"Just go," Denzyl said to the human with a tilt of his head as a motion to the bathroom. "I promise you will not regret it," the demon added as he tried to persuade the human.

"But where are we going?" Devyn asked in persistence to know what the crimson-haired man had planned.

"It's a surprise. Now, go shower," Denzyl returned as he motioned toward the bathroom room with his head once more.

Devyn released a breath as he accepted defeat. "Alright, I'll go shower," the human said in agreement before entering the bathroom. "Persistent little butt of a demon," Devyn mumbled as he began removing his clothes.

Denzyl held in a laugh as he heard Devyn's mumble and went to wait on the bed patiently as the human got ready. Denzyl continued to sit on the edge of the bed as the shower turned on, indicating Devyn had entered. The demon's eyes trailed over the room as he observed the scene of the crime. Denzyl had already put two and two together and had come to an assumption of what had caused Devyn's sudden change in attitude and the nightmare. The scents of distress and fear were not as strong as they were when Denzyl had returned from Hades, but they still clung to the air of the penthouse and were especially persistent in the bedroom.

The demon's fists clenched around the sheets as his eyes flashed red. How dare he hurt Devyn!! Denzyl hated smelling that man's scent clinging to the home of his love, not to mention to the love himself. The demon's eyes returned to their stormy grey as a foreign scent reached his sensitive nose. Denzyl's brows furrowed as his eyes landed on the nightstand beside Devyn's side of the bed. The demon stood to his feet and walked over to the nightstand as the scent of thick metal became stronger. Denzyl reached down and opened the top drawer to see a black gun resting inside.

That's new. Devyn must have put this in after...

Denzyl shut the drawer as the sound of the shower deactivating reached his ears. The demon returned to his original position on the edge of the bed as Devyn came out of the bathroom wrapped in a comfortable robe. Denzyl's heart broke as he saw the fringe of a bruise on the human's neck as Devyn walked past and entered the walk-in closet. The crimson-haired man stood to his feet and followed the human into the closet as Devyn began sifting through his selection of shirts.

"D-Denzyl," Devyn said in slight surprise as the demon took his hand in his.

"Come with me," the demon said softly as he began leading the human out of the closet. Devyn did not resist as the demon led him to the bathroom and brought him to stand in front of the counter. Denzyl was silent as he went to the medicine cabinet and extracted a cream specifically for healing bruises.

Devyn closed his eyes and released a breath when he realized Denzyl had seen the markings. "They're almost healed. I'm fine," Devyn told the demon as he returned to stand behind him.

"Let me help you...please," Denzyl replied quietly as he gently kissed the top of the human's head. Devyn's heart crumbled with the demon's words and tender kiss. The human lowered his head and closed his eyes as he slowly untied the robe and slid it off his shoulders. Devyn let the robe drop to the floor to reveal the many bruises covering his body.

Denzyl remained calm and did not react in any manner except for bending down and lightly kissing each of the bruises. Tears entered Devyn's eyes as the demon kissed the markings left by his attacker. Devyn kept his eyes closed as Denzyl began to gently apply the cream to the markings. Denzyl set down the tube once the cream had been applied to all the bruises and was about to leave the bathroom to let Devyn get ready when the human turned around and wrapped his arms around the demon's chest.

Denzyl remained still as he felt the human hold him. It did not take long, however, for the demon to bring Devyn close to him and gently hold him. Devyn turned into the demon's neck as Denzyl reciprocated the human's embrace and released a sigh as he relaxed in the demon's arms. The demon continued to hold the human as he felt Devyn relax and grow immensely calm. It seemed Devyn was relieved that Denzyl had seen the bruises; he would no longer have to hide them.

"So, where are we going?" Devyn asked quietly after the two had remained in each other's arms for several minutes.

Denzyl smiled to himself at the human's persistence. "Mmmm," Denzyl sounded as he began to slightly sway. Devyn loosened his body, so he flowed along with the demon's movements. "I was thinking we could do a nice picnic on the river, take a walk in the park, and...the rest is a surprise." The demon's voice was low and soothing as he revealed most of the events he had planned for the day.

Devyn released a small chuckle at the demon's insistence on surprising him. Devyn acknowledged Denzyl's decision to keep the last event a secret and nodded into the demon's neck. "Sounds like a lovely day."

Denzyl placed a sweet kiss on the top of Devyn's head before saying, "Wanna finish getting ready?"

The human nodded into the crimson-haired before slowly stepping out of the demon's warm embrace. "I'll meet you out there in a few minutes," Devyn told Denzyl with a small smile.

"Okay," Denzyl nodded as he gently pet the human's head before exiting the bathroom.

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

"Ready?" Devyn said as he exited the bathroom while slipping the second earring into his ear.

The demon stood to his feet and let his eyes trail over the beautiful man before him. Devyn was dressed in a flowy, forest green blouse that was tucked into a pair of black, fitted jeans. A set of silver earrings dangled from the human's flushed ears as he caught the demon's gaze, accentuating the length of Devyn's neck as the single silver threads swayed beautifully with each tilt and turn of Devyn's head.

Denzyl was awestruck as he walked over to the human and took his hand in his. "You're so beautiful." Denzyl's voice was low as he commented on the human's alluring visuals. Devyn pursed his lips and looked down at his toes as blush covered his face. The demon placed his hand beneath the human's chin and tilted Devyn's face back up, so he could look at the human's emerald orbs. "Can I kiss you?" The demon's voice was barely above a whisper as he asked for permission.

Denzyl did not want to do anything that could startle Devyn especially since he was still recovering, so he had determined to ask Devyn for permission every time he wanted to do something physical.

The human's lips parted slightly as he heard the demon's soft question. Respect filled the human as he gazed up at the demon, and his lips curled into a small smile as he nodded his head. Devyn did not break eye contact with Denzyl as he stood on his toes and wrapped his arms around the demon's neck. The human only brought his gaze away as his eyes flitted down to the demon's lips.

Denzyl remained still as Devyn brought his head closer and lightly pressed his lips to the demon's. Denzyl was gentle as he reciprocated the kiss. The demon was pleasantly surprised as Devyn opened his lips and began to reach his tongue out slightly as he sucked on the demon's upper lip with each wave of the kiss.

Denzyl's hands had instinctively gone to Devyn's waist as the human deepened the kiss, and Devyn did not pull away as the demon guided his hips to be against Denzyl's body. The two continued the kiss for several moments before mutually separating for air. Devyn's cheeks were even more flushed as his eyes flitted up to look at Denzyl bashfully.

"Let's go," Denzyl said after the two had caught their breaths. Devyn nodded in response as Denzyl interlaced their fingers and led the human out of the bedroom.

The sun had just reached its peak as the two exited the tower and hailed an advanced taxi. Denzyl set the basket with the blanket and supplies into the back of the taxi before joining Devyn in the passenger's area. Devyn laced his fingers with Denzyl's as the demon came to sit next to him.

"To the river walk, please," Denzyl addressed the driver politely as he relayed their destination.

A smile crept onto the CEO's face as he gazed out the window as the driver joined the traffic in the busy street. Being an advanced taxi, the driver switched into the 'advanced' lane and sped past the traffic jam. Advanced taxis were rare as they were quite expensive, but the fare would hardly be a drop in the ocean when it came to the CEO's finances.

The couple thanked the driver for his service as they were dropped off at the entrance to the river walk. "Have a nice day!" The man bid as he closed the door to his vehicle and sped off to find more clients.

Denzyl took Devyn's hand as he led the human onto the boardwalk; the human came to be beside the demon as the couple began to stroll along the walkway, admiring the sun shining over the waves of the river and the distant city on the opposite bank. The two took their time as they meandered along the boardwalk content to be with each other on such a beautiful day.

"How about we set up there?" Denzyl asked as he pointed to a spot on the sloping bank beneath a massive tree. The riverbank had been designated as a 'preservation for nature' section in the city, so most of the trees and vegetation had been conserved.

Devyn looked toward the area where the demon was gesturing and nodded his head as he saw the beautiful spot. Upon the human's response, Denzyl led his love up the slope and to the tree. Devyn began unpacking the basket as Denzyl spread the blanket over the soft grass. The area had been well-kept, so there were no weeds or thorny vegetation; the shade from the tree made it the perfect spot for a picnic.

A selection of fresh strawberries, peach slices, cheeses, cured meats, and salty crackers soon covered the blanket as they rested on elegant, glass saucers. Devyn let out a small gasp as he looked over the assortments of light foods. Denzyl could not stop the smile that came to his face when he saw the human's eyes widen happily.

The boardwalk filled with more couples, families, and single admirers as the sun progressed in the sky. Devyn's eyes molded into half-moons as he took a bite of one of the strawberries before eating a cracker with prosciutto and fresh brie to create a perfect ending to the sweetness. The demon could not take his eyes off the brown-haired as he lovingly watched Devyn's every move and smile.

Denzyl's heart swelled as he finally saw the smile he had been waiting for. Devyn's eyes were in their half-moon shape as he smiled at the man sitting beside him. The demon was content as he smiled back at the human, relieved that Devyn was happy. His love was back.