Homosexual Demons for Dummies

Tim

The moon was full tonight. I stared up at it wistfully with one good eye. The other was still swollen shut, one of the many marks left by my wife the other night, when she'd found my infernus.

I hadn't expected her to leave me alone after that, after she'd found out I'd taken steps to defend myself from her. But she had. I smiled without mirth. And I had run away. I had taken the car and driven until it wasn't safe to drive anymore, until I'd been forced by exhaustion to stop and rest in this seedy motel.

I needed to sleep, I thought as I turned towards the bed. I needed to be ready to drive again tomorrow. If I managed to cross the border into Canada, maybe, just maybe, I would be safe. However, I was sore, so sore, from my many bruises and burns, and scared, so scared, that Lisa would find me.

Maybe she would kill me this time, I thought. She'd at least put my infernus somewhere harder to get to than her lockbox, and... and she'd hurt me some more. I shivered, thinking of the fire she could call, of the beatings, of the pain.

If I didn't have the infernus, I couldn't call my demon... And remembering the words always took time. What if she got the infernus away from me before I could wake up and call the demon out? I fingered the pendant, frowning.

But what if my demon was out already? Then I wouldn't waste time fumbling with the words... I could just send it after Lisa. Hell, the thing was probably intimidating enough to give even my heliomage wife pause. It was, after all, over eight feet tall, muscular, and winged. I called my demon out and looked the brute over, its sullen red eyes gazing back at me.

H'Zad

I gazed back at my hh'ainun as he looked me over, rage bubbling within me like lava. He was the reason I was in this immobile state, unable to so much as twitch my tail without his orders, unable to-

He was injured. I felt my rage cooling somewhat, and fought to hold onto its fever pitch. I shouldn't care if the one who held my contract was hurt. I should be filled with anger, not pity at his swollen shut eye and wounded, frightened expression, so much like-

No. I fought to shut out the memory of my lost Vh'alyir. They were nothing alike. This hh'ainun did not deserve my pity, even if the little male was even smaller and weaker than my Tyran. The hh'ainun had decided to take my power as his own, to hold me captive to his will.

But not out of cruelty or hunger for power, I realized, as a few of his stray thoughts reached me. Out of desperation. A payashē had taken and abused him. I thought of Tyran again. The weak Vh'alyir demons had always been favored playthings for certain cruel payashē. And my hh'ainun didn't even have the strength of the weakest of the Vh'alyir, I thought as he ordered me into his bed.

Once I was lying down, my little hh'ainun curled up beside me and closed his eyes. The familiarity of it, the similarity to my nights with Tyran Vh'alyir, made me ache inside. And, at the same time-

Perhaps my time as a hh'ainun slave wouldn't be as bad as I had thought.

Tim

I drifted off to sleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow, lulled by the warmth of my demon by my side, and by the protection he represented. Which was kind of dumb, I thought as I looked at the morning light shining through the space between the curtains. With me asleep, the demon was immobile, and I was sure that, if he could move, he would kill me as soon as he had the chance.

I called my demon back into the infernus and yawned. Stretching, I wondered vaguely if I could find breakfast anywhere near here. I was hungry. Also, I needed to get a change of clothes out of the car, and maybe take a shower...

What with one thing and another, it was over an hour before I was on the road. The drive was lonely and dull. I found myself changing radio stations frequently, and, eventually, I just turned it off.

When I stopped for the night, I was officially on Canadian soil. I felt much safer now. Surely I was out of reach of my crazy ex and her crazier family across the border.

I drew the curtains so no one could see in, and then, for no reason in particular, I called out my demon. "Do you think we're safe now?" I asked the statue-still figure, not expecting an answer. "Or should I have kept going?"

Not that I'd had much choice about stopping, I thought with a yawn. The first several sleepless days and nights of this escape had been exhausting. I needed rest. And food. Definitely food.

According to the summoner who'd sold me the demon, demons worked better and lasted longer if you fed them, so I ordered an extra large pizza for us both. When it got here, we ate together, me directing the demon. I found myself pretending he was a normal dinner companion, and talking about my life.

"I didn't grow up in a mythic family," I told him. "We were pretty normal, honestly. Maybe even a bit dull. I was an only child." I paused, then admitted, "I might have been bullied a bit more than average. I mean, I was a bit of a weirdo." Shrugging self consciously, I added, "I tried, but it was hard to fit in. Hard to be what my peers expected."

"I never expected to find love," I admitted, "So I was pretty surprised when Lisa asked me to prom. She was always so sure about what she wanted... And what she wanted was me. It was, well, flattering. For years." I looked down at my pizza. "I tried to be what she wanted me to be. The good boyfriend, then the dutiful husband. But it was never enough."

"She's a mythic," I told the demon. "A heliomage. First mythic I ever met." I paused, then clarified. "First mythic I met who I knew about, anyways. She came from a long line of mages. Her parents were... Proud. They didn't like me." Frowning, I mused, "Bet they're happy I'm gone."

"My parents didn't like Lisa," I admitted to my demon. "They didn't like how she treated me. And they were right." Bleakly, I added, "I kind of wonder, now, if she didn't have something to do with their car crash. They wanted me to break up with her to go to college, and I was going to do it... And then they died." I sighed. "I miss them. And I really wish I hadn't married Lisa."

I ate a few bites of pizza, and had the demon do the same. Then I looked back up at him. "Maybe we should talk about happier things. Like how I'm a mythic now, because of you, and how I'm going to join a guild in Canada, and-" I paused. "That's pretty much the extent of my plans. Aside from divorcing Lisa."

H'Zad

I listened to my hh'ainun talk about his life. It wasn't like I had a choice in the matter. And I ate the pizza, with just as little choice. The lack of choice... It irked me somewhat. But the pizza tasted good, and there was something in the way my hh'ainun talked to me, as if I were a close, trusted friend. He knew I was his for as long as he lived, in body, at least. The utter trust in his eyes soothed something inside me, a wound I had held for a long time.

Later, as we lay in bed together, as my hh'ainun's breathing slowed in sleep, I thought of Tyran again, of the first time we'd met. As a Vh'alyir demon, he'd rightfully feared house Gh'reshēr, the house I belonged to. After all, third house was so much stronger than twelfth, and my house was known to hunt his, both for sport and for the fact that they were immune to summoning, the bane of our kind.

I had never killed a Vh'alyir, though. There was something about them, something that reminded me of the payashē, but somehow stronger. They were so small, so weak, so fragile. The demon tongue had no word for it, but the human one did. Cute. The Vh'alyir had always seemed- seemed cute to me. I wanted to touch them, hold them, perhaps to-

But they weren't payashē, to take to bed. I knew no other Gh'reshēr felt the way I did. Something was wrong with me. I was broken, defective in some way. But at the same time-

At the same time, when I'd seen Tyran bathing, it had just seemed so right. I'd watched, hidden in the trees, as he washed his clothing, his face, his body, his-

When he touched his private area, the place all demons kept hidden, I'd lost control of the hiding vish briefly and gasped. I still remembered his frozen, terrified expression. Then he'd run.

Of course he'd run. I was Gh'reshēr, he, only Vh'alyir. It made sense, but it still hurt, like a claw to the chest. I couldn't help giving chase. As I took wing, gliding behind him, he'd picked up speed until he was sprinting full tilt. Even at his full speed, though, he could not shake me. Had I wanted his death that day, I could have had it. But I just hadn't wanted to lose him. He was just so... So... Was this human word, this cute, the right one?

I still remembered seeing him stumble and fall. Landing next to him. Waiting for him to run again.

He'd stared at me in defiance, but he hadn't run. His leg, I realized, was broken. He couldn't run.

"Make it quick," he'd told me. "If you have any honor in you, kill me quickly."

I stared at him, pondering. I certainly wasn't going to kill him, but, alone with a broken leg, he'd be dead in short order if I left him.

He shook his head. "Ch. Should have known a Gh'reshēr wouldn't kill me quickly." He'd looked resigned.

"I'm not going to kill you," I told him.

"So you will leave me to die, then?" he sneered. "Do it, Gh'reshēr!"

"My name," I told him, "Is H'Zad. You will call me that. Not Gh'reshēr."

"Fine. H'Zad. Do it. Or are you a coward?" He bared his teeth.

If I knew the healing vish, this would be so much simpler, I mused. But I had never learned, and I doubted this little Vh'alyir knew it. I sighed. There was only one option. I scooped up the unresisting Vh'alyir, marveling at how little he was. How dainty. How light. Then I took flight.

My Vh'alyir blinked down at the swiftly receding ground. "W-Where are you taking me?"

"Home," I told him. "I'm taking you home.

That was about when, lulled by the hh'ainun's soft body pressing against mine, I fell asleep.

Tim

The next few weeks were a whirlwind of red tape and paperwork as I attempted to join the guild Odin's Eye. Finally, I got to my last interview with the Guild Master. I was sitting in the waiting room when my phone went off. I pulled it out of my pocket, blinking tiredly at the glowing screen.

MPD Emergency Alert: - -CODE BLACK- -

Suspected unbound demon active in your area.

All CM assemble at GHQ ASAP. NCM take shelter.

PROCEED WITH UTMOST CAUTION.

My heart pounded. Unbound demon? That was dangerous, right? Would it affect my ability to join Odin's Eye? I needed the backing of a powerful guild to deter my wife.

The GM, Thomas, peered out of his office. "Hey. You. You're the new contractor, right?"

Mutely, I nodded.

Thomas gave me a grim smile. "Interview's canceled, but you're in. Gear up. We're going to need every demon we can muster."

And that was how I ended up with Sally as my champion. She was one of very few mythics currently in the building, so she, a sorcerer named Kaylee, and a beefy cryomage named Martha would be watching my back while I directed my demon to take down the unbound demon. Presuming, of course, we found it.

Sally made me more nervous than the demon, honestly. She was a pyromage, so she could call fire, like Lisa. I watched Sally nervously out of the corner of my eye. A heliomage, with command of both fire and air, could call a hotter fire, but it wouldn't take much flame to take me out. A regular pyromage could kill me just fine. I shuddered.

Sally misunderstood my shudder. "Don't worry. We've got your back."

"Yeah," chimed in Kaylee. "Sally's the best pyromage in the city. If anyone can make a demon back down, it's her."

Sally snorted. "You're getting me confused with Aaron Sinclair."

Kaylee shook her head, looking at Sally with hero worship in her eyes. "Nuh uh! You could totally take him down a notch. If you wanted."

Sally snorted again. "Glad you think so, kid. But you're wrong. I'm average at best."

The two argued good naturedly as we walked along our patrol route, pausing occasionally to scout down alleyways. Martha never said a word other than the occasional "Clear," and her mouth was a flat line, but her eyes smiled at the two other women as they argued. Was it just me, or did than smile vanish when her eyes fell on me?

Being surrounded by women was making me tense. I'd never been comfortable around girls as a kid. That hadn't gotten better over time, and it was definitely worse now that I'd spent several years under Lisa's thumb. Sally bumping into me was enough to make my breath hitch, and when she pulled out her flames to look down a particularly dark alleyway, I almost had a panic attack.

This was not Lisa, I reminded myself. Even if, with her blond hair, she looked a bit similar. She was an entirely different person, and she'd said she had my back. Somehow, though, I couldn't bring myself to trust her. Or, frankly, any of the three of them.

Fortunately, I didn't need to trust them to watch my back. We didn't encounter the demon before the call came for us to head to the Crow and Hammer to rest.

The four of us sat at a table, eating soggy sandwiches. Tiredly, I stared down at my moist bread and wondered if I should have my demon eat something.

"You're awfully quiet," Sally noted. "Any particular reason?."

Martha grunted. "He's new, Sally. Probably just shy. Leave him be."

Kaylee grinned. "Never met a shy contractor before. Most of you lot are pretty outspoken." She nudged me. "Come on. At least tell us what you're doing in Vancouver."

"You running from something?" Sally asked.

My breath caught.

Sally leaned forward. "You are, aren't you."

Martha sighed. "Leave him be, Sally."

Sally called a ball of fire to her hand. "If he's on the run from something, we should know."

She said some things after that, but my eyes were caught by the ball of fire she held threateningly in her hand. My breathing sped up. Sally's eyes met mine. Narrowed. Then everything went black.

H'Zad

I felt to my hh'ainun's panic as the pyromage threatened him. Silently in my mind I growled. She threatened what was mine, and I could do nothing. Nothing!

Then... I wasn't sure how to describe the confusing burst of sensations I felt. It felt almost like something in my hh'ainun had broken, and was flapping in a mental breeze. Now a bit panicked myself, I tried to figure out what was going on.

When my hh'ainun came to, he was on the floor with no idea how he'd gotten there. A man with a salt and pepper beard knelt beside him. "Easy," the man said. "You just had a seizure."

A seizure. The translation spell that had been forced on me sputtered at this unfamiliar word. I got the vague feeling that it was bad, a wrongness in the head, and connected to a hh'ainun disease called epilepsy.

I had a surprisingly clear view of what was going on as the man with the beard checked my hh'ainun- my Tim- over for injuries. Some sort of side effect of this seizure? Whatever the reason, I could see and hear what was going on clearly, in addition to hearing what was in Tim's mind.

Sally looked down at him, shame on her face. Tim's breath caught when he saw her. She raised her empty hands placatingly. "Easy. I'm not gonna pull another fireball." She looked away. "I'm... Sorry I made you panic. I swear, I was never planning to hurt you."

She told the truth, my senses told me. Tim, however, was lying when he said, "I know."

Sally obviously heard his lie too, because she winced a bit. "Look, I don't care if you're running from something, as long as you're not a rogue." She looked away again. "And based on the burn scars we all saw when you seized, I can kind of guess what you're running from. And why you're a contractor, even though you're not really the type." She looked down at him again, eyes troubled. "Who hurt you?"

Martha cleared her throat. "Sally..."

Sally sighed. "Ok, fine, I don't need to know. Just... If you need help, tell me, ok? Or if you're not comfortable telling me, tell Martha. Or Kaylee."

The man with the beard stood, helping Tim to his feet. "You've got a bit of a bump on the head, but you're otherwise fine."

Tim nodded. "Thank you, ummm..."

The man smiled. "Darius. My name is Darius."

As Tim lay down, trying nervously to fall asleep, I thought of Tyran once more.

I remembered the Vh'alyir demon crawling to the edge of the cliff by my cave when he thought I was sleeping. Looking down, a contemplative look on his face.

I sat up and spoke. "What are you doing, little one?"

The Vh'alyir demon looked nervously back at me. "Why did you bring me here?"

I cocked my head. "You would have died if I'd just left you, little one."

He bared his teeth. "My name is Tyran. Not little one."

I nodded. "Tyran, then. I brought you here so you wouldn't die."

His ire faded slightly. "Why do you care if I die?"

I sighed. He'd know if I lied, just like I would know if he did. But the truth was hard to voice. "Does it matter?" I shifted on my bed. "The night is cold, Tyran, and the winds are harsh. You should come back into the cave."

Tyran looked at me thoughtfully. "What if I don't? Will you make me?"

I sighed, but admitted, "Yes. Eventually. I don't want you to die."

Tyran bared his teeth again. "Then make me, Gh'reshēr."

I sighed. "My name is H'Zad."

"Ch," scoffed Tyran. "Why should I care what your name is?"

I shrugged. "Fine. Call me what you like."

Now Tyran looked puzzled. "Why are you not angry?"

"Why should I be?" I asked, again answering a question with a question. I decided he'd been out in the cold long enough. "Last chance to come in willingly."

Tyran crossed his arms mulishly and stayed put. "You can't keep me in there."

I sighed, and rose from my bed. "Yes, I can."

Tyran backed away as I came towards him, then froze as a rock tumbled off the edge. A few seconds later, we both heard it clatter on the ground below.

"If you jump," I told Tyran quietly, "I will just catch you and bring you back. And I will be angry."

Tyran bared his teeth again, but didn't fight me as I lifted him up. "You are so small," I murmured, wonder in my voice. "But so fierce. How did you survive for so long?"

Tyran squirmed in my grip as I pinned his arms to his sides with one of my arms and wrapped the other around his thighs, but he knew he couldn't fight me. I was far stronger than he, and he didn't seem to know much if any combat vish. Gently, I sat down on the bed with him in my lap. I swung my legs over, careful of his splinted one. Then I lay down and pulled the covers over us.

Tyran squirmed. "Are you going to hold me all night?" There was an odd note in his voice, one that made my breathing quicken.

"Yes," I told him. "I am."

The Vh'alyir demon squirmed again. "You're really warm."

"Yes," I responded, already drifting back to sleep. I'd wake if he put serious effort into escaping my grasp.

"I hate you," he said, and we both heard the lie. Tyran flinched. Then he added, truthfully, "You're making me uncomfortable."

Amused, I asked, "Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable? Without releasing you?"

Tyran was silent. When he finally spoke, his voice was hesitant. "You... You desire me. Like you would a payashē. I can smell it on you."

I was silent. I could hardly lie to him, but admitting it...

Tyran's voice was very soft when he continued. "I want you too."

He looked up at me. There was fear in his face, but he asked anyway. "Would you touch me? There? Until..."

I said nothing. At that moment, I couldn't speak. Couldn't even move. Shock held me in place.

Tyran looked down, shame faced. "Forget I said anything. Please."

His arms still pinned to his sides, his body warm against my chest, I loosened the laces on his shorts. His breath caught, and he began to struggle in earnest.