Disclaimer - I don't own The Devil is a Part Timer!/Hataraku Maou-sama! or any characters involved. Copyright to Satoshi Wagahara, White Fox and Funimation.

My first day back at uni was pretty good, and I only need to go in for a screening tomorrow afternoon~ I'll be home by 1 o'clock on Thursdays so I might not need to write those chapters ahead of time, but I'll try to write Monday chapters at the weekends

Headcanon: Urushihara misses flying and likes to watch birds and reminisce about it

(Little side note here, I just got my copy of volume 2 of the Devil light novel last week and in Urushihara's character profile under "skills/hobbies" it says "I want to fly around" so half this headcanon is confirmed and I want to cry, just let the dumb trashbird fly, Maou...!

Birds of a Feather

Another dull day left home alone by Maou and Ashiya. After an hour or so on his computer, he stood to stretch and opened the window, leaning out and looking around to see if there was anyone he could squeeze some magic out of. But no, the street was empty, and all seemed calm. He was about to return to his net surfing when something above him caught his eye.

Two birds - he wasn't sure what kind - were darting about here and there. He paused, then slumped over the windowsill, looking up as the faintest smile appeared on his face.

He wished he could join them.

It wasn't like he hadn't been able to fly at all since he came through the Gate. He'd used his wings plenty in his battle against Maou and Emi only months ago, and again when Olba came back. But he couldn't go free-flying like he used to. He missed the weightlessness, the breeze on his feathers and the equally humbling and empowering feeling of looking down and seeing the world below him, so small, so insignificant. He missed that.

A black shape in the corner of his vision and a light tapping sound beside him made him turn to the right.

A crow was perched on the windowsill, looking back at him, almost curiously. He blinked, unsure of what to do. Maou and Ashiya would kill him if it got in the apartment. But it didn't move.

"... You're so lucky..." he breathed. The crow tilted its head, like it was craning its neck to look behind him. Urushihara turned and saw his almost empty bowl still sitting on the desk. He reached out and pulled one of the last udon noodles out then lay it on the windowsill for the bird to snap up.

"I wish I could join you guys out there," he said softly, offering the crow another noodle from the bowl, which it gratefully plucked from his fingers, "But I guess that'd be too risky, huh? Jail doesn't sound too good. I mean, I'm already locked up inside, I don't wanna lose my wi-fi too."

He chuckled, gently stroking a finger across the crow's feathers. After a moment, he moved his hand away and the crow took off again. With a sigh, Urushihara straightened up and closed the window. Ashiya arrived home only a few minutes later, and Maou soon after, but Urushihara barely paid them any attention, he was still thinking about the birds.

The next day, he was on his own again. He was sitting at his laptop, his hand absentmindedly dipping into a bag of chips next to him every now and then, when he heard a tapping sound and looked up. He raised an eyebrow when he saw a crow tap the window with its beak once more.

Is it the same one...?

He got up and went to open the window. The little crow tilted its head just like it had the last time and Urushihara looked back at the almost empty bag on his desk. He took one small chip and held it out in his upturned palm, letting the crow peck at it.

"So, you came back to see me?" he asked with a smile, "Or did you just come for the food?"

The crow had finished eating and now looked up at him again, then edged along the windowsill, a little closer to him, and leaned its head forward. Urushihara blinked in surprise and hesitated for a second, but soon he was running his finger along its feathers once more. And when it left, he watched it fly away, remembering when he could do that.

Another day later, Urushihara heard the tapping again, only it sounded a little different this time, more... metallic. He opened the window to find the crow, back again, with something in its beak. Curious, Urushihara held out his hand and an old coin was dropped into it. He took a moment to turn it over and look at it. He couldn't remember the last time someone had given him a gift.

He smiled down at the bird before placing the coin behind the laptop. He'd hide it somewhere later.

"Guess I better find some food for ya."