It was unfair how quickly summer passed. Why couldn’t the school year do the same? Kyle knew the kids would have agreed, knew they’d also had school-related projects to finish over the break, probably making it feel like the school year had never ended. And now it was already time to go back. He, at least, was getting paid - albeit not much - to go to school. But still.

As much as he’d miss his freedom and not being beholden to an alarm clock, there was more to it. Really, he was worried that two months hadn’t been long enough for everyone to forget what had happened at the prom.

The weeks following the event had been horrible. Just like with the aftermath of the pep rally, other teachers practically dove out of his way when they encountered him, and the students weren’t much better. A Biblical reference was beyond blasphemous, but Sunday School had cemented the image in his head - he felt like Moses parting the Red Sea whenever he stepped into the bustling halls. There was no need for bullies to shove anyone into lockers - the students all but did it themselves when he came into sight.

On top of that had been Kyle’s deep dread of seeing anything on the news relating to that night. Some headlines were unavoidable - the unexplainable broken windows in the clubhouse. And the car … he’d seen theories ranging from catastrophic engine failure to a meteor strike. He hadn’t dared broach the subject of that whip with Ryka. This was one of the times he really didn’t want to know what other devastating skills the demon possessed.

And he’d very purposely not checked obituaries. He didn’t want to know what had happened to the driver and his girlfriend. What he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him, right?

Only Ryka had enjoyed that last month of classes. It had been a never-ending smorgasbord of terror, and he’d relished every moment of it. Kyle was almost surprised the demon hadn’t been counting down the days until the new school year.

A meal’s good, but you’re still better.

Flattering, but not an appropriate topic to be discussing as he settled himself at his desk, waiting for the first period of the year to begin. At least when the bell rang and students began trickling in, Ryka kindly dropped the subject.

***

As much as he’d fretted over it, the first two periods flew by, and suddenly it was study. Without a class to tend to, Kyle had planned to prep for the rest of the day. He’d just pulled out his laptop when he sensed Ryka, who had been peacefully dozing all morning, wake up.

Incoming, he warned, just as there was a knock on the door.

“Come on in,” Kyle called.

Nick and Tommy poked their heads into the room before fully opening the door and stepping inside. “Hey, Mr. S.,” Nick greeted. “How was your summer?”

“Too short. Yours?”

They both laughed. “Same.” He didn’t need Ryka’s acute senses to know the boys were nervous, but they still slid into seats in the front row, directly in front of his desk. “Um, can we ask you a favor? Two, actually.”

“Of course. What’s up?”

Tommy cleared his throat, then reached down and pulled a sheet of paper out of the backpack he’d dropped next to his feet. “I know it’s a little early, but we were going to run for class officers, and we need a recommendation.”

“You’re both running?” They nodded, and Nick started rummaging for his own paper. Only trembling slightly, he stood, grabbed his friend’s form, and set them both on Kyle’s desk. Kyle scanned them quickly. The boys had already filled most of the intent-to-run forms out. Their names, GPAs, and extra-curriculars were neatly printed in the appropriate spaces. Along with the positions they hoped to win: President and Vice-President.

They took his stunned silence as disapproval, and Nick reached out to pull the papers away. “Unless you don’t think -”

“No! I mean, I’m surprised. But pleasantly so. And happy to sign these for both of you.” He scrawled his name on the correct line and slid the forms back over to Nick.

“Thanks, Mr. S.,” Tommy said, stowing the sheet away. But he didn’t get up once he had, and Nick had already resettled himself.

“What’s this other favor, then?”

At this, the boys looked at each other. But Ryka was out cold again, so Kyle trusted it wasn’t anything worrisome. The demon wouldn’t have left him to deal with these two in particular if he’d had even an inkling they were up to something.

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“Go on,” Kyle urged when neither spoke.

“Well,” Nick finally started, “you know how Ms. Wells retired?” Kyle certainly did. A year early, in fact, and there was no doubt what had prompted her decision to leave not just the school, but the profession, behind. And so much sooner than she’d planned.

“What about it?” Still no word from Ryka, though Kyle’s discomfort had woken him.

“She was our class advisor.” Kyle had known that, too. She had planned on following her class to their graduation, and leaving this school with them. But a certain demon had put an end to those plans, and now Nick and Tommy’s graduating class had no advisor.

“I remember,” was all Kyle said.

The boys shared another look, and it was Tommy who spoke up this time. “Well, we were talking to everyone else, and were kind of hoping maybe you’d be our advisor.”

It had been shocking enough that these delinquents were now deciding to run for class officer positions. That they wanted him to be their advisor was on another level entirely. “Me?” he managed, in disbelief.

“I mean, we’re graduating in the Spring, so it’s only for this year. If you don’t want to, or can’t, we -”

“I’ll do it.”

“- can ask someone … wait, really?”

“Really.” After all the drama - and trauma - of the past couple years, this felt like as close to a blessing as Kyle could get. That the kids who’d started off so difficult had become so responsible. That they were not only able to interact with him normally, but they wanted him to be part of things. He was honored.

“Sweet!” Nick exclaimed. “I mean, thanks!”

“I’m happy to do this, too. And I hope you win those elections.”

“Thanks so much, Mr. S.,” they told him in unison.

“You’re very welcome.”

With that, they departed, headed back to their homerooms. Which left Kyle to deal with a suddenly very jealous Ryka.

Does this mean you’re going to have to be at school more?

“A little bit.”

Ugh.

“Do you seriously think those boys are going to want to spend a lot of time here when they don’t need to? Aside from some class officer meetings, I have a feeling most of what we need to do will get done during study.”

If you say so. With his voice so deep, it was almost hard to tell he was whining. But whining he undoubtedly was.

Kyle smothered a chuckle. It was almost adorable, how Ryka struggled with this transition every year. During the summer, he’d had Kyle all to himself, and now he was forced to share his host’s attention. It was childish, but charming. And made Kyle think back fondly to his early days with the demon.

Do I need to be jealous of myself, too?

“You were really cute. Those big eyes. And your wings were way too big for your little body.” He saw it in his dreams every night - there was no way to forget.

Yeah, well, that wasn’t how I should have looked.

This was new to Kyle. “What? What do you mean?” He didn’t want to sound eager, but Ryka so rarely talked about his time in Hell, or the events that had led up to his becoming Kyle’s parasite.

He aged me backwards so I’d be easier to say ‘yes’ to. There was no need to ask who ‘he’ was – Kyle could feel Ryka start to growl even without mentioning Lucifer by name.

“How is that possible?”

He can do whatever he wants to us. I looked closer in age to your students when I got this assignment; like a teenager, I guess. But he thought if I looked younger, you’d take pity on me.

“I’m so sorry, Ryka. That’s not fair.”

I can’t be too upset – it worked. And you feel slightly less like a pervert, now, right?

“I mean … I hope you know it worked because I think little kids are cute in the not-a-pedophile kind of way, right? And you just looked really sad.”

Yeah, yeah. But I know you were also freaked out about me and Val. There was that pang again, though Kyle tried to quash it. Don’t bother. I know. Like they were standing in front of the mirror, Kyle could see Ryka’s smug smirk. For most of the time we were friends, we aged together. It was only at the end - not long before I was kicked out - that he looked like he did when you saw him.

“I see.” He appreciated Ryka’s sudden willingness to share, but there was no hiding the hurt in the demon’s voice. “I’m sorry things ended up the way they did with him.”

Forget it. I’m better off now. With you.

“You know, I feel the same way.”

I owe them both an ass-kicking, though. Val and that motherfucker who -

“Let’s not talk about it. Please.” Kyle knew where Ryka’d been headed, and study hall was neither the time nor place to dredge up more of the past. Although Kyle didn’t want to Ryka to suffer alone, he also didn’t want to join him.

Fine.

“Thank you.”

So … advisor, huh? There was an unmistakable purr behind the demon’s words. Meaning he was well over his low mood from a moment before. Then Master, tonight please advise me on the best way to make you moan.

Kyle had been expecting a cheesy, cheap-porno-worthy come-on, and was not disappointed. Not that he’d ever consider limiting Ryka’s access - because then he would have been solely responsible for the Herculean task of keeping the demon satisfied - but he wished Ryka didn’t pick up flirting techniques from adult films.

Though he thought maybe he’d been forced to watch too many when, without hesitation, he replied, “I think I’d prefer you figure that out for yourself.”