The sun had risen entirely now, pouring golden light across the rooftop like honey across cracked pavement. The wind was light but sharp, ruffling through Haruna's long blonde hair and tugging at Kikidori's black coat. The city below was fully alive—honking, shouting, grinding its gears as humanity stumbled through another godless morning. And above it all, high on the same damn building as always, stood a demon and an angel, locked in the world's most awkward, soul-complicating stare.
Kikidori scratched the back of his head and looked at Haruna with a half-smirk, half-grimace expression that basically said *"kill me, but also let's laugh about it first."*
"So…" he said, dragging out the word like it was heavy. "Should we make out or just stand here?"
Haruna's face instantly lit up bright red. Not the soft pink of embarrassment, no—this was full angelic blush, radiant and flushed, like her cheeks were trying to apologize for existing.
She gasped, eyes wide. "W-what?! What kind of question is that?!"
Kikidori shrugged, turning slightly so the morning sun caught the edge of his smirk. "I mean, we already woke up cuddling like a romcom, and I'm pretty sure we've been arrowed more than once by those naked sky goblins. So yeah. Feels like either we stand here pretending this isn't weird… or we make it *really* weird and go for it."
Haruna looked like her wings might explode off her back. "You are *so* stupid!"
"I get that a lot," Kikidori said, pulling a cigarette out of his coat and lighting it with a flick of hellfire from his fingertip. He didn't inhale. He just held it between his teeth like a prop. "But that doesn't answer the question."
Haruna crossed her arms and turned away, but not before he caught the smallest—*smallest*—twitch of a smile trying to escape her lips. She bit it down hard and gave him the cold shoulder.
Kikidori exhaled dramatically. "Fine. We'll stand here like good little abstinent soldiers."
"That's not what this is about!" Haruna snapped, spinning around. "I just—You can't *joke* about that! That's… that's—"
"What?" Kikidori interrupted. "Off-limits? Against the holy HR handbook? C'mon, you've been hanging around me too long to play innocent."
"I *am* innocent!" she shouted.
He raised a brow. "Sure."
"I *am!*"
Kikidori took another fake drag from his cigarette. "Then why'd you let yourself fall asleep on my shoulder, huh? Sounded a little cozy for a pure little angel."
Haruna opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, then stomped her foot. "That was an accident!"
"Uh huh."
"I hate you."
"Right."
"I *do!*"
He leaned in a little. "Then why haven't you flown off yet?"
That shut her up.
The wind picked up again, brushing between them like it was daring either of them to say something they couldn't take back. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The tension hung like a live wire—sparking, unstable, and ready to zap the next fool that touched it.
Kikidori broke the silence. "So what now? You gonna report me for sexual harassment or cosmic blasphemy?"
Haruna rolled her eyes. "You think too highly of yourself."
"You think about me too much."
"Go to hell."
"I *live* there."
They both stared.
And then, finally, Haruna sighed. "I don't know what this is."
"Same."
"It's not… supposed to happen."
"Nope."
"We're not supposed to feel anything."
"Especially not anything that involves tongue."
She smacked his arm. "Shut up!"
He chuckled.
But even as they bickered, neither of them moved. That was the weirdest part. They could've flown off in opposite directions. Said "see ya, freak" and never looked back. But instead, they stood there like gravity had locked them into place, like the rooftop had become a battlefield neither of them wanted to retreat from.
Haruna glanced at him. "Have you ever… actually felt something for someone?"
Kikidori's expression dropped the usual smirk. Just for a second.
He took the cigarette from his mouth, flicked it off the edge, and let it fall into the wind.
"No."
Haruna looked down. "Me neither."
Kikidori nodded. "Good. Let's keep it that way."
Another long pause.
Then she whispered, "But what if we can't?"
He didn't have an answer for that.
The wind blew again. Somewhere behind them, a Cupid peeked out from a cloud, holding a clipboard and whispering to another. "Goddamn, this is better than a soap opera."
"I know, right?" the second one whispered. "We should start a reality show. *Demon of My Dreams* or some shit."
"Shhh! They're having a *moment*!"
Back on the roof, Haruna finally stepped back. "I should go."
Kikidori didn't stop her. "Fine."
"I mean it."
"I know."
She turned, wings unfolding slowly, glowing golden in the sunlight. She took one step toward the edge, then hesitated. "If I ever… I mean, if this gets worse—"
"I'll kill you myself," Kikidori said flatly.
Haruna blinked. "Excuse me?!"
"You heard me. If you start getting feelings, I'll stab you in the heart before it ruins your divine rep."
She huffed. "Gee, thanks. That's comforting."
"I aim to please."
Haruna gave him one last glare, then launched into the air and disappeared into the clouds.
Kikidori watched her go.
He didn't say anything.
Didn't move.
Didn't smile.
He just stood there alone on the roof.
And finally muttered to himself, "...Should've just made out. Damn it."
The end of Chapter 27.