"WHAT THE FUCK IS wrong with you?! Didn't I tell you to leave already?" Taeil angrily shouted at the man who kept on following him.

     "Taeil, at least listen to me before I leave." The man stated, grabbing Taeil's hand to stop him. But Taeil only pushed him away, "The plane will not wait for you asshole. What you're about to say can wait."

     "No Taeil, just listen okay? Even if I leave, even if you broke up with me, I just wanted to say that-"

     The alarm clock suddenly sets off. Taeil opened his eyes but immediately closed it when the light shined on his face. He scratched his eyes and adjusted to the light before looking around the unfamiliar room.

     The bedroom was the cleanest bedroom Taeil had ever seen. The walls and ceiling had a creamy white color, there was a chandelier in the middle of the room, the bed covers were soft and white as well, and there was a huge mirror in the middle. He also saw something above the mirror. Taeil already knew where he was the moment he saw it because above the enormous mirror was a crucifix. And only an Arc would hang that in their room. 

     Taeil sat up straight and stretched his arms as he yawned. 

     When he saw his reflection on the mirror, he finally remembered something important. How on earth did he get here? All he remembered was that a ghoul almost attacked him, but then Woohyun and Jihoon...

     Taeil quickly stopped his thoughts. Of course! Woohyun and Jihoon brought him here! Who else would bring a Demon to their home?

     "I better get back before my brothers find out I went missing," Taeil stated as he was about to stand up from the bed, but the door opened, making him completely stop.

     "Good morning demon. I wanted to bring you a tray of delicious food but...I'm not that kind of man."

     Taeil was shocked to see who it was. Because the man who entered was the Arc's leader, Yong Junhyung.

     "Woohyun and Jihoon told me everything that happened last night. Then they said you fainted and they didn't know where you lived so they brought you here," Junhyung explained.

     Taeil finally stood up from the bed. He realized that he was in a different set of clothes, which was a lot bigger than his normal size. But before he could react to what he was wearing, he looked back at the angel and said, "You should have left me outside. We're still enemies remember?"

      Junhyung chuckled and sat down on the chair just in front of the bed, "Don't worry, we didn't do anything to you. Well, not in this house. This is practically the house of angels. The house of good. I'm shocked you haven't burned yet."

     When Junhyung said those words, Taeil glared at him, making Junhyung clear his throat and take his words back, "Obviously that was just a joke. If we wanted to leave you there our conscience would haunt us.  And like what I said before, I made a promise to Jackson, and I don't plan on breaking that promise."

     Taeil looked away when he heard of the word 'Jackson'. He remembered that he still wasn't in a good relationship with his best friend. When Junhyung saw his expression, his face changed into something soft and said, "What's happening Taeil? I know something's up with you guys, but is it true that it's because of...Mark?"

     Taeil didn't answer for a few seconds, but he decided that answering him won't hurt, "We do have a problem, and I assure you that it's not because of Mark. Well, not entirely because of Mark. Don't be bothered by Sunggyu's words. He only said that because he was afraid. All of us are afraid. So all you guys could do right now is leave us alone."

     This time, Junhyung stood up so he could be closer to Taeil. When he was standing a meter away from him, he said, "At least let us help you. There must be a way that we could pay you back the kindness you have done for me and for my brothers."

     Taeil clenched his fist and looked at Junhyung with hatred and pain, "Our kindness is the cause of our current problem! So an angel like you can't offer us anything else because you can never understand how hard it is to be forced to be the bad guy!"

     Junhyung was shocked by what Taeil just said. He took a step back on the shock of Taeil's reaction because when Taeil wiped his cheeks, he saw blood.

     "A...blood tear," Junhyung stated, almost like a whisper.

     When Taeil saw the blood, he quickly wiped the blood off with the shirt he was wearing and said, "I-I'm sorry...I...I just had a tough night. So could you just give me my-"

     Without anything to say, Junhyung grabbed Taeil's arm and pulled him for a hug. Taeil was shocked by the action of the upper ranked angel. He didn't know if this was real or just because of pity. But for a few seconds, Taeil felt good, maybe even safe.

     "If there is nothing that we could do, then as you and your brothers had wished...we won't do anything for your sake. All I could say is: We will reach out to you if you feel like drowning. Because no ocean is too deep for those who are willing to help," Junhyung sincerely declared, almost making Taeil cry again.

     Junhyung finally lets go of him. He wiped the remaining tears on Taeil's face and gave him a smile. Taeil wanted to say thank you but his mouth just couldn't open, like saying thank you to an angel was the biggest sin a demon could ever do.

     "Well, your clothes are in the bathroom. You could take a shower too," Junhyung said as he pointed at a door on the left, "I hope even for a few hours, this house erased some of the problems you're having right now. I won't ask you about it, and I'll instruct my brothers to not ask about it as well. We're enemies, like what our fathers said, but right now..."

     Junhyung didn't continue but smiled at Taeil instead. Then Junhyung went to the door and grabbed the doorknob. But before completely leaving the scene, he looked back at Taeil for the last time and stated, "By the way, this was Jihoon's room. No one has ever slept on that boy's bed before because he's such a clean freak. But looks like you were an exception." Then Junhyung winked, making Taeil confused on what he just said.

     "What do you mean?" Taeil asked innocently.

     "You and Jihoon slept the whole night together. The clothes you're wearing are his too. But I don't think he'd be happy to see bloodstains on his clean white clothes." Then Junhyung finally closed the door and left Taeil alone inside Jihoon's room.

     Taeil slowly turned his head to see the bed he just slept on last night. The image of him and Jihoon sleeping together popped inside his head, making him flustered. He quickly removed the thought away from his head and ran to the bathroom. When he entered the bathroom, his jaw dropped, "How rich are these Arcs?"

     Taeil stripped his clothes and took a bath. Afterward, he wore his clothes back. He even washed Jihoon's shirt to remove the bloodstain and hanged it to dry. He took a small towel hanging on the side and used it to dry his hair. He was ready to leave, but when he got out of the bathroom, he saw Jihoon fixing the bed. His presence alone made Taeil feel tense.

     "Looks like you're awake," Jihoon stated with a low voice, making Taeil flinch. He didn't know what to answer the angel so he kept quiet.

     After Jihoon was finished fixing the bed, he stared back at Taeil who was staring back at him too. The two started to stare at each other, but it was cut off when Jihoon threw Taeil's glasses at him, which he thankfully caught (It was new).

     "Are you gonna stare at me like that or are you gonna move?" Jihoon finally asked.

     Taeil blinked rapidly and snapped back to reality. He cleared his throat and said, "Sorry."

     Jihoon moved closer to him until his face was only inches away from him. Taeil gulped as Jihoon stared back at him with his killer eyes. Then Jihoon snatched the towel Taeil was holding and said, "Breakfast is ready."

     Jihoon moved away from him and threw the towel on a basket full of dirty clothes. He looked at Taeil once again and told him; "Don't walk alone at night if you know your life's in danger. Woohyun and I won't be walking the streets at night forever."

     Taeil just nodded as a reply. He really didn't know what to say. He wanted to ask questions, but words just couldn't come out. When Jihoon saw Taeil's confused expression, his face softened. He thought that Taeil was scared of him.

     "Don't be afraid. We don't just attack freely. We still do have instructions. If our Fathers told me to kill you, then I wouldn't have tucked you in last night," Jihoon answered, hoping it would relax Taeil in any way.

     "A-Alright," Taeil stated.

     "Good," Jihoon simply replied. 

     Taeil stood on the corner of the room like a lost child. Jihoon didn't want to pressure him, but he knew why he was so awkward with him, "Last night you called me hyung, and then you fainted at that exact moment. I wanna know why. Have I ever done something that made you think I could be a big brother figure to you?"

     Taeil suddenly blushed when he remembered what happened last night. He wanted to punch himself for saying something as stupid as that.

     "N-No, I just remembered someone. That's all," Taeil answered, his voice with a hint of uncertainty.

     "Who?" Jihoon continued to ask. It was obvious that he wasn't going to let this slide so easily.

     "Why do you want to know anyway Pyo Jihoon?" Taeil asked instead, relieved that he came up with something that makes him not answer Jihoon's killer question.

      Jihoon looked out the window and sighed, "It just confused me. That's all."

     Taeil looked at him with disbelief. He wanted to know why Jihoon felt confused about it. But just when he was about to open his mouth, the door suddenly swung open, making both of them look at the direction of the doorframe.

     "Hey, you two. Everyone's waiting downstairs," said Mark who just entered the room. And then he looked at Taeil with a smile and said, "Good morning demon."

     Taeil nodded awkwardly as Mark looked back at Jihoon with a glare, "I'm serious. We're all hungry," and then he closed the door and left the two as if nothing happened.

     "Well, you heard him. Let's go."

     The two went downstairs and headed to the dining room where they saw the rest of the Arcs. They were seated at a long antique table that resembled the last supper. The angels were on both sides, while their guardian Dongmin - who Taeil saw for the first time - sat in the middle. Taeil had to stare at him for a couple of seconds just so he could register his face.

     "Looks like Taeil's the first Demon to ever enter our residence. He even slept here," Woohyun pointed out with a smirk on his face.

     "Feeling at home Lee Taeil?" Dongmin asked as he gestured at a chair where he expected Taeil to sit. 

     Taeil nodded politely and sat down beside Seunghyun and Sungjae. He didn't want to be disrespectful or piss anyone off. This was basically their territory. Even if Taeil's powers were strong, he wouldn't stand a chance against seven strong angels, and to add up, their guardian was there too.

     Jihoon sat down as well, and then everyone placed their hands together to bless the food. They closed their eyes and recited their prayer before meals. 

     Taeil just sat down quietly, but as the prayer was going on, his chest started aching. At that moment he remembered that he was a demon, and angels are basically surrounding him. But Taeil sat still. He endured the pain while the Arcs did their prayer. He didn't want to act rude and interrupt them.

     When the Arcs were finished saying grace, Seunghyun saw Taeil gripping the bread knife. It was a good thing it wasn't that sharp or Taeil would have been cut by now.

     "Guys, it seems like we forgot we have a Demon for a visitor," Seunghyun stated as everyone looked at Taeil.

     The Arcs realized what was going on and started to have concerned looks. As the leader, Junhyung apologized on their behalf, but Taeil didn't see the point of him apologizing. It's not like they offended him or anything.

     "We're sorry about our carelessness. We should have thought of your side," Junhyung stated.

     "It's alright, no need to apologize," Taeil honestly answered.

     Dongmin took a sip of his morning wine and looked back at everyone, "Well, let's eat then."

     All the Arcs started eating. Taeil looked at his dish and found out it was all vegetables.

     "These guys are freaking vegetarian?" he thought to himself. But he grabbed his chopstick and ate it anyway.

     "So Lee Taeil, I've heard about the ghouls. Junhyung asked me not to ask about your problems, but can I ask you something else?" Dongmin suddenly asked. 

     Taeil took the last bite of his tomato and nodded as approval. So Dongmin puts his chopsticks down and looked at Taeil seriously. Then he started his question, "Where's Kharon? I haven't seen him in a while. Or is Kharon part of the problem you Demons are having right now? Am I right, Lee Taeil?"

     Taeil didn't say a word but nodded once more. This made the Arcs stop eating and started to listen to their guardian and Taeil's conversation.

      "Here's my next question. Your king of hell instructed ghouls to kill you because he realized that you're not the demons that he expected you to be. He thought that giving you great powers will make you all follow him blindly, but that wasn't the case, correct?" 

     Taeil dropped his chopstick, shocked when he heard Dongmin say those words. The Arcs were twice as shocked when they heard it come out of their guardian's mouth as well.

     "H-How did you-"

     "I knew it this was coming sooner than later," Dongmin stated instead.

     "I thought you weren't going to ask about the problem we're having right now?" Taeil asked as he now looked straight at Dongmin's eyes.

     "I didn't ask about it. I asked a question that I think was not related to your problem. But based on your reaction, you just answered the question you didn't want to hear," Dongmin stated as he took another sip of his wine.

     Taeil clenched his fist under the table. He knew that this was going to happen. He knew that he was going to be pushed on a wall, but he just wasn't careful enough.

     Dongmin saw Taeil's reaction, so he sighed and didn't say anything for a few seconds to calm him down. When he saw that Taeil finally loosened up, he continued, "I did not mean to force you to answer me Lee Taeil. I'm talking about this because I'm sadly older than you and I know a few things that you don't. I want to share some information that might help. You and your brothers said that you didn't want the Arcs to help, and I understand that. But I guess you don't mind if I help instead."

     Dongmin paused for a few seconds but quickly continued so Taeil couldn't react to what he was about to say.

NOTE: If it's not already obvious, this is fiction, so please don't correct me. This is just how we decide the story would go.

     "Let me tell you a story Taeil. Once upon a time, there lived 8 Archangels. These Archangels followed the Lord and gave grace to the people on earth. One day, the 8th Archangel named Cherub, wanted to be greater than the God Himself. God was a listener and granted the Archangel's wish, so He created Cherub a place for him to use his own powers, but Cherub used it for evil. And now he rules the said place.

     The fallen Archangel started spreading evil, so God decided to destroy him. There, the 12 apostles were born. These twelve apostles were chosen and given the mission to destroy the fallen Angel, which you now call "King of Hell". They were trained to defeat Cherub, and the Archangel's personally molded them to be fine soldiers of God. When Cherub heard about it, he immediately created his seven rulers. And these seven rulers were chosen from the now corrupted world, and those are your fathers.

     Your father's and the Twelve Apostles fought each other until the Seven Deadly Rulers defeated them. And now, everyone calls the 12 Apostles as The 12 original Fathers who fought for the greater good of the world.

     For the evil's victory, the Seven Rulers were given Realms to rule and slaves for them to be followed, as a 'gift' from Cherub. But the catch was, they had to tempt and rule the realms forever.

     A few years later, the biggest mistake was made, and you and your 'brothers' were born, the Seven Deadly Sons. When the Lord heard about this, he asked the seven Archangels to give women who could not bear children a child as a gift. The mothers were fully aware of what was going to happen to their firstborn child, which was hard for the mothers to accept. But if you're asking, the Lord gave them the gift to have a child with the person they love afterward. 

     Anyways, let's continue...

     When the Arcs were born, they were already trained and instructed to terminate the newborn children of the Seven Rulers. Because God did not want to repeat the same mistakes that happened to the 12 apostles. When Cherub realized that the Seven Sons weren't like his Seven Deadly Rulers, he had a great plan to destroy you before you could destroy him. The end."

     When Dongmin was done with his storytelling, Taeil and the rest of the Arcs fell silent. Taeil was the only one who didn't know about this story so he was a lot more surprised compared to the Arcs.

     "If he wanted us dead, why did we reach 18? Why did he give us such amazing powers?" Taeil asked, confused about that fact.

     "He was testing you. Like I already said, he thought he could control you. He thought he could bribe the seven of you, but you didn't take the bait. Now he wants to dispose of you before you all grow stronger." Dongmin explained further.

     Taeil couldn't say anything. He couldn't believe something that looked cool and fun before now became something so serious.

     "I hope this helps you in making your new plans. And I hope you can tell this information to your brothers as well. Open your eyes demon. We are not the real enemy anymore," Dongmin seriously told him.

     Taeil was mind blown on what he just found out. All he wanted to do right now was to run to his brothers and tell them what he just found out.

     "Now, let's continue with our breakfast," Dongmin casually stated, and everyone did continue. They started talking and pretended like nothing happened. Taeil, on the other hand, slowly ate his breakfast. His mind was already starting to formulate a plan for the Demons to use. But Taeil knew what he had to do first. 

     He and the rest of his brothers needed to talk to their Fathers again.

*****

"Well, we hope you enjoyed your stay at our residence. We would gladly welcome you again," Dongmin stated, and Taeil bowed in front of him as a sign of thank you.

     Junhyung went in front of Taeil and patted his shoulder, "Good luck to you and your brothers," then he looked back at Jihoon and continued, "And you walk him home."

     Jihoon stopped drinking his water and immediately complained, "What? Why me?! Can't you make Lay do it instead?"

     Lay glared at Jihoon's suggestion, "Seriously?"

     Seunghyun looked at Jihoon as well, "Just do it. You're the only one in this group who's close with Mr. Lee Taeil." He stated, and everyone agreed.

     "I am not fucking close to him!" Jihoon quickly defended.

    The angels were arguing with each other that Taeil just took a deep breath and started walking away, making Jihoon chase after him and accepting the duty of walking him home.

     "Okay, I'll do it." He stated, letting go of Taeil's arm.

     Before the two of them could leave, Dongmin said his last words, "Remember Taeil. Cherub is not equal to our God. He is lower than that. Remind him of his place, and he will surely fall once and for all."

     Taeil nodded his head and looked at the Arcs one by one.

     "T-Thank you...Arcs," Taeil finally said. Then he smiled at the Arcs who happily smiled back at him. He bowed again and finally left, Jihoon following right beside him.

     While they were walking, Jihoon didn't say anything. He had his hands in his pockets, and his expression looked unpleasant that Taeil was forced to address it.

     "What the fuck is up with you, and why are you always mad at me?" Taeil finally asked. After what happened earlier, he felt more comfortable with the Arcs. But that didn't include Pyo Jihoon.

     "I'm not mad," Jihoon finally answered, "You just make me think. And I don't like it when people make me think."

     "What do you mean by that? Is it because of the hyung thing? Did it affect you so much?" Taeil asked, and Jihoon nodded with no hesitation, surprising Taeil at how direct he was. Taeil sighed and looked at the sky while they were walking. Maybe it was about time he explained why he called him that.

     "It's my turn to tell a story. You might or might not know about it but I'll risk it," Taeil finally stated.

    Jihoon walked silently and readied himself so he could listen attentively to what Taeil had to say.

     "It wasn't always Jackson and me. There was...another guy. I couldn't remember his face or his name. All I knew was that I liked him a lot and he liked me back. Until one day he had to leave Tokyo for the sake of his dream of becoming famous. I guess we had a fight because of that one..."

     Jihoon suddenly stopped him as he asked, "You guess? You're not even sure?"

     Taeil shook his head and simply answered, "Nope."

     "What?! I don't get it!"

     "Well, I only had dreams about it. And I once dreamt that I was brought to the hospital and I almost died too, but I don't know the reason either. Maybe it was because of an accident. I don't know," Taeil continued to share.

     "So, you think you had amnesia because of that accident?" Jihoon asked.

     "That can be the only explanation, right? But I clearly felt the emotion, the pain, the happiness, and the love that I shared with him. I remembered them like I was living it all over again," Taeil explained further.

     Jihoon didn't say anything else like something finally hits him. It was like he finally found the missing piece of his puzzle. But when he noticed Taeil looking confused, he quickly said something so he wouldn't think of any conclusions yet since he too wasn't sure about it.

     "Then what?" he quickly asked.

     "Then that's it. You don't remember don't you?" Taeil asked as he stopped walking. Jihoon stopped as well and looked at Taeil, and then both of them stared at each other's eyes.

     "Do you?" Taeil asked once more.

     Jihoon quickly looked away to avoid Taeil's eyes before answering him, "Why would I remember something like that? I wasn't even there." Then Jihoon started walking again. 

     Taeil followed, and the two were silent as they walked. But Taeil didn't want their conversation to end just yet, "Then why are you reacting like that? You know what I'm talking about, don't you?"

     "I don't okay. If you think I'm the hyung you've been dreaming about then you're wrong. You've got the wrong guy," Jihoon tried to say.

     Taeil stopped and quickly grabbed Jihoon's arm to stop him, "Then why? Why do you have the guitar pick that was supposed to be mine? Hmm, Pyo Jihoon?"

     Jihoon didn't look at Taeil. He just kept his mouth shut as Taeil was desperate to hear his answer.

     "Please tell me it was you. Please tell me that you were the man I fell in love with," Taeil now begged. But still, Jihoon didn't answer.

     Taeil now looked impatient. He clenched his fist and shouted, "I need to know Jihoon! Tell me it was you!"

     Jihoon finally turned around and faced Taeil with pain and hurt. But before he could say anything, someone suddenly pushed him and pulled Taeil's arm away from him.

     "What are you doing with this guy Taeil?!" The man angrily asked him. Taeil looked at the man who pulled him and said, "Let go of me Jackson."

     "Your mother was fucking worried about you and called all of us, do you know that?" Jackson stated with anger in his voice.

     "Were you with him?" Jackson asked as he pointed at Jihoon, but Taeil didn't answer.

     "I think we need to talk." Jackson started dragging Taeil away from Jihoon, but before Taeil would completely disappear from Jihoon's sight, he looked back at Jihoon with a sad expression, and then he was gone.

     Jihoon stood frozen in the middle of the street. His heart was beating fast as he realized something he should have realized sooner. After so long, he finally found the boy that he was looking for. But why wasn't he happy about it? 

     Jihoon knew that it wasn't just Taeil's dream. It was a memory. The only problem was, Jihoon was never even part of it like what Taeil thought.

     "I knew it. Jiho-hyung, I think I found out who your 'T' was," Jihoon stated as he took out something from his pocket. He stared at the guitar pick for a while, and then he clenched on it and ran.

- END -