[Trigger Warning: suggestive scars and innuendo]

I told you he's the devil. Look at his eyes!

Exorcise him once again, Head Nun!

Because of you, your parents are dead!

Go ahead, stupid demon kid.

*Clanking sounds of metal hitting the floor*

Just do it.

“Ah!” Addai sat down with a jolt and sweaty from head to toe. “A-Again?” he felt his entire body shaking.

It had been a long time since his arm itched, specifically his wrists. Yes, in that same place that Mine touched with such kindness, innocence, and naivety earlier.

It itched, just the way it itched years ago.

He rubbed his face and wiped away the sweat and itchiness, still panting and breathing quickly. Looking to the side, Mine was sleeping so well that it was a sin to wake him up with anything, so Addai got up and stepped onto the cold floor of the room that was once warm and welcoming.

However, Addai had committed one more sin.

“...Hm...?” Mine muttered, turning towards Addai.

His face was swollen from crying earlier, and he was a little sniffy. With his eyes barely open, and his head heavy with sleep, he made a great effort to stay awake.

Feeling his arm itching again, Addai inhaled deeply and turned to Mine.

“It’s nothing," Addai reached for his friend's warm hand. "Go back to sleep," and Mine lay down again, muttering something inaudible.

After brushing Mine’s hair, gently taking the strands, and tucking the hair behind his ear... Addai sighed, his heart tons lighter. How could a sleeping person make such an effect?

His arm stopped itching… his shoulders were no more tense… and he watched Mine’s sleep… until Umbra came and meowed softly.

“Umbra? Weren’t you hunting-”

“Meow Meow,” Umbra made that silly face again, and Addai threw a sock on her, which she perfectly avoided and went away with her tail raised.

His cat was weird, but what could he do besides sighing?

Well, he wasn't sleepy anymore - and didn't want to disturb Mine's peaceful sleep - he headed out of the room after covering Mine's body with the fuzzy sheets.

Addai entered the room - or rather, a gallery.

The doors were ornate - not matching the house's overall design - as were the doorway and the wallpaper on the accent wall. The room smelled of oil paint, turpentine, alcohol, and new canvases. Thanks to the large glass windows that overlooked the landscape of the leafy, well-kept garden, the room didn't smell so strong.

In the left corner, a small aluminum table was cramped with a glass paint pallet, some glasses with brushes of varying thickness, a tablecloth painted in different colors and lines, and some papers with very messy sketches. Behind it, an aluminum cabinet held boxes with new, old, and used paints and more utensils such as spatulas, sponges, pencils, charcoal... everything that the artist used in his most varied works hanging, leaning against, and forgotten.

Addai approached the small table and ran his hand over the paint pallet. It was already dusty, as were the brushes and the smudged drawings from his fingers.

He walked a little further and uncovered a large painting that seemed to have taken a long time due to its rich detail. It was the painting of that same black-haired girl that Mine saw earlier.

He ran his finger across its uneven surface with the paint already dry for an unknown amount of time. He felt their textures, imperfections, and perfections.

The face drawn and painted was delicate and innocent, but very smiling and with lightness and richness of soul. The model was having fun alone, dancing through the shower of pink, yellow, and orange petals that surrounded her. Her surroundings were uncertain but as beautiful as the flowers drawn on the main layer.

Addai briefly smiled as he put the painting back where it belonged.

He walked a little further to see his old works hanging there and ended up finding old receipts on the floor from past sales.

The larger composition still craved attention, and he ignored it.

He walked a little further in that spacious gallery and found Mine's footprints on the floor. His toes were perfectly stamped into the fine dust beneath the smooth brown porcelain floor.

Without realizing it, he ended up recreating Mine's steps and arrived at his unwanted composition, his ugly duckling. He looked at it and grumbled, covering it with a long, white fabric – and with the help of one of the shadows that accompanied him there.

Addai took his wooden stool, placing it in front of the easel that hadn't been used for a long time. He placed an ordinary, blank canvas on the easel, brushing off possible dirt.

With charcoal in hand, he aimed at the screen and started translating what his mind wanted to see in person until a soft sound called his attention.

“Meow,” Umbra approached, but her meow did not scare her owner.

"What's up, Umbra?" Addai placed the charcoal on the easel. “What brought you here?” he cuddled her chin, and she purred, walking past him.

Umbra sat right on top of one of Mine's footprints and meowed again. Her owner sighed and approached her.

As he bent down to caress her ears, he realized that Mine's footprints reflected an indescribable lightness and that, who knows, he could have left a sketch of how to dance there.

“What? You know I’m a terrible dancer,” Addai glared at Umbra, who curled on a footprint.

"Meow meow," she meowed mockingly and her owner fell for the teasing.

Addai tried following the steps again and realized that nothing would change. Who knows, maybe it was just his head playing tricks on him... until one of Mine's footprints started to glow.

I love it here. Addai remembered Mine’s words. 

He felt invisible butterflies swarm around him, and it tickled a lot. Yeah... He was bewitched, but it felt incredibly good and fuzzy.

With a curious Umbra watching him with a soft gaze, he decided that he'd try learning how to impress Mine with his steps... Starting with the sketch on the flooring right in front of him.

“… Ok. I’ll try,” Addai sighed and looked at the glowing footprints.

Stepping on the first footmark and soon following the next ones, it was as if Mine was guiding him like he always did when they rarely danced together. Well… they could dance more, who knows? It was fun.

The steps were light, and you should follow them calmly… but without a guide… it was difficult.

Just as Addai was about to give up, one of the footprints glowed, and he felt a hand holding him, guiding him through new simple steps. One step this way, a long step there, turns a little, releases the hand, and comes together. Addai could feel and hear the laughter that Mine gave when he saw and guided his crooked steps.

"Tsk tsk... until when will the Great Addai fall for my illusions?" Addai heard, and Mine was really standing in front of him!

"@$%&," Addai attempted to talk, but only gibberish came out.

"I wondered why you were taking so long," Mine chuckled, and his eyes glowed in golden, as well as the marks on his hand and arms. "So… I see you enjoyed my steps…"

“T-That’s not it-”

“Then, follow me now!” Mine beamed and grabbed Addai’s hand.

They twirled, but not in the silence, once Mine made some mana illusions to play music. The music was ethereal, matching the dim room with only the moon working as the light source.

Was it a dream? Addai was sure Mine was sleeping soundly! But… if it was a dream, he didn’t want to wake up.

So, they danced a sweet, mellow waltz...

… but the chapter doesn't end here.

Not yet.

Somehow, Mine's eyes were sorrowful as their dance progressed, and the music slowly turned blue and low, like an old, damaged record. The once warm and ethereal environment slowly became colder... and colder… and colder.

Something was wrong.

“What’s up?” Addai asked, slowly interrupting their waltz.

Mine blinked, looking to the side, “It’s nothing… I just… sorry to spoil this moment,” he released Addai’s hand.

"…" Addai watched his friend's contradictory actions and brushed his hair. "Tell me what’s wrong.”

Mine looked at Addai and bit his bottom lip, "C-can we talk about something else?" he averted his eyes again, but Addai grabbed his wrist.

"Have I done something?" Addai asked, and his eyes were somehow conveying uneasiness.

"No... no, Addai, you didn't... " Mine looked at him again.

He took a deep breath and - maybe he wasn't ready to speak - but the reason why he couldn't sleep after Addai left the room was that thing stuck in his throat. That vile thing, that… vile thought that made him follow Addai using his Chronos illusions for him to not notice him. That… ugly thing made him sneak into the room and plot countless ways to find the "right" one to come up with such a conversation.

“It’s just… ah…” Mine exhaled. He needed to say it. He must. “You’re just so sweet, so… you,” he vaguely explained, not eyeing Addai's expressions once he averted his eyes again. "You… are too good with me… I preferred it when you were rude with me when you annoyed me and cursed me… but now… damn Addai, what do I do with such sweetness?” his hands glowed more.

The footprints on the floor vanished, as well as all the illusions in that room, like the moon, Umbra, and even a few paintings Addai hadn't painted – well, Addai was pretty sure Umbra agreed to take part in Mine's plans, and act like an illusion, but still.

Could Mine want to sweeten the bitterness beforehand? Who knows?

Only Mine and he were there, as well as the paintings.

"What do I do with you?" Mine exasperated. "What do I do if… if…" and he got tangled in his own words as the ugly thing crept inside his throat, ready to be vomited.

“What, Mine?”

“What do I do if you hate me?!” Mine shouted, and the glow in his hands, once yellow, turned red. “You shouldn’t think so highly of me. You shouldn't care for me, you just… you could throw me away!" he rubbed his face, maybe trying to rub his anger towards himself or rub the sore tears that started dripping. "Bury this feeling, so you won't be disappointed-"

But Mine didn't expect Addai to approach and yank him towards him.

Everything happened too fast and brute, like stomping on fragile flowers.

Mine's eyes were widened like two glass, glossy marbles. Warm hands were on his cheeks, and soft, warm lips were pressed against his. A tooth here, a tooth there on the lips were used for Mine to open his mouth and make it possible for the most forbidden feeling to sprout.

He felt the roots of that evil taking over his body, arms, and melting mind. It was the Eve's apple, a sin.

Mine knew that. He truly knew, but still... 

... he took a bite from that apple.

Soon, his body started warming up, and he slowly became breathless as if Addai sucked his oxygen away from his lungs as they lay on the once cold floor. The warmth and saliva exchanges were intense and hungry in an almost desperate way, and as Mine felt his lips bruising by Addai's fangs, he tried to uselessly fight, but Addai tied them together.

"Let me be the judge of that," Addai whispered in a growl, next to Mine's lips before he could face the boy beneath him, catching his breath. "How could I fucking hate you?"