Hoseok's fingers moved furiously across his laptop's keyboard. His energy and focus were beginning to wane after having been repeating the same motions and relatively similar words for an unholy amount of time. It didn't help that his hangover was still somehow ripe and fogging over his mind, making him lose track of what he had been meaning to put down onto the document before him, or making him go on unnecessarily long tangents inside his mind. Actually, he's pretty sure there's a technical term for that in literature. Monologue? Soliloquy? Internal--
"Should...we go find him?"
Hoseok startled at Jimin's sudden question.
Ever since Jungkook's departure into the bustling city life, Hoseok had been dutifully filling out and finalizing reports for various projects. It was easy work that didn't require much brainpower-something that Hoseok has been severely lacking in due to his lingering hangover. He was fueled on to continue on with the task at hand at the prospect of being able to sleep for the rest of the day, so progress had been fast at the absence of a certain loud-mouth.
As such, it had been completely and utterly silent in Hoseok's apartment for the past two hours.
Wait.
"You don't think he actually got lost...right?"
When Hoseok glanced over to where Jimin had been perched atop his bed since Jungkook's departure, a grim stare was all that met his question.
"I mean, I wouldn't put it past someone like him," Jimin finally sighed after a few moments of silent eye contact, "but he can easily use his mark on you to make it back here." The angel bit his lip in a silent worry. "You don't think he bailed and began hounding after other people's souls, right?"
Hoseok began violently shaking his head before Jimin even finished his sentence. "Knowing how dedicated he is to seeing that I crash and burn during his deal, I highly doubt he would abandon"-me-"it after putting so much time and effort into it."
Jimin nodded slowly, before beginning to bob it more firmly, as if reassuring and convincing himself with Hoseok's words. "Yeah, you're right." He released a strained laugh. "I don't know why I'm so worried. He's probably still confused about why people aren't-"
"Responding to me?"
Hoseok shrieked at the sudden manifestation of Jungkook's head hidden inside his shadow.
"So," Jimin drawled, tone conceited, completely unfazed by Jungkook's unconventional arrival, "you finally decided to show up, huh? How'd it go? Got the gifts?"
"The-the coffee?" Hoseok gasped. He knew the teasing edge in his voice was lost and ineffective since he was still breathless from Jungkook's initial scare, but he wanted to join in on the fun regardless.
"Actually, yeah," Jungkook responded readily, not a hint of his usual pout or agitation, casually lifting his arm free from Hoseok's shadow to reveal a styrofoam cup with the familiar sight and smell of mochaccino sloshing inside.
"Wh-"
"Jungkook, how-"
Jungkook silenced both Hoseok and Jimin by releasing his other arm from the inky void and revealing a handful of colorful paper bags.
"I'll explain," Jungkook grit out as he set the items onto the floor beside him and dragged the rest of his body out of Hoseok's shadow, "but it's a long story, and I think I need a nap."
Hoseok released a startled trill from the back of his throat. "Demons sleep?"
Jungkook gathered the cup and bags into his arms, delivered Hoseok's requested beverage into his trembling hands, dumped the bags unceremoniously onto Hoseok's work desk, and promptly collapsed onto the bed that was still occupied by Jimin.
A short, raw laugh bubbled up from Jungkook's limp body before he finally answered:
"Not my kind."
An abrupt snore escaped him right after the muffled words left him.
Hoseok shared a concerned glance with Jimin.
"There are different types of demons?" Hoseok hazarded. He placed aside his mocha and spared the shopping bags a brief glance before turning his attention back toward Jimin. "Is it the same for angels? Like, different species and stuff?"
"Yeah, but that's mostly tied in with our rank," Jimin replied, slowly sliding himself off the bedside and onto the floor, giving Jungkook's body a concerned glare of sorts. "Like, I'm part of the lowest rank there is; we're referred by our own kind as 'angels,' the same name you humans use.
"There are other rankings and such in my part of the hierarchy," he continued with a flippant wave of his hand, "but the highest of the choir are the seraphs. Nobody really interacts with them since they're always by God's throne. Basically, they're His home caretakers whenever He has to depart for Heavenly business."
Hoseok raised an intrigued brow. "'Heavenly business?' Like what?"
Jimin shrugged. "Dunno. That information's mostly passed down to the seraphs, cherubs, and thrones-they're all part of the highest rank, by the way. So they get to be informed of His location and take care of business while He's away or, in some cases, even get to go with Him."
Jimin focused on Hoseok's awed face with a slight frown. "Do they not teach this in schools? It's basic information."
"Well, I mean, teaching religion in an educational environment is kinda illegal nowadays."
Jimin rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess it's better to be taught the basics rather than be preached to by someone who's breaking the law."
A silence took hold of the conversation as both parties stared at Jungkook's unconscious body.
Hoseok pursed his lips in thought while observing the relaxed slouch Jungkook's body took while lying in his bed.
In all his time while staying with Hoseok, Jungkook had not once shown any sign of needing to refuel his energy in conventionally humane ways. Hoseok didn't really think much about it since his first thirty-six hours of knowing (read: acknowledging the existence of) Jungkook consisted of the demon staring at him from a corner in his room without even breathing, much less sleeping. Hoseok figured it was a demon thing and didn't bother questioning it since his current situation was unbelievable enough.
But that notion was immediately broken when Hoseok had felt Jungkook's weight atop him the next morning after their deal, despite the demon informing and confirming his existence as merely an aftereffect of light being unable to go through an object. After that, it was only brief moments that shone through the whole deal thing that had Hoseok pausing, wondering, before brushing over it and never bringing it up.
Jungkook...was full of contradictions, as it turned out.
"He's been acting weird lately, actually," Jimin admitted softly.
Hoseok startled and turned toward the angel, who had since taken it upon himself to lean against the bed frame and curl into himself. "Weird, how?" he questioned.
Jimin shrugged with his face all twisted up from something close to contemplation. He opened his mouth, only to shut it with a bit of a struggle like he didn't quite know how to put his observations into words, something Hoseok would probably experience if he was in the angel's position.
"I mean, I don't know for sure," Jimin managed. His tone was edged with frustration from unknown origins, but Hoseok could understand him all the same. "I hardly know the guy other than he's just some unholy brat who I sometimes meet while taking care of the people I need to protect. But from the encounters that I can remember, he really did act like what I envisioned all demons to be: unmannered, gruff, vulgar-the like."
Jimin paused as his gaze finally met Hoseok's.
Hoseok startled at the loaded look the angel held in his icy blue eyes.
"He changed," Jimin continued, sight piercing and all-knowing, "after dealing with you, Hoseok-ssi."
Hoseok's bone-dry mouth returned.
He had so much to say, ask, demand.
But.
He couldn't speak.
Not with those eyes on him.
Jimin jerked. And then blinked.
And his eyes were the soft, deep brown they always were.
"Oh, hyung!" Jimin exclaimed at the same time Hoseok relaxed his entire body with a shuddered breath. "Goodness, I don't know what came over me! My instincts just kinda took over for a moment, and all of a sudden, I was peering into your soul, and I saw the strangest thing-hyung, are you okay?"
No, was what Hoseok wanted to say, but he knew that it would only cause Jimin to worry, so he merely offered a jerked nod of his head.
Jimin relaxed at that, offering Hoseok a gentle smile. "Well, that's good." He cleared his throat and, if he had wings, Hoseok imagined they would be ruffling primly. "Anyways, what I was getting at was that Jungkook-ah has been acting roughly the same as you humans would. Might I add very roughly."
Hoseok coughed out a breathy laugh. "Yeah, I was thinking the same, honestly." He grabbed for his mocha and took a tentative sip.
Luke-warm.
Hoseok frowned but took a fuller gulp from the beverage all the same before continuing. "But I guess I went more along the lines of how he went against his own principals. Properties? Whatever." He ruffled his mop of hair with a frustrated sigh. "All I'm saying is that he doesn't act like, y'know, a shadow demon. He seems more...solid?"
Hoseok offered Jimin a hesitant glance and was relieved to see that the angel was able to sympathize with his words to a certain degree with the nod sent his way.
"Oh, yes," Jimin agreed eagerly. "I do have memories of him only being able to exist on the same plane as humans when hiding solely in their shadows; he was unable to hold his own form for very long, and was very weak while doing so." The angel glanced up at Jungkook's sleeping figure. "He's come quite a long way, I suppose."
"You think he's, like, leveling up?" Hoseok wondered aloud. He flushed at the puzzled and startled look Jimin gave him. "I mean, like, uh."
Hoseok struggled to fish around for the proper word that would express his theory before finally reeling in precisely what he needed:
"You think he's being promoted?"
Jimin's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before going stone cold.
"Races like us can't be promoted to a different species," the angel said coolly. Hoseok half-expected his eyes to shimmer that pale blue with how stoic he was acting.
Jimin seemed to realize how stolid he was acting and quickly grew flustered by Hoseok's prolonged, startled gaze.
"I mean!" Hoseok grew a bemused grin as Jimin struggled to cast out what was on his mind in a kinder manner. "I mean! For heavenly beings such as I, we are forever serving our tasks based on what we are created as; there is, essentially, no promotion or demotion system in our line of work." He paused, before gathering about his wits and adding tactfully on, "I'm sure it's the same for Underworld beings!"
Hoseok sighed and sunk into the back of his chair. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense." He snorted. "Especially when you're talking about changing the species somebody was born as."
Jimin nodded fiercely. "Yes, you're absolutely right, Hoseok-hyung. And based on the limited knowledge I have of your race, humans are also the same?"
The nail in the coffin.
"Yep," Hoseok confirmed, a weary sigh escaping him. "Guess Jungkook's just weird, huh?"
"Well, I could've just told you that myself."
Hoseok and Jimin startled at Jungkook's voice joining the conversation.
The demon rolled over onto his side and eyed Hoseok with a half-lidded gaze, a lazy smile dancing across his lips that were lightly coated in drool.
"Enjoying your coffee, Hoseokie?"
A/N - it's this fic's second anniversary, and I'm planning on making this the last anniversary I celebrate, so prepare yourselves for even more drama and angst in the coming chapters 🤧