-side showing his uncensored 2-D genital, that they sleep with.

The freelancer went straight to the kitchen and pulled out a tupperware containing yesterday night’s leftover (pork cutlet with curry) then heated it up in the microwave.

“Can you heat another portion for me?” the voice from their bedroom asked.

“Nope, do it yourself, lazy ass!” they replied but the freelancer still moved to take out another container and set it down on the counter.

“But you love this ass!” the incubus yelled. The freelancer snorted from where they watched the tupperware turn round and round inside the microwave.

For a while, the only things they could hear were the hummings of the microwave in the kitchen and from the incubus in their bedroom. The sounds were perfect for shutting down their brain which was very much needed with the day they had. They promised to be responsible and not cram their schoolwork but if they had to use their brain for anything more complex, they would explode. Like brain explosion that will cause their body to explode which would then blow up the apartment causing a chain reaction of the whole block exploding to the entire country and then the whole world which inevitably destroys the whole universe and its neighbors.

A perfectly timed beeping that signaled the end of the reheating process of their food snapped them out of the thoughtless daydream. Perhaps their microwave had a hidden feature they didn't know about, like a wake-up alarm. But when they opened the tiny door, the container was no longer there. They were sure they took out the second one and placed it–

“Oh my, you're really out of it today, huh?”

To their right, Gavin was leaning on the counter with the hand of the arm resting on the surface holding a familiar container while the other was twirling a fork. His tail was swaying side to side like a cat when they were in a playful mood. Or possibly irritated. To be completely honest, they don't know much about felines aside from the small and short experiences with strays amicable enough to accept affection from strangers as well as those who didn’t hesitate in using their claws. Perhaps, like their microwave, the incubus has another ability they have yet to learn about. Shapeshifting aside since they knew that already. He’s definitely capable of more than they’ve seen him do, like telepathy, because his eyes were exhibiting feline features when they could've sworn it was human-like a minute ago.

Their eyes narrowed as they attempted to get clues by reading his body language. The incubus simply smiled a smile that reminded them of the Cheshire Cat from the animated movie of Alice in Wonderland in 1951.

“I suppose Elemental Command is as mentally taxing as expected.” They think they hear a silent ‘Like I told you so’ at the end there. Gavin didn't need to say it because his (still feline-like) eyes conveyed it with enough amused affection for them to know.

They held off the urge to throw the spoon they held at the incubus. They were at fault with this one considering that Gavin gave them fair warning that the “introductory” or 101 classes weren’t “going to be a breeze”. And at the time, they didn't hold back from smacking him with a pillow for using their own words against them. For heaven's sake, how were they supposed to know that even basic classes weren't Latent-friendly?

“I only meant to tease, my dear deviant,” the incubus purred.

The freelancer didn't shrug off the hand that gently massaged their shoulder nor did they put up much of a fight when Gavin tugged and led them to the bedroom, their dinner still in hand. He ignored their grumbling about getting crumbs on the bed as he easily maneuvered them so that they were sitting on the space between his legs.

“There's a perfectly functional dining table out there and yet you choose to have us squeezed together on this tiny bed.”

The soft pats on their head and humming of faux concern aggravated them even more and it's likely that the incubus intended to do anything but calm them.

“Now, now. It's been a long day for us–”

“Us?! You didn't even–”

“–so just sit still, enjoy your dinner, and savor the comforting presence of your favorite demon.”

Once again, their grumbling was ignored when Gavin shifted his focus on the container of food in his hand. They felt his tail wrapping and then unwrapping around their left calf, caressing the exposed skin, and doing it all over again. By the time both of them finished eating, their displeasure for the day had subsided and they were fully lying on Gavin’s chest while opting to play with his fingers rather than tuning in along to an episode of FRIENDS that their companion played on their laptop, in favor of shutting down their brain and allowing it to rest.

—

Damien looked at them with the most judgment they had ever seen him direct towards them. Between the embarrassment of having their friend see magazines of naked women and men & anger towards the only possible perpetrator for this crime, the freelancer was scrambling around their bed to clean everything out.

—

“Dude, get off, you're gonna get sick too,” the freelancer groaned as they tried to fight off the incubus-shaped octopus that was wrapping his clingy arms and legs around their sweaty, fever-hot, aching body.

“We don't succumb to the same diseases as humans do, my dear freelancer,” the incubus huffed from where his face hid on their shoulder.

At any other time or day, they would have appreciated the feeling of someone not wanting to part from them or to be away for too long. But that wasn't going to be today. The fever and headache were killing them but they couldn’t even fall asleep without crying out of frustration and pain which would bring even more pain to their head. A painful cycle.

“You’re going to be alright.. I’ll reheat the soup and get something for the pain,” Gavin kissed the tears away before unwrapping himself from their body to do just as what he’d told them.

More tears flowed. But it wasn't entirely because of the pain.

—

“Seriously?”

“Yes, ‘seriously’.”

Gavin exaggeratedly tilted his head to the side and glared at them with betrayal in his eyes. To which the freelancer gave an annoying taunt with their face. They dodged his hand that tried to pinch their side before holding it with their own to guide him inside the store.

Within the five minutes that they were inside the store, the freelancer showed no signs of entertaining the grumbles and complaints that left Gavin’s mouth, he was too stubborn to stop. Or maybe they mistake that stubbornness for his sentimentality. Just how much does he like that damn bed?, they thought.

The idea of buying a new bed came to them during one of their university-sucks-and-i-don’t-want-to-exist-for-at-least-five-minutes cuddle sessions. Gavin may annoy them with his teasing but they really appreciate the efforts he's made in comforting, distracting, and helping them. Which was why they wanted to buy him a gift, hence the bed shopping.

Okay, so what if they had been itching to replace that twin bed? They thought the incubus would appreciate the thought and agree with the idea of getting a much comfier mattress and bigger bed. Now they're stuck with Pouty McGrouchy.

“What's wrong with the one we have now?”

“What happened to saving up for something important?”

“Just man up and tell me that you're sick of sleeping next to me. You don't need to buy another one to tell me you need space. I can take it, freelancer. I’m not as fragile as you think!”

They knew that he didn't mean anything by the words that were spewing out of his mouth but they needed to stop him from actually starting to believe that nonsense. And also for the sake of their own sanity.

With the incubus’ face held between their hands, the freelancer stared dead straight into his eyes as they spoke, “Imagine the things we can do with a bigger bed.” Then turned around and left the demon to process their words.

A minute later, hurried footsteps could be heard from behind them. They felt his breath touch their ear before the weight of his arm was on their shoulder.

“You really know how to make an incubus blush.. How about we go back to your place and I’ll demonstrate with you some of my ideas.”

—

The freelancer stared.

And stared..

And stared…

“You know, it’s a bit hypocritical of you to nag me about making a mess while you’re over here treating our bed like your closet,” Gavin complained. From where he laid on his side, he turned over to his stomach and then started playing with the clothes near him. Even with his tail invincible to their eyes, it was easy for them to imagine it swaying and twitching.

A quick look at the incubus’ face reminded them of his ability to “read” emotions, if the smirk on his lips and quirked eyebrow were anything to go by.

“I don’t need to be a demon to see your amusement, deviant,” he crawled closer to the edge of the bed until he was sitting in front of them (and on top of their clothes), “I also don’t have to be a telepath to know you’re comparing me to animals, again.” he added with a pinch on the exposed skin of their stomach.

—

The upgrade from a twin bed to a double bed was an expensive choice, but a good one nonetheless. They have so much room now! They no longer live in fear of hitting their head and limbs on the walls or falling down to the floor when they move around while sleeping. They also got an upgrade with their pillows. Luckily, they found the kind with the quality they prefer: soft but not too much that your head would sink easily and firm but it’s not like you’re sleeping on a rock.

But it’s not entirely good.. There was still the case with their the incubus.

Despite having more space on the bed, he still kept close to them. Sometimes, he acted like a baby sloth with his mother while during other times, he simply sat or laid next to them without invading their space. He still had the habit of hoarding items and leaving them on their bed. And they would take him sulking for a whole evening because they cleaned up his mess over the embarrassment of having Damien (further) think that they normally sleep in such a cluttered room.

They wouldn’t be so invested in understanding the incubus’ behavior if he acted the same in other places. And towards other people..

The freelancer looked down at the incubus shaped cat curled between their legs and using their thigh as a pillow. This was one of the moments they wished they could read other people’s emotions or in this case other beings’ emotions. Assuming things never ended well for anyone, and acting dense doesn’t do anyone good either.

They could always just stop being a coward and ask him directly, they thought to themself.

It took two episodes of a Minecraft gameplay for them to gather the courage to speak. But mostly create a script and play out scenarios of how the conversation might go in their mind.

“Don’t go falling asleep on me now.. I’ll start thinking you’re only here for my bed if you do,” they joked. Or at least they tried to sound like they were. Fuck, was their voice shaking? Maybe Gavin was really sleeping and didn’t hear what they said.

But hearing and feeling him laugh confirmed that the incubus was indeed still awake and heard them. He turned to lie on his back, which made things worse for their heart because now he was looking at them. When they saw the smile on his face, it felt like there was a hand squeezing their hand and another one tickling their intestines. Fuck, if I fart right now, I might actually die.

It was unfair. How much more beautiful Gavin looks when he gets to be soft like this. How different the smile on his face right now. How he’s looking at them, seeing the mess that they are, and still choosing to be there with them.

Maybe this was one of those “guessing and getting the right answer” situations.

What was the worst thing that could happen?

What was the best thing that could happen?

The answers that immediately filled their mind amplified the little courage that they had to the point they wouldn’t be surprised if they were vibrating in excitement. And as if using this moment to further prove to them of him having abilities unknown to them, in a blink of his eyes, Gavin’s pupils changed to look like a feline’s. Their smile was growing impossibly wider.

And then they were leaning down.

Gavin rose up to meet them halfway. His feline eyes staring right back at them. Their attention was stolen when they saw his tail slowly waving from side to side from the corner of their eyes.

A gentle bump on their nose brought them back to the demon in front of them. Sitting very closely. It was taking a lot of power to stop them from running away and their heart beating like crazy was not helping. Despite causing their heart to beat even faster, staring back at Gavin reminded them why they were doing this.

To find the answer to the question that has been itching their brain ever since the incubus stayed around more often and they learned more about each other, enough to consider the other being as a friend.

“As much as I hate to admit this, a bigger bed was a good idea,” Gavin said with a pout. When he looked down, the freelancer followed his gaze and saw his hand inching towards their own but showing no signs of holding it. His hand was playing around by acting like it was walking with two fingers acting as legs or drawing random shapes. And watching it for a while calmed them down without fear creeping up on them. At this point, they were itching to hold Gavin and kiss him.

When they looked back up, he was watching them. His mouth was just about to open when they held his face. It was exhilarating to see the shock in his face and to feel him shudder when their thumb caressed his ears with their other fingers reaching to the back of his head. The sensation of his tail wrapping and unwrapping around their left wrist only spurred them to keep doing it.

“Stop teasing, deviant,” the incubus sighed as he grew even more pliable under their touch. They stopped moving their thumbs once their face was only less than a millimeter away from Gavin’s.

The freelancer used their nose to slightly nudge at the other being’s nose before speaking, “I’m going to kiss you now..” He nudged their nose back before giving a short nod.

They had kissed him before so they knew how his lips felt, but that didn’t stop the satisfaction of feeling it touch their lips again. Actually, this might be better than the first time. Gavin held onto their shirt to pull them closer and then tilted his head. Yeah, this was definitely better than their first.

They have kissed other people before so they knew that the action itself wasn’t the only thing they liked. Kissing Gavin was really nice. Like, “they want to keep kissing him for hours” kind of nice. Kissing him was also different. It was different in a way that it felt like both of them were telling each other something without using any words. Or maybe because words weren’t enough for what they were feeling.

Babe and Sweetheart had been inviting them for months to go and see their boyfriends’ band play, and it was about time Angel accepted the offer. Well, now that they had a very well-deserved break from work, they really could.

But what made their invitation sound suspiciously exciting was their frequent insinuation that Angel would definitely enjoy the show. They had a feeling the two were talking about a completely different show from the band's performance.

Though they were quick to realize that they should have asked for detailed directions on how to get to the venue, seeing that they have been struggling to find the bar or any sign that could lead them to it.

Angel’s excitement got the better of them because they declined Babe’s invitation to go together and simply took note of the name of the bar. So, the sight of them standing at the side of a busy sidewalk while hoping that Babe and Asher or Sweetheart and Milo weren’t too busy getting in each other’s pants to notice the calls and messages Angel sent, further proved the nagging voice in their head.

The scolding was cut short when they had the misfortune of bumping into the person in front of them.

“Ow- hey! Oh. Wow..” was all that came out of Angel’s mouth when they saw the person they bumped into. If they described how the man towered over them, even with the half a step distance the two have, Angel could’ve sworn he was like a walking building with how he blocked the light from the sun. It wasn’t an exaggeration, because he really did.

But it wasn’t just his height that made Angel’s jaw drop. The man was the definition and embodiment of 'Freaking hot as hell, like what the freak?! Is he real? How can he be real??'

He took a step to the side so that he was facing them. It was evident from the expression on his face that he was asking for an explanation, or maybe an apology. But Angel decided to feign innocence and replied with wide eyes, pouted lips, and a slow shake of their head, silently asking: What?

“Just watch where you’re going.” he grumbled, then walked away.

In their defense, Angel would if they knew where they were going. They definitely should have asked for directions.

The buzz they felt on their hand was their saving grace. So was the panting and strained voice at the other end of the call.

”Hey! Sorry, I was, uh, yeah! Realized you.. mmf- you, uh, didn’t know.. how to get- fuck right there..- and need directions?”

“Yeah.. sorry. I didn’t mean to bother your quality time with Asher.” Angel teased, with a hand partially covering their face that winced with embarrassment.

”Your presence is actually a welcome one with its effect on my baby.. Didn’t know you were an exhibitionist, babe; shit’s so tight! Ah- Hey! No kicking!”

Definitely not in a sexual way was Asher making Angel feel better, with his laughter being one of those kinds that would make anyone laugh along or smile at the sound of it. It was enough to calm their nerves and fear of getting lost in the crowd of bystanders on a Friday night.

However, it did not make them feel any better about having to go through that interaction. They had nothing against voyeurism, and it wasn’t anywhere near as mortifying as walking in your parents getting it down. But they didn’t see how hearing their best friend get railed by their boyfriend could bring them anything but amusement with a healthy dose of shame. 

But the world must be using its mystical force on them because they haven’t even taken more than twenty steps, not that they were counting, since Angel bumped into someone again. Before either of them could let out an apology, though another grumble would be expected from the stranger, Angel recognized him as the person from earlier, and the man seemed to remember them too.

"Why are you following me?"Angel straightened their back back and raised their chin to properly meet his gaze then replied, "I'm not. Why would I follow you?"

"It's none of your damn business why someone might follow me around." His eyes narrowed at them before he continued, "So, what do you want?"

"Your name and phone number, that's for sure." they immediately covered their mouth when their brain registered what they just said. His face was too distracting and the thought just slipped out!

For someone who made an impression of being a very serious person, Angel didn’t think the man would take them up on their request for his phone number. But there it was. His hand motioning them to do something.

A sharp pain came from their forehead when the man gave it a quick flick with his fingers. Angel hissed, aggressively soothed their forehead, and glared. They were indeed daydreaming.

Curse their lack of sense of danger. Curse his beautiful face.

They quickly ran to catch up to him, then slowed down once they were right next to him and matched his pace. Angel received an unexpectedly gentle body bump from the huge man, and was that a chuckle? Their ears might have been playing with them, but the idea of hearing him laugh and  seeing him smile gave them more motivation to continue the conversation and maybe add a little bit of teasing.

A huff from the man was heard as he approached the mic, still giving Asher a glare before accepting the guitar from him.

“Alright.. Tonight, we’re going with something different.” When the last syllable dropped from his mouth, the drummer landed a beat that continued into a groove.

The hot stranger from earlier—well, now that they knew his name, it was only right that they would be addressing him by it. David strummed his guitar and introduced himself as tonight’s lead guitarist, an implication that led Angel to believe that it’s not his usual position, which was supported by the flash of memory where Asher mentioned that he was the band’s lead guitarist.

He continued with the introductions by mentioning the remaining band members one by one and what instrument they were playing.

Every fiber of their being was screaming at them to pull him down by his shirt, to wrap their arms around his neck, or to hold onto his shoulder. To take any action just to have a taste of the man in front of them. To get any proof that he's real.

The fact that he’s accompanying Asher in singing wasn’t helping in getting them out of the trance he put them in. For a band that was well-balanced, all they could see and hear was him. His singing was similar to the bass guitar played by Milo, in the way that its presence may be subtle but one that was vital for their music.

For the second time on that day, David had them wishing this wasn’t a dream.

If it wasn't the unknown force of the world teasing them, then David must have an idea of their attraction towards him. Because why in the big blueberry that is called Earth, did they choose this as their starting song?

For someone who values efficiency, he wasted a lot of time trying to get out of coming with them because he didn't like idea. The fight David put up earlier was futile seeing that was enjoying it as much as Angel was.

Despite what other people thought, David had a variety of clothing in his closet other than his work hoodies, pants, gym clothes, the leather jacket Asher gave him, and a few plain t-shirts. Though some of his outfits can be seen as simple, Angel knew that David liked dressing up.

It was during the slightly early weeks of dating him that they realized that, so Angel sent him a message with a hint of what they were going to wear on the date they were having on the very next day. Rather than a habit, it became an unverbalized agreement between the two of them to match clothes.

Before the shopping trio they formed with Christian and Milo, David was already there to help in giving insights about their outfits. It would've been helpful if he wasn't so in love with them and ended every comment with a 'You look great in everything.'

But this was still way too much. It was overboard. They might as well have bought the stores they went into!

David had already gone back to their car three times to load up the bags. Yes, some of them came from expensive brands, but in their defense, some of it was David's!

As impressive and adorable the sight of him having both of his arms covered by the multiple paper bags he was carrying, this was getting out of hand. Though Angel wasn't going to lie and say that they didn't appreciate the gesture or weren't enjoying themselves, because they sure as hell were having the time of their life.

Even with the advantage of their engagement and planning the double wedding, both of them still had work that separated them from their usual evening routine because of late night security jobs and overtimes at the office. The younger version of Angel would've felt guilty at the thought of spending so much money on clothes, but they had David now.

Well, it sounds wrong when they say that their fiancé was the one paying for their clothes. And that's definitely not why they're with David. He knows that. He was the one who reminded them of that.

"Cooking for us, planning for our future, buying you clothes or whatever you want and need are just my own ways of showing how much I love you and your importance in my life. And no, I'm not trying to make you stay by giving you these things. You've shown and told me about how you feel about me very clearly, and I don't doubt that."

"Spoiling with me with all those clothes, agreeing to eat here, and now PDA? Who are you and what did you do with my fiancé?" they laughed and slapped his shoulder when he pocked their sides.

He leaned down and whispered to their ear, "At least this way, I can manage the things you're buying. Unlike when you're out with Christian and Milo, or Asher and his mate." They scoffed, unable to hide their smile, "Manage? Uh huh. Suuuuure."

"What's that supposed to mean, menace?"