"Are you sure he was alone?"
"If you ask me that question one more time, Hak, I'm going to cut your wings off," said Jae-ha. "If he weren't alone, I wouldn't be alive right now. The guy was good."
He sighed, wiping the blood off his blade on his torn clothes. It was a shame that his coat was ruined; it was one of his favorites, but that was the least of his worries at the moment. His chest stung where Kija's claws had broken the skin and he still hadn't opened his wings to inspect the damage done there, ignoring the blood that stuck to his back. What bothered him the most wasn't the pain, which would disappear soon with his fast healing, but the fact that his injuries were a reminder of how unprepared he'd been for the attack. It was almost embarrassing having to explain to Hak how Kija had managed to distract him enough to catch him by surprise.
Hak didn't seem that interested in his explanation, however, reacting with no more than a resigned grunt. He was more focused on the attack itself and the reasons behind it - worries that Jae-ha could understand.
"It's rare for demons to attack our territory like that."
Hak nodded, crouching down to take a look at the blood trail Kija had left behind. Even in the dim light of the alley, the dark spots were visible on the ground and on the wall the demon had climbed.
"We have to find out if he was acting on his own or following orders," he said. "There's a lot of blood, so he couldn't have gone far."
"He's probably dead by now, Hak."
"We don't know that for sure. If he was under someone's command, we need to know and be prepared for more attacks."
It was clear from Hak's voice that there wouldn't be a discussion about this, as Jae-ha would expect from him considering that the security of the club was at stake. He wasn't one to wait around for something to happen; if there was even the slightest chance of getting answers, Hak would go after them.
"I have to clean this up before anyone sees all the blood. The last thing we need is the police showing up. And you are not in any condition to stay here either."
"I'm fine. Just need a change of clothes."
Jae-ha held Hak's stare with a defiant one of his own.
"Great," Hak relented, "Then you won't mind tracking the demon down before you go home, will you? The sooner we find him the better."
Jae-ha refrained from sighing again. He could argue that he didn't like to get involved in this kind of thing, but the truth was that he'd been involved from the moment he started talking to Kija on the dance floor. He could do this as a favor for Hak; he would most likely end up finding the demon's body, confirming his death, and it would be all over without becoming too much of a hassle.
"Fine. I'll call you if I find anything."
Jae-ha unfolded his wings, the cold air hitting the place where his feathers were mangled painfully. It was uncomfortable, but he was glad the injury wasn't serious enough to prevent him from flying. Leaving Hak behind, he went to the other side of the wall, observing the blood that made a sinuous trail towards the street, hiding his wings again to go out into the open space.
It seemed like even injured, Kija had tried to stay out of sight; the trail was close to the shadows cast by the buildings, sometimes circling behind trees with blood in their trunk where the demon must have stopped to rest. As Jae-ha walked, he kept an eye out for any passersby who might be alerted by his appearance, but he didn't see a single person out on the street apart from himself.
Jae-ha didn't have to keep searching for long before the trail led him to an old building. By the looks of it, it had been abandoned a long time ago; some of it had collapsed, and what was left of the paint was cracked and dirty. There was no door to block anyone from entering, and the blood led directly into the darkness in wide, continuous marks as if Kija had dragged himself through the last few meters.
Jae-ha didn't have to go too deep into the place to find him. He was propped against the wall right beside the entrance, and if it weren't for the pallor of his skin he might have gone unnoticed against the shadows. His eyes were closed and his clothes were almost entirely covered in blood; the first thing that crossed Jae-ha's mind was that he'd been right and Kija was already dead. Getting closer, however, Jae-ha noticed that his chest still rose and fell, albeit just a little.
He considered his options - leave Kija to die and lie to Hak about finding him still alive, or take him to his place and try to save him so he could give out the answers Hak wanted. As tempting as it was to go for the first one, Jae-ha couldn't bear the thought of betraying his friend's trust like that, the night's previous events still fresh on his mind. With a resigned sigh, he took off what was left of his jacket, ripping it to tie the fabric tightly around Kija's wounds before picking him up.
As he left the building and opened his wings, Jae-ha thanked the late hour and the darkness that allowed him to fly without being seen. His place wasn't that far, but it still took some time to get there, even if he didn't have to stop that many times to hide. He could hear Kija's breathing growing weaker; hopefully the demon wouldn't die on the way, leaving Jae-ha with a body to get rid of.
Finally, he landed on the rooftop of his building, jumping from there to his apartment's balcony. His choice of a place on the highest floor had been made with his flights in mind - Jae-ha came and went frequently, and it was better to have direct access to his apartment; the penthouse allowed him to easily land without being noticed.
Jae-ha closed the blinds as he went through the glass doors, blocking the apartment from view of any of the surrounding buildings. He wasted no time bringing Kija to his room, where he placed him on the bed before going to the bathroom to get first aid supplies.
"Damn it, Hak, you owe me new sheets," he mumbled as he got rid of Kija's blood-soaked shirt and makeshift bandages. The biggest problem was the wound on his side; Jae-ha was surprised the demon was holding out for so long with his healing abilities hindered by the heavenly steel.
Jae-ha set to work, cleaning the wounds as best as he could and stitching them closed, but he could do nothing about the blood loss. By the time he finished wrapping clean bandages around Kija, his breathing had become less ragged, even though he was still extremely pale. Jae-ha let himself sit on the floor, his back against the wall.
"You better have some pretty good answers for me when you wake up," he said, looking at the unconscious man on his bed.
Despite the exhaustion seeping through his bones, Jae-ha forced himself to get up. He took another look at Kija, but there were no signs of him waking up. He'd probably be unconscious for a long time, so Jae-ha decided it'd be okay to leave him unsupervised as he took a shower; he felt filthy, with dried blood all over his clothes, making them stick uncomfortably to his wounds. He gathered Kija's discarded shirt and what was left of his coat and carefully pulled the sheets out from under the demon's body, piling everything in one corner of the room. He'd find a way to get rid of those later.
As much as he'd like to stand under the warm stream of water for a good half an hour, Jae-ha quickly washed himself until there was no more blood left. When he came out of the bathroom, already wearing a pair of pajama pants - he usually got changed in his room, but he felt way too defenseless walking around naked with a demon in his house - his phone was buzzing where he'd left it on the nightstand. Jae-ha picked it up, knowing who was calling even before he saw the name on the screen.
"Hak," he said into the receiver.
"Did you find him?" Hak's voice was muffled by the sound of music in the background, which meant that he was still at the club, but Jae-ha could still notice how serious he sounded.
"Barely alive, but I found him," Jae-ha replied. "He still hasn't woken up, so I haven't been able to ask anything."
"You brought him to your place?"
"Yeah. You're welcome, by the way. I saved the life of a demon who tried to murder me just so you could get a few answers," he said. He didn't add that had no regrets about doing it; despite his slip-up that night, Hak would know that if Jae-ha carried out such a request it was because he understood it was important.
"Thanks, Droopy Eyes. I wouldn't have asked if it weren't a risk to the club."
"I know, I know." Jae-ha sighed. "Have you told Yona?"
"She's still working, so not yet. I'll tell her once we close for the night." There was some rustling and Hak yelled something that he couldn't quite make out. "I have to go. Call me as soon as the demon wakes up."
Before Jae-ha could say anything else, Hak hung up. Throwing the phone back on the nightstand, Jae-ha went to the living room to grab a chair, placing it next to the bed where he could keep an eye on Kija. He didn't look dangerous, lying motionless like that with no anger marring his features; even after seeing him in action, Jae-ha found it hard to conciliate the beautiful man he saw with the fierce demon who attacked him.
"And he was a good kisser, too," he mused out loud, "Such a waste."
As time passed, Jae-ha felt his eyelids getting heavier. He blinked, trying to stay awake, but it had been an exhausting night and his body was begging for some rest. His head fell back against the chair, his eyes closing despite his efforts as he fell asleep.
Jae-ha awoke with a start to the sound of someone groaning. There was sunlight coming from behind the blinds, which meant that at least a few hours had passed, and he cursed himself for being so careless. On the bed, Kija had begun to stir, his eyes opening slowly as he tried to make sense of where he was.
"Well, good morning, sunshine," Jae-ha said. His voice was light and his posture didn't change, but he had his muscles tensed and ready to summon his dagger should Kija be strong enough to try attacking him.
"You," Kija hissed as soon as his eyes landed on Jae-ha. He quickly sat up and tried to get out of the bed, his eyes flashing red for a brief moment before he collapsed on the ground, coughing.
"I wouldn't move if I were you. Your wounds will reopen," Jae-ha said, watching Kija clutch his side as he leaned against the bed, breath coming in pants as he stared at him with the same hatred as the previous night. "Is that what I get for saving your life? No thank-you kiss?"
"Stop saying disgusting things," Kija replied, his voice harsh even though there was a light blush on his cheeks.
"You didn't seem that disgusted last night. Before you tried to kill me, that is," Jae-ha laughed, motioning to where Kija had cut him with his claws. The wound was almost healed, with nothing but a few red marks left. "Look," he continued, his smile disappearing. "I don't like this just as much as you don't. So why don't you tell me what you were doing at the Broken Wings and we can get this over with soon?"
"I'm not telling you anything." Kija tried launching himself at Jae-ha again, but the other was faster, moving away from the chair before the demon could reach him. He fell with a groan against the floor, red starting to seep through his bandages.
"I told you not to move. I'm gonna have to stitch you up again."
"Stay away from me," Kija said. "I'd rather die."
"Well, you would, losing blood like that," Jae-ha observed, "But unfortunately for you, letting you die is not in my plans. You'll most likely faint before that happens, I'll treat you anyway, and we'll be in this same situation again. Or I can just tie you up," he raised his hand and a pair of golden handcuffs appeared. "That dagger isn't the only thing made from heavenly steel I own. Your choice."
Kija didn't answer, which Jae-ha took as a sign that he'd given up. Putting the handcuffs down on the nightstand, he helped him get back on the bed, ignoring the way Kija flinched at his touch. He was glad he hadn't put the first aid kit back in the bathroom the previous night - leaving the demon alone right now would be a terrible idea.
"You try anything, and I'll use those," he warned, pointing to the handcuffs.
"I could scream. Get the police to come, and say that you kidnapped me," Kija said through gritted teeth, his hands pressed into fists on the mattress as Jae-ha unwrapped his bandages. He trembled with barely controlled anger.
"You won't," Jae-ha replied. "You and I both know that encounters with the police never end well for people like us."
"I am not like you."
Jae-ha suppressed a sigh. He might not have the same predisposition to hate demons as most fallen angels, but Kija was surely getting on his nerves. Besides, he had tried to kill him, so he wasn't feeling overly sympathetic towards the demon at the moment.
"You might have a point there," he snapped, tightening the new bandages with a little more force than necessary. "I don't go around trying to kill people for fun."
"For fun?" Kija asked, indignation clear on his voice. "This is a war. We are meant to kill each other."
"We are meant to do whatever we choose to do," Jae-ha said, sitting back on the chair now that he was done treating the other's wound. "It is because there are those who make the same choice as yours that this war keeps going, and not the other way around."
"There is never a choice to be made." Jae-ha raised his eyes, surprised to hear Kija's voice tremble with something other than hate. "It doesn't - it can't - work any other way."
The demon's eyes glazed over, and for a moment Jae-ha felt like he was staring right through him. It didn't last long, however, and soon Kija was back to normal.
"You can say whatever you want, angel, but it doesn't change the fact that your kind are killers just as much as I am. And unlike what you think, I'm not the one who does it for fun."
"Then why were you at the Broken Wings?" Jae-ha asked once again. "Demons don't attack our territory."
"Other demons don't," Kija said, "because they're cowards. If I waited around like them, you'd just attack us first."
His words led Jae-ha closer to the answers he was seeking. He was pretty sure Kija had been acting on his own; he just needed a more concrete confirmation before he could tell Hak that the club was safe. Taking advantage of the fact that Kija was finally revealing his plans, Jae-ha tried to get more details out of him. "You couldn't have possibly thought you could do much going there alone."
"You underestimate me. I almost killed you." Jae-ha raised his eyebrow, looking skeptic. "It's true! I-I was... surprised, is all. Most of you don't carry heavenly weapons around. I'll definitely kill you next time!" Kija finished, not making eye contact for the first time since their conversation had started.
Jae-ha almost laughed, trying to hide his smile as he reached for his phone. The more they talked, the more he realized that Kija was strange. He was fierce, full of anger, bloodthirsty in battle - but he was awkward, almost shy sometimes, and it intrigued Jae-ha how contradictory his demeanor could be.
However, even if he was curious, he still didn't let his guard down as he dialed Hak's number. It didn't take long for his friend to pick up, and Jae-ha was quick to tell him about his conversation with Kija. Jae-ha watched as the demon's expression soured with every word that came out of his mouth.
"What should I do with him now?" Jae-ha asked.
"You decide," was Hak's answer, and then the line was dead.
"Honestly, Hak," Jae-ha shook his head, "You really need to improve your conversation skills."
There was a rustling sound from the bed, and he raised his eyes only to find Kija trying to get up once again.
"Hey, didn't I tell you to stay-" he put his hand on Kija's shoulder and pushed him back on the bed. "quiet? If you rip those stitches open again I swear I'll let you bleed to death."
"I refuse to let you kill me without fighting," the demon said.
"Who said anything about me killing you?" Jae-ha asked and Kija stopped moving, a puzzled look on his face.
"That's obvious. You got your information. Now you'll get rid of me. But I will not-"
"Woah, wait a minute! I'm not going to do that." Jae-ha interrupted. "Well, if you attack me again, I'll have no choice. But I didn't save your life just so I could take it again." He could tell by the way Kija stood motionless that he hadn't expected that answer, so he took advantage of his silence to continue. "I can't just let you go, though. Not when you'll just go kill someone else."
Jae-ha fell back against the chair, feeling drained. He had no idea what to do; as he had just said, he couldn't let Kija go and he wouldn't even consider killing him for no reason. However, even if the demon was too weak right now, he would eventually recover from his wounds, and there was no doubt that he'd attack Jae-ha as soon as he could.
He eyed the handcuffs on the nightstand. He disliked the idea of using them, since the feel of heavenly steel against a demon's skin burned and Jae-ha had no interest in torture. But he couldn't stay in his bedroom forever - he was getting hungry already.
"Sorry about this," he said, grabbing the handcuffs and putting one of them around Kija's wrist and the other around the bedpost. Kija struggled, groaning as the material seared his flesh. "It's just for a while. I'll get us some food."
"I don't want your food," Kija hissed, but Jae-ha ignored him, heading out of the bedroom towards the kitchen.
In a few minutes, he came back with two trays, filled with toast and glasses of orange juice. He set one of them in front of Kija, summoning the key to release his arm, then settled on the chair with the other one on his lap. He ignored Kija's angry stare and started eating, glad he could finally recover some of his energy.
By the time he had finished, Kija hadn't even touched his food. Jae-ha simply took the tray back with his own - after making sure Kija was properly handcuffed again. If he wanted to starve himself, there was nothing Jae-ha could do; this was already more than he ever thought he'd do for a demon. Besides, he had enough to worry about, not knowing what decision he should make regarding him.
He was running through the options in his head once again as he put the trays on the kitchen counter when a loud banging coming from the balcony startled him. His first thought was that Kija had somehow escaped, and Jae-ha had his dagger in hand as he dashed into the living room. There was no one in there, however, and Jae-ha realized the sound was coming from the outside. He pulled the curtains open, only to let his dagger fall to the floor in shock at the scene in front of him.
"Jae-ha, help us," a crying Yona pleaded, with Hak standing behind her holding a bleeding man in his arms.