Dav’s tail flicked. “Hard to be, around you.”
Lazerath waved him off. “Not that. I mean,romantically. We’re thirty-three and haven’t seriously courted anyone. Sev’s got that big house and no one to fill it, and we can barely afford our apartments because you refuse to live with me.”
The gray demon turned back to the cake, focus intense as he inspected it. “We can’t have every minute of our lives be together, Laz.”
“Why not?”
Davarox grunted.
“I just think it’d be nice to go out and have some fun. Find someone to take home to have even more fun.”
“What happened to courting?”
“I can only think so many days into the future,” Laz argued. “So, what do you think?”
Dav grunted again.
“Pleeease?”
With a huff, the gray demon’s entire body sagged. “Fine.”
“Yes!” Lazerath cheered, spinning himself on the stool once more before nudging Dav’s arm. “There’s my lovable loaf.”
To his delight, Davarox’s cheeks darkened at the childhood nickname. As much as he claimed to hate it, Laz had seen the look on Dav’s face when he announced the name of the bakery. That sort of faraway, brain-not-functioning look like he didn’t know what to make of it.
Which was ridiculous, of course. From the moment Laz had come up with the nickname—for as hardened as Dav seemed on the outside, his love language was baked goods—he’d declared it the name of their future bakery. The first time he’d thought more than two or three days ahead, if he was being honest, but that always felt possible when he was doing something with his best friend.
“What do you think?”
Lazerath blinked to find Dav gesturing to the tiered white cake with pinkcurrants decorating the corners.
“Blightspawn cake!” Laz jumped from his seat to look at itfrom all angles. “Shit, Dav. Didn’t think we needed another one, but look at that detail.”
It was perfect. Beyond perfect. Not a single tier out of place, with perfectly frosted sides and evenly placed fruits. A masterpiece in the hands of the greatest baker Heck had ever known…wouldknow, once the shop really took off.
“That’show you do a soulbonded proposal,” Lazerath said, propping his hands on his hips as he grinned. “No one could say no to this.”
Davarox’s cheeks had gone dark again, which was adorable and only gifted on the rarest of occasions.
Laz nudged his friend with an elbow. “This is going to sell so fast, but I’ll charm it anyway and prop it in the case. Another Davarox delicacy. Hey! We should name a new recipe that. Something with caramel, I’ve been craving that for some reason.”
The bell over the front door chimed, voices carrying into the back. With a nod, Lazerath carefully picked up the blightspawn cake and carried it out to greet the customers.
3
DREARY DEMON
Davarox
“No one could say no to this,” Davarox mimicked under his breath as he splashed cold water on his face before grunting. “Well,youdid.”
A humorless laugh left his lips.
Gods, he sounded bitter. Old. It matched the feeling of guilt churning in his gut just like it did every morning after. A temporary fix for the gaping hole in his chest that was shaped like his best friend.
Lazerath. Best friendonly. Something Dav was reminded of daily but onlyreallysuffered after an idiotic courting ritual failed.
Like the blightspawn proposal that Laz had thought was a fucking display cake.
