Daemons
Chapter 22

“I feel like a fucking Disney princess!” Reaper shouted as he threw open the doors to the mansion, dancing into the entryway without a care in the world. “I’ve been blessed with such an angel to call my own, a beautiful little swan who shall sing only for me! No longer will a common means of transportation stand in the way of me and my true love, I swear it!”

Expecting a reaction from one of his brothers, the raven paused with an eager grin on his face only to notice that nobody was present. Finding that a bit odd, he started searching around, checking the common areas first before moving upstairs and checking the rooms they’d all claimed. First, he’d knock, only to stick his head in if he heard no response after a while. Every room was completely empty though, even void of a few things that normally hid within the various rooms. Horror’s axe and the bandages he left out, Dust’s not-so-secret stash of sweets, Killer’s moisturizer that he had for his daemon form’s skin, Fell’s cat treats that had been bought as a gag gift even if he secretly enjoyed them, and even Error’s latest sewing project and his supplies; all of these things were gone, indicating that they were all away from the mansion and didn’t have any intention of returning any time soon.

“What the hell is going on?” He muttered to himself in confusion as he closed the door to Error’s room, finding it strange that everyone had suddenly vanished. “I know I’ve been busy looking for my little Geno the past while, but I didn’t think I’d missed so much that everyone would suddenly disappear.” There was only one room to check left, the one he’d purposefully put off until last. Nightmare definitely didn’t like it when others went into his room, and had blown up on them for doing so without permission in the past. With this in mind, the raven daemon figured that checking his room should probably be done in secret, just in case.

While Reaper was notorious for vanishing and reappearing at any given moment, none of the others knew how he did it. It was one of the many secrets he kept from them, though this one was more for personal reasons than for any need to protect his brothers from the truth. The secret lay within the totem he always wore around his neck, a bestial skull resembling a Gaster blaster that had been passed down throughout his family for generations. The enchantment on the totem let the wearer slip into the shadows, rendering himself completely invisible to most means of detection. After knocking on Nightmare’s door gave him the same silence the others did, the daemon sighed as he clutched the totem hidden under his hoodie.

The change was imperceptible to himself, his body appearing normal to his own eyes. Yet he felt the wave of magic rush over him, concealing and embracing him like a comforting blanket. With a smirk, the hidden skeleton carefully opened the door to his brother’s room, doing so slowly to avoid any detection in case the grumpy octopus was actually in there and simply wanted to be left alone.

Finding Nightmare making out was not what he expected to walk into, seeing him and an unfamiliar skeleton tangled together on his bed. Reaper blinked a few times as a heat rose to his cheeks upon walking in on something like this, simply thankful that all of their clothes were still on. Guess it was safe to say that their leader had found his soulmate in the time he’d been absent, wondering how long they had to have known each other to already be this far. Sure, daemons and their soulmates tended to have whirlwind romances by comparison to most others, their inherent compatibility down to their souls making it extremely easy to forge a very strong bond very quickly. But this couldn’t have just been in the past couple weeks, right? Maybe it had been when he had been nesting on the couch in despair?

Regardless, that didn’t change the thought that pinged in his mind as he felt the magic encasing him fade away, revealing him to the others. “Seriously?! Out of everyone, I’m the last?!” He whined, causing an abrupt halt to the session in front of him. Both skeletons that had been caught lit up with purple magic, the raven taking a moment to marvel at the way Nightmare’s daemon form tinted the color of his magic. It was rare to see him in his monster form like this, and even rarer still to see him so flustered, yet the anger that he was far more familiar with was quick to replace his embarrassment.

“Reaper?! What the fuck are you doing in my room?!” He snarled, pulling away from his confused soulmate and getting off the bed.

“Well, you didn’t answer when I knocked, so I thought I would just sneak in here and see if you were gone like the others,” he shrugged, answering honestly. Reaper had to be one of the only ones in their group that honestly wasn’t that afraid of pissing off Nightmare, knowing that if it came down to a fight, the raven daemon would win. This resulted in a calm, somewhat smug demeanor as the octopus growled at him, storming over and shoving him out of the room.

After a moment to mumble something back towards the other skeleton, Nightmare was out in the hall with him and practically bristling. It was somewhat amusing to see him so angry in his monster form, finding him way less intimidating even though he was pretty much just as powerful in this form. “Reaper. I’m going to ask you a question, and I want you to answer in a way that I’ll understand the first time. Why. The fuck. Are you here?”

Confused by the somewhat cryptic question, the other daemon only raised a brow. “I... live here? And I wanted to brag about me finding my soulmate, but you’re the only one here and being a total buzzkill.”

It looked like the purple skeleton was going to snap at him for his answer, only for realization to dawn on his face. “You weren’t here,” he muttered, sighing as he pinched his nose. “Guess that explains why you’re not staying away, none of us thought to give you the memo, did we?”

“Since I have no idea what you’re talking about, I’m gonna assume that’s a no.”

“Great,” Nightmare grumbled, rolling his eyes before explaining. “Long story short, Killer majorly fucked up. He was made by two hunters while out with Dream, which means they’ve now ID’d his soulmate. From what I understand, Dust’s soulmate also got pegged, Horror was tracked to his mate’s apartment, and Fell had a close-call with these hunters.”

“Wow... fuck I missed a lot,” Reaper huffed, mentally recounting how screwed that left them. “Two soulmates known for sure, one possibly confirmed, and one close call. Geez... I’m assuming something’s being done about this?”

“Damage control for the most part,” the other confirmed, though it was clear that he wasn’t as happy with them only doing that much. “Error ordered us all to split up and isolate our soulmates from each other, keep them from interacting in order to keep them from being caught as well. That’s why I’m the only one here, everyone else is hiding out with their boyfriends and keeping them safe.”

“And the hunters themselves?”

“Took care of those two personally... well, Cross did. He already had a vendetta on those two for nearly killing his brother by the time we met, so he wanted to be the one to end them.” After clarifying that Cross was the name of Nightmare’s soulmate, the octopus continued, his expression growing grim. “I’m actually surprised just how easily he was able to kill them, even went after their kid. There wasn’t any hesitation, no mercy, just a tactical precision that shows these aren’t the first lives he’s taken.”

While the smaller skeleton in the bedroom certainly hadn’t seemed like a killer at first glance, Reaper knew quite well how looks could be deceiving. “Is he alright mentally? It could’ve just been a ‘heat of the moment’ type of thing that let him pull it off.”

“No, I can say for certain that it wasn’t. Cross hasn’t shown any signs of serious guilt or regret, in fact he acts numb and cold any time I’ve brought it up. From what I’m seeing, I think he’s got a body count as bad as ours.”

“Well... at least you know he can protect himself?” The raven offered, not quite sure what else to offer in terms of support. He could understand Nightmare being worried about his soulmate having such lack of empathy or remorse when it comes to taking a life, but there was no denying that it would inevitably be an asset considering what Nightmare was. Soulmates were often targeted by hunters instead of their daemon counterparts, the soulmates often assumed to be the weaker of the two since they lacked the strength daemons were inherently born with. But if Cross could defend himself, then it might prove handy if the threat of hunters attacking their family was as bad as he feared.

Nightmare still didn’t like that, but he had no choice but to agree with Reaper’s comment as it was true. Besides, when the worry faded and the daemon was certain his mate was alright, Reaper was pretty sure he’d love to gloat about how strong his soulmate was. “Well... whatever, Cross is fine as far as I can tell, maybe a bit grumpy, but that’s nothing to worry about. Now, can I get back to him or are you still planning on annoying me?”

“Is that an open invitation to brag about my soulmate now? Because he’s so freaking cute but also feisty, and the look he gives when he’s embarrassed and hides in his scarf-”

Before he could truly get going however, a loud sigh from his brother interrupted him. “Reaper, I get that you’re excited, especially considering that you’ve failed for two months straight to find him, but I really don’t care. All I care about is going back to kissing my Crossy and keeping him away from all of you idiots.”

Putting on an overdramatic pout, the hooded skeleton let out a whine as he was shot down. “You’re no fun, Night.”

“Since when have I ever been fun?” He retorted, the two sharing a small smirk before the octopus turned back to the door. “Look, I get that you’re excited, but don’t go looking for the others or bother them just to brag. Everyone’s got their hands full right now, so just leave them be and focus on your soulmate. Just think of this as the perfect excuse to spend some quality time with him instead of dealing with us for a while.” Without another word shared between them, Nightmare went back inside. The second the door closed, Reaper couldn’t hear anything coming from the room, currently lamenting the high-quality soundproofing that must’ve been built into these rooms. With no option to eavesdrop, and no desire to walk in on the two again, the daemon sighed as he walked away.

“So much for bragging about how amazing my little Geno is,” he grumbled to himself, sulking all the way down the hall to his room. He’d gotten the hint about leaving the mansion for a while, though he had absolutely no clue where to go. He’d just met Geno, and as cute as he was, his soulmate was way too much of a tsundere to let him stay over right now. “Why can’t I stay in the mansion? Nightmare’s little Crossy has somewhere to stay, right? Why can’t they just go wherever that is and let me stay here?”

There was little he needed to pack as he prepared to find somewhere else to sleep for a bit, grumbling to himself the entire time. His scythe was at least something he didn’t need to pack due to its magical nature, though he did pack his old cloak to complete his grim reaper look. It was always so much fun to torment any hunters he caught while dressed up like that, plus it was way more comfortable to wear when in his daemon form than most other things. Other than that, he packed several books, his collection of precious treasures, and a couple spare pairs of shoes for when he inevitably ruined his with his daemon form. Some of them were lucky with their transformations working around clothes. Horror in particular was lucky that his pants weren’t ripped every time but instead they somehow ended up inside his tail along with his legs, even if he claimed that it was more uncomfortable than if he’d transformed without pants. Reaper wasn’t nearly so lucky, his talons making quick work of any shoes or gloves he’d wore when changing forms. That was one of the reasons he preferred to wear fingerless gloves, finding them to be one less item of clothing to worry about working around.

Making a final check to make sure he’d gotten everything he wanted, the raven grabbed a bag of trail mix as he made his way outside and headed off back towards the nearby city. At least he had his little disappearing act that would allow him to stealthily return if he’d forgotten something important, using said trick after slipping off his shoes so that he could safely fly back instead of walking. It was way faster and easier, so he saw nothing wrong with cheating considering that nobody would see a flying skeleton entering the city.

“Now, where the hell am I gonna stay?” He murmured to himself, finding his flight path unconsciously taking him towards the area of the city that Geno lived. Looking back on his many, many attempts to track the scarfed skeleton down, the daemon could see how close he’d some several times. As much as that would be infuriating, he managed to calm himself with the fact that his past attempts no longer mattered now that he’d finally succeeded.

While flying undetected was relatively easy, the tricky part was always finding a discrete place to land. Humans didn’t like things they couldn’t understand, so they definitely wouldn’t like it if he just appeared out of nowhere. The back of his soulmate’s apartment building seemed like a good place since it couldn’t be seen from anywhere except the deserted alleyway. With practiced grace, Reaper touched down and felt his wings fold in, letting them vanish as his talons receded back into traditional phalanges. Slipping his shoes back on and slinging his bag back over his shoulder, the hooded skeleton slipped out from the back of the building and suddenly was just another monster in the crowd, focusing on finding a place nearby where he could stay.

What he wasn’t expecting was to nearly walk into a sign advertising vacancies, looking over to find that sign belonging to the very apartment complex his sweet little tsundere lived in. “Jackpot!” He quietly celebrated, heading over to the building in question and heading straight for the main office.

Once he mentioned that he was here to inquire about the vacancy, a nice young woman led him into what was apparently the manager’s office. The two of them chatted for a bit, the manager showing pictures of the available rooms while Reaper spun a story that would appeal to the man.

“We even have a single unit that comes furnished, though the rent is admittedly higher on that unit than any of the others,” the manager admitted, the daemon undeterred by the price tag.

“That one sounds perfect for me. I recently moved here and haven’t had a chance to go furniture shopping,” he lied, figuring that this was simply the easiest way to do things.

“Great! Now I’ll just need some information to ensure that I won’t be taking on someone that can’t pay the rent.”

“Of course, I completely understand. I’ll admit, working as a poet throws most people off, but I make surprisingly good money with it.”

The manager blinked a couple times, clearly surprised and a bit unnerved by his apparent vocation. “You’re... a poet?”

“Mhm, I can recite some of my work if you’d like,” Reaper offered, grinning as the man agreed to his offer. That was exactly the invitation the raven needed, feeling his magic lace his words as he spoke. ”Cling, clang, the sound of money. Ringing in your head, isn’t it quite funny? A piece of metal holds so much power, and if you let it, your soul it will devour. But you’re too clever for it to win, so throw away that desire and chuck it in the bin. No longer will it hold power over you, when you no longer care about its value.”

A faint golden sheen colored the manager’s eyes as the invocation took effect, though he otherwise appeared to be himself. “Wow... that’s...” He started, though seemed to be unable to come up with anything to say in response right away.

“I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, that’s alright,” Reaper offered, deciding now to put his plan into action. While the funds from Nightmare probably could cover the rent on the apartment, he’d probably get yelled at for an “unnecessary expense”. So, if he could weasel the guy down a bit, then he was a little less likely to get an earful or get cut off. “So, I know I said that I make a decent amount of money with my work, but you know how moving is. There’s all sorts of bills that just add up, and while I normally could afford the place, all these bills will leave me in a tough spot. Think you could lower the first month’s rent at all for me?”

With the spell taking effect, all the manager offered was a smile and a nod. “Of course sir! The money’s not really my concern here, what I’d rather focus on is making sure that you’re satisfied and happy here. So, let’s see what we can do for you.”

“Perfect,” Reaper all but purred, thankful he’d picked up that spell years ago.

A bit of negotiation later and the daemon had managed to secure himself an apartment for the month at half the cost, with no obligation to continue renting after the month was over. While he could’ve pushed it and aimed for cheaper, this was an expense he could easily justify and he didn’t want to put the nice manager in too tough of a spot. Any lower and the higher-ups might’ve overruled his decision, demanding he pay full price and sign one of their contracts. The guy might also lose his job too if that were the case. Plus, spells that messed with the mind always were a bit risky, as there was a chance that the target could resist if the suggestions being made went too far against what they’d normally agree to.

Regardless, his plan had succeeded and he now had himself discount lodgings in the same building as Geno. All he had to do was wait for them to meet again and he’d be able to work on wooing his little tsundere. It couldn’t be too hard, right? Surely the scarfed skeleton wasn’t so against the idea of letting someone in that he’d turn down his own soulmate. And if he was, then Reaper would just have to change that, one romantic gesture at a time.

For now though, it was time to get settled into his new place, inspecting the furniture it came with and honestly quite happy with the results. “For $500 a month, definitely not too bad,” he chuckled, unpacking his few possessions he’d brought with him before settling down for the night. And as luck would have it, he even got a text from his soulmate as he was relaxing, allowing the raven to save the number and text him back and forth for a bit. The messages were nothing significant, likely a result of the smaller skeleton’s guarded nature, but that didn’t change how happy Reaper was for the minimal progress. One step at a time, he’d tear down those barricades and open his heart and soul to fate’s grand plan.

The first sleep in a new bed was always supposed to be the worst, but the daemon had no such issues. He figured that it was likely the relative success he’d had the day before and the sheer stroke of luck that this apartment was that allowed him to get some decent sleep, now finding himself looking forward to the day with great excitement. Part of him wanted to race through the building right away and pinpoint where his little soulmate was located, though a much louder desire made itself known. His trail mix had been the only bit of food he’d brought with him, and while that served as dinner last night, it was all gone and definitely wouldn’t hold him over any longer if his grumbling stomach was any clue.

“Guess I should get some groceries first,” he sighed, getting up and ready for the day. At least the shopping center he’d met Geno at was quite close and had a grocery store, meaning that he didn’t even need to go hunting for his food for once. The trip was peaceful and quiet, his outward appearance making most steer clear of him. He’d never understood how humans always got so jumpy around a monster in dark clothes, but it kept them from bothering him as he picked up some essentials and various items. The first priority though was coffee, the hot beverage being his absolute favorite. It was to the point that the others insisted that he was addicted, but he could honestly care less. None of them ever tried to stop him from drinking coffee, at least not since he’d dumped his cup on top of Killer when the frog had stupidly tried to pry it away from him. Thankfully he’d healed quite well and had no visible scars, but everyone learned an important lesson that day.

The rest of his groceries were a relatively random assortment of various items that had been on sale, the hooded skeleton seeing no point in paying full price for something when he already knew they overcharged on even the basic necessities... like coffee. In fact, by the time he was done, the only regular price item he’d bought had in fact been his coffee. The rest of the items were all pulled from the flyer, yet would sufficiently serve for several various meals. After ignoring the racist comments hurled at him by some random human, the daemon grabbed his groceries and headed home, only to run into someone as he reached his door. “Well hello neighbor!”

Geno’s stunned face stared back at the grinning skeleton waving at him, his single eye blinking a couple times in disbelief. “Oh no. No, no, no,” he muttered, hobbling up to him with his cane. “What the actual fuck are you doing here?! You told me that you weren’t going to try coming inside!”

“That was before I decided to live here,” he casually responded, chuckling at the fury on the other’s face. “Look, I recently got kicked out by one of my brothers, so I needed to find a place to stay-”

“Then get a hotel, not an apartment!” The scarfed skeleton hissed, poking him in the chest with a surprising amount of force. “I cannot believe that you just happened to pick this place to stay after getting kicked out, not when there’s countless other places for cheaper or more temporary lodgings.”

“Well of course there are, but you said some pretty good things about this place yesterday. There was a nice apartment available that perfectly fit my needs, and I managed to get it at a hell of a good deal too, better than I think I would’ve managed if I’d tried to go the hotel route. It’s close to any place I might need too, just like you said.”

It was clear that his explanation only irked the smaller further, even if they had nothing to say in exchange. “I can’t believe you,” he eventually huffed, spinning around as best as he could and hobbling back down the way he’d come from.

“You wanna come over for lunch?” Reaper offered without thinking, though he quickly was quite happy after seeing the other skeleton turn to look at him... well, more glare at him, but that didn’t change how he obviously had his attention. “I just got back from grocery shopping, which I should’ve done yesterday but forgot to. So, I’m starving, and it’s way easier to cook for two than just one. Nothing better than a homecooked meal, right?”

While Geno was still clearly skeptical of his offer, he did turn back around to properly face the taller. “You know I eat a lot, right? I mean, you saw how much I ordered yesterday.”

Reaper simply shrugged, unperturbed by his soulmate’s appetite. “Can’t be any harder than cooking for my one brother, the dude sometimes devours the ingredients before we can get everything prepped or in the pan. Besides, I bought a lot since everything was on sale for a good price, so I’m sure I’ve got enough to feed both of us. Come on, what have you got to lose?”

“My pride,” the scarfed one grumbled, though that comment didn’t stop him from limping over the hooded skeleton’s apartment. “Whatever, free food is free food, and I guess I haven’t had lunch yet.”

As much as Reaper wanted to start celebrating right there, he kept his excitement contained as he opened the door for his mate before following him in. He even pulled out one of the dining chairs for him to rest on, figuring that moving with a cane was probably way more tiresome than using a wheelchair. Geno took the chair without much fuss, barely even looking at the taller as he sat down. Chuckling at his insistence at being grumpy, the daemon made no comment and turned his focus towards lunch as he examined the ingredients he’d bought. There was definitely enough to feed both of them if he got a bit creative, which lucky for him was his specialty.

The two main proteins he’d bought had been steaks and shrimp, both on for a really good deal. There was also a bit of sandwich meat, but that wasn’t nearly good enough for his little swan. No, he’d show off his culinary prowess by making a version of surf and turf! That was a romantic meal, and there would definitely be enough to sate Geno’s abnormally large appetite.

The one thing that he’d neglected to consider however was that the apartment came with furnishings, not kitchenware. He had no pots or pans, no utensils, not even a plate to set the cooked meals on. Cursing his overeager attempt to impress his soulmate, the daemon tried to think of a way around this situation. Should he ask Geno if he could borrow his? No, that’d be too embarrassing and ruin the gesture. He couldn’t exactly go out and buy anything, not with the scarfed skeleton here and waiting for food. That left the daemon with his default backup to any sticky situation, magic.

While he didn’t have a spell to conjure kitchenware out of thin air, because he never thought that would be an issue, one spell he did have in his repertoire would suffice. The mansion’s kitchen was fully stocked with everything he could need, and all he’d need was a small portal to reach in and borrow whatever he required. Mumbling the invocation under his breath, the raven created a small window to the mansion’s kitchen that was thankfully void of anyone for the time being. The portal was just big enough for him to pull the pots and pans through, one hand reaching through while the other used magic to adjust the exit point for the portal.

With anything he might need now in his kitchen, he closed the portal for the time being and set to work. Two steaks were quickly seasoned, the seasonings also borrowed from the mansion, before being thrown into a hot pan to sear, while another pan was being loaded with garlic and butter for the shrimp. As the proteins started cooking, a pot of water was put to boil as he pulled out some pasta, figuring that shrimp alfredo would be the best compliment to the steaks.

As he got everything cooking, the idea popped into his head to borrow a few more items from the mansion that he knew would compliment his meal. Sure, he’d get in trouble if he got caught, but Reaper could care less at that moment as Geno was his top priority. So, another portal was created, only for a tentacle to grab his outstretched hand. “What part of stay away did you not get?” Nightmare growled from the other side, the raven grumbling as he snatched his hand back.

“I’m trying to impress my soulmate, just like you told me to,” he snapped, shifting to a different portal as he tried to at least grab the plates and cutlery he needed.

His efforts were almost immediately stopped though as another tentacle grabbed hold, prompting the same annoyed retraction of his hand. “One, I never told you to impress him, I said to get close. And two, why do you need to steal stuff in order to do so?”

“Because I’m trying to cook him a meal with no pots or pans or plates, and I’m not stealing. I’m merely borrowing what I need and returning everything just as I found it. What’s so wrong with that?”

“The fact that you don’t get the whole concept of how you shouldn’t be here in the slightest!” Nightmare yelled back, Reaper cringing and hoping that Geno didn’t hear. “What would’ve happened if it wasn’t me that saw you?! How would you have explained this?!”

“I would’ve dealt with it,” Reaper grumbled. “But you’re the one that found me, and you’re growing increasingly vexing, so please just let me get what I need and then I’ll be gone.” What he deemed as a simple request didn’t sit well with Nightmare, who immediately lipped off at him in a rant that the raven wasn’t even listening to. “Look Nightmare, I rarely undermine your authority as leader because I simply can’t be bothered. But we both know that if I want something, nothing can stop me from getting it. Right now, all I want is to borrow some plates and cutlery that I have every intention of washing up and returning to where I took them from. So, we can either do this the easy way where you simply let me do as I wish, or we can do things the hard way.”

“Fuck you!” nightmare screamed, clearly pissed as he attempted to shove his head through the portal they were communicating through. It took every ounce of control he had to not immediately close the window, knowing that doing so could potentially kill Nightmare if he wasn’t careful. “You don’t get to suddenly pretend like you have any sort of say over what goes on! You never do anything to keep us from falling apart, not like Error or I do! So, don’t you dare suddenly try to get on your high horse and order me around!”

“Au contraire, dear brother,” Reaper sighed, not really wanting to get into his efforts to eliminate threats in the background. The octopus knew to an extent what he often did when off on his own, but not even him nor Error knew the full scope of his work to keep them safe. “Regardless of your incorrect perception of me, it seems you’ve made your choice. Hard way it is.” Before the other daemon could start shouting at him again, the raven used his magic to rip the portal away at a speed that he knew would prevent his brother from hanging on, He then shifted it up on the mansion’s end, not wanting Nightmare to immediately pull the same trick. “Tell me, have you ever heard of a game called Portal? There’s a trick in the game that is quite popular among those that play it.”

“What the fuck are you rambling about?” The octopus snapped, glaring up at Reaper’s smirking face. Making a show of bringing his hand into view of the portal, he let it linger for a moment as the pale white glow of magic grew brighter around his hand. Before Nightmare could say anything else, a portal appeared directly above him, one large enough for either of them to fit through. That one was quickly connected to one he created beneath his brother’s feet, grinning as the dark-boned skeleton was left free-falling perpetually in the same spot.

“You should really try that game, Nightmare. It’s actually a lot of fun and taught me some very creative ways to make use of this spell,” the hooded skeleton taunted, going back to his original task as the other resumed screaming at him. The screams however had minor breaks in them due to the slight time it took to travel between the two sides of the loop, making it all the more entertaining as he continued cooking.

“Reaper!- son of- bitch! Get- out of this- you bastard!” Funny enough, all his various curses seemed to make it through without much issue, only widening the other daemon’s smile as he finished up the proteins and was just waiting for the pasta to cook. “You think- smart, don’t you? When- with you, you’ll- day you were born!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll let you out once you’ll no longer prove to be a nuisance,” he assured the octopus, starting to plate his meal as he borrowed a few other tools he’d neglected to consider. “Didn’t realize how many things were involved in making such a meal. As for your threats Nightmare, we both know that I’d be able to kick your ass to the moon and back. Honestly, you’re like one of those yippy little dogs to me, all bark and no bite.” Now that clearly struck a nerve, the screaming growing louder and slightly less intelligible. “You’re the one that refuses to learn magic or invocations, even when I’ve offered several times, so don’t get mad at me for pointing out your greatest weakness.”

Despite the unexpected interruptions, his and Geno’s lunch was finally done. The pasta had been drained, mixed with garlic buttered shrimp and a jar of alfredo sauce he’d bought. He then set the pan-seared steaks on plates and filled the other half of each with the pasta, smiling at the final result. Before he could bring it out though, the raven figured that he better let his brother out of his prison. With a snap of his fingers, the twin portals dispersed, resulting in Nightmare faceplanting into the floor. “I hate you,” the other daemon grumbled, a hearty laugh leaving the hooded skeleton.

“I did give you a chance to do things the easy way,” he reminded, though his typical jovial mood slipped away as his hollow sockets leered down at the other skeleton. “Take this as your only warning though. Do not get in my way, especially if my goal has anything to do with my soulmate, no matter how menial or mundane. You of all people should know better than to anger me; you know exactly what I’m capable of when pushed too far.” His voice was ice cold, empty of any empathy or brotherly love. It was enough to make Nightmare shiver, his brother meekly nodding in a way unlike him as he got the message loud and clear. The moment he received confirmation that the octopus understood, Reaper closed the last portal and let out a breath, feeling the invocation cease its drain on his magic. The portals he could create were extremely handy, but quite taxing when wielding multiple as he had been.

That didn’t matter anymore though, his usual smile returning as he grabbed the plates and utensils before heading out of the kitchen and into the dining room. “Hope you weren’t too bored Geno, took me a bit of organizing to sort through my stuff and find what I needed!”

As he looked to the smaller, a critical stare is what initially greeted him, somehow managing to unnerve even him a bit. He knew that look all too well, one that he often made when reading into a situation. In hindsight he should’ve found some way to silence his conversation with Nightmare, unsure just how much his soulmate might’ve heard considering that his brother wasn’t exactly being quiet about his displeasure. Yet the look soon faded to one of boredom, the smaller shrugging as Reaper approached with the two plates of food. “Whatever, it at least smells good. What did you make?”

Geno’s single eye widened at the meal set before him, speechless for a moment before silently looking up at the daemon for an explanation. “The steak and shrimp were on sale, so that’s what I had. I hope this is enough food for you and that it tastes alright, I haven’t done seafood in a while and I’ll admit I’m worried I might have overcooked it.”

Sitting down across from the scarfed skeleton, Reaper gestured for him to take the first bite and tell him what he honestly thought. All he was hoping was that both portions were edible and that Nightmare hadn’t distracted him enough to ruin it. Geno went for the pasta first, spearing one of the shrimp along with the noodles. He didn’t say anything immediately afterwards, instead skillfully using the steak knife to cut a piece of red meat to try. “It’s good,” he finally spoke up, much to the hooded skeleton’s pleasure. “Both parts actually, they’re really good.”

“Really? You like it?” Reaper probably sounded a bit like an eager child desperate for praise, but he couldn’t deny how excited he was to hear that his little swan enjoyed the first meal he’d prepared for him.

“Yeah, I actually do.” A faint red streaked across his soulmate’s cheeks as he admitted such, a small smile peeking out from his scarf. Even if it was a simple compliment, it was more than enough for Reaper to be absolutely giddy. It took Geno reminding him of his own meal to actually start eating, a tinge of blue coloring his face as well as the two enjoyed each other’s company.

From there, conversation seemed to naturally blossom, the two resuming their discussion during lunch the day before. Never before had he met someone he could speak so easily with, and the smaller even understood him when he reverted to his more dramatic speech pattern. It was truly a match made in heaven, though the raven wasn’t blind to some of the signs he caught as they ate and chatted.

Geno was constantly pulling his sleeves down, even though the taller had rolled his own up to prevent getting food on his jacket. The one time the sleeve slipped too far up, layers of bandages could be easily seen wrapping around his bones before the cloth shielding them from view was hastily tugged back in place. The scarfed skeleton’s hands would occasionally shake if he bumped his arms against the table, the tremors being ones he recognized as a result of pain. Yet throughout this, his face held no trace of such pain, as if he was so used to hiding it that it was second nature to him. Only his eye light gave anything away, that single dot of light speaking of a lifetime of pain and suffering. From what he could infer from his observation, Geno was the kind of person who dealt with pain daily, yet no matter how bad it got, he would never reveal his suffering to those around them. Whether to avoid pity or worrying others, it didn’t change how much the daemon desired to become someone his little swan was willing to let in so that he could help him.

Their lunch was over before he knew it, even with the two staying and chatting long after the food had been finished. As much as he hated for the other to leave, they weren’t close enough yet for him to ask his soulmate to stay over. That didn’t stop him from inviting Geno over for dinner any night he wished though, his offer surprising the scarfed skeleton at first before he bashfully accepted.

The following night, a gentle knock was heard on his door, and opening it revealed just the person he was hoping to see. Reaper instantly welcomed him inside, preparing a meal for both of them with pots and pans he’d actually bought this time to avoid Nightmare interrupting him again. Geno came over again the night after, and the night after that, the smaller coming over every night to where the daemon didn’t think anything of it and simply prepared a meal for both of them.

It was perfect in his mind, the two of them growing steadily closer with every conversation and shared meal. Geno’s walls were slowly dropping, meaning that the raven took chances to spend more time with him in return. Sometimes they moved to the couch and ate snack foods while watching a movie, sometimes Reaper instead treated him by taking Geno out to a restaurant. With time, his little swan wasn’t just coming over for food. For the first while, there were excuses made to cover his sudden appearances, before he simply gave up and started admitting to both Reaper and himself that he just wanted to see the hooded skeleton.

After a week of steady visits, Reaper was on cloud nine. The raven was currently soaring through the night sky after another lovely dinner date, even if Geno had seemed a bit tense. He’d done everything he could to relax the scarfed skeleton, even managing to make him laugh with his antics, and god that was the most heavenly sound he’d ever hear. Still, a bit of worry lingered in the back of his mind ever since the two parted company, his hope being that a flight through a starlit sky with the light of the full moon on him would in turn relax him, but it wasn’t working as it usually did. Instead, there was... fear. Fear that something was about to go horribly wrong, and no matter what he did to calm his nerves, the feeling never seemed to go away. It just sat there, resonating from deep within his soul.

The vibration of his phone within his hoodie pocket snapped his focus back to reality, and pulling it out revealed his soulmate’s name on the call display. A sigh escaped him, the raven pushing his worries away with the belief that a chat with his little swan would assure him that everything was right just as it should be. “Bonjour, mi amour~” He greeted, grinning as he anticipated the annoyed snappy response his flirty tone would grant.

Only, that never happened. Instead, all he received at first from the other end of the phone line was the sound of heavy, labored breathing. “Geno? Sweetheart, are you okay?” All jokes were gone, the worry flaring back up in spades as Reaper desperately tried to convince himself that he was misreading the situation. He knew that the scarfed skeleton’s health wasn’t the greatest, and their many conversations had shed some light on the details of it, but there had to be another explanation. The raven hovered in the air for a moment before instinct sent him back in the direction of the apartment, just in case.

When Geno finally spoke up, it wasn’t with his characteristic strength and determination, but instead with the same fear the daemon felt coursing through his bones. ”R-Reaper?” His voice was so small, so hard to hear as he practically whispered the other’s name.

“I’m here Geno, what’s wrong? Do you need my help with something?”

"Y-Yeah... c-can you... come o-over?” His words were broken up by his own breathing, each one sounding more painful than the last. ”You’re... t-the only one... I c-can ask for help...”

“Of course! I’ll be right over, don’t worry Gen.”

Before he could ask what was wrong though, his soulmate uttered words that chilled him right through to his soul. “P-Please... hurry. I... I don’t wanna die.” All caution flew out the window the second he heard that, his wings going as fast as he could to get him there to deal with whatever threat was present.

“Hang on Gen, I’ll be there, I promise! What’s going on?” His question went unanswered however, silence greeting him on the other end of the line. “Gen? Geno, sweetheart, are you there?” Pulling away the phone revealed that the call was still connected, meaning that whatever was going on had prevented his soulmate from responding to him. “Fucking dammit!” He shouted, willing himself to go faster with every second that passed. “I don’t know if you can hear me Gen, but just hang on! I’ll come save you, I swear it!”

Wanting to reassure the smaller in any way, he continued speaking into the phone on the assumption that Geno could still hear him. It was the only thing keeping even an ounce of calm in him during this, as if it was assuring himself that he wasn’t too late. Not much longer passed before the apartment came into view, Reaper deciding that time was too precious to waste with being discrete. His totem was cloaking him upon approach, and he knew which window belonged to Geno’s apartment, so that would be his way in. Without any hesitation, the raven reared back and bared his taloned feet. At the last second, he folded his wings in behind them to shield them from damage, using his arms to protect his face as his talons broke the glass with ease. Shards of the window went everywhere in the process, cutting him in several places yet thankfully leaving his wings untouched. He had a sinking feeling that he might need them.

“Geno!” Reaper shouted into the apartment, praying for some sort of answer, yet only silence greeted him. The apartment’s layout was similar to his own, so even if his soulmate had refused to let him inside for some reason, he had a decent idea of where everything was. His makeshift entry point placed him in the living room, glass lodged in the carpet and spraying along the furniture. The kitchen was right next to where he was currently, meaning that it would only take him a few precious seconds to check before running down the hall to check the other rooms.

What he wasn’t expecting was to find his little swan on the cold kitchen tile, unconscious and bleeding out from a deep cut along his wrist. Little trickles of blood wept from similar cuts on both arms, helping all the pieces fall together in his mind as he saw a nearby kitchen knife coated in that same sickly red. But that didn’t matter right now, the only thought in his mind being stopping the flow of blood from the cut that had clearly been far too deep.

Bandages sat on the counter above, knocked over and slightly unrolled. It spoke to his beloved’s desperation, how he’d tried to tend to the injury in a panic before ending up on the floor. Without hesitation, Reaper grabbed hold of them and proceeded to wrap them tightly around the cut. A grimace crossed his face as every layer he seemed to put on was almost immediately stained, meaning that he wouldn’t be able to stem the flow on his own. Geno needed to go to the hospital, if not for the wound then for the massive amount of blood he’d already lost in the short timeframe it had taken him to get here.

The only way he could think of to get him the help he so desperately needed was to fly him there himself, but that was way too risky with the increased hunter activity in the city. One wrong move and he’d be the next one with his soulmate identified, and he wouldn’t dare risk such danger upon his little swan. The raven could cloak himself while in flight, but he’d never had any need to hide anyone else’s presence with his totem before.

As he thought about what he could do though, a memory of his father flashed in his mind. It was the moment that he’d inherited the totem, when his father had given it to him to protect him from the death that was coming for them all.

“Son, I need you to listen to me,” his dad had instructed, grabbing hold of a panicking young Reaper by the shoulders. “Your mother and I will do whatever we can to protect you, but I’m afraid that the rest of your journey has to be on your own. We will fight the hunters, and we’ll take as many of them down as we can to buy you time to escape.” Before his younger self could interrupt, trying to insist that they could all escape together, his father had already ripped the totem off of his own neck and placed it over the smaller daemon’s head.

“This totem has been in our family for generations, protecting us as well as the one that means the most to us from the gaze of those who would seek to destroy our kind.” His dad had forced his own, much smaller hand over the bestial skull, before reciting an invocation that he’d never once been taught. “Shadows dance and weave as one, hiding this one from the sun. With my love and blessing now, I place this weight upon your brow. The weight of hiding from the light, so that you may escape the fight. This is now your burden to bear, just know in your soul that I am always there.”

The totem immediately began to glow, an eerie darkness to the light as Reaper felt that wave of dark magic roll over him the first time. His parents had both smiled down at him, bringing him in for one last hug and kiss as they told him over and over again how much they loved him. Back then, he’d been too scared and desperate to change their minds that he’d failed to return it until the last minute, when his dad had forcefully pushed him away and gestured to the back door of their home. “Go Reaper, take flight and let our ancestors shield you from the sight of the hunters. All you need to do is call on their blessing, and the darkness will protect you from view. When the day comes, know that we’ll shield the one that means everything to you as well, just lay the blessing upon them as well. Now go! Take to the skies and don’t look back!”

Reaper could still clearly recall the night that he’d lost them, having never once returned just as he was instructed. His father’s words ran clear in his head, the promise that his ancestors would protect the one that meant everything to him, his soulmate. All he had to do was lay the same blessing, the same invocation, that he’d received on Geno. So that’s what he did, reciting it word for word from his memory, willing the same shadows that so often enveloped him to do the same for the dying skeleton in his arms. As he finished the invocation, his totem pulsed underneath his hoodie. Pulling it out revealed that same impossibly dark light surrounding it, the magic moving to encircle and glow around Geno’s small frame. Even the blood pooled underneath him seemed to shimmer with that same light, before it faded away.

There was no doubt in his mind that it had worked, calling upon his ancestors for protection and feeling the darkness coil around the both of them. “Don’t worry Geno, I’m gonna get you help,” he whispered, throwing one last layer of bandages on before cradling his soulmate in his arms. There wasn’t much he could do to stem the bleeding while holding him, simply making sure that the arm was as elevated as he could manage before leaping out the broken window. His wings unfurled once clear of the broken glass, and he sped off to the nearest hospital. There were several in the city, and he didn’t know where most of them were, but he’d taken the time to look up the ones nearby in case of an emergency after finding out how unstable Geno’s health naturally was.

Once again, the trick was finding a safe landing place where he could change forms and disband the cloak hiding the both of them from view, not wanting nurses to treat him as a threat for suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Thankfully as they approached the hospital, the daemon noticed an abandoned space of greenery within the hospital’s borders. During the day, this area was probably packed with patients wanting some fresh air and time outside, but at this time of night there wasn’t a single soul present. That made it perfect, the raven touching down as gently as he could and making one last check of the area as he changed forms. The moment the area was secure and his daemon form was fully gone, he rushed out and booked it to the emergency entrance.

“Help!” Reaper started screaming the second he raced in, grabbing the attention of several nurses who quickly had varying looks of horror on their face. He could only guess how much blood was on the both of them by this point, but that didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was how they all started running to get doctors and medical supplies to help keep his beloved from dusting. As much as the hooded skeleton wanted to help, he knew that his knowledge of medicine was limited to first-aid and that the humans and monsters now swarming him were far more knowledgeable. It took him a moment, but he eventually relinquished his hold on the smaller, allowing the nurses to set him on a stretcher where they immediately started work even as they ran him off from the entryway where Reaper still stood.

One of the nurses that had stayed behind gestured for him to come with them, the skeleton’s gaze lingering on the hall where Geno disappeared to before following along. “I just have to ask you a few questions if you don’t mind,” the nurse started, gesturing to a table with two chairs in a small room. Even though he didn’t like this, Reaper bit back any urge to flee and gave the healthcare worker the benefit of the doubt. This was for Geno after all, so he could deal with any minor discomfort he felt.

The daemon offered a nod as he took a seat, finally looking down to see that the front of his hoodie was completely stained. The nurse, a male lion monster, shot him a sympathetic smile as he pulled out a clipboard and pen. “Sorry, I’m sure you’re worried about him, but I can assure you that we’ll do everything we can for him. I just need you to provide some basic information for me so that we can best treat him.” The first half of the questions were basic, collecting enough info for them to find his soulmate in the system and look up anything that might already be on file for him.

“Okay, what was the method of injury?” The nurse asked, the question seemingly out of left field from all the other benign queries. He had pieced together what had happened, but wasn’t sure if it was really his place to say. Then again, those treating him would find the other cuts, and while that begged the question of why he was being asked this, it did prove that they’d find out one way or another.

“Um... I’m not completely sure, as I wasn’t by his side at the time. But from what I could see when I got to him, it looks like he was cutting himself and accidentally cut too deep.”

“Is there any chance that it wasn’t an accident?”

While he understood that the nurse was only doing his job, that didn’t change the disgust he felt from the accusation. “No chance. When Geno called me for help, he specifically said that he didn’t want to die.” The lion just nodded and scribbled everything down, remaining neutral throughout the whole thing as they proceeded to ask a few more questions before letting him go.

“We should have everything we need for now, though we might call you if we have any more questions. For the meantime you should head home and get some rest, I’m sure that this situation has been quite stressful for you.”

“Wait, you mean I can’t see him?” Reaper asked, his stress spiking again as the nurse shook his head. “Why not? I’m not gonna get in the way of any doctors, I just want to know that he’s okay!”

“I understand that sir, but Geno is in critical condition right now. There’s no telling when the doctors will be done treating him, and even then, he’ll need continuing care to recover properly based on what info you were able to provide. We’ll call you to inform you of any immediate changes, but for the time being we cannot allow him to have any visitors until his condition is more stable.”

As much as the raven wanted to argue and fight the nurse, who was again only doing their job, he held himself back. “I understand, thank you for taking care of him,” he instead told them, turning and heading back out of the hospital. Home wasn’t where he was going however, the hooded skeleton only moving far enough away from any cameras or people to invoke his totem’s power once more. Now invisible to even the security cameras monitoring the halls, Reaper snuck back inside on a mission to find his little swan. It was a little difficult considering that he couldn’t ask anyone for guidance, but he could rely on his connection to the scarfed skeleton to guide him.

It was a painstaking process of narrowing in on Geno’s position, the daemon first determining his position on based on the floor that he was on before guessing how many floors up he needed to go. How they managed to move him so quickly while Reaper was stuck talking with the nurse was beyond him, but his soulmate was definitely a fair distance up the hospital by now. How he hadn’t accidentally bumped into someone or audibly groaned in frustration was a miracle as he slowly made progress, though he was definitely thankful that he hadn’t made any mistakes that would’ve gotten him caught. He definitely came close when he accidentally overshot his guess one time, having to go back down the stairs before finally reaching the right floor.

With the hard part out of the way, all that was left was for the hooded skeleton to find Geno’s room and carefully sneak in. Lucky for him, one of the nurses just happened to be leaving with a cart of supplies when Reaper finally found the right room, allowing him the perfect window of opportunity to sneak through. He even managed to quickly swipe his beloved’s scarf off of the cart that had his old soiled clothes on it as it passed him, knowing that Geno would’ve lost his mind had he not had it upon waking. The nurse never seemed to notice that it was missing, the daemon smiling at his successful infiltration before it fell as he turned to face the skeleton in the hospital bed.

Geno looked so peaceful despite everything, asleep in a hospital gown with countless tubes and wires attached to him. Some were connected to his hand, feeding him a fresh supply of blood to restore what had been lost. Some were attached to the breathing mask strapped to his face, ensuring that he could breathe relatively easy. And some disappeared underneath the gown, likely being used to monitor his soul and overall vitals to ensure that he was stable and in no immediate risk. With no camera or monitoring system in the room, Reaper allowed the cloak to dispel, even if there was no real point.

The first thing he did was unlock the window, figuring that it would be easier to sneak in and out through an open window rather than slinking through the busy halls again. The next thing he did was sit in a chair next to his bedside, taking the hand not connected to an IV and rubbing his thumb over it. “Oh Gen, I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there for you sooner,” he whispered, feeling the need to apologize even though his little swan wouldn’t be able to respond. “But I got you help, just like I promised. And now I’m making you another promise. No matter what happens, I’m never leaving your side again when you need me, I swear on my soul. I will always be there for you, now and forever.” Reaper placed a gentle kiss on the back of the hand he held so delicately, setting his beloved’s scarf on the table next to him so that it wouldn’t interfere with anything but would be there when he woke up. And then he simply sat back in his chair to keep watch over him, prepared to do anything to keep his promise. Never again did he want to see Geno in such a state, so he would do whatever it took to protect his frail soulmate.

Sᴇarch the FindNovel.net website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.