Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jisung had always been the devil's favourite. If you were to ask the local residents, they'd tell you about the BJ days. Short for Before Jisung, of course. The Before Jisung days were exactly how one would picture the devil's office: unbearably high temperatures, endless screaming, and a whole lot of public torture. It was, to be quite literal, hell. It was by far the worst place a soul could get condemned to, as appropriately advertised. Then came the EDGE days, short for Every Day Gets Easier, wherein Jisung's influence bled into hell and diluted its anguish. For starters, it was quite difficult for him to concentrate with all the yelling and appealing for one's life – as if the souls weren't already dead? Naturally, the devil announced a massive reconstruction project with soundproof torture rooms. Later on, the devil announced budget cuts due to the project that led to central heating being turned down in hallways and certain offices. Coincidentally, the hallways and offices which now had adequate temperatures were those frequented by Jisung. All in all, the devil's favouritism really shined through, and it was hard to miss for anyone but Jisung himself.

The atmosphere in hell knew a truly massive shift when the devil softened up, and the demons now had time to meet up and gossip. Discovering this new ability, they made it their prime activity with the one-sided longing as the main attraction. Often, you'd see Jisung skipping to work — skipping, in hell! And right behind him, you'd see a flourish of demons huddled up together, giggling about how the devil that morning made sure one of the souls was made to lick the floors of that specific hallway clean. They were careful, though. The last time one of them was caught chattering, they were promptly demoted back to a scream in a soundproof room.

"Oh wow, it's so clean here," Jisung said, looking at his shiny desk, "it's always so clean here."

"I agree," Hyunjin replied, wiping the blood from his desk, "I haven't had a rat in my drawer for a week!"

"What's that guy doing?" They both watched the soul scrubbing the floor near Jisung's desk. It stood up sharply and scurried away. In the distance, they could make out rushed whispers. They had the distinct sound of someone getting scolded. Jisung and Hyunjin looked at each other, looked back at the floor, then promptly went to work.

"By the way, you wouldn't happen to have Chan's holiday leave appeal, would you?"

"No, I threw it out last night," the sound of a chair hitting the floor briefly filled the room, "no one ever gets approved anyway."

"Jisung," the weight of the entire world was uttered by Hyunjin in that moment, "that was a leave Lee Know requested."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It was Chan's holiday appeal."

Silence.

"FUCK!" Another chair hit the floor. "Fuck, fuck, fuck! Of course it's fucking hellish if it's Chan!"

"I'm sure there's something we could do."

"I'm going to get killed."

"Lee Know is not that irrational."

"Hyunjin, this is our first time talking in a week because it was impossible for me to talk to you. He transformed you into a rat, Hyunjin. A nasty, ugly little rat with bulking teeth and a crazy glint in his eyes. For a week. I don't even remember why."

"It was because I had an alarm set for three forty-seven. It was too weird of an hour for him."

"I'm so screwed, dude." Jisung paced around the room, noticed his shoes were leaving marks on the wet floor, then sat back down. "Let's be rational about this, we could ask Chan to submit another appeal."

"He's already gone."

"Why would he go before getting the appeal approved? Are we a joke to him? What are we even working for?" Hyunjin thought of reminding him that they are in hell, but considered it better not to. "What about faking the document?"

"You need Chan's blood to sign it."

"See, this is the fucking problem with hell. There's no way a holiday appeal needs a blood seal. It gets rejected all of the time, too. Is blood worth nothing around here?" Hyunjin continued to go through his files, and Jisung decided then that he truly had no friends in hell. "Whatever, I'll just die."

"Here," Jisung looks at the form handed to him, "this is Chan's... roommate? friend? brother? No, that can't be. I think I saw them flirting once. It was so disgusting, it ruined my night."

"Can you focus?"

"Yes, yes, sorry. This is Chan's something. I'm pretty sure they live together. You could ask him to let you into Chan's room, there's no way someone as meticulous as him doesn't have his spare blood lying around."

"Hyunjin, I love you. You'll always be my friend." Jisung got up and attempted a hug, but the taller demon flailed around in a way that left him wondering how his anatomy worked. After some wrestling and much fake vomiting, the two went back to work. After all, one does not clock out early in hell.

Finally, when the clock hit six, Jisung packed up his bag and bid goodbye to a Hyunjin completly submerged in documents. His eyes zeroed in on his friend's hand as it waved him goodbye somewhere in the midst of all the papers, then on the address written on the form in his own hands. 143 Red Lights street. As he made his way there and had to increasingly shift his gaze away from people engaging in sex acts he'd have a hard time describing, Jisung wondered how Hyunjin ever thought Chan and Changbin to be siblings. That thought became even more absurd when he arrived in front of the obnoxiously big heart-shaped house. How the hell was Chan convinced to live here? Jisung knocked at the door, and patiently waited. He pretended not to hear the scuffles nor the whines inside.

"Hello!" The door swung open, revealing a medium-height man with unruly black curls. Again, Jisung pretended not to notice his rushed breath, or the blush on his face. "What brings you to our humble abode?"

"I'm Han Jisung, in charge of approving Chan's holiday appeal," Changbin's face twisted, but he quickly recovered, "which I may have discarded, accidentally. I'm in kind of deep shit, actually. I heard that he lives with you, and we're all kind of friends, right? A friend's friend is a friend. Anyway, I know he's very neat and proper and so very serious, house aside, and I wanted to see if he had any spare blood of his lying around? If you would kindly let me in? Or just check?"

"What?" Changbin laughed, and Jisung wanted to die. "Who just keeps blood in their house? Their own, at that!" A cough came from inside the house, and Changbin closed the door with a nervous chuckle. "Sorry to disappoint you, bud."

"Look," Jisung sighed, "I understand that you can't help me, but I gotta ask. Are you cheating on Chan? It's none of my business if you guys are in a polycule or whatever, but you are hiding the person inside and right now you are looking at me with big guilty eyes. Chan's a good guy, you know? Please don't do this."

"Devil, no! I mean, we are considering adding someone else to the relationship, but it is absolutely not the man in my living room right now. Actually, I could not think of anything we'd both want less. If anything, I closed the door for your sake."

Before Jisung could ask what he meant, the door handle shook and a man came to sight. Instantly, Jisung kneeled. "Horrible evening to you, Lee Know."

"Dude, I told you to stay inside."

"Please stand up," Changbin's words were ignored, "it's truly sorrowful to meet you, Han Jisung."

"The sorrow is all mine." A beat of silence followed, but Lee Know seemed undettered. Jisung, on the other hand, looked vaguely uncomfortable, while Changbin's body language
screamed disappointment. It seemed like it could've dragged on forever. Jisung really hoped it wouldn't.

"You are a lost cause," Jisung thanked Changbin with all his heart for breaking the silence, then worried for his life when he realised he was speaking like that to the devil himself, " I swear, Chan and I have to do everything for you. Jisung, this is Minho."

"Sorrowful to meet you, Lee Know."

"You are both a lost cause," Changbin sighed, "this is all because you sent Chan away, now I have to deal with you both," he grumbled as he opened the door, "come in."

They shuffled in, and Jisung had a wonderful time looking at the tiles. "Appalling decor," he tried to come off as nonchalant as possible, "I hate what you did with the place."

"Jisung, you can just speak normally."

" I am speaking normally."

"Jisung," his eyes finally met Changbin's, "no one actually speaks like that. It was Minho's making fetch happen moment."

"Everyone does!" Lee Know's petulant voice interrupted them, catching Jisung off-guard.

"Only when talking to you! They don't know the next time they'll get turned into a rat!"

"My friend got turned into a rat last week," Jisung interrupted, and they both looked at him, "he had a weird time set for his alarm."

"No, he got turned into a rat because he's Hyunjin," Changbin said, rolling his eyes, "this guy right here hates him. In the normal sense of the word."

"I don't hate him," Lee Know's eyes looked suspiciously away, "I just don't like people who set alarms at weird times. Why would you need a reminder at three forty-seven? It's not like he takes medicine, he's in hell! And even for medicine, isn't it just too weird of a time? He's a weirdo!"

"You just sound like you have a weird obsession with time now," the glare Changbin received was worthy of the devil, "when was the last time you talked to anyone who wasn't Chan or me?"

"I'm the devil, I'm busy."

"Busy, my ass. If you were busy you wouldn't have popped up in my house, uninvited, just because you received intel that your lover boy was coming over to my house."

Silence.

"Lee Know has a lover boy?" Jisung's eyes ran laps between the two, noticing Changbin's foolish smile and the devil's best attempt at a charming one.

"Please, just call me Minho."

"Minho, you have a lover boy?"

"Why are you asking?" Minho leaned in, smiling slyly, "interested?"

"Hahah, no. It just surprised me that you would have one."

Silence, again.

Changbin's laughter filled the room, and Jisung thought that maybe he had said the wrong thing.

"Jisung, isn't there a reason you're here?" The devil's voice got colder, more serious. It was a good reminder that Jisung was in deep shit.

"Just paying my friend a visit," Jisung smiled, sitting prim and proper on the couch, "haven't been here in a while. Or really, ever. It was about time I saw the house! Lovely heart."

"You must've known Chan wouldn't be here though, no? You're in charge of leave appeals."

"A friend's friend is a friend." Jisung gave his best smile, and looked pleadingly at Changbin. The latter did not seem like he'd be helping any time soon. Jisung thought that Chan deserved better.

"Right. Well, since you're here, you wouldn't mind handing me his appeal directly, would you? You were supposed to hand it in before you left, but you must've forgotten in your rush to get here."

"It must be in my office."

"I don't think so, we asked Hyunjin to look for it. He said you must've put it in your bag."

"Ah! That's right," Jisung giggled nervously, "I forgot! How silly of me." He bent slightly to grab his bag, decided against it, and sat back up. "I can't."

"You can't?" Minho raised a brow, and Jisung thought he looked very good at that moment. He had a brief thought about death, and wondered if dying at the hands of a hot guy made it more bearable.

"I can't." Something that looked that good could not possibly be that bad, surely? There were worst ways to go, that's for sure. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. He hoped it wouldn't be that bad.

"Well," Minho stood up, and Jisung winced, "I guess you'll just have to work overtime to make up for it. I'll see you in my office in," his eyes flicked over to the heart-shaped clock on the wall, "three hours and twenty-five minutes."

Jisung's neck snapped so hard he heard Changbin wince. He did not have it in him to care. "In your office?"

"In my office. There is a lot to be done."

"Right," Jisung looked at Changbin once again, pleading for help, and concluded that Chan truly did deserve better, "see you there."

-----------

Three hours and eight minutes later, as he accounted for traffic despite walking on foot, Jisung was pacing in front of Minho's office. He was very stressed, and also very annoyed at the demons that would not shut up. Seriously, what was the point of whispering if it could be heard from across the hallway? At least share the news with everyone!

"Jisung!" A familiar voice called out, and Jisung turned around. The sight that welcomed him was that of a puppy-like smile, bouncing up to him. "How have you been?"

"Seungmin! I haven't seen you in ages!" The two hugged tightly, "how long has it been?"

"It must've been since I got banished from your office! Good times, good times."

"What?"

"You didn't know?" Seungmin laughed, "I'm not allowed within three feet of your office. I'm not sure I should be talking to you at all, actually."

"Matter of a fact, you should not." Minho stepped out of his now opened office door, and stared coldly at the man. The latter seemed unaffected. "Jisung," his mood brightened as he turned towards the invoked demon, "you're here early!"

"Hold on," Jisung wasn't a very brave man, so he gave a polite smile back, "what's this about Seungmin being banned from my office?"

"Let's not trouble ourselves with little matters," Minho glared at Seungmin as he scoffed, "Seungmin has other things to tend to, anyways."

Jisung looked at his old friend, conflicted, and Seungmin decided to spare him. "It was because I used to like you," he smiled like it was no big news, "he got jealous." This was very big news. In fact, the news were so big Jisung wouldn't have noticed Seungmin getting lifted and taken away by a bunch of souls if not for his far away demand of thanks, "for finally putting you out of your misery, Lee Minho!"

Slowly, Jisung turned around to look at the devil, and was surprised to find him looking sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck like a thief caught in the act. "Well, looks like there'll be a new rat in Hyunjin's drawer soon!"

"Minho," Jisung pleaded, "please leave Hyunjin alone."

"Someone has to keep Seungmin company, don't you think?"

"Minho," Jisung pleaded again, "please don't turn Seungmin into a rat. Can we go into your office?"

The two walked in, and Minho pointed Jisung to the couch at the center of the piece. As soon as he sat down, a cat he hadn't seen jumped up onto his lap. It had a very cute skeleton. "Jisung."

"Minho."

"Soonie likes you," Minho said it breathlessly, like it held more weight than Jisung knew what to do with, "he hasn't liked anyone else before."

"I'm good with bones." The younger man couldn't help the smile on his face as he heard Minho's laugh for the very first time. He found it was a sound he could get used to. "What was that with Seungmin earlier?"

"Jisung," their eyes met as Minho crouched in front of the couch, "haven't you noticed something weird about hell?"

Jisung took some time to think. Honestly, from the very first day he arrived, he wondered if they hadn't made a mistake. It's not that he didn't deserve to be here, he'd known he'd end up in hell eventually, but it was definitely weird how he became a demon. To begin with, his time as a soul was very short, a couple decades at most, and the demon that was in charge of his torture suspiciously could not make most of their appointments. He sometimes wondered if his torture had been staring at a blank wall, waiting for something to happen. Secondly, when he became a demon, he instantly got his new office, and promptly dodged The Room, where all the new demons piled on each other and tried to work with non-existent personal space. "Hell is... good?"

"Please don't insult me like that," Minho stood up, but did not move away, "Sure, depression in demons has decreased by zero point three percent in the last century, but that is something I am working on. I even made up for the soundproof rooms by forcing souls to randomly go up to demons and yell in their face throughout their working hours."

"That has never happened to me."

Silence.

"Take your time." Minho said.

Silence.

"As much as you need." Minho grabbed a chair and put it in front of the couch. He sat, and looked at Jisung.

Silence.

"You make hell good... for me?"

"Bingo!" Minho stood up, and his eyes shined. "I make it good for you."

"Oh my god."

"Wrong entity! Don't make me turn him into a rat now."

"Sorry," Jisung stood up, and Soonie jumped down with an offended look, "what?"

"I like you, Han Jisung."

"Fuck," Minho's eyes followed Jisung as he paced around the room, "what?"

"I've kind of had a crush on you for a while now. I think you're the last to know."

"Okay." Jisung sat down. He stood back up. "What?"

"I'd really like it if you were to say any other word."

"But you're like," Jisung sat back down, and looked at the other earnestly, "Lee Know."

"Surprise! The devil has feelings."

"No, that's not what I'm talking about," Jisung stood up abruptly, and their faces were suddenly inches apart, "you are just freakishly hot. I didn't even think this was possible. Can I kiss you?"

The reply came as their faces met, Minho's hand holding onto the back of Jisung's neck. Goosebumps traveled through the younger's body as he grabbed his hair, deepening the kiss and forcing his mouth open. When they finally pulled away, both were breathless. The happiness in the air was foreign to hell, but very familiar to Jisung. Thinking back, every good thing Jisung enjoyed had been thanks to the man in front of him. He laughed, and fell back on the couch. "What's funny?"

"I like you too, Lee Minho. What the hell?" They both laughed, the sound sickeningly lovesick. "You need to leave my friends alone."

"Okay," a gentle kiss was planted on his forehead, "no more rat Seungmin in Hyunjin's drawer."