Archive of Our Own ^beta

The sudden increase of crime in Heaven has shot up at a worrying rate, but at this point, Jaemin has found excitement at the piercing sound of the surveillance alarms.

It's cynical for an angel to find these things interesting, but ever since Jaemin finished his three year long guardian stint down on Earth, he’s been bored out of his mind, wanting a little fun in his life. Sometimes heaven is just a little too peaceful for his liking.

Luckily for him, the demons love to play.

He flies straight to the Corpus Christi Galleria, following the beeping of his tracker. Lately, the troublemakers have been targeting this place in particular—with its expensive jewelry and art on display and the rather lax security, it’s an easy target for mischievous young demons.

When Jaemin gets there, he can already see about three pairs of black wings circling the roof of the building.

He smirks.

Jaemin does quick work of taking out the trash—tripping the demons out of his way with the hit of lightning whip, pulling them across the gallery floor with a harsh tug. They fall, barreling to the ground, their wings knocking over the display pillars in their wake. Jaemin cringes as he watches a couple of expensive vases break, but he flies past the mess. That’s something Jaemin will have to deal with Donghyuck later. He’s the only one who can butter up Renjun with these kinds of accidents.

He zooms to the end of the hall, cracking his whip one more time, only for the lightning tail to be intercepted by a pair of claws.

“You're fast today,” The demon spits, tugging at the rope with gritted teeth. “We haven't even gone up to the main display.”

With a flick of Jaemin’s wrist, the whip wraps itself around the demon’s hands. He pulls hard, humming as the demon kisses the ground like the rest of his crew.

“It’s nice to see you too, pup,” Jaemin coos.

He squats down in front of him, lifting his chin up with his hand. “You know that you don’t have to do all this to get my attention, right, Jeno?”

“Who says I'm doing that?” Jeno growls, black bat wings flaring out to intimidate, but Jaemin is still smiling, running a thumb against Jeno’s bitten bottom lip.

“Fucking Na Jaemin!!! You’re dead!”

Jaemin turns around abruptly, only to be greeted by the sound of the surveillance horn accompanying Renjun’s enraged screaming. He can’t help but crack up under the red blinking lights above them. The angel reinforcements are coming and Jaemin knows they’re not after any of the infiltrating devils.

“Looks like they found me,” Jaemin laughs, loosening his hold on Jeno. “So what's your choice tonight, Lee? I'm feeling generous today, I’ll let you decide.”

Jeno glares at him, spitting to the side. “Fuck you.”

Jaemin grins. “My pleasure.”

When they reach Jaemin’s apartment, he doesn’t bother to turn on the lights.

The hospital white walls of his apartment have always bothered him. They've stayed the same since he left them there three years ago, but Jaemin never really had time to change them since he came back. In the darkness, Jeno blends in with the shadows. Jaemin leads him into his bedside with only the glow of demon yellow eyes to guide him.

He twists the knob of his reading lamp, letting a soft orange wash over them. Contrary to Jeno’s dark tattered wings, his skin is pale and unscathed, save for the red marks Jaemin has left on his wrists. Jaemin lips quirk, pressing his hand against the fresh wound. A golden light glows from his palm, making Jeno lean back against the headboard and sigh.

“I don't really know what you gain from this. You always punish me but then heal me afterward.”

Jaemin just shrugs. “Entertainment mostly. You look cute when you're helpless.”

“Asshole.”

Jaemin chuckles at Jeno’s pointed glare, pressing his thumb against Jeno’s pulse as his wounds close. He leans in, kissing Jeno sweetly on the lips and watches with amused eyes as Jeno’s irritation fades instantly from his face. He lets Jeno kiss him back, more fervent and messy, parting his lips for Jaemin to slip his tongue in. Jaemin wraps his arms around Jeno’s waist, swallowing Jeno’s moans, teasing his sensitive fangs with a flick of his tongue. His fingers slip under the hem of Jeno’s pants but Jeno stops him, pulling away with their mouth still connected with their spit.

Jaemin raises a brow at him that Jeno just answers with a roll of his eyes, getting off of the bed to kneel between Jaemin’s legs. His claws run purposefully across Jaemin’s thighs, making Jaemin clench his jaw.

“Just stay still,” Jeno gripes. “I’m not leaving until I get something out of this since you ruined my plans.”

“Oh?” Jaemin runs a hand across Jeno’s hair, caressing the curve of his horn the way Jeno likes it. “Are you sure this wasn’t part of your plans, pup?”

“Shut up.”

Jeno haphazardly unzips Jaemin’s pants with his teeth, spitting out the broken slider at the other side of the room, making Jaemin snicker. It’s an easy tug from there, Jeno makes quick work of his pants and boxers, impatiently leaving them at mid thigh as he circles a hand around Jaemin’s hardening cock, pumping it to fullness.

Jaemin has always found Jeno’s eagerness fascinating, especially when he chooses when to show it. He's known Jeno for being brash and uncooperative, with a penchant for trouble as any demon has. It isn’t everyday that you would find any demon so defeated, let alone kneeling in front of an angel, and yet Jeno is so willing to drop to the ground in front of him, just for a completely different reason.

Jaemin grips roughly at Jeno’s hair, eyes narrowing at the sight of Jeno swallowing his length whole without much resistance, his yellow eyes rolling at the back of his head with a whine. Jeno pulls away with a shaky breath, making a show of licking off the precum bubbling at the tip, before sinking back down and fucking his mouth against his cock.

Jaemin’s angel wings flare up behind him, folding only to cocoon him and Jeno away from the world’s prying eyes.

He has always found amusement in chasing down demons and shutting down the chaos they cause around Heaven, but every time Jeno is like this—cloudy-eyed and swollen-lipped from use, hazy from his own need—he can’t help but let him get away with what he wants.

--

“I’m starting to think you're doing this on purpose to see me, Na. You like me that much?”

“Of course I do,” Jaemin smiles at Donghyuck, leaning in to tuck a stray strand of his hair behind his ear. Donghyuck makes a face, swatting him away with a hand as Jaemin laughs.

“Just hurry up and give me your papers, I’ve had enough of Renjun complaining about you.”

Jaemin snorts. He thinks it's funny that he still gets reprimanded for bad misconduct even if he was the one who got to the demons before the authorities did. He is not exactly running for any high rank Righteous Angel award or anything, he’s just doing his job in his own way—albeit a bit messy, but he still thinks the misconduct reports are a bit too much. Yes, he did deface a few pillars at the galleria, and sure he won’t hear the end of the renovation costs from Renjun, but it's a lighter consequence than letting the demons get away with their heist.

Granted, Taeyeon, their new Head Angel in charge, is currently fighting for a change in these ridiculously dated rules. It's gonna be a tough thing to abolish with the Elder Angels Council’s iron fist, but Jaemin is hoping to not have to do these papers anymore sometime in the future.

Until then, he stacks his papers on a special pile he made for himself on Donghyuck’s table. It's almost permanent at this point, much to Donghyuck’s chagrin.

“Anyway, you're in luck. By Monday we’ll be starting to accept help requests from Hell, so you won't be bored anymore.”

Jaemin perks up. “Already?”

After last week's incident, Taeyeon has been made aware of everything and went to meet with Kibum—Hell’s Demon King. The two are old friends and were meeting to implement a peace treaty, wanting to encourage camaraderie between the two opposing lands. There were a lot of mixed reactions from the angels around Jaemin, mostly, but Jaemin himself was thrilled. He now had an excuse to visit Jeno in the guise of his missionaries. His throat is feeling parched after having not seen him in a week and he knows Jeno can help him with that.

Kibum has also been complaining to Jaemin for not visiting him since he came back, so Jaemin needs to stop by and appease him with his presence. He’s been missing Kibum’s dogs anyway.

Just then, the door opens to let an excited Jisung in and Jaemin instantly engulfs him in a bonecrushing hug. If there was one person he knew who shared his thirst for adventure, it was Park Jisung. He’d been wanting to get out of Heaven since Jaemin supplied him with stories of his antics on Earth, Seoul in particular, but Jisung’s just a bit too young to be accepted in the program just yet.

“Jisungie! Are you here for the missions too? You are too cute!”

“Ah, too tight—” Jisung whines in Jaemin’s arms. “I need to live so I can do them first.”

Donghyuck hands both of them a list of request reports, all addressed in the Hell district.

“Listen, I know you and Jisung are excited about this, but be careful. The people down there are going to be reluctant to accept our help, frustrating as it is, so for once, try not to be rash and exercise your patience.”

“Don't worry, I'll be careful,” Jaemin coos, finally releasing his hold on Jisung to lean against Donghyuck’s desk. “I can't have my angel be worried for me like this.”

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “Please get lost already, Na.”

--

The last time Jaemin visited Hell, it was Kibum’s first week in office. Coincidentally, the timing was perfect, it was two weeks before Jaemin had to leave for Seoul, so he came down with an office warming gift for his old mentor.

Jaemin initially met the Demon King back at the academy. With the academe more lax in its ways, it was a place where both angels and demons could gather harmoniously to train and learn. Kibum had taken a quick liking to him in one of his lectures and taught him a few neat tricks that Jaemin still uses today. One of them was Kibum teaching him how to wield a whip, and Jaemin has had it secured onto his belt ever since.

When Jaemin told him he was visiting, Kibum said he was going to introduce a new mutt to him. Jaemin didn’t exactly know what to expect—Comme des and Garçons already know and love him, so it’s news to Jaemin that he was even getting a new dog.

Jaemin never knows what to expect with Kibum.

“Na Jaemin, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Kibum greets him at his desk.

The office is half filled with boxes, chaotic as ever. It seems like Kibum still hasn't finished hauling his stuff into his office even after a week. Jaemin can’t help but snort. Very typical.

“You weren't kidding when you said you were trying to spruce up the place,” Jaemin whistles. Even half finished, the office is already decked out with eccentric decor that is quintessential Kibum. Jaemin doesn’t remember the old office building being this vibrant the last time he visited Hell, that’s for sure.

“That better be a compliment.”

Jaemin smiles. “You know I can only say good things. For the most part.”

Their chatter is interrupted by the door swinging open, and Jaemin turns around to see Jeno for the first time. Jeno walks into Kibum’s office in an unassuming academy hoodie, hood up, long bangs peaking to cover his eyes, dark framed glasses perched on his straight nose.

“It's the last one from the truck,” Jeno grumbles, putting down the heavy box on Kibum’s desk.

“Thank you, Jeno,” Kibum stands, walking until he grabs Jeno’s shoulders with a terrible smirk that Jaemin knew all too well. “Before you leave, I want to introduce you to Na Jaemin. Don't worry, he’s nice. For the most part.”

“Hi.” Jaemin greets.

He catches a glimpse of Jeno’s yellow eyes for the first time when Jeno pushes his glasses back in place, away from the glare of the light. It’s quick, but Jaemin catches him staring him up and down. Jaemin’s lips quirk the moment Jeno flinches when he realizes he got caught.

“Lee Jeno,” Jeno nods his head, avoiding Jaemin’s eyes, his black wings tense up adorably behind him. He shrugs off Kibum’s hands gingerly to bow, before leaving the room as quickly as he entered.

“Is he part of your new staff?” Jaemin asks, watching the door swing shut in amusement.

“Fresh graduate who unfortunately still lives in his hoodies, but I’ll deal with staff uniforms later,” Kibum waves dismissively, opening up the box Jeno delivered. He grabs a bright looking ball and tossed it in Jaemin's direction. Jaemin catches it easily, giving it a squeeze, prompting Garçons to come out from behind Kibum’s desk and run to him, tail wagging behind him.

“So, are you interested? You said you’ve always wanted a lap dog.”

Jaemin didn't need to look up to know Kibum is giving him that dirty smirk again. He rolls his eyes. They both know he’s not pertaining at all to the poodle by his feet.

“Very funny. You should keep an eye on Garçons before I take him back home with me instead.”

“Go ahead,” Kibum snorts. “You know that your crimes are more than welcome here. I’ve lost count.”

He meets Jeno again later that weekend at Club 666.

Aptly named as it is, Jaemin gets lost in the sea of black bat wings in his face all night, but the drinks are great and knowing Kibum finally has its perks. Jaemin got to spend most of the night lounging comfortably behind red velvet ropes. They were having Kibum’s welcoming party at the club and the Demon King invited everyone he knew to get trashed for the weekend.

A trip to the washroom however has Jaemin in for a surprise.

He’s frozen by the door, eyes wide at the sight of Jeno perched on the sink, rutting against another demon who had his tongue down Jeno’s throat. Jaemin steps out, leaning against the wall beside the bathroom door, swallowing roughly. He stays there, immobile, the boom of the loud club music accompanying him, until he feels the door opening abruptly beside him.

Deeming it safe to enter, Jaemin slips back into the washroom, only to find Jeno on the counter, catching his breath. He looked different from this morning—having forgone his big hoodie for a more fitted long sleeved black top and jeans that leave nothing to the imagination. The glasses were gone and his hair was up and away to show striking yellow. Jaemin has to tear his gaze away to actually use the toilet like he wanted to. Jeno cleaned up well.

When he gets out of the cubicle to wash his hands, Jeno was still sitting there, head leaning against the wall.

“You didn't have to wait for him to leave to come in,” Jeno says suddenly. Jaemin pauses, letting Jeno’s scratched up voice wash over him instead.

Oh?

When Jaemin lifted his gaze up, Jeno’s staring at him as he brushed his unruly hair away from his face. He watches Jeno’s tongue swipe over his bruised lips, lingering at the canines peeking from his mouth, and then down to his jeans, to his zipper left open for Jaemin to see.

“But you looked like you were having fun, I didn’t want to intrude,” Jaemin turns the faucet off, wiping his hands with a towel, only realizing he’s smiling when he catches himself in the mirror. “Unless, you wanted me to see you like that?”

He heard Jeno click his tongue, scooting over the edge to jump down the counter. He stumbled to stand, and on instinct, Jaemin rushes over to steady him, wrapping an arm around Jeno’s waist. Jeno scoffs at the assistance but lets Jaemin hold him anyway, leaning his weight on him.

Up close like this, Jaemin can smell the alcohol in Jeno’s breath. He can feel the cool sweat on his forehead as he rests it against Jaemin’s neck. A hand rests at the back of Jaemin’s neck, claws scratched at his scalp, wanting yet oddly gentle. When Jeno noses at his nape, it’s accompanied with a snarl and the feel of fangs against his skin.

Jaemin raises an amused brow.

“Are you trying to mark me, demon? You still haven't sated yourself?”

“You smell really good.”

“I know,” Jaemin laughs despite himself, loosening his hold on Jeno to properly look at him. Jeno looked visibly annoyed at the sudden distance, and Jaemin stops him from coming closer with a hand on his cheek. Jeno looks utterly debauched—pupils still dilated, lips swollen and bruised, fresh bites lining the side of Jeno’s neck.

Jaemin couldn’t look away from the mess.

“Look at you. We should get you cleaned up, huh?” He wipes at the dried blood in the corner of Jeno’s mouth with a gentle thumb and the demon leaned against his touch, rubbing his cheek against his palm, unabashedly so. Jaemin’s jaw clenches.

With a salacious knowing wink from Kibum, Jaemin takes Jeno back to his inn without much protest. It isn’t too far from Club 666 and Jaemin didn’t know if it was a blessing or a curse. Jaemin does manage to get Jeno washed up and dressed into cleaner clothes for the night, covering the new bruises he’s mapped along Jeno’s skin.

For the rest of Jaemin’s stay in Hell, the other side of his bed is warm.

--

“Look who finally decided to show up after all these years,” Kibum drawls from his desk, petting a sleeping Garçons on his lap. “And to think I wrongfully assumed you’d visit me the minute you came back from Seoul.”

Jaemin laughs. “I missed you too. I know it's a moot excuse, but you know the paperwork is crazy after you travel from there.”

“Yeah, yeah, save your excuses for later. We have work to do,” Kibum rests his chin on his palm, amused. “I’ve heard that you were bored, so I made sure to make a curated list to keep you occupied for a while down here. With some help of course.”

As if on cue, the doors swing open as Jeno walks into the room, expression aloof, hands in his pants pockets. When it comes to clothing, Jeno isn't usually keen on much fanfare. Last week, Jeno wasn’t particularly wearing anything notable, granted, who would during a heist? But it has been a while since Jaemin’s been down here in hell and Kibum’s influence is evident. His hair is gelled, swept back neatly, showing off his strong facial features. The suit he’s wearing looks fitted, contoured at every nip and tuck of Jeno’s body like second skin, and yet he’s still showing some tasteful skin. Is this the staff uniform Kibum was talking about?

Jaemin has seen all of Jeno—countless times even, but his eyes still linger at the slits lining the side of his legs, the sliver of chest from his unbuttoned top, and his back—his strong shoulder blades carrying his menacing black wings proudly.

The air in Hell is hotter than Jaemin remembers.

“Well? You needed me for something?”

“Good morning to you too, Jeno,” Kibum shakes his head. “I know you know about the ongoing peace treaty. You’ll assist Jaemin’s missions here in Hell. Jaemin is more than capable of facilitating these on his own, but he’s still in our turf and unlike someone I know, people aren’t too fond of angels around here.”

“Is that so?” Jaemin taps his chin with a finger. “You’ll have to introduce me to them. I need some more friends around here.”

Jeno hasn’t acknowledged Jaemin in the room, body titled in Kibum’s direction, but the way his jaw is clenching right now has Jaemin smiling to himself.

“Whatever, just tell me when you're ready,” Jeno turns on his heel—platform—and exits the room as quickly as he came.

Kibum sighs, leaning back against his chair. “When did he become such a brat?”

Jaem hasn’t dropped his grin, chuckling. Jeno’s still as cute as ever.

“One more thing before you set off,” Kibum reaches into his desk drawer and places it in front of him. Jaemin walks towards the desk, gingerly picking up the item to get a closer look. It seems to be a leather band with a circular pendant in the middle.

“A collar?” Jaemin blinks.

“A taming collar. I know Jeno is cute to you, but in recent years he’s managed to tap into his inner demon and has to be subdued at times.”

Jaemin brows furrow in concern. “What?!”

“It’s a long story. Doesn’t happen often, but it’s something demons resort to when experiencing intense emotion and danger. This is just a precaution, in case you encounter something unsavory in your travels. Also,” Kibum winks that salacious wink of his, even after all the concerning things he just told Jaemin. ”You can use the collar if you want him to be pliant for other things.”

Jaemin laughs in disbelief. “You can’t say that after making me worry.”

He looks down at the collar, turning the pendant to the flame of Kibum’s desk lamp and sees the ancient inscriptions reflecting in the light. Pursing his lips, Jaemin’s fist closes around the pendant heavy with dark magic, pocketing the collar in his satchel.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.”

Jaemin bows. He starts walking out of the room, but stops himself by the door.

“By the way, did you dress him up for me today?”

Kibum scoffs. “No, he did that on his own. I'm not the only one glad to see you visiting around these parts again.”

Jaemin flashes him a grin, something warm setting in his chest. “I shouldn’t keep him waiting then.”

--

Contrary to what the demeaning higher ups of the Elder Angels Council may say, Hell isn't just some lava filled wasteland.

It has its own community just like Heaven does—its own towns, government, and landmarks. Hell just isn’t as populated as the bustling cities of Heaven, but the people are there, no matter how small in number, demons living and thriving in Hell just like the rest of the angels do in Heaven.

Jaemin’s tasks are fairly manageable, majority of them having to do with taking care of people’s unattended injuries. What’s difficult is the journey to get to them. Towns are scattered few and far in between, untapped land and forests separating most of them, hospitals even more so a rarity to find in these areas.

His journey is made easier with Jeno by his side, his presence assuring their clients of Jaemin’s good intentions, even partially. Although most of what Jaemin got in return for helping out were reluctant thank yous and the unsurprising scoff, Jaemin is still glad to be of service.

Outside of their mission at hand, Jeno is a pleasant companion to be around. He’s definitely more knowledgeable about the Hell terrains than Jaemin is, including how to get there and how to talk to the townsfolk. Although he knows Kibum set him up to work with Jeno on purpose, Jaemin is glad to have him by his side in the weeks ahead of them.

Amidst their usual bickering, Jaemin likes that they can talk about anything, even mundane, as they fly across the sky. Jeno tells him about his life in Hell—the good, the bad and the Kibum. Jaemin listens with a permanent smile on his face, blackmail for the Demon King filed away for later use. In turn, Jaemin tells him about Seoul and all the people he met during his stint as a Guardian Angel.

“Did you meet anyone up there?”

“Hm?”

Jeno abruptly stops his flight to land on a tree branch, kneeling to adjust the straps of his platforms restlessly. He refuses to meet Jaemin’s eye. “On Earth, did you meet someone?”

“Are you jealous?” Jaemin barely contains his laughter. Jeno is quite adorable when he’s sulking.

He’s rewarded with Jeno’s angry little scoff. “Fuck no.”

Jaemin keeps his itching mischievous hands contained in his pants pockets, shrugging. There’s a pleasant smile on his face. “I met a lot of people, but not in the way you’re thinking. We’re forbidden to engage with our human assignments in any way. Besides, they didn't have who I was looking for on Earth.”

He watches Jeno in the corner of his eye as he stands up straight with a clear of his throat, jumping gracefully off to the ground.

“It's getting late,” Jeno mumbles, brows less furrowed than before, tips of his ears pink—from the cold or from embarrassment, Jaemin isn’t sure. “We should look for a place to stay.”

As they cross towns often, the inns have become their second home. They would usually get a room with two separate beds to rest their wings for the night, but only one of which would get any actual use.

That night, Jeno made sure to keep the bed warm like they used to.

--

One night on their journey has them staying at a client’s house for once.

They meet Lee Mark, an angel who resides in Lethe—a sleepy little town in the North, someone Jaemin is surprised to encounter in the rural parts of Hell of all places. He lives with his demon partner Nakamoto Yuta, and they host a small bed and breakfast right on their upper floor.

Their daughter, Yena, has been severely bedridden for a week, and with the nearest hospital being two towns over, they weren’t sure what to do. A quick inspection has Jaemin determining the immediate cause of her pain: her wings are about to come out. Jaemin and Jeno ended up staying a week, wanting to monitor Yena’s condition closely.

Although Mark and Yuta were fine with the arrangement, Jaemin still feels bad about their extended stay, so he helps out as much as he can, lending his cooking skills in the kitchen. Jeno too would then befriend Yena, letting her play with his horns and color his cheeks as she pleased.

At night, they do their daily checkout before bed. Jaemin would place his glowing palm between her shoulder blades, smiling at Yena’s adorable laughter, laughing at whatever bedtime story Jeno was telling her.

Gaining one’s wings is an important part of their coming of age, but it isn’t without its difficulties. The process is extremely painful and it’s Friday when it happens for Yena. All the adults can do nothing but kneel around Yena with aching hearts as she screams, holding onto Jaemin’s hand as he tries to transfer as much of his healing powers onto her.

It took hours—hours of watching Yena crumble from the pain, but eventually, right as the sun was beginning to set, the young demon finally fainted in Jaemin’s arms, her new black wings cocooning around her like a shield. It’s a rarity that a demon’s black wings are made of feathers, and they all marvel at how beautiful they truly shone up close.

After cleaning up, they tuck Yena into bed, careful to lay her on her side.

The next day, Yena is already back in top condition, hyper as ever as she attempts to fly in the gardens with Jeno and Mark there to catch her when she falls.

Dinner that day is special. Jaemin wanted to bake something sweet to celebrate Yena’s coming of age, and with Yuta’s help, they prepare a feast. As they wait for their treats to bake, they watch the boys and Yena from the kitchen window fondly.

“Thank you for all that you’ve done,” Yuta tells him. “I don’t think we could’ve handled all of this without your help.”

Jaemin shakes his head. “It’s nothing. All in a day’s work.”

“Yena is gonna be sad when you guys leave tomorrow.”

“I will be too,” Jaemin smiles sadly, watching Jeno carry Yena on his shoulders. “We both will.”

“I know it’s none of my business but… Are you and Jeno…?”

Jaemin’s eyes widen. “No, no! We’re just partners—work partners!”

He resists the urge to cringe. Work partners? Really? It’s not technically wrong but it’s not right either. He could've just said friends, but are they really friends? Jaemin isn't sure himself. What really are they? They’re not acquaintances, but they’re not quite friends either. Friends don't really do what they do when they're alone—they don’t kiss, let alone sleep together.

“Shit, sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed anything,” Yuta grimaces. “I was kind of excited to meet another angel and demon couple, but I was probably just projecting. My bad.”

“No, it’s okay,” Jaemin assures with a small smile. “We’re not together, but… It’s complicated.”

“Oh?”

Jaemin raises his arms in a big stretch, laughing to mask his sudden anxiousness. “How long is this pie going to bake, huh?”

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Yuta snorts, grabbing a pair of oven mitts from a drawer and hands it over to Jaemin. He startles the angel with a clap on his shoulder that he swears is reassuring.

“All I know is that in my eyes, you two work well together, in every sense of the word. Maybe it won’t happen now, but maybe in the future it’ll be more clear what you want to do with him. Just something to think about.”

Jaemin frowns in thought. “If you don’t mind me asking, when did it become clear for you?”

In their week stay at the Lee-Nakamoto residence, both him and Jeno have been privy to their relationship. Most often than not, Jaemin feels like he’s intruding, even in their little mundane moments in the living room, just sitting close to each other and talking. Still, he can’t help but also marvel at their love, can't help but watch fondly everytime they tease each other, Mark’s laughter echoing in the hall as they talk about their daughter fondly.

Jaemin catches Jeno watching them too, quietly sitting at the dining table every morning, brows furrowed seriously, hair tousled from sleep as he nurses his morning coffee. The irony of it all isn't lost to Jaemin everytime he joins Jeno for breakfast, and he wonders if Jeno watches Mark and Yuta with as much yearning as he does.

The oven dings, pulling Jaemin out of his thoughts. His cheeks warm as Yuta laughs knowingly at him, flashing him a devilish smile as takes the pie out.

“You’ll know when, Jaemin. Trust me.”

The blueberry pie they made is Yena’s favorite and they spoil her with two slices too many for her to finish. Dinner is pleasant with Yena’s cheerful chatter, music to everyone's ears after yesterday’s ordeal.

When the food and table’s all cleared, Jaemin helps her clean up. He brushes her teeth and gets her in her favorite pajamas. Jeno tucks her into bed and tells her one last bedtime story that night.

“You're really good with kids,” Jaemin says, drying his hair with a towel. They’re back in his shared room with Jeno, getting ready to retire for the night. “I can tell you have a soft spot for them. It’s cute.”

He watches Jeno look up from the report he’s been writing in bed with a serious frown on his face.

“Someone has to protect them. It's a dangerous world out there.”

“You’re right,” Jaemin hums, eyes softening. He climbs onto his side of the bed, lying his head against the pillows with a content sigh. Jaemin reaches over to fix the daisy tucked behind Jeno’s ear, one of many that Yena put in his hair earlier.

“You're doing good at protecting me from all the big bad evil too, my big strong alpha.”

Jeno pushes him away, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “Never call me that again.”

Jaemin laughs, squeezing Jeno’s bicep playfully. He leans in to smooth the irritation away from between Jeno’s brows with a finger. “Then what should I call you, hm, demon?”

“It would do us both good if you just don't refer to me at all,” Jeno grumbles, but the bite is lost when he looks like he’s about to fall asleep at any minute. Jaemin laughs against Jeno’s shoulder. It’s been a long day of chasing Yena around the garden for him.

Jeno finally puts his notebook down and joins Jaemin in the bed, turning on his side to face him.

“They have such a lovely little family out here, huh?” Jaemin marvels quietly. “Our stay was short, but I’m going to miss them a lot. Especially Yena.”

“I’m going to miss that little squirt too,” Jeno closes his eyes, resting his cheek against his pillow.

At night, Jeno loses all of his sharp edges. He looks softer after a warm shower, hair down and snug in his loser sleep clothes, and Jaemin wonders just how many people have seen this side of him. A part of Jaemin hopes it’s just him, but he’s been gone for a long time and has no idea who's been in and out of Jeno’s life in those years they were apart.

Jaemin loops an arm around Jeno’s waist like he always does every night. Jeno lets him every time, always pliant when Jaemin kisses him suddenly, pressing his good nights against his soft lips.

In the weeks since they started traveling together, Jaemin has slept beside Jeno every night. He’s seen all his softer angles, as well as his grumpy retorts first thing in the morning. Jaemin doesn't think he’ll get tired of falling asleep and wake up to that beautiful face and he dreads the day they’ll have to part when their missions are complete.

It’s happening soon with their client list down to the last stretch, but Jaemin doesn’t want to think about it right now. Right now, he’ll keep pulling Jeno closer until their chests touch, legs and arms tangled with each other, as much as he still can.

--

They were about to start the long journey back to the city proper when Jaemin gets the call.

Jaemin’s packing up as Jeno bathes when a bright light engulfs the room in white, making Jaemin drop his things at the sudden glare. When he opens his eyes, Donghyuck materializes in front of him like a ghost and he doesn't look too happy to be seeing him.

It’s been a while since Jaemin’s been contacted through an Angel Soul Link and they’ve vowed to only use it during dire emergencies. Before him, Donghyuck looks frantic and an unease quickly settles in the pit of Jaemin’s stomach.

This can’t be good.

“How close are you to Acheron lake?” Donghyuck asks in lieu of a greeting.

“What? What's going on, Donghyuck?”

“Jisung’s missing.”

“What?!”

“He was supposed to return back yesterday from his mission in the Acheron area but we never heard back from him, nothing from the demon that was with him either. Looks like Chenle is in trouble too. I need you and Jeno to look into it right now.”

Jaemin didn’t need to be told twice. As soon as Jeno is dressed, they leave their bill on the reception counter and set off into the skies. Jeno leads the way, telling Jaemin they’re fortunate enough to just be a town over, but he didn’t look too ecstatic to be heading to Acheron at all.

“It’s an inhabited lake in Hell that even demons in the area fear, so I don’t know why anyone in their right mind would even attempt to send people over to Acheron in the first place,” Jeno gripes, jaw clenched. “I need you to be on high alert when we get there, Jaemin. We don’t know what we’re up against.”

“It’s that bad?”

Right when Donghyuck dropped the call he tried to link with Jisung to no avail. It could only mean one of two things: it was either he was unconscious or he was dead. Just a few weeks ago, Jaemin vividly recalls Jisung’s excitement the moment Donghyuck handed them their first mission details, and to suddenly hear of this tragedy is nauseating to say the least.

Jaemin swallows, feeling a bit sick to his stomach.

This never should’ve happened and Jaemin feels responsible for it. He knew Jisung was young, impressionable and inexperienced, and he shouldn’t have let him take the missions until he was ready.

Just then, a sharp tug pulls him out of his reverie and Jaemin looks up only to see a flock of crows they've just narrowly avoided.

“What did I just say?” Jeno sighs.

“Sorry,” Jaemin closes his eyes, shaking his head. He needs to really focus on the task at hand, sulking around is not going to save Jisung.

He feels the hand gripping his arm slip into his palm, fingers intertwining with his.

Jaemin turns to Jeno, watching him face straight ahead, a determined expression on his face.

“We’ll find him. I promise.” The demon gives his hand a firm squeeze, and Jaemin’s eyes soften, smiling for the first time that day. He squeezes his hand back.

Jeno’s right, they’ll find Jisung, and they won’t stop until they do.

As they fly further ahead, it’s harder to gauge their surroundings. The density of trees below them thicken to a degree that Jaemin has never quite seen before. To make matters worse, the sky is noticeably getting darker the more they near Acheron, the rumbling of thunderstorms getting louder and louder too. With the worrying weather ahead, they decide to just continue their journey into the forest by foot.

The soil beneath their feet is muddy and deep, making the walk difficult. The tall ominous trees around them feel claustrophobic, and the fog simmering between them makes Jaemin sick. The path seemed aimless the further they trek, and to Jaemin it feels like they're merely walking an endless circle of nothingness. He’s fortunate to have Jeno, who is a solid pillar beside him, assuring him that this is the correct way to the swamp lake.

“Stay close,” Jeno says, bumping shoulders with him. He expands his wings hovering over both of them, protecting Jaemin from the cold.

Jaemin holds open his palm in front of him and produces a small ball of light to guide the rest of their walk into darkness. Eventually, they reach a clearing, a chill running through Jaemin’s spine as they finally come across Acheron lake, in all its frightening glory.

He can see why the area is inhabited, even just the air around them is different—it’s indescribably heavy, uneasy and disorienting that Jaemin has to steady his ground, gripping Jeno’s hand.

It's hard to see anything—the water pitch black and ripples calm—a little too unsettlingly calm.

Although reluctant to let go, Jaemin separates from Jeno to inspect the lake, hovering over the water to scan the surface. But it didn’t even take five minutes for Jaemin to feel a sudden sharp pain ringing in his ears and nostrils.

“JAEMIN!!”

Jaemin whirls around at the sound of Jeno’s frantic voice, only to be forced to hold his breath at the water suddenly rushing into his mouth and nose. He opens his eyes to a blur of pitch black and it’s only then did Jaemin realize he’s been pulled into the cold lake.

Heart threatening to leap out of his throat, Jaemin expands his wings, aiding him to stay afloat. He directs a current of light over his entire body, completely illuminating his soundings. It’s then and there when he finally sees the skeletal hand wrapped around his ankle. His eyes widen.

A water ghoul.

To the untrained eye, you wouldn’t even notice their presence right there in front of you. They have a translucent form that makes it easy for them to hide away in the water, and the Acheron lake and its blackness makes for a perfect nesting ground for water ghouls. But with Jaemin’s light, he sees himself reflected in their beady little eyes, and there’s not just one of them. No, they’re absolutely everywhere, surrounding Jaemin, completely outnumbering him. They have their bodies linked together into a long chain, and Jaemin wishes that was the most terrifying thing he discovers in that lake, but no.

Right in the heart of it all he spots Jisung and Chenle’s unmoving bodies tangled into the mess, made into chain links like the rest of the water ghouls.

Jaemin wastes no time. With adrenaline pumping in his veins, he surges forward, fending off as much of the water ghouls in his way despite the water slowing down his movements. Once he’s reaching them, he grabs his whip and winds it around both Jisung and Chenle, knotting it securely at a point. Jaemin holds onto the loop and pulls with all his might. His wings flap harshly behind him, making a huge wave in the water as the chain of water ghouls sway with his force.

Jaemin pulls until his fingers cut against the rope, until his wings tire, feeling lightheaded yet heavy from the icy water. He doesn’t think he can hold his breath any longer than five minutes and the chain is barely budging.

Just as he feels his hands slip from his whip, he hears a loud splash and the force propels him backward harshly, but it also breaks the chain formation, releasing Jisung and Chenle from the water ghouls. The force drags him out into the surface and Jaemin gasps out for air, finally able to breathe. It’s only when he finally gathers his bearing did he notice the movement of black wings behind him, claws wrapped around his waist tightly.

“Jeno?”

Jaemin turns around to thank him, only for his smile to fall instantly.

Speechless, he watches Jeno carry them over to the shore, Jeno who has suddenly transformed twice his size, now an entirely black entity, from his feet, to his torso to his face, his once human-like skin now blending in with the darkness of his bat wings. Nothing but his reptile-like yellow eyes look recognizable about him, but even then, they look more sinister than Jaemin is used to. If it weren't for Jeno leading them to safety, Jaemin wouldn't have fallen back into the water from shock.

This must be what Kibum was warning him about—Jeno’s inner demon. He never really expected Jeno to transform what with their fairly manageable missions, but Jaemin can’t really fault him with what they’ve gotten themselves here in Acheron. Still, even in his creature form, Jeno is gentle with him, putting him down carefully on the ground, even when he slashes the ropes around Jisung and Chenle. Or at least, for now he is.

Jaemin wastes no time to check the kids’ conditions, immediately doing quick compressions, hands moving quickly over Jisung’s chest. It takes a while for a response from the boy, but when he finally comes to—Jisung jerking upright and coughing out the black water he’d swallowed, relief floods through Jaemin in waves. Jaemin does the same for Chenle, glad to get the same response from the young demon.

“Thank god,” Jaemin lets out the breath he was holding, shaking hands pulling the two disoriented boys in for a tight hug.

“Jaemin?” Jisung croaks out weakly, eyes barely open. “W-what’s going on?”

A loud growl interrupts Jaemin before he could reply, and he whirls around to see Jeno hovering over the lake, swiping his claws at the water ghouls that come his way.

There are a lot of them, easily outnumbering the demon, but this version of Jeno is bigger, faster and evidently more powerful as he releases some sort of dark magic from his palms, evaporating every last ghoul that he comes across into nothingness.

Chenle wobbles to a stand beside Jaemin, cheering Jeno on despite his hoarse voice. He wishes he shared Chenle’s enthusiasm, but fuck, he doesn’t like what he’s seeing.

This isn’t Jeno.

“Jeno, that’s enough!” Jaemin shouts.

In the midst of his rampage, Jeno pauses at the sound of his voice, turning to glance at him and Jaemin catches the gaze of his yellow eyes.

A shiver runs down his spine.

Jeno’s eyes have always been striking to Jaemin. He loves how expressive they are, even when they’re glaring at Jaemin from all of his teasing. He wishes he could say the same right now. Right now, Jeno’s eyes are different—they’re almost matte, stripped off of their personality and humanity, and it’s almost as if Jaemin is looking into a hollow tunnel, as if he’s not looking at anything at all.

And Jaemin knows for a fact that this monster isn’t the Jeno he knows.

“Jeno, stop it! We have to go!” Jaemin flies up to him, grabbing Jeno’s arm, only for the demon to react violently at the sudden touch, striking Jaemin’s arm with his sharp claws.

“Jaemin!!!” Jisung cries out.

“I’m fine!” Jaemin tries to assure, but he couldn’t help but wince at the deep cut in his arm, almost falling into the lake in pain. He knew that this Jeno was strong, even just from the looks of him, but now he’s gotten a taste of just the damage he can do—just a mere scratch from Jeno’s claw has Jaemin close to fainting, the pain slowly taking over all of his senses.

He rummages through his satchel hurriedly, pulling out the taming collar with shaking hands. Jaemin never thought he’d ever be using this thing at all, but he has no choice but to subdue Jeno. Jaemin approaches Jeno again, more cautiously this time, waiting for a moment where he isn’t actively attacking the water ghouls. When he finds an opening, he strikes fast, circling an arm around his waist from the back. He grinds his teeth from the pain as he swings his injured arm to secure the collar haphazardly around Jeno’s neck.

The result is instantaneous—Jeno loses flight, screams deafening to anyone who dares come close. Jaemin merely tightens his hold on him to keep them afloat as Jeno thrashes in his arms, scratching at the device around his neck. With as much strength he could still muster, Jaemin carries Jeno to where Jisung and Chenle are. Although the water ghouls are relentlessly persistent, they can only thrive in the water, so Jaemin is secure in knowing they won’t bother them past the lakefront.

Finally, they collapse to the ground.

As Jaemin catches his breath, he watches Jeno slowly transform back to normal in front of his eyes. The darkness slowly fades from his features, limbs shrinking, claws retracting. Jeno faints in the middle of it all, and Jaemin hates that after everything that’s happened today, this is the only time Jeno has ever looked so serene in front of him.

Jaemin kneels beside him, brows furrowed as he cups Jeno’s cold face. His eyes linger at the collar around his neck, frowning.

Jaemin closes his tired eyes, breathing in a shaky breath.

It’s been a long day.

Their journey back into town is torturous but Jaemin manages to transport them all to safety, booking a big room at the town inn to rest for the night.

“I'm really sorry for worrying you,” Jisung mutters.

They’re sitting at Jisung’s cot, working on Jaemin’s arm. Chenle is already asleep on the bed beside them, knocked out for the day. Jaemin was going to do the healing by himself, but Jisung insisted on helping. His powers aren’t as strong after the incident, still, trying to recover himself, but Jaemin is thankful for the aided relief, quickening up his healing process.

“Hey, I already told you it's not your fault,” Jaemin clicks his tongue. “I should've been there with you from the beginning. You weren’t supposed to be getting impossible missions like this from the get go. it's our responsibility to keep you safe.”

“But still—”

Jaemin grabs Jisung’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “Right now all you need to worry about is getting proper rest. When we get home, we’ll talk to Donghyuck about this.”

When they’re finished healing Jaemin’s arm, Jaemin urges Jisung to the bed despite the boy’s adorable protests. The moment Jisung’s head hit his pillow, it didn’t take long for him to knock out. Jaemin pulls the covers over him, smiling at his peaceful face painted orange by the candle perch on his bedside table.

Jaemin changes into more comfortable clothes for the night but doesn’t head to bed. Instead, he walks towards the window and opens it as quietly as possible. He jumps out onto the roof where a pair of bowed bat wings greet him. Jaemin settles beside Jeno, quietly staring up at the moon.

“You should get some rest, Jeno.”

Jaemin drapes his blanket over both of them, scooting closer only to watch Jeno stiffen and lean away from him instinctively. Jaemin frowns, but his eyes easily soften at the sight of the collar still around Jeno’s neck. He hasn't taken it off since he regained consciousness, having retreated to the roof the moment they got to the inn, pointedly escaping Jaemin and his concerned eyes.

Jaemin understands, but it didn’t mean he liked the fact that he’s actively avoiding him.

“I hurt you,” Jeno mutters quietly beside him, and Jaemin didn’t have to look to hear the anguish in his voice.

“It’s fine. It’s nothing I can’t fix,” Jaemin assures with a light laugh. He lifts up his arm for Jeno to see. “It’s going to leave a scar but it doesn’t hurt anymore. You don’t have to worry about it. It’s not like I haven't attacked you before either.”

Jeno shakes his head, finally turning to face him. He looks a bit frustrated, jaw clenched and brows furrowed. Jaemin wants to reach out and smooth the worry away from his forehead.

“But this time’s different. You got hurt because of something I couldn’t control… I’m sorry.”

Jaemin swallows. “Jeno, may I touch you?”

The hesitance is clear in Jeno’s face, hands balled in shaking firsts, worry evident in the expressive eyes Jaemin have missed. Jaemin meets him with a determined gaze.

“You’re not going to hurt me again. I know you won’t. Besides, I won’t let you.”

With pursed lips, Jeno eventually nods slowly, and Jaemin carefully takes one of Jeno’s hands, caressing his thumb against his white knuckles.

“Relax, baby,” Jaemin reaches out to brush Jeno’s hair away from his face, tucking it behind his ear, his touches gentle. He smiles as Jeno’s tense shoulder gradually sag with his soft little ministrations, cheek rubbing against Jaemin’s big palm like he always does. Jaemin leans in to place a soft kiss on Jeno’s temple, lips lingering for a second too long.

“I’m sorry,” Jeno whispers as Jaemin pulls away. “I’m really sorry, Jaemin.”

“Ya, I told you, I’m fine. Stop apologizing,” Jaemin assures with a playful click of his tongue.

His eyes catch the collar around Jeno’s neck again, watching the moon reflect against the ominous pendant in the middle.

“Kibum has mentioned this would happen before we left, even having the foresight to give me the taming collar. Does this happen often?” Jaemin asks.

Jeno shakes his head.

“It’s only happened one time before. We have something called an inner demon—a monster that lives inside us, but it’s a power that has been sealed away in the recent century.” Jeno holds up his arm, pulling up his sleeve to his elbow. He presses two fingers across the length of his forearm and Jaemin watches as an inscription suddenly appears against his skin.

“An incident happened a year ago where the elders tampered with everyone’s seals, displeased with the way Kibum has been running things in Hell. Long story short, it’s a disaster we’re still trying to recover from until this day.”

“Looks like Heaven isn’t the only one with a council with sticks up their asses, huh,” Jaemin smiles bitterly.

“Kibum is too soft to actually hurt them,” Jeno scoffs. “We’ve been itching to give them a taste of their own medicine.”

“Is there a way to control it besides the taming collar?”

“Right now, they’re developing a stronger seal to lock them down, but until then, it’s a matter of forming a good relationship with your inner demon,” Jeno closes his fist, the seal on his forearm fading out into smoke as his eyes shine in frustration. “It’s tricky because when I transform, sometimes I’m aware of my surroundings, sometimes I’m on autopilot. I’m lucky to have some sort of hold on it, but I can never gauge just how strong my attacks are in that form. You we’re in the crossfires of it today and I feel so fucking guilty—”

“Shh,” Jaemin interrupts Jeno with a finger against his lips. “If you’re gonna apologize again, save it.”

Jeno opens his mouth to retort, only for him to close it with an adorable frown. Jaemin bites back a laugh, but ultimately can’t help himself and leans in to kiss him, sighing as Jeno flutters his eyes shut, gradually relaxing against him. Jaemin wraps more of the blanket around them, snaking an arm around Jeno’s waist as they kiss languidly under the light of the moon.

When they finally pull away, Jaemin squeezes Jeno’s hands reassuringly, lifting one of their linked hands to place a chaste kiss against Jeno’s knuckles. He meets Jeno’s smudged eyes with a determined gaze.

“If this ever happens again, I’ll be the one to ground you, I’ll make sure of it. I’m not going anywhere.”

Jeno’s lips lift into a soft grin for the first time that day. “Thank you, Jaemin.”

--

Jaemin doesn’t hear from Jeno in the weeks to come.

Since he brought Jisung back home to Heaven, they’ve imposed a break from sending any more angels out to missions. It turns out that what happened to Jisung and Chenle was not an isolated case and the board is now discussing how to improve the mission rollouts.

Right now, they’re advised to rest up, but Jaemin is conflicted about the matter.

On one hand, he’s glad to be able to recover after weeks of non-stop traveling, but on the other hand, he’s worried about Jeno. Ever since he’s witnessed Jeno’s transformation, he can’t help do nothing but worry. He wants to check up on him, if only he weren’t so far away right now. Instead, he only has the taming collar burning a hole in his satchel. Jeno told him to hold on to the device just in case the occasion arises for it—both a comforting and worrying thought.

The next following days pass by rather slowly, a little too slowly for Jaemin’s liking. With Jisung under his care until he fully recovers, Jaemin’s been stuck at home watching over him, nothing but his antsy thoughts accompanying his sleepless nights. He’s been having this odd feeling of dread ever since they got back and he hasn’t been able to shake it.

Somehow, Jaemin knew it would only be a matter of time before the peace was disrupted.

It didn’t take long for him to find this out, awoken one night by a frantic Jisung.

Jaemin opens his eyes, only to close them shut at the bright light flashing inside the room.

“Jisung? What’s—”

“I-It’s the collar!”

Jaemin sits up abruptly, the uneasy feeling in his stomach growing tenfold as he scrambles to reach under his bed to grab his satchel. When he pulls out the taming collar, the pendant is blinking in alarm, coating the four walls of his room a sinister blood red. Jaemin didn’t know exactly how this sort of magic worked, but this didn’t seem right at all.

Before he could even collect his bearings, the ground shakes beneath them, Jaemin’s eyes widening as he watches the floor crack in the center of the room. Suddenly, an ominous red ring circles around them and Jaemin hastily grabs Jisung close, shielding him with his wings. He couldn’t see anything outside of the cocoon he’s made around them, but he could feel the strong whirl of wind engulfing them whole. Jisung clings to him tightly as Jaemin tries to stand his ground as much as he can against the wind.

He didn’t know how long they stayed like that, but Jaemin didn’t dare yield until he knew it was safe.

It wasn’t until a sudden familiar voice called out to him did Jaemin break his cocoon.

“Thank fucking god you made it!”

Jaemin shoots his head up, adjusts his wings out of his way and is surprised to be greeted by the eccentric office that could only belong to one Demon King. It’s then did Jaemin realize that the magic circle cast on them was a summoning spell, and the apologetic look on Kibum’s face as he walks up to them says it all.

“Sorry for the short notice, this is an emergency,” Kibum sighs, helping them up. Jaemin would’ve sighed in relief if it weren’t for Kibum’s visible distress.

“What’s going on, Kibum?”

“It’s this,” Kibum grabs his hand, prying open the fist Jaemin didn’t realize he was making. In his palm is Jeno’s collar, still glowing an angry red.

“Jeno’s gone.”

Jaemin’s heart almost shoots out of his chest.

“What?!”

“I went to check up on him, but his apartment was empty,” With a free hand, Kibum hastily pulls down his own shirt collar, shocking Jaemin at the sight of the Demon King donning his own taming pendant around his neck. This is the first time Jaemin has seen Kibum’s collar, let alone know that he even had one, and it’s glaringly different from Jeno’s—its jade center is a visibly calm green.

“Our own blood is mixed into the gemstone used in these kinds of collars, making it double as a tracker in the event that something nuclear happens to us. I didn’t want to believe it at first when Jeno’s collar was leading us to Acheron, but it’s never been wrong before.”

No…

No, Jeno couldn’t have gone back, could he? Jaemin knows Jeno can be a bit reckless at times, stubborn in his ways, but he can’t be stupid enough to go back to the lake after what happened, right?

Fuck.

“Jaemin!!! Where do you think you're going?!”

Jaemin’s feet take him halfway out of the office before Jaemin could properly gather his thoughts, but before he could grasp the knob, the double doors suddenly slam shut in front of his face. He turns back to glare at Kibum’s face of steel.

“Open the door, Kibum! I have to go find him!!!”

“I’m not letting you go on your own!”

“Then why did you call me here in the first place?!” Jaemin flares his wings up angrily, running up to the doors and kicking them open by force. They fling open, but that isn’t the thing that takes Jaemin by surprise. Chenle is on the other side of the door, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Chenle scrambles into the room, hands curled into shaking fists as he reaches Kibum’s desk.

”Please let us go with him!” Chenle pleads.

“Y-Yeah!” Jisung supplies behind him.

“And what makes you think I’ll let you do that?” Kibum narrows his eyes at Jisung, gritting his teeth. “Especially you.”

“I know we weren’t so helpful last time, but that’s because we didn’t know what we were up against,” Jisung scratches at his cheek nervously, but his eyes are determined. “We’ve been wanting to make up for it. This time, we’ll be prepared for the worst. S please.”

He bows lowly in front of Kibum, bringing Chenle down with him with a hand at the back of his head.

“I’ll keep an eye on them,” Jaemin adds. “I’m not going to let them get hurt under my watch.”

He watches a million emotions course through Kibum’s face—frustration, hesitance, guilt, worry, until he eventually sighs and gives them the go signal.

“Just come back in one fucking piece, please.”

Kibum personally sends them off the way he brought him to his office—via a summoning circle. He hands Jaemin one more summoning spell card just in case they catch themselves in a tight pinch at Acheron lake.

When they reach their destination, somehow the Acheron forest is even colder and dimmer than Jaemin remembers. The air around them is covered in a thick chilling fog, the tall trees bare and frozen solid, and the ground beneath them is covered with a sheet of ice. All of it has Jaemin dreading what kind of state the Acheron lake is going to be in.

With careful yet hurried steps, they come across the corpses of frozen water ghouls—some torn in half, some torn to shreds. Jaemin thinks he knows the culprit of this path of destruction and he holds onto the taming collar in his hand tighter.

They stop in their tracks by the lakefront, jaw dropping at the sight before them. Jaemin doesn’t think he’s seen such a huge monster as the water ghoul that has Jeno’s Inner Demon form in a headlock. It’s triple Jeno’s size—the size of hundreds of ghoul’s fused together and it’s evident in the way the lake below them has depleted three-fourths of its water supply.

“Jeno!!!” Chenle shouts. He shoots up into the sky and grabs his bow strapped to his back, shooting his bows at the ghoul’s face.

Jaemin takes a deep breath. He knows he can’t get through Jeno when he’s at this state, at least not yet, but he can aid him in fighting off that beast of a water ghoul. He turns to Jisung then and they both nod in understanding, joining Chenle in the air in one quick swoop.

With Jisung’s shielding ability, he equips Jaemin and Chenle with their respective small forcefields, and Jaemin takes the opportunity to strike closer, charging his lightning whip and aims it at the water ghoul’s arm. The ghoul wails loudly in pain, and with its arm weakened, Jeno flies free from his hold, letting out his own growl.

Jaemin lengthens his whip, tossing the end of it to Chenle.

“Now, Chenle!!” Jaemin exclaims.

Chenle equips his bow with an arrow wrapped in Jaemin’s electric rope and aims for the water ghoul’s eye. The creature screams, staggering at the attack. Jaemin grips the end of his whip tightly around his first before shooting forward at an increased speed, circling his whip around the water ghoul’s torso a couple times over. Jisung and Chenle fly to where Jaemin’s rope ends, wrapping their arms around Jaemin’s waist. They begin pulling hard, making the rope tighten around the monster securely. It’s then did Jaemin flick his wrist, letting electricity course the entire length of the rope.

The water ghoul lets out another wail of anguish, the lake beneath them not helping its case. The water whirls in the weight of the creature’s heavy thrashing at the attack. With the giant immobile against Jaemin’s whip trap, Jeno charges forwards, claws enlarged as he aims for its chest, piercing through its slimy epidermis to get ahold of its core. Without one’s core, the creature is as good as dead, and Jeno makes sure of it, smashing the golden orb in his fist.

Just like that, the water ghoul evaporates into nothing right in front of their eyes.

Jisung and Chenle loosen their hold on Jaemin’s waist with twin sighs of relief. Jaemin would share their sentiment if he wasn’t so worried about Jeno. He zooms to where the demon is, just in time for Jeno’s form to collapse in his arms from his exertion.

When it comes to Jeno, Jaemin can’t help but be gentle, even when the demon is in a form that could easily hurt him. He lands by the lakefront, carefully sitting Jeno against the soil.

“How are you feeling?” Jaemin reaches out a hand, only for Jeno to flinch on instinct, pushing him away again with a swipe of his claws. This time, Jaemin manages to dodge the attack, having been anticipating it, but the commotion still alerts both Chenle and Jisung to run to his aid. Jaemin waves them off.

“Jeno, please. I know you’re in there… I know you can hear me,” Jaemin tries again, raising his hand and letting his golden light glow from his palm.

One thing about his healing power is that it isn’t only to aid in physical injuries, it has a calming effect to anyone that’s near to the source. Jaemin has made use of this many times with Jeno in his regular form, and Jeno always reacts to it like a moth to a flame. Even now, Jaemin catches the conflict riddled in Jeno’s eyes, watching it switch back and forth to consciousness in response to Jaemin’s power. Jeno’s fighting back against his inner demon, making Jaemin more determined to reach out to him. Jeno ultimately turns his head away from Jaemin, but his chest has stopped heaving, shoulders slumping, not immune to the calming effect of Jaemin’s healing glow.

Gingerly, he manages to place his hand against Jeno’s cheek, against the cold darkness enveloping Jeno’s form, touch gentle as he’s always been. Jaemin’s palm continues to glow gold, healing all the small scratches in his wake.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Jeno,” Jaemin whispers, thumb catching a snowflake caught in Jeno’s lashes. “And I know you’re not going to hurt me.”

It takes a while of coaxing, of Jisung and Chenle standing behind him in batted breath in case something happens, of Jeno fighting with himself to accept Jaemin’s help. Jaemin carefully observes him all the while, noting all of the little changes—skin clearing in some parts of his body and face, claws retracting, eyes slowly regaining back their usual shine.

It’s then that Jaemin secures the taming collar around Jeno’s neck and this time, it’s met with minimal struggle. Instead, Jeno sags against Jaemin as he loses all his strength to the pendant, A careful claw wraps itself around Jaemin’s waist, surprisingly careful, making Jaemin’s eyes soften. He takes the opportunity to pull Jeno closer, whispering it’s okay’s against the shell of his ear. He leaves a lingering kiss against Jeno’s temple, rubbing at the base of his horns the way he knows calms Jeno down.

When Jeno finally turns back to his original form, Jaemin sighs in relief for the first time that night.

He turns to Jisung and Chenle with a tired smile. “Let’s get out of here, yeah?”

They stay at an inn in the nearby town, Jisung and Chenle checking up on Jeno one last time before they retire for the night in the next room.

In their own suite, Jaemin runs a bath for him and Jeno. He steps into the wooden tub first, letting out a pleased groan as the hot water greets his tense muscles. He needed this.

Jeno quietly joins him, sitting in front of him but has his back turned. Jaemin watches the way his wings twitch weakly at the temperature, eyeing the length of the collar around his neck from behind. He hasn’t taken it off since they left Acheron lake, and even if Jaemin can’t see the pendant from his angle, he knows it’s glowing a calming jade this time.

“Come here, let me wash your hair,” Jaemin hums.

He pours some shampoo in his hands and lathers it thoroughly through Jeno’s hair. He massages his scalp, his horns, gentle yet with deliberate pressure, until Jeno’s entire body eventually sags and lends back against Jaemin’s chest.

“You got me worried sick, you know?” Jaemin clicks his tongue. He takes a small bath brush and runs it along Jeno’s wingspan, lathering them generously. “You shouldn’t be running off like that without telling anyone.”

“I’m sorry,” Jeno sighs. “It was reckless of me but I knew I had unfinished business to take care of. The clearing out of Acheron Lake has been long overdue.”

“You know that you didn’t have to do it alone, right?”

“I know, but I didn't want you to see me like that again.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jaemin rolls his eyes, scrubbing particularly hard at the skin Jeno’s wings meet in retaliation. Jeno straightens in attention, making Jaemin bite off his smile. “I know you did that to prove yourself and all, but that stench from the lake is gonna take days to get out of your skin!”

Jeno finally turns to him then, yellow eyes narrowing in his famous glare. Jaemin grins, always delighted to bring that out of him that it’s almost pavlovian, grin only skewing devilish territory whenever Jeno’s frown further deepens as a result of his reaction.

“I’m trying to be sincere here, Na Jaemin.”

“Yeah, but now I can’t kiss you until you’re smelling good again,” Jaemin tilts Jeno’s chin up with two fingers, running his thumb against Jeno’s chapped lips. He leans close, but not enough for their lips to brush. Jaemin smirks, feeling Jeno’s jaw clenching in his hold.

“So be a good pup and let me wash you properly, okay?”

Jeno bares his canines at him, turning his head away, but Jaemin has dealt with him enough to know that he’s actually hiding his pout. Jaemin can’t help but be endeared every time, especially when Jeno lets him wash him in the end with minimal complaint.

Like most of their travels, they’ve gotten a room with two separate beds. Jaemin sits on one of them, stopping Jeno when he attempts to join him.

“You stay there in your own bed,” Jaemin says, pointing his chin to the other side of the room.

He didn’t have to look as he turned off the lights to see Jeno’s reaction. Jaemin slips under his covers, smile still intact as he sinks against his sheets. He closes his eyes, letting the night slowly lull him to sleep. When he feels the bed shift, cold feet against his skin, and strong arms wrapped around his waist, Jaemin doesn’t say anything.

“Jaemin,” Jeno whispers against his shoulder.

Jaemin frowns, hearing the uncertainty in his voice so loudly. He can’t help but turn around, seeing the fear marring his face. He cups Jeno’s cheek, eyes softening when Jeno leans against his touch. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“I’m scared,” Jeno admits. “What if I hurt you again? What if I lose control and destroy everything? Hurt everyone?”

Jaemin shakes his head. “You won’t. I was able to control you earlier, didn’t I? I was able to calm you down enough to trust me, even if you were beside yourself. It’s a start in the right direction. We can figure this out.”

“But what if that was a one time thing? What if it was all a fluke? You can’t always guarantee that I wouldn’t strike when you least expect it.”

“Look, I know you don’t like hearing this, but you’re a good person, Jeno. You would never deliberately hurt someone for no reason, so you shouldn’t be beating yourself up for something you can’t control. And god forbid I let you hurt yourself.”

“Still, I don’t want to hurt someone important to me ever again,” Jeno grips the back of Jaemin’s shirt, curling himself against Jaemin. Jaemin pulls him close, resting his chin against the top of Jeno’s head, sighing.

“I know it won’t be easy, but you’ll be able to control your inner demon someday, and I’ll be here with you, in every step of the way.”

Jeno isn’t one to show vulnerability often, so it’s always difficult to watch him like this. Jaemin can’t help the way his chest tightens when Jeno purposely makes himself so small. Jaemin wants to keep him close, protect him from everything, even if he knows more than anyone that Jeno is more than capable of fending for himself.

The lines just get a lot more muddy when the thing he needs protecting from is himself, and Jaemin doesn’t just want to stay back and watch it consume Jeno whole.

“I’m not going anywhere, and I won’t let you push me away again. You got that?”

“I won’t,” Jeno mutters, burying his face against Jaemin’s chest. “As long as you stop making me sleep on the other bed.”

Jaemin sputters, not expecting that at all. His face breaks into a grin, snickering against Jeno’s hair. “I already told you, it’s because you still reek from the lake! Whatever’s been marinating in those waters has been dead for a long time.”

--

Two weeks later finds Jaemin back in his apartment in heaven, making himself comfortable between Jeno’s legs.

It’s one of the rare occasions he’s up before noon, up before his alarm has set off and the culprit is under his covers, pillow under his stomach, ass up in the air.

“When do they need you there?” Jaemin hums, palming Jeno’s ass cheeks with calloused hands.

Jeno’s wings twitch, body jerking when Jaemin spits onto his hole, teasing the tip of his finger along his rim.

“Not until five,” Jeno manages to hiss out, albeit barely.

Jaemin grins. “Hm, good to know I have time to spoil you.”

He leaves a trail of wet kisses along Jeno’s spine, getting sloppier and sloppier as he reaches his hole. He prods pass the rim with his tongue, eyes closing at the tight heat. Jaemin takes his time eating Jeno out, gripping at his ass cheeks apart, spreading him open for him. Jeno is clutching at his pillow below him, groaning at his slowness of it all, making Jaemin smile against his skin.

He finds Jeno’s impatience cute, and it only makes him want to tease him even further. So Jaemin pulls away entirely, wiping at his mouth. Like clockwork, Jeno turns to glare at him, eyes smudged, hair a mess, and Jaemin pulls him by the nape to kiss him silly.

Jeno settles into his lap easily, wrapping his arms around Jaemin’s neck as Jaemin deepens the kiss. He squeezes Jeno’s hip with one hand, the other wrapping around his cock. Jeno’s painfully hard and painfully sensitive, whining in his mouth when Jaemin squeezes at the base playfully. Precum oozes out easily off of Jeno’s tip and Jaemin gathers all of it onto his fingers.

Jeno pulls away from Jaemin with a gasp, gripping at Jaemin’s hair as Jaemin slips two fingers inside him with no warning. Jaemin stretches Jeno open roughly, swallowing his whines in another sloppy kiss.

It doesn’t take long for Jeno to start rolling his hips impatiently against his fingers, pushing at Jaemin’s chest with his hands. Jaemin lets Jeno have his way—lets himself get pushed down flush against the bed, Jeno pulls away to grab a bottle of lubricant from the bedside table. He lathers a generous amount on Jaemin’s hard cock, making Jaemin gasp at the cool gel against his heated skin. It turns into a hiss when Jeno squeezes his palm around the head of his cock with a purpose.

It’s Jaemin’s turn to glare at him, only for his eyes to roll back as Jeno sinks down onto his cock before any words could form in his mouth.

Jaemin often wonders how he was allowed to indulge in these kinds of pleasures. The sight in front of him is sinful—Jeno on top of him, tight and hot, fucking himself onto his cock like it’s all he’s ever known. Jaemin grabs his hips, pressing Jeno flush against his pelvis with one hard thrust. It makes Jeno lurch forward in surprise, steading himself with his hands on Jaemin’s chest.

“Sorry,” Jaemin grins sheepishly. “You just feel so good, baby.”

Jeno glares at him, lifting himself off of Jaemin’s cock, only to slam back down to the hilt. It’s Jaemin’s turn to be surprised, but Jeno just keeps picking up his pace before he has any chance to recover.

“Do I have to do everything by myself, asshole?” Jeno grits out, rolling his hips faster, fucking himself harder on Jaemin’s cock.

Jaemin can only laugh breathily, squeezing Jeno’s firm thighs. He’s barely holding on against Jeno’s torturous pace, but he doesn’t want to cum just yet.

“You can’t blame me for wanting to watch when you’re so eager to please like this.”

So he watches—watches Jeno ride his cock, watching his body shine in sweat in the morning light coming from his bedroom window. His brows are furrowed, eyes blurry, wet hair stuck to his temples. Jeno’s cock is painfully hard, looking like it’s about to burst at any moment, leaking precum onto Jaemin’s navel.

Jaemin reached out a teasing hand, squeezing at Jeno’s balls purposefully, before wrapping a hand around Jeno’s dick in a sharp tug. His ministrations earn a pained whimper from Jeno, making him grab at Jaemin’s wrist, shaking his head at him.

“D-don’t—” He gasps. “It’s too much—”

Jaemin raises an amused brow. “Hm? But we’ve barely started, demon.”

Jaemin finally takes matters to his own hard, rising to his knees and pushing Jeno back against the pillows. He places a quick chaste kiss on Jeno’s lips before wrapping Jeno’s legs around his waist and thrusts back into him roughly.

He fucks him hard, Jeno digging his claws against Jaemin’s back as he’s almost folded in half. Jaemin reaches deeper in this angle, hitting his prostate dead on, again and again with reckless abandon.

“Ah, fuck—Jaemin, I’m— ”Jeno trembles, releasing in spurts on his stomach.

Jaemin helps him through it, picking up his pace, all the while pumping Jeno’s dick to completion.

“You’re doing so well, baby,” Jaemin coos. “Go ahead and cum for me, yeah?”

He squeezes at the head of his cock, earning another broken cry from Jeno. Jeno cums in Jaemin’s hand, Jaemin swallowing all of his whimpering with a kiss that’s all tongue, sucking on Jeno’s as the demon sinks against the sheets below him from exhaustion.

It doesn’t take long for Jaemin to follow suit, chasing his own high with sloppier thrusts. Egged on by Jeno’s pained whines, he keeps fucking him through the overstimulation.

Jeno pulls away from his lips to breathe.

“Just fucking cum inside me already, angel.”

Jaemin snorts, thrusting particularly harshly just to see Jeno jolt and glare weakly at him.

“Come on, you can be more romantic than that, pup.”

“Fuck you,” Jeno squeezes around his cock in retaliation, and it’s enough for Jaemin to shudder and shoot into Jeno’s hole. He cums hard, Jeno milking him for all he’s worth until Jaemin slumps on top of him, spent.

Jeno grunts out a complaint, but is ultimately too tired to push him off of him. Jaemin lifts his head to check the time. Hm, they have time to sleep in before heading out for lunch with Jisung later. Perfect.

He rolls onto his side of the bed, wrapping his arms around Jeno’s waist before the demon could whine about him moving too much inside of him, and let sleep take over him.

Five o’clock finds Jaemin at the Corpus Christi Galleria, and Renjun isn't the only one there who isn't too happy to greet him.

“I told you not to come here, asshole.”

“Why not?” Jaemin juts his bottom lips out innocently. “I'm also a resident of Heaven who likes to appreciate the art and culture of my city.”

Jeno just rolls his eyes, looking very prim and proper in his pristine white guard uniform, letting Jaemin into the art gallery, albeit reluctantly.

Just a week ago there was a ceremony to introduce the reformation of the peace treaty, implementing a new and improved mission ranking system to ensure that each mission given out is appropriate to one’s skill level.

Jisung is bummed to now be only receiving rather mundane tasks—him and Chenle mostly finding themselves having to rescue cats from trees and pull out weeds from random people’s yards. On the bright side, it's enough to give the young angel the motivation to grow stronger. Jaemin is happy to help out, lending his free time to train Jisung in the nearby park by his apartment, wanting to someday properly go on missions with his favorite angel.

Jaemin wasn’t spared from the mission changes either, having been tasked to help out Donghyuck with his paperwork. One would think it’s more of a targeted punishment than anything, but Jaemin is all too happy to accept the task despite Donghyuck’s insistence that he didn’t need any of his help at all.

During one of the days Jaemin was sitting down, reading the new mission rollouts that week, he spotted Jeno’s name on the top of the list and he couldn’t help but let out a laugh so loud it made Donghyuck jolt from his seat.

Instead of a normal task, Kibum decided to give him an actual punishment for Jeno’s recklessness at Acheron, penning him to do some community service at the Corpus Christi Galleria. Kibum has made an agreement with Renjun that Jeno was to repay for the damages he’s caused the last time he broke into the establishment, and despite the reasonable nature of the punishment, Jaemin can’t help but find the whole thing absolutely hilarious.

Oh, how the world turns round.

Of course, Jaemin didn’t miss the chance to watch Jeno on his first day on the job. He welcomed Jeno into Heaven with open arms and an open mouth, housing him for the duration of his stay in his apartment. After the eventful morning they spent together, Jaemin had left for his duties, only to finish up the day with a visit to the art gallery, much to Jeno’s dismay.

Jaemin takes his sweet time admiring the display purposefully under Jeno’s watchful eye. Jaemin promised he would behave when he got there, but it’s obvious that Jeno didn’t trust him, lingering behind Jaemin just in case.

Jaemin stops at a peculiar portion of the room, sectioned off with yellow tape. He turns to Jeno with a tilt of his head.

“Hey guard, looks like the vases here are missing,” Jaemin points out innocently. “That’s strange. Do you know what happened to them?”

“You know what fucking happened,” Jeno rolls his eyes, walking past Jaemin to survey an area without any pesky loitering angels in it.

Jaemin snickers, easily catching up to him until they’re walking side by side. He bumps Jeno’s shoulder. “But are they seriously making you replace the vases?”

Jeno sighs, scratching at the base of his horn. “It’s going to get fixed. Eventually. When I can afford it.”

Jaemin hums, snaking an arm around Jeno’s waist as they walk through the corridor leading them to the next room. It’s quiet, empty except for their footsteps and Jaemin squeezes at Jeno’s side with a purpose. “You know that you can also pay in kind, right? I can personally collect the payment.”

“You know that I can kick you out of here, right?” Jeno scoffs. “I can personally escort you to the exit, Na.”

Jaemin turns to Jeno then, pushing him against the wall suddenly. He can’t contain his grin when Jeno doesn’t so much as protest, even when Jaemin grabs at the collar of his shirt, pulling him in for a harsh kiss.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily, demon.”

One day they’ll be able to hit the road again and go on missions together—help people in need and deface the bed of whatever local inn they're staying in. For now, Jaemin is happy to spend the next couple of days teasing Jeno like they used to do.