Thursday, 6th February, 2025
LIAM
I sat in the empty classroom, finishing yesterday's assignment while listening to music through my headphones.
And by "finishing," I meant completely copy-pasting it from ChatGPT.
Now this is the life. Technology—what would I do without you?
There was still about half an hour before the classroom filled up—plenty of time to plan my next act of chaos. Sure, this school wasn't full of rich snobs, I'd give it that, but what's school without a little trouble?
"Let's see… maybe flood the hallways, vandalize the principal's car, pull the fire alarm—"
My thoughts were abruptly cut off when someone yanked my headphones off.
"Hey! What gives—"
I froze.
Standing over me was the school's principal herself, Mrs. Kim—the woman I was absolutely convinced had it out for me.
And from the look on her face…
Yeah. I was toast.
And that was how I ended up in two hours of detention, bored out of my mind.
Was it a coincidence she hated me? Of course not. She just couldn't stand that her golden son was best friends with a delinquent.
Just as I was contemplating my tragic existence, my phone buzzed with a text.
Kim: Look outside.
I glanced through the window and spotted Kim waving at me, motioning for me to open it.
I walked over and slid it open.
"The hell are you doing here? You're gonna get caught."
"Just thought I'd save a close friend from detention," he said casually.
Before I could argue, the detention room door slammed open.
Both of us turned toward a furious Mrs. Kim.
Well… that answered that.
Without hesitation, I jumped onto the wide window frame and bolted, tossing her a playful air kiss before disappearing.
We didn't stop running until we were well out of sight.
Kim leaned against a tree, catching his breath.
"Sorry about my mum. She can be… intense. She doesn't actually hate anyone."
"Then I guess I'm the exception," I shot back. "How does a perfect student like you end up with such a Karen for a mom?"
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, smiling, probably trying to push aside the awkwardness.
Now that I was safe, I could focus on something far more important.
Figuring out whether I actually marked Adam.
Purely for research purposes, of course.
I just needed to find a way to confirm it without making it obvious.
Easy, right?
Apparently not.
I spent the rest of the day stalking him—waiting near his locker, passing notes, even attempting a tracking spell that failed spectacularly.
Sigh.
Guess the guy still had fallen-angel-level resistance.
*. . .
Adam sat in History class, staring forward while his mind wandered far away.
On the outside, his composure was flawless.
Inside, he was a complete mess.
Azazel's offer had been the solution to everything—money, power, freedom.
So why had he rejected it so quickly?
Why had anger flared instead of reason?
And most importantly…
Why had he chosen Liam over everything?
Now he had to find a stable income to support them both.
He glanced out the window and sighed.
Meanwhile, in Hell, Axel appeared in his chamber after returning from Earth.
He scanned the room carefully, immediately noticing subtle disturbances—signs someone had been there. Likely his mother, searching for clues.
A knock sounded.
"Enter."
Consort Yu stepped inside, closing the door behind her.
"So, how did it go?"
"He chose to remain on Earth," Axel replied.
She chuckled softly.
"As expected of my son. Always surprising."
"There's more."
Her gaze sharpened.
"He's bound by a blood contract with a former archangel… and despite everything, he seems happy. I've never seen him so protective of anyone."
A demon prince falling for an archangel.
Sinful… fascinating.
"Tell me more about this archangel," she said with interest.
*. . .
LIAM
By the last period, I still hadn't confirmed anything.
I tried sensing the mark repeatedly—nothing.
Maybe I imagined it.
Kim was still at basketball practice, so I wandered the empty hallway, idly playing with a small enchantment floating in my palm.
Then, because my luck is absolute trash…
The spell slipped.
Lilac flames burst outward, setting off the smoke detectors.
Sprinklers exploded to life, drenching me instantly.
Great.
Knowing the chaos would draw attention, I sprinted into the nearest room.
Bad idea.
I froze.
A locker room full of shirtless seniors stared back at me mid-conversation.
Silence fell.
Now, I consider very few things truly hot:
Myself, obviously.
Any respectable 6'2"+ Asian or British man.
Latinas—because why not.
A steamy make-out session.
And finally… a locker room full of shirtless men.
And mamamia, what a sight.
Abs. Muscles. Sweat-slick skin. All very… touchable.
Since I wasn't technically seeing anyone, admiring God's work didn't count as cheating.
Then realization struck.
Adam was a senior too.
And the last thing I needed was another collar incident.
For the sake of my reputation—and my poor neck—I turned to leave.
"Liam?"
My heart stopped.
Adam.
I had been scolded, threatened, even punished before—but nothing had ever made me this terrified.
I swallowed hard and slowly turned back.
As he approached, words tangled in my throat. When he got close, I squeezed my eyes shut—
Suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist and pulled me away.
The next thing I knew, my back slammed against the wall of a secluded storage room.
Adam.
"Were you planning to burn the entire building down?" he asked coolly.
"I can explain! I just got out of detention—which I totally didn't deserve—got bored, started messing with magic, things escalated, ran into the nearest room… which happened to be the locker room. Pure coincidence!"
He reached up and tucked a strand of wet hair behind my ear, absently playing with it.
Only then did I realize how close we were.
"So you accidentally broke into the boys' locker room and triggered the sprinklers," he said dryly.
"If you think for one second that I would—"
My words vanished when he kissed me.
Hard.
One moment I was panicking, the next I was being devoured in a full make-out session in a storage room.
His hands tangled in my hair as I melted into the kiss.
But something felt different.
Possessive.
Almost jealous.
My pheromones surged instinctively. I reached for his shirt—or rather, what remained of it—only to realize he was bare-chested except for his trousers.
Okay.
I had seen his body before.
But damn.
My chin was lifted suddenly.
"My eyes are up here, kid," he teased.
My face burned.
Was it getting hotter in here?
"Uh… d-did you happen to get any m… marks on your neck?" I blurted.
He paused.
"Be more specific."
"A bite mark… maybe?"
Silence.
"Just answer the question!" I yelped, mortified.
He shook his head.
Still suspicious, I reached out and brushed my fingers along his neck.
Nothing.
No mark.
Guess I imagined it.
Relieved—and deeply embarrassed—I stepped back.
"Sorry for… interrupting," I muttered before fleeing without looking back.
Adam watched him go, amusement flickering across his face.
Then he walked to a mirror.
Carefully, he peeled away a thin layer of artificial skin from his neck.
Underneath…
A vivid bite mark.
It hadn't affected him thanks to his suppressed mana, but he had chosen not to erase it.
A reminder.
Of one of the most passionate nights he had ever experienced.
He traced it lightly with his fingers.
"You really are something else, kid."