Chapter 9: 8. Closer to my goal
Irregular and heavy breathing that let the mist out of their mouths showing how hot their beings were. Rapid and uncontrolled pulses that kept them dizzy, bodies covered with a subtle layer of sweat that made them feel stickier and cheeks flushed with fatigue and everything that had just happened. Their clothes were dishevelled by their actions that had seemed uncontrollable and they were both leaning against a wall, trying to catch the breath they had lost.
“Are you all right?” Asked the demon, looking with that toxic, and now sharp, gaze at the brunette, who stood with one hand on her chest, trying to keep her pulse steady, for her breathing was not as regulated as the jet-haired one's.
The brown-haired girl gasped in exhaustion at what they had just done, feeling her heart pounding in her ears as it raced wildly. Fortunately, it was slowly passing, and she slowly brought her gaze - which for a few moments had been lost - back to him. The man could see how the woman's pupils were dilated by the demand he had asked of her before that act, and soon the girl sighed as she coughed slightly, putting a hand on her throat, she was completely dehydrated.
“What do you think?” She said in a raspy voice, feeling how her mouth, along with her throat, stung subtly as they were dry, and so she tried to swallow some saliva -in vain, as she had none left, or at least, that's how she felt.
“After what we just did, I think so,” the man said in that teasing, flirtatious tone, and then let out a hoarse laugh, tossing his unruly hair back, and she grunted at him, how could he look even better after what they had done?
“Yes, that’s true. But don't say it... Ah... with that tone”. The shorter one sharpened her gaze in the direction of the black-haired boy, who simply had a sly grin on his face as he had his gaze fixed on her. “And nothing has happened for you to have that stupid grin on your immaculate face”.
“But you imagined it~,” he said, causing her cheeks to turn a pronounced shade of crimson, as they had many times before in the presence of the devilish being. “And your blush only confirms it, my dear.”
“Shut up,” Caeli said curtly to straighten up and fix her clothes. “Is he still following us?” The man sighed and turned shallowly around the corner where they stood, observing how there was no one following them anymore. There were only the quiet passers-by talking about anything and everything, as any mortal would do. Even after seeing a couple running and holding hands.
In a sense, humans were really clueless, and that for him was really beneficial sometimes. «Idiots~», the demon thought with a sly grin and then looked at the blue-eyed one. “No one is following us anymore angioletto. You're safe with me by your side”.
The girl sighed in relief, she put a hand on her chest once more, feeling her heart pounding at the tremendous run she had made with the demon. Of course, it wasn't just the fact that her feet hadn't wanted to stop in the ten straight minutes she'd been running. It was more the fact that she had had to escape from her ex-partner, Orfeo.
That cold boy who brought back such painful memories to her tormented and adolescent mind. And what bothered her the most was that not only did he bring back bad memories, the mixture of the two feelings produced by that man overwhelmed her, and left her stunned and without any kind of reaction.
Besides, it was clear that her heart couldn't bear the damn fact that she had encountered him after not having seen him - or rather avoided him - for so long. It was clear that her heart was unable to bear so many events and feelings in such a short time.
And no one could blame her either. Not everyone could have a heart of steel and ice to overcome such situations. And considering what the young Italian girl was like, it was not only her heart that couldn't handle the whirlwind of sensations, but her body as well.
«I feel dizzy», thought the brunette, as she put a hand on her chest, feeling how that muscle pumped her blood hard and relentlessly, her irregular breathing made the oxygen accumulate in that crimson liquid, making the tremors reach her body, and when she saw a little blurry, she flinched expecting to receive a strong impact.
But avoiding the blow, and surprising the younger girl, burly arms wrapped around her, as well as... a third? No, that wasn't possible. What was it that was grabbing her!?
“It's my tail angioletto, don't make that scared face, it's nothing more,” said the dark-haired man with his characteristic mocking and mischievous look, which apparently, neither in diabolical form, nor in human form could anyone take away from him. And just that one thing made Caeli's right eyebrow twitch. She couldn't explain how a single being could bother her so much. “Hang in there, the discomfort will pass soon”.
At that moment the girl nodded, but tensed as she remembered the man's tail wrapped around her arms to keep her from falling to the ground. But there was so little strength left in her body that she couldn't even react to shout at him that what he was doing was stupid, - although considering that there was no one around, maybe it wasn't so stupid-.
After the girl's ramblings, she herself felt a current run through her body like a bolt of lightning. After that, her muscles simply relaxed and lost strength, a quiet sigh escaped her lips at the sensation.
Then, she raised her gaze and watched as those glowing green eyes stared back at her with... was she seeing a hint of concern?
She shook her head. No, it wasn't possible, it was just her imagination, since the demon that was trying to steal her soul and devour her body couldn't have any feelings for her, right?
After sighing, she looked up again, and that toxic look was back to normal, making her laugh, no doubt it had been her imagination. Still, she had something to say to him.
“Thank you, Tom,” she whispered, still not breaking away from the man, who cocked his head in gratitude at the shorter one. “For what you did in the coffee shop with that woman, and... for Orfeo, too”.
A faint blush formed on the female's cheeks, something she managed to hide by the fact that they had been running for a long time and now she could blame it on exhaustion. Instead, at the sight of the black-haired boy's sly smile, her body tensed and she frowned, giving the taller one a dirty look. Because of that, she tried to pull him away, but Tom's arms wouldn't let her.
“That you tell me with a blush and a tender voice like that, makes my black little heart soften, my dear innocent angel,” a light laugh escaped the demon's lips, and he took the brunette's chin with his thumb and forefinger to lift her face and make her look at him. “But... Why doesn't the princess reward the black knight with a kiss after having made such a tremendous effort for her~?”
The Italian frowned slightly at that. But after a few seconds, she fell silent and relaxed her expression, sighed once more and turning around, gently cupped the demon's cheeks in his human form.
He was surprised to feel how the younger girl had stood on her tiptoes, their gazes connected at the gesture and their lips brushed together for her to end the separation that remained between them. The man's eyes widened in surprise, but he did not reject the kiss from the tender female who kept a cute blush on her cheeks. He simply pulled her closer to him, closing the distance between their bodies evenly to deepen the lip contact, causing a quiet gasp to escape from her mouth.
But before he could get his tongue into her cavity, she placed her hands on his chest, pulling him apart and before he could do anything else, she placed a hand on his mouth.
“It was just a kiss, we didn't talk about using our tongues,” the girl said, shivering softly as she pulled away and tidied her clothes, trying to relax from what had happened.
“If I had asked you, would you have given it to me? ~”
“No. I simply kissed you as a form of thanks. Then I'll buy you some sweets, but nothing more, don't get excited,” she laughed and turned around. «Neither should I, he's just using me,» she thought and looked sideways at the boy.
The demon, hearing those words from the brunette, gently tilted his head and his tail wrapped around her wrist, making the artist tense up. But it was worse when she saw him pout tenderly, as she looked up at him with those big, bright green eyes with dilated pupils. He certainly looked like a lost puppy.
And it was undeniable, that conquered the youngest.
«Why is he so fucking adorable?» The girl thought, only to look away when she heard the jet-haired boy's laughter.
“I know I'm adorable~”, he purred softly with that sing-song tone to wrap his arms around the brunette's shoulders still in his human form, hiding his tail the instant he let go of her wrist, “Now let's get back to your place so you can give me my reward~.”
The girl rolled her eyes at the man's words and soon, they both headed back to the artist's home with a faint smile on their lips.
[...]
By the time the two arrived at the house, to her luck there was no one there. She looked at her phone in case her mother had called her.
And Caeli noticed that she had. Chiara had called her a couple of times and when she didn't answer, she simply wrote to let her know that she had had to go to the florist to finish a last-minute job.
At least she knew her mother was all right, and she was relieved - especially since if her mother had been there, hiding a six-foot-tall jet-haired man who was also a demon, would have been a very difficult task indeed-.
She calmly took out her key to open the door and let the demon pass in front of her, after that, she simply closed the door and went into the kitchen to open the fridge and smiled as she took out a small piece of cheesecake. She went to one of the drawers and took out a fork for the man and held it out to him.
The demon there, watched her curiously and she simply smiled to hand the piece to the older one and they both headed towards the artist's room.
The jet-haired boy went to sit on the floor, near the bed, and leaned his back against it to settle in while he ate. The woman, on the other hand, snapped her fingers and picked up her sketchpad, took several pencils of different kinds and began to sketch rapidly. She had a couple of new sketches to deliver and she would rather finish them that day.
The demon on the other hand looked curiously at the cake the girl had given him, with several bites already in it.
Then, a sly smile formed on his lips at that, and he glanced sideways at the younger girl, causing a faint blush to form on his cheeks.
“Because you have grown fond of that human”.
The words that his friend, the god of destruction, had said to him that day bounced like a spring in his thoughts, making the jet-haired boy frown and leaving the empty plate -for he had not been able to resist eating the cake-, he floated to lie down on the bed, changing his form to that beautiful feline, but still feeling that notorious discomfort in his chest.
Meanwhile the girl was simply working on her drawings and sketches so that she could present them to her professors. And at one point, she glanced sideways at the cat and began to draw it, for she had to have a sketch of an animal, and the fact that it was quiet after it had eaten, helped, and after finishing she laughed at how adorable it looked, for in the process it had fallen asleep.
After that, she turned to start arranging all the drawings she had done and smiled at how good they looked, but when a green light startled her. She turned to look at the jet-haired man in his demonic form, resting peacefully.
At that, the girl let out a light chuckle and... an idea crossed her mind, silently, she took her chair and sat down in front of the boy with pencil and eraser in hand, along with her sketchpad in the other. She sat looking at him, and looked for a blank page and sighed, she wouldn't say anything to him about that drawing. But, maybe she wouldn't get another chance.
And the brunette would take the secret to her grave.
But, with as much calmness as she could find in her being, she denied and smiled, if he found out it wouldn't be so horrible either, only some teasing on his part. So she began to draw him, looking attentively at every slightest centimetre to capture it on paper, at a certain moment she noticed how the demon's ears had moved subtly and she laughed lightly, even in his sleep he still looked like a cute kitten.
She looked around, knowing that no one was there, but wanting to make sure, she put the half-finished drawing aside and sat down on the bed, bringing her hands close to the demon's ears.
When she was able to caress them, she blushed slightly as she noticed that they were really soft, stroking them thoroughly and with a soft blush on her cheeks. But she was surprised when she heard a soft purring sound, the thing that shocked her the most was that this adorable noise came from the demon, which made her gently let go of the other's ear when the thought that it was cute went through her mind.
Surprised by her thoughts she simply patted her cheeks and shook her head, she couldn't let this demon get to her, no matter how... endearing he might look.
Instead, before she could pull away a hand grabbed her wrist, and soon she felt herself being tugged, causing her to let out a squeal at that and close her eyes only to soon feel a strange warmth surround her, and when she opened her eyelids, she saw what had happened, she was surprised to find herself in the jet-haired boy's arms. Her cheeks flushed red almost instantly and her body trembled.
It was strange, since she had been in those arms before - more than she could imagine - but now, it felt like a completely different sensation. She didn't really feel embarrassed, nor did she feel disgusted or annoyed. It was just a rather odd feeling of protectiveness coming from a demon trying to get her soul.
Surprised that she didn't feel the boy's heart pounding, she leaned closer, resting her face against his chest, noticing that... all he was doing was breathing, there was nothing there. At that, she raised her gaze to the boy, who was breathing peacefully in his sleep. And there the girl wondered, if he didn't have a heart, what did he really feel when he was hurt? And when someone made him sad?
Undoubtedly, this man was a real mystery to her, for as buffoonish as he might look in her eyes, she knew he was more than the facade he showed.
At that thought, a faint tingle settled in her stomach and she averted her gaze. But she never left his side. She seemed to feel protected there. It was really... comfortable.
“Hmm…” She purred softly, settling into the man’s arms and smiling. She hadn't felt this way with anyone in a long time and she couldn't deny it, she liked it.
º º º º º º
Apparently, she hadn't noticed that I had been awake the whole time, staring at her as she drew me. Surely if I brought it up she'd make her pout like she always does when something bothers her, no doubt this human could be tender at times, at least when she wasn't with me, or if I was "asleep".
I had watched her draw me in my cat form, I saw her approaching slowly, like a curious little mouse approaching that which attracts her attention after having changed to my demonic form. Clearly, she had not noticed that I was awake, for she would not have approached me, nor would she have sat on the bed, nor would she have stroked my ears - a gesture that delighted me, for not even the purring could have concealed it.
The truth is, if I stared at her, even if she was a mere pup, Caeli was a beautiful girl indeed, her skin beckoned to be tasted and her intense, innocent eyes could reflect the sky in them. No doubt I could be corny if I wanted to be, after all, many women had fallen for my lip.
But there was one thing I would never admit out loud, and it was at that moment that she looked at me with that innocent, expressive gaze, trying to decipher my "sleepy" face. There, at that very moment, I felt vulnerable, it was only for a few moments, but it seemed as if she could see right through me just by looking at me. It was certainly shuddering.
And when she had touched me I could only let myself go, it had been a sweet, tender and curious caress, her fine-fingered hands did not touch me with fear, nor hatred, they did not tug at me as if I were a monster, they simply caressed me with care and delicacy. But when I felt her pull away, for some reason my body reacted to take her wrist and hold her close to my body, letting her lay her head on my chest.
I felt her tense for a few minutes, I felt her relax some time later, and when I least expected it, she settled down with me on that comfortable mattress and a few moments later she fell completely asleep. How do I know?
Because whenever she slept she had much softer breathing than when she was awake and her body was much more relaxed than when she stayed awake and close to me. After affirming that she remained asleep, I opened my eyes and smiled slyly at that, seeing her so vulnerable.
“It would be so easy to attack you now...” I whispered to myself. One of my hands went to her waist, to her jumper, and at the touch she gasped. And she pressed herself closer to my body.
At that moment, even though my body had asked me to go all the way, my brain knew I couldn't, now that our relationship had become closer, and I knew that because of what had happened earlier that day. The bond between me and her had been strengthened, all thanks to that stupid mortal who was driving my victim crazy.
“My victim,” I whispered to myself again to squeeze the slender body in my arms a little tighter. And upon realising this, I simply frowned and pulled away from her to sigh and grab the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger.
I shouldn't think unnecessary thoughts, not now that I was starting to move closer to her so that I could pry her darkest secret out of her, not now that I was closer to my goal.
º º º º º º
After thinking that the man turned to look at the girl lying asleep on the comfortable mattress, he gently stroked one of her cheeks and she smiled slightly.
And he realised that he was also smiling at what she had done. So he grunted slightly to get up, open a portal to his world and just disappear.
He needed to take his frustration out on someone. And he knew just the person to do that.
Unfortunately, neither the demon nor the mortal knew that fate had something really big in store for the two of them. The hands of the clock had started to move, and the butterfly effect had begun to play its part.
Moreover, what neither of them knew, was that in that instant they had been watched by more eyes than they would ever have believed.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone