![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Paint your shadows on the breath that we share
[All things considered, he thinks he's handling things exceptionally well. As well as a man trying to not have a complete and utter breakdown.
In all honesty though, it isn't like he was overreacting. Hardships were aplenty for the guy ever since he could remember. Negligent parents that had basically abandoned him since he could remember. He doesn't remember a time where they were in his life and he had plenty of lonely meals at the dining table growing up. If only that were the only thing though. He was barely into adulthood when a small girl that looked much like himself was left on his doorstep. It was obvious. This girl was A) his sister and B) abandoned by his parents just like him. Since then, he had been trying to raise her.
He loved Mia. Adored her. He gave her whatever love he can offer. Whatever love their parents didn't give him or her, he would offer it to her.
That didn't mean that it was easy. Taking care of Mia and making sure that he didn't neglect her while trying to hold a job to provide for both of them was a lot to ask for someone his age. Still, they manage for the next some years that way.
Today was just a particularly rough day. It was long and filled with an overbearing boss on top of having to pay bills. Mia was also starting school, so he had to make sure she had suitable supplies for class. Needless to say, he wasn't having a good day. He was rifling through the books he had bought, pausing as he stared at a worn, nondescript book. He doesn't remember purchasing this. It must have gotten mixed in the books that he had purchased for Mia. He puts it aside before getting through the rest of the night.
Joonghyuk doesn't remember much of the night. It had been a bit of a blur and he'll chalk it up to being exhausted. It's the only way he could imagine himself being so clumsy and careless that night. He doesn't know what he did to accidentally cut his hand while cleaning up, but he can't help but curse under his breath when he does. He's a little frantic to head into the bathroom and grab a first aid kit when he swipes a bloody hand over the cover of that book on his way there.
Well, he'll worry about that after he has cleaned up. It's not like something will suddenly come of it, right?]
no subject
On the enemy side, several demon kings of various rankings. On his side? Not for the first time in his life, his name proves accurate. He already sent his companions away, distracting them with another threat so that he could lead the main forces away. Now, he finds himself backed into a corner, literally.
But not figuratively. This is still well within the bounds of his expectations, albeit the more extreme end of them. It seems his meteoric rise through the rankings recently ruffled more feathers than he thought. Or maybe it was fraternizing with some of the archangels of Eden? Regardless, what matters is that they underestimate him. Despite his recently cinched status putting him near the middle of the pack, he's still a relatively young entity compared to many in the Demon Realm. The lack of experience makes him appear weak, a fact he's used to his advantage multiple times now. Are these guys finally starting to figure it out now? They certainly brought more firepower than the last ones.
From the expressions on their faces, they seem to think they've already won, and Dokja lets them believe it. It makes a better story this way, doesn't it? He's no hero, but the moment when the bad guy realizes his own foolishness is always satisfying. The more desperate the struggle, the sweeter it is, which is good in this case. As the rival demon kings begin to pull out their weapons, he realizes he's not coming out of this one unscathed.
He begins to unsheathe his sword, magic winding through his fingertips to bring faint light to the edge of the blade. Before he can wield it, however, another pulse of arcane energy rocks his body. It doesn't originate from Dokja himself but somewhere else.
A summoning.
The realization hits him right as the scene abruptly begins to shift. The bloodlust on the demon kings' faces morphs into surprise. They make for him, quick and deadly, but it's too late. He's already gone.
Being in one place one second and another the next is disorienting, especially when it's not of his own volition. Dokja grimaces and grips his sword tighter. This must be the work of his companions, he thinks at first. They caught onto his schemes and yanked him out of there before he could end up with another mangled limb or a hole in him.
Looking around, he quickly begins to see that this assumption is wrong. This is, without a doubt, the human world, and an unfamiliar location on top of that. Why is he here?
As if an invisible thread is pulling his gaze, it falls upon an old, plain-looking book lying amongst some others, blood smeared across its cover. A grimoire? This must be the cause. But then where's the person who used it to summon him? With a contemplative look, he sheathes his sword and steps over to extract the book from the pile. ]
no subject
Right. Now about the book. He should clean it if he intends to return it. The last thing he needs is to hand over a book that was now covered in a bit of his blood.
When Joonghyuk steps out of the bathroom and back into his bedroom, he's expecting his room to be empty in the usual state that it is. What he isn't expecting is a man. No, a man with wings, standing in his bedroom.] What. [Dokja will find himself face to face with the obviously tired Korean man.
What is the most logical reason for this? Is it that there's a man with wings in his room? No, that's insane talk. He has obviously not slept enough. Overwork was making him hallucinate. Yes, this is definitely much more reasonable and perfectly explains everything.] I need to sleep. [Is he acting like Dokja isn't there? Well, that's because Dokja is a figment of his tired imagination. They're not really there, surely. Today was bad enough, let's deal with this in the morning.
It's the only reason he doesn't seem to say anything to the other and start rifling through his drawer for clothes to sleep in.]
no subject
Or it does, at least for a brief moment, before morphing into surprise. How can he not look a little stunned when faced with a sight like that? Thick eyebrows set over gorgeous eyes, a strong jaw, hair that looks effortlessly but perfectly tousled, a tall figure lined with obvious muscle...
It takes those perfectly drawn features mirroring his surprise for Dokja to come to his senses. Who cares that this guy is devastatingly handsome? This is the jerk who zapped him here! Or... it should be, but he looks just as confused by all of this as Dokja feels. Even more baffling is the way he disregards the demon standing in the middle of his bedroom like he's nothing more than an illusion and goes about his business.
Kind of rude, actually. Dokja places a hand on one hip while waving the bloodstained book in the other. ]
Hey.
no subject
How else do you respond to a man that definitely doesn't look quite human suddenly standing in your bedroom? It's also obvious that Joonghyuk seemed relatively tired. His voice comes out weary and the darks under Joonghyuk's eyes are noticeable. His tone is matter-of-fact more than anything, as though he was trying to convince himself that Dokja didn't just speak to him and was right there in front of him.
Joonghyuk was thinking (read: trying to) about what he had to do when he got up. Make breakfast and Mia's lunch. Get ready for work. Not acknowledge the man in front of him.
Wait, should he call the cops? Would they even take his call seriously?
He really needs sleep.] I worked too hard today...
no subject
Yet he stays put, watching the human digging through the drawer across the room. Who is he to so rudely deny Dokja's existence? Exhausted or not (and he definitely looks it), there shouldn't be any mistaking the reality standing in his bedroom.
So rather than head to the door, Dokja steps over to the bed instead. As he seats himself on the edge and crosses one leg over the other, he sets the book on the mattress beside him. ]
Hallucinate demons often?
no subject
He runs a hand through wavy locks with a bit of a sigh.] What do you want?
[He seems to not bother to answer Dokja's question. Well, if he were to answer it then he'd be opening more than one can of worms. He'd have to acknowledge that there's a (
pretty) man in his room, that they are apparently a demon, and if he's really hallucinating or not. The idea that this is what he would hallucinate also lends to a lot of concerning thoughts pertaining to a lot of things about himself he rather not try to assess.] If there's nothing you need then leave.no subject
I want to know what you want. [ His fingers stroke over the worn leather of the book's cover. ] Or did you really summon me by accident?
[ The dark circles under his tired eyes, the blood haphazardly smeared on the book, the bandage on the man's hand... As unbelievable as it is, the evidence indicates that this really could be a freak accident. It doesn't explain why he has this book in the first place, however. ]
no subject
Why would I want anything from you? [After all, Dokja was a figment of his imagination. Merely some delusion conjured by his exhausted mind. What would he want from such a being? (He's still going to pretend they're not real for his sanity.)]
Summon you? I didn't summon you. [It's obvious that he had no idea what the other was talking about. He does glance at the book that had his blood smeared across it. His brows furrow. He gestures at the book in Dokja's hand.] That? Did that summon you?
no subject
So you really didn't mean to.
[ It's possible he could just be an amazing actor, but why lie? There's no reason for him to at this point. Dokja resigns himself to the fact that this human is clearly just a clumsy, unlucky guy. Maybe that's the price he has to pay for being given looks like those, huh? Nobody's perfect after all.
Well, it's becoming more and more difficult to find a reason to stay and indulge his curiosity when he still has matters to deal with in the Demon Realm. Dokja stands, bringing the book with him. ]
I'll be taking this with me.
[ Wouldn't want this guy to accidentally summon him again. ]
no subject
Joonghyuk shakes his head to try and clear his mind.]
It's probably for the best. I was going to return it anyways. It got mixed with the books I did buy. [He doesn't know how it happened. Maybe when the clerk was packing everything, they accidentally added it in? It's probably for the best the man took it. He didn't have to deal with it and it sounds like no one else would end up chancing upon it.
The relief of having this guy finally leave his place also seems to help his nerves.] If you're done here then, you should leave. I have to get up early and I don't have the energy to entertain you anymore. [Maybe it's because he's already so weary, but Joonghyuk seemed to be taking the whole situation of a guy suddenly invading his place pretty well.
Then again, it was weirdly nice (he must be going crazy) to be just chatting with someone. Most of his social interactions were just work related or awkward small talk.] Take care.
no subject
After that blunt dismissal, the comparatively kind words that round out the send-off come as a bit of a surprise. Dokja regards him with a lingering gaze, as if trying to decipher what lay behind those tired eyes.
Unfortunately, it's time to go. Dokja begins to move to the door. ]
Get more sleep, or you might summon something worse than me next time.
[ Really, he got off easy today. There are plenty of demons who would've made someone like him into a plaything.
Although he's not familiar with this place, finding the way out is easy enough. It's probably anticlimactic for a demon to leave by walking out the front door, but teleporting, especially across planes, is no easy feat. For now, just using a bit of his powers to cloak his demonic features will be enough to get him where he needs to reach in order to cross over.
There's a twinge in his chest as he walks away, though. Disappointment? Sure, he's a rather captivating human, but...
Suddenly that feeling redoubles into a crushing pain that pulses through him. It isn't originating from anywhere in particular—it feels more like being torn apart on a molecular level, like the very fabric of his soul is being rent. Dokja abruptly doubles over with a gasp.
Some sort of remote attack? But they shouldn't be able to do such a thing without knowing he's in the human world... The book falls from his grasp to thud loudly against the floor, drawing his eye. The blood on the cover almost seems to shimmer.
No way. An existence oath...? ]
no subject
What a long day...
It's a little weird to watch the other leave his apartment. He hasn't had anyone over before. No friends or coworkers of any kind that he felt he could comfortably invite over. It's also weird because he thought the other might just disappear in thin air. Isn't that more convenient? It almost makes him wonder if he was hallucinating all the otherworldly features.
The apartment was honestly a little scant in terms of decoration. It seemed Joonghyuk didn't care much for buying anything that wasn't an essential or felt necessary. The furniture that they owned seemed to all be bought with intention. The only thing the man seemed to invest decoration wise was picture frames. The hallway to the foyer was covered with framed photos. All the photos were either the man Dokja had conversed with or what was really a carbon copy of the man if he was a little girl. She seemed more lively with an easy smile in comparison to the man who didn't smile much. It was a mix between pictures of one or the other or both of them. Most of the pictures the young girl was smiling while the man was varying levels of resting bitch face. Or at least, one might feel that way, but there's an obvious softness in his eyes. A lingering twitch of the lips. There is one photo though of him smiling rather brightly with his sister. A human touch to what felt like a somewhat bare apartment otherwise.
He sighs a little and quickly changes and goes through the rest of his night routine after he makes sure the front door was properly locked. He crawls under the duvet and curls up in the soft material. He'll fall asleep and wake up and everything will be just as it was.
Somehow a home invasion by a demon seemed more inviting than that.
Exhaustion easily takes over and the man falls asleep. When he wakes up, it'll be the usual right? Getting up and getting ready for work, helping Mia get ready for school and eating breakfast together, and just going through the monotony of the day.
Surely that's how his day will go.
No pretty demon to invade his space or bother him. Nope.]
ack i'm sorry this took so long!!
An existence oath. Although he's never been bound by one before, too careful to put his life on the line like that, Dokja has read about them. Powerful magic binds two souls in a contract that only releases when the conditions are met. If one party tries to go against the agreement, they pay the price by having their soul extinguished.
The thing is, he's never heard of an involuntary oath. Usually both entities need to mutually pledge themselves. So how did he get wrapped up in one of these?
He's hoping the book will shed some light on this, but it doesn't offer much. Still, it isn't completely useless. Flipping through the pages, Dokja's voracious gaze consumes each word with haste, piecing together the nature of the tome. It seems to be a compilation of research on the infernal—an encyclopedia of all things demonic, written by a human. To any of their peers, it would probably read like mad, fantastical ramblings, but there's a surprising amount of truth to it.
There's a story as well, woven into the small anecdotes scattered throughout the book. Dokja pieces it together as he skims the pages: The author met a demon and became utterly enthralled, devoting the rest of their life to unraveling the secrets of demonkind in hopes of one day finding the object of their obsession once more. Before he can reach the climax of the tale, the scrawlings come to an end. Dissatisfied, Dokja shuts the book. What became of the author? Did they find their beloved? Or did they meet an untimely end by getting too deeply entangled with the infernal?
He gets lost in contemplating the possible outcomes, but the distraction from his own problem can only last so long. With a sigh, Dokja considers the facts of the situation once more: He's bound by some mysterious oath to a human. While seemingly unrelated, he can't completely discount the possibility that this is some kind foul play. Most importantly... If he strays too far from the human's side, he's done for.
The next course of action seems rather obvious, then.
Before long, he finds himself back in the man's apartment. Non-magical locks pose little barrier for him, allowing Dokja to quietly slip in and return to the bedroom.
The human is already sleeping, the irritated lines soothed from his face by the exhausted slumber blanketing him. He looks no more or less handsome like this, but there's a serene quality to his expression that draws Dokja's eyes for a long moment and makes him hesitant to wake him up as planned.
Well. Dokja settles on the corner of the bed. He can always further comb the book for information he may have missed while he waits for morning. It's not like he has much else to do in the meantime. ]
It's alright! Take your time if you're busy.
He doesn't remember his dreams, but there's a vague memory of the snap of wings and red eyes. A feeling of yearning that he couldn't quite place. It makes him wish for a few more minutes of sleep, but his alarm is going off that he blindly reaches out to try and at least to sleep it for a few minutes more of rest.
Maybe his paranoia is a bit much, but something feels amiss and he untangles himself from his blankets to sit up. The exhausted man rubs at his eyes and tries to wake himself up before he glances around his room and-
His eyes land on the demon at the corner of his bed.
Joonghyuk blinks once. Twice.]
...
[The taller man merely buries himself back into his blankets. This is a dream. This isn't real. The strange man who was in his room the night before wasn't real and certainly not back in his room. They said goodbye.
It's too early for this.
He groans a little. He can already feel a headache forming.]
ty for understanding!
By the time the alarm sounds, Dokja has returned to the bedroom. The grating noise is a welcome signal, stirring the human lump on the bed to consciousness. Dokja watches him rise and sense the unconcealed presence of another. Their eyes meet, and—
Maybe he should have expected that. Dokja stands from the bed to approach the groaning human's side and peel up the corner of the covers blocking him from view. ]
Rise and shine.
no subject
The only real personal belongings that Joonghyuk had worth value was probably the computer set-up he had in his room. It wasn't the flashiest or most expensive rig, but it was pretty good and would last him for awhile.
Said human was immediately glaring at Dokja from where he was curled up on his bed. The peaceful expression the man had before has long since been replaced for the man's seemingly usual frown.] You know that this is breaking and entering right? Why are you even here?
no subject
Well, considering they're stuck like this for now, maybe he shouldn't completely antagonize the guy from the get-go. ]
Funny you should ask.
[ He holds up the book that's been tucked under his arm until now. ]
I'm here because of you.
no subject
Wasn’t this already all sorted out? Hadn’t the other taken it and left back to wherever they came from?
So why are they still here?]
Cut to the chase. Explain. [He pinches the bridge of his nose as he quickly checks the time on his phone. He really doesn’t have time for this.]
no subject
It didn't just summon me. We're bound together by whatever magic you activated when you got your blood on this thing.
[ This guy wants efficiency? Then Dokja will preempt one of the questions that's sure to follow. ]
And before you ask, yes. I tried to leave like I said I would. [ It's more that he was told to leave, but that just sounds worse, okay? ] I can't.
no subject
Ignore the fact that he has to somehow accept the fact that magic even exists and that he had somehow summoned a demon using magic.
Can normal people even use magic???]
I wasn't going to ask. You don't seem like you want to be here either. [It didn't make sense for the other to leave and to come back without reason.] What do you mean we're bound together? That can just happen when this wasn't even intentional?
[Isn't magic supposed to be...convenient? This seems far from it.]
no subject
It's called an existence oath. It's supposed to be voluntary.
[ He pauses, but only for a moment. This is where facts give way to conjecture. He can't actually answer these questions, only speculate—but given the situation he's in, he needs this man to believe and cooperate with him. ]
Whoever wrote this book was working on a way to bind a demon against their will. [ At least, from the clues he could glean while poring over the tome in detail, this seems the most likely explanation. ]
no subject
Isn’t this a little too much though? Had he done something in a previous life to merit this???]
Existence oath. I don’t know what that is or what it does, but you’re saying that you’re now bound to me? [Based on whatever little context he has and what the other has said, they were now bound to him and couldn’t separate from him. That it wasn’t supposed to happen like this but something about that ratty old book has forced it.
So-] How do we fix it? There’s a way to make it so we aren’t bound together anymore right?
[Surely none of this matters if they can just break it right? There has to be a way to nullify it he imagines (because the thought that they can’t really will solidify his opinion that magic is stupid).]
no subject
Dokja nods in response to the first question, but the subsequent ones aren't so easily answered. ]
... I don't know.
[ Not technically a lie. He doesn't know for sure, but there have been cases of such magic being broken in creative ways in the past. The issue is, they either require some sort of substitute, or... death. The kind one can come back from with the right preparation and resources, of course, but death nonetheless.
Obviously he can't say that. It's too easy to imagine those beautiful yet cold eyes staring impassively at him as the man tells him, "Then perish." He inwardly shivers. No way. ]
no subject
So- [What now? What can they do?
He would question the other more about the situation, but there's a quiet knock and a soft 'Oppa?' that has Joonghyuk switching gears. Right, he needed to ready for the day. Not just himself, but his little sister too.] Go to the dining table, Mia. [Eventually, the sounds of quiet footsteps pads away.]
You can't separate from me, right? I can't have someone following me the entire day. [How is he supposed to explain to his sister why there's a stranger in their house? He can't go to work like this either. He rubs at his temples as he tries to think about what to do.] I also can't spend all day figuring out what to do.
[Even if he wanted to, the world kept spinning and he had responsibilities.]
no subject
I can make myself invisible, but not indefinitely. [ Maintaining it for long periods of time is exhausting, much more so than simply blending in with humans. ] We'll need a cover story.
[ He's just going to gloss over the assertion that Dokja can't tag along all day. It's not like he really has the option of obediently waiting for the human's return—and even if he did, he wouldn't take it. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)