Read this piece’s entry on the Shousetsu Bang*Bang wiki.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nSomeone was doing magic on their Instagram Story.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex was pretty far on the outskirts of the magical community, but that felt like it was so far against the rules that it was bordering on illegal. He only knew about the existence of magic because of his brother, Max, who had once been cursed but was now working off a debt to The Agency after they\u2019d saved his life. Most of what he knew were things he had pieced together himself. Max refused to answer any questions or let him get close to the magical underworld which he classified as \u201ctoo dangerous\u201d.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex was nineteen. Almost twenty really. He could look after himself, but he was always going to be nine in his brother\u2019s mind.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Agency, as far as Alex knew, were kind of like a magical police force. They mediated and kept order between all the different magical people and made sure that regular people didn\u2019t find out about them. It\u2019s for everyone\u2019s protection, Max had said. Which was all well and good until some idiot on Instagram thought he could become the next big influencer by performing actual magic on camera.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The thing was, Alex kind of knew this guy. They\u2019d hooked up once or twice at a club last year, before Alex realised he was an asshole and ghosted him. The trouble here was that Alex had been the one to tell him that magic was real, and now he was sincerely regretting it because it was bound to be traced back to him and then to Max if this got out. And it wasn\u2019t his brother\u2019s fault. Max had tried to keep him far, far away from any and all of this magical nonsense.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He watched the story again, and no, it hadn\u2019t changed. There was Eric, riding around on the magic carpet he\u2019d somehow summoned from a storybook. Alex weighed his options quickly before realising that, either way, he\u2019d have to call the one person he didn\u2019t want to talk to at all, his brother\u2019s boss, Jeremy Donovan. He\u2019d met Jeremy a few times, but as far as his brother knew they had met just that one time Max had been dying and that was how he had wanted to keep it. In reality, they\u2019d met about a week before then, in a club that Alex frequented exclusively to hook up with tall strangers.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then, on that fateful day, after Jeremy had kicked their door in, but before he had princess-carried his brother away, he had stopped to introduce himself to Alex like they didn\u2019t already know each other. Handed him a business card as though he didn\u2019t already have his number in his phone. Alex got it, he\u2019d been blanked by people he\u2019d slept with in the past, but for some reason this one hurt. But whatever, the past was the past, he\u2019d get over it. He\u2019d fully intended to never call Jeremy again, but it wasn\u2019t like he could handball this one to Max because he was away for the weekend – and even if he wasn\u2019t, Alex did not want to have to endure the lecture of the century over this one small indiscretion. Calling Jeremy was the only way anything would get sorted out before his brother got home and grounded him even though he was way too old to be grounded.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a second, Alex didn\u2019t think the line would connect, but then there was a click and a warm, deep voice oozing through the ear-piece. \u201cHow can I help you, Alex?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They\u2019d skipped through all the pleasantries, which implied Jeremy still had his number saved in his phone so he cut straight to the point. \u201cSomeone is doing magic on Instagram.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, we saw,\u201d Jeremy confirmed, sounding a little amused.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe guy on Instagram, he\u2019s a normal guy, how is he doing magic?\u201d Alex asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you know him?\u201d Jeremy asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUh, sort of?\u201d Alex hedged, wishing desperately that he could say no. But he did know Eric, in the same sort of way he knew Jeremy. \u201cWe\u2019ve met once or twice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you know where The Gingerbread House is?\u201d Jeremy asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe bakery downtown?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, meet me there in twenty minutes.\u201d He ended the call without waiting for an response.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
~*~
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy was sitting in a booth next to the emergency exit when Alex walked into the bakery. The woman at the counter watched him suspiciously as he crossed the room and slipped into the bench opposite Jeremy. \u201cHey,\u201d he said, and Jeremy slid him a coffee. It was black, which was not how he took his coffee, but he kind of appreciated it all the same.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlex Walker,\u201d he said, smiling, and he was more handsome than Alex had cared to remember. His hair was longer now, tied back into a bun that somehow didn\u2019t look as ridiculous on him as it should have.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The worst thing about Jeremy was that he was the exact type of man Alex usually went for. Tall, broad shoulders, one of those smiles that suggested he might be a real sweetheart. The downside of having a particular type like this was that everyone knew about it. Everyone including his brother, which meant that in this case, Max had forbidden his boss and little brother from ever meeting. Which was awkward, and a little too late for that, Maxie. Honestly, Alex had all but forgotten him. Wouldn\u2019t have ever called him again unless he\u2019d absolutely had to, and unfortunately that day had come. That didn\u2019t mean he didn\u2019t constantly joke about how Jeremy was pretty much his perfect man though, just to rile Max up. Jokes about being his future boss (by marrying his current boss) or riding him like a rodeo bull were not off the table in their house.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy are we here?\u201d Alex asked, stirring an extreme amount of sugar into his coffee
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI like this place,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cRose makes the best brioche in town. And it\u2019s close to the office. Tell me about your friend on Instagram.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not my friend, he\u2019s an asshole,\u201d Alex replied curtly.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s murdering demons,\u201d Jeremy said, with a shrug. \u201cWhich I\u2019m not terribly cut up about, but apparently demons provide an important part of the ecosystem, and it\u2019s not up to me to police the shit people do for power.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIsn\u2019t that exactly your job?\u201d Alex asked. \u201cAs far as I know, you\u2019re the magic police?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t stop people from making deals with demons, what they trade their soul for is their business,\u201d Jeremy explained. \u201cBut what we do take offense to is when humans make deals with demons and then murder them to skip out on their end of the deal.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs that what Eric\u2019s doing?\u201d Alex asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, well, as far as we can tell at this stage in the investigation,\u201d Jeremy replied. \u201cSo, any help you could be to find him would be great.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure how much help I can be really,\u201d Alex said. \u201cIt\u2019s not like we\u2019re friends. We just…\u201d he trailed off, not really wanting to tell Jeremy how they knew each other. \u201cHe\u2019s a wannabe influencer though, so it shouldn\u2019t be hard to track him down.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a what?\u201d Jeremy asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe wants to be famous for the sake of being famous,\u201d Alex said. \u201cHe has a decent following on Instagram, but he\u2019s not at the level where he has to stop buying followers and pretending to have sponsors. But he\u2019s always posting about where he\u2019s been, or places he\u2019s at right now.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs he doing that right now?\u201d Jeremy asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUuuuh,\u201d Alex said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. \u201cI mean, not right at this second. But he was at Miller\u2019s Park like an hour ago? There\u2019s a crossroads there, isn\u2019t there?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet\u2019s go,\u201d Jeremy said, standing up.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWait, me too?\u201d Alex asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d Jeremy said, grinning at him, all perfect white teeth and actual fucking dimples. \u201cDon\u2019t you want to solve a crime?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He kind of really did, if only to just take Eric \u201cActually, I only drink Belvedere, and yes, I can taste the difference\u201d Greggson down a few pegs. More than that, he really didn\u2019t want Jeremy to walk away from him again. Or at least, not yet. So he stood up, and followed his brother\u2019s boss out of the bakery, across the road to a car that Alex honestly would have thought about stealing if he knew anything about stealing cars. He\u2019d watched a YouTube video once on how to hotwire a car, but he was pretty sure that Jeremy was not going to stand back and let that happen right in front of him.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you want to drive?\u201d Jeremy asked. \u201cYou\u2019re looking at my car like you\u2019d marry it if you could.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019d let me drive?\u201d Alex said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSure, why not?\u201d Jeremy asked. \u201cYou have your license, don\u2019t you?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI do, but like\u2026 this car is expensive, and people cannot drive around here,\u201d Alex replied. \u201cI\u2019ve seen like six accidents on this street alone.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGet in the car, Alex,\u201d Jeremy said, shaking his head and tossing him the keys.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
~*~
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miller\u2019s Park definitely was a crossroads, but by the time they got there the deed was done and they\u2019d already missed Eric.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex had only seen a dead body once before, and it was nothing like this but also somehow worse because it had been his dad. His dad had at least been in one piece, unlike this demon who was pieced out across the intersection. Whatever Eric had done to him looked like it hurt, and looked like it was unnecessarily messy. Even if it had been a demon, it hadn\u2019t deserved this. Did demons have families?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy had made Alex pull into a disabled parking space while he called someone to come deal with the body, then he\u2019d let Alex drive around until he found somewhere to park that didn\u2019t feel like a dick move.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow did he kill a demon in broad daylight?\u201d Alex asked. Surely someone would have seen, tried to stop them. They had walked back to the crime scene. Alex was hanging back while Jeremy took photos of it, which seemed like a rather grisly thing to have in his camera roll but he supposed Jeremy was the magical police. Maybe his camera roll was full of crime scenes and corpses. Maybe Max\u2019s was too, it wasn\u2019t like he\u2019d let Alex anywhere near his phone or computer since he started working for The Agency.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMost people don\u2019t see magic until it\u2019s pointed out to them,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cI mean, there\u2019s a leg hanging off that traffic light and most people are just walking past.\u201d Whatever clean up crew Jeremy had called to deal with the mess definitely had their work cut out for them.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs that why I can see stuff?\u201d Alex asked, taking his phone out of his pocket to check for updates. \u201cBecause I know about it because of Max?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA little of it would be because of Max, but I think both of you are pretty clued into the magical world even if it didn\u2019t become an issue for you both until recently,\u201d Jeremy replied. \u201cIt happens sometimes.\u201d
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\u201cNot that Max tells me anything,\u201d Alex said, under his breath.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHas he updated his Instagram? Could you check that please?\u201d Jeremy asked, either not hearing or ignoring Alex\u2019s muttered comments.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex had been doing that anyway, he had his phone in his hand and everything. What did Jeremy think he was doing if not trying to find this guy? He scrolled through his stories until he saw Eric\u2019s name and clicked it. Sure enough, he was deep in the heart of the park near the playground, only this time he was holding a magic wand like he was in Harry Potter. It was timestamped about ten minutes before.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s still here,\u201d Alex said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Jeremy asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTen minutes ago he was near that big dinosaur playground,\u201d Alex said. \u201cAnd he has like\u2026 the Elder Wand, so he\u2019s probably just fucking around with it?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho is this guy and why is he killing demons for storybook magic tools?\u201d Jeremy asked, staring up at the sky for a second before heading into the park towards the playground. \u201cWhat\u2019s next, Excalibur?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cProbably,\u201d Alex said. \u201cOr like\u2026 the Holy Grail?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s just unimaginative,\u201d Jeremy said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They got over the hill and came face to face with the guy they were looking for. Well, not so much face to face because Eric had climbed up on top of the playground and definitely had the higher ground. He was standing on top of a triceratops head shooting sparks out of the top of what was definitely the Elder Wand. It looked like a prop, like he\u2019d bought it from some Harry Potter exhibition or theme park.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShit,\u201d Eric said, and Alex immediately thought about how they probably should have snuck up on him, or at least come prepared with some offensive magic of their own, but he really didn\u2019t think that Jeremy had magic like that. Honestly, he had no idea what Jeremy did for the Agency at all because he had no idea about the internet and had never done any magic that Alex could see.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCome down here,\u201d Jeremy said, in the exact same tone he would use on a disobedient child. As if Eric was not holding a weapon in his hands and he hadn\u2019t just turned his full attention to them.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMake me,\u201d Eric replied, like a six-year-old.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJesus Christ,\u201d Jeremy muttered under his breath.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEric, what are you doing?\u201d Alex called out.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, hey, Alex,\u201d Eric said. \u201cTurns out you were right about magic being real. It\u2019s wild, right? Thanks for letting me know, man, this is great.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy shot Alex a look, one that suggested he was in a bit of trouble, then turned his attention back towards the young man standing on top of the playground. \u201cCan you come down so we can talk, please?\u201d he asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a no from me,\u201d Eric said. He had his phone out and Alex didn\u2019t even need to look at his alerts to know that Eric was live streaming this. What had he even seen in this guy?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCome on, man,\u201d Alex said. \u201cYou\u2019ve had your fun but you\u2019re literally murdering people.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not people,\u201d Eric said, shrugging. \u201cThey\u2019re literally evil incarnate.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI mean, they\u2019re just doing their jobs, right?\u201d Alex said. \u201cFrom what I\u2019ve heard. You\u2019re the one skimping out on the end bargain here. What did you think was going to happen?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eric shrugged and the wand was pointed at them again. It had been a while since Alex had read Harry Potter, it was always more his brother\u2019s thing, but he was pretty sure there was a lot of arm movements and proper pronunciation of Latin that was needed to do any kind of spell. Was it possible all he could do was those sparks?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex took a step towards the playground, and then another and was almost at the steps to climb up onto it when Eric shouted something above him that sounded a lot like “Avada Kedavra!” In the millisecond that followed, he was shoved out of the way by someone very tall and then trapped under that someone as they both went down.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Alex asked, quietly, more to himself. That was before he realised what had pushed him out of the way was Jeremy. Who was now very, very still. Alex pushed Jeremy off him and then leaned over him to tap his face. \u201cHello?\u201d he said, still a little annoyed about being shoved. \u201cWake up.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy did not wake up. Alex heard footsteps, which was presumably Eric making a run for it. He didn\u2019t bother looking which way Eric went though because he had suddenly become much less of a pressing issue to deal with. Mostly because Jeremy hadn\u2019t woken up, because Jeremy was now very dead.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first thought Alex had was that his brother was straight-up going to murder him. His second was that, unlike the demon’s, Jeremy\u2019s body was completely visible. Eric had legged it as soon as Jeremy had fallen, so Alex was there alone, with a corpse, and no idea what to do next.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He should call his brother. Or one of Jeremy\u2019s coworkers? Someone higher up maybe, probably? Or the actual police, because surely, this was now a job for them? He\u2019d sunk down into the grass and pulled Jeremy\u2019s body into his lap as these thoughts rapidly entered and exited his mind. He was well aware of the fact he was leaning into a panic attack when, a second later, Jeremy sat straight up and slammed his head into the underside of Alex\u2019s chin.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then, for what felt like a solid minute, Alex just screamed. It was cathartic; his face hurt and there was a dead alive person in his lap who was now touching his face and saying his name quietly, trying to get him to shut up.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat the fuck?\u201d he managed, after probably a few more minutes. \u201cWhat the actual fuck, you were dead. That spell kills, right? It didn\u2019t just knock you out? Did it knock you out? That\u2019s right, yeah?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, I was dead,\u201d Jeremy said, quietly.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex shoved him away and stared at him. \u201cYou were dead.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was dead,\u201d Jeremy confirmed. \u201cAnd now, I\u2019m not. It happens.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSomeone probably called the police,\u201d Alex said, because he had screamed and screamed and screamed because Jeremy had been dead. And even though now Jeremy wasn\u2019t dead, and Alex wasn\u2019t screaming, the police were probably still on their way.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet\u2019s go, then,\u201d Jeremy said. He stood up, offered his hand to Alex, and Alex wondered if this was how the zombie apocalypse started. He took the hand anyway and let Jeremy pull him up.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI need you to explain this to me,\u201d Alex said. He was still holding onto Jeremy\u2019s hand, like he was worried that maybe Jeremy would vanish if he let go. Also because his hand was warm and it was a sign he was alive.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn the car,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cI will explain in the car.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
~*~<\/strong>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cIs this some Twilight nonsense?\u201d Alex asked, sitting in the passenger seat this time. \u201cAre you a vampire?\u201d That explained literally nothing, but if the answer was yes he would just lean into it.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m not a vampire,\u201d Jeremy said, laughing as if the suggestion was funny. Alex didn\u2019t think it was funny. \u201cI\u2019m a demigod, I suppose that would be the correct designation for myself. When I was much younger, a god fell in love with me and granted me immortality.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s this god now?\u201d Alex asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy shrugged. \u201cHe got bored and wandered off,\u201d he said. \u201cIt happens sometimes. He might come back one day, who could say? Anyway, ever since then I die and just bounce on back to the state I was when I was made immortal. I got a tattoo once, then died a week later and when I came back it was gone so I don\u2019t waste time with that stuff anymore.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow long have you been like this?\u201d Alex asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve lost count, honestly, but it\u2019s been a while. Like, more than the rise and fall of one civilisation long,\u201d Jeremy said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd it doesn\u2019t bother you?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, it does, but there\u2019s nothing I can do about it,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cThe future is cool though. I like cars, I have some other friends who aren\u2019t likely to die, it\u2019s all right. I get myself into a lot of reckless situations though.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLike pushing people out of the way of magical spells?\u201d Alex asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy laughed. \u201cThat\u2019s it,\u201d he said. \u201cI knew I\u2019d be fine. You, on the other hand, wouldn\u2019t be.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoes my brother know about this?\u201d Alex asked, not that he even knew how he was going to begin to explain the day he was having when Max got back from experiencing the outdoors. Maybe he wouldn\u2019t have to. Maybe Jeremy would agree to just never tell him, because Max was definitely going to be angry at him for getting involved. Alex felt that was a little bit Max\u2019s fault, if he had told him about literally anything, maybe he wouldn\u2019t have told Eric about it. It was probably a little unfair to blame this on Max, but that\u2019s what older brother\u2019s were for right?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe does,\u201d Jeremy said, and didn\u2019t elaborate. There was probably a story there, but as much as he wanted to hear it there were more important things going on.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat do we do now?\u201d Alex asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe find Eric, and stop him. However we have to, at this point.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlright sure,\u201d Alex said. For a minute there was just the sound of the engine, and he resisted to lean over and turn the car radio on. \u201cWhile we\u2019re talking about heavy things, I think we need to talk about the elephant in the room here.\u201d He had been trying to sound a lot more unaffected than he felt. He wasn\u2019t looking at Jeremy but saw his hands tighten against the steering wheel as if bracing himself for what was to come.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d Jeremy asked, apparently choosing to play dumb about the whole situation.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex took a deep breath and leapt straight in. \u201cAbout the fact that I sucked your dick in the back of a shitty bar, you texted me a photo of said dick three days later and then a day after that you came to my house, stole my dying brother away and then never returned my texts,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd this is excusing the fact that you gave me your business card on your way out, like I didn\u2019t already have your number saved into my phone, and pretended you\u2019d never met me before.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAh, yes, that,\u201d Jeremy said, and had the graciousness to look a little sheepish about it. \u201cAlex, I wanted to call you. But I knew you\u2019d ask questions about Max and he wanted to be the one to talk to you about all that.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, guess what, he still fucking hasn\u2019t,\u201d Alex said. \u201cAnd now I\u2019m drawn into this bullshit too.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can take you home?\u201d Jeremy said, like it was a suggestion to make. Like he could walk away from this and go back to his robots and fucking handsome strangers in bars and not think about how magic was real and magical beings walked around him. Like he could somehow put this handsome, god-touched man behind him where he belonged.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you fucking dare,\u201d Alex said, sharply. \u201cWe have to finish this, and you\u2019ll never find him without me.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s probably true,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cAlright, if we\u2019re done having awkward conversations for the time being, we should work out where to go next.\u201d He pulled into a car space outside a 7-Eleven reached behind his seat, coming back with an actual map.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex turned to his phone again, checking Instagram and Twitter for whatever Eric had been doing when they had shown up. \u201cHe livestreamed killing you,\u201d Alex said, once he found what he was looking for. He watched it without sound, mostly because he hated hearing himself talk on recordings. Luckily for all of them, it looked fake, so very fake. Probably the real police got involved if you murdered a guy for likes on the internet. So far, all of it just looked like prank videos with a decent special effects budget unless you knew it was real.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe meant to kill you,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cAnd from my limited knowledge of the Harry Potter series, you have to really want to kill someone for that spell to work.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That was unsettling. \u201cI barely know him,\u201d Alex said. \u201cWe went on a few dates.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd apparently you told him about magic,\u201d Jeremy said, flipping to the next section of his map.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex had hoped that all of the drama of Jeremy dying and living again had slipped that fact away from him, but no luck. \u201cUh, yeah,\u201d Alex said. \u201cStarting to have some regrets about that.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll say.\u201d Jeremy looked up and over at Alex. \u201cYou\u2019re not in trouble. You\u2019ve caused trouble, but what he did wasn\u2019t your fault.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know he was a serial killer waiting to happen,\u201d Alex said. \u201cI just wanted to impress him. He was hot and I was bored. I didn\u2019t think he would believe me, my other friend didn\u2019t believe me.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow many people have you told?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust those two. And Ruby thought I was having an exam-related breakdown,\u201d Alex said. \u201cHonestly, I didn’t think he believed me. I wouldn\u2019t have believed me if someone came and told me that demons and fairies are real.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely unbelievable,\u201d Jeremy said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just wanted someone to talk about this all with, and it wasn\u2019t like Max was answering any questions I had,\u201d Alex said. \u201cI was hoping Ruby would believe me and we could investigate or something.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour brother should have talked to you,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cBut you know he just wants to protect you, right? He doesn\u2019t want you getting involved in things that might hurt you.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d Alex asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe talks about you all the time,\u201d Jeremy said, and wasn\u2019t that a surprise. Most of the time Alex had just felt like a burden to Alex. Someone he\u2019d been stuck with when their parents had died. He had been fourteen and Max had been twenty, and Max had given up a lot to make sure Alex had succeeded. \u201cHe\u2019s proud of you for getting into University.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex ducked his head. \u201cI just feel like things have changed with him,\u201d he said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s part of getting older, I think,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cRelationships change, even with your siblings. But he does care about you. I\u2019ll talk to him, when he gets back. Make it clear he doesn\u2019t have to keep things secret from you.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d Alex said, quietly.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAny time,\u201d Jeremy replied. \u201cIs Eric back online yet?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot as far as I can see,\u201d Alex said. \u201cHe hasn\u2019t blocked me though.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe he\u2019ll stop,\u201d Jeremy said, but sounded very unconvinced by his own words. \u201cI think I can predict the crossroads, though.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs it Flint and Albert?\u201d Alex asked. \u201cBecause if so, I agree. It\u2019s one of the bigger ones in the city, and I think they were some of the first roads they put in, which means it\u2019s more powerful, yeah?\u201d Alex had no real idea how crossroads demons worked, but it made the most sense that the older the roads the more power the demon there had. He\u2019d seen some episodes of Supernatural<\/em>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cThat is exactly what I was thinking,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cCome on, maybe we can beat him there.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The thing about the Flint and Albert intersection was that it was a bit of a mess. As well as being one of the oldest crossroads in the city, it was also one of the busiest and least good to find yourself near in peak hour traffic. The worst of it was one side of Flint in which three lanes turned into two lanes, which turned into one lane and a bus lane – and that was if you were lucky and cars weren\u2019t randomly parked alongside of it.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid you hear they wanted to put a bike lane in here?\u201d Alex asked as they stop-started towards the intersection.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI did.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhere exactly do you think they\u2019ll squeeze it in?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cProbably the bus la– is that a park?\u201d Jeremy switched lanes abruptly to pull into the empty space. Someone honked, which went politely ignored.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre we going to end up having a fight in the middle of the road?\u201d Alex asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so,\u201d Jeremy replied. \u201cThere\u2019s no way to bury anything in this crossroads. There\u2019s no dirt.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow is this going to go, then?\u201d Alex asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy pointed at a phonebox that Alex hadn\u2019t noticed before. It looked a little run down, and Alex was pretty sure that all of the phone boxes had been removed from the city once everyone got mobile phones. \u201cDial a specific number in there and someone will come to you,\u201d Jeremy said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s very modern,\u201d Alex said. \u201cI didn\u2019t realise demons were so up to date with technology. Though, I guess if they were truly modern there would be an app.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat would be horrible,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cAnyway, there\u2019s an alley around the corner deals usually go down in.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo we just wait in the alley and hope for the best?\u201d Alex asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI guess so,\u201d Jeremy said, and got out of the car. Alex followed him down the street and into the back alley behind a pizza place. He\u2019d pulled a box out of his pocket, pressed some buttons and put it up on some bricks out of sight unless you were very tall. \u201cWell, this will stop him getting online at least.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre we sure he\u2019ll come here?\u201d Alex said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m pretty sure,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cLogically, it\u2019s the next step up. You\u2019re going to get the most power without venturing into the suburbs or countryside. And he seems like a go big or go home kind of sociopath.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI guess,\u201d Alex said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlright, I want you to stay hidden,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cLet me confront him.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That seemed like a bad idea, considering Eric had at least one weapon they knew of and Jeremy had no weapons or magic, apart from partial immortality. Which was helpful in a general way, but not in a fighting way.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex did what he was told, though, ducking around behind a dumpster and some milk crates. Whatever Jeremy had done had blocked his phone signal too, so he just had to sit there, bored. He\u2019d lost sight of Jeremy when he\u2019d hidden, and his legs were starting to cramp, so hopefully this didn\u2019t take all night. It wasn\u2019t that he didn\u2019t want to see how this played out, it was just that detective work seemed to involve a lot of waiting.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Twenty minutes passed, and nobody had come through the alley except someone from the pizza shop ducking out to have a smoke. He hadn\u2019t seen Alex though, which was a good sign that his hiding space was working. The man had just gone back into the shop when Eric and a man with bright orange hair strolled into the alley like they didn\u2019t have a care in the world.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you sure this is what you want?\u201d the demon asked. Sounding a little too amused for someone who had lost a handful of coworkers over the last few days, but then again, Alex supposed demons weren\u2019t known for having a depth of feeling.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eric pulled the wand out of his sleeve and brandished it at the demon, who took a step backward. \u201cYou\u2019ll do what I want and fuck off, or I\u2019ll end you like your friends.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlrighty then,\u201d the orange haired demon said with a shrug. He waved his hand and the hilt of a sword appeared, buried in the wall of the restaurant. \u201cYour funeral.\u201d With that, he vanished before Eric could lunge at him. Eric looked at the sword and then did what Alex predicted he would do, went for his phone to broadcast him pulling Excalibur out of the wall of a pizza shop.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat the fuck?\u201d Eric cursed, frantically tapping at his screen. He gave up, reached for the sword, and tried to pull it loose, but it didn\u2019t move at all. He cursed again, kicking at the wall, before giving up and pulling the wand out from his sleeve.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Across the alley Jeremy unfolded himself out of the darkness of a doorway and moved to grab Eric by the shoulder. He wasn\u2019t fast enough though, either that or his shadow had actually loomed over Eric clueing him in to the attack. From his vantage point behind the dumpster, Alex didn\u2019t really see what happened next but Eric moved as quick as lightning, turning towards Jeremy and then stepped back. Jeremy sank to his knees, and then dropped backwards onto his back.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho the fuck even are you?\u201d he asked, kicking at Jeremy\u2019s stomach. Jeremy was either dead again, or would be soon, and Alex didn\u2019t know what to do. They really should have called for backup at some point, he thought absently. He wished he had a weapon but he had nothing but his own fists and a couple of milk crates. His rational thought gave out, he hadn\u2019t been in a fight since high school, and he\u2019d been handed his ass then, too. Mindlessly, he charged at Eric, shoving him out of the way and snatching the wand from his hand.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRude. Whatever, I don\u2019t need that,\u201d Eric said, and suddenly had an honest to God knife in his hands. He slashed at Alex, who barely managed to dodge out of the way.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat the fuck, dude, why do you want me dead so much?\u201d Alex asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI mean, I started doing it for a laugh, but I really do just hate you,\u201d Eric said. \u201cDid you know that you\u2019re the only person who has ever ghosted me?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAm I?\u201d Alex asked, honestly surprised. Eric had a terrible personality and wasn\u2019t that good at sex; logic dictated that people should ghost him all the time. \u201cFuck, sorry man? But like, that\u2019s a terrible reason to start murdering people. You have to know that, right?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe only good thing you ever did was tell me this shit is real,\u201d Eric said, slashing at him again. Alex dodged it, tripped on a crack in the ground and caught himself before he fell.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd how\u2019s that going for you?\u201d Alex asked. \u201cYou\u2019re like six deep into these demons. I\u2019m not sure how they collect what\u2019s owed to them, but I don\u2019t think murdering them will get you out of it.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a demon-killing knife, idiot,\u201d Eric slashed at him again, \u201cso I\u2019ll be fine, and once I kill you, I\u2019ll be able to do whatever the hell I want.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAgain, not sure why I\u2019m topping this list, but you know that\u2019s not true, right?\u201d Alex added, dodging again. \u201cPeople will avenge me. The Agency knows who you are now.\u201d He still had the wand in his hand but couldn\u2019t remember any spell other than Wingardium Leviosa, which wouldn\u2019t be the most helpful. He probably should have looked up listicle of spells in the car on the way here.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis guy I keep killing? What is he? Like a wizard cop?\u201d Eric asked. Speaking of Jeremy, surely he should be back up again soon, maybe if he died more than once in a day it took a little more time for him to bounce back? \u201cFuck the police, man.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex didn\u2019t even feel the knife cut through his skin, just the wetness of his blood. He glanced at the cut, it didn\u2019t look deep and it wasn\u2019t very long. He\u2019d live. Alex kicked out, the tip of his steelcapped boot connected with Eric\u2019s shin, causing him to stumble backwards.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex reached out to steady himself and grabbed onto the hilt of the forgotten sword. It slid from the wall like it was made of butter, causing him to lose his balance again for a hot second. Eric paused his attack to stare at him.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s my fucking sword,\u201d he said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cApparently it\u2019s mine?\u201d Alex corrected. He didn\u2019t really know how to swordfight, but he\u2019d watched enough Game of Thrones<\/em>. He knew that the sharp end wasn\u2019t the bit he held onto, and ideally it went into the person he was fighting. What seemed to matter the most was that his sword was longer than the knife that Eric had. Alex swung at him, and Eric took a step back, tripping on an uneven corner of pavement and falling on his ass. The knife flew out of his hand, out of reach.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nAlex stood over him with the sword pointed at his neck. \u201cJust give up, man,\u201d he said. He wasn\u2019t sure he had it in him to kill Eric, or even seriously hurt him, but if he had to then he had to.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can\u2019t,\u201d Eric said. \u201cThe demons will come for me.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou murdered a bunch of them, you probably deserve it,\u201d Alex replied.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behind him, Jeremy groaned. \u201cDidn\u2019t I tell you to stay put?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, but you were dead, so I did what I wanted to do,\u201d Alex said. \u201cIt all worked out though, didn\u2019t it? How do we arrest this guy? Do you cuff him? Can I cuff him?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s ours,\u201d said another voice. Eric\u2019s face twisted into fear and Alex didn\u2019t need to turn around to know that the demon from before had come back. \u201cYou have to hand him over, Jeremy. Rules are rules.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlease don\u2019t let him take me,\u201d Eric said. He went to sit up, to try to run maybe, but Alex was still holding him at swordpoint.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI mean, you made a deal?\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cAlso, I have zero good will towards you.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex took a step back, figuring it was probably about time to let the adults step in. If Jeremy and this demon counted as adults in this situation. The demon stepped forward and trapped Eric under his shoe. Honestly, he felt a little light headed. Blood loss, probably. Except it didn\u2019t feel like blood loss, and everything was looking sharper.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHey, I don\u2019t feel so great,\u201d he said, leaning against the wall.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d Jeremy asked, all but abandoning his actual job to come and look intently at Alex.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cProbably the magic kickback,\u201d the demon said. Alex looked at him over Jeremy\u2019s shoulder, and watched as he reached down and picked Eric up. Eric was shouting in protest but it was like Alex was hearing him through sound-proofed walls. It felt like it was too late for him anyway, whatever happened to him was something he probably deserved. \u201cI set this one up to fail, but you were the one to grab the sword, so whatever. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll be okay.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex felt the complete opposite of okay, but somehow more okay than he had ever been. He let go of the sword and it dropped to the ground, clanging against the concrete. The demon reached down to grab it, as well as the knife and then reached around to grab the wand from Alex as well.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat did you do to him?\u201d Jeremy asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPut a bit of pep in his step,\u201d the demon said, with a shrug. \u201cLater, Jem.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex blinked, and then suddenly Jeremy was looking at him like he had changed, and maybe he was now. He could feel something, magic he supposed, thrumming under his skin, like the bassline of a very good song. No wonder Eric had started murdering people for power, if this was what it felt like.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Someone was touching him. He shoved them away but they touched him again, said his name once, twice, a third time. He forced himself back into his body instead of examining the lines of magic that held the universe together. \u201cCome back,\u201d Jeremy said, his face haloed by the golden light of the god who had made him invincible. \u201cCome back to me.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex didn\u2019t want to. He wanted to see how deep the magic went, wanted to see what he could do with it and his human body was not going to help him do that. He had to leave everything behind but he would be part of this feeling forever. It wasn\u2019t like he was anything special, but he could be. He could be magnificent if he just let this last bit go.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThink about Max,\u201d Jeremy said, his fingertips against Alex\u2019s temples. He sounded so close and yet so far away. Alex forced himself to think about his brother, whom he loved very much. He should have called him when this all started. He should have made sure he said goodbye when Max left on Thursday night instead of just putting his headphones on and pretending he was listening to music.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He thought about Max and then it was like he was there with his brother, hiking up some mountain like someone who truly enjoyed being outside. He was standing up on a ledge, overlooking the wonders of nature and for a second Alex was next to him. He could smell the scent of the trees, the wet smell of dirt. Max\u2019s sunglasses were still cracked, and Alex had been planning on buying him new ones for Christmas because he complained so much about them but hadn\u2019t replaced them in months. Max turned towards him, and his eyes narrowed like maybe Alex was really there and then he was gone and the magic was pulsing in his veins again, whispering to him that he could do whatever he wanted to do if he just willed it.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCome back to me,\u201d Jeremy said, again, his voice barely louder than a whisper. His fingertips brushed against Alex\u2019s eyelids.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex forced his eyes open and looked at Jeremy, really looked at him. \u201cYou\u2019re made of gold,\u201d he said, his voice sounding like a memory.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAm I?\u201d Jeremy asked, sounding amused. \u201cLet the magic go, Alex.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to,\u201d Alex sulked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cBut you have to.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though the magic was singing to him, he exhaled and let it go. More than just feeling it, he saw it leave his body, shimmering out and up and into the air, rendering him a dead weight. Alex fell, and Jeremy caught him, pressing a kiss into Alex\u2019s hair like he was something precious. \u201cYou did so good,\u201d he said, words muffled into Alex\u2019s hair. There was still a little magic buzzing under his skin, but it was quieter now. Alex tilted his head up and brushed his lips against Jeremy\u2019s, so very gently, barely even a kiss at all. He shouldn\u2019t have, but he\u2019d almost died, almost let himself fade away, and he wanted to get to kiss the guy – like this had all been a movie and he was finally getting his happy ending.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs it over?\u201d Alex asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is for you,\u201d Jeremy said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOkay, but don\u2019t tell Max about this,\u201d Alex barely got the words out before his eyes sewed shut and he slipped into darkness.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
~*~
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex woke up in his bed and for a moment thought he\u2019d just had a really vivid dream. Would have happily gone on believing that too, but he was tucked into bed wearing his jeans and someone had bandaged the cut on his arm.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So he got up, changed his shirt – which was now well beyond saving – and went to brush his teeth, because it tasted like something had died in his mouth. Once he\u2019d gotten through that he found himself wandering into the kitchen to find something to drink.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What he didn\u2019t expect to find there was Jeremy, of all people, sitting at his kitchen bench. He was idly playing with Alex\u2019s project. A little robot he\u2019d been working on only yesterday, but somehow it felt like weeks ago. For a moment he just stood there in the doorway, watching the line of Jeremy\u2019s back. There was still a halo of gold around Jeremy, solid enough like maybe he could reach out and take some of it for himself. Steal some of that light back. There was a metal sounding clink, and Jeremy said, \u201cOops,\u201d quietly to himself.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid you break my robot?\u201d Alex asked.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy jumped, turned around a little to look at him. \u201cA little,\u201d he said. \u201cOne of the legs fell off.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, that\u2019s fine,\u201d Alex said. \u201cI can fix that easy. How long was I asleep?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAbout nine hours,\u201d Jeremy said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd you\u2019ve been here the whole time?\u201d Alex asked. \u201cJust sitting here?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot in this exact chair, no. I wrote up my notes for what happened yesterday,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cOrdered a pizza. Watched some frankly terrible TV. Took a nap on the couch.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a good couch for naps,\u201d Alex agreed. \u201cWhy did you stay?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wanted to be here when you woke up.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlright,\u201d Alex said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t want to vanish on you again,\u201d Jeremy said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOkay,\u201d Alex said, again.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was a silence that stretched on a little too long as they stared at each other.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wanted you to call me,\u201d Alex breaking the silence. He hated this, hated talking about his feelings, but it was the only way they were going to get anywhere. \u201cWe had fun, right? And I wanted you to call me so we could do it again sometime.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wanted to call you,\u201d Jeremy said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t though,\u201d Alex said. \u201cAnd look, I get it. I am very young and you are very old, but I\u2019ve always been partial to older men. And there\u2019s something between us, right? You feel it, too.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy nodded. \u201cI do.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen why don\u2019t we see what it is?\u201d Alex proposed. \u201cIf you say no, I\u2019ll back off. We can just be overly flirtatious around my brother, but I really don\u2019t want you to say no.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to say no either,\u201d Jeremy admitted. \u201cI just know that I should.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m also very partial to doing things I know that I shouldn\u2019t,\u201d Alex said. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve had daydreams about your dick, man.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a minute they stared at each other, until Jeremy very dramatically swept from his chair and crossed the room to take Alex\u2019s face in his hands, kissing him. Alex deepened it instantly, turning it hard and dirty and full of a hunger that he wanted to satisfy immediately.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy walked him backwards towards his bedroom and Alex froze and stopped them both in the hallway. \u201cWait,\u201d he said, hand on Jeremy\u2019s chest, trying to keep him away from seeing into his bedroom. \u201cI\u2026 my room is a mess. Though I guess you saw it when you put me in my bed. Fuck, I don\u2019t usually live like this, I promise. I\u2019ve just had a long week and Max is away, and usually my laundry is not everywhere.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood to know?\u201d Jeremy said, looking down at him. He looked so amused, and Alex bet the people he usually slept with were a little more mature than he was. They probably had their lives together. Were older than twenty. Probably didn\u2019t share apartments with their older brothers. \u201cYou know I don\u2019t care, right?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just never really bring people back here,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd, uh, thought I would be cooler about it?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy laughed, drawing him in closer to kiss. \u201cAlex,\u201d he said, gently.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes?\u201d Alex said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want to fuck you,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that is so much easier on a bed.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut have you considered against a wall?\u201d Alex said, because he really had.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlex,\u201d Jeremy said again, leaning in to brush the softest kiss against his mouth. \u201cI\u2019m not going to have sex with you against a wall. Not today, and not here in the hallway of the house my assistant lives in. Bed.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOkay, but don\u2019t look at anything too closely,\u201d Alex said, and let Jeremy lead him into his bedroom. He kicked some laundry under his desk and shoved his chair in front of it. Jeremy politely pretended to not notice. Which was nice of him seeing as he had already been in here when he\u2019d put Alex in bed hours before.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy pulled him in closer, one hand behind his head and the other on his hip. \u201cAre you sure you want this?\u201d he asked, gently. And it was sweet, giving Alex an out, but he didn\u2019t need one.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am,\u201d Alex said. \u201cPlus, you gave me a rain check. I\u2019m cashing it in, finally.\u201d He flopped down on his bed, moved up against the headboard and wiggled his fingers at Jeremy in the best approximation of a come hither gesture he could manage. Jeremy laughed and went to him.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They traded kisses for a while before Jeremy went for his clothes. Alex unbuttoned Jeremy\u2019s shirt, pushed it off his shoulders but didn\u2019t fully remove it. He had gotten Jeremy\u2019s pants and underwear down, before they\u2019d started kissing again and he got distracted. Alex was completely naked except for a single sock. He had no idea how this had happened, how Jeremy had stripped him down so quickly.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTake your pants off properly,\u201d Alex said, grabbing at them. \u201cI won\u2019t let you fuck me with your pants on.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy drew back to take off his clothes properly. Ever the gentleman he even tugged Alex\u2019s sock off when he moved back to drop his clothes onto the floor. \u201cShh,\u201d he said, raking his nails down Alex\u2019s chest. He leant up to kiss Alex again, bit his earlobe gently. \u201cGonna make you feel real good, okay?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you now?\u201d Alex asked, a little breathlessly, still trying to make jokes.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI sure am,\u201d Jeremy said, taking Alex\u2019s cock in his hand, thumbing at the underside. \u201cIt\u2019s all I want to do.\u201d He kissed his way down Alex\u2019s body, pressing him down into the mattress with his free hand to stop Alex squirming. He dug his thumbs into the divots of Alex\u2019s hips, kissed at his stomach and slid lower, pressing the softest kiss to the top of Alex\u2019s cock. This asshole<\/em>, he knew exactly what he was doing. Though, Alex supposed, he\u2019d had the years to practice.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cStop teasing me,\u201d Alex said, but he didn\u2019t want it to stop. Not really. Not at all.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMm, no,\u201d Jeremy said, wrapping his lips around the shaft. Alex grabbed at the sheets, dug his fingers into them and twisted, probably would have arched his hips too if Jeremy wasn\u2019t still pressing him down into the bed.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex knew that he was making tiny quiet kitten noises, noises he hated making but couldn\u2019t help. Before it got too good, because he had other plans for Jeremy, he fisted a hand into his hair and pulled him off his dick. \u201cI want you to fuck me,\u201d Alex said, hating himself a little for how breathless he sounded.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah?\u201d Jeremy said, looking up at him. \u201cWhy?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause your dick is spectacular and I want you to,\u201d Alex said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell then,\u201d Jeremy said, smiling. He sat up, stretched his back, rocked his jaw back and forth for a second before leaning down to kiss Alex again. \u201cThat is definitely something I want to do.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s lube and condoms in the bedside table,\u201d Alex said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow do you like doing this?\u201d Jeremy asked, sitting back to go through Alex\u2019s top drawer. \u201cOn your back or on your stomach?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOn my back,\u201d Alex said. He wanted to see Jeremy\u2019s face, wanted to kiss him. Just in case this was the only time they did this, he wanted to remember it. Have the full experience.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlright,\u201d Jeremy said, kneeling in front of him. He pulled him up onto his thighs and poured lube onto his fingers, before leaning back down to kiss Alex again, trapping Alex\u2019s dick between them, as he reached down to slide a finger inside of him.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex gasped into Jeremy\u2019s mouth a little. Jeremy fucked him with his finger for a minute before Alex relaxed enough for him to add a second and then third finger inside, crooking them down to graze against his prostate. Jeremy grinned when Alex whined a little and threw his head back.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat feel good?\u201d he asked, leaning down to press a kiss into the hollow of Alex\u2019s throat, kissing his way back up to his mouth where Alex kissed him hungrily. Jeremy kept fingering him, sliding the condom on with his other hand before taking his fingers away.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A sad, needy noise escaped Alex\u2019s mouth and he turned his head away to try to hide the fact he made it. \u201cHurry up,\u201d he insisted, trying to mask his embarrassment.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBossy,\u201d Jeremy said, leaning down to kiss him again, before lining himself up and slowly, slowly easing himself into Alex. He moved as though he had all the time in the world, stopping whenever Alex clenched around him. He was so hard and so big, and Alex wasn\u2019t sure that he could take it all but he was up for trying. His own dick was rock-hard between them, leaking precome onto his stomach. When Jeremy was finally seated inside of him he stopped moving, Alex leant up to kiss him, and was glad they\u2019d done this face to face, if only for the kissing.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As if he had read his mind, Jeremy leant down and kissed him again. Alex would have happily kissed him all day if he could. \u201cI got you,\u201d Jeremy said. He rolled his hips to get a slightly different angle before he began to fuck him in earnest.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex had thrown his arm over his face. It was all a little too much, the feelings and the eye contact. He lost himself in the sensation a little, one arm over his eyes and the other draped around Jeremy\u2019s shoulders so loosely. He clenched his nails into the skin there, and Jeremy laughed.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy stroked him with every thrust, thumb dragging across the slit of his dick every time he pressed against Alex\u2019s prostate. Jeremy physically moved him a little (and the manhandling was definitely a turn-on) tilting his hips up a little more. Then, Alex was coming all over Jeremy\u2019s hand and clamping down around him, which sent him over the edge too. When they both fell still, Jeremy went to move away from Alex but Alex wrapped his legs around him and held him close, pulled him down to kiss him.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh really?\u201d Jeremy asked, between kisses.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d Alex said, but moved his legs to let go of Jeremy.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy climbed off of him, went off to deal with the clean up and came back a minute later to lay back down on the bed next to him. Alex, seeing possibly his only chance, snuggled up to him with his head on his chest. He felt so very well-fucked, in a way he hadn\u2019t been in a while. Hollowed out, but in a good way. He had never been one for hanging around after sex, but there was nowhere else he wanted to be right now more than here, spread out with his head on this ridiculously handsome man\u2019s chest.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWas that worth waiting for?\u201d Jeremy asked, leaning down to kiss the top of Alex\u2019s head.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMm, I think we could improve it,\u201d Alex said, leaning up to kiss him properly. \u201cMaybe at your house next time.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI could pencil you in,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cHow about tomorrow night?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was nothing in the world Alex wanted more than to say yes. Than to spend the rest of his days doing whatever Jeremy asked of him, so long as he was with Jeremy. But he couldn\u2019t, realistically, he had things to do.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI really have to finish my robotics assignment,\u201d Alex said, hating himself so much for it. \u201cI\u2019m three days behind where I planned to be, it\u2019s worth forty percent of my grade and you snapped his leg off.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe offer will stand for when you\u2019re done with your assignment,\u201d Jeremy said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou won\u2019t pretend not to know me again the next time we see each other?\u201d Alex asked. He\u2019d meant for it to be a joke but it fell a little flat. His tone betrayed him, he supposed. And the fact he was still a little bit hurt because of it.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Jeremy said, quietly. \u201cAnd I\u2019m sorry again, for all of that.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know,\u201d Alex said, and leant up and kissed him. \u201cAnd I forgive you for it. All right, you should get going. I have homework.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy climbed off of the bed. Alex propped himself up on his elbows to watch him get dressed. When he was dressed, Alex pulled his own pants back on and followed him out into the living room to the front door. \u201cI\u2019ll call you,\u201d Jeremy said, and leant down to kiss him, backing him against the wall for a minute. \u201cOr text.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex broke the kiss and side stepped him to look at him properly. \u201cI\u2019ll believe it when I see it,\u201d Alex said, grinning. There was a seed of hope, it wasn\u2019t much but deep inside him he really hoped that Jeremy would call. Even though his brother would probably explode if he found out about it, especially because of that maybe.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI will,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cAnd if you get an A on your assignment I\u2019ll let you drive my car again.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBetter get an A, then,\u201d Alex said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy kissed him again, one hand against his jawline and when he stepped back he leant back in to kiss him gently on the cheek. \u201cI will call you,\u201d he said, so very earnestly, and then he was letting himself out of the apartment.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Without him there, the apartment suddenly felt too big too quiet. Alex could hear himself breathing, could hear the music from the apartment above him and a dog barking two blocks over. He wandered over to the window and looked down at the street, watched Jeremy climb into his car which was somehow parked directly outside.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even from the seventh floor he heard Jeremy start the car. He left it idling for a second and then drove away. Alex wasn\u2019t sure what he expected to happen, maybe he thought Jeremy would call him from the car.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, whatever, he had a mental list going and needed to get through like 80% of it before his brother got home or he would never hear the end of it. So he ate his leftovers, put one of his piles of laundry on and then set about fixing his robot.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d came a voice directly beside his ear. Alex jumped and sat up from where he\u2019d fallen asleep at the kitchen table. It was the kind of dark it got when it was very late, and Max was standing over him, drinking a glass of water. There was a faint sheen of colour surrounding him, a dark red so very different to the golden light that surrounded Jeremy. Apparently he saw auras now. Hopefully that would go away or he would end up driving himself crazy trying to work out what they meant.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHey, you\u2019re home!\u201d Alex said, which came out a little too enthusiastically to seem non-suspicious.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood job, detective,\u201d Max said. He put down his glass and picked up the robot. \u201cIs this homework? What\u2019s he meant to do?\u201d He turned it over gently to get a good look at it, and Alex pushed down the urge to snatch it back from him.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRobot stuff?\u201d Alex replied, shrugging.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m so glad we sent you to university,\u201d Max said, but he was smiling. He handed the robot back to Alex, who set it very gently down on the table. He really didn\u2019t want to have to solder another leg back on.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow was your trip?\u201d Alex asked, changing the subject. Hopefully he could get out of this conversation without Max asking him what he did, or he could lie convincingly enough to pretend all he had done was homework. This would probably hold up until Max went into work on Monday and was told all about it by Jeremy. Whatever, he\u2019d deal with that whenever it became an issue.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was good. Walked up some mountains, walked down some mountains. We saw a lot of nice trees. You should come with next time, it might do you some good to get out in the world.\u201d Alex snorted. \u201cOr you can stay in and be a tiny nerd forever, your choice,\u201d Max concluded, reaching down to run his hand through Alex\u2019s hair, pushing it all the wrong way.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHey!\u201d He shoved at his brother, reaching up to fix his hair.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHi, hello!\u201d Max laughed as he stepped back to take his glass to the sink, pausing as he passed the oven clock. \u201cDon\u2019t you have class early tomorrow? Shouldn\u2019t you be in bed?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat time is it? And don\u2019t Dad me, it\u2019s not like you don\u2019t have work tomorrow,\u201d Alex said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like midnight and if I make it in at all tomorrow I will be there before Jeremy, you can count on that.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex tried not to react. It was both too soon and not soon enough to be thinking about Jeremy again. He pressed the button to wake up his phone; it was 00:03 and he had no new texts and no missed calls.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid you have anything you wanted to tell me?\u201d Max asked, and Alex froze. Maybe Jeremy had called him. Maybe he\u2019d seen it all online.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Alex said, unable to keep the uncertainty from his voice.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you sure about that?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Max seemed to contemplate this answer for a second before making up his mind about something. He clicked and pointed his fingers at Alex. \u201cYou didn\u2019t balance your laundry when you put it in the machine and flooded the bathroom. Again.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShit.\u201d Alex said, standing up and throwing himself in the direction of the bathroom. It had been so long since he\u2019d done that. Like, at least three months.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI already cleaned it up!\u201d Max called after him. \u201cJust remember to balance it properly next time!\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy don\u2019t you ever open with that?\u201d Alex complained, dragging himself back to the room to glare at his brother.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGo to bed, Alex,\u201d Max said, reaching over to ruffle his hair again. Alex stalked across the kitchen to snatch his phone from the table and then did just that.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
~*~
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It took Alex two more days to get his robot where he wanted it for the class presentation. When he wasn\u2019t at school he was in the kitchen, bent over its little corpse, trying to work out its quirks as quickly as possible to make up for the time he had lost over the weekend. If Max knew what had gone on, he didn\u2019t mention it, so maybe Jeremy had kept it quiet.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoes it beep and boop now?\u201d Max asked, breezing into the kitchen on the second night with a shopping bag in one hand and his jacket in the other. Alex could still see an outline of colour around him, fainter now. Not everyone had it, but it was something he apparently just got to see forever now. The inner magic of people\u2019s souls, or some bullshit. If Jeremy ever called him, maybe he would talk to him about it.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt does. I also added a light that induces seizures,\u201d he replied. He looked away from his brother, before getting distracted by a component he was trying to solder. \u201cDid you get milk?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPerfect, that\u2019s exactly what it needed. And I did. Also, dinner.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex looked up at his brother. \u201cI told you I\u2019m not packing up anything from this table until I\u2019m done.\u201d He was nearly done, probably would be done tonight if he didn\u2019t run out of soldering iron again. Or decide he wanted to make any changes to it.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid I ask you to clean up? No, we\u2019re going to eat in front of the TV like civilized people.\u201d Max stood across from him, shaking a takeout bag in his direction. \u201cIt\u2019s your favourite.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex sighed, turning off his soldering iron. If there was one thing he knew for certain, Max would not stop hassling him until he had seen Alex eat at least half of his dinner.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not actually going to be my favourite, is it?\u201d he asked, following his brother to the couch.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s certainly got vegetables in it!\u201d Max smiled, handing him a white box and some plastic cutlery. \u201cDelicious!\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo, how was work?\u201d Alex asked. It felt like a long time since they sat down to eat together. It felt like even longer since things hadn\u2019t been strange between them. Even since before whatever happened with Max, things had been strange between them. They\u2019d been struggling to find a middle ground where Max wasn\u2019t actually his caretaker anymore because they were both adults now, and the magical nonsense hadn\u2019t helped.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI definitely went and spent some time there today,\u201d Max said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd Jeremy?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAwful as always.\u201d Max had stopped a spoonful of rice halfway to his mouth and was frowning \u201cWhy are you asking me so much about work?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou never tell me about your time playing magical cops and robbers, I\u2019m just curious.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou never tell me about your robot and it lives in the kitchen,\u201d Max said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut the robot\u2019s just school stuff, this is your job and you never tell me anything about it, even when I ask questions,\u201d Alex said. Mostly, he just needed to know if Max knew anything about the apparently very small incident of which he had been a part. He had so many questions still, and Jeremy hadn\u2019t called him so it wasn\u2019t like he could ask him. But he also couldn\u2019t ask Max directly until Max made it clear he knew what had happened that weekend he was climbing mountains.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNothing happens at work, Alex, don\u2019t worry about it.\u201d It felt like a lie. Alex knew it was a lie. He gave up entirely, went back to his dinner and let his brother win this time. One day he would get Max to tell him the truth, but he knew he would have to tell his own truths too, and he didn\u2019t really want to do that just yet.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
~*~
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex supposed everyone had off days, but the presentation unfolding at the front of the class was the slowest-moving horror show of his life. All he could think about was at least it wasn\u2019t his work that had started an actual fire. It could have been worse though, it could have been an explosion. Somehow, the fire alarm hadn\u2019t gone off yet but that was only a matter of time.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The class had been shuffled outside into the courtyard, and advised that the next day\u2019s class would also be cancelled if it couldn\u2019t be rescheduled to a different lab. They\u2019d get emails, or texts, or something but the rest of the day scheduled for presentations was their own.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rest of his classmates had dispersed, suddenly finding they had an extra day to make sure their own creations didn\u2019t cause any disasters mid-demonstration. Honestly, Alex had never been more grateful at having to go first for a class presentation. At least he knew he\u2019d passed and didn\u2019t have to stress about not knowing when presentations would be rescheduled to.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Half an hour later and still buzzing with restless energy he found himself inside The Gingerbread House, standing in front of the display cabinet overwhelmed with choice. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He ignored it, probably just Valerie asking if she could borrow-back the ammeter she\u2019d loaned him. It buzzed again. And again. He pulled it out of his pocket, still buzzing with texts. All he wanted was to sit still for a minute and enjoy a snack. What was her fucking problem?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlex.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?!\u201d He turned on his heel, probably more dramatically than necessary, and then there was Jeremy. Perfect, handsome Jeremy, just standing there, phone in his hand, the smallest smile finding its way into the corner of his mouth.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid you get my texts?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex looked from Jeremy to his phone and unlocked it to his unread texts.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can I make a recommendation?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The doughnuts are good, but only when they\u2019re fresh.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The raspberry danish is the better of the varieties.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A short list of other things that are good: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Friands<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Madeleines<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neenish tarts
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex???
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell?\u201d Jeremy prompted.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was a kick of anger inside him, because it had been several days, but in an instant he let it go. Alex smiled, slipping his phone back into his pocket. Sometimes the universe just gave you a win.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you paying?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n<\/i>Love0<\/span><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"by Suikazura Amai (\u5438\u845b\u7518\u3044) Read this piece’s entry on the Shousetsu Bang*Bang wiki. Someone was doing magic on their Instagram Story. Alex was pretty far on the outskirts of the magical community, but that felt like it was so far against the rules that it was bordering on illegal. He only knew about the existence […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[676,425],"tags":[666],"class_list":["post-7519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bangbang-no-77","category-text","tag-suikazura-amai"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shousetsubangbang.com\/mirror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shousetsubangbang.com\/mirror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shousetsubangbang.com\/mirror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shousetsubangbang.com\/mirror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shousetsubangbang.com\/mirror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7519"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shousetsubangbang.com\/mirror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7535,"href":"https:\/\/www.shousetsubangbang.com\/mirror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7519\/revisions\/7535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shousetsubangbang.com\/mirror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shousetsubangbang.com\/mirror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shousetsubangbang.com\/mirror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}