Now since I've been given a chance to see how this story did in its first week, I'll set the vote and comment goals now.

40 votes + comments (spam will not count toward this) for an early update!

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Y/n

Consciousness snapped back to her.

As soon as her eyes flickered open, she saw Jimin in the same spot he had been: leaning against the archway and staring at his dark nails with an obnoxious amount of rings covering his fingers. Harry rested in his grasp while his black and red locks covered half of his siren eyes. He didn't glance at her, but she didn't need him to. She pinched herself. It didn't matter; she didn't wake up.

All at once, what had happened before jumped back into her mind—June becoming Jimin and the skin contact revealing their soulmate status. When she had shook his hand, she had felt a jolt and needed to stare into his gaze. However, that moment had passed in a blink thanks to Jimin's cursing storm. It couldn't be true, right? While there were YouTubers and influencers dedicated to finding the supernatural and insisting demons were real, none had solid proof outside of their word.

"You..." She trailed off and nibbled on her lower lip. He didn't so much as peek at her. "Demons aren't real. You're lying."

He set Harry down, and the guinea pig squealed and scampered across the dusty wooden floorboards. At least Jimin had the decency not to leave Harry in the car, but that didn't change how Y/n felt about him.

Jimin snapped his fingers and disappeared. She didn't have the energy to scream or cry, but she did have the energy for her hands to tremble and for her stare to dart around the dirty walls of her new home. A beat later, the demon reappeared in the same spot, with Harry screeching at him from the corner.

"I've shown you my powers multiple times, you dumb cow. What will it take for you to believe me? You need to go visit Lucifer, too?"

She clicked her tongue a few times to get Harry to come over to her, and she scooped him up and cradled him against her chest. The softness of his oreo-colored fur soothed her goosebump-covered skin for a minute. Then, she had to confront reality and speak to the demon.

"If we're soulmates, why are you insulting me so much?"

Jimin rolled his eyes and pushed off the archway to approach her. "I don't want a soulmate. I'm an incubus, my entire job is sleeping around and getting my dick wet every night. Can't do that if I settle down. Plus, I'd lose my demon powers. You think this beautiful face should have wrinkles?"

Y/n scanned over his plump lips, high cheekbones, and button nose—she couldn't help herself. "I don't know, Jimin. I think you might look even more beautiful with age."

Jimin stiffened and leaned on the backs of his feet. He opened his mouth and shut it over and over again. Instead of replying, he resorted to kicking the wall and letting a stream of profanities slip by his tongue. His hand ran through his hair, and he pinned his forehead on the dusty walls.

"Look," she said, her voice wavering for a second too long. She cleared her throat. "I get it, this isn't easy on you. Guess what? It isn't easy on me either. Some stranger walks out of my house and he's a demon. Do you have any idea what I'm thinking right now?"

He huffed. "I don't care, but I have a feeling you'll tell me anyway."

She nodded. "Nothing. I have no idea what I'm thinking or feeling. I thought coming here would give me a fresh start, but instead I have to deal with a demon. The worst part? I think I believe you."

He groaned and facepalmed. "Nooo, you believe me? Teleporting into the room and watching me go invisible convinced you? Wow, thanks, Lucy, you gave me a real fucking Sherlock here."

"Can you stop being an asshole for ten seconds and explain the demon world to me? You knocked me unconscious, so I deserve answers. Tell me everything."

Jimin trotted over and went down on one knee in front of her. He dragged every second out and didn't answer until she glared at him. "Where do you want me to start?"

"Your powers. What are they, and how did you knock me unconscious?"

As if on cue, a scent of roses entered her nostrils, and he hummed to bless her ears with a gentle melody. Tiredness crept up the back of her skull and nestled its sharp teeth into her eyes. Her lids felt weighed down by massive metal plates, but before she could succumb to darkness, the aroma disappeared and became a potent smell of moldy walls and dust.

"I'm special, but in general, incubi can teleport, turn invisible, and manipulate your senses. I didn't knock you unconscious, I encouraged you to sleep." He backed up and opted to lean against the wall again. "When it comes to sex, women need encouragement. They need words. That's why incubi like me can make ourselves smell like something comforting, and our voices are like lullabies. It makes you fall asleep..." He snapped his fingers. "Just like that."

Her lower lip quivered. "Do you... do you..."

"Rape them? No, we're not that cruel. There's also no point. If it's not consensual, it means the woman isn't giving in to her lust. It means we're doing our jobs wrong."

"Jobs? Why does your bestie Lucifer care about demons sleeping with women?"

"Mostly married women or those in relationships. Makes them commit adultery thanks to lust, one of the seven deadly sins. It's enough to give them a ticket to Hell. That's why Lucy cares. Don't worry, there are succubi too. Both men and women are punished for their lust."

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you going to get me to sleep with you? Is that why you're here?"

"Believe it or not, just because that pretty little head of yours is thinking about me doesn't mean I'm thinking about you, doll." He flashed her a toothy smile, but he dropped it as soon as he showed it. "No, I'm here because the house was empty and I needed a place to stay. Besides, it doesn't matter if we fuck or not, darling. We're soulmates. It's kinda expected for us to do each other, so that wouldn't be lust. You're single, right?"

Relationships weren't a thing she had time for. Between caring for her sister and Harry, she hadn't worried about finding love and settling down. Like he heard her thinking about him, Harry squeaked and nibbled on her finger. His teeth weren't sharp enough for it to hurt, but the tiny pinch was a constant reminder that she was in reality, not a dream. Demons were real. Jimin was real.

And he was her soulmate.

In terms of physical attraction, that had a giant check mark over it. As much as Jimin himself was an asshole, he had a perfect body, captivating eyes, and a smooth face that'd draw anyone in—an ideal choice for an incubus. However, she needed personality more than looks, and so far, his personality did not impress.

"Well, I'm glad you don't have ulterior motives at least." She sighed after she said the words and nuzzled up with Harry. "I have more questions." He motioned for her to continue, so she did. "Why are demons given pure soulmates? You said something about it healing you?"

"Yes, the point of Hell is to reform humans. For a century, humans are tortured." He paused to grin. "Myself included. I died so many centuries ago, I lost count, but I became a demon after. That's the whole point. We're tortured, made demons for a few years to get a taste of the world we once had, given soulmates who can complete our healing process, then made human to live out a new life. Hopefully, by the time we go through all that, we're good enough to enter Heaven. If not, we're stuck in Hell forever. No second chances."

She rubbed her head in an attempt to process the new information. "Wait... so humans get tortured, get made demons, get a pure soulmate, become human again, then enter Heaven?"

"Mm, correct. Look at you, such a good girl," he said in a low tone with his lips pulling upward. He came closer, waltzing his body on the way. Once again, he kneeled in front of her and met her eyes. "Congratulations, you're going to Heaven, and your job is to take me with you."

"What if I don't want to?"

He knitted his brows together, but he didn't speak for a full minute. He waited and waited as if thinking she'd take the words back. She didn't.

"Well..." He trailed off and tilted his head from side to side. "You don't, I guess. Mind if I take you to Hell so Lucy can hear you say that?"

"Um, no, I'm not going anywhere with you. You're lucky I haven't kicked you out yet."

"Darling, I'm a demon. I could just turn myself invisible and stay here without you knowing. There's nothing you can do to stop me from being by you, so the quicker you accept it, the quicker we can figure out what to do."

She stroked Harry's fur, but it didn't bring the same consolation as before. "What do you mean?"

"You don't like me, and I don't like you. You don't want to be my soulmate, right?"

"Obviously, you're a fucking dick," she said with an eye roll, and he chuckled and bent forward, twirling a strand of her hair. Yes, she hated him, but the tiny act had her leaning into his touch. Tingles erupted on her scalp and eased the heaviness of her lungs. Even her eye bags felt lighter.

"I have one for a reason, my love." He moved his hand away, and she had to force herself to not whine. If he noticed, he didn't comment on it. "And that's why we need to figure it out."

"Figure what out?"

She peeped up at him as he retreated to his corner, glancing back at his nails and pressing his foot against the unstable wall. It creaked when he put his weight on it. Some specks of dust circled down and sprinkled into his hair. After checking his nails, he picked his head up, but his gaze didn't quite reach hers.

"How to stop being soulmates."

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A/N: I'm trying to get 2k followers by my birthday (July 9th). If I reach 2k by my birthday, I'll release a new fic of your choice (I'll do a poll for you to vote!) over the summer alongside ADS. I have nine options for you to choose from, including several PJMs, but also other members as well.

On the road to 2k! Let's get there together. I'm gonna be doing a bunch of reviews and updates to hopefully boost my profile, though any support with follows or showing new people my work is appreciated.

Thank you everyone for supporting me so much. I wasn't expecting to reach 1k so soon, and now I'm almost at 2k. It's beyond unbelievable. I can't thank you enough for giving me this platform to share my work. I wouldn't be here without you, so truly, thank you.