Bryn blinked blearily at the phone for a few seconds before he shrugged and wandered back into the bar, chatting up a nice looking man with glasses and a cute haircut for a few drinks. He ended up going home with the guy, dozing off next to him in bed after they'd tired each other out and not waking up until late into the next day.
Zack woke up pretty early the next day, and decided to fuck it all and go find something for him to do. Most Demons were busy with just one Contract, but Zack liked having money, so he went out to get a second. It was a simple ‘watch my kid for me’ which he actually enjoyed doing. He dropped by the house to make sure the idiot wasn’t back before wandering off again to the mall to see if any Humans needed anything. He actually picked up an interesting one of a chick who needed a guy dead. Fun, alright. This would take most of his day, and he was happy to devote himself to it, forgetting all else in a plan to hunt her stalker down.
Bryn lounged around happily, falling into easy conversation with the man once he got home from work. The guy's name was Marcus. He was an analyst. He had two cats. Bryn didn't care for much besides the basics, there were other things he'd rather be doing, and Marcus never offered much more. Still, it was better than sitting around with Zack all day and being pissy. Marc was a nice guy. He cooked Bryn omelets for dinner and didn't get too offended when Bryn got pissy during conversation as long as he apologized afterward.
Zack took this girl to dinner and paid with the money he was given from his morning Contract, talking to her about specifics as they helped themselves to the fancy buffet they visited in the mall. The buffet was packed and busy so their conversation was masked well.
When they finished Zack decided he had enough information to complete his task. They set up a meeting place and he limped gracefully from the restaurant (he had assured it wouldn’t affect the Contract).
He found the man at an apartment complex eating a sad bowl of dry cereal. He had been after his Contractess because of her money and beauty (the woman was about thirty and married a few times, while the man was in his early twenties).
Marc left to do… something, Bryn had been too busy playing with his hair to really notice, and he was starting to get bored. He'd been instructed to ask the neighbor, some creepy guy with a life that seemed less together than Bryn's, if he needed anything and Marc's place didn't have any booze so… worth a shot. He knocked on the guy's door, hoping he'd be less weird during daylight. Last night he'd been pouring over some grainy, far away shots of a pretty lady while Bryn and Marc fumbled their way inside, and Bryn was at least 80% sure he was some kind of stalker.
Zack started and hid in the shadow of the curtains, having already made his way inside. He curled his wings around his body and hid like a giant, deep shadow, inhaling deeply while the guy stood up with a clatter and holding his breath. The target’s name was Ryn and he was really quite haughty, with the aura of someone you did not want to be associated with. He had lank brown hair that hadn’t been cut in a while, dull grey eyes that seemed to stare into nothingness all the time. He opened his door and looked down at Bryn, frowning a little, recognizing the squatter man from the bar.
“What’s up?” He asked dully, not really in the mood for conversation. He was busy.
Bryn slapped on his most agreeable smile, slightly ruffled but still clean. He was considerably happier than normal, well-rested and fed for the first time in months. "Hi! I'm Bryn, Marc's… friend from last night. He told me to come over if I needed anything and I was wondering if I could borrow a six-pack. I swear I'll pay you back, I just want to have something for him when he gets home. You know how he is, always so stressed, I wanna make sure he can unwind a little."
Zack sat back against the wall, resisting the urge to just kill them both (he was an annoyed Demon, okay?) instead of wasting his time.
Ryn sighed and stepped back into the apartment, glancing around. “I don’t know if I have any more.” They had taken the stuff that he was willing to share and not to mention the noise they made last night made him reluctant to even answer his door to Bryn and Marcus. He didn’t invite the other inside, just stood in the way. “Are you sure you can’t just go and get it yourself?”
Bryn shrugged with a sheepish smile. He made no moves to get inside, honestly a little scared of what he'd find in there. Sure, it could be a normal apartment, but it could also be plastered in freaky stalker photos with a shrine to the lady set up on the kitchen counter or something. "I'm not too familiar with the area, sorry. I wouldn't be bothering you if I knew about anywhere else. I don't want to take too much off your hands either. Can't you just slip in and grab me something? I can make it worth your while."
“There’s one down the street when it curves off into Dayton. I don’t have anything,” He lied gruffly, frowning. “If you have money to pay me back surely you’d be able to just get a pack yourself.”
Zack couldn’t be more thankful for the fact that Ryn was very standoffish. Of course most people in his area were, but in this circumstance Zack was quite glad. Especially towards Bryn, who Zack was tempted to just ditch so he could go back home.
Bryn laughed and raised an eyebrow at the obvious lie. He remembered Ryn grumbling yesterday about how they were taking half his stock, which meant there was something in there. "I wouldn't be bothering you if I could just slip down to the liquer store and buy Marc some beer. Payday's two days from now, I'll have money then. Or, if you'd like, I could offer some other kind of favor."
“If you can’t slip to the liquor store then maybe it’s best you don’t have anything to drink at all,” Ryn huffed frostily. “And I don’t need any favors. I’ve got everything quite under control.” Mostly because he didn’t have money himself, and wasn’t so keen on giving the rest of his drinks away before he could get more (which was in a few weeks). Ryn did not laugh with the other, but rather he started to close the door without saying good-bye.
Bryn shrugged and backed away from Ryn's quickly disappearing head with a cold smile. "Thanks anyway. And good luck with your girl. Chicks really dig a stalker, I'm sure you'll be getting lucky with her in no time."
Zack rolled his eyes and wasted no time when Ryn passed under his hiding spot, standing up straight (the curtains catching onto his back and almost covering his head) as he sank his long teeth into the Human’s neck before he could scream. He pulled the Human up by his neck, holding the wounds he made with a tight grip as he healed them with a soft muttered spell as he pulled rope from a closet. He didn’t want to think about what he was going to do with it, but instead placed the dead Human on the table and tied a noose. He went and pulled it over a strong beam in his bedroom and hung him from it, wiping his hands neatly and putting on gloves before cleaning up the apartment from any traces. Demons were quite neat killers with magic and all. He swiftly ducked under the window and dropped down carefully, sill to sill and landing smoothly on the pavement under.
Bryn didn't bother with Ryn after the door was shut, instead retreating into Marc's kitchen and starting to cook him dinner. He got a ride home after, letting Marc extract a promise to meet up again before he retreated inside with a dreamy little sigh. Some guys were just so… good. It was hard to believe he'd managed to snag one, even if it was only for a little while.
Zack met up with the girl and accepted payment, smiling and assuring her she was safe for now. She gave him her number— which took him off guard quite a lot— and they both went their separate ways. Zack wanted to be back before Bryn to pack up his things and alert his parents he was finally returning. He didn’t remember when he actually decided to do this, but it was preferable. He’d been doing this for a while and the last few Contracts were his tipping point for sure. He shoved some clothes in a bag and left the snacks, grabbing some paper to start writing.
(I'm heading to bed, goodnight!)
Bryn pushed the door open and strolled inside, plopping down on the couch in his typical fashion. He didn't see Zack. He was probably out working or collecting contracts or whatever it was demons did when nobody else was watching, so Bryn felt no shame at all in turning on some trashy reality TV and relaxing into the cushions.
(‘Night!)
Zack appeared out of his room, holding his book bag and looking stony faced as he entered the living room. He hadn’t thought of anything to write, and he was saved by trying to be awkward about it.
“I’m leaving,” He growled, without a greeting, holding his bag high on his shoulder. He slapped the paper down that actually had his phone number on it. “My number’s on this. But don't bother unless it’s an emergency.”
Bryn frowned but didn't try to stop him. Instead, he reached across to grab the paper and carefully look over the number. It was useless to stop Zack, he'd clearly made up his mind, so all Bryn could really do was make sure he was going somewhere safe. "Can I ask why? And also where you're going to go once you're out of my house?"
“I’m going home,” He growled frostily, watching him take it. “I’m obviously not from up here, and I’m tired of it.” He walked towards the door, wondering why Bryn even cared. He clearly didn’t need a Demon companion because he had found a Human one. Honestly, he didn’t expect it to last too long, hence why he gave Bryn his number in case he ‘wanted’ someone.
Bryn took a second to process and then nodded, peering down at the number once more. "I suppose you won't want to visit," he said wryly, tucking the paper into his phone case with a soft look. Zack annoyed him, but it was also nice to have him around. Even if he was a bastard most of the time. "Believe it or not, I think I'll miss you."
“Why would you?” He shot at him, glancing at him once. “I’m sure you wouldn’t be too lonely, with your new friend,” He teased, a slight, warm grin crossing his gruff features nevertheless. What Bryn had said made him feel a bit better about being up here.
Bryn laughed, shaking his head. "Marc's nice but… I dunno, he's just not you. Things with him aren't as fun. And he lets me give him too much shit. I'll break his heart." He sighed, the easy smile drifting off his face. He didn't want to hurt Marc, but he could already see their future. Things with him always ended like this, it was inevitable. "You know better than to give me yours."
Zack’s eyebrows shot up at the second comment, humming a little and leaning back on the heels of his feet.
“Give you what of mine?” He quizzed after a few moments of how to word the question. He was somewhat intent on the answer. It sounded as if Bryn was just gonna ditch his Human friend out of the blue for nothing.
"Your heart. Or your affections. Love, maybe. Tolerance, feelings, whatever you want to call it." Bryn shrugged. "It's going to end badly with Marc, I can already tell. I'm too bitchy, he's too sweet. He cares too much too fast, I'm going to get flaky and then he'll be… unhappy." His frown deepened. "I really don't wanna make him unhappy."
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