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stayteezdreams · 6 months

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And His Name Was Death {Part One}

Summoned

Plot: What happens when you accidentally summon death himself, and he decides he doesn't want to leave?

{Part Two}

Pairing: Death!Park Seonghwa x Gn!Reader

Requests: "I thought I saw something" + 'You meet Death himself, and he seems to have a crush on you.' + 'The creaking of an old door' + 'Accidentally summoning a demon while decorating'

Requested by: Anonymous; @tumbleboof and @amalialoved

A/n: yeah...I enjoyed writing these requests so much it turned into a series.

Warnings: Mildly suggestive content. Mentions of death (obviously)

Words: ~5.3k

Joy radiated through you as you rifled through the various decorations you had picked up on your recent trip into town. You could never resist decorations, especially Halloween decorations.

Between the festive scented candles, candle holders, themed mugs, fake webs, and candy, your counter top was covered in your new purchases.

Your eyes drifted to the last bag as you delicately pulled it open. Lifting out the object wrapped in brown paper, you unwrapped. Smiling softly at the old book, you ran your fingers over it. It had clearly been heavily used and was obviously quite old. The cover was engraved with barely legible markings, in a language you guessed was Latin, or at least similar to it.

Flipping through the pages, your eyes scanned the various blocks of text you couldn't understand, as well as random sketched pictures ranging from plants, to weapons, and what you assume were various monsters.

When you had gone to the antique store, you didn't really intend to buy anything, but when you spotted the old book sitting on a shelf, somewhat hidden behind an old lock box, you felt almost drawn to it. For a moment it felt as though you recognized it, like it was yours, but obviously you had never seen it before.

When you picked it up, you couldn't ignore the desire to buy it that bubbled up, so you did just that. You convinced yourself it would be a good Halloween decoration, though it did cost more than the other decorations you had bought combined. Something you would be convincing yourself was a good idea for a while. Though you feared you would just end up regretting it later.

As you reached the last page of the book as you quickly flipped through it, you stopped as you saw two handwritten passages on the back cover. It was in ink but had obviously been written a long time ago.

You ran your finger over the top passage as you wondered what it was. It was written in another language, but you found yourself muttering the words out loud as best as you could.

When you finished the first passage, you felt a wave of dizziness wash over you and you closed your eyes, shaking your head softly as you opened them again. The dizziness passed, and you hummed to yourself. After a moment's thought, you figured it was because you hadn't eaten yet.

Your eyes drifted to the second passage, but before you could read it, you jolted as you heard a loud fluttering sound similar to wings coming from behind you. Looking back towards the hallway, you furrowed your brow.

'Did a bird get in?' You thought to yourself as you made your way cautiously towards where the noise had originated.

After checking every room and making sure no windows were open, you wandered back to the kitchen, no bird being found. You shook your head, thinking maybe it had just flown past the window and sounded like it was inside.

Your eyes locked on the book and you frowned, pausing in your steps. It was now shut, though you swore you hadn't closed it. As you walked back to the book, you felt goosebumps rise up your arms and neck.

Instead of opening it again, you set it up on the counter beside the cauldron candy bowl. After sparing it one more curious glance, you continued to set out the decorations, only stopping when there was a knock at your door. You grinned to yourself as you quickly padded towards the door, knowing your friends had arrived for an evening hangout.

One Halloween movie later, you all stretched and joked as Yeosang and Wooyoung argued over the next movie to be put it. San made his way to the kitchen to grab some more candy, and you heard him call out to you a moment later.

Looking back at him, you saw him assessing the old book, "What's this?"

You turned around and smiled, "Isn't it cool? I found it at an old antique shop. I thought it would make a cool decoration."

"It's creepy." Yesoang commented as he looked over to see what San had.

"That's the point." Wooyoung said with a scoff, causing Yeosang to glare at him.

Seeing San suddenly look back further into the house, you followed his line of sight. "What?"

He slowly looked back at you and shook his head a bit, "I thought I saw something."

You felt goosebumps rise up your arms again but ignored them. "I thought I heard something earlier, like a bird got in, but I couldn't find anything."

"Want me to look?"

"Sure." You said with a soft nod, watching as he made his way into the back of your house.

As you watched him disappear, you got an odd feeling in your stomach, like a knot starting to form. As you began to rise, feeling as though you should follow him, he came back out with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I didn't see anything."

"Huh." You plopped back down, feeling a bit of relief wash over you, though the knot in your stomach still remained.

"Maybe your house is haunted." Wooyoung teased making you roll your eyes.

Though, when you spared the book another glance, and your mind flashed back to it being closed when you swore you left it open, you almost believed his words.

As Yeosang put another movie in, after winning against Wooyoung in rock, paper, scissors, and San had his fill of candy choices, you tried to distract yourself from your wandering thoughts.

Your thoughts however were only distracted for a short time, as you caught onto an unfamiliar figure in the TV's reflection as the screen went black momentarily. It was only for a second, but you swore someone was standing right behind you.

Not wanting to freak yourself out, you slowly turned your head, finding that the room was empty behind you. You stared down the darkened hallway, as you felt as though you were being watched. Looking back at the book, you took in a deep breath.

"Are you sure there was nothing when you looked San?"

San looked over at you, noticing you peering back at the dark area of your house.

He frowned "Yeah I'm sure, why?"

"I don't know" You hesitated, "I just...got a weird feeling."

Yeosang had now paused the movie and he and Wooyoung looked back down the hallway as well.

San stood up tapping Wooyoung's leg, "Come on."

You looked over at them as they all stood up, "What are you doing?"

"We'll check everything, so you can feel better about it okay?"

You smiled at him as you stood up as well, "That would make me feel better."

He smiled and nodded as you all walked through the house, checking every closet and every room. Yeosang checked every door and window until you were satisfied.

You sat back on the couch with a sigh, "Maybe watching horror movies when I know I live alone isn't such a good idea." You joked, making the others chuckle.

"Or, maybe I was right." Wooyoung wiggled his eyebrows and you smacked his shoulder. "Shut up! I do not want to think about my house being haunted Woo."

He chuckled, "Sorry, sorry. I'm sure it's not, I'm just joking."

"Come on, let's put in a more lighthearted movie. That will be better right?" Yeosang asked looking at you, and you nodded with a smile, grateful he wanted you to feel more comfortable.

Even with the house fully checked, you felt uneasy when the time came for the three to go home. You knew your house was empty, you knew you were safe, but something felt...off.

San gave you a soft smile, "You gonna be okay?"

You nodded your head, "Yeah, I'll be fine." It wasn't a lie, you hoped.

Throwing away candy wrappers and washing your drinking glasses, you started to feel a bit better as your house grew quiet. As you began to sing softly to yourself, your nerves began to settle even more. You really were just riling yourself up with stupid thoughts.

Creak

Your voice went silent and your whole body froze as the door at the end of the hallway creaked open.

Looking to your left, you slowly reached over, grabbing the heavy candle holder you had bought earlier in the day. Silently, you walked to the hall and turned the light on, seeing it empty ahead of you. The door was in fact open and you felt your heart thump painfully in your chest.

You let out a shaky breath as you slowly crept down the hall, peering into every room, until you finally checked the last room, yet finding nothing once again.

You cursed to yourself as you walked back into your kitchen. Scoffing as you set the candle holder down, you grabbed the book and stared at it.

"You're not really haunted, are you?"

"Not quite."

Gasping you dropped the book as you quickly grabbed the candle holder, spinning around you saw a man standing a few feet away. Chucking the candle holder at him, he dodged it, though barely, as he was surprised by your quick movements.

You froze for a second as the man looked back at you, surprise fading into a smirk, "Good reflexes."

Quickly reaching behind you, you grabbed a knife from the counter and held it defensively.

His smirked seemed to widen, "A fighter too."

"Who are you?" You asked boldly, though there was a waver in your voice.

He quirked his brow, "Shouldn't you know? You called me here."

He could see the confusion that crossed your face and his interest continued to pique.

"What do you mean?" Your grip tightened around the handle of the knife.

Tilting his head softly, his eyes drifted to the book on the counter behind you, "That little incantation you read earlier."

You quickly glance at the book, and your eyes furrowed more, "What?"

He furrowed his brow before he scoffed, "You have magic in your veins and you aren't even aware of it."

You were as far away from the man as you could get but fully cornered in your kitchen. Eyeing the counter, you knew you were fully prepared to vault over it if needed.

"What does that mean? Who are you?" You asked again, your voice holding more force than before.

"It means you are a child of witches. No matter how far back in your bloodline, only those with magic in their blood can use that book. And you summoned me."

"S-summoned?"

Your heart pounded in your chest as your mind went wild. This guy was crazy, or maybe you were crazy. Whichever one it was, nothing was making sense.

Slowly, the man smiled, showing his bright white teeth. Bowing to you, he peered up, and as his eyes met yours you could see they were now completely black. Your heart jolted with shock as you felt locked in place.

"And to answer your other question. I am Death." Standing straight up again, you watched as his eyes faded back to brown. "But, you can call me Seonghwa. It is the name I go by with humans."

"Yeah, I'm going crazy." You muttered, staring almost blankly at him.

He tilted his head and a soft smile graced his face. "Is that easier to believe?"

"Is it easier to believe I'm going crazy over the fact that I somehow summoned Death into my house? Yeah, a bit."

He grinned at your words before he moved to walk into your living room. You followed him with your eyes, taking the moment to move out of your kitchen and to an area you could easily make a break for it if needed.

Looking around he smiled, "At least I didn't get summoned by someone who wanted to use me, or trap me. Last time that happened- Well, it didn't work out very well for him."

A shiver ran up your spine at his words, and you spoke again, your voice soft, and showing your new fear.

"Are you going to kill me?

Slowly he looked over at you, and for a moment you saw what you could only describe as dejection.

"Do you want to die?" He asked slowly, making your breath catch.

You shook your head, "No."

He smiled again and you almost felt relieved. "Then no, I am not going to kill you."

As he looked back towards your living room, you watched him pick up a piece of chocolate and eat it. You took this moment to fully take in his appearance.

His black hair perfectly matched his fully black outfit, and you couldn't deny he was gorgeous, almost ethereal even. If he wasn't a stranger claiming to be Death as he walked around your house as if he hadn't broken in, you might be flirting with him.

Looking over at you, his eyes scanned you before landing on the knife still in your hand.

"That won't do anything by the way." He commented with a casual tone.

Your eyes fell down to the knife in your hand and you held it tighter. "You say that, but it makes me feel better."

His lip quirked up slightly, "Then keep it."

You glanced over at the book and recalled everything that had happened since you bought it. Noises, shadows in the corner of your eyes, the feeling of being watched, but never finding or seeing anyone. Maybe he really was telling the truth.

"Why- what is an incantation to summon death doing written in the back of an old book?"

He shrugged "Well, it's not just an old book, its a grimoire, a spell book for witches. And it belonged to the last man who summoned me. The one who trapped me." You could hear malice in his voice as he looked back over at the book and your chest tightened.

"The one you killed?"

His eyes fell on you and his brow quirked, "How do you know I killed him?"

"You implied it. Besides, you said you were Death." You quickly answered.

His lips curled into a smile you would normally find charming if he weren't so unnerving.

"Smart too." He hummed as he turned to face you fully, his eyes scanned you up and down, as something you didn't recognize flashed in his eyes.

He started to walk slowly towards you and a shiver crawled up your spine, you backed away, and your felt your heart drop as your back hit the wall. Lifting your hand you reminded him of the knife as you gripped it, ready to fight if needed.

He stopped right in front of you and you felt your breath catch. The tip of the knife was pressed to his chest, but he didn't so much as blink.

Lifting his hand, he reached towards your face, his fingers gently caressing your cheek.

"Brave, strong-willed, smart, and beautiful."

His touch was cold, but it felt nice, and you resisted the urge to let out a sigh. The thought alone jarring you. You should be afraid, you should be yelling, running, fighting, but you weren't.

You met his eyes and you were startled by the softness he held in his gaze.

"What do you want from me?" You asked, voice soft, just above a whisper.

He tilted his head ever so slightly as he admired your face, dropping his hand.

"I was going to ask you that." Stepping away from you, he walked over to your fridge, pulling it open. "You summoned me, though I now know it was an accident. What was it you told your friend? You thought it would make a nice decoration?" You could hear a note of amusement in his tone.

You watched him rummage through your fridge as you thought back on your conversation with San. So he really had been here in the house, unseen, invisible. You recalled the reflection in the TV and you shivered.

Silently you walked back over to the book, the grimoire, as he called it. Quietly flipping through it, you wondered if every passage was a different spell. And you couldn't help but wonder, if you summoned him could you maybe do more?

You glanced back up at him, seeing him investigating your left-overs. Setting the knife down, you continued to flip to the end of the book.

Finding the last passage, the one you had summoned him with, your eyes fell to the second half, the part you had not read aloud. If the first half summoned him, perhaps the second half-

Before you could even finish your thought, you were being pressed up against the counter, hands held down at your sides, as Seonghwa's chest was pressed against your own. His nose brushed yours as his eyes held an intense gaze with yours.

"Don't." His voice was strong, but you thought you heard...panic?

"Don't what?" You asked somewhat breathlessly, still startled by his quick movements. You hadn't even seen him step away from the fridge.

"Read it."

"Why?" You asked, a challenge in your tone. You already knew you had been right, and from his reaction, he knew you knew it too.

"Because I don't want to go."

You felt your gut twist at the sudden vulnerability on his face, the tone of his voice did show fear, and almost desperation.

"Wh-why?" You asked again, your tone softer this time.

You felt his grip on your wrists loosen, but he still held you against him. Seonghwa debated telling you, what if you were secretly cruel? Just waiting for the perfect moment to get your hands back on the book? But as he studied your gaze a bit longer, he saw the genuine curiosity, and kindness peaking through, he also saw concern. For him? He felt his chest clench.

No, you weren't cruel, you were something...else. Something that intrigued him more than he could fully understand just yet.

"It's been so long since I've come here without cause or instruction, I'd like to stay. Unless you demand something of me."

"Demand?"

"You summoned me, and because of that, you have some realm of control over me. So tell me, what do you want?"

You stared into his eyes and saw various emotions coursing through them. What had others who summoned him demanded he do? He was Death, so did that mean he was summoned to kill? And who? Innocent people? Evil people? What did the man who owned the grimoire before you do to him when he trapped him?

The more you thought of these possibilities, the more you could make sense of the emotions in his gaze. He was afraid, he was angry, he was tired. He wanted to be free.

You found yourself shaking your head. "I don't want anything."

Seonghwa studied your face for a moment, his eyes grazing over your lips longer than he fully intended. He let go of your hands as he let out a breath.

You would really wish nothing of him? You had a powerful, God-like being at your beckoning, and you wanted nothing?

A smile formed on his face. "Kind too. I'll add that to the list."

You felt a smile tugging at your lips, but you pushed it away. "So can you only come here when you are summoned?"

Seonghwa smiled. So you had finally accepted he was really Death. Now, you were curious. Usually he might ignore your questions and flee, but you were, more or less, setting him free. And, something made him not want to leave, at least not quite yet.

"Or to take souls to the Underworld. But most times, I can only stay for a short time. Until my bidding is done."

"And...are you the only Death? I mean, there can't just be you, right?"

"No, there are many of us. We are demons, a type at least."

Your brow furrowed, "I thought Death was supposed to be an Angel?"

"The original one was, yes. But Angels can only handle so much death before they are tainted by it. Demons are not."

You nodded as if you understood, but you only grew more confused by the second.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this so easily." He mused, his tone holding both curiosity and amusement.

"And I don't know why I'm not freaking out."

He smiled as a soft chuckle left his mouth and as you smiled in return, he felt his heart skip a beat. As he studied you his gaze almost became playful.

You felt your ears and neck growing hot, "What?" You asked, uncertain what to do under his gaze.

A smirk formed on his face, "I like you." He said matter-of-factly.

You could no longer ignore the heat that had risen up your neck, or the way your heart pounded in your chest. How and why did he make you feel like this, when you had been terrified not too long ago?

Before you could respond, you heard a knock on your door, causing you to flinch out of surprise.

Seonghwa glanced towards your door before he looked back at you. He tried to ignore the disappointment that filled his chest as you looked away from him. He hated interruptions.

"Your friend is back."

You looked from the door to him and he motioned his head for you to go. You slowly walked away, leaving the kitchen, and his line of sight, still uneasy due to his previous actions. He wasn't going to do anything to whoever was at the door was he?

Peeping out of the window, you saw San bouncing on his feet outside your door. You rose your brow as you wondered how Seonghwa had known it was one of your friends. And why were you referring to him as Seonghwa like you knew him??

As you disappeared from his sight Seonghwa looked down at the grimoire before picking it up. It really could do you good, if you learned more about your magic. But, as long as that incantation was in the back, he couldn't let you have it. Not if you might change your mind about letting him stay.

He could hear you answer the door, and knew you wouldn't say anything about his presence. If you did, you would just sound crazy, and he wouldn't be here to prove that wrong.

"Hey! I left my phone in the living room." San said as soon as you opened the door, before he rushed inside "I gotta get it before Wooyoung drives off without me."

"Oh, I can get it!"

He chuckled "That's okay, I'll be quick!" He called back as he headed past the kitchen where Seonghwa was.

You followed him, fear spiking through you, what would Seonghwa do? What would San do? As you rounded the corner, you saw San grabbing his phone from the table, while the kitchen was empty, Seonghwa no where in sight. Your eyes landed on the counter and your heart jumped. He had taken the book.

San grinned at you, "Got it! Sorry, I'll talk to you tomorrow okay?!" He called as he jogged out of the house and towards Wooyoung's car as he sat impatiently out front.

You looked around, wondering where Seonghwa had gone. Had he really left? You walked swiftly through your house and didn't find him. He had taken the book and vanished. Of course he would. That was the smart thing to do.

Your thoughts swam for a moment as your eyes stared blankly at where the book had been.

Why wouldn't he leave? I didn't command him to do anything and he just wanted to be free. And he took the book...because I could use it to send him back to...well wherever it was he came from.

You knew he was smart for taking the book, but why did he leave? And why did your chest ache because of it? Was he going to come back? Or was that the first and last time you would meet the black haired demon? Would you see him again years down the road when you die? Were you really descended from witches?

Thoughts plagued you as you sat on the couch. How had your day gone from so normal, to so earth-shatteringly complicated in the span of a few hours?

Slowly, without really noticing, you started to sink lower into the couch as your mind slowed, exhaustion from the adrenaline of your evening. Giving into it, mind foggy, you lied down, accepting sleep as it washed over you.

Maybe this was all a dream, and I've been asleep the whole time.

That was the last coherent thought that crossed your mind. So lost in the fog of sleep, you could barely register the sound of wings fluttering nearby, or the sound of footsteps approaching you. The soft caress of fingertips across your cheek might have shocked you if your mind had been more alert.

As your body became weightless, you stirred for only a moment before you drifted into a deep sleep.

When you woke the next morning the thoughts of the previous night rushed to your mind. There was no way that actually happened, right?

You sat up and looked down at yourself. You had never changed into your pajamas. In fact, you had fallen asleep on the couch, not in your bed. So, how were you in your bedroom now?

The image of Seonghwa appeared in your mind and your chest tightened.

It wasn't a dream, was it?

Walking out into your living room, your eyes scanned the room, before landing on the kitchen counter. Walking over you found the candle-holder you had thrown now sitting on the edge of the table. And the spot where you had placed the book was empty.

Would he come back? Should you wait?

No. No, I have a life, I can't sit and wait around for Death.

The sudden thought almost made you laugh. The thought would be more profound if it weren't a person you were referring too.

Deciding to get dressed and go to work, you tried not to focus on all of the new thoughts and questions plaguing your mind. But you found very little to distract yourself with. All day you looked around expecting to see Seonghwa watching you. Every time you heard the sound of a bird fly past your eyes darted around.

Was it just your mind that made you so paranoid? When every time you felt like you were being watched, or that someone was behind you even though no one was there. Was it just you? Or was it really him?

You weren't sure why, but you kept yourself so busy with work you stayed late. Then you decided to run errands that didn't even need to be done.

It was all because you were afraid to go home. But why, is what confused you. It wasn't that you were afraid he would show up, it was that you wanted him too.

You should be terrified, but you just wanted to know more. More about what or who he is. More about yourself and magic.

Was it morbid curiosity? Was it attraction to some form of darkness you didn't understand?

You hated that you couldn't sort your thoughts out. And all you felt was exhaustion by the time you finally got home. You ran out of things to keep you away, so you gave in.

As you stepped into your quite house, you looked around, checking each room casually before you let out a sigh and wandered over to the fridge.

He took the book, he is free to do what he wants, he's not coming back. Why would he?

Leaning down to look through the fridge, your whole body froze as the sound of fluttering wings came from behind you. Slowly, you stood up, before turning to peer over your shoulder.

You knew what you were going to see, but your heart still jumped as you set eyes on Seonghwa. He stared at you from across the room, a small smile on his face.

Slowly turning around, you closed the fridge as you stared at him in silence for a moment.

"And here I was beginning to wonder if you were ever real at all." You mumbled, trying to steady your heavy beating heart.

His small smile widened but he stayed silent.

Your eyes wandered to where the book had been and you met his eyes. "Wanted to make sure I couldn't send you back?"

He glanced to the kitchen counter and for a second you thought you saw guilt cross his face before he shrugged his head.

"Yes. Honestly I should have gotten rid of it last time, but I had no idea the incantation was written in the book itself."

"You could have just asked." You mumbled almost under your breath, and he noted the mild offense in your tone.

He looked you up and down and took a step closer before tilting his head. "Are you saying you wouldn't have done it?"

You laced your hands together behind your back as you kept eye contact with him. You walked away from the fridge and around the counter to face him straight on.

"I don't know. I'm still struggling to understand if this is all real or-"

"Or if you're going crazy?"

You nodded slowly as he finished your thought. Suddenly, he began walking towards you, you hesitated, only stepping back as he nearly ran into you. You let out a soft gasp as your back hit the wall.

You met his eyes in mild panic and uncertainty, but he simply stared into your eyes with a soft smile. His forehead nearly brushed yours as he got closer. Slowly, he lifted his hand and brushed his knuckles against the side of your face before cupping your cheek.

"Do you feel that?"

Your voice had vanished, but you nodded.

His other hand rubbed against your own before he laced his fingers through yours and held your hand.

"And that?"

You nodded again, your heart pounding so hard you were sure he could feel it himself.

He smiled before he slowly removed his hand and took a step back, "Then this is real, and you are not crazy"

Opening your mouth, you hesitated for second before you finally found your voice again. "Why did you come back?"

He stared at you for a moment before raising his brow.

"You took the book, I can't send you back, you're free to stay, just like you wanted. So why did you come back here?"

He kept his eyes locked with yours in silence for a moment before he hummed under his breath.

"I wondered that too, and I can come to only one conclusion."

You waited in silence, questioning him with your gaze. Your breath caught as he leaned forward again, closing the distance he had just put between you.

Seonghwa brought his face next to yours, as his breath tickled your ear.

"I want you."

Your eyes widened as you took in his words, but before you could respond a gust of air and the sound of fluttering wings caused you to flinch and blink in surprise. As you opened them again, he was gone, as though he had never been there at all.

You let out a staggered breath as the tension in your body released.

Taking everything in, you felt dizzy from the amount of thoughts passing through your head. But all of it came crashing down as you let out a bewildered breath and the only thing you could truly muster.

"What the fuck."

xx End xx

{Part Two}

Series Taglist Open

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#Park Seonghwa x reader #park seonghwa/reader #seonghwa x reader #seonghwa/reader #demon!seonghwa #death!seonghwa #ateez x reader #ateez/reader #demon!ateez #seonghwa imagine #seonghwa fic #ateez imagine #ateez fic #13 days of halloween 2023 #ateez halloween #park seonghwa slow burn #and his name was death #and his name was death part one

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stayteezdreams · 5 months

Text

And His Name Was Death {Part Two}

A Deal With Death

Story Plot: What happens when you accidentally summon death himself, and he decides he doesn't want to leave?

Chapter Plot: After weeks pass, you finally see Seonghwa again. This time, he comes with an offer you aren't sure you can refuse.

Previous // Next

Pairing: Death!Seonghwa x Gn!Reader

Warnings: Mentions of being followed (very brief).

A/N: And suddenly there is an end-goal plot in view! But don't worry, I promise there will be more romance coming in the next chapter. I didn't want to rush into anything, so this is just to warm it up a bit.

Words: 2.9k

To say you were on edge was an understatement. Your eyes followed every black-clothed figure that walked past, you checked every room of your home at the slightest unknown sound, you looked for Seonghwa in every face you passed. But no matter how hard you looked, you never saw him, even though you seemed to always sense him.

It had been a few weeks since you had met Seonghwa, since you had met Death himself. Halloween came and went, and he hadn't shown up again. The words he spoke to you at your last meeting often echoed in your mind.

"I want you."

Though you had not seen him since, you couldn't shake the feeling that he was always nearby.

The constant nagging feeling of being watched, or seeing shadows out of the corner of your eyes. Similar feelings to the first night you met him. But he had yet to show his face again, and you wondered if he ever would.

Would he just linger in the shadows watching you? Or were you right in assuming he was doing a bit more than that.

A few days after he had vanished once again, you had been walking down the street and a biker was heading straight towards you on a narrow path. He was distracted by something across the street and had not noticed you. Before you could dive out of harms way, the bike was thrown unnaturally to the side, and the biker into a large bush, leaving you unscathed.

Then one evening nearly a week later, you had been walking home and spotted someone following you. A hooded man you had seen a few block earlier near the store.

Before you could so much as take out your pepper spray, you had heard an unusual noise causing you to glance back, and the man was gone, nowhere to be seen.

Your only thought was that it was Seonghwa protecting you. But why, you weren't sure. You still didn't understand what he wanted with you, what his words really meant. And you were getting tired of waiting.

And so was Seonghwa.

He had been watching you. He couldn't seem to stay away from you for longer than a day. His mind was constantly nagging at him. Where were you now? What were you doing? Who were you with?

He found that watching you live your life made him yearn to change it. It seemed boring and repetitive and you didn't seem entirely happy.

Seonghwa could note the moment you sensed his presence. The way you would look around, and for a second you would look at him, or at least where he was standing. He was invisible to you, but it still seemed like you could see him.

The first time it happened he felt his whole body still as the hairs on his arms stood straight up. But then your eyes grazed past as if you hadn't actually seen him and he let out the breath that had gotten stuck in his throat.

He felt more and more drawn to you, and he knew what he had said to you was really how he felt. He did want you. He wanted to learn about you, to be around you, to tell you about himself. Honestly, it frightened him. But at the same time, it intrigued and excited him. You made him feel things he wasn't sure he had ever felt before.

It was further proven to him when he had seen you outside your work talking with another man. He assumed he was a coworker with the way you spoke to each other.

When the man began openly flirting with you, Seonghwa felt his chest burn hot as anger coursed through him. Jealousy.

And when you softly, yet clearly rejected his advances Seonghwa could have clapped in happiness. Elation.

Seonghwa couldn't resist the temptation of getting something out of it himself, and after you had left, he made sure that the next car that drove by, not-so-accidentally drove through a puddle, successfully drenching the man in the process.

After a few weeks of shamelessly watching you live your life, he felt the need to see you in person grow stronger. And when another problem cropped up, he decided he might as well give in to the temptation.

So now, he sat with his arms crossed, staring at the grimoire, and impatiently waiting at your kitchen counter for you to get home.

This was the first time he could recall feeling so antsy, and even possibly nervous.

'What's taking them so long?' He thought to himself with a sigh.

He knew you had left work thirty minutes ago, you should have been back by now.

Just when he had began considering looking for you himself, he heard the front door unlock. He smiled to himself as he cleared his throat and waited.

As you entered your house, you couldn't really explain it, but the air felt different. You paused as you stared into your home in silence before you set down your keys and bag and wandered towards the kitchen, as if something was drawing you there.

When you rounded the corner, your eyes immedietely found Seonghwa sitting at the counter, with a soft, almost pleased smile on his face.

You stared at him in silence for a moment, as your heart raced. Heat rose up your neck as you saw his eyes rake agonizingly slow over your figure.

Your eyes flicked to the book in front of him and you furrowed your brow in confusion. Looking back to Seonghwa, you walked slowly closer, remaining on the opposite side of he counter.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of another visit by Death?"

Seonghwa's soft smile became a grin as his eyes followed you closely. How he had resisted not seeing or speaking to you up close for this long surprised him. His heart was racing and his hands clammy, as you looked at him with your soft, yet challenging eyes.

"Must there be a reason I want to see you?" He asked with an almost flirty tone.

You hummed as you looked at the book again, "Well I assumed maybe it had to do with this." You tapped the book. "Why else would you bring it back here?"

Seonghwa looked own at the book and felt a nervous pull in his chest. Swallowing he spun the book around and slid it over to you.

"I'm simply returning what belongs to you."

You quirked your brow as you ran your hands over the book. Flipping through the pages, you stopped when you came across the incantation that summoned him. And on the page beside it, the one to send him away.

You looked up at him and saw a nervousness in his eyes that he quickly covered when he noticed you looking at him.

"I thought you didn't want me to have this?"

Seonghwa let out a breath and you saw annoyance cross his features. "I can't get rid of it."

"What do you mean? Why not?"

"It's been charmed, I cannot destroy the incantation. And believe me when I say I tried."

You looked between him and the book. "Did- did you want me too?" Is that why he was here?

Seonghwa felt his heart skip a beat. Why hadn't he thought of that? Could you destroy it? Would you try if he asked?

He swallowed almost nervously before he stood up. "I don't know if you can. You can try if you wish, the book is yours to do what you want with it."

"Aren't you afraid I might cast it?"

Seonghwa stared at you for a moment, his face showing no emotion. You watched him as he moved, slowly rounding the corner of the counter, before stopping in front of you, his eyes never leaving you.

He stared into your eyes for a long moment, and you felt it becoming harder to breath as your heart raced and butterflies filled your stomach.

Slowly, a smirk spread across his features as his eyes grazed along your face, lingering on your lips before he met your eye again.

"I know you wont."

"How do you know?"

He took a step closer before leaning towards you, stopping when his nose brushed yours. He glanced at your lips for a second and you forgot to breath. Meeting your eyes again his smirk turned into a grin.

"Because you're just as intrigued by me, as I am of you."

Closing the distance, Seonghwa's lips met your cheek and it felt both hot and cold at the same time. As if he burned you, yet provided immediate comfort to the burn.

When he pulled away, he smiled bright "I also came to offer you something."

You swallowed hard. "What?"

Grabbing the grimoire he placed it into your arms. "I will teach you about magic, I will help you unleash the magic waiting beneath the surface of your being."

You would be lying if you said that did not tempt you. Ever since your first meeting with Seonghwa, you wanted to know more, not just about him, or magic in general, but about yourself and the supposed magic in your bloodline.

"And what do you get in return?"

His smile became more devilish as he shrugged his head almost playfully. "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

He could see the wheels turning in your mind and he chuckled softly. "I will leave you to think it over. But I will leave you with this as well. Every time you thought you felt my presence these last few weeks, you were right. So when you have your answer, just call out for me." Leaning in, his lips brushed your ear, "I will hear you, I'm never too far away."

Just as he had done before, within the blink of an eye he was gone. Once again leaving you alone, left to think over his final words.

Looking down at the grimoire you let out a long shaky breath. Why did he always have to leave you so confused? And why couldn't he just use the door?

If you weren't so lost in thought, you might be more aware of the hairs standing up on the back of your neck, signalling that he was nearby, watching you.

But your eyes were staring off into space as your mind wandered. Sitting on a lonely bench at the edge of the park, you took no notice of your surroundings, even drowning out all sound.

Thinking back on the last few days, you had skimmed through the grimoire multiple times. You tried to translate various passages, but could find nothing that made sense. You figured the language must be something not spoken by "ordinary" humans.

You were too afraid to read anything out loud, for fear that you may accidentally summon another demon, or accidentally hurt someone.

Then there were the two spells you did know. The one that summoned Seonghwa, and the one that would send him away. It was odd, when you stared at the second incantation. Knowing its purpose, you suddenly got an overwhelming urge to destroy it. You resisted, convincing yourself it was best to keep it on hand, in case. Though you had a feeling Seonghwa would not hurt you. But you knew it was best to keep it as a fail-safe of sorts.

When a sudden cold breeze blew past you, sending a chill through you, you broke from your thoughts. Looking around, you noted very few people around.

'Will he really hear me if I call out to him?'

Clearing your throat, you started to speak, only to stop yourself numerous times. Letting out a sigh, you steadied yourself before you finally spoke out loud, your voice holding little confidence or volume.

"Seonghwa?"

Within a short moment, a stiff breeze blew past you and the sound of fluttering wigs filled you ears, as you blinked in surprise. Noting the dark figure sitting on the bench beside you, you jolted as you barely resisted gasping in shock.

Seonghwa had a satisfied smile on his face as he looked at you, his arm was perched on the back of the bench as he crossed his legs, staring out at the scenery ahead of you.

You stared at him for a moment, noting how comfortable he was.

"Yo- you weren't there the whole time were you?"

He chuckled softly under his breath before he shook his head. "No. But I was nearby."

"Nearby? Why?"

He looked over at you before taking in your appearance. As his usual teasing smile crossed his features, you couldn't help the butterflies that sprouted in your gut.

"I find that I don't know this world well enough anymore to walk around comfortably in it. So I often find myself lingering near you."

"Lingering?"

Your mind suddenly flashed back to the various unusual thing's that had happened to you in the past few weeks.

"The biker?" You asked softly and you saw him repress a grin before he nodded softly. "And the man following me?"

This time you saw something akin to anger flash across his face. "Yes, him too."

You leaned a little closer, as if wanting to hear a secret. "What did you do to him?"

Seonghwa smiled at your curiosity, and you pretended not to notice his gaze lingering on your lips. "I don't think you want to know that, sweetheart."

Your heart jolted at the sudden nickname and you cleared your throat softly as you tried to hide the flustering effect he had on you.

Seonghwa noticed it, but kept it to himself, though he could not repress a smile.

"Why- why have you been helping me like that? I mean, just hiding in the shadows, instead of just... I don't know, actually being around?"

He stared at you for a moment. "Would you have...allowed that?"

"What? Allowed you to actually hang around me rather than lurk around while invisible?"

He nodded and you let out a soft chuckle.

"Well, I mean. I would want some space in general, especially when at work, but I mean... I wouldn't mind it. If you had nowhere else to go where you felt comfortable, I mean."

As Seonghwa's gaze seem to soften as you spoke, you found yourself growing more shy. He smiled brightly at you and you felt your stomach fill with butterflies again.

He looked away from you as he struggled to repress his growing grin. His own neck and ears burning hotter, and he tapped his fingers nervously on the bench.

Wanting to distract himself from his sudden flustered composure, he cleared his throat. "Noted, then."

You looked down at your hands as you fiddled with them, only looking up when Seonghwa spoke again, his tone more serious this time.

"So, did you call me here because you've made a decision?"

Suddenly reminded of your original intention you sat up straight and composed yourself. "Yes. I-" you hesitated for a moment before you nodded, "I want to know more."

He grinned slowly and you quickly added on "But I want to know what you want in return for teaching me."

His grin remained as he let out a chuckle. "Smart."

Looking out ahead of him you saw his smile fade into an almost melancholic gaze. "I want freedom."

You felt your chest clench as your tone softened. "From what?"

"From being Death."

"What does that mean? I mean, really?"

"If I help you discover your magic, I want you to help set me free."

"Is being Death a curse or something?"

He shrugged his head as he let out a soft sigh, "Not originally, but it can become one. I'll explain more later on."

You thought for a moment before a sudden thought came to mind. "Setting you free...doesn't mean, killing you, does it?"

He smiled at the hesitant look on your face before he shook his head with a gentle smile. "No, it does not. I will still be alive, and will still be a demon, I just wont be a Death demon."

"Ohh" you nodded your head in understanding, though you were still thoroughly bewildered.

"I'll be able to live my life as I choose." He added on, wanting you to understand more of his intentions.

You stared softly at him, and he saw the same look of genuine kindness shining through that he saw the first time he met you. He felt his heart pound almost painfully in his chest, and almost wished for you to look away from him.

"Alright. Deal."

He rose his brow, "Deal? Are you sure?"

You let out a bewildered chuckle. "What? You're not going to take my soul in the end are you?"

He let out a breathy laugh. "No, I'm not that kind of demon."

"Good. Then, yes I'll help you, if I can. Just because you are going to help me 'discover my magic', doesn't mean I'll be any good at it."

He smiled wide, "I'm not worried, I have faith."

"Are you allowed to?"

Seonghwa paused for a second before letting out a genuine laugh, your joke catching him off guard. You giggled under your breath at his reaction, your words having come out before you processed them.

Seonghwa shook his head as he repressed his laughter, enjoying the feeling you brought to him. Something he had lacked in recent years.

He stared at you for a moment and you fiddled with your hands again. "So, when do we start?"

Seonghwa leaned closer and you held your breath. His eyes flicked to your lips before he grinned.

Reaching out, he gently cupped your cheek and locked his eyes with yours again.

"We start now."

xx End xx

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