While she starts to cry
˚₊‧꒰ა🍂🍁🧡 ໒꒱ ‧₊
Noel couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Asch. Rhys. Pierce. Leif.
They were here. On Earth. In her and her girlfriends home.
For a second, all she could do was stare after arguing with Asch, her breath caught in her throat.
The Daemos standing before her seemed just as shocked and confused, considering earlier she knew it was probably temporary. Leif’s wide green eyes darted between her and Ava, while Rhys slowly extended a hand as if trying to confirm if she was real. Pierce remained unreadable, but his dark brows furrowed. And Asch—Noel’s stomach twisted at the sight of him. The prince she once followed, the one she abandoned, the one she loved and argued with earlier. He stood tall, black eyes gleaming with recognition, and then narrowing with something else.
Suspicion and Rage.
He looked ready to attack.
“Noel?” Rhys whispered, trying to process what he was seeing and if it was really real.
Noel swallowed. “Ave's, get behind me,” she said, voice tight.
Ava blinked in confusion but moved without hesitation. “Uh, okay?” she muttered, standing just behind Noel.
Leif recovered first. “Why did you leave us?” he asked, almost a whisper.
Noel didn’t answer right away. Instead, she took a good look at them. They were the same but different. Their armor was slightly scuffed, their postures stiff, and—most noticeably—they were struggling. Even Asch, always so composed, was subtly adjusting to the Earth’s air.
She might have found it amusing if not for the sinking feeling in her gut.
“I could ask you that but differently,” she finally said.
Asch let out a low, amused chuckle, but there was no humor in it. “That’s none of your business.”
“You being here is none of yours.” Noel’s voice was sharp. “This is my home now, don't forget you said that you'll be calm earlier.”
Leif frowned. “Your home? Since when do you call anywhere home?”
Noel clenched her fists, but Asch stepped forward, cutting off any response.
“You were my knight,” he said, voice eerily calm. “And now you’re in my way. Screw the thing I said earlier.”
Noel glared. “I’m not yours anymore.”
Asch smirked, then lifted his sword. “Then you’re nothing but an obstacle.”
Ava gasped. “Whoa, what?!”
The second Asch moved, Noel’s body reacted instinctively. She was armed in an instant, flipping a dagger from its sheath. She barely managed to block Asch’s initial strike, the force sending her skidding back.
The apartment erupted into chaos.
Noel ducked under Asch’s next swing, using her smaller frame to slip behind him. She struck fast, aiming for his side—but Asch twisted, barely dodging. He retaliated, his blade flashing, and Noel had to block again, the impact rattling up her arms.
Asch was fighting to disarm her, not kill.
Noel was not offering the same courtesy.
She feinted left, then struck low. Her dagger sliced through fabric, and Asch hissed, staggering back. His hand pressed against the fresh wound at his side, golden eyes flashing with something close to surprise.
“I forgot how fast you were,” he muttered.
Noel adjusted her grip. “I’ve had a year to get better.”
Ava, watching from the side, let out a long, exhausted sigh. “This is a lot for a Tuesday.”
Meanwhile, Leif turned his attention to her. “How did Noel end up here, huh?” he asked, appearing beside her in a burst of magic.
Ava screamed.
“What the hell?! Don’t just pop up like that!”
Leif grinned. “Not the first time I’ve made a girl scream.”
Ava smacked his arm. “That’s so gross.”
“We mean you no harm, Miss Ava,” Rhys interrupted, though his gaze was locked onto the fight.
Ava pointed wildly at the ongoing battle. “Yeah? Then what the hell is that?!”
“Asch is... sorting things out,” Pierce said vaguely, flipping through one of Ava’s magazines.
“By trying to murder my girlfriend?!”
Leif hummed. “Murder is a strong word, and girlfriend?”
A sudden crash drew their attention back to the fight. Noel had managed to get behind Asch again and attempted to trip him, but the prince recovered quickly. He grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt and threw her against the wall.
Noel barely had time to regain her breath before Asch’s blade was at her throat.
Ava saw red.
Without thinking, she grabbed the nearest weapon—a frying pan—and swung.
CLANG!
Asch crumpled.
Silence.
Everyone stared.
Ava slowly lowered the pan. “Uh… I didn’t kill him, did I?”
Rhys blinked. “I mean… he’s unconscious.”
Leif whistled. “You took down the Prince of Daemos with a frying pan. That’s—kinda impressive, actually.”
Ava turned to Noel, wide-eyed. “Are you okay?!”
Noel was already breaking out of the ice that had momentarily restrained her. She practically tackled Ava into a hug. “Best roommate ever,” she mumbled into her hair.
Ava huffed, hugging back, kissing Noel's forehead. “What are best girlfriends for?”
Leif and Pierce exchanged looks.
“She’s courting a human?” Leif whispered.
Pierce shrugged. “Not the weirdest thing we’ve seen.”
Rhys sighed, rubbing his temples. “Now that we’ve… calmed down, does your offer of shelter still stand?”
Noel gawked at him. “Are you serious?!”
Ava, however, simply crossed her arms. “I guess.”
Noel snapped her head toward her. “Ava—no!”
“They’d get eaten alive out there.”
Noel pinched the bridge of her nose. “That’s not the point.”
“They’ll follow you anyway,” Ava pointed out. “Might as well keep an eye on them.”
Noel groaned loudly but didn’t argue further.
Leif smirked. “I like her.”
Rhys nodded. “We are grateful for your generosity, Miss Ava.”
Ava flushed. “Rule One: don’t call me ‘Miss Ava.’ It’s weird.”
“As you wish… Ava,” Rhys said smoothly.
Ava shifted awkwardly. “Yeah, see, now that’s too smooth.”
Noel rolled her eyes. “You get used to it.”
“Rule Two,” Ava continued, “respect our privacy.”
Leif tilted his head. “Privacy?”
“It means don’t touch our stuff.”
As if on cue, Leif suddenly lifted an object. “I found something interesting!”
Ava’s face ignited. “PUT MY BRA DOWN!”
Leif examined the pink lace. “This is the source of the human’s magic.”
Ava lunged.
As the chaos unfolded, Noel sighed, running a hand through her apricot-colored hair.
This was going to be a long night.
˚₊‧꒰ა🍂🍁🧡 ໒꒱ ‧₊
Later that night…
Pierce and Leif had moved Asch to the couch, where he was still unconscious. Rhys had taken a seat near the window, deep in thought. Ava had retreated to the bathroom, muttering about needing a “stress bath.”
Noel leaned against the counter, arms crossed. “You really plan on staying?”
Rhys looked at her. “Do you really think we’d leave without answers?”
Noel exhaled. “I’m not coming back.”
Pierce spoke from the other side of the room. “We’ll see.”
Noel clenched her fists but didn’t respond.
Just then, Ava reappeared, wearing an oversized hoodie. “You guys can crash here, I guess. Blankets are in the closet.”
Leif perked up. “What’s a closet?”
Ava stared. “Oh boy.”
And just like that, her apartment—her peaceful, normal life—had been completely flipped upside down.
But as Noel caught the small, knowing smile on Ava’s face, she realized something.
Maybe normal had been overrated anyway. Plus at least Noel's here with her!
˚₊‧꒰ა🍂🍁🧡 ໒꒱ ‧₊