Theodore, the son of King Asmodeus, was an exception in the realm of demons. He looked very soft and pretty as an angel. Despite being a demon, having sweet eyes and a comforting smile was his specialty. He always wore light-colored clothes as he pleased. But when it came to completing his mission, he truly was a demon.
Ten-year-old Theodore was given a mission in the Divine land to collect Moldavites for his spiritual awakening. So, he went to the Divine land to collect the crystal. The Divine land was the border between the demon realm and the angel realm. Since the crystal was green in color, he went near the spring water, hoping to find it. He had a hard time finding it. When he was passing by a big plum tree, he saw the crystal on a leaf of the plum tree. As he reached out his hand to take the crystal, another hand grabbed it.
Theodore was angry. He looked at the boy who was wearing a black outfit and eyeliner on his eyes. He looked like a demon so, Theodore didn't hesitate and said, "You! Do you even know who I am? How dare you steal the crystal from me?"
The boy was startled by the deep voice, "How would I know some common angel from my realm? And for the crystal, I took it first so, it is mine. I did not steal it from you."
"Are you serious?! You seriously don't know the prince of the demon realm while being a demon yourself?" Theodore was frustrated.
"Demon?" The boy laughed, "you think I'm a demon? Being an angel, it's you who should know who the prince of the angel realm is."
"Excuse you! I'm not an angel. I'm a demon," Theodore sighed. There was an awkward silence for some time but, after that, they both burst out laughing.
After laughing for a minute, Theodore said, "Hi! I'm the prince of the demon realm, Theodore. I am 10 years old. Nice to meet you!" extending his hands towards the boy.
The boy was a little hesitant at first, but he took Theodore's hand and replied, "Umm…h-hi. I am the prince of the angel realm, Joseph. I am 9 years old."
"That means I'm a year older than you. But, still, we can be friends, can't we?" Theodore flashed his boxy smile. Theodore's boxy smile captivated Joseph's eyes at that moment.
"You know your smile is so pretty? You're too pretty to be a demon," Joseph said what was going on in his mind.
Theodore laughed, "Says the one who looks like a demon himself. If it weren't for your big and innocent doe eyes, you'd be a perfect demon by your looks."
"There's no problem with my eyes, and they don't look innocent at all. Look! I'm even wearing eyeliner," Joseph humphed.
"Just because you wore eyeliner doesn't mean your big doe eyes will look fierce. Also, you've got a voice as sweet as honey. Once you talk to them, no one will think that you're a demon. You're so cute when you're angry," Theodore laughed. Joseph was just shy so, he kept his eyes on the ground.
"By the way, why are you collecting Moldavite? Do you have a mission to collect these crystals as well?" Theodore was curious.
Joseph's eyes got wide as he looked at the crystal, "This is Moldavite, not Astrophylliteas? I thought it was Astrophylliteas so, I took it."
"Thank God! My mission was to collect Moldavite, and it was very hard finding one so, I thought I was going to lose this one," Theodore was thankful. Joseph handed the crystal to Theodore with a frown.
Taking the crystal, Theodore said, "Don't worry, I'll help you find your crystal. The more, the merrier, right? I'll ask my fairy godmother to help me find your crystal."
Joseph smiled at him and said, "Talking about fairies makes you look like an angel," Then, both of them began searching Astrophylliteas.
"Ummm…Theo? Is it okay if I call you that? I want to"- Theodore interrupted him-"Of course it's okay. You can call me with whatever you're comfortable with. Calling me Theo kind of makes me feel like a tiger, though," Joseph laughed at his confession.
"By the way, what were you saying? I'm sorry I interrupted you," Theodore apologized.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just wanted to know what the realm of demons looks like. Is it as pretty as you, or is it dark just like what everyone says?" Joseph asked with curiosity.
"Dark?" Theodore laughed, "No, silly! Do you believe that? It's not black everywhere. Everything is pretty in our realm. It's not everything black, but there are flowers of a darker shade of red. There's a big plum tree which grows red flowers in winter. Houses are colored in different colors. Everything is colorful, but those colors are of a darker shade. Our castle is big and maroon in color. It looks very alluring."
Joseph was confused, "How can plum trees grow flowers in winter? They should be growing in spring, shouldn't they?"
"You're correct. Flowers grow in spring, but there is a special type of tree that we have in our realm. It is spiritually powerful. Also, it signifies that we demons shine even when we have to go through toughest jobs just like how the flowers can grow even in winter," Theodore explained.
Joseph was amazed, "I wish I could see those flowers bloom in winter. I can't imagine how pretty it would look."
"One day, I will surely take you to the realm of demons and show you those flowers. My birthday is during winter so, I'll ask my father then you will be able to come to the demon realm, and we'll go to see the flowers together," Theodore assured Joseph.
"Is this a promise? Will you take me to the realm of demons?" Joseph's eyes shone with excitement as he asked.
"I don't know on which birthday I'll be able to make you come, but I promise you that I'll surely take you to see those flowers," Theodore promised by showing his pinky along with his signature boxy smile. Joseph gladly intertwined his pinky with Theodore's, and that's how they locked their promise.
"Oh, Look !" Theodore pointed his finger near a big stone, "It's the crystal that you've been looking for," Joseph was happy that he completed his mission, and he found a good friend as well.
After finding their respective crystals, they stayed in the Divine land for some more time and got to know each other better. After talking for some time, they decided to go to their respective realms. The sun was setting and they had to submit their crystals to complete their missions. So, they parted their ways with the promise to meet each other again the next day.
Yuki, God of the Divine land, who had been observing the little interaction between the princes of two realms, smiled at himself, "The sky looks pretty today. It seems like something in the air has shifted today. I'll be looking forward to this new story that has begun."
Joseph, who had always been an introverted kid, was proud of himself that day for making a new friend. As soon as he reached the castle, he submitted the crystal and ran straight to his father's chamber. "Father, you wouldn't believe that today, I made a friend while I was on my mission," Joseph cried with excitement. "Whoa! My little prince is all grown up now. What a development I see!" King Lucifer ruffled Joseph's hair, "So, who is this new friend that you made today? Do you know who he is and what his name is? What rank angel is he?" "No, father! He isn't an angel even though he really looks like one." The king looked a little tense after knowing the little friend wasn't an angel, "Then who is it?" "He is the prince of the demon realm. His name is Theodore," After a long pause, he spoke again, "Father? Is it bad to be friends with a demon?" Joseph asked in a low voice.
Theodore and Joseph became best friends as the years passed by. Every free time they would get, they would try to meet each other. Since entering into the opposite realm was difficult, the Divine land was a perfect place for them to meet up, and on top of that, the white plum tree was their favorite place to wait for one another. Even the kings of the two realms had no problem with their sons having a good friendship. They never questioned or stopped them because, for the kings, it was just pure friendship and nothing more. With time, they even befriended the God of the Divine land, Yuki. It could also be said that it was he who befriended them. They would go over to where Yuki lived and play with him. Yuki would tell them lots of stories about the human realm, and each day they would learn something new. Yuki was very fond of the two princes. And the two boys treated Yuki like their big brother. It was the day before Theodores'
Since his birthday, Theodore couldn't stop thinking about the little kiss (which was a peck) between him and Joseph. He was confused and overwhelmed at the same time. He questioned himself many times. Whether the kiss was just a birthday gift or something more than that. After a lot of overthinking, he concluded that it indeed was a gift. And, it was common for friends to do that. After turning sixteen, Theodore became a lot busier. As he grew up, he had a lot of responsibilities awaiting him. He had to be a prince worthy of the throne. So, his missions started to become more difficult than they used to. After completing those, he had to do training to make him physically fit for the human realm. He couldn't make time for Joseph. He was sad that he couldn't spend time with him like they used to. By the time he finished his training and missions, the moon would have been high up in the sky. He could not help and just go to bed. E
After Theodore's birthday, something in the air between Theodore and Joseph shifted. Though Joseph never dared to talk about the kiss he shared with Theodore, he thought about it a lot. He questioned himself if what he did was right or wrong. He was embarrassed for initiating the kiss that day. He was thankful that Theodore never talked about it either. So, he just decided to ignore it. He consoled himself not to think about it too much because it just happened in the heat of the moment. After the little kiss they shared, they had been undeniably close to each other. As time passed by, Joseph and Theodore became more and more physically close to each other. Holding hands, hugging each other, cuddling with each other, kissing each other on their cheeks, neck, and everything else started to become normal for them. But, the two boys were unaware of the feeling that had been building up inside them. But, after his birthday, Theodore
Within a year, Joshua became close to both Theodore and Joseph. It took almost a year for Joseph to accept that Joshua was a good guy, and he had no legit reason to be envious of him. In the beginning, it was hard for Joseph to accept Joshua. They could meet only one day a week. And even then, Joseph wouldn't spend time with Theodore. So, he was angry because his time with Theodore had been stolen by Joshua. He missed the cuddles and the physical contact with Theodore. Whenever it was the day of the meet-up, Theodore and Joshua always talked about their training stories. So, Joseph felt left out. Joshua noticed it, and then things changed after that. Though it wasn't like how it was before, Theodore paid attention to Joseph as well. Somedays, Joshua went to visit his father. So, it was only Theodore and Joseph at the meet-up. In those days, Theodore would go on about Joshua and what they did back in their realm. Joseph would get
The three friends and their friendships were going at their best. The day of their meeting was fun, relaxing, and calm. Joseph enjoyed every moment of it after clearing all the misunderstandings between the three of them. But the words Joshua said that day was always roaming around his thoughts. Did Joseph like Theodore in that way? Did he have those types of feelings for Theodore? He was unable to find answers to those questions. He was confused about many things. It was the day when Joseph was with Yuki studying books about humans in Yuki's library. Joseph was having fun while reading about humans and their realm when he came across a page about LGBTQ+. That topic seemed a little more interesting than anything else to Joseph. So, he read further about it. LGBTQ+ was lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other. Joseph was confused. What did it even mean that people have different types of gender? Weren't there suppose
After a week, it was only Joshua who came to meet Joseph again. Theodore didn't come, neither he had left any letter for Joseph. Joseph was tensed. He was worried if he had done anything wrong. So Joseph asked Joshua, "Did I do anything? Why isn't Theo here? Does he still have some work left?" Joshua was silent. He was only looking at the ground. He was unable to meet Joseph's eyes. "Joshua, why are you avoiding my eyes? Is something wrong? Are you hurt? Or, did something happen to him? Please look at me," Joseph made Joshua look at his eyes. Joshua looked directly into Joseph's eyes. Joshua couldn't control the tears that were building up in his eyes. While maintaining eye contact, tears started to slip through Joshua's eyes. Joseph panicked. He didn't know why Joshua was crying. "Joshua, please don't cry. I don't know what I did to you both, but please don't cry. P
Three years had passed since Theodore and Joshua left for the human realm. Joseph had finally turned twenty. After Theodore and Joshua left, Joseph was very lonely. No one was there to spend their free time with Joseph. Neither message came for him from the human realm either. So, instead of spending his time crying and thinking about his best friends, Joseph started to train himself harder. Joseph missed Theodore and Joshua very much. Especially Theodore. Joseph was happy that he expressed his love for Theodore, but it was heartbreaking for Joseph to see Theodore go far from him right after the confession. He missed Theodore every day. The memories they made were always on Joseph's mind. Instead of limping because his friends went far away, Joseph decided to complete all his missions and train harder to go to the human realm. All he wanted to do was go there and meet Theodore and Joshua. Joseph wanted to meet and spend time with them. But he was unable to go before he turned t