"No, no, no...please, no...please!"

Denzyl immediately woke at the first whimper. The demon opened his eyes to see Devyn in a sweat. The human's head turned from side to side in distress as frightened moans escaped his parted lips.

"No, I don't want to...no...no..." Devyn's head began to twitch as his nightmare intensified.

"Devyn," Denzyl voiced the man's name softly as he brushed the human's sweat-beaded hair from his forehead. "Devyn..." The demon voiced again as he gently tried to wake the fretting man beside him.

"No! Stay away from me!!" Devyn unconsciously shrank away from Denzyl's touch as he fell deeper into the terrifying dream. "No!!" Devyn released a shout as he struggled to get away from the man who was trying to wake him.

"Devyn," Denzyl said firmly as he held the human by the shoulders. "It's okay. You're safe," the demon assured the human as Devyn continued to drown in his fear-filled mind.

"I said don't touch me!" Devyn called out as his eyes snapped open. The human stared up at the demon in shock as his nightmare phased into his reality. "No, no, no. Why a-are y-you here?" Devyn asked with horror in his eyes as his attacker phased into the worried man leaning over him. Those stormy orbs became piercing blue eyes, and the crimson hair became blonde strands. Denzyl had become the man Devyn feared most. "Please, don't," Devyn pleaded as tears filled his eyes. The frightened human had not realized he had already awoken and had become stuck in between the dream and reality.

"I won't let you hurt me again!" Devyn declared as he began pounding on Denzyl's chest.

"Devyn! You're okay," Denzyl told the human in an attempt to calm him.

"No!! Get off me!" Devyn cried as he dug his nails into the demon's arms. Denzyl remained calm as Devyn began kicking his legs in an attempt to throw the covers off of his body. Denzyl realized Devyn was trapped in his fear, so he quickly pulled away from the human to give him some space. His touch would only trigger the fear more.

As soon as the demon distanced himself from Devyn, the human sprung from the bed and fled the room. Having an inkling of where the brown-haired was headed, Denzyl immediately followed after the human. Denzyl knew chasing Devyn would only heighten his fear, but the demon could not let anything happen to the man he loved.

Tears streamed down Devyn's face as he raced down the hallway and into the common room. The human looked around frantically for anything that would protect him from the man chasing him. Devyn swiveled his head around the room before his eyes landed on the set of stairs leading to the roof. If he could not stand and fight, the next best option was to run. He had to get away. His life depended on it.

Strong arms around the human's waist stopped Devyn from racing up the stairs the moment he reached them. Devyn let out a cry as he felt the man stop him from escaping. "Let go of me!!" Devyn called as he fought against the demon.

"Devyn, calm down," Denzyl said as he held the struggling man in his arms. "I need you to calm down, love...please. Come back to me."

The demon's deep voice caused the human to halt his assaults on Denzyl's arms. As Devyn could no longer see the man, and he could only hear his voice, the distinction between Wil and Denzyl started to become clear. The man holding him was not the man who attacked him. He loved the man holding him. Denzyl was trying to help him, not harm him.

"...D-Denzyl...?" The human's voice was shaky as he said the demon's name.

"Mm. It's me. You're safe," Denzyl responded as he loosened his hold around Devyn's waist.

Fresh tears flowed from Devyn's eyes as he turned to gaze into those stormy orbs. "W-what happened?" Devyn asked as he looked down at the demon's arms to see they were covered with scratches. "I did this? I hurt you?" The human's heart broke as he saw what he had done to the person who had done nothing except love and protect him. "I-I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I thought he was here. I-I-I-"

Denzyl was quick to bring Devyn into his arms as the human burst into tears. "It's okay. You're safe. I'm here," Denzyl soothed as he held Devyn tightly.

"I'm so sorry!" Devyn said through tears as he cried into Denzyl's chest. The human clung to the man holding him as he cried from relief and guilt. "How could I hurt you?" Devyn cried as he pulled away to look up at the demon.

Denzyl cupped Devyn's cheek as he responded, "You were afraid. It's okay. I'll be just fine by morning." The demon's face was soft as he brushed his thumb underneath the human's eye and wiped away a tear that had just fallen.

"I can't believe I did that. I don't know why I thought you were him," Devyn said as his breathing calmed. The demon brought his hand up and began to pet the human's head as he continued to hold Devyn. The two remained that way in silence for a few minutes before Devyn quietly asked, "Can we go to the roof?"

"Of course," Denzyl replied as he took the human's hand and led him to the staircase, grabbing a blanket from one of the couches on the way. Devyn remained quiet as the demon led him up the stairs and onto the roof. The human did not resist as the demon sat him down before bringing him into his arms.

Devyn closed his eyes as he felt the night breeze flow over him and let it lull him to sleep as he leaned against Denzyl's warm body. Denzyl remained still as he held the human in his arms. The demon looked down after a few minutes to find Devyn fast asleep. Denzyl made sure Devyn was comfortable before channeling a bit of warmth into the human as the night grew cool.

<<<<<<<>>>>>>>

Devyn woke to the morning rays stretching between the cluster of towers and sky-reachers. The human opened his eyes to see the shimmering city beyond before lazily closing them again and basking in the morning sun. Devyn absorbed the warmth of the demon holding him as he leaned against Denzyl's chest. The human's head was turned, so his right cheek was resting on the demon's upper chest and lower shoulder.

The demon looked down as he felt the human stir, a small smile coming to his lips when he saw Devyn's resting face. He was finally at peace. Denzyl did not break the silence and instead continued to hold the human as Devyn relaxed in his arms. Devyn eventually opened his eyes once again as the sun continued to rise in the sky. A silent tear rolled down the human's cheek as he saw the fading marks covering the demon's arms.

Devyn's heart ached as he realized that was not the first time he had mistaken Denzyl as Wil and that he had hurt Denzyl much worse because of it. A second tear fell as the human reached out and brushed the tips of his fingers over the healing wounds on one of the demon's arms. Denzyl's gaze turned down as he felt the light contact to see Devyn staring at the wounds sadly. The demon answered Devyn's touch by taking the human's hand in his and holding it gently.

Devyn turned his head to look up at the demon, a third tear falling as the two made eye contact. "Good morning," the demon greeted softly as he gently brushed his thumb across the top of Devyn's hand.

"Morning...Denzyl," Devyn returned quietly.

Denzyl gazed down at the human tenderly as he brushed a few loose strands of hair from Devyn's face. The human's eyes were swollen from the intense crying during the night, and his face was flushed from the fresh tears due to the demon's fading wounds.

"Would you like some breakfast?" Denzyl inquired as he saw the sun rising into the sky.

Devyn shook his head slowly in response. "I'm not really hungry."

The demon's heart ached as he heard the green-eyed man's response. Devyn had never turned down breakfast, especially when Denzyl was the chef. The demon felt sadness filling his chest as he turned the human to face him, causing Devyn to straddle his lap. Devyn looked at the demon curiously as Denzyl placed his hands under the human's legs.

"Well, I'm hungry, so I am going to go ahead and make something to eat," Denzyl told the human as he lifted Devyn into his arms and stood to his feet. Devyn instinctively wrapped his arms around Denzyl's back as the demon carried him koala-style. "You are welcome to join if you would like," the demon said as he carried the human into the penthouse.

"It seems I don't really have a choice, now do I?" Devyn responded as the demon brought him down the set of stairs and into the common room. The human's voice was still quiet and withdrawn, but he was making progress.

"You do have a choice," Denzyl replied. "You don't have to eat with me, you can just watch." A sneaky smirk accompanied the demon's response as he set Devyn on a stool by the bar before going to prepare breakfast.

Devyn watched silently as the demon brought out a few pans and skillets before extracting several eggs, bacon, cheese, bread, and slices of ham from the fridge. The human's mouth began to water as he smelled the bacon as it sizzled on the skillet. The demon smiled to himself as he noticed the human eyeing the food. Denzyl was sure to make several servings as he knew Devyn would be ready to eat once the meal was cooked.

"Denzyl?" Devyn inquired as he voiced the chef's name. The human's voice was stronger as he addressed the demon, making Denzyl relieved.

"Hmm?" The crimson-haired voiced in response as he set four slices of bread on the pan to toast.

"Can I choose to not watch?" Devyn asked shyly as he looked down at his hands in slight embarrassment.

Denzyl smiled as he responded, "Of course. You can do whatever you want." Deep down, Denzyl was sad that Devyn felt he had to ask to join him in eating. The demon was furious that a disgusting, vile man could have such a lasting effect on Devyn and was determined to help the emerald-eyed heal.

A small smile came to Devyn's lips at the demon's response. The human was quiet as he slid out of the stool and walked over to the cabinets to take out two glasses. "Orange or apple?" Devyn inquired of the demon as he made his way past the chef and to the fridge.

"Orange, please," Denzyl answered as he flipped the toast.

Devyn nodded as a signal that Denzyl's answer had been received and extracted the orange juice from the refrigerator. After pouring some apple juice for himself, Devyn returned the two containers to the fridge before grabbing the two glasses and waking back to the bar that was positioned just in front of the cooking space.

The human watched with happy eyes as the demon set two plates on the bar. Devyn looked at the hot, steamy food hungrily as Denzyl came to sit beside him.

"Thank you for the juice," Denzyl said as he took his seat and sipped the refreshing drink.

"Thank you for breakfast," Devyn returned as he picked up the set of utensils Denzyl had set next to the plate.

"Of course," Denzyl responded with a smile. The demon was happy to see Devyn excited about eating. The two did not waste a moment in digging into the delicious breakfast Denzyl had prepared.