fic for berrybuttboy

[nino_mod]

For: berrybuttboy
From: :3.

Title: Halcyon Days
Pairing/Focus: Nino/Jun
Rating: Mostly PG-13 but NC-17 for latter half of the fic
Warnings: Light BDSM, magic sex, and slight mentions of blood
Summary: Royal Knight Matsumoto gets assigned to watch over his childhood friend, who has been banished from the demon realm.
Notes: Hello recipient! You had a lot of good prompts, and it was hard to choose which one to do, but in the end I settled on the ‘Demons’ one! This is a mild slow burn fic, I hope that’s okay? I tried. I also noticed that you really liked Jun, so the fic is from his point of view (to switch things up a bit~). I truly hope you like this (have no idea how it got so long)! Many thanks to my beta and my friends for putting up with me during the writing of the fic. Your support means a lot <3 Also a special shout out and thanks to the mod for being incredibly patient with me! You’re the best!


Prologue

“You have broken one of the most sacred rules of the Demon Realm, do you understand the consequences?”

Nino brought his gaze down to the ground, his face betraying no emotion as he nodded slowly iin acknowledgment. He had nothing to say—he had committed the act with full knowledge that there would be retribution, and that he would be punished harshly, maybe even executed.

Yet, knowing all of this, Nino knew that he didn't regret it. He could feel the sadness radiating from his queen, knowing that what she was going to do to him would crush her heart for the next several decades—she was quite fond of him.

But it was mercy.

“Ninomiya Kazunari,” the queen whispered, her voice reverberating in the hall, sounding louder than usual in the empty area. There was no one else but just the two of them. Nino knew that she favoured him above all the others, and that was why she was his only audience for what was about to happen. He was grateful for that at least. She respected his pride and dignity by doing so.

“My queen,” he replied quietly. Despite what she was about to do to him, he couldn't resent her. He admired her too much for that. He knew she had no choice but to uphold the laws of their race, whether she liked it or not.

Favouritism over the law was not an option.

The queen stood at the throne in her full height and put in her hand out in front of her. “As by the ways of the demons,” she said in a whisper, her tone firm but airy, “I punish you for breaking one of our sacred laws.” A pool of black magic appeared around her form as her silver eyes glowed red. “Ninomiya Kazunari,” she called his name again, slowly drawing each syllable out. Nino closed his eyes for what was about to come. It was going to hurt. He heard her voice waver faintly before she said, “I strip you of your powers and your blood.”

The effect was immediate. Nino gasped as he felt his magic being sucked out of him rapidly. He growled as he tried to stay standing, his tail wrapped tightly around his waist trying to resist fighting against the feeling of being ripped apart—he felt like he was going to die.

“You will be sent to live in the mortal realm for next decade,” she continued as the spell spreaded through his veins. Nino let out a small cry as sharp pangs of pain appeared on top of his head.

The pain was excruciating now. It rippled throughout his body and he fell onto all fours, trying his hardest not to scream.

He tried to open his eyes and watched as the queen approached him, her long gown billowing behind her as she moved. Her face was aloof, but Nino knew better: the image of him on the floor pained her. The pain from her was pouring out from her rapidly until there was no more. It had been sucked out of him completely as the spell continued to take place inside of him.

“I’m… sorry...” he managed to choke out as another burst of pain rippled through his body. He could feel his energy being sucked out from him.

Nino could hear his queen's hurried footsteps as she walked over to him.

The last thing he saw was the red colour of her nails as he finally succumbed to the pain.


I.

Jun sighed as he entered his room and began to remove his armour. He looked around the room; it had been kept clean by the servants as the furnitures were free of dust and the bed was perfectly made for his return. Jun let out a small groan when he finally removed the armour, pulling it over his head, enjoying the lightness in his body again. He stretched, enjoying the pull in his muscles as he placed the breast plate on the armour rack.

It had been a long and tedious journey back, but finally they were home. He had never been fond of the diplomatic missions the princess had to go on, especially when they had to travel to rather far and distant kingdoms. But it was his duty, and he couldn't complain. He knew he was very privileged to be able to serve as one of the princess’ royal knights.

Once he removed his shoulder pads, Jun reached for the sword on his back. He had been gone for three months this time, assisting with the safety of the princess while she worked on drafting a trading treaty with a smaller kingdom. It had gone fairly well, and Jun considered it a success. Things had gone without a hitch, and no one had gotten hurt (or killed).

However, he hoped he would be able to get a nice break for the next few weeks, even if the mission had not been as stressful or tiring as other missions. It had been a while since he had last seen his family and friends, and he had missed them.

But if duty calls… he thought wryly as he set down the sword on top of his dresser. There's not much I can do. When he finished removing all of his armour and clothes, Jun headed for the bathroom adjacent to his room. Times like these, he was grateful for his position as a royal knight. If he was living in the dormitory, he would've had to wait for the other knights to finish using the showers.

Privilege is great, Jun thought with a chuckle as he grabbed his towel. While he was waiting for the bathtub to fill, he checked his reflection in the mirror. He pinched at his cheeks, frowning at the faint scar at the side of his face. He had gotten his hair cut just before they went home, the princess giving comment that Jun needed a new change. Before he knew what was happening, she had dragged him to a hairdresser to get a new hairstyle.

Jun titled his face down to get a better view. He quite liked the new haircut. Gone were his long black locks, replaced by a much shorter layered cut that the princess had said made him look younger. He had also gotten it dyed a dark brown with hints of light brown highlights. The queen said it complemented his purple eyes. Overall, he was satisfied with his new look. Jun brought his eyes back to the scar, a product of a training gone wrong. His mother had wept when she saw it, cursing the knight who had cut him for scarring his “beautiful face.”

Jun was of noble blood. As an aristocrat, he had a few options in choosing his career at an early age. He knew that he didn't want to inherit his father’s trade, nor was he the scholar type, so he enlisted himself into the military to get into knighthood. It hadn’t been easy at first—he wasn’t always as confident as he was now. The first few years had been rough, his young adult self trying to find himself and his place in life. Eventually, Jun managed to get himself out of his funk and saw his performance improved vastly. His rise in the ranks was faster than he would have thought, and before he knew it, he had managed to obtain the title of a Royal Knight just shortly before his 100th year.

Jun wasn't naive. He knew there were many that resented his quick ascension in the ranks, and he would gladly prove them wrong when they challenged him to a fight—he was definitely one of the best fighters in the kingdom. He worked hard to get to where he was, and Jun refused to let someone’s jealousy and insecurities ruin that.

Jun looked back at the bathtub, moving to turn off the water as the bathtub was already two-thirds full. Stripping himself of his undergarments, Jun quickly got in, enjoying the warm temperature of the water before sitting down and letting out a soft sigh as the water enveloped over his skin.

Yes, he definitely wasn’t going to let anyone ruin it for him. Life was good.


There was a knock on his door the next day as Jun was combing his hair.

“Come in!” he called, setting down his comb before turning around and getting up to meet the person at the door.

The bedroom door opened to admit a shorter demon. Jun immediately knew this was a messenger due to the yellow necklace he was wearing. Keeping his head bowed, the messenger said, “Good morning, Royal Knight Matsumoto, your presence is required.”

Jun frowned and waved him closer. The messenger approached him, his tail flickering behind him nervously as he walked up to the knight.

“By who?” Jun asked in confusion. Who could possibly want to meet him so soon after his return?

The messenger bowed again, keeping his gaze to the floor. “The Queen, Matsumoto-sama. She requires your presence in the throne room.”

Jun’s eyebrows shot up. The queen? Schooling his features into an emotionless expression, he replied stonily, “I see. I shall be there soon.” He waved his hand to dismiss the messenger from the room before turning back to the mirror in front of him with a frown.

As Jun continued to get ready, his mind whirled with the possibilities of the meeting. What did the queen want with him? There was no way the princess had to be escorted again somewhere. It hadn't even been a week since he had returned to the palace. A feeling of uneasiness washed over him before Jun got up to get dressed.

He settled on wearing his training uniform, foregoing the armour since he wasn't given much information on what the meeting was for. The armour might be too much for what could be a casual meeting, but he didn't want to look like a slob in front of everyone. He pulled on the outfit before grabbing his sword and tied it around his waist. Checking himself in the mirror one last time, Jun let out a sigh before heading out the door.

Jun was no stranger to the throne room. As the twin set of doors opened to reveal a large and spacious hall where the queen sat with her royal advisors, Jun noticed that there weren’t as many guards around as usual.

The demon queen was chatting with her advisors as he approached quietly, his face masked into a cool expression. She smiled when he reached the bottom of the stairs to her throne. Even after years of service, he could not help but be awed by her beauty. The queen was revered for her beauty across the realms. She had many suitors after her husband had passed centuries ago, but she never took on another. Jun dropped into a knight’s bow, going down swiftly on one knee and placed a hand over his heart.

“Your majesty,” he said firmly, trying not to flinch at how loud his voice sounded in the throne room, “you have called for me?”

“Ah, yes, I did,” she replied in amusement, and he could hear the sound of her robes as she moved close to him. “You may rise, Royal Knight Matsumoto.”

Jun got up on his feet, keeping his gaze towards the ground. He almost jumped when he felt a hand over his bicep and he looked up in confusion.

“Your majesty…?”

The queen smirked and patted him on the arm lightly before waving at him to follow her.

“Come with me. I need to speak with you in private.”

Jun’s eyebrows shot up as she turned around and walked away without another word. He followed, making sure to keep a metre distance between them. His eyes widened when he realized that they walked past the tea room and into her private quarters. Curious servants watched them as they pair made their way down the hallway. Jun felt his palms begin to sweat from the tension.

When they finally reached a set of large doors near the end of the hallway, Jun realized that they were entering her bedroom.

“Please don't look so worried!” the queen said amusedly as she pushed the doors open. “I just need to keep this out of some people’s ears.” She motioned for him to close the doors behind them and took a seat on top of her bed, crossing her legs.

Jun stared in admiration. Even in a less formal setting, the queen looked every inch of the ruler, her presence powerful and commanding.

“Please make yourself comfortable,” she offered, gesturing towards the chairs.

Jun shook his head. “It's okay, your majesty. I can stand.”

She huffed in amusement. “Suit yourself.” She leaned back on her arms, her piercing silver eyes observing him carefully.

Jun tried his hardest not to fidget under her stare. After a few moments of silence, Jun lifted his gaze. She looked at him in amusement, not seemingly affected by the awkward silence that had fallen between them.

“Your… majesty…?” he asked unsurely. Was she testing him?

“Matsumoto Jun,” she finally said, straightening into a more formal position. “What I am about to tell you is something private and secret. I would need you to pledge that you will not tell another soul what I am about to tell you.”

Jun straightened up and bowed, trying to ignore the nervous feeling that washed over him. “Of course, your majesty. I won't breathe a word of it to anyone. You have my promise.”

She nodded and drew her knees up on the bed and rested her chin on top of them. The image made her look much younger. “The only reason I'm telling you this, Royal Knight Matsumoto, is that I trust you. My daughter trusts you, and I have heard great things about you from her.” She smiled at him, giggling at the blush that appeared on Jun’s cheeks.

“Ah-h.” He cleared his throat, hating how his voice cracked. “I am honoured to hear that.”

The queen grinned and nodded. “Yes, and that was why I decided to ask this of you.” Jun straightened when he saw the sudden change in the queen’s expression, her cheerful expression now one of careful contemplation.

“How can I serve?” he asked.

The queen tilted her head to the side as she observed him. “I have a… mission… or rather, a task… I would like you to do for me. It's something I wouldn't like for the others to know, so I must ask you to avoid speaking about this if possible.”

Jun nodded and place his hands behind his back. She nodded, her contemplative expression never changing. “Several years ago, I sent one of our own to the mortal world as punishment for breaking one of our sacred laws.”

Jun’s eyebrows shot up. The mortal world? He wondered who it was. It must have been a very serious offence if the person had been sent there. A demon stripped of their powers essentially made them weak and vulnerable.

“No one knows because it was something I wished to keep private.” She twirled a finger around a strand of hair.

“Private?”

She smiled warily. “Yes. He's very important to me.”

“What would you like me to do?” Jun asked, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice. He really hoped it wasn't an execution order, especially against a helpless and defenseless person. He would do it if the queen asked, but he didn't like it. Jun wondered who this person was. Why did the queen go so far to hide his identity and punishment from the royal court?

“I need you go to the mortal realm and watch him. I need you to protect him.”

Jun was surprised. He didn't expect that. The queen sighed.

“Protect… him?” he asked in confusion.

“Yes. I fear that his banishment has been found out, and I need him to be protected. I do not wish for harm to come his way, Royal Knight Matsumoto,” she said in a stern voice, her silver eyes meeting his fiercely. “I won't allow it.”

Jun nodded. “Who is he?”

The queen sent him a wry smile. “He used to be one of my advisors. You may know of him, he was in your year.” She let out a soft sigh. “His name is Ninomiya Kazunari.”

Jun had to bite back the surprise noise that threatened to escape his lips. Ninomiya? Nino?He definitely knew him. In fact, it was hard to find someone who didn't know him that was employed or living in the palace.

Jun had not heard his name in years. He was famous in the palace as one of the queen’s favourite advisors (maybe her favourite—there were a lot of rumours in regards to this subject).

He was also Jun’s childhood friend.

Jun felt shivers run down his spine as her cold silver eyes met his. He cleared his throat. “When would you like me to start?”

The queen smiled at him apologetically, her features suddenly warm and welcoming. It had always amazed him at how she was able to change her demeanour so quickly like that. “I know you've just returned from the Lowlands,” she said, “and it hasn't been a week since your return.” Jun shook his head. “But if you could go and see him tomorrow that would be preferable.”

Jun frowned. He needed more information from her. “And did you want me to stay with him?” he asked, “or watch him the entire time?”

The queen shrugged. “This I leave to your discretion. If you feel there's no immediate or real threat, you can drop by everyday for a few hours to check up on him. I trust you, Royal Knight Matsumoto. Whatever you choose, I have faith in your decision,” she said it with such trust and conviction that Jun had a hard time forming a proper response. He felt elated and honoured at the faith she had in him.

Jun dropped down into a knight’s bow again and looked up to meet her ruby-coloured eyes. “I will do my best,” he said in a firm voice.

She grinned, her red lipstick a starking contrast to her white fangs. “Oh, I have no doubt you will.”


II.

When Jun headed back to his room after the meeting with the queen, he immediately began making a mental list of the armour and weapons he was going to take with him to the mortal realm and the spells he had to use.

Jun wasn’t the most adept at magic, but he knew a few basic spells to help him with the mission. One of his favourite spells to use when he was working was the Shadow Spell. It allowed him to hide and travel through the shadows, blending in with the darkness. It was a great way to stay hidden, but it was only best used when there was a lot of sunlight or at night.

Jun didn't think that there would be anything worth being worried about when he was going to check up on Nino tomorrow. He stared down at his weapons in disbelief.

Nino. They had been childhood friends once. They drifted apart when they'd chosen different fields of study, making it harder and harder to meet up between classes. Jun knew his former friend had done very well for himself and he had hoped to be able to rekindle his friendship with Nino again after they graduated, but it hadn't been as successful as he hoped. They were far too busy.

Jun wondered how Nino would look like with his lack of demon powers. The queen had told him she had sealed them up, making him completely “mortal.” Jun couldn't fathom how that would feel. How empty it would be.

Shrugging out of his robes and into his night wear, Jun walked over to his bed and dropped down on the sheets face first. He wondered if Nino ever considered rekindling their friendship after they had drifted apart. Whatever happened tomorrow… Jun just hoped all went well.

**

The next morning, Jun found himself standing at the gate between the realms. He was nervous, if the slight tremble in his hands was of any indication. I’m a royal knight, why am I so nervous for a simple watching mission, he thought to himself angrily as he looked at the gatekeeper.

“Mortal realm,” Jun said. The gatekeeper gave him a lazy look in return before tapping the portal with her staff. It glowed white before it turned green.

“You may proceed now,” she said before closing her eyes again. Jun wondered how she was able to keep her job if she slept like that.

Shaking his head, he squared his shoulders and walked through the portal.

When he got to the other side, Jun noticed that it was bright. “And hot,” he muttered before casting the Shadow Spell on himself and slinking into the shadows.

Before he had headed for the gates this morning, the queen had summoned him back to her private quarters again, giving him the coordinates and map of Nino’s location.

“Should I tell him he’s being watched?” Jun had asked.

“If you want to,” she simply responded in return before sending him away.

“She’s not very helpful,” Jun mumbled under his breath as he made his way through the neighbourhood to find Nino’s apartment. He didn’t mind being given the freedom to make his own choices, but a little direction would’ve been nice.

When he finally found the apartment he was looking for, Jun was surprised by how… quaint and normal everything looked. Well, I suppose it makes sense since he is practically a mortal now, Jun thought with a frown as he looked at the door number. 17.

Jun reached into his pocket and pulled out a small orange container. Before he went for dinner yesterday evening, Jun had made a trip to the royal sorceress for some supplies—he had purchased some glamour powder. It was useful in spying missions and the magical powder helped concealed his presence from others. He paused when a thought hit him: did Nino still have his empathic powers or had the queen sealed those away too? If Nino did, the glamour spell would be useless since the smaller demon would be able to sense his emotions anyway.

Jun was never good at concealing his emotions fully like Nino did.

Pinching a small amount of powder in his hand, he carefully closed the container again and placed it back in his pocket. Looking towards his target location, Jun placed the powder in his mouth and grimaced at the taste as it took effect. He felt his entire body tingle before his limbs disappeared in thin air. Double checking to make sure the powder was working properly, Jun searched for an entrance.


After he managed to get inside without too much fuss (the concept of the mortals’ locks was strange in the mortal world), Jun looked at his surroundings.

It was a small living space, but cozy enough for one person. The kitchen was tiny and there were dirty plates stacked inside the sink. Jun grimaced when he saw the mess before turning his gaze over to the half-opened bedroom door.

Tiptoeing quietly through the piles of clothes and the many random containers on the floor to reach the bedroom, Jun made his way over to the sleeping figure and crouched down beside the bed. He blinked as he stared at the body curled up in the sheets.

Nino was facing away from him, and Jun could see the curve of his back. Nino had always been smaller in stature, compared to most demons he knew. It had amazed him back then that such a small demon housed immense power within him. And his scent… still the same but very much different as well.

He looked much thinner than Jun had last seen him. Probably not keeping up on his fitness, he thought in amusement as Nino snorted in his sleep before turning around to face him.

Jun blinked. Nino had always maintained a youthful appearance, a product of the magic that was within him. All magic users always looked younger (and often had a longer lifespan) due to the magic that ran through their veins.

Suddenly Nino’s eyes snapped open, almost causing Jun to fall backwards at the unexpected action. Nino stared in front of him and for a moment Jun thought the smaller demon had seen him, but there was no way that was possible. The spell had to hold.

Jun froze and watched as Nino blinked the sleep out of his eyes. The former demon frowned and stared at the space (Jun) in front of him for a moment before letting out a loud yawn and stretched his arms over his head.

Jun backed away from him, taking care not to bump into anything as Nino threw the covers off of him and sat up, running his hand through his hair.

“It’s too early…” Nino mumbled to himself as he narrowed his eyes at the clock beside his bed. Letting out a loud yawn, he climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom. When he emerged from the bathroom again, Nino had changed into a white and blue uniform. Jun assumed that this was for some sort of job—he didn't know how the mortal realm worked, but it couldn't be too different from his own world, right? Did Nino even have to work here?

Jun watched curiously as Nino went through the rest of his morning routine. The former demon shuffled through it. Brush his teeth, comb his hair, eat breakfast… Jun was surprised he was able to make it out the door in less than fifteen minutes.

When he was finished, Jun watched as Nino locked the door behind him before letting out a small sigh and began heading down the stairs of his apartment. Now that they were outside, it was easier for him to follow the man closely. He travelled through the shadows, noting that Nino didn't even looked anywhere else except for the road ahead.

Must not enjoy the sights, Jun thought in amusement. Ten minutes later, Nino was walking across the street to a shop. Is this where he works?Jun wondered as the man stepped inside, letting out a unexcited hello to the man standing at the counter patiently.

Jun settled into a spot that allowed him full view of the store while hiding among the shadows. For the next eight hours, Jun kept guard as he observed Nino at his job.

While Nino was relatively lazy, he did his job properly. Nino did do his work, albeit a little slowly and was entirely too focused on that small device in his hands. But what concerned Jun was that it was boring. Unstimulating. For a demon who had the best education in the realm, and was an advisor to the most powerful woman in the all of the kingdoms, watching Nino perform his job as a mere store clerk was painful to watch.

The only interesting thing that happened was when a tall and cheerful man visited the store, chattering away with Nino as the former demon bagged his purchases into a plastic bag. Despite the snappy and short responses from Nino, the man didn't seem to be phased or put off by it.

When Nino was finally done with his shift for the day, Jun was ready to shout in happiness. That had been one of the longest eight hours of his life. As he followed the man home, he wondered what Nino thought about his current life.

Did he find it boring? Slow? Or maybe Nino enjoyed how he was living right now? It was hard to coincide the confident and commanding presence of the advisor with this quiet and lazy store worker.

The first thing Nino did when he got home was shower. While he was in there, Jun took the time to look around Nino’s apartment again.

He began to inspect the rest of Nino’s belongings that he didn't get a chance to examine this morning. For the most part, the apartment did looked comfortably lived in, and it seemed that Nino had “acquired” some personal belongings for the few years he had been residing in the mortal realm.

When Nino finally finished and came out of the bathroom, Jun watched as he went through the motions of preparing his “dinner” (a measly meal of rice and some eggs). Jun watched in distaste as Nino consumed his sad meal while playing with a small device in his hand (not before putting the bowls in the sink), and headed for his couch.

Nino booted up the black device and the screen and Jun watched in fascination as Nino picked up another strange looking device (what was it with humans and weird devices?) and began to use it.

The next several hours was oddly entertaining. It was clear to Jun that this device was a source of entertainment for Nino. He spent close to an hour designing a “character” on the screen, picking different outfits and hairstyles before actually proceeding with whatever he was supposed to do. Nino only paused whatever he was doing to use the bathroom before resuming again. Jun sat on the ground as he watched Nino spend his entire evening in front of the screen.

When Nino finally decided to call it a day, Jun was amazed to find that five hours had passed. He stared at the former demon in disbelief as Nino powered down the device before climbing into bed. In the dark and silent apartment, Jun stared down at Nino in bewilderment for a few moments. When it was clear that Nino had fallen asleep, Jun took his leave.

Walking back to the portal, Jun recounted the events of the day. He didn’t know what to make of it; everything about it was so… it was so ordinary and boring. It was hard to see how the demon he knew was completely different now. As if pieces of his personality had disappeared along with Nino’s powers.

It was just depressing. Jun didn't know how Nino could live like this. He couldn’t even begin to fathom how it would feel to be an empty shell like Nino now.

Nino wasn’t living.


III.

Jun continued to watch Nino over the week, learning his schedule… if it could be called one. It really just consisted of sleep, playing on that strange device in his living room and the small one he liked to carry around with him, eating (if he remembered), and work. Not much had changed since the first day he began his task. He really wondered if Nino was enjoying the life he was living now.

Today was one of Nino’s day off and the skies were blue, the sun was bright, and there was absolutely no way he could hide easily among the shadows out in the open like this, making it impossible to walk behind him. There were too little shadows on the road Nino was walking on. Everything was almost enveloped in warm sunlight. The man was heading in a direction Jun had never seen him take before. He followed closely behind him with the help of the Glamour Powder to keep his presence hidden this time. Jun hadn’t wanted to waste it, but he had no other choice.

Nino seemed cheerful today, more so than the other days Jun had been watching him. I wonder if he's meeting someone, Jun thought curiously as he watched Nino walk faster towards his destination. They soon came upon a large park. There were a few other mortals in the area, families and couples having a picnic in various places. Jun watched as Nino fiddled with his ‘phone’ (as he had learned what it was earlier this week).

“Hey! I’m here!” Nino said into his phone, looking around lazily. “Where are you guys?” He continued walking down the path, speaking with the other person on the line occasionally.

They continued walking for a few more minutes before a loud voice yelled out, “Nino! Over here!”

Jun’s eyes immediately looked over to the source of the sound. Under a tree, there were two men sitting in the shade. Jun immediately recognized the one waving enthusiastically as the tall and cheerful one he’d seen at the store a few times in the past week. The other person waved at Nino as the he made his way over to them.

“Sho-chan, Aiba-kun,” Nino greeted, plopping down in front of them.

“You came!” Aiba, the taller of the two, exclaimed cheerfully. “And here, Sho-chan was saying you wouldn’t!”

“I just said that Nino might not come. I didn’t say he wouldn’t,” Sho grumbled at his friend before turning to Nino with a kind smile. “Hi Nino.”

Jun took the chance of the close proximity with Nino’s friends to get a better look at them. Aiba was the tallest of the trio, with long arms and legs, and a bright smile. He had also changed his hairstyle, much to his surprise and Nino’s, since the man began pointing at it. The last couple of times Jun had seen him, he’d had lighter hair. Now, Aiba had dark hair with side swept bangs, giving him a much more mature look.

“He’s definitely going to get all the ladies with that hair now,” Sho teased, chuckling at Aiba’s pout.

Sho was stockier of the two, with a similar hairstyle to Aiba’s, except the bangs were fuller. This was the first time Jun had the chance to meet Sho, and he already knew that this man was probably the most “serious” of the three, if he went by their interactions with each other.

“I can’t believe we’re having a picnic,” Nino whined, but accepted the sandwich that Sho handed him. “Who made this?”

“I did!” Aiba exclaimed, taking a large bite.

Nino paled and stared at the food in his hand. “It’s edible… right?”

“You won’t get food poisoning this time,” Sho remarked, “I helped.”

“Hey!” Aiba protested.

“That's not reassuring,” Nino said in horror.

The rest of the afternoon went by peacefully. Jun had decided to keep watch close by the group, but not too close so that they could accidentally bump into him in case they decided to get up.

Watching Nino interact with his mortal friends, Jun realized that not much had changed with Nino in terms of communicating with friends. He was still affectionate (and touchy), he was witty, and he made smart-ass remarks. It made Jun feel nostalgic, thinking back to much simpler days when he and Nino used to be close.

Seeing Nino like this made Jun less pessimistic about the banishment. It was nice to see a change in Nino’s demeanour and dreary life when he was around friends.

When it was finally time to go, it was nearing dinner time. Sakurai and Aiba had insisted Nino come with them to grab something to eat, but Nino had refused saying he had work early tomorrow. Waving his friends off, Nino headed back to his apartment with Jun following behind him in the shadows.

Much to his dismay, the first thing Nino did when he got home was turn on his gaming console. Dinner today was only a small rice ball that he had kept in his fridge for the past two days. Jun gave him a disapproving look (obviously Nino wasn’t able to see it) as the man snacked and played his games at the same time.

Jun shook his head at him before deciding to call it a night. The day had gone rather peacefully (like always), and there didn’t seem to be any threat to Nino’s person. Jun gave Nino one last glance before slinking into the shadows for the night.


The routine continued. On the second Friday since he had begun keeping watch, Jun was standing by the bedroom door, waiting for Nino to head to bed. It was yet another ordinary day for Nino. He had a longer shift today, covering a coworker who had to leave early because of a family emergency. Jun could see how weary and tired Nino was from the slouch of his shoulders. It had been a busy shift, and the man looked ready to fall asleep the moment his head touched the pillow. Nino was walking slowly, dragging his feet on the ground.

Jun watched as Nino went through the motions of getting ready for bed. He took a quick shower, had a small snack for dinner (Jun really hated his eating habits), and quickly changed for bed. Just as he was about to climb into bed, he paused.

“So, how long are you going to stalk me?”

Jun froze. He did not expect Nino to say that—he didn't expect Nino to speak of him at all. He watched in stunned silence as Nino sighed and turned around, staring at the empty space in front of him. Narrowing his eyes, he crossed his arms across his chest and glared in the direction Jun was standing in.

“I know you're there. You can come out now,” Nino said drily.

Jun hesitated. Should he reveal himself? The queen never said he wasn't allowed to reveal his true identity to Nino, but Jun had been reluctant to do so to make it less awkward for everyone.

“I can feel your emotions, and I know you are there. Really, you can run away now, or you can show me who you are,” Nino spoke again, this time annoyance colouring his tone. “If you were planning to kill me, you would've done so already, so I doubt that is your objective at this point.”

Always the quick one, Jun thought wryly before releasing the Glamour Powder. There was no point in hiding any longer. It wasn't like there would actually be a consequence for showing himself to Nino.

Nino's reaction was amusing to say the least. When he finally revealed himself, Nino gasped, jumping when Jun's face appeared in thin air. He slowly turned pale as he stared at Jun dumbfoundedly.

“Hi Nino,” Jun said quietly before crossing his arms across his chest to paint a confident picture, even though he was actually incredibly nervous about their reunion.

“I—who—what?!” Nino spluttered in surprise, staring at him with wide eyes as his jaw dropped open. “J-J-Jun-kun?!”

Jun looked at him in surprise. He definitely didn't expect Nino to call him in such a familiar way, after such a long period of time. “That's me,” he replied sheepishly. “I was the one watching you for the past week.”

“Why?!” Nino blurted out in shock, still bewildered at his presence. “Is stalking your new job now?!”

“By the orders of the queen,” Jun hastily explained. He stood there awkwardly as Nino sank down into his bed in disbelief. “She requested that I watch you for your safety.”

Nino's demeanour immediately changed. Snorting, Nino rolled his eyes and pulled his legs up underneath him, looking closed off and unwelcoming. “I don't need protection,” he growled. “You can tell her thanks, but no thanks.”

Jun snorted and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms across his chest, staring at him with narrowed eyes. “Yes, you do. What can a demon without his powers do to fend off enemies?” Nino remained silent. “Nothing.”

“I don't know if you’ve noticed, but you're a knight so of course you have,” Nino drawled sarcastically and gestured around the room. “My life isn't that dramatic or exciting to be watching me over for.”

“That's too bad then,” Jun said, standing back upright. “Because I'm still going to be here, whether you like it or not. Orders are orders.”

He felt a small hint of satisfaction when Nino glowered up at him.

“I don't know what she's planning, but I refuse to play her games!” Nino snapped finally after a moment and flopped back down on his back. Jun thought he looked like a petulant child.

“She worries about you,” Jun remarked disappointedly, taking a small step closer. Nino snorted and sat up again, raising an eyebrow at him.

“It's been five years since she's banished me from the Demon Realm, why would she worry now?”

“I have no doubts that she was keeping watch on you herself.”

“Creepy.” Jun heard him mumble.

“How did you know I was here anyway?” Jun asked curiously. “Your powers are sealed.”

Nino smirked. “The queen may be able to seal up the magic that runs through my veins, but she isn't able to seal up my empathic powers. It's not something that can be learned.” He grinned at him. “You should know this. Although, it is slightly dampened...” he trailed off sulkily.

Jun rolled his eyes. “Of course I do.” He had never been gifted in the art of magic. While Nino had a natural talent for weaving and manipulating it to his will, Jun was always better at punching things. Thinking about it now, that was the beginning of how he and Nino became close friends.


**


Jun sighed. He was never going to get it right.

“I don't know why we have to study advanced magic anyway,” he scowled to himself, “we have mages for that.”

“Isn’t it still better to know anyway?”

Jun let out a loud yelp at the unexpected presence behind him. When did he…?!

“Ninomiya!” he yelled angrily. “Don't sneak up on people like that!”

Ninomiya rolled his eyes as Jun glared up at him. He hated how he was shorter than a lot of the others in his year. Ninomiya towered over him by at least a head.

“So what were you practicing?” Ninomiya asked, ignoring his earlier exclamation.

Jun felt his face heat up. He didn’t want Ninomiya to know he was struggling with one of the spells they had to practice from their magic class earlier.

“Nothing,” he grumbled in response, turning away from him before looking back with a pointed expression. “Don’t you have class right now?”

Ninomiya shrugged and snapped his fingers, a spark of yellow magic shot up before disintegrating. Jun rolled his eyes. Show off. “Lesson ended early today when the instructor got hit with a sudden illness,” he explained in an offhanded manner. “No work this evening.”

“I see. Well, some of us do,” Jun remarked. Why wasn’t Ninomiya leaving?

“And struggling at it,” Ninomiya commented, eyeing him curiously. “I can help, you know?”

“Why would you even want to, Ninomiya?” Jun asked in confusion. It wasn’t like they were friends. Ninomiya rolled his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest.

“Because I can see you’re struggling with it, and I have done this before. And why not? Also, you can call me Nino,” he said with a grin.

Jun blinked at him owlishly. “Why?”

Ninomiya smirked. “Because I think you and I will be seeing each other more often.”


**


He wasn’t wrong, Jun thought fondly as he recalled the memories of his childhood. Nino had been right: the two of them ended meeting up more and more because Jun had been so fascinated at how easy it was for Nino to manipulate magic. He was also a great teacher, and Jun’s marks in magic class jumped. They started hanging outside of school, and before Jun knew it, he started seeing Nino as his friend.

Jun looked down at Nino, who was looking back at him sulkily from the bed.

Nino scowled at him after a moment of silence between them. “What?” he grumbled.

Jun chuckled and sent him an amused look. “Nothing.”

Nino let out a loud hmph and climbed under the covers. Tucking himself in, he shot an unamused look at him. “Well, if you are done stalking me for the day, you can leave now.”

Jun shook his head but decided that Nino was right. There was nothing to do here anymore. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” Jun told him, looking down at the still sulking man.

“I can’t wait,” Nino retorted sarcastically before pulling the covers up over his head.

Jun gave him one last look of annoyance before leaving through the window, taking the easier way instead of having to use the shadows.

At least that was nice.


To say it was awkward between them after the reveal was a bit of an understatement. Now that Nino knew that Jun was watching him, he was unsure of how to act. Since he had been discovered, Jun decided that it was useless to continue using the Glamour Powder. He followed in the shadows when Nino went outside the apartment, but otherwise he stayed in one corner of the apartment when Nino was at home.

Today was one of those days. After meeting up with Aiba and Sho for the afternoon a few days later, Nino was back home and playing on his PS4 (Nino told him the name of the device a few days after the big reveal). Jun wished he could remove his armour, but that wasn’t a good idea. Even though it was safe, Jun didn’t want to take any chances.

There was something Jun wanted to ask Nino though, ever since the man had met up with his friends earlier today. He struggled with how he could bring up the question.

“What is it?”

Jun snapped out of his thoughts, quickly looking over at Nino. The game was paused, and Nino had turned around to look at him in exasperation.

“You’re making your thinking noises, and you keep staring at me. And your emotions are everywhere.”

“Stop reading my emotions,” Jun said crabbily. Why did Nino always make him fall back into such childish behaviour?

“Stop projecting them loudly,” Nino snapped back, “I thought I taught you how to control them better?”

“They are controlled!” Jun protested, refusing to colour at the look of astonishment from Nino. For the most part. For some reason, being around Nino made him forget to build up the walls around himself. When they were younger, Nino always pointed out that Jun was easy to read—he projected his emotions easily, and while it wasn't necessarily a bad thing in some situations, it did have some cons, especially out in the battlefield if the enemy was an empath. That, and the fact that Nino himself was a powerful empath.

“Do you even have all your empathic abilities right now?” Jun asked curiously when Nino turned back to his gaming. “You said it wasn’t as strong as before.”

“Not all. She sealed away most of it,” Nino replied in a lazy tone as he struck down a monster on screen. “I can only read and sense emotions, I can't actually manipulate them like I used to.”

Hearing that, Jun was relieved. He didn't need Nino to manipulate him into thinking he should go home earlier because he felt safe.

“How is it like with humans?”

Nino turned back to his game. “Hm?”

“Humans,” Jun said again, “what are they like?”

“You mean their emotions?” Nino clarified without turning away from the screen.

“Yeah.”

Nino shrugged. “Not much different from us. They feel the same as we do of course, but much stronger. Some broadcast it louder than others. Most of them don’t hide how they feel very well.”

“Isn’t that a sign of weakness?” Jun mused, stretching his legs out in front of him.

“Do you think it is?” Nino inquired, sending him a quick look before turning back to his game.

“They can be manipulated,” Jun responded carefully. “Feelings are powerful.”

“They are,” Nino agreed, “but I don’t think they’re a weakness as much as they are a source of strength.”

“For a demon, feelings are a weakness,” Jun said, raising an eyebrow at Nino. It was taught to every young demon growing up. Showing your feelings easily was a weakness.

“Unfortunate,” Nino simply said. “I find them to be quite powerful things.”

Jun didn’t know how to respond to that. It reminded him of how frustrating his old friend could be. Nino wasn’t the type to stray too far for the mold, not wanting to bring attention to himself, but there were times he thought differently from the crowd. He just never voiced it if he thought it would give him too much trouble or attention. Maybe that’s why the queen is fond of him, Jun thought, looking at Nino’s hunched form.

“Why are you friends with Aiba and Sakurai?” Jun asked, breaking the small silence between them. He had wondered about this ever since he first met them. Nino made an inquiring noise. “Aiba and Sakurai,” Jun repeated, “why are you friends with humans?”

Nino snorted and shifted so that his legs were now in front of him. “Why not? No one actually wants to be a loner all the time.”

“You do know that they’ll die quickly?” Nino paused before looking back at him with an expression of disbelief. Jun shrugged. “It’s the truth. They’re humans. Humans die in a blink of an eye.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Nino scowled. “Why are you such a downer today?”

“I’m being realistic,” Jun countered impatiently. “I don’t see why you are developing close friendships with humans when you know the end result. You can’t change it.”

“Whether or not they die now or in fifty years doesn’t matter,” Nino retorted in annoyance, pausing the game to glare at him. “I’m human now, aren’t I? I’ll die along with them if the queen doesn’t lift the spell and banishment.”

Jun startled at that. “Did she say that?” he asked in bewilderment. There was no way the queen would actually leave Nino in the mortal realm for that long—she was fond of him.

“No, but you never know,” Nino said nonchalantly, “she does what she pleases.”

“She would never let you die,” Jun stated firmly. “She likes you. Everyone knows this.”

Nino snorted. “She likes a lot of other people too.”

Jun narrowed his eyes at him before getting up and moving over to Nino to grab him by the arm. He recoiled a little when Nino let out a wince, forgetting that Nino didn’t have the strength he used to possess.

“Do you actually want to die?” Jun asked angrily.

Nino tried to pull his arm away, but Jun held on firmly. After a few useless attempts, Nino sighed and looked up at him in exasperation. Jun tried to ignore the warmth radiating from him—he could feel the man’s lifeline beneath his fingers.

“Of course not,” Nino said tiredly, “Who wants to die like this? But I can’t ignore the scenario that this may happen.” A dark look passed over his expression before it disappeared in a blink of an eye.

“I assure you, it won’t.” Jun could bet his life on it. Why else would the queen send him to guard his former friend?

“Nice to know that one of us is looking on the bright side,” Nino grumbled, but looking much more optimistic than earlier. “Can you let go now? I still have a boss to beat.”

Jun released his grip on Nino, confused by the flutter in his stomach when Nino shot him an unamused look before turning back to his game.

He didn’t want to know what that meant.


IV.

A month passed without much affair, and Jun could definitely say that he and Nino were slowly rekindling their friendship from their younger years. Sometimes it didn't feel like they'd spent decades without even speaking to each other.

Jun hadn't realized he missed Nino’s friendship that much. He was generally the same person he knew many decades ago: he was witty, cheeky, but very kind. He was also very charming, something that Jun knew all too well already, having been acquainted with it over the years.

It was both a blessing and a curse for his heart.

Nino's everyday routine was still boring however. And his eating habits were awful. Jun didn't want to say anything at first since he felt that their relationship wasn't at the level where he could reprimand his friend, but now, a month later, he felt that it was something he definitely needed to address.

“Why are you glaring at me like that?” Nino asked, meeting Jun’s eyes on the closet door mirror as he slowly removed his shoes. Jun continued to glare as Nino placed his shoes neatly in the genkan. “Seriously,” Nino continued, looking at Jun warily, “what's up?”

Jun continued to stay silent, watching Nino settle down after work. He wasn’t going to say anything until Nino actually decided to make dinner for himself. Leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed against his chest, he kept watch as Nino came out from his bedroom in his “house” clothes, giving him a look of consternation as he walked by.

Dinner was an awkward affair, but Jun was too disappointed and annoyed to really care. He knew Nino was feeling uncomfortable with the silence, especially since they’ve began talking a lot, learning about what the other had been doing in the past few decades. Nino had tried to start a conversation earlier on, but gave up after Jun had given short responses in return.

“Seriously, what is it?” Nino asked when went to throw away his bento box. “You keep glaring at me.”

“I’m annoyed,” Jun replied, narrowing his eyes at him.

Nino snorted and closed the lid of the garbage can. “That’s an understatement. You’ve been glaring at me since we got home.” We. Jun tried to ignore the sudden rapid heartbeat in his chest at that. “Are you finally going to tell me now, or will you continue acting like a child?” Jun didn’t miss the tenseness in Nino’s form, as if he was preparing himself for something horrible.

What Jun wanted to confront Nino about wasn’t horrible in any way of course, but he honestly couldn’t take it any longer. “Why…” Jun started slowly, “do you not eat proper meals?”

“What are you talking about?” Nino asked, giving him a dumbfounded look. “I just ate.”

“No,” Jun sighed in frustration, brushing the bangs out of his face. “You eat, but what you eat are hardly meals. Was this how you ate as a demon too?”

Nino rolled his eyes, the tension leaving his body now that he knew what Jun was upset about. “As a demon, I don’t have to eat as much as a human does.”

“Except you’re not a demon right now,” Jun retorted, his tone dripping with disappointment. “You need to take better care of yourself, Nino.”

“I’m not a child,” Nino shot back in annoyance, crossing his arms in front of him. “I can take care of myself.”

“No, I don’t think so. You skip meals sometimes.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You hardly even eat anything for breakfast most days!” Jun pointed out in disbelief. “How are you not hungry?!”

“I don’t need to eat that often,” Nino snapped back.

“You’re a human now,” Jun said in a strained voice, annoyed about how Nino didn’t seem to care about his health. “You need sustenance. You can’t live off on feeding from others’ magic anymore. Don’t think I don’t remember how you didn’t like to eat either when you had your demon blood.”

“Magic is a perfectly normal choice of energy for users!” Nino protested loudly.

“You still need food!” Jun shouted, glaring at Nino. “Your eating habits drive me crazy!”

“If it bothers you that much, why don’t you just cook for me then?!” Nino shouted back, balling his hands into fists.

Jun gritted his teeth. “Would you eat it if I did?”

Nino blinked in surprise, not expecting that answer. Jun honestly didn’t mind cooking for him, especially if Nino actually ate what he made. It was better than nothing, and at least it would be something healthy. Jun was tired of the junk his friend was consuming.

“Um. I-I… maybe?” Nino stuttered in surprise.

“Because if I do make it, I would like to have the reassurance that you will eat it and not let the food go to waste,” Jun remarked, raising an eyebrow at him in question. He didn’t expect a grin to break out on Nino’s face before a small chuckle escaped his lips.

Beaming, Nino gave Jun a wink before walking over to him at the wall he was leaning against. “Don’t worry, Jun-kun,” he said in a cheerful sugary voice, “I’ll eat anything you make, because I know Jun-kun’s heart has good intentions.”

Jun really didn’t know how to respond to that. He stared dumbfoundedly after Nino’s back as the man walked back to his couch.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t happy about that however.

**

“How is Kazunari doing?”

Jun remained bending on one knee in his bow, but lifted his head up to meet the queen’s silver-coloured eyes.

A month and a half after he had been assigned to watch over Nino, he had been summoned by the queen herself one morning before he left for the mortal realm.

Jun cleared his throat, hoping his voice didn’t sound too hoarse. Nino had convinced him to play a game with him yesterday night, and his voice had gotten a little scratchy from all the yelling he’d done. “Nino is fine, your majesty.”

“That’s good to hear,” she said with a smile, “and how are you, Royal Knight Matsumoto? You may rise.”

Jun stood up and straightened the fabric of his pants before letting his hands fall to his sides. “I am well, your majesty.”

The queen tapped a finger on her lip. “I see. Does he know you’re watching him?”

Jun nodded. “Yes, he figured it out quite a while ago actually.”

The queen looked at him in surprise before letting out a small chuckle. “I’m not surprised,” she remarked in an amused tone. “He was always too smart for his own good.”

“He still has his empathic powers, your majesty.”

She nodded, her long black hair falling over her shoulders. “That is something I was unable to completely take from him,” she mused, tapping a finger against her lips in contemplation. “It’s a good thing he still has it. He is a demon after all.” She grinned. “His empathic powers are very well regarded.” They were. Nino had always been good at reading the moods of people.

“Your majesty, may I ask you a question?”

She smirked at him. “Depends what it is.”

Jun hesitated. Now he wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. There would be no guarantee she would even tell him… but he really needed to know.

“Why did you banish him?” he asked quietly. The queen narrowed her eyes at him.

“He hasn’t told you yet?”

Jun shook his head. “No, I never… asked.”

“And why are you asking me?”

Jun remained quiet, unable to give her an answer. It wasn’t like he could ask Nino about these things so casually. His head snapped up when he heard the rustling of the queen’s robes.

“It is not something you should ask of me,” she finally said, meeting his gaze. “You should ask him. It is not my place to tell.”

Would he even tell me? Jun wondered when she dismissed him from her quarters. He stared at the doors in frustration for a moment before walking away.

**

“You're actually going out today?”

Nino turned around with a glare, letting out a small scoff at the disbelief in Jun’s tone. Today it was nearing the end of their second month together, and Jun was happy that everything was going well so far.

Since his last meeting with the queen, Jun had been thinking up ways on how to bring up the question of Nino’s banishment.

He was also thinking of ways to ignore the feelings he was quickly developing for Nino. It seemed to be a lost cause however.

“I know I don't go out much, but I do go out,” Nino said drily. “I'm meeting a friend today.”

“Aiba-san?” Jun asked curiously, fixing the sword behind his back absentmindedly. Nino eyed him before letting out a snort.

“Is a sword necessary? It’s not like someone is going to attack in broad daylight.”

Jun shrugged and leaned against the wall again. “You never know. But you hardly leave your apartment anyway,” he replied with a smirk.

“You should leave the sword sometimes,” Nino remarked. “There's really no threat to my well-being here.”

“I'm supposed to watch you,” Jun reminded him firmly with a pointed look. “I can't take chances.”

Shaking his head, Nino let out a sigh as he grabbed his keys and made his way to the front door. “So paranoid,” he mumbled before slipping on his shoes.

Jun rolled his eyes.

It was a beautiful day out and Jun decided to follow Nino using the Glamour Powder instead of using the shadows.

Nino glanced behind his shoulder.

“Stop looking suspicious,” Jun hissed quietly.

“Just checking to see if you're there,” Nino replied with a grin. “Maybe you wandered off.”

Jun snorted and moved a little closer to him, avoiding a group of high school girls. “You wish.” Placing his hands behind his back, he leaned in closer. “You still haven't told me who you're meeting with.”

“I told you,” Nino mumbled, “a friend.”

“Someone I haven't met?”

Nino shook his head. “Never.”

“Is he a new friend?” Jun asked curiously. He had been following Nino for almost two months now. There was no way he could miss who Nino was meeting with.

“No, he's just been very busy. Stop asking me questions!”

They stopped in front of a cafe. Jun followed closely behind Nino, eyes scanning the area for this friend of his.

“Oh-chan!” Nino called, raising a hand and waving in greeting. Jun’s eyes immediately turned towards the direction Nino was facing.

Instead of the female that Jun had been expecting from the address, “Oh-chan” was male, with tanned skin and chubby cheeks. Oh-chan had a friendly face with a sleepy expression. His face lit up when Nino approached him at the table he was sitting at. When he stood up, Jun noted they were approximately the same height.

But the one thing that intrigued him was the smell of smoke coming from the man. It was peculiar. Many humans had the smell of smoke on them, especially ones who smoked, but this man… the smell was different, and it was vaguely familiar. Jun narrowed his eyes at Ohno, watching him carefully from the other side of the room

“Hi Nino,” Oh-chan greeted kindly, letting Nino hug him.

“Oh-chan,” Nino greeted back happily, “I haven’t seen you in so long! You old man, where have you been?” Oh-chan grinned and shrugged. The pair took a seat at the table and Nino reached for the menu. “Am I paying?” Jun’s eyebrows shot up. That was new—Nino never offered to pay for meals.

“Yes,” Oh-chan said sheepishly, “I didn’t bring any money with me today. I forgot.”

Nino rolled his eyes, but his smile was fond. “You always forget, Ohno. You’re lucky I have money,” he said teasingly. Ohno laughed and rubbed at the nape of his neck.

“Thanks, Nino.”

Jun shifted from his position behind Nino and moved to stand at the corner of the shop to keep watch, and away from all the other customers. It wouldn’t do to have people bump into him while he was busy trying to keep an eye on Nino.

The pair were a lot closer than Jun had initially thought. If Nino was comfortable around Aiba and Sho, he was especially comfortable around Ohno. Nino was incredibly affectionate with the other man, taking Nino’s touches in stride. Jun tried to clamp down the strange feelings of jealousy building up in his heart. There was no reason to be jealous of a friend, especially a friend who was only a friend. Besides, it wasn’t like Nino had said they were anything more than that. Jun just knew that he hated the idea of Nino liking Ohno that way.

Now that he had Nino’s friendship again, Jun didn’t know why he felt possessive towards his friend (or maybe he did but refused to acknowledged it). He tried to deny the growth of his feelings towards Nino every day, but it seemed absolutely futile at this point. Jun hated every touch exchanged between the two friends. He knew that it was mostly friendly, but he couldn’t help the possibility that each touch might contribute to something more.

I’m an idiot, he thought to himself angrily as he watched Nino move his chair next to Ohno so that two were practically squashed beside each other now. Why does this have to happen now? It was bad timing to be confused about his feelings now.

After another hour of watching them giggle into each other’s ears, holding hands, and just acting like a lovesick couple, Jun had enough. He didn’t want to see this. Jun saw Nino look around, definitely trying to guess where he was in the cafe, especially if Jun’s feelings were broadcasting loudly. No doubt he felt the anger he was trying to hide from him badly.

Believing that Nino seemed fine, Jun decided to head back to his apartment. It wasn’t the first time he left Nino during the day—especially when the man was at work—and Jun needed to think. And to get away from the two lovebirds. Jun looked over towards their direction one last time before leaving the cafe without another glance.


When Nino finally returned back home, Jun was sitting in the living room polishing his sword. He hadn’t had many chances to use it since he was assigned to watch over Nino, and he was bored out of his mind waiting for the man to come back. He ignored the sound of the keys being inserted, and refused to look up when the door opened.

“Jun-kun!” Nino exclaimed in surprise when he entered the apartment. “Were you here this whole time?”

“Yeah,” Jun responded shortly, not taking his eyes off of the sword. He tilted the sword so that he could see Nino’s reflection on the blade. “You seemed fine without me so I came back here.” When had he last cleaned it?

“Huh, I thought I felt you leave, but I wasn’t sure,” Nino mused, slipping out of his shoes and walking over to him. If Jun’s attitude was off, Nino didn’t seem to notice it.

“Miss me?” Jun asked, taking his eyes off the blade to look at Nino with a smirk. He was being petty, but that didn’t mean Nino had to know that. Not that you seemed to notice, he thought sullenly, watching Nino come closer.

Nino snorted and sat in front of him, eyeing the sword curiously. “Of course,” he said drily, “I do miss being under the eyes of my protector.” Jun blinked at that. Protector? Nino considered him a protector? “Hey, is this the sword you were commissioned after your knighting?” Nino asked curiously, snapping Jun out of his thoughts.

Jun looked back down at the blade. “Yeah, this is the one.” Nino inched closer and hovered a hand over the blade.

“May I?” he asked, meeting Jun’s eyes. Jun shrugged and moved the sword closer to Nino, keeping a close eye on him.

“Go ahead. Don’t cut yourself please.”

Nino laid a gentle hand near the top of the sword and let his fingers trace over the blade. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen you clean it,” he remarked, turning his eyes back to Jun.

“Been a while,” he replied with a shrug. “You should eat,” Jun remarked, pulling the sword away and placing it back in its scabbard.

“Already ate,” Nino said, watching Jun get up. “I had dinner with Oh-chan. I won’t be needing the special Jun-kun menu today.” He grinned up at him.

Jun pursed his lips. Since their conversation a couple of weeks ago, Jun had been making meals for Nino to eat. Cooking for Nino had been surprisingly easy. He wasn’t a picky eater, and he ate everything Jun made without complaint. It was actually kind of nice to have the freedom to experiment with his recipes. Trying to not let his disappointment show, Jun nodded.

“I guess I’ll take my leave then.”

“You’re leaving already?” Nino asked in surprise. “It’s not even…” He checked his watch, “It’s not even nine yet.”

“You seem okay,” Jun lied, making his way to the door. “Not much going on.”

Nino blinked. “What? Oh… okay then…”

“See you tomorrow, Nino.” Jun didn’t give Nino a chance to reply before he walked out the door.

...

Jun didn’t move from his spot beside the bed for a long time. He had waited for Nino to fall asleep before climbing back into the apartment through the window.

Crouching down beside the bed, he watched as Nino let out a small sigh before turning over to face him. Jun decided that he didn’t like it—Nino’s casual affection towards Ohno. Jun knew what he was feeling, and he knew that there really wasn’t anything he could do to stop it.

Jun knew he had acted out of character that afternoon, with his disappearance from Nino (even though Nino could sense he was there). He slowly reached up and his hand hovered over Nino’s head. The former demon frustrated him greatly. Jun wanted to yell at him, wanted to ask him exactly who was this Ohno character? This person he acted affectionate with.

Jun could feel the jealousy building up within him again and he gritted his teeth angrily. Staring at Nino's small form on the bed, he wondered what it would be like to receive those touches from Nino.

Would he smile brightly at him like he did at Ohno? Jun did receive smiles from Nino, but they were always teasing or playful, nothing like the bright and happy ones he saw today. Would Nino wrap an arm around him and press close? They had never touched each other like that since their reunion.

The apartment was quiet, except for the quiet sound of Nino’s breathing. Jun traced his eyes over Nino’s sleeping figure. It amazed him that the man lying in on the bed front of him used to wield so much power at the palm of his hand. Nino housed power within him. Now that they had been stripped away, he was just a mere mortal.

Jun lifted his hand and hovered it over Nino’s head. He stared down at him hesitantly. He didn't know where this sudden urge to touch Nino came from. The man let out a small noise, grumbling something to himself in his sleep, a frown on his lips. Jun hesitated for a few more moments, unsure if he should proceed with what he wanted to do. When Nino let out another grumble again, he felt the last pieces of his control crumble. Placing his hand softly on top of Nino’s hair, he gave a small stroke on the head, feeling the silky strands between his fingers. To his astonishment, Nino let out a small sigh before his face relaxed again, the frown on his lips disappearing. Jun could feel the rapid beating of his heart as he continued to stroke Nino’s hair.

It was hard to clamp down the feelings of jealousy in his heart, the happiness he felt when he saw Nino. Jun knew it was useless to deny it, no matter how hard he had tried to earlier today. When he went back to Nino’s apartment, he knew that there was only one truth:

He had fallen for Nino.


V.

It was hard to keep his feelings at bay for Nino when he was around him all the time.

It was also a blessing because he was around Nino all the time.

It drove Jun crazy, especially because Nino had taken up the habit of touching him constantly these days. He didn’t know how someone could have this much of an effect on him after only three months.

“Here, I’ll show you how to do it,” Nino offered, scooting closer to him on the couch. It was the weekend, and Nino had the day off. The both of them had decided to stay at home and play video games together (after much pestering from Nino). Jun found it quite fun, and he even managed to beat Nino a few times (much to Nino’s dismay. “Beginner’s luck!” he had cried). Jun resisted the urge to flinch when he felt Nino place his hands over his around the controller.

“What exactly are you showing me?” Jun asked, trying to focus on the screen and not the heat of Nino’s body. It was distracting—he was so warm.

“Something new,” Nino replied, moving the character around on the screen. “It’s a really neat trick I read up on the other day.”

“I-I see,” Jun stuttered, trying not to be affected by the other male. He could smell the soft scent of Nino’s shampoo when he shifted closer so that Nino was practically lying on top of his lap. Jun really hoped that Nino wasn't actively trying to read his emotions right now. He let Nino guide his fingers across the buttons and the control stick has Nino guided him through the actions.

“—personal space.”

Jun snapped his eyes to Nino. “What?”

Nino snickered, his eyes twinkling with amusement when he pulled back from him. Jun wanted to protest at the sudden loss of warmth.

“Spacey today, aren’t you?” Nino asked teasingly. “I said that you don’t seem to mind the invasion of personal space. I know how jumpy you used to be about it.”

Jun felt his cheeks get warm. Nino still remembered that?! “It… it depends,” he replied awkwardly. “You’re showing me how to play, right?” He hoped his tone didn’t convey how nervous he was, but knowing Nino, he probably felt it. It was hard to hide his feelings around Nino, even when the other man’s empathic abilities weren’t as strong as they used to be.

“Just let me know if you want me to stop,” Nino said, moving to lean back against the couch. Jun recalled his younger self snapping at everyone who dared touched him, especially from behind. He still didn't like it, but for Nino...

“A-alright.”

Jun would make an exception.

Later that night, when Nino finally went to bed (Jun had to force him to sleep because it was past three in the morning), Jun took the chance to watch Nino again. I really need to do something about this stupid crush, he thought to himself, rubbing a palm across his eyes. He sighed and pulled his hand away to look down at Nino. “This is so frustrating,” he mumbled in annoyance.

**

“The queen requires your presence in her chambers.”

Before Jun even had the chance to respond, the servant had shuffled away from the door. Shaking his head in exasperation at the hasty retreat, he checked his appearance once more in the mirror before getting up.

As Jun made his way to the queen’s headquarters, he noticed that most of the servants didn’t bat an eyelash at his presence. A few glanced his way for a few seconds before proceeding with their duties for the day.

When he reached the front door of her quarters, he raised his fist to knock but the door flew open on its own.

“Come in,” she called, the queen’s voice faint from the other side of the door. Jun wondered if she was changing. It wouldn’t be the first time he had entered to see her behind her changing screen. She had teased him the first time he saw her there to report about Nino’s status.

“Please excuse my intrusion,” he mumbled before entering the room. As he had predicted, the queen was behind her changing screen, her robes thrown over the top of the screens. Two servant ladies stood at each side, holding pieces of her kimono.

“Be a dear and hand me that will you, Aya-chan?” the queen asked the attendant on the right. Aya smiled and put her hand out so that the queen could take the robe from her.

Jun moved closer to the bed, knowing that once she was finished, she would choose that area to hold their conversation. He caught the eye of the other attendant, fighting the urge to smirk when he saw her blush and averted her gaze. He waited patiently for the queen to finish, wondering what she wanted to speak to him about. He had already given her a summary of how Nino was doing a couple of days ago, so it couldn't be that. Plus, she constantly asked him questions about how he and Nino were doing. It was… strange. She seemed more interesting in the both of them than the actual task itself.

When she finally emerged from her screen, Jun slid into a bow and only stood up when she raised her hand.

“Royal Knight Matsumoto,” she began, taking a seat at the end of her bed like always. She looked beautiful today, dressed in her finest robes of red, white, and gold. “I have a task for you. It shouldn’t take more than a few days,” she mused, “depending on how it goes.”

Jun looked at her in surprise. “A task?”

“I need you to deliver something for me to the next kingdom over,” she explained, tapping her fingers on the sheets. “Nothing major. Of course, I will have someone go with you in case something happens.”

Jun nodded. “When would you like me to leave?”

“I’m having the item prepared right now, but you should be ready to leave by tomorrow morning.” She sent him an amused look. “You will need to deliver the news to your… friend before you go.” She let out a small laugh.

Jun pursed his lips before giving her another bow. That was true, he was going to leave Nino for a few days while he completed the task for the queen.

“Thank you, Royal Knight Matsumoto, that will be all.” She waved a hand at him in a dismissive manner. “I will call you tomorrow morning. Be ready, please.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

**

“I won’t be here for a few days.”

Jun watched as Nino paused before removing his shoes and walking past the genkan into his apartment. After he had received the mission from the queen, he headed straight for the mortal realm to inform his friend.

“Duties to attend?” Nino asked lightly when he met Jun’s eyes. He placed the bags of groceries on the counter and sent him a curious look.

“Yeah, so don’t get into trouble when I’m gone.”

Nino snorted and began putting the ingredients away in the fridge. “Don’t worry, I’ll be a good boy.”

Jun smirked and leaned against the counter. “Don’t miss me too much.” He tensed when he saw Nino pause for a few seconds. Had he said the wrong thing? Finally, Nino turned his head around, flashing him a gummy smile that made Jun’s insides warm.

“Are you sure it’s not you who will miss me?”

Jun pretended to scoff at that, but it wasn’t like Nino was wrong. He smiled at the sound of Nino’s chuckle before the man turned back to his task of putting the groceries away.

**

“Where have you been, Matsumoto?”

Jun winced when an arm wrapped around his shoulders. “Shun.”

“I hardly see you these days!” his friend whined, shaking him. “And here I thought you ditched me for a new lady friend or something.”

Jun snorted and crossed his arms across his chest. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he scowled. “No, I was busy under the queen’s orders.” Smirking at his friend’s pout, he was happy that the queen had assigned his best friend to accompany him on the task.

“Imagine my surprise to find out that I will be travelling with you today!” Shun exclaimed. “Do you know what the item we’re supposed to deliver is?”

Jun shook his head. “No, I have no idea.”

“Hmmm… should be easy enough, right?”

Jun nodded, smirking at his friend in agreement. “Of course, it’s just a simple delivery mission.”

Shun laughed. “You got that right!”

“The queen requests your presence.”

Jun thanked the messenger before turning back to his friend. “We should go. Ready?”

“Always.”

Jun didn't think anything bad was going to happen. It was just a simple mission, and Jun wanted to complete it as quick as he can do he could go back to Nino.


**

Sometimes it was hard to predict what would happen. They were trained to fight against the unpredictable.

However, that didn’t mean that everything worked out the way they hoped.

Before he succumbed to the pain, he had only one thought in his mind:

Nino.


**


Jun jolted awake and let out a cry of pain. Everything hurt, and for some reason, everything was blindingly bright when he opened his eyes. When he managed to place his surroundings, he realized he was in the palace infirmary. Jun cursed loudly when he felt a rippling pain in his abdomen again.

“Take it easy, please,” came a tired voice.

Jun growled and looked towards the sound of his friend’s voice.

“How long was I out?” Jun managed to get out before letting out a groan. Shun sighed and shifted to a more comfortable position in the chair next to the bed.

“You were out for three days.”

“Three days?!” Jun exclaimed, crying out when the outburst sent more pain throughout his body.

“You were stabbed…” Shun made a line from the bottom of his ribs to Jun’s hip. “Pretty cleanly there.”

“Did we kill them?” Jun scowled, trying to stay still. Shun snorted.

“Of course we did. But what the hell were you thinking?” Shun asked in annoyance.

Jun narrowed his eyes at his friend. “What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Shun snapped.

“I saved your life!”

“Damn right you did, but at the expense of your well-being,” Shun shook his head in disbelief at him. “I really appreciate you helping me out, but please try not to die in front of me.”

Jun grumbled before letting out a wince. He laid a hand on his side, groaning at the rippling pain coming from his injury.

“I'll get the healer,” Shun offered before getting up from the chair. “We need to get that gash looked at.”

Jun sighed grumpily but let his friend leave. Since he was a royal knight, he had been given a private room (special privileges) in the infirmary. Jun located his armour and sword from behind the door and cursed Shun for putting them so far away and out of reach. When Shun came back with the healer, Jun let her examine him quietly, flinching when she checked his wound.

“This gash shouldn’t take long to heal,” the healer said after she was done dressing his wound. “You should be fully healed in the next couple of week, assuming you won’t be doing anything strenuous or high activity.” Jun shook his head. Smiling kindly at him, the healer handed him a small container. “Well, I hope so. I’m not going to let you leave yet—” She sent him a stern look when he opened his mouth to protest. “—No, I’m afraid you will have to follow my orders, Royal Knight Matsumoto. I need to monitor your condition for at least a week.”

“A week?” he groaned. That was too long, and he had to get back to Nino.

“If you want to avoid reopening that wound again, yes. A week.” Her tone held no room for argument.

It took Jun a few more days until he was able to walk by himself properly without wincing in pain with each step. It had been a week since he came back from his mission, and he really really wanted to see Nino now. Since he was stuck in the healing room for a week, all Jun had for entertainment were his visitors. Several of his friends had come to visit him when they had the time, and his parents had came by a few times to see how he was doing.

No more, he thought to himself in determination on the eighth day. He wasn't going to be stuck in bed today. Pushing himself out of bed, Jun grabbed onto his bedside drawer for support.

He looked over at his armour awkwardly. There was no way he could wear that with how his side was right now. Deciding to forgo his usual armour, Jun limped to grab his sword beside his bedside table. Why did my parents have to move it? he thought in exasperation before moving to grab a pair of clothes.

Jun was definitely going to get in trouble for leaving out the blue, and Shun was going to flip. Her majesty can explain everything, he thought offhandedly as he made his way for the door. She would know where he went anyway.

**

In hindsight, Jun forgot that the trip to the mortal realm wasn't going to be smooth with his injury. Getting there with the gatekeeper’s help was easy enough, but the journey to Nino’s apartment wasn't.

“Shit,” Jun cursed when he looked down at his wound. His shirt was soaked with blood. The sun was setting and Jun realized that he had to get to Nino’s before the man went to sleep (assuming he went to bed on time). Ignoring the pain that was pulsating in his side, Jun tried to make his way to Nino’s home as fast as he could.

This might have not been one of the smartest things I’ve done, Jun thought in resignation when the sight of Nino’s apartment finally appeared half an hour later. The trip to Nino’s apartment would’ve normally taken ten minutes but he had been travelling very slowly. Groaning in pain, Jun worked his way up the stairs, pausing every few seconds to rest. The pain was feeling worse with each step, and Jun knew he had to get to Nino’s now.

When he finally reached Nino’s front door, he had to use the door as support when his head started spinning. Resting it against the door for a moment, Jun managed to get himself upright again before ringing the doorbell.

“Coming!” Nino’s voice called out faintly from the other side. Jun’s sensitive hearing picked up soft footsteps scurrying in the apartment.

When Nino opened the door, Jun was met with a confused expression. Realizing he’d forgotten to release the glamour but not wanting to do it out in the open where anyone could see, Jun tried to push his way through. Nino fell back into the apartment with a yelp but he seemed to have an idea that it was him when Jun let out a small grunt.

“Jun...?” Nino asked cautiously, closing the door and looking around for any hint of him.

Jun winced and raised a hand to lift the glamour. Nino watched him appear with wide eyes before his eyes shot down to where Jun was holding a hand at his side, the blood dripping through the cracks of his fingers now, completely soaking through the bandages. His mouth fell open.

“Oh my god! Jun! Are you okay?!” Nino exclaimed loudly in fear, moving quickly to wrap an arm around him to keep him from keeling over. “Why are you bleeding?!” he continued, his voice panicking as he helped Jun move to his couch.

“It’s… nothing…” Jun managed to get out, letting out a curse when he managed to sit down. Nino hovered over him. “Don’t wor—ah!” he yelped when he felt Nino brushed his fingers at the area of the wound.

“Right,” Nino said coldly as he pulled his hand back and glared at Jun. “That’s why you show up at my doorstep bleeding like there’s no tomorrow, and looking like you haven’t seen a day of sunlight.” He narrowed his eyes at him before standing up and backing away, pointing a finger at him. “Don’t you dare move.” He sent Jun a stern look before disappearing to his bathroom.

Jun closed his eyes and groaned as he threw his head back against the couch. He had wanted to see Nino as soon as possible, but the healers at the infirmary had been dead set against it. The queen had visited him a day after he had woken up, looking down at him with pity before handing him a small vial.

“This will help accelerate your healing and alleviate your pain,” she said, shaking her head at him. “I heard about what happened from Royal Knight Oguri. I do not want to lose one of my best knights because of sheer stupidity, do you hear me?” she scolded.

I wasn’t acting stupid, Jun grumbled to himself.

A couple of minutes later, he heard the sound of Nino’s footsteps approaching. Cracking one eye open, Nino placed a white box beside him on the floor. “What’s that?” he mumbled, suddenly feeling tired.

“A first-aid kit,” Nino replied, snapping on some blue gloves. “I’m going to clean and redress your wound. This might hurt a bit… although…” He stared down at the bottle he was holding in contemplation before looking back up at him. “I doubt this would be painful for you since a demon’s tolerance for pain is much higher than a mortal’s.”

“What exactly do you plan to do?” Jun asked suspiciously.

“It cleans wounds,” Nino replied, grabbing a spare cloth from the kit. “Lift your arms for me?”

Jun did as he was told. He helped Nino remove his top, pulling it over his head and dumping it on the floor beside them. Nino didn't seem to bat an eyelash at the blood on his floor as he began to wipe off the excess blood around the wound. While it was painful having Nino clean the injury, it didn’t hurt as much as the first time back home. Nino was quick and steady as he cleaned and dressed the wound, making sure that it was properly cared for. When everything was done, the man had tossed the dirty bandages in a small bag to throw out later.

“Thanks,” Jun mumbled, throwing an arm across his forehead in exhaustion from this evening’s events.

“No problem,” Nino replied tensely before taking a seat next to him on the couch. Jun pulled his arm away and turned his head… only to be met with a look of anger on Nino’s face.

“... What?” Jun asked in confusion.

“Care to tell me what happened?” Nino snapped, glaring at him. “You said you would be gone for only a few days!”

“Had to go with plan B,” Jun said weakly.

“What the heck is plan B?!” he shouted.

“Stop yelling,” Jun groused, feeling a headache coming on.

“I bet it was your fault,” Nino said, his tone much calmer than before. Jun felt a wave of annoyance wash over him. “I’m surprised you haven’t passed out yet.”

“Excuse me?” He met Nino’s glare with one of his own. Jun did not need Nino’s attitude at the moment.

“I bet it was your fault,” Nino repeated, crossing his arms across his chest. “I know what you're like,” he said tersely.

“How is it my fault?!” Jun knew he was yelling now, but he couldn't help it. Why was Nino acting this way?

“Because you're the type to act first, think later!” Nino shouted back. “You've always been like this, ever since we were younger!”

“If I hadn't jumped in, Shun would've died!”

Nino growled at him. “Did he agree with you on that? I'm friends with Shun-kun too, Jun. Let me tell you something: he would be agreeing with me right now if he was here. You're reckless!” he growled angrily. Jun was shocked at how angry Nino really was, his eyes narrowing at him in fury.

“He would've died!” Jun pointed out defiantly. He refused to let that be a possibility.

“You would've died! You're such an idiot!” Nino yelled, balling his hands into fists.

“It takes more than that to kill me!”

“That's not the point!” Nino cried in exasperation, rolling his temples with his fingers.

“Well, I'm alive now aren't I?!” Why was Nino so worked up about this? He was alive, Shun was alive, and everyone was alright. The mission was completed, and he was here with Nino. What was the issue?

“You're a moron,” Nino deadpanned. He got up from the couch and shot Jun a dirty look. “You better sit and rest for the rest of the day. “I have to go to work… don't you dare move!” Nino warned, pointing a finger at him.

Jun returned his glare with one of his own. “I can't sit here while you're at work!”

“Well, you should've thought of that before you went and got hurt! Just give me a call on the house phone. I wrote my number down for you already,” Nino retorted before he began to move for the bedroom. “I will know if you follow me!”

“Dammit, Nino!” Jun bellowed in frustration. He couldn't stay home like this.

“Too bad!” He shot back, his voice coming from the bedroom. “You better be here when I get back home later tonight.”

“I thought it was your day off?” Jun grouched, when Nino stepped out of his room in his uniform.

“I've been taking on more shifts since you left,” Nino replied. “Wanted the extra money,” Nino grabbed his wallet from the dining table.

“Unnecessary stress,” Jun grumbled to himself, sulking as Nino slipped on his shoes.

“Rest,” Nino ordered. “The shift isn't too long, so I'll be back in a few hours.”

Easy for you to say, Jun thought sulkily to himself as he watched Nino send him one last stern look before heading out the door.

Jun spent the next several hours lounging on Nino’s couch and watching television. He only had to get up once to use the bathroom. He decided to take a short nap after that, exhausted by the events earlier today.

It was nearing twelve in the evening when Nino finally came home. Jun stirred awake when he heard his friend enter the apartment.

“Nino?” he called groggily, trying to blink the sleep away. Footsteps came closer and Nino crouched down in front of him on the couch.

“Hey, I’m back,” Nino said gently, looking up at him worriedly. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” he admitted truthfully.

“Your body is healing, so this is a good sign. Maybe you should fall into a healing trance?” Nino suggested in a thoughtful tone. “Are you able to do that?”

Jun grimaced when he tried to shift into a more comfortable position on the couch.

“I can't do it for days like mages do. Only half the day.”

Healing trances were never his strong suit. Since it was using magic to help heal yourself while you slept, it wasn't something he was adept at. While most demons were able to do it, only mages were able to fall into a trance for more than a day, allowing their bodies to heal much faster. Jun wondered how long Nino was able to sleep for. Knowing his magical prowess, he wouldn't be surprised if Nino could sleep for longer than two days.

“That's better than nothing,” Nino said with a frown. “I think you should do it. It'll help quicken the healing.” He eyed the bandages. “I think we should change those first before you do the healing trance though.”

“I don't know if it's a good idea when I'm supposed to watch you,” Jun remarked after Nino had finished cleaning up the wound again.

“In your state, you're not going to be able to protect anybody, much less yourself,” Nino retorted, rolling his eyes at Jun. “I'll be fine. I'm going out with Sho-kun and Aiba tomorrow. Nothing will happen. You need to stay home,” he ordered.

Jun scowled. “I don't like sitting around.” And he didn't want to be coddled like this, watching as Nino moved the pillows around to make it more comfortable for him. He did like it a little bit because it was Nino, but it reminded him even more about his inability to do his duty properly.

“Nice to know that nothing’s changed,” Nino replied with a smirk, getting up from the couch. “Are you hungry?”

Jun shook his head. “I just want to sleep.”

“Then do it,” Nino said gently. “I'll be here if you need anything.”

Can you stop being so nice? Jun wondered while trying to fight the blush coming on. It was going to be a difficult week.


Jun thought he was going to combust from all the attention Nino was giving him. While healing magic wasn't Nino’s forte, he was certainly knowledgeable in it. Despite his inability to actually use magic presently, he was still able to assess the wound, clean, and help him in other ways to ease the healing process.

Nino even began making food for him, chopping and slicing ingredients to make dishes that would be easy for Jun to digest. He had never thought of Nino as the hospitable type, but here he was, taking care of him while Jun was lying uselessly on his friend’s couch.

In a way, it actually felt nice to be taken care of for once. Jun was usually the one caring for others, a trait that was highly regarded among his friends and family. He felt bad about making Nino stay home more often instead of going out with his friends—he overheard Nino’s phone conversation the other day with them.

“None of your business, Aiba. And yes, tell Sho-kun that there's nothing wrong… no! You don't need to visit!”

Even though he felt guilty about taking up most of Nino’s time, Jun was happy that he had Nino's attention. His affections for the former demon had grown much stronger since he’d arrived on the male’s doorstep bleeding everywhere, and the special attention he was getting from him was definitely helping him fall for Nino even more.

Jun was going to enjoy what he had.



“Such an idiot.”

Jun felt himself waken from the edges of sleep but he didn't want to open his eyes yet, content with the soft touch of Nino’s hand on his hair. His friend had taken to doing the same gesture he had been doing to Nino when he thought Jun wasn't awake. A week had passed since his return, and his injury was healing nicely (albeit a little slower than usual).

Not an idiot, he thought groggily, enjoying the feel of Nino’s fingers combing through his hair. He almost let himself fall back asleep into another healing trance until he felt it. It was fleeting and almost easily to miss, but Jun would never miss this feeling against his skin.

A pair of lips.

Jun’s eyes snapped open when he felt those lips move away.

“Ah—” Nino gasped in surprise when he met his gaze. “Were you—” Jun thought he rather liked it when Nino was flustered. “Were you awake this whole time?!” he squeaked.

“Yeah,” Jun responded, not taking his eyes off him. He could still feel the imprint of Nino’s lips against his forehead. The kiss had to mean something, didn't it? “Why'd you do it?” he mumbled, keeping his eyes on Nino.

“Wha-what?” Nino stammered. He was starting to turn pink, and to Jun’s surprise, Nino’s round human ears were turning red too. Cute. Before he could escape, Jun’s hand shot out and grabbed onto Nino’s wrist. The man let out a small protest at the unexpected action.

“Why'd you do it?” Jun asked again, letting out a small wince when he felt his side ache from the sudden movement. He ignored Nino’s attempts to get away—it was useless. Jun was much stronger than Nino now, there was no way that he could escape his hold with human strength.

“It’s… it's nothing!”

Jun watched as Nino’s gaze averted, looking down at the bed sheets instead. He could hear the sound of his own heart pumping rapidly. Jun needed to know. He needed—

“It's not nothing,” Jun said, trying to keep his tone even, watching Nino carefully. “If it was nothing, you wouldn't be freaking right now.”

“I'm not freaking out!” Nino denied, having given up on getting his wrist back and resorted to staring at the space between them.

“Right,” Jun said, rolling his eyes. “So why'd you kiss me?”

“I—” Nino looked like he wanted to run, and he probably would have if Jun didn't have a strong grip on his wrist.

Jun decided to try a different approach. “Would you do it again?” he asked quietly, ignoring the rapid beating of his heart. What did he have to lose now?

Nino looked up at him in shock. “...What?” he whispered. He looked flabbergasted at the sudden change in question.

“Would you do it again?” Jun repeated, holding his gaze steady. He could feel Nino’s body tense for a moment before finally deflating in resignation.

“And what…” Nino said after a long moment, his shoulders dropping as he realized that Jun wasn't going to leave him alone, “would you do if I said yes?”

“Hmmm…” Jun said, pretending to think. His heart was beating fast, and he could feel the excitement surging through him. But he had to play it right. He wanted to at least make the moment special, and he hoped he wasn't reading Nino’s feelings incorrectly. He decided to take a long time to respond, enjoying the way Nino squirmed in his hold. “I would've said,” he finally spoke, “you missed the spot.”

Nino snapped his gaze back up in bewilderment. “Huh—”

Jun pushed himself up, ignoring the pain on his side as he tugged Nino forward and captured his lips with his own.

Nino gasped at the unexpected action, allowing Jun to plunge his tongue in Nino’s mouth, tasting him. After a few seconds, he felt the smaller man relax in his arms before kissing him back fiercely, Nino’s hands sliding up around his neck to bring them closer.

Jun thought Nino felt perfect in his arms. He pulled back a little to let them catch their breaths, but Nino followed him as he moved, refusing to let him part from the kiss. “No, no, no,” Nino murmured against Jun’s lips, “not enough…”

If that wasn’t endearing, Jun didn’t know what else was. Chuckling as their lips met again, Jun let Nino take the reins, allowing him to control the kiss the way he wanted. He found that he quite like the breathy sounds Nino made when they turned the kiss more passionate, and the soft moans he made when they slowed down.

I never want this to end, Jun thought happily, enjoying how Nino felt in his arms. Nino seemed to have the same thought too, refusing to let go of his hold around Jun’s neck and shoulders, trying to bring himself even closer to him.

Nino wasn't shy with what he wanted, and he seemed to enjoy kissing with tongue. Jun liked the type of kisses that made you want more, simple and short ones that you couldn't get enough of. Nino wanted everything, and that excited him more than he thought, letting Nino take over the kiss again.

When they finally parted, they were both breathing heavily and trying to catch their breaths. Nino let out a small sigh of contentment and leaned forward to rest against Jun’s shoulder, taking care not to add pressure to Jun’s side.

“You're right,” Nino murmured quietly after a short while, sliding a hand up Jun’s arms, and feeling the muscle hidden underneath. “I did miss the spot.”

Jun beamed and pulled him closer, loving how Nino wrapped himself closer to him. “You did,” he agreed happily. Nino smirked before pulling away to lean back in again.

They spent the rest of the evening rectifying that mistake.


VI.

“I’ve always wanted to ask…”

The next morning, Jun had woken up with Nino right beside him. He had decided to stay the night after Nino had insisted he stayed with him so that he could make sure Jun was healing properly. There was no reason for Jun to go back Nino had reasoned, especially when Jun was watching him anyway.

Nino mumbled against the skin of his shoulder, having slept on his other side last night. Jun smiled down at him and brushed a hand through his messy locks.

“Yeah?” Jun asked, loving how Nino snuggled closer to him.

“The scar…” Nino said, before turning his face to his, and reached up to trace a finger over the scar on Jun’s face. “Where did you get this from?”

“Training accident,” Jun replied, enjoying the feel of Nino’s touch. “It wasn’t my fault!” he quickly denied when he saw the annoyed expression on his lover’s face.

Nino snorted but didn't stop tracing the scar. “I was curious. Your body doesn't seem to have many prominent scars for a warrior.”

“Special salve from the witch,” Jun explained. “It heals most scars.”

“Ah, her.” Annoyance.

Jun shot him an amused look. “Why that tone?”

Nino sighed in exasperation before grumbling under his breath.

“Twin?” Jun asked in confusion. Nino shot him a dirty look.

“Stop listening in on me.”

“I can't help that I can hear you clearly.”

“Hmph.”

“What about her?” Jun asked, letting his hand fall down the planes of Nino’s body. He seemed so frail like this, easily breakable in this form. When he was a demon, Jun was able to feel the unimaginable power that ran through Nino’s veins.

“People always said that we looked alike,” Nino grumbled, looking at Jun with one eye opened.

Jun recalled the image of the palace witch in his mind. He had never thought about it before, but it was kind of true.

“You do look alike… now that I think about it,” Jun mused. “The mouth…”

Nino glared at him before rolling away to face the wall. “Go back to sleep,” Nino scowled. Jun laughed.

The pair fell into a comfortable silence. Jun knew that Nino was still awake, his breathing too heavy to really be sleeping. He looked over at Nino, the outline of his body covered with the blanket.

Jun began to think: what were they now? After the events of last night, they both went to bed (together) right after. They hadn’t taken the time to actually discuss what they were officially. Jun hoped that they were together in a romantic sense, but he really needed confirmation from Nino. Nino was a man of reading the mood and knowing how things were without being said, but Jun needed things to be said.

“Hey, Nino…”

“Hm?”

“Can we talk?” he asked nervously.

Nino tensed but Jun reached out to grabbed him by the shoulder, gently pulling him so that he rolled over to face him. He looked ready to run and Jun did not want that at all.

“What about?” Nino asked stiffly. “If you’re going to say last night was a mistake I—”

“No!” Jun shouted. “I— that’s not what I want to say at all!”

Nino immediately relaxed and looked at him curiously. “Oh,” he sighed. “I thought that was what you were going to say.” He bit his lips. “What’s wrong? You seem really unsettled.”

“What are we?” Jun blurted out.

Nino shot him a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“What are we?” Jun repeated. “Last night was… last night was great, but we haven’t talked about it.” He made a gesture between them, not exactly sure on how to say what he wanted. “Are we… are we… together now?” He wanted to run from the room.

Nino stared at him. “What do you think?”

“I— I don’t know?” Jun offered meekly, hating how unresponsive Nino was being. “I need to know where we stand.”

“I thought it was obvious,” Nino replied in disbelief.

“I just want to make sure I'm not misreading things,” Jun continued nervously. “I really like you and I don't know if—”

Nino let out a loud laugh, covering his mouth with his hands. If it was any other time, Jun would've thought that sight was cute, but now really wasn't the time. He must have looked more hurt than he thought because Nino immediately stopped when he saw his expression.

Sighing, Nino reached for Jun’s hands, intertwining them with his. “And I thought you were supposed to be the confident one,” he mumbled before bringing a hand to his lips. He kissed Jun’s fingers. He immediately blushed at the action, not expecting such a tender gesture from Nino. “Yes, Jun,” he said in amusement, “if you haven't noticed by now, and I really don't know how, I like you a lot too.”

“I just needed it to be said,” Jun replied in a shy tone. Nino beamed.

“We’re boyfriends now,” he said, giggling at the disgusted expression on Jun’s face.

“Boyfriends…” Jun grumbled under his breath. He didn’t like that term.

“Partners?” Nino suggested.

Jun shook his head. “No, that reminds me of my comrades.”

Nino nodded, and let out a long hmmm. “That’s true, I can see that.”

“Lovers?”

Nino smiled. “That’s not too bad. You’re so cute, Jun-kun. You don’t like the term, boyfriends.”

Jun rolled his eyes. “It sounds like something young demons would call each other.”

“Well, it’s a good thing our Matsumoto Jun is a mature demon, right?” Nino teased, running a hand down Jun’s chest.

Jun smirked. “Definitely.”

He couldn’t help but smile when Nino let out another cheerful laugh.


It took another week for Jun to finally be able to get rid of the bandages, but when they were finally removed, he wanted to jump for joy.

“It has healed nicely,” Nino remarked when he dumped the rest of the bandages in the plastic bag and removed his gloves. “How does your side feel?” he asked curiously, looking up at Jun.

“A little sore, but fine,” Jun remarked, stretching his arms over his head. Finally, he had his body back. He grinned at Nino who rolled his eyes but Jun could see the small hint of a smile on his lips.

The past week had been amazing in terms of his relationship with Nino. Jun thought he would have to be the one to initiate most of the affection between them, but Nino had been more than willing to take action first.

Nino woke him up every morning with kisses. Sweet fleeting kisses that Jun loved. Those were his favourites because it would eventually turn into a full-blown makeout session. Jun loved how responsive Nino was to his touch, arching into his hand or pushing against his body like it wasn’t enough. They hadn’t had sex yet due to Nino’s insistence that Jun healed up first before he hurt himself again.

“That’s good to hear,” Nino said, tying the bag to throw away later. “If I had my magic this would’ve been healed already,” he grumbled under his breath. “Just don’t strain it too much.”

Jun shook his head. “I won’t.” He reached out for Nino, his heart beating rapidly against his chest when Nino easily moved toward him for a kiss.

This was definitely his new favourite thing about their relationship. Kisses were so easy to receive from Nino, and Jun soaked it all up. When they parted, Jun held Nino in his arms for a little longer before he slowly untangled himself from him.

“Where are you going?” Nino asked lazily, falling back onto the couch.

“Back home,” Jun replied, reaching for his sword and shirt.

“Leaving me already?” Nino teased, hugging the sofa pillow to his chest.

“The queen needs to know I'm not dead, and I need to grab something things,” Jun remarked, smirking at his lover.

Nino snorted and curled around the pillow. “You do know she probably knows you're alright? She has her ways.”

“It's common courtesy,” Jun countered, placing the sword on his back. He walked over to Nino on the couch and crouched down in front of him. “Don't worry, Nino. I'll be back.”

“Who says I want you back?” Nino scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Jun grinned and flicked his fingers against Nino’s forehead, chuckling at the whine Nino emitted. “Now it's your turn to not miss me too much.”


It felt good to finally be outside again and to feel the sun on his skin. Jun made his way back to the demon realm quickly through the help of the gatekeeper. The first thing he did when he got back in his realm was break into a run to his room at the palace. He needed to stretch his muscles after being cooped up on bedrest for the past couple of weeks. He made a mental note to do some exercises when he got back to the mortal realm.

When he reached his room, Jun ran to his closet to grab his bag. He began stuffing clothes and undergarments inside for his longer stay at Nino’s. He changed out of his current outfit and put on a new one. This time the garb was navy blue. When he was done, he went over to the rack on the other side of the room. The servants had cleaned up the armour for him in his absence because it was sparkling and gleamingly clean, free of the blood that was supposed to have marked the metal.

Jun pulled it on. Even though there wasn’t much danger, he felt more comfortable keeping it with him. Taking one last look around his room for anything he might have missed, Jun headed for the throne room next.

“Ah, a face I have not seen in awhile!”

Jun fell into a knight’s bow before her. When he was told to rise, he looked up to see her grinning expression.

“Your majesty,” he greeted. She laughed and sent him an amused look.

“And I see that your injury has healed nicely. You must have had a great healer.”

Jun tried to keep his expression neutral. “Yes, they were very helpful.”

“I’m sure they were,” she snickered. “Well, I’m glad that you are alright, Royal Knight Matsumoto. Do try to not get into the same predicament again,” she said, a hint of warning in her tone. Jun bowed at the waist before straightening up again to meet her gaze.

“Yes, your majesty.”

“And I suppose you will be off now?” she asked, smirking. “A friend who needs company perhaps?” The advisors beside her listened to their conversation with curiosity.

Jun pursed his lips before replying stiffly, “I will be visiting a friend for a few days.” How did she know? Nino was right, she did know everything.

The queen nodded, a smile on her lips. “That’s good to hear. Well, you are dismissed, Royal Knight Matsumoto. I’m glad you’re back in one piece. We wouldn’t want someone to be sad over your death, hm?”

**

“You were right,” Jun said when Nino opened the door for him. He quickly slipped inside and set the bag down on the floor.

“Huh? What was I right about?”

“Her majesty,” Jun replied, slipping off his boots. “She knew something happened between us!”

Nino snorted and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. Jun thought Nino looked very attractive like that. “Of course she does. She knows everything. She probably smelled my scent on you.”

“But I showered! The scent would’ve been gone by then!” Jun exclaimed in surprise. “Is her nose that sensitive?”

Nino nodded. “Yes, you should know this already. That, and she seems to have a knack for just knowing a lot of things. She’s one scary lady.”

“You got that right.”

“So I see you brought some stuff with you,” Nino said curiously, eyeing the bag on the floor. Jun patted the bag next to him and stood up.

“I thought it would be easier to bring extra clothing instead of having to go home for them,” Jun said, grinning up at Nino.

“We wouldn’t want to tire you out,” Nino said in a matter-of-fact voice.

“Definitely not,” Jun agreed in a serious tone. He checked the time on the microwave. “Don’t you have work today?” he asked curiously.

Nino coloured before shaking his head. “No, I took the day off,” he said shyly.

Jun’s eyebrows shot up. “But it’s Monday.”

“Yeah, so?” Nino grumbled, his ears turning red.

Jun placed his boots to the side and walked over to Nino with a smirk on his face. “Well, I am amazed. You have never missed a shift since I got here.”

“I like to surprise people,” Nino retorted, but instantly melted in Jun’s touch when the knight wrapped his arms around him.

“You’re great,” Jun agreed, nuzzling Nino’s cheek. He was so small, so pliant in his arms. Suddenly, he felt a wave of lust wash over him. He wanted more from Nino. Now that he was able to move without crying from the pain, Jun wanted to take their relationship further. If it was anyone else he was serious with, Jun would’ve thought that they were moving too fast. But this was Nino—someone who he knew for decades. Someone he crushed on for months. He didn’t want to wait any longer than necessary.

Jun enjoyed the sounds his lover was making as his hands moved over his body slowly. “Hey Nino,” Jun said in a low voice, smirking when he felt the smaller man shiver in response.

“Y-yeah?”

“I wanted to thank you…” Jun murmured, letting his hands slide down Nino’s sides. Their bodies were pressed tightly against each other and Jun could smell Nino’s arousal in the air. It excited him that Nino seemed to want it too.

“Thank me h-how?” Nino asked, his hands gripping Jun’s arms tightly as he faltered under Jun’s touch.

“Would you let me?”

Nino groaned when Jun brushed his hand between his legs—he's already hard. Jun began pressing soft kisses against Nino’s neck, loving the way Nino whimpered in response.

“Yes…” Nino sighed happily.

That was all Jun needed to hear. He carefully navigated them to the couch and pulled Nino to sit between his legs. Continuing his kisses on his lover’s neck and shoulders, he reached down with one hand and let his fingers rest under the waistband of Nino’s pants. Feeling Nino tremble against him, Jun placed soothing kisses at the nape of Nino’s neck before slipping his hand underneath Nino’s pants and undergarments.

Jun wrapped a firm hand around Nino, enjoying the feel of Nino’s hard and hot length in his palm. He spread his legs farther apart to give Nino more comfort and began to stroke him with a steady hand.

“Ahh…” Nino gasped, falling back against Jun’s chest, his hands falling at his sides and clenching at the fabric of the couch. He spread his legs farther apart with what little space he had and began thrusting against Jun’s hand. “Ung…”

“Do you like it?” Jun asked in a rough voice, concentrating on the sounds Nino was making. If he sped up, Nino whimpered. If he slowed down, Nino whined. Jun wondered what other sounds he could get out of him.

“Y-yes,” Nino said breathily. “Jun—!”

Jun added a twist of his hand to his movements and grinned when Nino moaned, pushing into his hand. He slid his thumb to the slit and wiped the precum that was leaking at the tip, using it as lubricant as he tugged Nino’s cock faster.

“Ah… Jun—”

“Come for me, Nino,” Jun murmured against the skin of Nino’s neck. He licked the sweat that was dripping down at the side, enjoying the salty taste of his lover. Nino was thrusting into his hand now.

Jun gave him a few more strokes before Nino fell apart in his arms. Nino whimpered as he came, his hands moving to grip at Jun’s thighs for balance. Jun continued to stroke him through his climax, using Nino’s cum to make it even wetter. The sounds his lover was making spurred him on, and the feel of his movements as he came against him brought shivers down his spine.

When Nino finished, Jun took his hand out of Nino’s pants and stared at his fingers in fascination. His fingers were coated in white cum, and he brought a finger to his lips to taste.

“Are you serious?” Nino asked, a little out of breath when Jun pulled away. He sent Jun a grimace.

“Why not?” Jun asked with a laugh. It didn’t taste as bad as he thought. Nino rolled his eyes before looking down between his legs with a sigh.

“Ugh, I’m all sticky now.” He pouted before turning back to Jun. “What about you?”

Jun waved him off, trying to ignore the bulge between his legs. “Don’t worry about it. This was all about you.”

Nino frowned. “But—mmmh!”

Jun cut him off with a kiss.


After the first time, they started getting more and more bold with each other over the next several days. We just needed that push, Jun thought faintly, falling backwards on the couch and letting out a small groan when Nino climbed on top of him, brushing against his crotch lightly. Nino must have thought the same thing because he had been returning the favour a few times already, and he was not shy in touching Jun.

But Jun wanted more than just handjobs and kissing (even though he really enjoyed those). He wanted to taste Nino, and make him whimper and cry out in pleasure because of him. If they were already getting each other off through handjobs, surely they could proceed to the next step? He let his hands slid down to waistband of Nino’s work pants, the man having just returned from work. Nino swirled his tongue in Jun’s mouth while he rutted on top of him, trying to create more friction between them.

“Mmm…” Nino moaned in his mouth when Jun slipped a hand under Nino’s pants to cup at the skin of his lover’s behind. Jun was fascinated with the soft fleshy skin of Nino’s ass, finally thrilled to have the opportunity to touch it as much as he wanted (that usually led to a lot of kissing and groping sessions). Jun’s other hand joined the other side, and he kneaded Nino’s ass as he continued to kiss him, happily swallowing the man’s moans as they moved against each other.

Jun didn’t know what happened, but he found himself coming with a small grunt when Nino added a twist to his movements. Nino continued to move against him until he finished, sucking on his tongue while his hands roamed over Jun’s chest. Nino chuckled when they pulled apart and he looked down at Jun in amusement.

“Well, that probably isn’t comfortable,” Nino commented looking down between Jun’s legs. Jun let out a blissful sigh, still a little light-headed from the orgasm earlier.

“No, but it felt great,” Jun replied, smiling up at Nino. His lover smirked.

“I’m glad.”

Jun’s eyes shot down between Nino’s legs, looking at the tent in his pants. “We should do something about that,” Jun said, reaching out with a hand and lightly brushed it against the fabric. Nino groaned, and reached down to grab Jun’s wrist to keep his hand there.

“No complaints here,” Nino said breathily.

Instead of continuing with his touches, Jun carefully slid out from under Nino, ignoring the man’s cries of protest. “Shh…” Jun said, sinking to his knees before him on the couch. He heard Nino’s breath hitch when he reached for the man’s pants and slowly undid the buttons before pulling it down.

“This is better than I imagined,” Nino said gleefully, spreading his legs wider. He lifted his hips to help Jun pull down his pants.

Jun snorted but settled into a comfortable position between Nino’s legs and let his hands rest on Nino’s thighs, massaging them gently before hovering over his lover’s cock. He sent Nino a quick glance before pressing kisses to the tip of his cock. He smiled when he felt it twitch against his lips before taking him in his mouth slowly. Nino groaned and immediately placed his hand on Jun’s head, entangling his fingers through his hair and slowly pushing Jun down.

Jun let himself lower onto Nino’s cock, relaxing his throat when he reached the base. He pulled back up before sinking down again. He did this a few times, coating Nino’s entire length with his saliva before releasing him with a pop.

“Do you not have a gag reflex?” Nino asked breathlessly in astonishment, blinking owlishly.

Jun chuckled and licked his lips before moving to take Nino back in his mouth again. He hollowed his cheeks and sucked at the tip harshly. Nino moaned in response as he pulled harder on Jun’s hair. Jun continued to bob his head over Nino’s cock, licking and sucking every part of him that he could. One hand was wrapped around his lover’s length while he worked him to climax while the other hand was intertwined with Nino’s free hand.

“Oh—Jun—!” Nino gasped when Jun let his teeth gently brushed against the soft skin of Nino’s cock. Jun smirk at the response and repeated the action a few more times, enjoying how Nino fell more and more apart in front of him.

Jun took him into his mouth again, swirling his tongue around the tip of Nino’s length while using his hand to massage the rest of the cock. Nino moaned above him, eagerly thrusting into the warm cavern of his mouth, desperate for more friction. Jun relaxed his throat again and allowed Nino to use him, happy that he could bring out such wonderful noises from his lover. When the thrusts began to get more frantic, Jun released his hand from Nino’s and wrapped both of them around the length of Nino’s cock, giving it a firm squeeze while he hollowed his cheeks again and sucked at the head harshly. When he felt Nino was about to come, he quickly pulled away and gripped the base tightly. Nino let out a frustrated whine.

“Jun!” he gasped in frustration, snapping his gaze down at him.

Jun smirked up at him. “Yes?” he asked, pretending to play dumb.

“I want to come damn it!” Nino whined, trying to bring Jun back. Jun managed to stay out of his reach, while still keep a hand on Nino’s cock.

“You’ll come when I want you to,” Jun said, his hand stroking Nino slowly. He chuckled when Nino let out an annoyed cry.

“Stop teasing!” Nino protested, trying to push against Jun’s hand. “Or else I’ll do it myself—ah!” He let out a loud yelp when Jun reached out with both hands to grab Nino’s wrists, trapping them together. “Jun!” he cried in frustration.

Jun immediately sunk back down on Nino’s cock, swirling the tip with his tongue before engulfing the entire thing in his mouth. He still kept a tight grip on Nino’s wrists while the man tried to break away from him (albeit weakly). Jun licked him slowly this time, prolonging the pleasure and teasing him with his release.

“Please Jun,” Nino begged, squirming above him. “Please, please, please, I just want to come…” he sobbed. Jun laughed before he decided to take mercy on him. Releasing his lover’s wrists, Jun began bobbing his head over him again, moving his hand with his actions. Nino gasped above him as Jun licked and sucked him to his release. When Jun reached the tip of Nino’s cock, he gave a harsh suck to surprise him.

Nino came instantly, letting out a low guttural moan as both of his hands shot up to grip Jun’s short hair tightly. Jun didn’t mind that his hair was now a mess—Nino’s pleasure was the only thing that mattered right now. He continued sucking the tip through his lover’s orgasm, lapping up the cum that escaped until Nino fell soft. Jun released him slowly, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“What in the world…” Nino said after catching his breath. He looked down at Jun incredulously.

“Like that?” Jun asked, beaming up at him. Nino snorted and reached out to fix Jun’s hair.

“Of course I liked it, who wouldn’t?” Nino let out a relax sigh. “We should get you to go on your knees more often. I really like seeing you like that.”

Jun laughed and pushed himself up so that he was level with Nino’s face. “I don’t mind,” he murmured before kissing him softly.


As their relationship progressed, Jun felt himself falling deeper for Nino. It astonished him sometimes, at how intense his feelings for Nino were. It honestly surprised him that they hadn’t even gotten to the third base of their relationship yet. But Jun took this relationship seriously, and he didn’t want to rush Nino. He was willing to wait at the expense of his own wants and needs because he cared and respected Nino too much.

His relationship with Nino was honestly different from his previous relationships. There was a lot more asking and talking when it came to sex, and Jun realized he was doing this because he really couldn’t imagine not being with Nino anymore. It scared him—he was falling fast for Nino, fast and hard and Jun was powerless against his emotions for him. Jun wondered how much Nino really knew. Surely he knew how strong his feelings for Nino were?

But there was one thing that was bothering him, and he had wanted to ask Nino about it for the longest time. Jun didn’t know how to bring it up. The queen had told him to ask Nino himself about the details of his banishment, saying that it was Nino’s choice to reveal it to him. Jun didn’t know if Nino would be comfortable sharing it with him. It wasn’t that it mattered to him (it didn’t, because Jun knew Nino wasn’t a bad person), but he was genuinely curious on why his lover was sent off to live in the mortal world for an indefinite amount of time.

But how do I ask about it? Jun wondered as he watched Nino yell at the TV in anger. Jun was brimming with curiosity about it, but he didn’t want to upset Nino if it was something that wasn’t meant to be revealed.

“What’s wrong?”

Jun jumped at the sudden question. He looked down at Nino who was looking at him with a curious expression.

“Ah… it’s nothing. Sorry if I disturbed you,” Jun apologized. Nino rolled his eyes.

“Right, my empathic powers may not be as strong as it used to, but the worry rolling off of you is too strong for it to be ‘nothing.’ Don’t pretend, Jun,” Nino said, shaking his head.

Jun bit his lips. Should he ask Nino now?

“Come on, I know you’re itching to ask.” Nino placed the controller down and sat down next to him. “Tell me.”

Should I?

“Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad,” Nino mused, looking at Jun patiently.

Might as well, Jun thought, letting out a long sigh. “I was just thinking…”

Nino sent him an amused look. “I could tell.”

Jun rolled his eyes at him. “I was just… I was just wondering why you were banished to the mortal realm.” He immediately noticed how Nino stiffened at the word banishment. Shit, I knew this was a bad idea. “I mean—I was just curious—I don’t—I don’t care… but I was just wondering what happened?” Jun asked quietly.

If Jun was hoping for a positive reaction, he was dead wrong. Nino’s expression went cold before he shook his head and moved back to the floor. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said coolly.

“I’m sorry,” Jun apologized hastily. “I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine,” Nino cut in tersely. “I know you’re curious, but I don’t want to talk about it.” He resumed his game and began playing without another word.

Jun cursed himself silently. I knew I shouldn’t have asked. Nino’s frame was still tense, and Jun knew he had made a bad decision. He pretended to nap for the rest of the evening.

Fortunately for Jun, Nino seemed to have forgotten about the situation because he was back to normal the next day. He didn’t expect Nino to wake him up with his regular kisses again before disappearing to get ready for work. Jun continued to follow Nino to work, keeping his lover company when the store didn’t have any customers.

Their days were spent together like this. Sometimes Jun worried if he was grabbing too much of Nino’s time and away from his friends, but Nino had shrugged it off when he asked. We can talk through LINE anyway, he had said. Still, Jun wasn’t quite so sure about that.

A week later when they were making out on the couch one evening, Nino popped the question.

“So… um… I need to ask you something,” he said hesitantly when they pulled apart. Nino looked tense, but it wasn’t anything worrying. He just seemed unsettled.

Jun rubbed his lover’s back in comfort. “What is it?” he asked gently.

Nino let out a frustrated sigh and reached up to brush his bangs back. He had recently gotten it cut at the insistence of his manager, who claimed it was getting a little too unruly. Instead of going to a hairstylist, he forced Jun to give him one. Jun secretly liked Nino with short hair, and if it resembled his just slightly… well, Nino had no complaints.

“Aiba and Sho want to meet you.”

Jun blinked. “What…?”

Nino looked at him in exasperation and scratched the nape of his neck. “They managed to get the truth out of me, and they're demanding to meet you now,” he replied with a grimace. “They want to know who’s occupying most of my time away from them now.”

Jun pursed his lips. “Do you think that would be a good idea?” He could disguise his more… unique features with a bit of glamour, but did Nino want to introduce him to people who had no idea another world, species, creatures existed?

Nino shrugged. “If you're not comfortable meeting them I can just tell them you travel for work a lot.” Yet, there was a hint of disappointment Jun didn't miss in his tone.

“No,” Jun said, shaking his head. “It's fine, we can meet them.”

Nino blinked and looked at him incredulously. “Are… are you sure? The queen allows you to reveal your identity to humans?”

“Well… if they don't know my true identity, I don't think it would hurt. Besides, it would be nice to meet your friends in person for once.”

The smile on Nino’s face was worth it.

**

“I would jump you right now, but that's public indecency.”

“And you would mess up my clothes,” Jun replied in amusement.

“Who knew how hot you would be with brown eyes?”

A few days later, Nino had arranged a dinner for his friends and Jun’s first meeting. It would be a lie to say that Jun wasn't nervous, and he did want to make a good impression on Nino’s friends.

Before the dinner, they had gone out to go shopping for some clothes. Jun had done most of the shopping, having had much fun in picking the outfits (within Nino’s budget range). After that, Jun had to apply the glamour he was going to use for the rest of the evening. Nino pointed out that mortals didn’t have purple eyes unless they wore contacts, so Jun opted for a brown colour. He hid the pointed tips of his ears, making them round like a mortal’s, and his fangs had been hidden to match what human teeth would look like. In the last minute, Jun decided to hide the scar on the side of his face. He didn’t think he could come up with a good story for how he got it.

Yes, I almost got my face sliced off by a sword during practice by a clumsy soldier, Jun thought in exasperation. After his transformation, Nino couldn’t stop staring at his face.

“You look like a soft version of yourself,” Nino commented, still staring at him. “I like this. I really like this.”

“I’m flattered,” Jun said, giving him a wink. “You’re not too bad yourself, Ninomiya-kun,” he said in a teasing voice, grinning at the flush on his face. He liked that he was having this effect on Nino—it felt good.

“Of course, I try my best,” Nino replied and shot him a cheshire smile.

“So it's only Aiba-san and Sakurai-san?” Jun asked, looking around the restaurant. “No Ohno-san?”

“Yeah only those two. Oh-chan is busy.” Although, he didn't seem bothered by that fact.

They waited for a few more minutes until Nino’s friends arrived. Jun began to get nervous. What if they didn't like him? He jumped when he felt a hand on his lap.

“Relax,” Nino murmured, knowing that Jun’s hearing could pick it up. “Just be yourself.”

“Easy for you to say,” Jun replied with a sigh.

“Nino! You're alive!” Aiba exclaimed when he and Sho reached the table.

“Of course I'm alive! You saw me a few days ago!”

As they continued to squabble, Sho shook his head at them in exasperation before turning to Jun and bowed. “Hello, I'm Sakurai Sho. It's nice to meet you…?”

Jun quickly stood up to return the bow. “Ah, Matsumoto Jun. it's a pleasure, Sakurai-san.”

Sho laughed and shook his head. “No need to be so formal.”

“Then you can call me the same, Sakurai-kun,” Jun said, smiling at him.

Sho smiled back at him before turning to the other two with a pained look. “Aiba-kun, at least introduce yourself to Matsumoto-kun before you argue with Nino please,” he scolded in exasperation.

Aiba looked over at the pair. “Oh! I'm sorry!” He exclaimed with a sheepish grin. “I'm Aiba Masaki, it's nice to meet you!”

“It's nice to meet you, Aiba-san,” Jun greeted, a little overwhelmed by the mortal’s enthusiasm.

“You're scaring him,” Sho muttered, placing a hand on Aiba’s arm.

“Let’s eat! I'm hungry!” Nino exclaimed, sitting down next to Jun. “you guys kept us waiting!”

Aiba let out another protest and Jun saw at the corner of his eye, Sho shaking his head again in exasperation at the two.

Dinner actually went well. Jun eventually relaxed as the night when on, conversing with Aiba and Sakurai about different topics. They definitely asked about his personal life, and Jun tried to be vague as possible.

“That was nice,” Nino commented cheerfully when they were walking home.

“Thank goodness…” Jun mumbled. He had tried to be on his best behaviour the entire night, trying to make Nino’s friends like him. It wouldn't matter in the long run (mortals die so fast), but they were currently a part of Nino’s life now. And Jun wanted to be part of that life too.

“You were great! They like you!” Nino continued, bumping his elbow against Jun’s stomach lightly. “Don't worry! Would I lie to you?”

Jun snorted and immediately said, “Yes you would.”

Nino let out a noise of protest, but Jun wasn't having it.

“Do you remember the first time we met?” Jun asked, giving him a pointed look. “You said Nishikido-kun was your brother.”

Nino chuckled and lightly punched Jun on the arm. “And then you found out two years later we weren't related! Your face at the time!” He was clutching his stomach in laughter. Jun wanted to kick him and kiss him at the same time. “Jun-kun was so cute back then,” Nino said when he managed to get a hold of himself again.

Jun rolled his eyes. “It's not that funny.”

“No,” Nino agreed, shaking his head. “It was cute.”

“Are you saying I'm not cute anymore?” he asked in a dangerous tone. Nino beamed at him before running past him down the road.

“Jun-kun is always cute!” he cried, letting out a loud laugh before Jun ran after him.


VII.

Aiba and Sakurai had ended up really liking him, much to Nino’s delight (and Jun’s relief), and demanded to see the couple more often. Now, more of their dates were going out in the evening with friends (they were Jun’s friends now) and less at home. But Jun still liked the quiet evenings and mornings he got with Nino where they could laze around. Jun even moved into Nino’s apartment, shortly after they got together. If he was assigned to watch his lover, might as well… right?

Nino certainly didn’t have a problem with it since he was the one to actually suggest it a month into their relationship. Jun stayed consecutive nights, but he always had to go home after a few days to grab a change of clothing. Nino made an offhanded comment to just bring a quarter of his clothes here and they could go shopping for more since Jun now went outside the apartment with Nino sometimes in public.

Jun kept the same glamour he used when he met Aiba and Sakurai. Frankly, it felt nice to walk out on the streets without having to hide in the shadows. One thing he didn't realize was that he would attract attention from mortal women, especially when he walked to the combini to pick Nino up from work.

“You're a good-looking guy, obviously they'll fall for you,” Nino pointed out one evening when they arrived back home from another dinner with their friends.

“I guess?” He really never gave much thought to his admirers, his mind always focused on his training and duties instead.

“Don't guess, just accept it,” Nino told him with a beaming smile.

Jun rolled his eyes at him but didn't say much, deciding to concentrate on the heat of his lover’s body beside him. They had been dating for a little more than a month and Jun wondered how Nino was still able to drive him crazy all the time.

He would be lying if he said he didn't think about going all the way with Nino. He loved that they weren't shy to initiate things between each other, having gotten over that in the first week, but Jun definitely thought about going further with Nino very often.

But Nino didn't seem to think of going more than simple handjobs or oral sex. Jun didn't want to pressure him or anything but he would always find himself staring at Nino’s behind when they were in private. He would have dreams of him on top of Nino, touching Nino, kissing Nino, sliding in that tight—

“Jun!”

Jun snapped out of his thoughts, trying to fight the heat that was threatening to appear. He couldn't believe he was daydreaming about sex with Nino in the middle of the day. It's been way too long, Jun groaned inwardly, trying to get himself under control. Nino looked at him in concern.

“Are you alright?” A jolt of heat rippled through him when Nino placed a hand on his elbow.

“I'm fine,” Jun grunted, moving slightly to put some space between them. He couldn't handle Nino touching him at this moment.

Nino frowned and tried to reach out for him again but Jun had already started walking away.

I need to get a hold of myself, Jun growled to himself, speeding up when he heard Nino run after him.


Jun should have known that his attempts to avoid Nino would be futile… especially when they touched a lot, and Nino initiated most of it.

“Alright,” Nino said angrily one evening a few days later when he cornered Jun in the kitchen. “This needs to stop now.”

“What does?” Jun froze and watched as his lover stomped towards him. They were putting the rest of the dishes away and Jun had nowhere to escape in the tiny kitchen. He would have to run over Nino to get past him.

“Your sulking, your avoidance, and your lack of eye contact with me!” Nino exclaimed in annoyance, crossing his arms against his chest. “What's going on?”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” He could use the shadows to escape...

“Yes, you do. You're moping around like a child! I'm worried, Jun.” Nino sent him a look of concern.

“I assure you everything is fine,” Jun said shortly. Nino shot him a glare.

“Keep telling yourself that, Jun-kun,” he said flatly. “You've been avoiding me for the past three days.”

“No I haven't,” he denied hastily. Nino glared even harder at him.

“Right,” Nino replied drily, “that's why you don't even sleep in the same bed as me.”

“I don't want to take over your bed,” Jun said weakly, knowing Nino had caught him. There was space… if they cuddled, which they had been doing until he decided that being in close proximity to Nino was a struggle.

“Jun, what is going on?” Nino asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at him. He moved closer and Jun immediately took a step back. Jun cringed inwardly when he saw Nino shoot a surprised look before his face turned to one of determination and moved forward. Jun gulped loudly before Nino had him trapped against the wall. “Jun.”

You are a royal knight! Act like one! he shouted at himself, but he couldn’t move. Nino’s scent assaulted his senses and all he wanted to do was wrap himself around Nino and never let go. Just as he was about to make an escape, Jun gasped when he felt a hand on his crotch.

“You’re hard…” Nino whispered in bewilderment before looking up at him. “Why are you hiding this from me?” Jun detected a hint of hurt in his tone, but his mind was unable to make an excuse because Nino’s hand felt so good. His lover was still kneading him and it had taken every ounce of Jun’s control to not tackle him to the floor.

“Ah…” Jun groaned, his hands flat against the wall when Nino added more pressure.

“You’re really worked up,” Nino said in amusement, looking down at the bulge in his pants. “What were you trying to do?”

“S-stop,” Jun managed to get out before he reached down to grab Nino’s wrist. His lover flinched and he mentally berated himself for scaring him. “N-no,” he said through gritted teeth. His body ached for more of Nino’s touch, but Jun couldn't let his desire take over.

“Why are you practicing abstinence all of a sudden?” Nino scowled in annoyance, pulling his hand back to cross his arms across his chest. “You didn't have that problem a few days ago. Did I do something wrong?” he asked with a frown.

No, you didn’t do anything! Jun wanted to shout, but he shook his head, trying to figure out a plan to escape.

“Matsumoto Jun, you better tell me what’s bothering you,” Nino scolded. “I thought we promised that we would talk things out when we started this relationship?”

“I…” Jun hesitated. How would he even bring up the subject? I want to make love to you? Real romantic, Jun, he thought with a grimace. He jumped when he felt a hand on his cheek.

“Jun-kun, what’s wrong?” Nino’s face was filled with concern and Jun hated how the situation had escalated to this point. It wasn’t even a problem! “Jun—”

“It’s nothing,” Jun denied, trying to calculate how he would have to jump to get out of this space without knocking things over.

“Jun,” Nino said angrily, “stop lying to me. And stop trying to escape.”

“I’m not.”

Nino rolled his eyes. “Sure you aren’t.” He looked at him wearily. “Jun, seriously, what’s bothering you? You’ve been uneasy the past few days. Are you sure it’s not me?” he asked nervously.

Jun sighed in resignation. It was clear Nino wasn’t going to leave him alone, and Jun wasn’t able to get out of this unless he completely disappeared. But why was he so scared in the first place? Just because he was nervous about wanting to take the next step in their relationship didn’t mean that Nino (might) not disagree either… right? He looked down at Nino who gave him an expectant look in return. What was he afraid of, especially when they had agreed in the beginning that they would talk things out between them to avoid misunderstandings.

Maybe because it might change things.

“Jun…?” Nino called slowly, “are you—”

“I want to have sex with you,” Jun blurted out. Nino froze. Shitshitshit. “Um. Yeah, I—” He hadn't meant to say it like that! Jun could feel the panic building in him and he wanted to run away.

“You want to have sex with me?” Nino asked in bewilderment. Jun nodded stiffly, trying to keep his hands from shaking. “But… aren’t we already doing that?” he continued cautiously trying to understand what he meant.

Jun sighed and rubbed his temples with his fingers. Might as well. “No, I meant… for us to go all the way. I want to go all the way with you.”

“Oh.”

Jun didn’t want to look at him. “Yeah.”

There was a huff before Nino’s face entered his vision. “Is that all this is about?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his tone. “Jun-kun, you could’ve just said earlier.”

“How the heck are you supposed to say these things?” Jun grumbled. Wasn’t it embarrassing?

Nino chuckled and pushed himself into Jun’s space, snuggling into his shirt. Jun automatically wrapped his arms around him. “Stop thinking so much,” he mumbled against the fabric, “it’s not like I would’ve said no.”

“It’s not as easy as you think,” Jun said nervously.

Nino nodded and pressed soft kisses on the fabric of his shirt. “True, but it’s not like you were the only one thinking of it either.”

“I wasn’t sure if—”

“Jun,” Nino said drily, pulling back to look at him. “If you haven’t noticed, I like you a lot. Why wouldn’t I want to? We’re not exactly young either.”

“I didn’t want to rush…?” Jun said weakly, knowing that wasn’t a good argument.

Nino snorted. “Trust me, I think we’ve waited long enough.” He kissed at Jun’s collarbones before pulling away with a bright smile. “Right. Now that I know what’s the problem, we can solve it easily.”

“S-Solve?” Did Nino mean—

Nino grinned. “We can finally do it! But not today though. I have to get some supplies.” Jun tried not to look disappointed.

“Supplies?” Jun let Nino pull him over to the couch. “For what?” Nino climbed on top of him and straddled his thighs.

“For our big day tomorrow! And because this body is human so it makes things a little harder,” Nino admitted sheepishly.

“Doesn't it work the same way?” Jun asked in confusion. They had the same body parts, didn't they?

Nino shook his head and place a soft kiss on Jun’s lips. “Nope, we are going nowhere near my ass without the right supplies. Don't worry, Jun-kun, it'll be great!”


After much arguing (and lots of kissing), Nino made Jun stay home for the day. I want it to be a surprise! he said, giving him that annoying grin that had been appearing a lot more lately.

Jun spent most of the morning at home working out. Since the beginning of his assigned task to watch Nino, he didn't get a lot of chances to keep up with his fitness (not including the time he nearly got stabbed to death). Working out kept his mind off of things, and it helped him get through the morning while he waited for Nino to come home.

After his morning workout, Jun decided to go outside for the afternoon. When he finished lunch, he decided to take a walk around the neighbourhood. Jun didn’t really venture out in public on his own, only showing himself when he was with Nino, but since he had been doing it more and more with Nino to meet Aiba and Sakurai, he was becoming more comfortable with allowing himself the chance to explore the mortal realm.

Jun stayed out longer than he thought because when he arrived back to the apartment, he could hear Nino showering in the bathroom. Juun swallowed nervously. Were they doing it today?

He went to the bedroom to change into something more comfortable. When he placed his clothes to the side, he noticed a small plastic bed on top of the bedside drawer. Casting a quick glance in the direction of the bathroom, Jun looked into the bag.

There wasn't anything but a small tube of something called lubricant and a box of condoms…? What are those? Jun wondered, holding the box up curiously. He tensed when he heard the door to the bathroom unlock and Jun shoved everything back in the bag and placed it to its original place.

He pretended to be lounging on the bed when Nino came back to his room, freshly showered and rubbing a towel on his hair.

“Ah, Jun-kun!” Nino greeted with a smile when he saw him on the bed. “You're back! I was wondering where you went.” Jun scooted closer to the wall to make room for Nino to sit.

“I just went for a walk,” Jun replied, looking up at Nino. His eyes traced the droplets of water falling from the tips of his lover’s hair.

“And here I thought you were chickening out on me,” he teased, setting the towel aside at the end of the bed. Jun immediately sat up.

“The covers are going to get—”

“Screw the covers,” Nino said before turning around and pounced on top of him. Jun’s eyes widened when Nino kissed him, straddling his hips and grinded his crotch down against his. He let out a surprised yell that allowed Nino to taste him a little more.

Oh, he wants to do it now? Jun thought faintly when he felt Nino’s fingers begin to slide his shirt up.

“You're so hot,” Nino panted, breaking the kiss and pulled away. He was looking down at Jun’s stomach hungrily and his hand traced over the abs on his stomach. Jun smirked, feeling pleased at the attention. He raised his arms to help Nino pull of his shirt and placed his hands on Nino’s waist, enjoying the attention he was giving him.

Nino sucked at his neck, licking and nibbling on the flesh of skin as he made marks on Jun’s flawless skin. “You smell good,” he murmured, planting kisses on Jun’s collarbones before moving back to come face to face with him again.

Jun kissed him softly, enjoying the soft scent of Nino’s shampoo as it invaded his senses. While it hadn't changed much, the scent when Nino was a demon and Nino as a human now were uniquely different in small ways. As a human, Nino’s scent lacked the raw power that ran through his veins. Nino’s smell was made up of his magic and a heady scent mixed with the body oils that the upper-class used.

Scent signified power among demons. Nino’s scent was overbearing in court when he stood with others. The stronger the magic, the stronger the scent. The queen herself had the strongest scent: she was a mix of roses from the oils she wore and the sharp sweet scent of her magic.

Now that Nino didn't have magic anymore, his scent had been replaced by something more mild.

“I hope I’m not boring you,” Nino said with a chuckle, snapping Jun out of his thoughts. He looked between them and noticed that he was naked except for his undergarments, which Nino was quickly working at to remove.

“Never,” Jun said, moving his own hands to get rid of Nino’s clothing.

When they were finally both naked and the covers pushed off the bed, Jun took the opportunity to explore Nino’s body. Hovering over him, his hands traced over the soft planes and angles of his lover’s body, enjoying the tiny gasps and sighs he made. He pinched at Nino’s nippes, smirking at the slight whine in response.

Jun moved his hands lower down Nino’s body. He wiped the tiny bead of precum at the tip of Nino’s cock with his thumb before giving his length a few firm strokes.

“Jun, why are you teasing?” Nino groaned, thrusting up against Jun’s fingers.

“I’m exploring,” Jun explained, moving his hands down to cup Nino’s balls.

“I wish you would stop exploring and get a move on,” Nino whined. There was a rustle from above and a few seconds later his lover placed the tube he saw earlier in his hand. “Come on.”

“What’s this?” Jun asked, pretending not to know what it was.

“That, my dear Jun-kun, is lubricant. A human man’s best friend,” Nino stated with a nod. “And what you will use to make things easier.” He stretched his legs wider and reached down to tug at his own cock. “It’s similar to the oils we use back home.”

Ah. Jun sent Nino one last look before turning back to the tube in his hand. Uncapping it, Jun gave it a curious sniff.

“There’s no scent,” Nino commented, still stroking himself. “I can’t stand those.”

“And how did you know that human males need this?” Jun asked, trying to keep the jealousy out of his voice. He hoped Nino hadn't slept with anybody else before this, even if he knew that it didn’t matter now. Nino was with him. He squeezed a considerable amount on his fingers before capping the tube.

“Videos are great,” Nino said with a sigh when Jun placed the tube aside and moved to settle between his legs. “They don’t have natural lubrication as I’m sure you noticed, so they need this.” He scooted up to the pillows and made himself comfortable. “Anytime you’re ready.”

Jun arched his brow at him but moved to concentrate on his task. The lube was very similar to the oils he used for sex back home, but this was a lot thicker. He massaged the gel over his fingers before placing a finger at Nino’s opening. Pressing slightly against it, Jun counted to three before pushing in.

“Yes…” Nino hissed, pushing against his finger. “You can do more than one, Jun-kun.”

Jun added another finger and began pumping them in and out of him. Nino pushed back against them, making happy sighs above him as he scissored his fingers to try and stretch him open. When Jun added the third finger, he turned them around and made a come hither motion.

“Oh—!”

Jun smirked. Found it. Nino gasped as Jun did it again before pumping his fingers faster. He watched as Nino let out a loud groan, his back arching as he clutched at the bedsheets in pleasure. Nino was tight around him, trying to accommodate his fingers.

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” Nino panted a few moments later, trying to push away from him. “If you continue, I’m going to finish!” Jun laughed and immediately took out his fingers. He looked at them curiously before he yelped when a hand wrapped around his cock. “Stop daydreaming!” Nino scolded, “are you going to be like this for—” he let out a yelp when Jun pushed him down on the bed and flipped him over on his hands and knees. He let out a loud whine when Jun held his hips in place and reached around to tug at Nino’s cock.

“And how would you like me to be?” Jun asked huskily, bending to whisper in Nino’s ear. He smirked when he felt his lover tremble in excitement.

“More fucking, less talking,” Nino gasped, when Jun began to rub his hot length against Nino’s buttocks. The sight of Nino’s creamy skin was so inviting. “Jun!” he whined, reaching behind to grab at him. “We need protection!”

Jun paused. “Protection?” he asked in confusion. Nino sighed and crawled over to the bag on the bedside table again. He ripped open a box and held out two packets in his hand.

“Condoms,” Nino explained, ripping one open. “These protect against diseases and helps us avoid messes.” Jun’s eyebrows shot up.

“Diseases? From what?”

Nino sent him an amused look before turning back to his task. Jun watched with great interest as Nino rolled the “condom” onto his cock. It felt funny. “Humans have sexual diseases—weird, I know—and these are used to protect them from it.” Nino grabbed the other packet and put one on himself. “I’m clean, if you must know,” Nino said, “but I would prefer if we didn’t mess up the sheets today.”

Jun snorted and watched as Nino got back this time and spread his legs, scooting himself closer to him. He looked up at Jun with a smirk. “I'm ready now~!” Jun wanted to wipe that smug look off his lover’s face. He positioned himself over Nino’s hole, looking down at his covered cock in fascination. Would a condom feel just as nice? Jun teased him by letting the head of his cock circle the opening but not quite pushing in. Nino began wiggling underneath him impatiently while muttering under his breath about slow and selfish boyfriends. Selfish, huh?

Without any warning, Jun entered Nino in one smooth and slow thrust, pushing into him and filling him up. Tight heat immediately enveloped him and Jun had to pause for a moment to get himself together. It wouldn’t do to finish now, Jun thought, trying to keep still as his fingers were trembling from where it clutched Nino’s hips. It took every ounce of his willpower to not start thrusting into the tight heat, and Nino’s clenching wasn’t helping one bit.

“Oh god…” Nino moaned loudly, his hands bunching the sheets on both sides of him. “Waitwaitwait…” he repeated with a wince. Jun looked down at him in concern.

“Are you okay? Should I…” Did he move too fast?

“Yeah—it’s just been a while,” Nino said, a little breathlessly, “just… give me a minute.” Jun counted to ten to keep himself to distract himself the warm (hot) heat while Nino took the time to adjust to the intrusion. Eventually, Nino murmured after a moment, “You can move.” He looked much more relaxed than before. Nino met Jun’s eyes and he couldn't help but leaned down to kiss him, making him slide even deeper inside Nino. It felt amazing.

Nino let out a whimper when Jun pulled back and settled himself into a more comfortable position. Taking care not to hurt him, Jun began moving in slow and shallow thrusts. The tight heat was overwhelming, and Jun wanted more, wanted to get as deep as he could. He watched Nino’s face as he moved in him, wondering what type of sounds he could pull out of him.

Jun grabbed Nino’s splayed legs and wrapped them around his waist, before falling forward on his forearms so that this face was hovering over Nino’s. Nino made quiet pants every time Jun entered him, and Jun was fascinated with how he trembled when he pulled out and tensed when he pushed back in.

“Jun, you can go faster you know?” Nino groaned, his legs trembling around his waist. “I won’t break…” he let out a loud squeak when Jun snapped his hips roughly in his next thrust.

Jun began pumping into him faster while his mouth claimed Nino’s, swallowing every moan the man made. The clenching around his cock made his hips jerk clumsily for a second, but he managed to stabilize himself after, going for deep and hard thrusts inside Nino. It feels so good, Jun thought through a haze of pleasure as he continued thrusting into him.

The room was filled with the sounds of their lovemaking and the slapping of flesh on flesh. Jun watched in fascination as Nino’s eyes closed and his back arched as he pumped inside him. Nino had moved his hands from the covers to place one on Jun’s shoulder while the other hand reached down to pump his cock in time with Jun’s thrusts.

“Yes, yes, ugh—!” Nino moaned loudly, his eyes rolling to the back of his head when Jun shifted and managed to hit exactly that one spot he was looking for. “Right there…!”

“Come for me, Nino,” Jun growled as he pounded into him faster. Nino let out a keening noise, and Jun had to will himself not to come as Nino unconsciously clenched around him every time he dove in. “Come for me.” He leaned down to nibble at Nino’s earlobes, loving the mewling sounds Nino was making now. “Can you do it without touching yourself?” Jun asked, blowing softly into Nino’s ear.

“J-Jun!” Nino choked out when Jun gave a hard thrust that made Nino’s body jolt from the impact before he fell apart under him, his mouth opened as his orgasm overtook him. Jun didn’t stop his movements, continuing to thrust into Nino and trying to ride out his lover’s orgasm to the point his pleasure was starting to feel painful. “Agh—!”

With one tight squeeze around him, Jun came shortly after with a loud moan, his hips stuttering as he released. They were both breathing heavily after they finished, and Jun let out a grunt when Nino wiggled beneath him, unwrapping his legs from his waist. Letting out a long breath, Jun slowly pulled out from Nino. He admired the gaping hole when he pulled all the way out, loving how the opening closed slightly.

“Here, you remove the condom like this,” Nino said, demonstrating how to do it with his own. Jun followed suit and he took Nino’s to throw away.

“Was… it… how you… imagined?” Nino asked tiredly, but his face was pleased when Jun flopped down beside him after he returned from the bathroom.

“Even better,” Jun said with a grin, running his hand through his own hair. Better was an understatement. “When can we do it again?” he asked cheekily. It had been absolutely amazing. Nino felt incredible, and Jun can feel his cock twitch again at the image of his lover spread open in front of him.

Nino laughed and rubbed Jun’s calves with his foot. “We can go again after I take a nap. Unfortunately, this human body of mine can’t keep up.” He sounded disappointed.

Jun patted him on the arm, smiling when Nino moved to snuggle against him.

“I'm sure we can make it work. We can do an experiment,” he suggested, wiggling his eyebrows at him.

“I can only go so many times, Jun-kun,” Nino said in amusement, but not exactly seeming opposed to the idea.

“Maybe your stamina is better than you think.”

“Jun-kun, my stamina as a human is an embarrassment compared to my real self. That's just setting up for failure!” he whined cutely.

Jun nuzzled the top of Nino’s head with his cheek. “I'm sure we can work things out.”


VIII.

“You know, it’s rude to just leave after we slept together.”

Jun snorted at the exasperation in Nino’s tone and ran a hand through his hair, trying to keep the styling in place before turning around.

Nino watched him lazily from his bed, hugging the pillow to his chest closely. Jun knew he was naked under those covers. His neck and collarbones were marked all over by him, and Nino’s hair was wonderfully tousled from last night’s lovemaking session. Jun had to put all his willpower in stopping himself from going over there and claiming Nino again.

Exploring sex with Nino as a human was every bit fascinating. He felt so fragile in his arms, but incredibly responsive to every touch he made. Jun had to be much more careful so that he wasn’t accidentally hurting his lover, but it was amazing. They had made love almost everyday since he had blurted out that he wanted to take things further a couple of weeks ago, and Jun loved every single moment of it. True to his words, they did experiment with Nino’s stamina that ended with fun results. Nino had been proud of himself.

Sometimes Jun had wondered if Nino wanted to take the top role a few times, but his lover never mentioned anything other than satisfaction after every session they had. Jun didn't mind being the bottom, having done it plenty in past relationships, and he wondered if Nino cared but was afraid to bring it up. Jun hoped that wasn't the case—although, he couldn't see Nino being like that. Nino didn't like to upset the status quo, preferring to let things work out on its own but he definitely wasn’t afraid of speaking his mind if it really bothered him. That was one of the things Jun liked about him.

“I’ll be back later,” Jun told him, checking himself in the mirror once more, only to distract himself from the tempting sight behind him. Later. “I have to report back to her majesty.”

It had been a couple of weeks since he had last gone back to the demon realm. While he wasn’t required to report back about Nino’s status too often, Jun felt that he had a duty to make sure the queen got updates at least once every couple of weeks. The knight training in him didn’t allow for laziness.

“Well, if you say so,” Nino drawled, “the bed gets quite cold.” He flopped back against the pillows with a dramatic sigh.

Jun laughed and walked over to the bed. He crouched down so that their faces were level. It was very endearing when his lover was sulking and tried to pretend he wasn’t. Nino met his gaze with those pretty eyes that Jun loved so much. In the beginning, it had been strange to see a pair of brown eyes look back at him, too used to the golden orbs that he was familiar with. But now, months later, Jun thought they suited him quite well. Later, he told himself again, trying to resist the temptation in front of him. Nino was always tempting.

“I won’t be long. I’ll be here when you get home,” Jun pointed out and leaned closer to steal a goodbye kiss.

“Hmph,” was all he got as a reply, but the kiss was granted.

Chuckling, Jun placed a kiss on Nino’s forehead when they broke apart. “Have a nice day at work, Nino.”

Nino rolled his eyes but he replied in a pleased tone, “Come back soon, Jun-kun.”

**

Well, that went well, Jun thought wryly, appearing in the street from the shadows.

He had met with the queen privately in her quarters to give her an update. Unfortunately for him, he hadn’t realized that she would actually ask questions about his relationship with Nino. It was one of the most embarrassing moments of his life. Next time I visit her, we’re staying in the throne room. But he was happy that the queen seemed to accept their relationship wholeheartedly, never once acting disappointed or upset about the fact.

When he turned into the street of Nino’s neighbourhood, Jun stopped dead in his tracks. There was an ashy scent in the area, one that Jun had not smelled in a really long time. Celestial. Jun narrowed his eyes at the thought of those heavenly creatures. Celestials were a demon’s natural enemy. It had been centuries since the last full blown war, but every once in awhile, his kind and the Celestials ended up fighting each other whenever they met. Jun didn’t know why the two races hated each other very much, a prejudice that existed long before he was ever born. But Jun knew that as was his duty, he would have to exterminate them if he ever saw them. It was the natural order of things.

And now he smelled them in the surrounding area. Jun looked around him, trying to search for some sort of clue of their presence. What were they— he looked over at Nino’s apartment in the distance in horror before sprinting down the street. What if they were trying to get Nino?

Jun jumped onto Nino’s balcony, trying to control his panic and shoved the sliding door open. Everything looked okay but the smell of a celestial was everywhere. And where was Nino? Jun searched through the entire apartment, but there was no sign of him anywhere. Jun began to feel dread pool in his stomach before feelings of panic washed over him.

Had he been too late in getting back? Had they taken Nino? He could still smell traces of Nino’s scent in the apartment, but the celestial’s scent was overbearing. Jun’s hands shook as his mind raced with the possibilities of where a celestial could have taken him. Calm. Calm down, Jun… breathe…

“Jun-kun?”

Jun’s head snapped to the front door. Nino was standing at the genkan and staring at him in confusion. A huge wave of relief rippled through him.

“Nino!” Jun shouted in shock, running over to him and began checking him over frantically. Nino gasped in bewilderment and froze as Jun continued inspecting him from any sign of injury or distress. “Where were you?” he demanded. NinoNinoNino—

“Jun, what’s wrong?” Nino asked in bewilderment. “Why are you so shaken up—”

“Where were you?” Jun demanded again, trying to calm himself down. He could hear the blood rushing through in ears. His hands wouldn’t stop shaking as he gave Nino another once over.

“I just went to buy some groceries,” Nino replied with wide eyes, lifting the bag up. He immediately placed the bag down on the floor when Jun started shaking. “Jun, are you okay? Hey—”

“You’re okay, you’re okay,” he breathed in relief. Jun couldn't think straight as his hands shook when he placed them on Nino’s shoulders. He thought he had failed. Failed to protect him.

Nino immediately leaned up and kissed him, pushing himself against Jun. He responded to the kiss fervently, wrapping his arms tightly around Nino, afraid to let him go. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if Nino got hurt. He couldn’t live with that fact.

“Shhh…” Nino murmured, rubbing circles onto Jun’s back with his palm when they broke apart. “I'm okay, Jun.”

“I thought the worst…” Jun said quietly, his voice cracking from the distress. He was holding onto Nino tightly, not wanting to let him go. “I thought that I failed you—”

“I’m here,” Nino said trying to comfort him, still confused. He wrapped his arms around Jun’s neck. “I’m okay.” He heard Nino slide his shoes off and directed them over to the couch. Jun refused to let go of Nino and they ended up lying on the couch together with his lover on top of him. “What happened, Jun-kun?” he asked again, brushing the bangs away from Jun’s eyes.

“There was a celestial here,” Jun said warily. Nino’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and he rested his elbows on Jun’s chest.

“A celestial?” he asked in astonishment. “Are you sure?”

“It’s definitely a celestial. There is a burning smell around the apartment.” Jun narrowed his eyes. “The stench is everywhere.”

“What does a celestial want with me?” Nino asked in confusion.

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.” Jun wrapped his arms around Nino tighter. “You’re not safe.”

“But I’m a mortal now…” he mused, resting his chin on top of his fists.

“But you’re also one of the queen’s advisors,” Jun pointed out. “I don’t know how they would have gotten wind of your banishment, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone found out.”

Nino didn’t look so sure. “I don’t know… people don’t know I’m banished… and I doubt the celestials would know.”

Jun shook his head. “Well, whoever they are, they do know.” And that terrified him. If Nino had his powers, he would be worried less, knowing full well his lover could take care of himself. But now? It was dangerous. It was terrifying.

That night when they made love, Jun held onto Nino tighter as they both reached a state of bliss together. He kissed Nino deeply, swallowing his moans as his lover came undone.

I can't lose him.


“No, Jun, I'm not moving! And who has money for that?!”

Jun glared at Nino. “Your safety comes first. If it's money that's the issue, I can ask her majesty to—”

“No!” Nino exclaimed in annoyance. “What part of banished do you not understand?”

The next morning, Jun had brought up the idea of Nino finding a new place to live. Since the intruder knew where Nino lived, it wasn't safe. Unfortunately for him, his lover didn't see to agree.

“Nino, I don't think that the queen actually wants you to die while you're in banishment,” Jun stated coldly from the kitchen. He was cleaning up the plates from lunch.

Nino shrugged and turned back to his game. “Maybe, but I'm still banished. Rules are rules, Jun-kun. Besides…” he sent Jun an lecherous look. “You're here aren't you?”

A wave of anger washed over him. Why wasn't Nino taking this more seriously? “Is this a joke or a game to you?”

“Jun,” Nino said his name in exasperation. “Even if I move, they are still going to find me.”

“It’s better than staying here at least,” Jun tried to reason. Why didn’t Nino care?

Nino shook his head. “I’m sorry, Jun, but I’m not going to. And even if I asked her majesty for mercy… she won’t.” He casted Jun a look before shrugging nonchalantly. “I can’t.” Jun didn’t bother to say anything else for the rest of the evening, too angry at Nino’s stubbornness.


Jun eventually let the subject drop, but he was still adamant about the fact that it was best for Nino to move somewhere else. He stayed close to Nino after the attack, putting more effort in watching their surroundings for anything amiss. Fortunately, it seemed that the incident was a one time thing as a month passed by without any issues. Despite the peace, Jun was still on his best guard in case anything happened.

They were meeting up with their friends today, and Ohno was going as well. This surprised Jun because since they started dating, he had never got the chance to meet the man. Jun looked down at the basket he was holding for their picnic, wondering if it would be enough for everyone.

“It’s nice today, we should go back home,” Nino grumbled beside him. He had on a simple t-shirt and jeans with a pair of sunglasses on. Jun rolled his eyes.

“That’s exactly why we should be going out,” Jun remonstrated.

“I’m allergic to the sun.”

“I’m sure,” Jun replied sarcastically.

“Ah well, at least Oh-chan is there.”

Jun tried to keep a straight face, but he couldn’t help but felt a pang of jealousy at the affectionate tone in Nino’s voice.

When they arrived, three men were sitting under the tree. “Guys! Over here!” Aiba shouted, waving his arm frantically in the air. Jun greeted Sakurai and Aiba before turning to Ohno.

“Oh-chan,” Nino said, bumping arms with the man, “this is Jun-kun.” He shot his friend a grin.

Ohno looked up at him with those sleepy eyes (did he ever look alert Jun wondered) and gave him a smile. “Nice to meet you Jun-kun. You can call me Ohno.”

“And you as well, Ohno-san,” Jun returned, trying not to let the image of Nino draping himself over Ohno affect him. “It’s finally nice to meet you in person.”

Ohno chuckled and scratched the side of his nose. “Work has been busy.” Jun knew why everyone else liked him—he seemed like a really nice guy. But Nino doesn’t have to act like he’s his lover, he thought in annoyance. And the smoky smell was still prominent as ever. Jun wondered what Ohno did for a living.

“Let’s eat everyone!” Sho said cheerfully, eyeing the bento boxes Jun was still holding.

Jun rolled his eyes fondly at his friend before setting it down in the middle.

It was nice, Jun thought absentmindedly as he observed his surroundings. He didn’t get the chance to see his friends these days, spending most of his time watching over Nino after the incident at the apartment almost a month ago. The day was gorgeous, there were a lot of people at the park, and Nino was warm against him. Jun could drift off to sleep now if he wanted to.

Jun took the opportunity to learn more about Ohno. Apparently Nino and Ohno had met a year ago and had struck up a close friendship very quickly. He could see why they got along—they matched each other well. Or maybe it was because of Ohno’s easygoing nature. He wondered how his own relationship with Nino appeared to others. Aiba and Sakurai had said they were cute together, a lot of fun when they bantered, but Jun didn’t know about that after he saw how Ohno and Nino were together. They just… meshed well.

“Don’t be so jealous, MatsuJun,” Aiba whispered loudly when Ohno and Nino offered to go get the group ice cream.

“Huh? Jealous of what?” Jun denied right away. Had he been that obvious?

Sakurai chuckled from the other side of Aiba. “Ohno-kun,” he supplied helpfully. “You hide it well, but if someone watched your expressions carefully, they would see how displeased you are.”

Jun groaned, feeling his cheeks heating up from being caught. “I’m not jealous,” he mumbled.

Aiba giggled and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. It took every ounce of his willpower to not brush it off. He liked Aiba, but he hated it when people touched his back, a reflex he got from knight training. “It’s okay to be jealous, MatsuJun! But you don’t have to worry! It’s obvious Nino loves you!”

Jun froze. Love? He turned his gaze to the pair at the entrance of the park. Even though they had been dating for a few months, and they had made love, there was definitely no love confession yet. They’d confessed, but no one had brought up the word love. But Jun knew that his feelings were definitely reaching to that point. Love to him was something special. He couldn’t put an exact definition on it, but he knew that whenever Nino smiled at him, it was similar to the feeling.

It was really hard to not let the affectionate pair get to him. Jun knew Nino was like this with people he was close to, having once been the subject to the other male’s touches when he was younger as well. He wanted to yell at Nino for hugging another man when he was right here, but he tried to push his jealousy down. Jun didn’t know why Ohno and Nino being affectionate bothered him so much.

Eventually the group had to call it a day. Waving goodbye to their friends, Jun and Nino headed in the opposite direction of the others. Jun didn’t offer much conversation during their walk, allowing Nino to carry on the conversation and letting out a grunt here and there when he asked him a question.

“Why are you moody?” Nino asked, stopping beside him. Jun shook his head and continued walking. He didn’t want to tell his lover that he was jealous. “Hey!” Nino ran in front of him. “Are we going to do this again?” he asked in annoyance.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about—”

“MatsuJun! Nino!”

Jun turned around and saw their friends running over to them.

“Aiba-kun?” Jun asked in confusion, looking over at Nino. His lover shrugged. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes! We were actually just wondering if you guys wanted to go for dinner? I managed to catch Ohno-kun before he disappeared again!” Aiba exclaimed cheerfully. Ohno smiled sheepishly beside him.

Sho nodded in agreement. “We haven't seen each other in a while, and I think it would be nice for us to have a drink tonight,” he added.

Jun looked at Nino for confirmation.

“Sure,” Nino said with a shrug. “Why not?”

“Yay! We are going to have so much fun!” Aiba said, throwing an arm around Jun’s shoulders. “Do you drink, MatsuJun?”

“Yeah, although I haven’t done it lately,” Jun admitted.

“That’s okay! We’ll do it all tonight!” Aiba cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

Sho chuckled and pointed at the bag Jun was holding. “Maybe we should drop by Matsumoto-kun’s place and let him put that away before we go?”

Jun glanced over at Nino and his lover shrugged. “We could,” Jun said turning back to Sakurai. “It would be a hassle to have to carry this around.” He started walking when he saw Nino pestering Ohno, trying not to let his annoyance show.

Jun chatted with Sakurai and Aiba as they headed for Nino’s apartment. Ohno and Nino were walking in front of them, and much to his dismay, holding hands. Seriously, why is he so touchy with him?! Jun thought angrily, narrowing his eyes at the pair.

Suddenly, Jun could smell the scent of ashes. He froze.

“Hey, MatsuJun, everything okay?” Aiba asked in concern. Jun shook his head and sent Aiba a smile.

“It’s nothing, I thought I forgot something.” He caught Nino’s look of worry directed at him, but Jun ignored it. He glanced over at Ohno, who looked as if he needed a nap. Where is it coming from…? He flinched when the scent of ashes got stronger, filling the area. Jun’s eyes darted everywhere, trying to find anything that would give him a hint of what it was. It had to be one. It had to be... the scent is too familiar—

A flutter of wings before the strong ashy scent was getting stronger. Jun whipped his head towards the direction of the sound coming from above before staring at the speeding figure in bewilderment. A celestial with large grey wings was flying down at them from above at high speed. In their hand was a gold sword… and it was being directed right at the humans!

“Jun?” He heard someone call before Jun snapped into action.

“Stay back!” Jun hollered before pushing Sakurai out of the way and tackled Aiba to the ground before the celestial got to him.

“What the hell?!” Nino shouted in shock as the celestial flew up again and hovered a few metres above them.

“What is… what is that?!” Sakurai exclaimed in terror. Jun checked Aiba for any injuries before standing up and ran over to grab him to bring him closer to the group.

“Did you hear him?” Jun heard Nino hiss to Ohno. He snapped his gaze to Ohno who was staring up at the celestial with a frown.

“What do you want?” Jun shouted at the celestial. Celestials might be the demons race’s enemy, but they were beautiful. The celestial had long grey hair, blue eyes, and snow white skin.

“Mortals!” the celestial shrieked. “Tainted by demon filth!”

“Demon?” Aiba asked in confusion. “What demon?”

“Is that important right now??!” Sakurai shouted at his friend.

Jun glared at the celestial. It was too late to hide the fact from the mortals now. He looked over at Nino and Ohno who were whispering furiously at each other. Something about seals and magic. Wait. Ohno—

Before he could think any further on the subject, the celestial charged at the humans again, this time aiming for Sakurai. Cursing himself for not bringing his sword with him (too lax), Jun ran to intercept. He wasn't going to allow the mortals—his friends—to die today.

“Jun, no!” he heard Nino scream before there was a white flash of light.


..

..


Jun could hear the blood rushing in his ears.

It grew and grew, and all he could register was the pain was crushing and unbearable and he fell to his knees disoriented. How…?

He could hear Nino faintly yelling his name in the background. Shaky hands on his shoulder. Lie down.

Blood. There’s blood everywhere.

And then… ash.

Nino—

“Jun-kun! Oh my god!”

Aiba-kun?

Jun groaned and tried to get up but a pair of firm hands pushed him back down.

“You’re bleeding everywhere! Don’t move!”

Sakurai-kun?

“Sho-chan, what can we do? Oh my god, what is that thing—”

“Nino?! That’s dangerous!”

Nino? What happened with—

“Stay down!”

Ohno? Ash—

“Ohno-kun, what is going on?! What’s that?!”

“We need to move to safe place!”

“Ohno, I need you break it for me!”

Break what—

“We need to get Matsumoto-san to a safe place! Nino can deal with—”

“Nino!” A scream.

“Shit!”

Black spots. Ash.

No!

“Is he going to be alright?! Oh my god! What about Nino?”

“What is—”

“Is that—”

“Guys! We need to move! He’ll be okay!”

“But what about—”

“He's going to pass out!” Panic. “Guys!”

Flutter of wings.

Gold.


…

…


The first thought that came to his mind when he woke up was, where am I?

The second thought that came right after was, Nino?!

Jun shot up to a sitting position and let out a loud cry of agony from the pain that immediately came after. Hurried footsteps came from outside of the room he was in and Nino burst through the door in a panic.

“Jun!” he exclaimed in bewilderment, running over to his bedside. “Lie back down!”

With Nino’s help, he managed to lie back against the pillows without hurting himself. After he managed to get the dizziness to stop, Jun turned to him. “What happened?” he asked weakly, trying to get the dizziness to stop.

Nino pursed his lips before taking a seat at the foot of the bed. He watched Jun carefully before replying.

“You were unconscious for a few days. I had to put you into a healing trance.”

“Again?” Jun groaned in frustration.

Nino shot him a sharp look. “You were badly wounded. Sho-chan nearly had a panic attack when you lost consciousness.”

Jun stiffened. “They know?” He couldn’t remember much from the incident. Just… a lot of pain.

Nino nodded tiredly. “Aiba-chan too. They actually helped with the bleeding until Ohno and I got to you.” He rubbed at his forehead.

Jun blinked. Right, Ohno. Ohno, who he had thought was a mortal but was actually a celestial. The last image he’d seen was dark yellow magic in the air, and Ohno’s white wings.

“Don't make that face,” Nino scolded sternly, “he helped heal you.”

Jun looked at him in alarm and flinched away from him. A celestial—

“Relax,” Nino continued calmly, “it was my magic that actually fixed you up. Ohno just helped me. But no fear, Jun-kun, you have not been touched by a celestial. I wouldn't do that to you.” Nino beamed at him.

Jun stared at him wide wide eyes. “You accepted help from a celestial?” he demanded in disbelief. A feeling of dread pooled in his stomach. How was Nino so calm about that? Most importantly, how had Nino accepted Ohno’s help so easily?! Especially knowing that the other male was a celestial, one of the demon race’s most hated enemy? It was a taboo to help or be helped by one. He thought he was going to be sick.

Nino stilled beside him when he turned back to look at him. Jun’s eyebrows shot up. Wait— “How do you know him?” Jun blurted out in question, wondering if his assumption was correct, even though he tried to deny it many times. He couldn’t help but wonder. Please don’t let it be, please don’t let it be, please don’t— “Did you sleep with him?” Jun asked in horror. That was the only thing he could think of.

Nino recoiled and gaped at him. “What?! No—”

“Nino, I swear to demon’s hell, you better tell me the truth!” Jun snarled in anger.

“We didn't sleep together!” Nino exclaimed in disbelief. “Is that what you were thinking this whole time?!” He looked upset and annoyed at the implication which made Jun feel a little better.

“Nino, I really don't know what to think,” Jun snapped, wincing at the shot of pain that jolted through him. “You're not telling me anything. How long have you known Ohno?”

“I've known him for a while.” Nino bit his lips. “But you have to know—Jun—I never cheated on you!”

“You lied to me about how long you knew him.”

Nino made a noise of frustration. “Jun—”

“So tell me then. What is he to you? What is he to you that got yourself banned?! ” Jun demanded. “What did you do?”

Nino sighed and rubbed at his eyes. Silence fell over them as Jun kept his glare on Nino. He needed to know the truth. Finally, Nino said tiredly, “I healed him.”

“You what...?” Did he hear right?

“I healed him. That's why I got myself banished. I healed a celestial.” Nino sent him a wry smile. “Ohno and I are friends. And we have never slept together!” he added hastily.

Jun couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Friends?” But why? Jun could feel his body getting hot as his thoughts raced with all the possibilities he could think of. He was shocked that Nino had fraternized with the enemy. Secretly, Jun was relieved that Nino and Ohno had never slept together. “Why did you save him?” Jun asked, trying to contain the anger in his tone. “Why put yourself through all this?” He didn't understand.

Nino glared at him before averting his gaze. “Because he was dying, and I couldn’t let myself allow that to happen,” he said quietly.

“Nino,” Jun said in frustration, unable to keep the horror away from his voice. “You know it's the ultimate taboo.” It was unthinkable to be aiding a celestial, or to accept help from them. Jun didn’t know how Nino could easily ignore that.

“Does it look like I cared, Jun?!” Nino snapped angrily, crossing his arms in annoyance. “I couldn’t let a friend die!” Jun fell silent as his lover curled into himself. No, it didn’t seem like Nino cared, he thought angrily. If he did, Nino wouldn’t be here in the first place would he? “In the end, saving Ohno also saved your life didn’t he?”

“You’re a traitor.” Jun immediately regretted the words that flew out of his mouth, but he was too hurt, too angry that Nino had hid this from him for so long. Nino flinched at the title and narrowed his eyes at him.

“You’re right, maybe I am,” he agreed coldly after a few moments and got up from the chair. “But I still don’t regret what I did for him or you.” He walked over to the doorway. “You should be alright to move in a couple of days,” he said, not bothering to look at him when he left the room. Jun’s hands clenched at the bedsheets in fury.

The next couple of days were awkward. Jun knew he had messed up terribly, but he was still upset about what he learned. He was stuck in bed and was only allowed to leave if he needed to relieve himself. Nino only spoke to him if necessary, but other than that, the two of them didn’t speak to each other at all. They didn’t even sleep together—Nino had been sleeping on the couch.

Jun didn’t know how to approach the conversation, knowing Nino was mad at him. What is he mad for? He’s the one that committed the taboo! Jun tried to reason when Nino left the room again.

The relationship was strained, and Jun didn't know if he could fix it (or was it worth it?). On the third night after he woke, Ohno visited the apartment.

Jun laid in bed and listened to the conversation in the living room.

“I don’t know what to do…”

“There’s not much you can, Nino-chan. You have to let him deal with it on his own.”

“I just…” An angry sigh. “I just don’t understand.”

“He’s still healing, and it can’t be comfortable for him at all. Give him some time.”

“I should have told him earlier…”

“I'm not sure if that would have helped…”

“Probably…”

“Should I help you heal him?”

“...No! That would be a bad idea, Oh-chan.”

Jun glared at the ceiling as the two friends continued to talk. I would never let him touch me.

The fourth day passed and their relationship wasn’t improving. Nino seemed to be trying this time to start a conversation, but Jun refused to respond to him. He hated that he was hurting Nino, but he couldn’t forgive Nino for hiding this from him.

“Fine!” Nino growled when Jun refused to look at him during dinner. “Act like a child all you want! And I thought that we were mature enough to handle this properly!” He slammed the bowl down on the table before stomping out of the room.

On the fifth night, Jun decided to head back to the demon realm. He couldn’t bear to stay in Nino’s home anymore, hating how broken the relationship was between them. And he needed to think. He reached for his sword in the corner of the room, wincing at the jolt of pain in his side. Jun stumbled outside the room and stopped in the hallway.

Nino was sleeping quietly on the couch with his body tucked tightly under the covers. Jun’s eyes narrowed when he recognized the smell of ash from Ohno’s visit the other day.

Jun watched him sleep for a moment before leaving the apartment without another word.

**

“Aren’t you angry?”

Jun narrowed his eyes when the queen sent back an amused look. It had taken him a few days to get his thoughts together, but Jun decided he needed to talk to the queen about Nino and Ohno. His gaze hardened when he thought about them. Nino and Ohno.

Jun was in her room again, and it was only the two of them. Jun had requested for a private audience with her, not wanting the servants or maids to know what they were going to discuss. He was furious at Nino still, but he treasured his lover’s (were they still?) safety above all else.

“That implies a great many things, Royal Knight Matsumoto,” the queen replied, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. “What should I be angry about?”

“Nino,” Jun spat. He could feel the blind anger he was trying to contain threatening to burst. “Nino and that celestial.”

The queen sent him a sharp look. “So you know,” she murmured, moving from her relaxed position to sit up straight. She arched a brow at him.

“Yes,” Jun growled, staring down at the floor between them. He clenched his fists tightly on either side of him.

“And you think I should be angry?”

Jun snapped his gaze back up at the queen. She looked back at him with a neutral expression, her beautiful face betraying no emotion. “Isn’t it a taboo?”

The queen scrutinized him for a moment, her face morphing into a thoughtful expression. Jun shifted slightly under her unnerving gaze.

“It is,” she finally said, her voice more curious than anything. “It's one of our biggest taboos. To help a celestial.”

Jun scrunched his brown in confusion. “If that is the case,” he said carefully, “shouldn't you be more angry at the fact that Nino aided him?”

“I should,” she agreed, learning back on the bed. “I was,” she corrected with a frown. “Why do you think I banished him instead of having him executed for fraternizing with the enemy?”

Jun’s eyebrows shot up. Executed? The queen laughed at his expression and crossed her legs. “I was furious of course,” she continued. “To think one of my own would do that, but Nino has never been the type to blindly follow, despite what everyone thinks.” Jun nodded in agreement. She was right about that. “And I trust Nino, he's one of my best advisors, and well…” she trailed off with a distant look on her face. “I couldn't do that to him.” She shot Jun a sheepish grin. “I guess I'm not a very good queen in that regard, huh?” Pulling the fabric of her robes up slightly, she stood up and slowly walked over to him.

Jun stiffened and stood up straight when she stopped right in front of him. It was always unnerving to be near the queen, to feel and smell the raw power that radiated from her.

“You're upset,” she remarked.

“I'm angry that he betrayed our kind,” Jun answered darkly.

“There's that,” she said with a shrug. Jun pursed his lips.

“Does… does it not upset you? At all?”

“I'm not happy that he fraternized with an enemy,” she said quietly, looking up at him coolly. “But I rather he was still living instead of executed for a good deed that he did.” The queen reached up and placed her hand lightly on his cheek. “Sometimes, we make exceptions.” She lightly traced the scar on his face.

“Exceptions?”

The queen nodded. Jun watched as her eyes scanned his face before asking quietly, “The question is… can you?”

**

Jun stared at the apartment door nervously. After his conversation with the queen, Jun had to think about what he had believed his entire life.

He had always grown up believing that celestials were the enemy of the demon species, and that they were meant to be killed whenever one crossed paths with them. Jun had never questioned why there was animosity between the two growing up. It was just something that seemed logical.

But how much of it is warranted? Jun had pondered after talking with the queen. Ohno was a celestial, but he wasn’t how the scripts depicted him as. It confused him. The celestial that had been slain by Ohno and Nino was definitely what he thought they would be… but Ohno… he had helped him. Willingly too.

And Nino… Nino knew how to read people. Ohno had to be good if Nino chose to help him and be his friend.

Was Jun in the wrong then?

“You know, staring at my door won’t make it open.”

Jun jumped and whipped around to see Nino standing behind him in bemusement.

“I—”

“Nice of you to show up after a couple of weeks,” Nino drawled with a nod. He was holding a white plastic bag, and Jun could smell the food from the combini. “At least you have the decency to appear in front of the door this time.”

Jun narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you going to be like this?”

Nino snorted and pushed past him to get to the door. “I’m not the one who disappeared the next day, with no note or anything.” He gave him a quick look. “Your message was quite clear.”

Message?

Jun stayed quiet, following Nino inside the apartment. Nino slipped on his slippers and headed for the kitchen. Jun took off his shoes and stepped inside after him.

A tense silence fell over them. Jun balled his hands into fists, trying to think of what he could say to make things less awkward.

“Ni—”

“Why are you here, Jun?” Nino asked tiredly, sending him an exasperated look. He crossed his arms, slouching as he did so. Jun always thought he looked smaller when he did that.

“What do you mean?” he asked in confusion.

“Exactly what I mean: why are you here?”

“Do you not want me here?” Jun asked carefully. Did he lose his chance? Fear gripped his heart as Nino shot him an annoyed look.

“I can’t think of a reason why you’re here—”

“I’m still assigned to look after you.”

Nino’s face was rid of any emotion. Jun didn’t like that. “Right. The assignment,” he said coolly. “That’s all it is, isn’t it?” He began taking out the contents of the bag. Jun growled in frustration.

“Damn it, Nino, that’s not the main reason why I came!” he shouted in frustration.

“Then what is it, Jun?!” Nino snapped back angrily. “I don’t hear from you in more than two weeks, you leave without a trace, and now you’re back again! I don’t know what you want from me!” He glared at him. “So please do us all a favour and tell us why you’re here! If you’re going to break up with me—”

“What?!” Jun interrupted in astonishment. Nino flinched. “Break up?” Did Nino honestly think that he would break up with Nino after all this?

“Isn’t that why you’re here…?” Nino asked warily, scrunching his brow. He seemed more relaxed at Jun’s outburst, but the lines of his body was still tense. Jun let out a sigh and made his way over to him.

“I’m not here to break up with you,” Jun said sternly, rolling his eyes, “you can get that ridiculous idea out of your head right now.” Nino blinked owlishly at him before narrowing his eyes at him.

“So then why are you—”

Jun reached out for Nino, blinking in surprise when the man easily went to him. He wrapped his arms around Nino, taking in his scent. He had missed this. Nino was trembling against him slightly, and that made Jun hold him tighter.

“Aren't you afraid I can contaminate you with my celestial germs?” Nino mumbled into his shirt.

Jun rolled his eyes. “Don't be stupid, you’ll just stink of ash sometimes.” He smiled when he heard Nino chuckle quietly.

“I thought about things,” Jun began in a whisper. “About you, Ohno, things I’ve been taught all my life… and us.” When Nino didn’t reply, he continued. “And I realized that… maybe there were things I was wrong about. I want to try to be more open-minded.”

“About Celestials?” Nino said against his chest. Jun hoped he wasn't able to hear how fast his heart was beating.

“Y-Yeah.”

“I'm not saying they're all like Oh-chan, but we can't really judge,” Nino explained after a while, holding onto Jun tighter. “But Oh-chan is different.”

“I know,” Jun agreed. “Is that why he smells different?”

Nino blinked. “Eh?”

“Ohno-san… he doesn't have the same scent as the other celestials. It's not a burnt ashy smell.”

Nino frowned. “I don't know about that. Maybe he has a spell on? Now that you mention it, I did notice it when he was helping me slay that celestial.”

“That's true… I wouldn't be surprised,” Jun mused. “He seems very powerful.”

“He is,” Nino said with a nod. “He was able to break the seal on my magic.”

“He did?” Jun asked in surprise. Nino nodded and began pulling him backwards until they fell on the couch.

“Need to sit, don't wanna stand,” he mumbled tiredly. “Yes, he did. But he sealed part of it back again.”

“Why? How?” Jun was flabbergasted. Ohno was that powerful?

“He said something about everything coming all at once is a bad thing, so he’s going to release the seal slowly over the next several months,” Nino explained with a shrug. “I'm not complaining about getting my magic back as long as I get it back.”

“Wouldn't her majesty…” Wouldn't Nino get into more trouble?

Nino snorted. “Pretty sure she knows by now. And technically I didn't break the seal, Oh-chan did.” He nibbled at Jun’s neck. Jun held him tighter and the two of the snuggled for a while. Just as he was about to doze off, he realized something.

“Thank you for saving me,” Jun said gratefully remembering that he had never thanked Nino, “I didn't tell you before, but thank you.” His heart warmed when Nino beamed at him brightly.

“Always, Jun-kun. Thank you for coming back to me,” Nino admitted shyly, hugging him tighter. Jun hugged him back, unable to contain the smile on his lips.

“But we are going to talk about why you are hugging other males around your lover,” Jun grumbled, after few minutes of cuddling.

Nino grinned. “What can you possibly mean?” he asked, letting his fingers dance lightly on Jun’s arm.

“You know exactly what I mean.” Jun gave him a mock glare.

“Aww… you know I love you best, Jun-kun!”

“...”

“Are you blushing?” Nino gasped in delight. “You are!”

Jun scowled and turned his head, trying to hide the flush in his cheeks.

“This is so cute!” Nino exclaimed with glee, putting his hands on Jun’s cheeks and turned his face to him. “But Jun-kun, there's nothing to be jealous of!” He nuzzled against Jun’s cheek. “You're my favourite.”

“I better be,” Jun scoffed, enjoying the attention.

“Besides,” Nino said after a while, “Ohno’s married, and I'm not a homewrecker anyway.”

Jun paused. Ohno… married?

“He's… he’s married?!” Jun exclaimed in bewilderment. Nino giggled and nodded.

“Yes! And to a very lovely lady I might add! So you don't need to feel so jealous every time he's around! I already told you: I love you most, Jun-kun.”

Jun couldn't help but flush at those words again. “D-do you need to keep saying it?” he stammered, but he was pleased.

Nino grinned and shook his head. “Nope, your face gets so red when I do. It's adorable.” He kissed Jun’s cheek and said in a cheerful voice, “I love you! I love you! I love you!”

Jun sighed. Why did he have to fall for such an insufferable guy?


Epilogue

Nino lifted his head slightly when he picked up the sounds of armour and light footsteps outside of his apartment. Humming to himself, he brought his attention back to the screen in front of him.

He didn't respond when the door of his veranda opened and a tall figure entered, too busy concentrating on his enemies attacking him on the screen.

A light sigh before there was some clanging from the newcomer, indicating that they were removing their gear. When the clanging stopped, there was a small pause before footsteps drew close to him.

“Is this game that interesting?”

Nino paused the game and looked up, grinning at the scowl Jun directed down at him. “Maybe,” he drawled in response, “jealous?”

Snorting, Jun sat down beside him on the couch and placed his head against Nino’s shoulder. “As if,” he mumbled. He let out a quiet yawn, which Nino found quite endearing. “How are you feeling?”

Nino hummed as he took down an enemy on the screen. “It’s good. I wish it came back faster, I’m tired of this waiting game.”

After the attack a couple of months ago, the seal on Nino’s powers had been broken by Ohno’s magic. Nino had to use a huge amount of his magic to heal Jun, and now he had to replenish it through rest slowly.

Since then, Nino’s powers had been slowly coming back to him. As he had explained to Jun before, Ohno hadn’t let everything return at once, claiming that it was too dangerous to have a large amount of magic to come back all at once, even if Nino did use a large portion of it to defeat the celestial (Jun was amazed at how much power his lover held) and to heal him. Add on to the fact that he’d remained unconscious for a few days because he had overtaxed himself did not make Ohno very happy.

So now, Nino was waiting for his powers to fully return. Last month had been an extraordinary experience. Nino had felt his sense of smell get stronger, and his hearing sharper. He could hear the footsteps of his neighbour’s children outside of his apartment as they were leaving for school every morning. It was strange to have his senses back, especially going for so long without them, and he was still trying to get used to having them again. He could feel his magic building back up, flowing through his veins, and it felt like he was starting to become himself again.

Ohno had proposed that he started using bits of it again, just to get his body used to having the power in him. Taking his advice, Nino did small spells that didn't take much effort to cast every morning. And the best part was that he got his horns and tail back (when he used magic)!

Nino let out a small sigh of content. He enjoyed quiet evenings like this. Since Jun’s injury, he had taken to going out less (much to the dismay of Aiba and Sho, but they visited occasionally to see them) often so that Jun could rest. Despite Ohno’s high level of skill in the healing arts, Jun had been struck by a celestial sword. It would take his lover a while to fully heal from the wound.

It was nice to sit and enjoy each other’s company. Once he gained back his powers, Nino was going to cast numerous protection spells on Jun because the idiot kept getting himself hurt.

When Nino paused the game to use the bathroom a couple of hours later, Jun had fallen asleep beside him on the couch, having moved to lie down earlier for a nap. Nino quietly got up and quickly went to the bathroom. When he came back to the couch, Jun had decided to take up the entire couch in his sleep. Nino took the opportunity to look (ogle) at him.

Jun had taken off all of his armour, wearing only his casual clothing underneath. The material was dark purple in colour, and it clung to Jun’s body in all the right places. Jun always looks delectable in his casual uniform, thought Nino, licking his lips. He crouched down beside the demon, admiring the form of his body and the prettiness of Jun’s features. Nino still had a hard time believing that the demon sleeping in front of him was all his to love.

It had been tough.

Nino had harboured a crush on Jun for centuries—it was what prompted him to distance himself from his childhood friend in the first place. He felt bad for doing it to Jun, especially knowing that the other demon really cared about their friendship, but Nino couldn’t do it—he couldn’t be around Jun if he couldn’t have him the way he wanted. It had been too difficult.

And it had worked, for a century at least. He had seen Jun several times annually, even if they were just brief moments in the palace. Nino thought he was doing quite well in keeping his feelings at bay.

Apparently not, because her majesty had discovered his affections for Jun after he got knighted. What followed after had been one of the most embarrassing conversations of Nino’s life. She had never forgotten, and he had always hated himself for admitting his crush to her. She took all the chances she got to tease him about his feelings for Jun, trying to get him to meet with the royal knight. Nino was smart though, he always had excuses in hand when she tried to coordinate such scenarios.

When Jun revealed himself as his personal stalker, Nino had been shocked to say the least. He knew it had been Jun after the first few days, having memorized the man’s emotions (that was how he knew Jun was nearby when they were in the throne room together), but he hadn’t been expecting for the knight to show himself when he threatened the presence to reveal him or herself.

Nino immediately knew what the queen was doing. Queen Kou had always been the type to play games with him, and he knew it wasn’t by chance she had assigned Jun to watch him. Nino knew she still felt uneasy about leaving him alone in the mortal world. However, Nino knew that the queen was actually trying to get them together. His safety was a concern, but apparently his love life was more of a priority.

Over the past several months, Nino had been trying to figure out if Jun reciprocated his feelings. He had to get Ohno to help him figure out if Jun liked him or not. Not once had Nino seen Jun bat an eyelash for any of his admirers in the palace or even foreign dignitaries. He couldn't help but be relieved at the lack of attention Jun gave them because of the jealousy he experienced when he saw it happen.

The first time Nino introduced Jun and Ohno (indirectly), Ohno had been telling Nino what Jun was doing. His friend had the power of observation, and was gifted with the sight. Jun’s glamours didn't work on him, and Ohno had been discreetly looking over at Jun’s spot every once in a while when Nino initiated an affectionate gesture between them.

Ohno had indeed confirmed Jun was jealous when Nino had gotten a little too affectionate when his friend had pointed out Jun had just left the building. Bingo! Nino was ecstatic the entire evening. He’d really wanted to go after Jun, but he hadn't wanted to leave Ohno too soon, especially since they hadn’t seen each other for a couple of months.

The first time they kissed had been one of the best moments of his life, especially because Jun had initiated it. Nino was too scared to take the first step. Sure, he was positive that Jun liked him, and he definitely tried to do different things to see if it was true, but that didn't mean he was brave enough to take the first step, especially since he was now a mortal.

Nino wanted everything Jun gave him.

He had waited for so long, had wished to have Jun as his for centuries. But he didn't want to rush or scare Jun away, so he hid his desire. Fortunately, Jun wanted it just as much.

The first time they made love had been such an amazing experience. He had been overwhelmed with the heat, touches, taste, and sensations he experienced with his mortal body. His own hand couldn’t compare.Their first time had been emotional— Nino realized how much Jun cared for him, the fear, lust, and… love. Nino loved each and every time they made love with each other—it was a reminder of what he gained in his banishment even if he supposedly lost everything.

After Jun had discovered the reason for his banishment, Nino had been afraid that he had lost Jun forever.

Nino smiled as he observed the now sleeping figure on the couch. And now they were here. And no more nonsense, he thought to himself as he moved closer to Jun. It still amazed him that he finally had Jun’s love.

Who knew it would happen centuries later? Nino thought, staring at Jun’s face. He had loved Jun for a very long time. Sometimes he still couldn't believe it. He would have to thank the queen when he got to see her.

“Staring is creepy…” Jun mumbled, letting out a small grunt before slowly opening his eyes to reveal those purple ones that he loved so much. Jun was gorgeous. Long gone was the lanky demon he once knew. Jun was now full of hard muscle and confidence poured out of him in every step. He was also ridiculously pretty for a warrior. Even the scar on his face didn't do anything but enhance his beautiful looks.

Nino beamed. “Just thinking about how pretty you are.”

“I prefer the word handsome,” Jun replied groggily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Nino chuckled and moved to crouch in front of him.

“You are, but Jun-kun is pretty too.” He watched Jun sit up. “Tired?” he asked in concern. Jun had been away for the past few days to guard the princess at a ball in a faraway kingdom. After the princess was escorted home safely, Jun headed to the mortal realm right after. “How was the ball?”

“A little,” his lover groaned as he stretched his arms. “It was pretty uneventful. I don't mind them, but this time it was rather dull. The queen keeps asking me about us. I think she’s trying to get details of our sex life. It’s so disturbing.” Nino giggled. He had no doubt that was what she was trying to obtain. He reached out for him and Nino easily climbed on top of his lap. He breathed in his lover’s scent; a mix of old and new Jun-kun. “You were always good at talking to people,” he mused.

Nino snorted. “You're not that bad yourself, Royal Knight Matsumoto.” All he has to do is smile at his admirers and they’re already falling over on their feet for him.

“Why that grumpy look?” Jun asked, reaching up to smooth the lines on his forehead. Nino pouted and grabbed Jun’s wrists.

“You kept me waiting all day!” he whined, amping the attitude up. He inwardly cheered when he felt Jun drop his guards even further. He was so easy to read. Nino knew Jun had a weakness for him acting cute. He used this to his advantage all the time.

“What do you want me to do about it?” Jun asked in a low voice with the growl at the end. It sent shivers down Nino’s spine. He wrapped his arms around his lover’s neck and straddled Jun’s waist.

“Carry me to bed!” he demanded.

“You’re done with your game already?” Jun asked before letting out a loud yawn.

“A long time ago. Geez, are you that out of it?” Nino teased, grinning when Jun rolled his eyes at him. “Come on, bedtime.” He wrapped his limbs around Jun tighter when he felt his lover move to stand up.

When they finally reached the bed, Jun carefully placed Nino down on the bed. He watched as Jun stripped his shirt off before climbing under the covers.

“Going to bed already?” Nino asked crawling next to him. “I was hoping to have some fun.”

Jun opened one eye. “Fun?”

Nino grinned and pulled down the covers. “Why did you think I asked you to take us to bed?” He let his hand trace down Jun’s broad chest before reaching the waistband of his lover’s pants. Pulling the undergarments down with the pants, Nino tossed them on the floor.

“Sleep,” Jun said sarcastically, but he had on a relaxed expression when Nino massaged his balls gently. While Jun was occupied with that, Nino began to pull magic from within himself and whispered the incantation he had been practicing all week with his low magic reserves. He watched smugly as black ropes appeared around Jun’s wrists before it immediately pulled his arms up and latched around the bed frames. Jun’s eyebrows shot up when the bonds appeared around his ankles as well, pulling his legs wide apart. “Nino?!”

“Ah, it worked!” Nino cried with delight when Jun shot a look of alarm at him.

“Nino—what—?”

He grinned as Jun struggled against the magical bonds around his wrists and ankles. Nino smirked when he saw Jun get excited at the prospect of being tied up, if his cock was of any indication. He did enjoy seeing his lover struggle like that, and he couldn't wait to see the look of pleasure that was going to appear soon.

“Let’s play a little, Jun-kun.” To see his lover spread-eagle and tied up on the bed was such a captivating sight, and he could feel his own arousal building stronger. Nino let his hands trace over his lover’s thigh gently, loving how Jun shivered at the touch. “You're beautiful like this,” Nino murmured, bending down and placing a wet kiss on Jun’s hips. “I should do this to you more often.”

Jun shot him an annoyed look. “There won't be a next time if you don't get on with it,” he growled, his cock already leaking precum at the thrill of being tied up. Nino grinned at the sight of it and began to take off his clothes, letting his tail spring free. He reached up and felt his horns that had sprouted on both sides off his head when he used his magic earlier to cast the spell.

Jun’s heated stare followed his every move. When he was finally naked, he gave his own cock a few strokes, loving how Jun licked his lips at the action. He's so easy, Nino thought with glee as he walked closer to the bed.

“I really like you like this, Jun-kun,” Nino purred, “I think you were meant to be tied up for me.” He grinned when Jun started struggling against the bonds again, despite knowing he had no way of breaking them. His cock twitched when Jun sent him a heated stare.

“If you can touch me any day now,” Jun said drily. But Nino wasn't fooled, he can hear the edges of desperation in his lover’s voice, and he was going to have as much fun as he could with him.

Grinning, Nino climbed on top of Jun and straddled his lover’s waist. His tail flickered behind him before he wrapped it around Jun’s length making the demon below him groan. There was something incredibly hot and sensual about getting Jun off with his tail. He didn't necessarily have a very large or long one—just a simple black tail with a pointed tip. Jun didn't have a tail and had claimed he didn’t care for them. Or so he says, Nino thought with a smirk, remembering the past few incidents where Nino had his tail out and Jun couldn't stop touching it (not that Nino wanted him to—it felt good).

Rubbing his hands over Jun’s chest, Nino marvelled at how their skin contrasted with each other. Despite being their different roles back home, Jun was able to retain his natural colouring throughout his job as a royal knight.

“What should I do with you?” Nino murmured, making firm strokes on Jun’s cock with his tail, licking his lips at the little grunts Jun was making. “What will MatsuJun love?”

Jun groaned. “Are you seriously using the nickname that Aiba-kun gave me?”

“It's cute!”

“Nino…” Jun pulled at the binds again, shaking the bed frame.

“So impatient,” Nino scolded but pushed himself off of Jun and sat between his lover’s legs. “Tell me,” he said in a low voice, “have you slept with other mages?” He placed a finger at the entrance of Jun’s hole and pressed down lightly, liking how it opened a little for him. Nino leaned down and gave it a curious lick. Dropping onto his elbows, Nino prodded Jun’s hole with his tongue, tasting the puckering hole.

“I did once,” Jun said breathlessly when Nino plunged his tongue inside. “But this was a long time—agh!” Jun yelped suddenly. Nino giggled and placed two fingers at his entrance. “What the hell was that?!” he exclaimed in confusion before he was thrashing against the bonds, letting out a loud moan.

“Magic is amazing, isn't it?” Nino asked, giving him a cheshire grin before pushing more magic inside of Jun.

“Shit—” Jun mewled loudly as Nino continued to pump the magic in him. “What… what the hell is… ungg!”

Nino grinned when Jun arched off the bed, completely consumed by the pleasure. “A trick I learned a century ago.” He reached out and give Jun’s cock a firm stroke with his hand. “Wanna know a secret, Jun-kun?”

“What?” Jun groaned, pulling against the binds around his wrists again. “Ugh…” Nino continued to push more magic inside of his hole, enjoying the moans that was coming from him. It was beautiful so see Jun losing control of himself like this. “Nino!” he gasped when Nino made the magic pulse inside of him, stretching him out.

“It’s a spell I made,” Nino said, pushing up to whisper in Jun’s ear and wiped the bead of cum away from the tip. “Of how I imagined it would feel when you’re fucking me.” He licked at Jun’s earlobes and pushed three fingers inside of Jun and sent out a burst of magic. He could feel the hole clenching around his fingers, the tremble in Jun’s body, the sound of his moans, and the stretching in his lover as Nino pushed him to his release. Jun let out a small choking noise before releasing hard in Nino’s hand. He stroked Jun through his orgasm while he kissed, nipped, and licked at Jun’s earlobes.

“What… the … heck… was that?!” Jun panted when he managed to catch his breath. Nino grinned and kissed him softly on the lips before removing his fingers and moved to settle in between Jun’s legs again.

“Sex magic. Well, masturbation magic to be more precise,” Nino replied, tugging at his own cock before lining it up at Jun’s entrance. “Did you need lube?” he teased, enjoying how Jun was staring at his cock. He wasn’t small.

Jun snapped his gaze back up and rolled his eyes. “I’m not a human, you don’t have to—” Nino began pushing inside him slowly, effectively shutting Jun up.

“You’re so tight!” Nino groaned, grabbing at Jun’s buttocks to spread them apart further. He watched in fascination as his cock slowly sunk inside Jun, the tiny hole taking him in more and more. When he reached the hilt, he pulled out halfway before thrusting back in again, getting more and more turned on by the image of himself thrusting into Jun. Nino looked back up to see Jun staring at him, panting softly as Nino continued to pump into him deeply and slowly, wanting Jun to feel each and every inch of him. “Can you come for me again?” Nino asked as he began to move faster.

“You… can try…” Jun choked out as Nino moved slightly at an angle and snapped his hips.

“You’re so pretty when you’re being fucked, Jun-kun,” Nino said, moving faster in him now. “We should do this more, don’t you think?” he asked, sliding his hands up the sides of Jun’s chest, and pinched his nipples. Jun sucked in his breath loudly, when Nino started pumping into him harder. “Let me hear you.” The room was filled with the sounds of their bodies meeting in a dance.

“Nino…!” Jun cried, struggling against the restraints. Nino wrapped his tail around Jun’s leaking cock and stroked it in time with his thrusts. He watched as Jun arched his back and his eyes rolled to the back of his head when his tail pushed at the slit on the tip of Jun’s cock. His lover came again with a shout, and Nino continued to thrust in him through it, trying to draw out his orgasm before finally letting out his own release inside of Jun. When Nino was done, he slowly pulled out, staring in fascination at the cum that dripped out of his lover’s hole before he flopped on top of Jun, trying to catch his breath.

“Can you release me now?” Jun groaned. Nino said the incantation and the black bonds on Jun’s wrists and ankles disappeared. He continued to lay his face on Jun’s chest, letting himself enjoy the quiet until Nino felt hands in his hair, fingers tracing lightly over the horns. “I didn’t realize I would miss these so much,” Jun commented.

Nino purred as Jun continued to play with them. It felt like a nice head rub. “That feels nice,” he murmured.

“Hey, Nino,” Jun said, letting a hand slide down to cup one of his cheeks.

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

Nino didn’t say anything for a while, allowing himself to bask in the warmth of Jun’s feelings. He nuzzled against his lover’s palm before meeting Jun’s eyes. Nino smiled when Jun looked at him seriously, as if waiting for his answer to something that Nino had told him countless times before.

“Well, I certainly don’t blame you. I am pretty awesome,” he finally said, giving him a wink.

Nino laughed when Jun pinched his cheek in response, letting the sweet feelings of Jun’s love and shyness wash over him.


The End

Comments

[yumi_usagi]

I really like how Nino was so powerful in magic and Jun was physically stronger.
Jun is cute worried about Nino's eating habit and offered to cook for him <3
I really like the way you wrote the sex scene, all the details are so hot.
This fic is my favorite so far! Because the plot is interesting, there's that question through out the story that kept the readers wondering till the end, the way you described their relationship and that they really care for and love each other.
I really like the way you approach that the beginning is Nino's POV then the whole story was Jun's POV then the epilogue was Nino's POV to explain things
Thanks author-san for sharing! I'm looking forward to the sequel (if it happens)

[pierrot.livejournal.com]

Ahh, such a fascinating universe you've created here! I was so engaged reading this that I was annoyed when I had to put it aside for RL things halfway through lol. I've read a few Demon AUs before, but only ever featuring a demon/human relationship - having Nino and Jun both be demons (mostly) living in the mortal world was an interesting variation!

I found Nino oddly fitting as a demon living as a human, still keeping some of his supernatural abilities & knowledge, but also embracing his new life as a human. I'm a bit slow, so I only realised his demon form was probably supposed to be like how he was in the Nissan CM during the epilogue haha. That's a great Nino, so it was a great choice! And I liked how Jun eventually used a glamour to appear as the Jun we know and love - I can def understand Nino's reaction to his human appearance ;).

I was enjoying the slow and sweet development of Nino and Jun's relationship throughout, but at the same time, I knew it couldn't last. You did a really great job keeping me in suspense about what would happen! I had my suspicions about Ohno, but I'm glad he wasn't actually Nino's enemy. I was also a bit worried about the queen's motives, so it was nice to learn that she was just trying to help Nino with his crush. He deserved to be given that chance of happiness with Jun after all that happened.

Really enjoyable story, anon, thank you for sharing!

[akhikaru]

I liked this universe :D :D :D
Jun and Nino's abilities suit them perfectly somehow. I love that Nino was able to tell Jun was stalking him even without most of his power! (and that he was shocked when Jun revealed himself hahahha!)
I suspected Ohno wasn't human from the first time he appeared, I just had my doubts about his role. I think it was very 'Nino' to simply disregard the rules and save Ohno :D
The way Jun and Nino's relationship developed felt very natural (and it was super cute too <3)
Also, Jun not caring much about his well-being to protect others <3333 That's very "him" for some reason xD
The queen was a very interesting character! :D Jun's complain about her wanting to know more details about their sex life made me laugh so much xD
And Nino replying “Well, I certainly don’t blame you. I am pretty awesome” to Jun's "I love you" was great xD
Thank you for this, anon! ^^

[berrybuttboy]

Let me just lie down for forever a bit.

I don't know what to say. This fic is AMAZING. I'm still processing what I've read, eve after hours. You should have heard all the weird noises I made (which made my poor dad wonder if I'm dying) while reading.

But guess I need to start from somewhere, because I MUST convey how much I enjoyed this fic <3

First off, the use of this prompt! It's nothing I initially would have imagined. It's something that surprised me, and I love it. Thank you, I love surprises <3 This setting is perfect!

Then, to the story. In general, Nino's gaming habits. Somehow just the thought of this demon child enjoying gaming... Uh. My soft spot.

Also the fact that Jun. I enjoyed his character A LOT. Then there's Nino. How can one not love Nino?? He's not an angel, but the little demon I love ;)

The plot is A++, it feels natural, and it's very Matsumiya-like, yet refreshing. I can't exactly pinpoint why, and that's the best part, I think. Also the fact that there's things to ponder, questions to ask throughout the story. Author-san, you've done a great job with the plot!

The sex scenes? MY DEAR GOD. Perfect. I enjoyed those A LOT, there's Jun giving head to Nino, there's a lot of handjobs, and oh their first time they go all out... That was SWEET. Just how Nino had to explain the use of condoms and lube to MatsuJun, this is my new kink entirely.

And the epilogue. WHOA. WHOA. I'm still trying to recover. First of all, I LOVE IT. Especially that tail. And the magic Nino used. I love it, I really do.

The fact that Nino reveal his side of the story. Did you want me to die again?

Also. Just the fact that the Queen is no one else but Shibasaki Kou. Oh My, that's perfect. P E R F E C T.


Some scenes and lines I especially enjoyed:


There's the scene where Jun stalks Nino, Aiba and Sho. Who made the food again? PLZ these few lines are perfect

I can’t believe we’re having a picnic,” Nino whined, but accepted the sandwich that Sho handed him. “Who made this?”

“I did!” Aiba exclaimed, taking a large bite.

Nino paled and stared at the food in his hand. “It’s edible… right?”

“You won’t get food poisoning this time,” Sho remarked, “I helped.”

When Jun reveals himself to Nino. LOL, yes I love the image of a professional stalker this painted in my head XD

“Why?!” Nino blurted out in shock, still bewildered at his presence. “Is stalking your new job now?!”

Jun making food for Nino. Dear, that's one of my favorite Matsumiya headcanons because we all know what Nino is like XD

Jun gritted his teeth. “Would you eat it if I did?”

Nino blinked in surprise, not expecting that answer. Jun honestly didn’t mind cooking for him, especially if Nino actually ate what he made. It was better than nothing, and at least it would be something healthy. Jun was tired of the junk his friend was consuming.

“Um. I-I… maybe?” Nino stuttered in surprise.

I died here a bit. Why, Matsumoto Jun is a Mature Demon™, apparently XD

Nino smiled. “That’s not too bad. You’re so cute, Jun-kun. You don’t like the term, boyfriends.”

Jun rolled his eyes. “It sounds like something young demons would call each other.”

“Well, it’s a good thing our Matsumoto Jun is a mature demon, right?” Nino teased, running a hand down Jun’s chest.

Jun smirked. “Definitely.”

And can I just say I love it when Jun is a prick? I honestly do

“It’s nothing,” Jun denied, trying to calculate how he would have to jump to get out of this space without knocking things over.

“Jun,” Nino said angrily, “stop lying to me. And stop trying to escape.”

“I’m not.”

And then there's wounded Jun <3 My poor baby, but somehow this made me laugh more than it should

“You were unconscious for a few days. I had to put you into a healing trance.”

“Again?” Jun groaned in frustration.

Ok maybe I'll just stop here, because otherwise I'll just end up copy-pasting the whole fic here. One last, it's my absolute favourite line from this fic. It's just so Nino.

“Well, I certainly don’t blame you. I am pretty awesome,” he finally said, giving him a wink.

I feel like I had to leave a lot of things out (Ohno, I love him) and barely covered the topics I picked out, but I guess I'll end this "brief" summary how I feel about this fic. I totally know I abused the word perfect here and I'm not sorry at all. This fic is perfect, and that's all I wanted to say actually.

Thank you for writing this, Author-san!

[nicefinalbeam]

I love the world you created here! Nino as a demon is fitting, but you know what's even better? Nino as a demon with a heart of gold!!!! I don't think you could write Nino more accurately than that ;D Sincerely I loved that he had healed Ohno, it was a perfect reason for his banishment, and I'm glad that they went easy on him with punishment.

Jun's love for Nino and desire to protect him even beyond his orders I'm sure was a really lovely thing to watch develop, and letting us know that Nino has cared about him ages too ♥ So sweet.

I love that Nino adapted to the human world and had his BFFs and that Jun fit right in, in his own way. And I completely understand why Jun needed time to react to Nino's being a traitor, because even if it's for the right reasons, Jun is a by the book kind of guy lol YAY HAPPY ENDINGS!!

Great job, anon! :D

[satoyan]

An epic adventure! I was glad we got to spend so much time with Jun and Nino as they figure out what exactly they want with each other~ It was also nice to see the other characters, all of whom were great. <3 But the star of this story was definitely the Nino/Jun relationship--by turns hot and cute, and a lot of fun. Thank you for sharing! ♥

[reveetoile]

Nino and Jun are so cute here. Their relationship is so wonderful I love reading about them and I think I could have read pages and pages more of this. I really like the whole idea and how you describe how their realm and powers work. It was really interesting and so so beautiful and hot and cute and… yeah, I’m rambling. I’m sorry.

[gomushroom]

I really love how this turns into a lengthy sweet, and cute story! Cute demon Nino and Royal Knight Matsumoto (!!!!) bring such a great image. I love that the story is set in 'mortal' world, so Jun has to stumble his way around a little bit. All to show that he keeps going back to Nino after everything. And Nino, oh Nino, is so sweet and patient and everything in this fic. The sex is hot, and a bit fantasy-ish, it is really good. I also really like how everyone also makes an appearance, especially because Sho and Aiba are the best friends, and Ohno too! But the winner gotta be Queen Kou, oh yesss! :D