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This is a pre-written chapter I wrote in preparation for vacation. I am on vacation currently and may take longer than usual to respond. I wrote two chapters in advance for next week, one for Friday and one for Tuesday or Wednesday depending on the votes/comments on this chapter, so don't worry, even though I'm on vacay, next week is covered and you will still get your weekly dose of ADS.

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Y/n

"I take back every bad thing I've ever said about you."

Y/n laughed at Jimin's words and watched him wolf down the hash browns. That morning, Y/n had woken up early and bought more hash browns than humans and demons combined could eat. Over two dozen orders were placed on her father's debit card. Like the house, he had left that for her in his will. Almost everything had gone to her. There was a college fund for Jessy alongside emergency money for medical bills. The issue was that American hospital bills ate away at your bank account faster than any Olympic runner.

But that didn't matter at the moment. Before her sat a demon with a raging love for hash browns. He devoured five of them in the time it took Y/n to inhale, and he devoured three more by the time she exhaled. Although Jessy sometimes ate at the speed of light, no one matched Park Jimin. Y/n had to respect that.

"Woah," she said, but Jimin didn't bother looking up. Instead, he stayed seated at the kitchen table with his black nails digging into the soft batter to tear it apart and fill the house with the scent of breakfast delight. "Demons can still die from choking, right?"

"Best way to die." His voice came out muffled thanks to the potatoes in his mouth. "Demons can die from those types of things, but it's rare, and if it happens and it's not our fault, Lucifer will grant us mercy and a second chance. But that's happened maybe twice in the time I've been a demon. Most demons don't stay demons long enough to get involved in shady business."

"You're a special case."

He threw one more hash brown in his mouth and seemed to swallow it in one gulp. "It took you this long to figure that out? Lucifer favors me because no incubus has had the same efficiency as me. That and my charming personality and dashing good looks."

"And modesty," she mumbled, and he grinned.

"Don't bother mumbling. Incubi have enhanced senses. I can hear almost everything, even if it's soft." He paused to motion to her wrists. "I can smell your perfume. Strawberry?"

She shrugged and sat across from him, the chair squeaking on the ground. "It's not my go-to, but between moving in and learning about this whole demon world thing, I haven't had much chance to buy more."

After sniffing the air, she determined Jimin smelled of peaches, though it was hard to tell due to the excessive hash browns sprawled out on the table. Jimin left the other hash browns alone (there were three survivors) and folded his crumby hands.

"I could steal something for you, if you'd like."

She glared. "Why do you insist on doing crimes?"

He grinned. "Because my fat ass has this power called invisibility. What people don't know won't hurt them." Jimin stopped to blow a raspberry at her and sink back in his seat. "Oh come on, don't tell me you've never thought about it. A life of crime, living on the edge... sounds appealing, doesn't it?"

"Not even a little bit."

"Boo, boring." He rolled his eyes and snapped back up, leaning on the table and peering at her with his brows brought together. "Do you have bad thoughts, or are you that much of a saint?"

"Everyone has bad thoughts," she said with a hand wave. "It's human. Thoughts don't hurt others, but actions do. As long as I don't act on my thoughts, it'll all work out."

Jimin shrugged and ate another hash brown. So much for three survivors. That led to them sitting in silence. Well, silence aside from Jimin's munches and dirty eating. Grease smeared on his plump lips, and pieces of crust littered his cheeks. A speck of potato landed on his nose like a mole, decorating his otherwise smooth skin.

A minute passed, and Y/n went to check on her guinea pig, who had been quieter than usual. Harry didn't shut up. She had named him after the 1D singer since she felt he had a voice that could rival Dimash Qudaibergen's chords. No one could hit high notes like Harry, and whenever he wasn't squeaking, the room felt empty.

She approached the cage and didn't spot him out in the bedding. Harry liked laying near his water jug since the damp bedding comforted him (she assumed, anyway). Plus, it was next to the food bowl attached to the metal bars of his spacious living area. However, it wasn't uncommon for him to be in the igloo. The purple igloo was for Harry's privacy, and it took up the entire back half of the cage from how wide it was.

Peeking inside, Y/n found nothing but bedding and half of a carrot. She opened the cage door to lift the igloo, but nothing. The igloo dropped from her grasp, and her trembling fingers pried through the pieces of wood on the floor to see if Harry somehow burrowed himself underneath. That wasn't possible because of how light the bedding was, but that didn't deter her from ripping apart every inch and throwing chips out. She didn't care that they fell on her newly-mopped floor.

"What is it?" Jimin asked from his spot at the kitchen table.

A few dry heaves left her parched throat as she whipped around and pointed to the missing Harry. His eyes jumped at the sight, and right away, he got on his feet, washed his hands, and then investigated for himself. He arrived at the same conclusion.

Harry was gone.

No tears came. Not yet, anyway. There was a myriad of reasons Harry could not be in the cage. Maybe she left the door open last night and closed it that morning on instinct, not processing that she had left it. Harry could survive a fall from the counter to the ground, so there was a chance he was hiding in the house somewhere. But if he had gotten outside...

Y/n brushed the thought off and ignored the demon trying to soothe her. She stormed to the various rooms in the house. Nothing, nothing, nothing. No sign of her beloved guinea pig. The house remained silent, no squeaks sounding off to lighten the mood.

"Nowhere?" Jimin asked from behind her. She had ended up in the bedroom, and the demon placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched. "Sorry... you can't find him?"

She shook her head.

"Well, he couldn't have gone far. I have enhanced senses, remember? That guinea pig doesn't shut up, so I'll walk outside and see if I hear him, okay?"

"What if he isn't?" she mumbled, and she felt his grip on her shoulder tighten at that. "Where could he have gone? I could've sworn I closed the cage door. It was closed when I went to check on him five minutes ago..."

Jimin sighed. "It might be my fault."

Y/n whipped around at that. "What did you-"

"No, no." Jimin waved his hands back and forth and took a step away. "I don't mean it like that. I mean it might be my fault because I led Taehyung here. What if it was Taehyung, bitter about the rejection?"

Y/n paused and thought about it. Taehyung was a rich douche, but he didn't seem like the type to stoop low enough to steal her guinea pig. And for what? To cause her emotional pain for a few hours before she kicked his ass? What was the motivation?

"Let's not jump to conclusions," she said, letting out a breath through her clogged nose. She didn't realize she had teared up until she noticed her sense of smell disappear. "Do you remember hearing Harry this morning?"

He shook his head. "To be honest, I try not to pay attention to that pig."

"That's helpful, thanks." She huffed and pointed to the back door. "Go. I'll search the front."

Jimin departed without arguing, so she took that as a sign he'd do his job well. While he did that, she scanned the front side of the home and dug through the grass. No squeaks, no soft chewing noises, no prancing pigs—nothing. She scoured through the car. Nothing. She checked around the block. Nothing.

No Harry.

Unable to help herself, she pressed herself against the nearest tree and broke down, not caring about the fresh air and the shimmering sunrise in the distance that would otherwise fascinate her. She slid to the concrete sidewalk. Cracks littered the vicinity, and she ran her hand across each one and counted them like sheep. That didn't stop the liquid lava from dripping down her cheeks.

Y/n curled up in a ball and rocked herself back and forth. Jessy flashed in her mind, and she didn't know how to tell her little sister that Harry was gone. Jessy loved that pig as much, if not more, than Y/n. Harry was family, and Y/n had failed to protect him. How long before she failed to protect Jessy, too?

Sniffs and groans left her. When her lungs ceased their heaves and her eyes filled with crust rather than moisture, Y/n got up, dusted herself off, and returned home. Although her lids were swollen from the crying, at least no tears were visible anymore, and that gave her the final push needed to enter and face Jimin.

The demon leaned against the wall. When Jimin spotted Y/n, he, without a word, came over and kissed her forehead before scooping her into a tight embrace. His hand twirled through her hair, pulling and stroking on the locks and shushing her despite how she wasn't sobbing. She kept her eyes open and the side of her head against his chest to stare at the wall.

"We'll find him," Jimin whispered, his voice smooth and sweet.

Her sense of smell cleared enough to whiff the roses coming from him. It caused her lids to feel heavy, but not so much that she fell asleep. It didn't ease her trembling or stop her nails from clawing at his coat as if that'd help. Her mind warped itself around the image of Harry, but the real thing never came. But why?

Where had Harry gone?

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#Hashmin4life