Nothing is more important to me than sleep. Except, maybe, you? Or cash. One of the two.

 
Timeline/World: Edge of Forever – Threads of Fate
Characters: Alexis Kasun
Race: Demon – Strife
Age: 2 357, physically about 27
Current residence: Dunkerque, France
Final Word Count: 754 words
 

---

Some people, I think, I might never truly understand. Old as I am, though I’m aware that there are plenty out there who are much older than I am—it has been some time since I’ve last seen anyone of the sorts, however—I used to think that I could understand the behaviour of just about anyone I came in contact with. I’ve travelled more than my share. I spent years, hundreds of them, travelling before I settled down here with Eoghan, and then the others.

However, even now, on a day-to-day basis, I find myself meeting people whose behaviour is just so strange that I cannot understand how it makes any sense to them, or anyone else, for that matter. Then again, I suppose that no one is truly raised in the same way. If that was the case, the world would be a very boring place. It still makes no sense to me when I come across others who are so entitled that it makes me want to throw them off buildings and into endless pits of darkness.

Now, I would never act on these particular thoughts; it is something that is so far from my natural behaviour that it wouldn’t even make sense and it just isn’t who I am, no matter how tempting it might be to not have to deal with these people anymore. They’re not the worst thing that I have ever come across, even if some frustrate me.

There are worst things in life than having to deal with clients who believe they are the centre of the universe; or clients who somehow believe that because they didn’t get exactly what they wanted, down to the smallest details, they’re allowed to not pay you. That, good sir or madam, is not how this world works. It is no fault of mine that the final verdict did not work in your favour. Had it been meant to, it would have. Now do pay up.

Recently, through a work colleague that I only see now and again as he’s across the pond, as I’m sure plenty of people would like to say, I found myself saddled with a case that felt like it would be an easy enough win. Reading through the gathered document, it was clear that they had little on the potential client for things to not go in his favour and while I’d never heard of the attorney who was handling the other side of the case, I wasn’t exactly worried about things.

As it turns out, I’d been right not to worry, too. On the very first gathering, the other party’s legal representative was late to show up and when they did, they offered little in the ways of apologies though I did hear them talking to their client about how they had made it clear that early morning things like these just wasn’t going to work out in the long run. Nothing mattered more to them than sleep except, maybe, their client but that wasn’t really set in stone. Cash held a fairly important spot in their hearts too. It was either one of the two.

It made it very clear to me that I wouldn’t even have to worry about this. If someone put sleep before their legal obligations, I didn’t think there was much that could make the whole thing worth a worry. I can understand that sleep is important; but you are being paid to do this particular job and if you think that everyone in the world is going to cater to your needs to sleep for twelve plus hours a day just because you think this is the most important part of your life, I’ve got some news for you.

The trial is still ongoing but that’s mostly because the other parties keep on asking for things to be delayed. Before long, the judge is going to get fairly fed up with the behaviour and will likely do something about it. At this point, I feel more like I’m watching things from afar than participating but I suppose that comes from idiots not picking up the best lawyer they could. I don’t even know how this lazy idiot has managed to make it this far. Money and most likely a parent keeping them under their wing at this point.

It’s not my job to put these things back where they belong and, honestly, I think that at the rate things are going, they’re not going to last very long.

I’ve seen you do a fair share of terrible things, so maybe you should stop arguing about what I’ve done, as if you’re above mistakes.

 
Timeline/World: Edge of Forever – Threads of Fate
Characters: Alexis Kasun
Race: Demon – Strife
Age: 2 355, physically about 27
Final Word Count: 647 words
 

---

I wish people would stop lumping all of us ‘demons’ together. They see one doing a bad deed and they assume that the lot of us are out to do terrible things and that we’re only going to corrupt the innocent and send them to hell to rot forever. That’s not how this whole thing works and while yes, there is an area for ‘bad’ souls to land; it has little to do with the vast majority of demons.

They believe that we’re all evil incarnate but that’s also furthest from the case; just looking at Eoghan proves that much, as a demon who has risen and earned his feathers, he’s wonderful. I know I can never hope to rise, not as he’s done. My make makes it nearly impossible for that much and I don’t mind, I’m fine and comfortable with who and what I am.

That is, at least, until others who can sense just what I am; get on my case about doing terrible things. This particular thing doesn’t happen very often, I don’t leave this city much anymore, not unless I truly have to and as far as I can tell and sense, there only are a handful of other demons here and none are problematic.

That was until Redmund came around a few weeks ago. Just the sight of him made me wish to turn to things I shouldn’t do but that’s because he’s an absolute idiot who believes that he’s better—in a demon way—than everyone else. He believes that he’s meant to create chaos and wars; that he’s meant to spread disease and death. He’s dead set on believing that humans—there are more of them than any of us supernaturals put together—need to perish so that demons, and demons alone, will rise.

Short version, he’s crazy.

A slightly longer version is that when he came up to me last time—we hadn’t seen one another since around the Victorian years—he told me he had brand new plans to take down humanity. Something about how he’d take people down one village at a time, starting small and then moving on to bigger places. I had to shake my head at him, I had to. I told him that his plans were moot, that of those who might follow him, none would follow his lead very long. I was trying to reason with him but he was arguing right back about how he’d seen me do my fair share of terrible things and that I should stop arguing with him about his plans, I wasn’t above his ideas, I still was a demon. A defective one, but a demon nonetheless.

I sort of let it be after that. I couldn’t keep on arguing with him, I felt as though my brain was slowly melting away, little by little, with every word that came out of his mouth.

So I invoked the higher power—one that he bows down to and one that I know I have nothing to fear from—and I told him to leave Dunkirk the hell alone. The humans in this city aren’t great, some are idiots but I think there are idiotic humans in every single city, village or town on this planet, but this particular place was mine. I’ve claimed it as my own and if he so much tried to do anything here, he wouldn’t have time to learn from his mistake, his life would be over.

That, at least, got him to leave. Never mind that I’m not going to bother telling him that I don’t own this place, I don’t want to. I have my home, I have my business. I have my adopted family with me and they’re all I truly need to be happy. This place isn’t great but it’s lovely and it serves its purpose for the time being.

You’ll need to carry me.

 
Timeline/World: Edge of Forever – Threads of Fate
Characters: Alexis Kasun
Race: Demon – Strife
Age: 2 354, physically about 27
Final Word Count: 562 words
 

---

“Don’t be so dramatic.” There is no bite to his words and the look he gives the other man is one filled with fondness but he shakes his head in gentle exasperation at the pout he’s given in return. “I’m not carrying you, Eoghan. Your ankle is fine, it’s not twisted and your foot is still in one piece.”

“But it huuuuuurts.” It’s clear to him that Eoghan is only acting hurt at this point. Alexis is used to that twinkle in his eye and the way he’s unable to hide the upward curve of his lips. This is amusing for both of them though holding on to the game too long will become a frustration and both know this.

“If I carry you, it’s right back to the bedroom to map out the whole of you, inch by inch, with my eyes, lips and hands.” That one is hardly a threat but they do have somewhere to go, a somewhere that was Eoghan’s idea and Alexis knows that there is no way they’ll miss out on this if his lover has any say on it.

“Come on now, we’ve left everyone else back home, giving us sad looks that we weren’t taking them with us and now you’re pouting because I’m threatening to end our outing because you stepped on a root and your palms are a little dirty?” He murmurs the words with a low laugh, his grin growing at his lover rolling his eyes and sticking out his tongue.

Alexis holds his hand out, waiting only a moment before it was taken and he pulls the other man back to his feet, his head shaken gently. “I love you.”

Those three little words are always magic. They’d been together so long but it had taken them just as long to get to where they were now that these little words always seemed to soften something up in both of them. The rings they both wear are a reminder of the distance they’d travelled to get to their destination, in the end. It had taken someone else taking that first step further into their own relationship to get them to open their eyes to the possibility of what could have been, or what now was.

“Are we ready to go?” To most other demons, Alexis’s behaviour is a strange one and he knows it. His gift for strife often makes others believe he is meant for more chaotic things but it is hardly because he can, that he wants to. He’d never truly been one for acting out on his impulses and having Eoghan at his side is a soothing balm for the simmering power that lay within him.

Curling his fingers over the hand he still was holding on to, he nods down the pathway they’d begun to walk on. If they were to make it to their destination in time, they still had some walking to do. Eoghan squeezes his fingers in return and they start down the sidewalk once more, both bundled up comfortable against the slightly settling chill of late October. The weather is beautiful, the trees are gorgeous but there is a chill in the air that reminds them that the colder season and its snows are going to be upon them before too long. All the better, winter is a season for cuddling by the fireplace.

Fantastic. Let’s just go through the front door and alert everyone. No way that could ever go wrong.

Timeline/World: Main Profile
Characters: Alexis Kasun
Race: Demon – Strife
Age: 2 353, physically about 27
Final Word Count: 535 words

---

If someone tries to tell you that preparing a surprise party is a piece of cake, don’t believe them. They’re lying. That, or they’re either not living with the person they’re preparing the surprise for or the person they’re preparing the surprise for isn’t the kind to put their nose everywhere and be curious about everything because, let me tell you, preparing a surprise party for Eoghan is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done and I’ve been alive long enough to go through quite a few hard ones.

It’s not even that he’s overly curious but he’s just very observant and we’ve been together so long that he knows all of my quirks and habits. He knows when I’m hiding something and he knows when I’m plotting. There’s just no hiding it from him so last time I wanted to prepare something for his birthday, I enlisted the help of our friends, gave them a general idea of what I was hoping would be achieved and I let them run with it. I didn’t ask for updates, I didn’t poke my nose into it; I just let them prepare it.

Maybe I should have worried, maybe not. It was when I heard the twins murmuring outside my door that I wondered just what they were preparing. Thankfully, Eoghan had been out during that particular day and opening the door was met with not two but three—hello Cyrille—very sheepish young men who gave me wide, innocent looks and scampered off with a laugh.

It did turn out to be one of the sweeter birthday celebrations yet. Ever since our family has become entwined all together—though it took some adapting here and there—things have just been great. I’d been corny to say that it feels like everything is perfect but that’s exactly what it feels like, I can’t complain.

Eoghan was surprised by the celebration and that was the most important part. It’s been so long since I was last able to truly surprise him with an event like this that it was worth it all, it was worth the mystery, it was worth the mild shenanigans, it was worth it all.

I don’t know how I’m going to top it next year. If I manage at all. I have a year to figure it out, a few minus two weeks. I’m sure I can come up with something during that time frame and it will be the best thing yet. See my dilemma yet? I want every single year to be the best but I know it’s about quality and not quantity. To him, every single year is the best because it’s a year we’re together and even better as of the past few years since our family has grown.

All I can truly do to make the celebration memorable for him is to make sure that everyone is present and healthy. I know he doesn’t need gifts or cake or anything else of the sort but it is my desire to give him all of that and just so much more. We’re not complicated souls but now and again, a little something extra special just makes it all the better.