jaemin helped the crying demon change into more comfortable clothes for the night.

the sun had set completely during their talk about the 'life diving board'.

now the night was colder and scarier.

but jaemin didn't care much. he needed to reassure donghyuck.

the boy had been crying ever since he told jaemin about his loss.

"nana..."

jaemin turned around at the voice that had called him.

he smiled, before approaching the sad demon.

"yes donghyuck?"

"come here..."

the demon patted his lap, asking jaemin to come and have a sit there.

the human listened to his demon, straddling the male to face him while sitting on his lap.

jaemin used his thumbs to wipe the demon's tears away.

"stop crying, donghyuck..." jaemin whispered. "i'm here to help you..."

"i didn't want her to leave me..." donghyuck sighed.

"i didn't want them to leave me either..."

"it seems like they always do..."

"what?"

"leave..." donghyuck mumbled. "the ones you love are always the first ones to leave..."

jaemin rested his forehead on donghyuck's shoulders, letting tears fall from his eyes in silence.

donghyuck was crying too, because jaemin could feel droplets of water falling onto his nape.

they both cried in silence for a while.

jaemin thinking about his parents.

donghyuck thinking about his sisters.

they both had lost their families way too early.

they both had lost the ones they loved in an unfortunate way.

but they couldn't do anything about it now...

it was too late.

"nana..." donghyuck called.

"yeah...?"

"i don't want to lose you..."

jaemin sighed.

he didn't want to lose donghyuck either.

actually, he couldn't imagine a world without donghyuck.

he recalled their arguments days ago.

he recalled living without donghyuck.

he recalled feeling miserable...

and now that he was sure he had feelings for the demon, he couldn't even imagine what life would be without him by his side...

"i don't want to lose you either..." jaemin replied, tightening his embrace on donghyuck's body.

"i'm so scared..." donghyuck mumbled. "as i said, the ones you love are always the first to leave... and i love you so much..."

more tears fell from jaemin's eyes.

donghyuck had confessed.

it wasn't the first time actually. jaemin knew that the demon had feelings for him.

and now, he could say that he returned them.

now he was sure that he did.

"i love you too, donghyuck." jaemin whispered, sitting up to look at donghyuck in the eyes.

the demon had his eyes red and puffy, and his bottom lip was quivering madly.

he looked so broken, and yet so beautiful.

"i don't intend to let you go so soon." jaemin continued.

"you love me...?" donghyuck repeated, still not believing the human's words.

jaemin nodded, wiping his eyes with the back of his sleeve.

"i do love you, donghyuck. more than i have ever loved anybody..." jaemin told.

donghyuck's eyes watered again, making more pearly tears cascading on his cheeks.

"what about him...?"

"NA...?" jaemin asked, wanting to make sure he had understood what donghyuck was asking.

"yes..."

jaemin nodded shyly, images of the night before flashing in his mind.

"he loves you too." jaemin replied.

donghyuck smiled looking at jaemin in the eyes.

the demon cupped jaemin's cheeks, pulling the boy's face closer to his.

"may i?" he asked huskily.

jaemin gulped, nodding his head shyly as his eyes were mesmerized by the wonderful sight of donghyuck's lips.

donghyuck passed an arm around jaemin's waist, pulling the boy closer as he placed his lips on jaemin's soft ones.

the kiss was nothing like those they had exchanged the days before.

this time, it was a sweet and innocent kiss, lips shyly moving against each other while both boys poured all their love. it was beautiful, and it felt amazing.

donghyuck pulled jaemin harder against his body, making their chest touch as he licked jaemin's bottom lip, asking for permission to roam his tongue into the human's mouth.

jaemin opened his mouth shyly, giving access to the hungry demon.

jaemin could feel NA trying to surface and take over his body, but jaemin knew what the kiss would turn into if he let NA take control.

and so, for the first time ever, he fought against his dominant persona, thankfully managing to prevent NA to take jaemin's place.

"i love you, nana..." donghyuck said once the two boys parted. "i love you so much..."

"i love you too, donghyuck." jaemin added, pecking donghyuck's lips one last time.

𝙽𝙰

jaemin looked at the peaceful view from the top of the 'life diving board' cliff.

he was seated on a rock a few meters away from the car where donghyuck was.

"nana?"

jaemin turned around, seeing donghyuck hading him something.

"you phone is ringing."

the human walked to donghyuck, sitting inside the boot of the car next to the demon.

he looked at the screen, his eyes widening immediately.

"it's mina." he told.

"what could she want?" donghyuck asked.

"i have no clue..."

"answer."

jaemin nodded, using his thumb to accept the call.

he put the phone on speaker so that donghyuck could hear everything.

"jaemin?"

jaemin gulped. "h-hello..."

"is that you?"

"yeah... it's me..."

"please... tell me this is all a misunderstanding..." her voice was shaky, and jaemin knew she had been crying.

"i'm so sorry, mina..."

"so, this is real?"

"i'm scared it is..."

"i can't believe what the media say, jaemin..."

"but you have to, mina. i am NA. i am a killer. i killed some innocent people!"

"you're lying..."

jaemin sighed.

mina was crying on the other side of the phone.

"it's false... you're too pure to be someone like NA..."

"and you're too innocent to imagine i cannot do those things mina..."

the girl sniffed a few times, not talking through the device.

jaemin was about to speak again and hang up when she spoke.

"where are you...?" she asked.

jaemin looked at donghyuck, the demon mouthing him a 'no'.

"i'm moving around, trying to find somewhere to stay..." jaemin replied.

"are you going to come back...?"

"why would i?"

"i don't know... to see me?"

jaemin looked at donghyuck guiltily.

mina had feelings for him.

she had just confirmed it.

"mina, i'm sorry..." jaemin mumbled, intertwining his fingers with donghyuck's.

"we got him. taebaek mountains." a male voice said on the line.

jaemin's eyes widened, meeting donghyuck's panicked ones.

"i am sorry too, jaemin..." she added in a hushed voice. "enjoy your stay in the mountains while it lasts... the police won't be too long to get there."