Kissing the Demon (Seoksoo)

Joshua

SIX MONTHS LATER

The door didn't close fast enough to stop us from hearing Vernon tackle Seungkwan with a feral sound. Seungcheol, Soonyoung, and I exchanged sly grins before heading towards The Closet. The streets were quiet and dark, the February evening cold enough to keep most people indoors. If you'd told me a year ago that my brothers and I would be setting up a romantic proposal for our eldest sibling and the human he was bonded to, I would've given you the phone number for a reputable psychiatrist.

But there was no denying they had something special. From the moment Vernon saw Seungkwan that night in the club, he hadn't been able to stay away from him. Their love story had been far from simple though. Not only had Seungkwan been battling against PTSD due to a nasty relationship with his former boyfriend, but Hell chose to once again interfere in our lives. After a few demonic attacks, a kidnapping, and freeing our brother, Soonyoung, from Hell, the two had earned their happily ever after. Seungkwan had accepted the bond with Vernon on the banks of the river Styx, and they'd been sickening to be around ever since.

And the former boyfriend? After Seungkwan stood up to him, he met a very satisfying end, courtesy of Vernon. He was now living his worst eternal life in Hell, undergoing the most horrific demonic tortures.

"Can you imagine finding something like that? What Vernon and Seungkwan have?" Seungcheol asked, kicking a stone with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. His auburn hair was loose, flowing over his shoulders. He'd pushed his cuffed sleeves up to his elbows, leaving the bottom half of his sleeve tattoos on display. I changed my style too often to want something permanently inked on my body, but given he'd been wearing the same clothes for the last three decades, that wasn't an issue for Seungcheol.

I glanced sideways at him, my chest twinging. Of all of us, Seungcheol was the one who'd been most excited about the idea of having a fated mate. After losing his first love over eighty years ago, he was more than ready to find the person he could devote his everything to. I'd caught him staring at the door to the club as though he was willing the guy to walk through...like Seungkwan had.

It hardly seemed fair that neither Vernon nor myself had been looking for our mates, yet had them thrust into our paths, while Seungcheol was still waiting.

Before I could reassure him that his man was out there somewhere, Soonyoung cut in with a scowl. "No. Say all you want about fate, but I refuse to believe I've got a human mate waiting around the corner for me."

I nudged Soonyoung with an elbow. Like Seungcheol and Vernon, he towered over me. With his electric-blue hair and angelic face that looked like butter wouldn't melt, you'd be forgiven for thinking he was less dangerous than the rest of us. Nothing could be further from the truth. "Hm...is that because you're hung up on a certain archangel who shall remain nameless?"

Soonyoung snarled and swiped at me, but I dodged the hit easily. Cackling, I jogged backwards in front of him. "Ooh...did I hit a sore spot there, brother dearest?"

Soonyoung and Jihoon, an archangel who helped us break Soonyoung out of Hell last year, had clearly boned at some point. He tried to deny it, but, my huns, I have eyes. Besides, Seungkwan agreed with me, and he was the smartest dude I knew. I didn't know what had gone down between the two of them, but with the way Soonyoung reacted every time I mentioned his name, it wasn't water under the bridge.

Soonyoung stopped trying to hit me, instead tilting his head to the side and cocking an eyebrow. "You know, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

My hands went to my hips. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"That you can't be nagging me about my love life when you're pining after Seungkwan's best friend."