I awoke to the bright sunlight invading my skin, warm and unrelenting. As I shifted beneath the covers, a sharp jolt of pain shot through my back. My entire body throbbed in protest.

"Ouch..." I hissed through clenched teeth, wincing.

“Johan is such a demon,” I muttered under my breath, pouting as heat rushed to my cheeks. My face turned beet red as the vivid memories of last night flooded my mind, forcing a groan from my lips as I buried my face in the pillow.

How am I supposed to face him after that? I thought, internally panicking. He’s definitely going to enjoy tormenting me over this for months.

I was still contemplating the logistics of launching myself out the window—despite my aching limbs—when the bathroom door creaked open. My breath caught.

Johan stepped out, hair damp and tousled, water droplets clinging to his sculpted torso. A towel hung low around his hips, teasingly loose. It was unfair. No one had the right to look that effortlessly perfect, especially not after what we—

He caught me staring. His eyes locked with mine, a slow, knowing smile tugging at his lips.

“Well, well,” he said, rubbing the towel through his dark hair, “if I knew you’d react like that, I’d have turned a year older a lot sooner.”

My face ignited again, practically glowing. I dove beneath the blanket, hoping it would swallow me whole.

“Stop teasing,” I mumbled from beneath the fabric.

Johan chuckled, the sound deep and amused. “Teasing? I’m just thanking you. Honestly, that was the best birthday present I’ve ever received.”

“Johan!” I wailed from under the covers, mortified.

He climbed onto the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. I felt him crawl closer, each shift of the blanket sending sparks through me. Then he tugged at the covers just enough to peek beneath, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

“I didn’t hear you complain last night,” he whispered, lips brushing close to my ear.

I squeaked, swatting at him with a pillow, which he dodged with a laugh.

“Oh come on,” he said, grabbing the pillow and tossing it aside. “You’re cute when you’re flustered. But honestly—” he leaned down, brushing a kiss against my shoulder, “—you were incredible.”

I bit my lip, trying not to melt into the mattress.

Johan grinned wider, clearly enjoying every second of my embarrassment. “You sure you don’t want to help me shower? My back’s hard to reach.”

I groaned and pulled the blanket tighter. “You're impossible.”

“And yet, you survived the night,” he teased, winking. “Barely.”

“I said you’re impossible,” I repeated, muffled by the blanket.

Johan chuckled again, clearly delighted by my current state of mortified fluster. He didn’t move away—in fact, he leaned in even closer, his breath ghosting over my cheek through the thin layer of fabric.

“And yet you let impossible do very possible things to you last night,” he murmured, voice dripping with amusement.

“JOHAN!” I shrieked, tossing the blanket off in outrage only to immediately regret it as I was met with the full view of him still damp and barely dressed. My eyes betrayed me, flickering down before I yanked them back up to meet his annoyingly smug gaze.

“Eyes up here,” he said, tapping his chest with a smirk. “Although... I don’t blame you.”

“Do you ever stop talking?” I grumbled, trying to scoot away.

He caught my wrist effortlessly, pulling me gently back toward him. “Nope. Not when teasing you is this fun.”

His fingers brushed my jaw as he tilted my face toward his. “You looked beautiful last night,” he said, his voice softening, the teasing momentarily melting into something deeper.

The sudden shift made my heart stutter.

“…You’re not helping my embarrassment,” I whispered, gaze falling to the space between us.

He smiled, more genuine this time. “Good. I like you pink and flustered.”

Before I could respond, he moved in again, nuzzling into the crook of my neck, deliberately letting a few drops of water from his hair fall onto my skin.

“Johan, you’re dripping on me!” I gasped, shoving at him weakly.

“Oops,” he said, clearly not sorry. “I guess you’ll have to take responsibility.”

“For your wet hair?!”

“For my entire wet body,” he said with a wink.

I groaned again, caught between wanting to slap him with a towel and pull him back under the covers.

He rose to his feet then, stretching leisurely, the towel threatening to betray him with every motion. “Well, I guess I should get dressed before you combust.”

I opened my mouth to protest but only managed an inarticulate squeak as he flashed a grin and sauntered toward the wardrobe.

“By the way,” he added over his shoulder, “You moaned my name in your sleep. Twice.”

I flung a pillow at him with all my strength. He dodged it effortlessly, laughing as it hit the wall with a soft thud.

“I hate you,” I grumbled, hiding my face in my hands.

“No, you don’t,” he replied smoothly, pulling a shirt over his head. “You just don’t know how to handle the aftermath of giving your demon boyfriend the best birthday of his life.”

_______________________

The midday buzz of the cafeteria was in full swing—students chatting, trays clattering, the scent of coffee and greasy food mixing in the air. I was already regretting showing up, but skipping lunch would’ve raised even more questions. Unfortunately, my attempts at stealth were immediately thwarted.

"So... it really does look like you wrapped yourself in a ribbon and presented yourself to Johan," Easter announced with a sly grin, his eyes glinting with mischief as he slid into the seat across from me.

I froze mid-sip of my iced latte, nearly choking.

Before I could even recover, Phoon chimed in from my right, leaning in with faux innocence. “Those red marks on your neck? Definitely not mosquito bites.”

I tugged at my hoodie’s collar instinctively, my face flushing hot. “They're nothing. It’s just… allergies,” I muttered, completely unconvincing.

Dao, who’d been calmly stirring his soup, looked up with a small, knowing smile. “Must be a new breed of bug—Johan-trained, highly aggressive, only appears at night.”

I groaned and dropped my head onto the table with a soft thud. “Not you guys too… I already had to survive him this morning.”

“Aww, look at you,” Easter said, clearly reveling in my misery. “With that pout and that innocent face, I’m honestly impressed Johan held back. Or… did he?”

“He didn’t,” Phoon added, laughing.

I flailed an arm at them weakly. “Leave me alone,” I mumbled, my voice muffled against the tabletop.

Easter leaned forward, elbows on the table, his grin only widening. “Honestly, I expected Johan to be intense, but I didn’t expect you to show up the next day still walking funny.”

“I’m not walking funny!” I protested, sitting upright and immediately wincing as my sore muscles complained.

Dao raised an eyebrow. “You literally limped up the stairs to class. We all saw it.”

My hands flew to my face. “I hate all of you.”

“Oh please,” Phoon said, tossing a fry into his mouth. “You were groaning like an old man just now. That’s either exhaustion or Johan’s supernatural cardio skills.”

I gave them all the death glare. Useless. They were immune.

Easter wasn’t done. “So,” he began, voice dripping with theatrical curiosity, “how was it? Did he light candles? Put on slow music? Tie you up with an actual ribbon?”

I was about to shout something vaguely threatening when a shadow fell over our table.

“Talking about me?” Johan asked smoothly, his voice a mix of charm and danger.

Everyone froze. I looked up—he stood behind me, tray in one hand, casually dressed, hair still slightly tousled from the breeze outside. That same cocky smirk played on his lips as he met each of their stunned gazes.

“I hope they’re not giving you too much trouble, sweetheart,” he added, placing a kiss on the top of my head before sliding into the seat next to me.

My friends blinked. Easter looked like he’d just won the lottery. “Oh we were definitely talking about you,” he said with a grin. “Would you care to confirm or deny the ribbon theory?”

Johan’s smirk widened as he draped an arm around my shoulder. “confirm”

I groaned again, slumping into his side. “I should have just stayed in bed.”

Johan chuckled. “You should have. We could’ve picked up right where we left off.”

“JOHAN!” I hissed, smacking his arm as my friends burst into laughter.

Phoon held up his soda can. “To the demon king and his devoted sacrifice!”

Dao nodded solemnly. “May his body rest in peace.”