He was really here. This was actually happening.
I wasn't dreaming this time.
"So, is there something on my face, or do you just like staring at me like they do?"
It really was wonderful to see him again after so long. River had been gone for most of the month, and now he was actually here.
My heart flooded all over again just at the sight of him, despite his obvious discomfort.
Of course, he was anxious being surrounded by others. He never liked crowds, or people in general; but here he was, shoving all that aside for me.
"I don't get why they have to stare" he grumbled while twirling the pasta he stabbed onto his fork "its annoying."
His ears flattened down on his head and I saw his tail curling too when he slurped up the wad of food and glared to the closest eyes he could find.
Humans and demons lived side by side now. Years ago, humans were higher than us; more important. We both shared the trauma from that dark time.
"Maybe they are just jealous" I reached over to grab his hand with mine and rub a nail over the scars across his knuckles "two male demons sitting together? Someone will roll over in thier grave."
River snorted, glancing to me sheepishly.
"You're doing amazing" I smiled to him.
"Thanks" he mumbled in embarrassment "I just wish it didn't have to be so hard to take you out somewhere. I want to do things with you, but..."
"This is nice!" I insisted and pushed aside his doubts "much better than eating dinner while facing a wall!"
"Urgh. You really don't have to do that" his nose wrinkled as pain filled his eyes "just... move on. You can't keep waiting for me to drop by once a month for a day or two. It's not fair on you."
I felt my gut twist just like the pasta River swirled together absent-mindedly. His black eyes found mine and a small grin perked up.
"What?"
"I'm not lonely, if that's what you are getting at" I huffed to him and jabbed my own fork to him before leaning over to grab some food for myself "if you show up, you show up. I'm not throwing away everything because you think I can't survive without you."
River snorted, holding a hand over his mouth to try and muffle the noise.
"It's true!" I jabbed his hand with my fork "I'm not pining over you, you jerk!"
"Sure, sure" he teased "I know you sob into your little body pillow every night, my precious Teddy Bear."
I grumbled and glared to his glistening eyes finding great joy in fooling with me.
He had no idea how much I cried when he had to leave. He didn't know my pillow was all I clung to for days when it seemed like he was gone forever.
Now that was in the past, it was just a joke.
"You're just jealous my body pillow has someone else on it" I jeered back with a sly grin "Darcy, perhaps?"
River growled and wagged a finger to me with a tight smile.
"Low blow, Teddy. Low blow."
Darcy used to be his human. They were inseparable until he moved onto someone else; my own human to be precise.
All demons used to have humans of thier own to bond and grow with. Now that times had changed, humans didn't need us anymore.
They found each other. Both River and me were left to watch them stray further from what had been our own relationships with them. It killed us, River especially, after the way he protected Darcy from his abusive parents and took the damage himself.
"Do you want to grab dessert outside?" I offered.
River sighed and nodded, looking down at the plate between us barely touched.
"It's alright" I waved it aside "it was the cheapest dish anyway."
"Just get one of those boxes to put it in" he mimed the takeaway container he meant "I'll eat it on my way back."
On his way back. It really was only one night we had. I wished it was more.
I couldn't be greedy. River was doing this to protect us. He had attacked humans in his past, and that branded his name. The longer he lingered, the more time they would have to drag him away into solitude.
Although we were equals, it was obvious that demons still were serving punishments pinned to them during the darker times.
River was one of them. He was already labeled as unfit for society. This visit to such a public resturant was really pushing our luck.
Dessert on the go sounded like a smarter option.
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"You know, ill never understand the whole thing with icecream" River voiced when we wandered the pathway winding along the streetside shops by the water.
Our tails were twined on our slow ponder, just the way he liked them to be. We did the same thing when we were kids too.
"The fact it's so cold?" I raised an eyebrow to him while savouring my own.
He hated the cold, but I knew it didn't extend as far as avoiding cold foods like the one dripping down his hand.
"The fact that they make flavours that have no right existing."
I snorted and laughed at him, unable to believe his pettiness.
"No, but get this; pistachio? Why make it taste like that? Why have apples and mangoes when you could have bubblegum and chocolate; actual icecream flavours."
"Says the guy eating the flavour he's bitching about" I jabbed his side with my elbow and watched River hurriedly lick his sticky hands.
"It has no right" he scoffed back and bit into the green icecream greedily.
What an idiot. His humour was one reason why I loved him so much. He made me forget about everything else as we finished our icecream together.
"God, I like you" I smiled as the words tumbled out of my mouth.
"Only like?" River scoffed dramatically and turned his head "nope! I thought you loved me!"
"I do!" I laughed back "I love you!"
"But you already said you like me!" he continued "that's lesser than love."
"I like you then, you idiot!" I smirked back "I like you, I like you, I like you!"
"Lalalalala!" River chanted while pulling his ears down "I can't hear you!"
He laughed with me, the laughter pattering down when his eyes smiled at mine and things grew serious between us.
I felt my breath catch in my throat staring at him and his adorable face. His lips were barely parted, waiting for me to continue my tease.
I knew he was going to silence me no matter what I said next. He was just waiting to kiss me and hold me close.
I wanted that, more than anything.
I smiled to him and grabbed his sticky hands in mine to caress them and goad him into acting on his desires.
"I-I like you."
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