Kou woke up, his head pounding, to the sound of something shifting on the floor near him. He groaned, rolling onto his side to see Vi sitting on the floor next to his bed. He smiled to himself, a part of him hoping the demon couldn’t tell he was awake yet. Vi seemed to be relaxed from the way they were sitting, and Kou felt a twinge of annoyance that even lying down he had to look up to see the demon’s face. 

“You are awake.”

“Unfortunately.”

“Why is that?”

“Because dreaming was nicer,” Kou scoffed, closing his eyes again as he rolled onto his back. His dream had been of Vi, of the whole reason he had manipulated the demon into staying, and now his body ached with unfulfilled desires. “I need to get that copper going.”

“What is this ‘glass’ that it is so important?” Vi’s voice made Kou open his eyes again, and he glanced to see that the demon hadn’t moved. “You have risked your wellbeing for it twice.”

“Well, yeah, it's how I trade for things. Without it, I wouldn’t last out here,” Kou groaned as he sat up, flinching as the scar across his back ached. He tore off his shirt, the cool air soothing the pain slightly. “Damn, stupid thing.”

“What are you–”

“Just give me your hand. It’ll be faster,” Kou snapped, still too tired to soften his tone as he waited for the demon’s hand. Once Vi offered it, Kou turned, placing Vi’s hand on his shoulder. Better to get this out of the way as well. “I have a scar that runs across my back. Hurts if I act stupid or sit wrong.”

Kou remained silent as he let Vi’s hand rest against his shoulder, his breath uneven. He didn’t flinch when the demon’s fingers adjusted slightly, sliding down with a gentleness that didn’t match their usually blunt demeanor. They traced the remnant all the way down to his hips, and Kou flinched a little from the tickling sensation. 

“When?”

“A long time ago. Unfortunately, before I stopped growing, which is why it still hurts.” Kou answered, turning away from Vi’s touch. He wanted every excuse to make the demon touch him more, but he couldn't let that want show yet. Not until he was sure Vi wouldn’t leave the moment Kou got selfish about it. “Just another thing you should know, I’m gonna complain about it constantly.”

Vi remained silent, and Kou paused, considering what to say as he pulled out another shirt. When he threatened Vi into staying, he hadn’t given much thought to what the demon would actually do while Kou finished his preparations to travel. Of course he needed to make enough glass to trade with, trade a few more pieces for rations, likely trade some food for a horse or a pack animal—something sturdy that could carry weight and didn’t spook easily.

“Uh, so, you really don’t know what glass is?”

“No. It’s not a word I am familiar with.”

“Okay, well, then, do ya wanna come see?” Kou moved his way around Vi, walking over to his supplies as he searched for the copper scraps he traded for. “I’m just gonna start more glass as soon as the copper rusts a bit, I don’t want it to sit for too long. It would be better if I just let it sit outside for a few days, but I don’t–”

Kou paused, turning back to look at Vi’s hair. That beautiful, almost unbelievable shade of red. Could he… make that? Mimic that shade? A sheet of glass like that would be worth a solid horse by itself, and Kou could even… keep a small piece for himself. Just in case this didn’t work out and trying to blackmail a demon was the wrong way to get laid. 

“Would you… be upset if I said I changed my mind about the water?”

“No, why would I?”

“GOOD, because I’ve changed my mind! I’m just gonna let the copper for blue sit and instead I’m going to make a red that matches your hair,” Kou grinned, turning back to his pots to collect more sand. “I need to get some more wood to burn though, so do you think you can help with that? I usually just use magic to carry it.”

“... I suppose.” Kou listened as Vi stood, and he turned, not surprised to see that Vi couldn’t quite stand up all the way. 

“Sorry, wasn’t ever expecting to have a demon in my home.”  

“It’s fine.” Kou watched as Vi navigated their way to the door, seemingly finding it effortlessly for someone who couldn’t see. It was just… mesmerizing how gracefully a blind demon could move, and Kou quickly turned to finish gathering what he needed for the red and blue glass. As soon as he had it, he stepped outside to see Vi waiting patiently right next to the doorway. 

“Give me a moment to get the copper for the blue laid out, and then we can go gather wood for the red.” Kou quickly walked over to his workbench, carefully placing the pot of sand as he opened the small jar. He selected a few of the bigger copper shards before laying them out on a tray, grinning as he considered who was standing behind him. A demon; a real demon who was not leaving, at least not right now. 

Kou bounced back over to Vi, smiling up at the demon’s face. “Alright. Do you need me to guide you or will listening be enough?”

“Guide… me?”

“Like, hold your hand so you don’t accidentally run into a bush or something. We’re not gonna be on any paths.” Kou explained, watching as the demon tilted their head, their expression unreadable, though Kou thought he caught the edge of a frown tugging at the corner of Vi’s mouth.

“I do not require a guide,” Vi said, but there was hesitation in their voice now. “But I am curious how holding my hand would help.”

Kou could have screamed. 

“Well, why don’t we try it then?” Kou offered, waiting as Vi slowly raised their hand in his direction. He took the demon’s hand, biting his lip as he carefully laced their fingers together. Vi didn’t react to this extra liberty, and Kou forced himself to take a deep breath. “Okay, let’s go.”

Kou carefully led the demon through the underbrush, heading for a spot slightly deeper in the forest. After all, the trees near his camp were mostly stripped of usable wood, and so he knew he needed to head further in to find branches that would provide clean ashes. And maybe Vi could reach branches couldn’t since they were–

“This… is very efficient,” Vi’s voice broke through the soft hush of leaves beneath their feet and Kou turned to see the demon’s blank expression. Vi’s hand tightened slightly, not enough to hurt, just enough to anchor the thought. “Your body moves with clear intention when you aren't exhausted. You step carefully, but quickly. It is easy to follow.”

Kou almost laughed at how awkwardly sincere the demon sounded. “Glad to know my hand’s a top-tier navigation tool.”

“It is. I would prefer this if we are walking together, so I do not have to guess where you are,” Vi’s smooth tone was enough to make Kou almost faint on the spot. He could not fathom why everyone wasn’t trying to charm demons when Vi dropped something so heart-throbbing so casually. “Have we reached your destination?”

“Oh, not yet. We’re almost there. I just need to get further away from where I usually get wood.”

“Why?”

“Well, ‘cause I’m short and I’ve stripped the trees of what I can reach.” Kou explained, carefully leading the way as he spoke. “Only good wood that burns clean produces proper ashes for glass. If the ashes are dirty, then it wouldn’t melt with the sand right or produce cracked or dirty glass.”

“So glass is clear?”

“Not the glass I make, but yeah like… oh, my window, the material between the wood pieces is glass!” Kou exclaimed, proud of himself for thinking of a way to explain glass to Vi. “I make colored glass, which is used for trinkets or fancy windows.”

“I see,” was Vi’s simple answer, and they fell silent again, their grip still wrapped around Kou’s fingers. “Then why does it trade for so much?”

“Well, not many people know how to make colored glass, so it trades for a lot. I think the town usually just trades it with foreign merchants. I think there is a community past the mountains that really likes the glass,” Kou shrugged. He didn’t really care why, just that it worked. “I'm currently saving my sheets to trade for travel supplies, so I’ve been picking up what I find in the ruins and just polishing it to trade.”

“Ruins?”

“Yeah, there’s a First World ruin near here.” Kou noticed how Vi’s hand tensed ever so slightly in his, the only sign the demon had even reacted. “It’s not easy to get to, but I’ve been going since I moved out here, so I know how to get in and out pretty well and there’s plenty of glass down there.”

“... I see.” For the first time, Kou heard a sound other than confusions or frustration in the demon’s voice and he paused, glancing up at the demon as they paused next to him. Their expression hadn’t changed but Kou was certain their voice had been different. “Are we there now?”

“Yeah, just need to gather enough wood for both red and blue glass so we don’t have to come back tomorrow.” Kou finally, reluctantly, released Vi’s hand, his fingers lingering a second too long before stepping forward into the brush. The trees here were tall and knotted, older than the ones closer to his home, and Kou smiled at the quality of the wood. “Are you okay if I just hand it to you? We’ll tie it into a bundle so we can still hold hands on the way back.”

“That’s fine.” Vi’s agreement made Kou chuckle, and he turned back to examine the branches on the ground first. 

This was by far, the best day of his life.