The demon and I were the best of friends from the start.

But he changed.

The tinkle of chimes echoed through the halls as my feet led me towards the back of the shop. My eyes tracked the cracks in the hardwood boards, knowing that if I looked up, the probability that I’d see him again would greatly increase. The boy with wings. Those emerald eyes that pierced through my soul like claws through fabric. I clenched my jaw. Don’t look up, Winter. Don’t you dare do it.

“Winsy? Is that you?”

Damn it, Gramps.

“Yes, I’m back!” The plastic crinkled in my grasp. It felt as if the amount of food within it had suddenly doubled. I kept my eyes on the floor. “They didn’t have any raspberries, so I got the blueberries instead. Is that okay?” From the door in the very back, the creaking of the bed frame reached my ears.

“Bloody grocery stores nowadays,” grumbling ensued. “All junk. Winsy, why don’t they got any of the good stuff anymore? Back in my day-” I dropped the bags and nearly trampled the door open.

“Okay Gramps,” my voice must’ve been made of sugar, “I’ll go and see if I can find the raspberries, yeah?” I wrapped an arm around him as he sat up in bed. His old, grey eyes stared up at me. He may be one of the oldest people in town, but damn did he have an attitude.

“Don’t ‘Okay Gramps’ me. I’m not a... a...” His lips formed shapes as he fumbled for words. For a few moments, we shared a tangible silence. “Ah, screw it. Don’t even remember what I was saying anymore... But that doesn’t mean I’m old! I’m as young as-”

“As young as a fit soldier during The Second World War, I know.” A sigh left my lips. “Can I go get the raspberries now?” He mumbled a response in the affirmative and laid his head back on his coffee stained pillow. Wrapping the thin blanket around his thick frame, I pecked him on the forehead and closed the door softly behind me. Great, Winter. Now you’ve got to go out there and find goddamn raspberries. Fucking brilliant. After stuffing the rest of the groceries in the rusty fridge, I shouldered my messenger bag and headed out the door for the third time that day.

The nighttime sky wasn’t a beautiful as I remembered it growing up. No stars. No clouds. Just the same deep violet abyss and one white, shining moon. Raspberries... Where the hell do they still sell raspberries at this time of year? Or this time of hour, for that matter. My feet were silent on the sidewalk. I mean there were some at the grocery store, but they were expensive as hell. A pebble on the side of the road caught my eye, and soon it was a makeshift soccer ball. It rolled across the pavement, and I walked almost aimlessly with just those stupid raspberries on my mind.

Just like that, my phone began to ring.

Fishing it out of my bag, I clumsily held it to my ear. “Hello?” The moment he began to speak, I knew who it was. My lips curled into a smile.

“Okay, either a girl that looks exactly like you is standing right outside my house, or that’s you. And if that’s you... what the hell are you doing out alone at this hour?” His voice was strained, and panicky; I could almost hear it tremble. I shook my head.

“Gramps asked me to get him some raspberries.”

“At this hour?! Is he nuts?”

“Lark-”

“No. You’re coming inside right now. Raspberries, you said?”

“Wait, Lark-”

“I think I have raspberries. I’ll get you some raspberries. Just come inside, damn it.” A sigh escaped my lips, and I knew this wasn’t up for debate. Nodding, knowing he could see me from his window, I ended the call and shoved the phone in my pocket. The creep. Watching me through his window.

I made my way down the gravel pathway towards his door. For some reason, his door was wider than most. Not quite the size of palace doors, but just wide enough to fit through with my elbows out. I always teased him about it, to which he’d only reply with a shy smile.

The door opened, and I was greeted with the ever familiar face of Lark Aster. His hair reminded me of bird feathers, with how messy it was, always swooped to the front. He greeted me with a face of concern. As usual with him. “Inside. Now.”

I didn’t complain, merely stepping through the oddly large doorway, taking my beat up sneakers off at the Welcome rug at the entrance. Immediately, I was greeted with the scent of pine and a recently settled rain. How he kept his house smelling this nice, I’d never know.

I didn’t have to wait long before he turned to me with a chastising glare. “You’re an idiot, Winnie. An idiot. I can’t believe you were out there by yourself at this hour. Are you fucking stupid?!”

“Lark-”

“No! I won’t hear it! Raspberries or no-”

“Lark!” He snapped his eyes up to mine, his jaw set and eyes hardened. “You’re doing it again.” And like that, his eyes softened and his body began to lose its tension. Still, he was a teenager after all.

“You should’ve at least called, you dumbass.” We made our way into the kitchen, and he whipped open his fridge to reveal a neatly packed stock of various food items. It wasn’t a surprise to me anymore that he had food items that were impossible to find in this time in history. Markets no longer sold many of the things that he seemed to have in abundance.

I watched as he rummaged through his stock to find a small, fresh package of raspberries. In perfect condition. “Here, for your old man. He needs to quit sending you out on suicide missions like this, Winn. Doesn’t he know it’s dangerous?”

“I doubt he really cares much about safety, to be honest. He’s quite the... soldier.”

“Right. He fought in World War II, right?” Lark peered up at me, handing me the raspberries, now wrapped in a hand towel, to keep the condensation from freezing my hands. I rolled my eyes at him, smiling.

“He insists that it’s The Second World War. As if there’s a difference.” Lark chuckled, placing an arm around my shoulders as we made our way back towards the door.

“Well, the senile get like that, don’t they?” I shrugged in response. “Look, I really don’t want you walking back on your own. That just... It doesn’t sit well with me. So...” I met his gaze with an expectant silence. He knew, I could tell from his face, that I didn’t want him to finish his sentence. But we both knew he would anyway. “Winnie, just let me take you home. It’s just a short walk anyway, and it’ll make me feel a lot better about you and your Gramps, knowing you got home without any of those... creatures getting to you.”

“Lark,” he hardened his expression, “thank you for your concern. Really. But I’m not twelve anymore. I mean, you know I can kick ass, don’t you?” I made my voice as sweet as possible. He didn’t answer, but I went on regardless. “So you don’t need to go with me anymore. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m going with you whether you like it or not.” A groan tore from my throat.

“Laaaaark,” I whined, but nothing. He stood his ground, fixed on making sure we walked each and every step home together. Damn it, Lark. “Fine. But this is the last time. You are most definitely not accompanying me home from this day forth.”

“No promises, Winn,” he smirked. “Now let’s go.”