Convoke - Chapter 31: Chapter 31

Now that they had committed themselves to each other, sharing the night stirred an atmosphere that they couldn't ignore. Tom paused in his doorway. Ezra sat crossed legged on his bed. Midnight was approaching, yet he was still high with excitement.
He shut his door and switched off the main light. The bedside lamp softened Ezra's sharp features. His gaze followed Tom around the room as he picked up a few clothes and put away shoes.
He eventually got into bed but didn't get under his duvet. Tom laid next to Ezra and opened his arms. The demon hesitated, looking down at him as if getting closer was a bad idea. "Come here," Tom whispered.
Ezra moved slowly, positioning himself next to Tom, so their bodies pressed together. He rested his head on Tom's shoulder and pressed his hands against himself.
Tom played with his black hair and lightly brushed fingers over his shoulder and down his arm until Ezra relaxed and allowed his hands to sprawl across Tom's stomach.
Tom held him until his eyes drooped, but Ezra moved suddenly, and his heart spiked. Ezra looked up and their faces were close. Tom brushed their noses, looking at him in the dull light, until their lips found each other.
They kissed slowly at first, settling into their feelings. Ezra soon sat up on his elbows, not losing their rhythm as he leaned over Tom.
They kissed until they lost themselves. Tom was barely aware of his legs on either side of Ezra when he moved against him. His hands had sunk to the end of Ezra's t-shirt, wanting to touch his hot skin.
Their lips parted and Ezra kissed him on his neck, deeply enough for Tom to moan. Ezra tensed against him, also coming back to his senses. He suddenly pulled away and looked down with big, dilated pupils full of passion.
"You don't have to stop," Tom whispered, wanting to continue, but wanting Ezra to feel comfortable.
Ezra made up his mind and softly kissed him on the cheek. He settled back to how they laid before. Now they were hot and breathless, and lying still until feelings faded, and sleep returned.
They woke to a knock on Tom's door and his mother's voice yelling that Tom had to start work in an hour. They were tangled around each other in the morning sun. Ezra stared intensely at the closed door until Moira walked away, and then he sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning into the palm of his hand.
Tom laid still in his warmth, watching him, hoping that mornings would be like this for the rest of his life. He enjoyed the innocence of waking up in the morning, and the vulnerability from even the toughest person.
Ezrakhell, a big soul stripper demon who could crush a skull with his bare hands, blinked sleepily down at Tom with messy hair, puffy eyes, and a sheepish expression as if sharing the same bed was embarrassing.
In the kitchen, his parents manoeuvred around each other, making breakfast, and singing along to the radio. "Good news," his mother said, grinning and grabbing Tom's shoulders. "The council have said we can try with the bouncers!"
Tom was so thrilled that he forgot to ask if Gerry was still home and rushed to tell Ezra. He pulled him into the kitchen, asking when he had to start his new job.
"You start today, if that's okay?" Declan asked, smiling up at the demon.
"That's fine," Ezra said quietly, pursing his lips and looking around.
"I'll head to the shops soon and get you some sort of a uniform. But anyway, are you hungry?"
Ezra turned towards the stove as he pointed to the eggs in the frying pan, just as Gerry entered with a wonky tie, a creased shirt, and a washed-out black blazer. He froze, staring up at Ezra, and then at his barbed wire neck tattoo, and then down to his bare feet. "What the fuck is a demon doing in this house?"
Tom tugged on Ezra's hand, pulling him deeper into the room. "He's my guest, he'll stay as long as he wants."
Gerry glared at him with beady green eyes. "Is this a joke? He stayed the night?"
"Gerry." Declan stepping in front of Ezra. "Go to work."
"No! My daughter is home today, and you want me to leave her in danger?"
Tom felt Ezra's grip tighten. His expression was unreadable. The emptiness to his eyes churned his stomach.
"Go to work," Declan repeated sternly. "Ez is our friend, and our employee, and-"
"Employee?" Gerry screwed his face up in disgust. "Now I know this is a joke."
"Go to work!" Declan ordered.
"Not until he leaves."
"We trust Ez. We would never put anyone in this family in danger-"
"You only trust him because your son is drooling all over him." Gerry spat his words like venom. "It's fucked up and you know it."
"You're lucky you're still standing in our home!" Moira matched his hatred, widening her blue eyes with rage. "We know you outed our son because you hoped we would tell him to leave. And now you dare to stand here and tell Ez to leave!" She stormed forwards and stuck a finger into his chest. "Go to work, and start saving up because if you carry on, you'll be living elsewhere by the end of the week."
Gerry scoffed. "You'd kick out your own daughter and your own grandchild because of a demon?"
"No," Moira said coldly. "I'd kick out you. The only reason I haven't yet is because of our grandchild. Don't you realise that you're the one putting her in danger by trying to pick a fight with a demon?"
"I thought you said you trusted him." Gerry crossed his arms smugly.
Tom whispered, "Ezrakhell," as quietly as he could. Ezra quickly tore his intense stare away from Gerry. Hearing his full name from a human always seemed to shock him. "Just pretend he's not there, I do all the time." Tom tugged Ezra to the counter, choosing not to listen to Gerry spluttering about danger, and his parents yelling back about trust. "Do you want coffee?"
Ezra didn't stop squeezing his hand, nor did he unlock their gaze. "Coffee please," he said through gritted teeth, trying to pull his attention away from the commotion behind them.
Tom's father dragged Gerry out of the kitchen and down the stairs. They heard him yelling Neasa's name outside until he finally gave up and went to work.
"I'm so sorry about him." Tom felt ashamed to live under the same roof as someone so hateful. He could have moved out by now if he had only gotten his future together.
"I'm sorry I didn't break his nose," Ezra muttered, and Tom's mum laughed.
"Well, try not to let him get to you. We know it's illegal for a demon to spill human's blood on purpose. The last thing we need is for you to lose your soul because of a twat like Gerry Hound." Moira dished up a plate of toast and fried egg and handed it to Ezra.
"You did well to stay calm. He makes me angry just by breathing the same air."
Tom guided him through to the dining table at the back of their living room. Ezra looked around. Their home was spacious, yet cosy with a grey corner sofa opposite a large tv mounted on a brick wall above a fireplace. A grey fluffy rug lay in the centre with a dark oak coffee table that matched the floors, holding a few books and a vase with fake flowers. Photos of the family hung in black frames on white walls. The ceiling was full of black beams, with vintage hanging lightbulbs in between.
The dining table was in front of a large window that faced the trees beyond. They sat with their backs to the sun and ate their breakfast, saying little, and saying everything with flirtatious glances.
"Are you sure you want to be a bouncer for the pub? It's not too late for you to change your mind."
"You don't think that I can stay calm enough, do you?"
Tom sighed. "I'm worried. It's not that I don't trust you, I just don't trust half of our drunk locals not to antagonise you to the point of . . . " Tom sighed again. "I'm just worried. And anyway, you came here with a mission. What about our studies?"
"I spend most days dealing with the consequences of demon who lash out. I've not lived this way for so long to have the same fate." Ezra sat back in his chair, tilting his head towards the sun that shimmered his deep brown eyes into a caramel gold. "The studying was getting us nowhere."
"I wouldn't say that." Tom scooted his chair closer. "For us, anyway." He grinned when Ezra blushed and leaned into him. Since the moment Ezra had pinned him to the library wall and kissed him senseless, Tom had wanted to do nothing else. Since their first kiss, Ezra had been staring with more confidence, and not getting too embarrassed when he was caught. "I have a feeling that working together will be fun."
"It's been fun already."
They kissed and the spark was just as strong, and the excitement was even greater. At any moment, someone could enter and see them kissing. Tom just didn't expect it to be his five-year-old niece.
She gasped and yelled, "Uncle Tom!"
Ezra sharply pulled back, startled by the voice of a young child. Catherina flung herself into Tom, only noticing Ezra after being satisfied with a morning hug. She sat on his knee, staring at Ezra's neck tattoo.
Tom could only picture Gerry's face if he could see them now.
"You're a demon," Catherina said, and Ezra nodded.
"He's my friend," Tom said. "We had a sleepover last night."
"Without me?" she asked, scowling and pointing repeatedly into Tom's chest.
"Because you were already in bed. You can be invited next time." Tom smiled down at her, but she didn't stop scowling.
"You were kissing."
Tom scoffed and Ezra's blush blotched down his neck.
"You're boyfriends!" Catherina yelled, flinging her arms up and almost falling back into Tom's plate of food. "I want a boyfriend."
"Uh, okay . . . where's your mum?" Tom scooped her up and dangled her by the ankles. She squealed as he carried her through the house and gave her to Moira, her grandmother.
"Tom has a boyfriend," Catherina said, giggling.
Tom grinned. "Just goes to show that nobody is born hateful." He returned to Ezra who was staring at a family photo on the wall next to the TV. Tom was fourteen in the photo, with a buzzcut that didn't suit his round cheeks, skin full of spots, and braces on that made his mouth too big for his head.
Tom followed his gaze, sighing. "Don't look too hard, I've not always been this beautiful." When his gaze returned to Ezra, he was smiling. Tom had thought he was handsome from the moment he saw him, but his smile would turn anyone's head, no matter the gender. He was striking, with perfect teeth that brightened his entire face, warmed his eyes, and showed a hidden dimple on his scarred cheek.
Oh my god, Tom thought. This man is mine.