SILENCE

"When you are ready," Michael answers with a doting smile on his face, staring at his mate's shocked expression.

"Really?" Apollo's eyes were wide; excitement, fear, and doubt swirling in them.

"You have used that word so much today." Michael teased with a chuckle, watching his mate turn bashful.

"Stop teasing me, you know this is hard for me," Apollo grumbles behind his hands which are now covering his red face from his mate's view, his words muffled.

"I am sorry, little demon. This is not teasing, it is affection. And I was here thinking you already know the difference." It was Michael's turn to pout, intending to send Apollo on a guilt trip.

"I do not mean- I am sorry, you love teasing me too much," Apollo says guiltily, stumbling upon his words as he grows impossibly more flustered.

"Again, not teasing; it is affection, love." Michael clarifies with a smirk on his lips, looking down at his adorable mate with dark predator eyes.

"Move those hands away, let me see my little demon's adorable face." Michael peeled Apollo's hands from his face and his eyes grew darker at the adorable sight that welcomed him.

Apollo looks up at his mate with wide brown innocent eyes, squirming when he sees his mate's dark eyes.

"Michael," Apollo calls out softly.

"If you keep looking at me with those eyes, I will bend you over in every corner of this castle and fuck you so hard you would need bed rest for a century," Michael growled lowly against the shell of Apollo's ear making the submissive demon squirm more in his lap and let out a small whimper.

That seemed to be the breaking point of the magic king as he flipped Apollo against the soft beddings at the speed of light; claiming his mate's lips with his, not bothering with consent.

Apollo could do nothing but continually moan and mewl as his mate's rough hands and addicting mouth explored his body in every way possible.

-

"Are you sure he is going to help?" Chen Ling hesitantly asked Zhang Wei for the umpteenth time in the past thirteen hours.

"Yes, older brother Chen Ling, I was there; he said he would help." Li Wang answers instead, his frustration towards Chen Ling clearly showing in his tone.

"Is he even strong enough to do it, I mean- I have never seen him fight or anything, so I can't tell, but are we sure he is strong enough? And it has been a week since the both of you came back from his kingdom, right? A-and-" Chen Ling cuts himself off when he realizes that he was rambling.

Li Wang could only release a tired sigh- his mental health has been at zero since Yuri's incident.

"I am sorry, I cannot help but worry." Chen Ling mumbles in apology, fidgeting with his hands- an act that is extremely rare for him to exhibit.

"Don't sweat it older brother, he would help. Even if he does not want to, Apollo would convince him. I heard that the king cherishes his mate so much." Li Wang assures while Zhang Wei paid them no mind as he continued sipping his steaming tea while scrolling on his phone as the three lounged in the dormitory's common room.

It has been a week since Zhang Wei and Li Wang returned from Aetolia, but they are yet to see the king and his mate. The other brothers had been informed of the progress that the king was substituting his son, but as days passed by without seeing the king and his mate, they grew restless.

Well, Zhang Wei was quite calm.

"Humans are so stupid." Zhang Wei comments with a tsk and throws his phone to the other end of the couch.

"Brother is so mean, it's so cool!" Li Wang cried out, his eyes sparkling with pride. He looks up at his brother as if he was a god as he practically worships Zhang Wei in his head.

"Huh?" Zhang Wei looks at Li Wang as if a screw in his younger brother's head just went loose.

"Humans are more mentally stable than you are, Georgios." Zhang Wei deadpans, looking at Li Wang with bored droopy eyes.

"So cold, so cool!" Li Wang squealed, dramatically fanning his face with his hands making Zhang Wei roll his eyes at his antics.

Chen Ling almost facepalmed while Li Wang just kept looking at Zhang Wei in adoration.

"Is he broken again?" Lin Feng asked as he walked into the common room; shirtless.

"Yes, he is." Chen Lin answers with a sigh.

"It has been so hard for him since Yuri's incident. He has a hardcore brother complex towards his brothers, so pitiful." Li Feng expresses, shaking his head.

"I will take him to rest." Li Feng offers and bent over to throw a frozen Li Wang over his shoulder.

"Yes, take him away." Zhang Wei urges, dismissively waving his hand.

"That boy is literal trouble encased in a demon." Chen Ling mutters.

"All demons are trouble, especially the princes of Edom." Zhang Wei comments with an eye-roll.

Silence enveloped the common room with Zhang Wei lost in thoughts and Chen Ling restless.

"What is it with the tense environment, Andreas." Lin Feng asks as he enters the common room, still shirtless.

"Go have a shower, you reek of humans." Zhang Wei dryly states, ignoring Lin Feng's previous words.

"I think I will pass. Spending time with averagely normal beings tends to keep me sane, their lingering scents are just a cherry on the top." Li Feng answers with a snicker.

"You do not mean that, do you?" Chen Ling asks with a look of disgust on his face.

"Of course, I do. Being amongst humans is more therapeutic than being amongst demons; trust me." Li Feng states and makes his way to a vacant couch to sit.

"He slept already; I mean Li Wang." Li Feng informs.

"Humans are vile creatures." Zhang Wei comments.

"And demons are not?" Lin Feng questions, raising his eyebrow.

"Demons are born vile, humans choose to be." Zhang Wei answers in a small voice, his figure hunched over.

Li Feng was left speechless by his older brother's words; finding no facts that stand against his brother's words, so he just gave up the argument. But his preference for enjoying the presence of humans more than that of demons remains unchanged.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night." Chen Ling mutters, directing his words to Li Feng.

"Demons do not sleep, dimwit." Zhang Wei says in a bored tone. He stands from the couch and heads out of the common room, heading to Yuri's room.