forum “All my friends are demons, take it slow…” (romance oxo)

Started March 06, 2022 by @Tired-but-passionate

tune

Bailey went back to typing as he spoke, so he did not see Lucas’s expression, though his tone of voice eased him a little. It looked like this genuine interest in him had not gone away, and though he couldn’t understand it, it at least made things less awkward and anxiety inducing.
“I’m not surprised,” he said. You’re a jock.
Then he blinked and stopped typing again. Here he was, thinking Lucas was going to start talking about something he liked, but no. He just asked for more, like it wasn’t enough. Compared to how much other people asked him questions like this, this felt like an interrogation.
“Um…” he stalled. “History. It’s the one subject I’m actually interested in. Um, how about you?”

(ahhh i love them!)

"Oh cool!" Lucas could tell Bailey might have been a bit of a history nut, didn't know why, but it made sense to him, "History is pretty cool, most of the time. Ancient history is fun." He hummed as he thought of how to answer. It was obvious he liked sports, Bailey probably knew that already so he didn't have to say. When he replied Lucas seemed almost hesitant at his answer, "I uh- really like the arts, you know? All forms, really, visual, music, drama but…" He shrugged. Bailey didn't seem like the kind to judge, "dance is probably my favourite."

Bailey nearly blushed. This was so strange, getting positive feedback like this from another person his age. “Yeah, it can get depressing sometimes, but history is just as much of a comedy as it is a tragedy.”
His eyes were fixed on Lucas, and he almost forgot about typing for the essay. The other boy seemed… reluctant? Like he had been? Then he nodded. “I find the arts interesting too.” Then he couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “Dance. Of course. I can see that.”
He felt Cedrak’s presence behind him again, making the hairs on his neck stand up. Glancing over to where Sillmud was, he saw that they were staring at them with a strange, awkward looking expression on her face. Bailey swallowed, then looked back down to his laptop, afraid to say anymore.

(Hey im so sorry for completely blanking on you there! irl kinda got a bit stressful with school and surgery and a bunch of stuff - I'm trying to get back into writing but replies might be slow for a little while longer)

Lucas was taken aback slightly at Bailey's comment, though that didn't stop the slight, almost shy smile that graced him a moment later, "Really? You can see me liking dance?" He leaned back onto his hands, essay forgotten, as his laptop sat in his lap, gradually turning warm as he stared at the other boy, "Most people don't. You know, sports nut and all, anything to do with art people think I'm joking about liking that sort of thing." A small shrug and a soft chuckle. Maybe it was just his immediate friend group that thought that he didn't know, and until now he didn't really care.

Bailey shrugged, returning Lucas’s smile a little sheepishly. “But… can’t dance be a sport? It’s like, the sportiest of the arts. A sport and an art rolled into one. So if you like both, then dance is just perfect.”
He looked up from his laptop, also forgetting about the essay for a moment. “Like… I don’t know. I could see you being a ballet dancer, maybe. You have the legs, and the height.”
He could still feel Cedrak’s presence, but that inner sense of spite was coming back, and he chose to ignore the demon.

"A lot of people don't see dance as a sport." He replied. His dad, his friends, and everyone he surrounded himself with at school, "I think you're really the first person I've talked to about this that actually agrees that dance is a sport." Lucas' smile grew a fraction. It was strange for him to feel so reserved about his personality around someone else, but considering Bailey was a quiet kid, he wasn't about to grin and scream 'thank you for agreeing with me!' "The ballet is great, I'd love to see one on stage but until I go to college chances are slim on that front. Anyway, considering how late I want to start dance most companies might not even wanna take me and train me, you know?"

Bailey’s gaze flickered downward. “Ah, yes. That is true. I wish they didn’t.” He tugged on his sleeve and shrugged again. “Well, there are other kinds of dance. What do you like?”
He felt claws grip his shoulders. Cedrak was gone, and his presence was replaced by Dirgan’s growl. ”What are you even saying? Just shut up and get back to work. You’re wasting your time, talking about silly things like this. Besides, this essay should be easy for you. You’re probably annoying him, too.”
Even though he knew what Dirgan was doing to him, Bailey couldn’t stop it. He felt his blood grow cold, and his smile fell. He turned back to his laptop, but still listened for Lucas’s answer.

"Hip hop is fun," Lucas replied, watching Bailey with an intrigued sort of look. Why his smile fell he didn't know. Was he talking too much? Bored, maybe? Or was he just not interested or wanted to talk about something else? "Of course, ballet is the best since it's the classic, but hip hop is good because you get to just let loose and be free for a while." Sport was like that for him too, but there was something different about dance that he enjoyed maybe just a little more, "Anyway, I feel like I'm talking a lot about me, I wanna hear more about you, Bailey."

He managed to chuckle again. “I thought you might say that.” Bailey typed on the laptop, but nodded along to what Lucas was saying. “Yeah, I get that.”
Then he stopped. Suddenly he felt a little nervous. Maybe even scared. Did Lucas really want to know more about him? “Oh…” he looked at him, but didn’t make eye contact. “I don’t know. What do you wanna know?”
He still felt Dirgan’s claws in his shoulder, but he tried to ignore it and just focus on breathing.

"Anything," Everything. Maybe why he didn't speak to anyone at school but seemed like a normal guy from the outside, just… antisocial, "I- I get we're practically strangers to each other so, whatever you're willing to share I'll take." Lucas offered a smile, gentle, reassuring. He really did want to get to know Bailey. He seemed like such a nice guy and if he could make a friend out of this study session then Lucas would take it, and it seemed that Bailey might need a friend. He knew he could be wrong, but it was worth a shot to try.

“Oh. Um…” Bailey hesitated for a bit. He wanted to say something. It’s not that he didn’t want to share, but Dirgan’s claws were almost painful now, and half of his essay was still unwritten. And maybe, just maybe, sharing something would be the beginning of him breaking his contract.
“Well, I asked you to talk about yourself a lot, so it’s only fair that I do the same thing… i guess.” He shrugged a little. “Um. I have a cat. Her name is Smoke. I have pictures if you want to see.”

Lucas nodded, smile widening as he moved his laptop to the side, "I'd love to! Is it okay if I…" He gestured to the space beside Bailey, a silent question if it was okay to sit by him. If not that was totally okay with him, but Lucas didn't want to invade his personal space in case he wasn't comfortable with that, "I don't have any pets, Dad says they make a mess and well," He shrugged, "If he came home to find a cat or dog he'd throw a fit so, I'll take any pictures you got."

Suddenly Bailey hissed with pain and shut his eyes tight. Did Dirgan manage to actually pierce through his skin? But no, that was not within a demon’s power. When he looked, there was nothing on his shoulders, and yet he clearly felt five claws digging into them.
He just shook his head. Even if he wanted Lucas to sit by him, his height was intimidating even while they were sitting down, and Dirgan would surely make the pain unbearable. “It’s fine,” he muttered dismissively.
After he shook his head, Dirgan loosened his grip on him, and he was able to take his phone out of his pocket. Setting his laptop beside him, he scrolled a bit through his phone until he came to a stop. A small smile came to his face before he leaned forward to show Lucas. The phone showed a picture of a small, gray Scottish fold licking its paw. It almost looked like the cat was actively ignoring the one taking the photo.

Lucas couldn't help the frown that replaced his smile at Bailey's wince and hiss. He opened his mouth to ask if he was okay but by that point, Bailey was already moving on and grabbing his phone. He stayed where he was on the ground, though shuffled a little closer to get a better look at the phone and the photo. He noted the smile, and found himself glad to be seeing it again, "Awh! She's adorable." Big eyes, soft fur, Smoke did look very sweet, and Lucas wasn't surprised someone like Bailey would have a cat such as that, "Is she a cuddly one? I know some cats hate that stuff and prefer to be alone."

“Yes, she is,” Bailey chuckled. He rubbed his shoulder, despite the phantom claws. “Ah, she’s… a selective cuddler. She cuddles with me and my dad, but never my mom. And with people outside of my family, it just depends on how cuddly they are in return, I guess.” He brought the phone back and put it back in his pocket.
The pain got worse. Shoulda kept your mouth shut, kid. Bailey grunted and rubbed his shoulder again. “It doesn’t matter,” he whispered under his breath. “Sharing a photo doesn’t mean that much.”

Lucas chuckled softly, "Most cats are. One of my mates has a cat who's a complete asshole. Hates everyone and everything and really only stays around for the food, you're lucky yours isn't like that." He leant back on his hands, head tilting softly to the side as his brows furrowed at Bailey's grunt, "Hey, are you okay? If you're in pain I have some painkillers. Or I can take you home," He shrugged. Even though he felt like he'd barely gotten to know him, if something, if Lucas, was making him uncomfortable in any way then he didn't want to force Bailey to stay, "If you wanna go. I'm sure I'll get the hang of this essay thing eventually."

“Yeah. I love her a lot.” Bailey glanced to the side, and saw Sillmud laying easily on the bed with crossed legs with closed eyes and a small smile, clearly feeding on his pain. He frowned for a moment, still rubbing his shoulder. “What? I’m fine. My shoulder just hurts a little, it’s not a big deal.” He took a breath, then focused his gaze on Lucas. “Besides, you’re supposed to help me out too. I still need to do the math homework.”