Weeks of practice and obsession had culminated in one stunning performance that evening. Hours spent hunched over the ivory keys of a grand piano; days gone by with nothing but gentle melodies to pass the time, it was all building to the concert which had now come and gone. With a tired sigh, Riko turned the keys to her apartment. A soft click hit her ears as the lock came undone, and she swung the door open. The aged wood squeaked on its hinges. Finally home after a long, exhausting, albeit exciting day. Riko wanted nothing more than to collapse into her plush pillows and silky linens, and sleep for hours to come.

Setting down her belongings as she made her way inside, Riko took a quick look around her empty dwelling. Small but cozy. Nice and quiet. As much as she loved the thrill of performance, nothing beat recuperating on her own after a long day. Peace and quiet at last.

"Lily! You're home!"

Oh… right…

After months of living with the woman, you'd think Riko would've grown accustomed to her presence by now. But… well, maybe that was easier said than done when your new roommate was a literal demon.

And so, in floated the aforementioned demon-girl with a wide smile and excited eyes. Her deep cerulean hair wisped around her pale face as she levitated closer to greet the piano player. Cute little horns, V-shaped ears and adorable tiny fangs protruded from her head and mouth respectively. A slithery tail with a heart shaped tip waved behind her.

"Ah… Good evening Yoshiko." Riko greeted with a small smile and a yawn. "How long have you been waiting around for me?"

"That's Yohane to you little demon!" She corrected indignantly. "And… not too long…" Her fair cheeks heated to a rosy hue. "Just like… since you left."

Riko blinked. "Since I left? Yoshi—er… Yohane, I left yesterday morning."

"Yeah,"

"You could do literally anything you wanted while I was gone. You can fly around and materialize anywhere you want for heaven's sake, why were you bumming around the apartment the whole time?"

Yohane blushed innocently; far more innocent than the blush of a demon had any right to be. "I dunno… I mean, it's not like anyone else can see me anyways… I'd have nothing to do outside." She bashfully tapped her fingers together and looked away. "And it wasn't boring or anything, I mean, you have TV and stuff…"

Riko sighed. But her lips soon curved into a soft grin.

"You're more like a sad puppy than an almighty demon," she chuckled lightly and gave the devil-girl a reassuring pat on the head. Yohane leaned into her touch and cooed.

It was… well… really goddamn cute.

"Well I'm glad to see you too," Riko whispered. "I am tired though, It's been a really busy week and a really busy day. I'm gonna go take a bath and get ready for bed."

"Ah… Okay." She seemed disappointed to learn their reunion (after only a day or so of being apart,) had been cut short. Her tail drooped and her pointed ears folded against the sides of her head. Riko found it hard to believe this girl had been sent to "terrorize" her. Or… that's what she'd said when she first showed up at least. That is until she'd decided to recruit her as a faithful minion. Which… Well, she wasn't. But being called Yohane's little demon did give her a warm and pleasant feeling. Riko was beginning to suspect that rather than to terrorize her or enlist her as an undead servant, Yohane stuck around because she was lonely. That made her seem far less demonic though.

Riko smirked. Her desire to tease the poor girl grew more by the day. Without much thought, she leaned over to give Yohane a playful peck on the cheek. The second her lips made contact, Yohane jolted away, quickly floating up, away from the cheeky redhead. She bumped her forehead on the ceiling above, and squeaked, embarrassed. "What the hell are you—?"

"What?" Riko joked back. Her voice took on an uncharacteristically smug tone. "Not allowed to give the cutest demon in the world a kiss on the cheek?"

"I…" Yohane closed her mouth, then opened it to speak, but nothing came out. Thus she closed it again. Clearly she didn't know what to say.

"Even cuter when flustered." Riko added with a wink and turned to saunter away into the bathroom. I'm gonna go wash up now. Entertain yourself somehow."

"Um… O-okay…"

Riko smiled. Then left the room.

---

Half an hour or so later, long crimson hair hung loosely over Riko's damp shoulders. Her sore muscles and stiff joints were abundantly thankful for the warm bath. Once she'd settled into the tub of hot, soapy water, she never wanted to leave. So relaxing… so relieving… Alas the water had begun to get cold. Plus she was pretty sleepy, and it might not have been the wisest idea to nod off where she could easily drown. And so, begrudgingly she'd forced herself to get out and was now putting on her night clothes.

Baggy, silky and extremely comfortable candy pink PJ bottoms covered her legs and a plain black tank top was pulled over her head. She grabbed a hairband from a nearby drawer and tied her hair up into a tight bun. Feeling refreshed (if mildly disappointed her moment of watery reprieve couldn't last longer,) she decided it was finally time to hit the hay.

Feeling somewhat drowsy, the tired musician mosied from the bathroom to her bedroom; intent on blacking out the second her head hit the pillow.

But of course, life couldn't ever be so simple.

"Yocchan… What on earth are you doing?"

On her bed sat the demon, hugging one of her pillows and staring at Riko with large, pleading, shiny pink eyes. "Er… I was hoping… I-I mean…"

Riko pinched the bridge of her nose. "Spit it out."

"As you're my loyal servant, I demand you allow me to sleep here tonight! It looks… comfy."

Sleepy though she was, she couldn't say no. In fact, the thought of sharing a bed sort of made her heart skip a beat. "I… sure, whatever."

Yohane looked up, thrilled. Her tail wagged like a happy little dog's. "Really?" She said hopefully.

"Sure, just scoot over." Riko replied with a roll of her eyes.

Yohane nodded eagerly and quickly did as told. She moved from the center of the bed to the side, making plenty of room for the pianist to slip under the sheets. Riko watched her scoot under the blankets and observed as she made herself comfortable.

"Cute…" Riko whispered under her breath. Glad Yohane hadn't heard that, the redhead made her way under the covers as well. Yohane's face lit up when Riko slid in next to her.

Riko made eye contact with her demonic roomie with a short yawn. "Comfortable?"

She nodded. "Yes very."

"Good…" Riko felt her face become warm the longer she looked into Yohane's eyes. "Well… goodnight then. Sweet dreams."

She turned away to face the wall.

Moments of quiet passed with nothing but her own heartbeat and the combined sounds of their even breaths to fill the silence of the room. She could feel her eyelids becoming heavy and she knew she'd soon be lulled into a much needed sleep.

But first…

She felt lithe arms wrap around her waist.

"Yoshiko what're you—?"

"Do you not like it…?" Yohane questioned, lowly. She hadn't bothered to correct Riko on the use of her lower world name.

Riko hesitated. She took in the flittering feeling of butterflies in her tummy. "I… No, it's fine. It's… nice."

Yohane hummed in response, and moved close enough that her stomach and chest were flush with Riko's back. Her tail moved under the covers and wrapped protectively around Riko's leg.

Riko smiled. "Comfortable?" She asked yet again.

To which Yohane quietly answered, "Yes. Very."

"Good… Goodnight Yocchan."

"Mhmm. Goodnight Lily."