Demon Read online

  While he was still feeling focused he decided he should get a few chores done. He packed the laundry basket and took it down to the shared machines in the basement of the old apartment complex he was living in. Kieran had just lifted the lid on one of the top loader washing machines when one of his more… interesting neighbours entered the room.

  “Oh, hello Kieran, I barely recognised you,” Chevonne said airily in her American accent as she placed her laundry basket so carefully on the bench that it didn’t make a sound. She was one of the many students that had come over on exchange from Seattle. “Your energy is much calmer today. I always knew you had the potential.”

  “Um, thank you?” Kieran replied, not sure if it was supposed to be a compliment.

  It was strange that she’d brought it up as though she had actually sensed he was feeling much better than usual. But she’d probably just noticed some sort of change in his body language.

  “Have you been trying some of the techniques from the class I invited you to?” she pressed as she picked her garments up one by one between her thumb and finger and dropped them into an empty machine.

  “No,” he said quickly. He didn’t want to encourage her to invite him to attend another one.

  It had purportedly been a Tai Chi class. Not everyone there had been a weirdo on Chevonne’s level, but all of them had commented on his jing at least once. They’d tried to convince him he could become a great energy worker, whatever that was supposed to mean, if only he learnt to distribute his energy more evenly or something.

  He had made an effort to avoid going to any future sessions.

  “I understand you’re busy, and focused on the experience of being an exchange student,” Chevonne placated, as though she was above that. “However, I think it would be beneficial to your health if you learnt how to get yourself into this state at all times.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Kieran replied stiffly before quickly tossing in the rest of his clothes and the washing powder. As soon as the machine started up he backed out of the conversation and hurried back to his apartment.

  Kieran distracted himself from the slightly uncomfortable encounter by looking at his phone, and more specifically, the texting address he’d been given last night. While he wasn’t stupid enough to think a host had actually become interested in him, he couldn’t deny that overall he felt good after hanging out with Takeshi. It could be nice to spend time together and find out whether it was just a one off thing. It’d also be nice to have someone to talk to that also seemed to be LGBT.

  Kieran typed the address into his phone while he tried to think of something to say. He wrestled with the keyboard settings for a moment, wondering what language he should write in. He decided to stick with English, for now.

  Hey Takeshi, it’s Kieran. I had a good time last night. I don’t have much going on this weekend if you still wanted to meet up again.

  He quickly hit send before he could sweat over it too much. It was nearly lunch time, but he hoped he hadn’t woken Takeshi up. Then again, maybe he didn’t work quite so late during the week.

  He could feel his focus was fading, and he didn’t want to just sit there and check his phone every ten seconds, so Kieran decided to make himself some lunch. By the time he returned to his desk with a bowl of noodles and vegetables, the light on his phone was flashing, telling him he had an email. For some reason, SMS had never taken off in Japan.

  Hey! Thanks for getting back to me! Sure, how does Sunday afternoon sound? I won’t have to rush off to work on that night. Do you like that Chinese restaurant near the train station?

  Even though Kieran was telling himself to not get too excited about the apparent date, he couldn’t help the curl of happiness that rose in his torso. He didn’t exactly have extensive dating experience. It might be nice just to see what happened next.

  Sounds good. You mean the one right near Sannomiya station?

  The answer was almost instant this time. Maybe he had been asleep before after all.

  That’s the one! Let’s say about 2pm? After the rush and after I get up :)

  Kieran felt the silly smile stretch across his face. He was kind of glad no one else could see him right now.

  See you then.

  * * *

  Takeshi arrived a little early and stayed among the crowd while he waited for Kieran to show. He wasn’t able to turn invisible, as such, but he could be overshadowed by energies that were much stronger than his own. And since his true essence was darkness, it was easy to blend into the shadows.

  He soon spotted Kieran in the crowd leaving the station. He paused in front of the restaurant, clearly debating whether he should wait there or go inside and see if Takeshi was already there. Takeshi stepped back into normal view, adopting the human form Kieran preferred as he approached.

  “Perfect timing,” Takeshi said as he bumped his elbow against Kieran’s arm. He couldn’t help but siphon off a bit of the erratic energy boiling within the human.

  “Hey,” Kieran greeted with a small, shy smile. His eyes passed over Takeshi, probably taking in the outfit he was wearing.

  “Come on, don’t gawk. You can’t expect me to suit up like I do at work all the time,” Takeshi teased, and was pleased to see he’d already make Kieran’s face turn pink. “Let’s go inside.”

  Kieran nodded and reached for the door handle, pushing it open so they could both enter. They were quickly greeted by one of the wait staff. Takeshi let Kieran use the opportunity to practice politely asking for a table for two in Japanese. Since it was after the lunchtime rush, they were able to sit wherever they wanted, so they moved over to one of the free booths.

  This time, Takeshi decided to sit next to him instead of opposite. Kieran picked up the menu, but didn’t really seem to be interested in reading it. That was a problem, since Takeshi didn’t have much capacity to taste food. He’d mostly been planning to just pay for Kieran to eat, since he’d be the one providing food for Takeshi.

  “Is everything ok? Should I see if they have an English menu?”

  “Ah, it’s not that,” Kieran replied, but it seemed their waitress had heard him and understood enough to bring over the English menu anyway. “A-arigatou…” he added, and the waitress smiled and went off to clear another table while they considered their order. “Is this not work to you, then?” he asked hesitantly.

  “No, it’s not,” Takeshi replied sincerely. “If I wanted to go on that kind of ‘date’, I’d have insisted you come to the host club. I meant it when I said I liked you, and I really don’t want this to end on a low note like the other night.”

  Kieran’s eyes were glued to the menu when the heat returned to his face. “Oh,” he murmured. “I’m glad, then.”

  “You should choose what we’re having. I want to treat you,” Takeshi prompted.

  “Um, you don’t have to. I believe you,” Kieran replied quietly. This time he looked Takeshi in the eye.

  Takeshi laughed. “Not because of that! I intended to from the start. Now hurry and pick, and don’t worry about me. I’d eat anything on that menu.”

  That was mostly because he didn’t really digest food, just held it in his human shell until he could get rid of it discretely. But Kieran didn’t need to know about that just yet.

  Kieran let out a little laugh and took a closer look at the menu. Takeshi helped him order, and then their choice of drinks were brought over almost right away. Takeshi let his legs fall open a little more so that his knee would brush up against Kieran’s.

  Kieran looked at him, but didn’t move away. Takeshi siphoned off a little more of his erratic energy, feeling it become slightly less chaotic. Kieran smiled at him shyly.

  “Is it corny for me to say I always seem to feel better when I’m around you?” Kieran asked before taking a sip of his drink.

  Takeshi blinked at him. Kieran looked away to the side when he didn’t answer right away. “You feel better? Not tired or drained?”

  This was almost to
o good to be true. If Kieran really could support his feeding needs, he wouldn’t have to subsist off whatever he could scrounge on the street and at the host club anymore.

  Kieran laughed, assuming his strange questions had been a self-deprecating joke. “Come on Takeshi, you aren’t that bad.” His expression turned a little more serious. “Has someone told you that in the past?”

  Takeshi bit his lip, indecisive about how he should reveal what he was. Keeping his cover and going on dates would sustain him, but revealing what he was and having regular sex would be an even better way of keeping him out of hell. But if he revealed himself in the wrong way, he could send Kieran running. In that scenario he wouldn’t even have the option of subsistence anymore.

  Takeshi turned a little in his seat so he could face Kieran directly. The human’s expression was a mix of concern and pity. Maybe he’d still feel the same way once Takeshi had convinced him he was a demon. Takeshi breathed in to get ready to speak, but at that moment their food was put on the table between them.

  They both turned to nod and smile at the waitress. Kieran started serving himself food in his own bowl and plate. Takeshi let him finish before trying again. Maybe the food in front of him would act as motivation to stick around and hear him out rather than immediately dismiss him as crazy.

  “Kieran,” he began once the human had started sipping the wonton soup. Takeshi served himself a little of the food so no one else would notice he wasn’t eating. “I didn’t ask you those questions because of a lack of self-esteem. I asked because I legitimately do usually have that effect on people when I’m around them for too long.”

  Kieran raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure what you mean, but maybe I’m too hyperactive to notice,” he replied, clearly trying to play it off.

  “You have, uh, a lot of sexual energy, right? You need to masturbate a lot, and you probably have a refractory period that’s unusually short for a man.”

  Kieran’s face glowed like a beacon, and he had to make an effort to not choke on his soup. He looked around, probably checking to see if anyone had overheard them, but no one was paying them any mind. Takeshi patted his back until his breathing had returned to something more normal.

  “How do you know that?” Kieran hissed, face still red. It looked kind of cute under his curly hair and big glasses, but Takeshi guessed he wouldn’t appreciate hearing that in this exact moment.

  “I can sense it,” Takeshi replied quietly. “The reason you feel better after being around me is that I’m taking a little of the whirlwind every time we make contact,” he explained, pressing his knee into Kieran’s a little more firmly to emphasise his point.

  Kieran moved his leg away sharply, but then seemed to think about what he’d said. “How? Why? That’s stupid, impossible,” Kieran muttered, not seeming to know whether he should be willing to even entertain the idea.

  “I can’t really explain how, it’s just natural for me to take energy off people. I only usually take a tiny bit from each person so I don’t adversely affect them, but you have such an excess you could probably feed me for a week and just feel a bit more focused for the next few days,” Takeshi replied. He had to assume some part of Kieran did believe him, and knew the energy exchange was happening.

  “So you don’t try to hurt people. But that still doesn’t explain why. What are you?”

  Takeshi bit his lip, but he supposed there was no point in lying. Either Kieran would believe him or he’d think he was crazy. “Do you know what an incubus is?”

  Kieran frowned at him. “Some kind of sex demon?”

  Takeshi couldn’t help but laugh at the wording. It was good enough for his purposes. “Right, a demon that has sex with humans. We need to do that to feed ourselves. I live off sexual energy the same way you live off food and water.”

  “Takeshi, come on. I thought you were taking this date seriously,” Kieran replied weakly. “You didn’t need a weird ploy to get me into bed.”

  Takeshi didn’t like the fact he was using past tense. “I am being serious, Kieran. You have a right to know what I am before we ever get to that point.”

  Kieran looked away despondently, and continued eating slowly. Takeshi had known trying to explain this would be frustrating, but dealing with someone who was freaking out was easier than someone who didn’t believe him in the slightest. But changing to his demon form in the middle of a restaurant probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do if he didn’t want demon hunters stalking the area for the next few months.

  “Here, I’ll show you what I do,” Takeshi said as he pressed a hand to Kieran’s lower stomach area. Kieran’s face flushed again as he glared at Takeshi. He drew as much energy as he could, hoping Kieran might notice a bucket in the ocean, if not a drop.

  Kieran’s eyes widened a little. It seemed he was finally able to feel something. “S-stop it,” he muttered, and Takeshi immediately drew his hand away.

  “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but it’s making me uncomfortable. I think I should go home.”

  Takeshi had known the chance of things not going well had been pretty high, but it was still disappointing. He should’ve just kept his mouth shut and tried to feed off him more subtly for as long as possible.

  “If you leave it’ll just be a waste of food. I don’t eat, remember?” Before Kieran could reply, he stood up. “Enjoy the meal. If you change your mind, you know how to contact me,” he added, though it felt more like a plea. He hoped Kieran would reconsider once his energy level returned to its usual chaotic state.

  Takeshi went over to where the wait staff were standing behind the register and asked to pay the bill for their table. It seemed the cash he got paid at his job did have some use.

  He glanced at Kieran before he left. He looked a little guilty, but Takeshi decided to leave before he could make things worse.

  He disappeared into the crowd and travelled back to the closed club. Once he was safely out the back he transformed into his demon form so he wouldn’t waste the energy he’d just gathered on trying to maintain an illusion. He faded into the background among the pile of holiday decorations they kept around for special occasions.

  It was hard to rest when he felt like he’d ruined something so significant.

  Chapter Three

  K ieran looked up from the kanji study sheet he hadn’t done anything on in the past half an hour and stared at his phone. It had been two days since his failed date with Takeshi. At first he’d stubbornly assured himself that it was for the better that they had ended up parting ways early. He didn’t need any more people in his life going on about weird energy nonsense.

  But the more he thought about it, and the more his focus reverted back to its usual chaotic mess, the more he started to question himself. Could there be some truth to what Takeshi had said?

  Of course it was difficult to believe the nonsense about him being a demon that was feeding off people’s sex drives. But he couldn’t deny he could feel the difference after being around Takeshi. Kieran had been the one to bring it up before all the crazy talk had started, after all.

  Then there was the fact he really didn’t want to squander the opportunity to be with someone who made him feel so at ease. Or who effortlessly looked so good, if he was being honest. Growing up as a closeted gay teen in a rural Australian town hadn’t exactly left his options open for exploration in that area. He might live in the city now, but he’d been choosing sleep and good marks over a social life for the past few years of uni.

  At least, those were the only justifications he could come up with when, come 2pm, he had his phone pressed to his ear. For a moment he thought it was going to ring through, but then there was a noisy fumble as the call was answered.

  “Kieran?” Takeshi asked immediately. Something in Kieran twisted when he heard the hope in Takeshi’s tone.

  “Hi,” he confirmed awkwardly. Takeshi waited patiently for him to round up his thoughts and explain himself. “I… I guess I changed my mind.”


  “You don’t sound so sure about that,” Takeshi attempted to joke, but his voice was strained.

  “Maybe you’re not the first person to point out that you think there’s something weird about my energy levels, or whatever. I just… what was all that demon stuff about?”

  “It’d probably be easier if I showed you in person,” Takeshi began hesitantly. “Can I come see you? Now?”

  Kieran looked around the small living area. He had settled down in his small armchair before making the call. He guessed he was dressed decently enough.

  “Ok, sure. Hold on, I’ll give you my address.” But before he could continue, an odd static noise came from the phone and black streaks began to obscure his vision.

  Kieran dropped his phone with a yell as something black and feathery materialised from the speaker. It gathered in front of his TV and briefly formed a shape that could only be described as demonic. Elongated head, twisting horns, and an ill-defined body swam before him and then materialised into Takeshi.

  “Do you believe me yet?” Takeshi asked flatly.

  Kieran held his hand over his heart as his breaths came quickly. He pushed his glasses up his nose with a shaky hand, but it didn’t change what he’d just seen, nor what was in front of him now. Takeshi stepped forward and Kieran instinctively tried to retreat further into his armchair.

  Takeshi reached out slowly, as if trying to avoid spooking him, and tapped his finger on the button that would hang up their call. Kieran tried to make himself relax. Other than the fright he’d just gotten, Takeshi hadn’t actually done anything to hurt him so far.

  “Was that what you really look like?” he asked in a small voice.

  Takeshi gave him a pitying look and took another step back. “In a sense. I look like whatever will stir up sexual energy in the human I’m focused on. But that was my essence, I guess you can call it. It’s much easier to travel through radio waves in that form.”

  “Are you the only demon in the host club?”