Lialah woke up eventually, as unable to move as her sister. Albaer extended his hand, and allowed her to draw life from him as Raziel had, it had a distinctly different feel to it when she did. Raziel was a tingling sort of sensation, whereas Lialah it was more of a long caress.

When it came to pass that it was over, Albaer said, “I don’t feel right having you just lie on the floor for the next few days. I can take the floor, and you can take the bed. I feel like a perverted creeper if I just leave you down there. Plus it seems like the bed would be more comfortable.”

“I-I guess.” Raziel agreed.

“Yeah…” Lialah agreed likewise, but their eyes were clouded with a hint of doubt.

“If you don’t want to, it’s fine, I’m just thinking of you here.” Albaer insisted, rubbing the back of his head, “I get why you might doubt that, but the offer stands.”

Raziel finally rolled her eyes, “Alright, me first.”

Albaer nodded, crouched down, opened the sleeping bag all the way and tossed the top half over. He then put an arm under her leg beneath the knee and another under her back. He hefted her up, and couldn’t help but notice, ‘Her bat wings are so… smooth, her body so warm…’ Her hair soft as it looked, smooth as silk, he closed his eyes and set the demon gently down on his mattress.

“Lialah?” He asked.

“Ah… yes?” Lialah answered, avoiding his eyes.

“Here or there?” He asked and pointed from where she was, to beside Raziel in his bed.

“I want to be with my sister.” Lialah said instantly.

“Okay… just be still, I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.” Albaer said as he undid her sleeping bag and flung it open in the same way. He took her in his arms as he had Raziel a moment ago, ‘Her wings, so soft, her hair, like Raziel’s, her skin soft, warm… the smell of lilacs…’ He tried to think of something else and in his own discomfort, he wouldn’t look at her as he carried her to where Raziel lay waiting, and set Lialah beside her.

“I guess you’ll be bored just lying there for days so, ah, this is new to me.” Albaer avoided looking at the pair, going so far as to put his back to them, “I think, I think you need some entertainment, yeah. I can put on a movie, I only have the one TV but you can take turns, and I’ll be on the computer if you need anything, yeah?” Albaer moved around with a kind of nervous energy, his hand darted for the controller sitting on the desk and missed it, instead knocking it to the floor and popping open the battery section. The batteries slid out and rolled away from him as soon as it landed.

“Just a moment, okay, I’ll take care of everything.” He dropped down to all fours and grabbed the dark controller, the battery part, and looked around for the pair of Double A batteries.

His fingers fumbled around to get the batteries in the right positions, switching the positive and the negative ends in the wrong direction… twice. “Damn it… like getting a phone charger plugged in, you can never get it the right way the first time for some reason.” He gave a lame laugh and got the batteries right at last, connected the two halves back together with a telltale click, and gave a loud deep sigh of relief when he got the console going again.

“There!” Albaer exclaimed and the little ‘donk’ noise came off the television when he selected an anime streaming service. “Now, what kind of series do you like?” He asked without looking over his shoulder, “Action? Drama? Romance? Comedy?”

“Action!” Raziel said.

“Romance!” Lialah asserted.

“Okay, that’s a problem… ehhh, take turns?” He asked while staring at the screen.

“Albaer… Albaer it’s alright. We’re not going to melt if you just look in our direction, just pick something and sit with us.” Raziel said.

“Yeah, yeah sure.” Albaer thumbed his finger over the stick and jumped around aimlessly until he selected a random series about a young man living with various female monsters.

Something about it just felt… right given his situation. When it started, he stood up and set the controller by the computer on the desk. Only then did he glance at the bed and realize that Raziel couldn’t properly see the screen.

‘Idiot.’ He cursed himself, they watched him more than the show, though as it was only on its intro music that was no surprise. ‘If you’d just looked, or thought, you’d realize she couldn’t have enjoyed it.’

“Here… let me help you.” Albaer said, a little flush coming to his cheeks, he went into his closet, grabbed an old stuffed animal that he’d never thrown away, and then returning to the bed he said, “I’m going to have to move you a bit for this, is that okay?”

Raziel had trouble moving her head, but she answered with a soft, “It’s fine, just be careful.”

Albaer nodded and leaned past Lialah, he put a hand under Raziel’s upper back, raising her up, and then shoved the old stuffed bear under her pillow to give it some extra height to let her see the screen. He lowered her back down and stepped aside. “Can you see better now?” He asked.

“Yes, much better, but I’m very thirsty, could I have some water?” Raziel asked.

“Me too, please.” Lialah asked with the faintest potential hint of a smile of encouragement.

“Yeah, yeah sure, sure of course, anything you want.” Albaer said and left the room.

Even from his bedroom, even over the noise of the television, they could hear him fumbling around, the clatter of glasses, plates, and other things as he tried to get them what they wanted.

“Sweet, but not as innocent as he seems.” Raziel said in a quiet little voice, “Which may not be so bad, it would be stranger if he didn’t notice us that way. At least this makes him more understandable.”

“Does it though?” Lialah retorted, then relaxed, “I guess it’s too late now, this will be an uncomfortable few days.”

Albaer returned a moment later holding two tall plastic cups with lids on them, “I’m sorry, this is the best I could do, I added some ice to make it better, ah, some might spill when you try to drink unless I help you sit up.”

“Fine.” They said at once, and Albaer inched closer, setting one cup down, he got an arm under Lialah, lifted her halfway up, and brought the cup to her lips.

“This would have been easier with straws, but it can’t be helped.” He said and tilted the cup for her.

Lialah felt the cool water flow past her lips, she swallowed greedily, acutely aware of his eyes on her face, his breathing and hers briefly aligned until he poured too quickly and she began coughing. Her body spasmed for several seconds while he apologized. “Damn! Sorry!” He said, dropping the cup and spilling some of the water on her clothing, he pounded her back while she coughed it up.

“It’s fine, it was an accident.” Lialah replied and relaxed as he fumbled to pick up the cup from her lap and set it aside.

“I’ll be careful.” He promised, glancing at the demoness on the other side.

“Uh huh, and… how are you going to reach from there without lying on top of my sister, pervert?” She asked, and he paused to think that over. She had a point, getting the pillow adjusted against the headboard had been awkward enough.

The bed was against the wall, so… ‘Move the bed.’ It was an obvious solution.

“A little rearranging, and this way you can see the TV better too.” He said with a bright smile, pleased with himself that he had an answer.

“Just stay still, ah… forget I said that.” He said, flushed in the face again, he grabbed the far end of the bed and began to pull, kicking the sleeping bags out of the way, he dragged the bed toward the door, then reached down, picked up the foot end, and began to rotate it. The weight of the heavy old frame, with two bodies on it, plus a mattress, was considerable, he grunted repeatedly as he swung it around, and then setting it down, he pushed it against the wall so that it faced the television on the far side of the room.

He wiped his forehead with the back of one arm, “Whoo!” He said with a boyish grin, “Done, now I can reach you both with ease… to help you I mean.” He picked up the cup, went to Raziel’s side, sat himself beside her, and helped her up to drink.

There was no choking that time.