After Theo finished his grocery shopping—being sure to get plenty of fruits and vegetables for Val while out— he couldn't resist going to the local library.
It was a small building that was fairly poor and unpopular, so it hadn't gotten any new books in years. It was a miracle it was still even open.
All the books it did have were old stories that must've been a hundred years old or non-fiction books that nearly nobody would find joy in reading. Theo went there himself from time to time, but he couldn't pretend like it was any good.
Now, however, he was a bit grateful for the old books and odd topics of them. It made him believe he had a chance of finding something, anything really, about demons.
Many of the books were in a similar condition to Heaven, Hell, and-. They were dusty and most had small rips along with severely cracked spines.
It only took a short 45 minutes to find a handful of books revolving around demons that no doubt appeared helpful.
When he returned to his house—also known as the church— it was noon and the summer sun was blistering down onto him.
He considered, only for a fraction of a second, asking Val for help grabbing the groceries in order to get out of the sun sooner. The thought was pushed away instantly though, the idea of the demon leaving the church repulsing Theo in an almost sickening way.
By the time Theo had brought in and put away all the groceries he still hadn't seen Val anywhere—not that that was too shocking considering how close the front door the kitchen were.
What was a bit shocking was what he found when he went to check the basement.
By the window outside the basement sat Val. He was hunched over and his head was laid in his arms which were rested on the windowsill.
The demons long hair just barely grazed the floor and Theo couldn't help but notice how pretty it was, as much as scolded himself for thinking that.
"Val?" He mumbled much quieter than intended.
When the demon gave no response Theo walked to the other side of him in order to see his face.
Val's eyes were closed gently and his face seemed.. comfortable. He looked so relaxed and at peace that Theo began to realize just how tense the demon had been since he arrived.
Theo also noticed that Val hadn't changed his clothes since he arrived, obviously considering he had nothing else to wear.
The guilt of how Val had been treated began to weigh on Theo's chest. He hadn't changed clothes, had a shower, brushed his hair or teeth, and he had been sleeping in that dusty basement.
He contemplated waking the demon, it was time for lunch after all.
But something stopped him. He wasn't sure if it was fear, dread, or hatred, even. Maybe he just didn't want to wake him when he was so relaxed?
"Val.." Theo whispered gently, but he couldn't bring himself to touch the demon.
"Val" he spoke again, a bit louder, but the demon didn't move even in the slightest.
Theo's hand hovered above the demons back, contemplating shaking him lightly to wake him. In the end, however, he simply left the demon to sleep.
In the meantime Theo hid away the books he had gotten about demons. He stashed them in the back of a cabinet in his office.
He didn't want to care how the demon felt, but couldn't bear the thought of Val finding the books and knowing that Theo was researching him behind his back.
It wasn't until two hours later—after Theo had eaten his lunch and steamed some vegetables for when Val woke to eat— that the demon finally got up.
He walked into the living room with a hand on his neck, turning it side to side gently and wincing occasionally.
"Does you neck hurt?" Theo asked from the couch without thinking.
Val, whose eyes were barely open and who had a tired frown, furrowed his eyebrows in response.
"Oh no, it feels amazing" he grumbled.
Theo wanted to say something back, to make some kind of remark, but he held his tongue.
"I steamed some carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli. I wasn't sure what you liked so there is also fruits in there" he explained as kindly as he could, but couldn't manage to put a smile on his face.
Val paused for a moment as if shocked before he continued walking through the living room and into the kitchen.
"Thanks" he mumbled, his voice low.
Theo would be lying if he said he didn't get a kick out of the demons hesitation.
"Can you.. help me figure out your.." the demon searched his mind for the right word before sighing in defeat, "human appliances"
It took everything Theo had not to laugh, but he headed to the kitchen to help nonetheless.
Val was already in front of the fridge, staring at it like it was going to hurt him.
Theo finally allowed himself to chuckle, just a bit.
He wasn't sure what it was about the demon that amused him so much, but he found a light, warm kind of feeling settling in his stomach as he explained the fridge.
"It's just cold air, nothing more" he laughed, grabbing the vegetables from the fridge and handing them to the demon.
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I wrote this and the next few chapters when I was still lowkey struggling to write so it's not great BUTTT I've pre-written to chapter 20 so it will be consistent uploads from here (I hope)
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Crossed (BxB)
RomanceA priest at a small church accidentally summons a demon into his home. Now he has problems lining up- from being conflicted with the demon to being told a member of his own church could be just as bad. He goes down a spiraling path of trust and dist...
