Protective Simeon

Simeon was reading a book, something he usually does to let loose before he hits the covers. That was until his leisure time was interrupted by the door creaks open, indicating someone had come back from their trip outside. Since Luke was right in front of him scrolling through his D.D.D, it can only be Solomon.

Chattering can be heard at the door and he deduced the human sorcerer had guests over. Quite rare for him to have someone over, it piqued Simeon's interest. So, the angel decided to greet them, putting his book aside and strolled through rooms.

" Solomon, who's here-" he paused, seeing a familiar face as he tensed up in alarm.

" Oh, hey Simeon. I had MC and her brother stay over. They had some issues with the demon bro-"

Solomon wasn't able to finish his sentence when a clash of Simeon's magic staff that can double as a spear clashed with Azazel's hands. Though it did startled the two humans, Azazel didn't even reacted as much as a flinch.

" Hello, Simeon. You haven't changed as much the last time I saw you." He greeted the angel with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

" Azazel, you fiend." The angel scowled, tightening his grip onto his staff, holding back from casting any offensive spells.

" Ah, yes. I haven't heard that nickname in a while." The demon responded nonchalantly.

" Why are you here?" Simeon asked threateningly, never moving an inch nor having the weapon point another direction.

" If you're thinking I'm here to wreak havoc, then you're wrong. Me and my sister just need a place to crash for the night." Azazel replied, the smirk he had diminished, showing a serious expression on his face.

" Sister? What do you mean?" The other fell into confusion, not able to grasp the predicament at hand.

Just then, MC who had pushed over the shock she felt had interfered, pushing Simeon's shoulder softly as she aimed to calm the angel down.

" W-Wait Simeon. L-Let's do the t-talking tomorrow. I-If you're not comfortable with having us over, w-we can find another place to stay."

" MC, I don't mind having you over. But he's evil! A pure villain that killed many innocent lives!"

" And yet I'm still alive! I haven't heard his side of the story yet, so I won't judge him based on what others say."

" You're really going to believe him? Why?!"

" I don't wanna talk about it! We're leaving, Zel!"

" W-wait, MC! Y-You can use my room!"

Unexpectedly, Luke was the one who offered to give them a place to sleep for the night.

" What?! Why would you do that, Luke?!" Simeon raged.

" B-Because... B-Because he's in M/n's body. I-If he really meant to cause harm, won't he have made that body his a long time ago?" Luke stuttered, almost tearing up since he had never seen Simeon so enraged before, nor was he ever the receiving end of it.

" What..?"

" T-The point i-is, M/n is still safe despite him having control over his body right now. S-So, I think we can let him sleep here for the night..?"

The whole room paused in silence, creating a tense atmosphere around them. Nobody moves or talks during that moment.

Slowly, Simeon retracts his weapon, looking straight into Azazel's grey irises.

" Fine, you can stay for the night. But the moment any of us get as much as a scratch, you'll pay." The angel concluded, never showing any smiles and retreated to his chamber.

Once Simeon is out of sight, everyone can finally take a breather. The tension subsides and they finally look at each other.

" Luke, are you sure with us using your room? You know, since Azazel's a demon?" MC finally asked since it's been bugging her for a while.

" It's fine! I know you both trust Azazel very much, so I want to try trusting him too. Plus, I can always wash the sheets." the small angel exclaimed, assuring the siblings to get comfortable.

" Thank you so much, Luke. I promise, we'll explain everything once the time is right." MC replied, appreciating his deeds for them.

Azazel's eyes gleamed in pastel green, feeling grateful for his gestures, passing his thanks right after his sister.

" Since that has been taken care of, do you mind me asking one quick question?" The sorcerer finally speaks. His eyes sparked with curiosity as he talked, his hand on his chin.

" And I assume it would be about how M/n and I could exist in one body?" Azazel responded, seeing his questions loud and clear on his face.

" . . Yes."

As those two got off into their own world, MC hugged Luke in gratitude before they chatted a bit and separated the other two so they could go to sleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Legs hanging by the ledge, blankets wrapped around their bodies and stars accompanying their reunion night. Azazel even prepared M/n's favourite drink before they went stargazing since his eyes were pouring a lot earlier. The silence between them was far from awkward as they lay on their backs on the top of the roof. Of course, the drinks were set aside, else they'd be drowning in their beverages.

As they lay comfortably, M/n was the one who broke the silence.

" What happened to you while you were gone?" he asked, turning his head to the side, facing his brother.

" That is a good question. Unfortunately we don't have the time for me to explain that." Azazel replied, shrugging the question off.

" I will tell you that another time." the demon continued, showing a regrettable smile.

" Then, if I ask the reason you're back? Will we have enough time for you to explain that?" M/n prodded, seeking every answer he can get.

" I can answer that. The reason I'm back is you were in a dire condition. The demonic aura in your body clashed severely with your divine aura which is more pure compared to average humans, you know since you're an angel's descendant and all. The outlash caused by the clash in energy almost tore your body apart had I not interfered." Azazel explained as his white irises stared straight into M/n's.

" You're saying.. I almost died, again..?" M/n scoffed out in disbelief.

" Yes- Wait. What did you mean by again?!" the demon exclaimed after hearing the other's statement.

M/n slapped his hand onto his mouth, forgetting the fact that Azazel hadn't heard of what had transpired before his reappearance.

" Well~ we don't have time for me to explain, unfortunately. Maybe next time." M/n smirked, his tone clearly indicated that he's teasing that demon brother of his, which is the norm ever since he was young.

The demon sighed, letting his head slumped slightly and look back at M/n once again, eyes brimming in determination.

" Yeah, sure. Guess we'll end this conversation here for now. Take better care of your life please, else how are you going to protect MC like you promised?" he briefed, getting up from his position.

" I will. Thanks for saving me again, Zel. I really appreciate your help." M/n got up too, expressing his gratitude with a short and quick bow.

" It's not a problem at all. Go get some rest. You'll have to do a lot of things when you wake up."

The brothers embraced each other in a tight hug, expressing their longing for each other's presence during the time Azazel vanished. Had Azazel stayed by his side, M/n probably wouldn't resort to what he did. Maybe Azazel would remember MC when nobody else did and he'd have stayed a bit longer rather than giving up.

But what's done is done and they can't change the past.

" I really missed you, Zel."

Words of his genuine feelings escaped his mouth as M/n held Azazel tighter, not wanting to let go.

" I missed you too, lil' bro." the demon responded, patting M/n's back firmly.

" Don't disappear like that again." the human pleaded.

Slowly, M/n's vessel was engulfed in purple haze, making him drowsy in Azazel's hold. Right before his vision blurred out completely, he heard his brother's short reply.

" I won't."

And just like that, his body was covered with the odourless smoke, sailing into the world of slumber safely.

Azazel smiled, watching his magic withdraw as M/n is finally nowhere in sight. The warmth dissipated as time went by and the weight in his arm earlier made him feel a loss in his absence. They did say that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

However, in a split second, the warmth he had disappeared, nowhere to be seen again as his gaze seemed to leave the spot M/n was at.

" Well then, time to get back to work."

The demon vanished almost immediately, leaving behind the hollow, artificial world he imitated. Soon after, the surroundings collapsed, engulfed by the growing void...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The clock strucks late in the night as every living being sails peacefully in the land of dreams. Not even the bats squeaked through the sky, so serene without any interference. Out of all the windows across the land, shall we focus on one?

Through the glass pane of a certain building, the room was lit dimly by the oil lamp on the coffee table, only bright enough as to not disrupt the occupant's sleep. Two figures could be seen slumbering on the bed, only separated by a pillow fort. One was that of a girl in her teens, serenely lying on one side of the bed as the other small figure could be seen cuddling with his soft, cloudy plushies. What do you expect, they're made in heaven after all.

As those two conquered the bed, another occupied the couch, laying down comfortably on the victorian-age themed couch. Despite looking quite old, it can be comparable to the bed to accommodate the male. Wrapped in an extra blanket, he slept soundly.

It seemed as if nothing would happen in such a calming scenery.

However, the male on the couch was slowly enveloped with hazy purple light out of the blue. Not even a strand of the silvery white hair can be seen once he was engulfed with that haze. After a few seconds, the purple light subsided, revealing a male with short h/c hair, some of them scattering on the sofa...