kaitlyn phillips

A bed of glowing embers fades in and out, their fiery rivets illuminating Mariko’s skin in red and orange hues. They are gathered around an iron chair which is always searing hot, and nearly always occupied by the demon. She rests there, head pillowed in the crook of her arm. Sett pulls a chair away from the dining table and places it opposite her with little commotion. Mariko stirs, sensing the movement, and as Sett takes a seat a pair of vibrant blue eyes meet their own. They smile.

“Good morning,” they begin.
 

Mariko yawns, stretching her limbs in the cramped space, knuckles brushing the broiling metal. She ruffles a hand through her black hair, causing bits and pieces of hot ash to fall out and burn orange against the stone fireplace. Their knees are aligned, touching in parallel places through the thick stone, and it’s as close as they can be.
 

“Morning,” she says. Her irises glow brighter than the dim fire, a beacon in the dimly lit front room. “Isn’t it still dark outside?”
 

“It is. It’s quite early in the morning actually.”
 

Mariko nods, leaning forward to press her elbows into the bricks. “The others asleep?”
 

They hum. “They’re all upstairs.” The hue of light which constantly surrounds Mariko has become brighter, and more alert. Phasing slowly; growing more conscious and awake by the second like the flames have a mind of their own. It’s always fascinated Sett the way that works. Their eyes disconnect as Mariko leans back into her chair. “You look beautiful.”

Some of the light orange wisps at the base of the chair turn red. Their eyes meet with perfect synchronicity. Sett’s known Mariko for what feels like lifetimes, and maybe in some far-off universe it’s been that long. But they don’t remember Mariko when she was a falling star, a scared little thing that didn’t want to burn out on a lonely, desolate planet. They’ve imagined the way Eyce must’ve held her close and bound their souls with a kind of magic he himself didn’t understand. Call it a curse—and that’s what the pair had called it for many years—but Sett thinks the sight of it must’ve been beautiful.
Eyce and Mariko had been traveling together long before Sett came into the picture, the latter quite literally carrying a piece of the harbinger’s soul with her since they were young. Despite this, Mariko is reserved underneath her sarcastic exterior, content to sit by and watch Sett and Eyce grow close as two humans, who could move and touch freely; unlike Mariko who is confined to the walls of her flagstone fireplace. Such human engagements aren’t written in the fate of demons. So as they and their family of wanderers traveled the galaxy of Andromeda, Mariko was content with simply being the conductor of the spacecraft, and the one who held the whole thing together.
 

She looks down with a quiet, “Thank you.”
 

“You know, you’re gonna have to get used to that if we’re gonna be together,” Sett jabs.
 

She huffs a small laugh. “Yeah, I guess.”
 

Out of everybody, Sett admires Gem the most for his blunt displays of affection. He’d joined their crew after the topple of his planet’s capital city and Eyce took him on as an apprentice, though he had no prior experience in the field. But Mariko wouldn’t have let him in the ship if her magic sensed anything danger, and Eyce is also quite gifted in the art of reading intentions. Gem was everything Eyce needed—a best friend and someone to keep up with his hyperactivity. He butted heads with Mariko in the beginning; since her magic provides them meals, it only aggravated the situation after a few too many of Gem’s dishes ended up burnt for it to be coincidence. But they mellowed out and Gem grew close with everybody in their collective. Sett found in him a form of companionship like Eyce had and someone confide in. Though they harbored no hard feelings towards him, they did blame Gem for spewing the pot of romantic secrecy which had been festering between them and Mariko for some time.
 

Mariko seems to be more fearful of her relationship with Sett than anything.
 

“Do you really want to do this?”
 

Mariko looks up, half-terrified by the question. “Of course.” There isn’t a hint of doubt there, and Sett suspected there’d be none.
 

“What’s wrong then?” Mariko deflates a bit, coming down from the brief panic she’d felt a moment ago. Her blue eyes pierce Sett’s heart and make it ache for warmth and touch. “Tell me, love.”
 

The pieces are chipped away by the word. Mariko remains silent while the calm hum of engines carry them through the early morning, a constant exercise of her powers. One which they’re all eternally grateful for. “It’s not fair to you,” she answers.
 

“What’s not?”
 

She produces a sardonic laugh, quite to her character. It disheartens Sett to hear the pain behind it. “You have to make all these concessions for me because of what I am. We’re not even supposed to be capable of having feelings like these anyways…” She trails off, glancing at the little kitten, Rigel, asleep in the corner of the room. A stray, like themselves, who’d joined them on their travels and chose to stay. “Demons aren’t supposed to, I mean. And you’re forced to exert your magical power and energy just
to touch me, and at that it’s only a power Eyce—and on the rarest of occasions, you—possess.”
 

A still sadness hangs in the air. Some of the flames sport blue hues. “You do so much for us Mariko. This place would fall apart without you, literally. Your magic holds everything together.”
 

She pauses. “You still can’t…have a normal relationship with me.”
 

Sett reaches out to her and Mariko quickly retracts her hands from the stone barrier between them. Sett whispers small assurances to the fire, asking it to move and dissipate. They take Mariko’s hand in their own, still hot but no longer scorching and burning with dancing flickers. They press cool lips to the demon’s skin, and by the firm grip tightening around their hand Sett figures Mariko is reveling in the contact. Her eyes are fixed on Sett’s figure, observing the wonderful magic before her. “They aren’t
concessions. I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”
 

She remarks, “Well, I wish I could.”
 

Sett brings their grip to the stone, their other palm moving to cover the exposed skin on the back of the demon’s hand. “Do you love me, Mariko?”
 

She hesitates for a moment, and Sett sees her insecurities refracted through fulgent, sky blue lenses. Still, they look at him with complete adoration. Mariko nods.
 

“And Eyce and Gem?”
 

Another nod.
 

“Isn’t that enough then?”

Her eyes focus on Sett’s chest, staring remorsefully into the dark blue fabric. “Of course you’re enough,” she whispers. “You always will be, but I can’t help feeling selfish. Like I’m holding you back because you can’t hold me or kiss me whenever you want like regular couples.”
 

They trace circles across Mariko’s skin. “You don’t. I promise. And I know it might be hard to believe, but I’ll keep trying to prove it to you. I care about you just as much as anyone cares about anyone they love.”
 

The fire seems to be creeping up Mariko’s wrist once again, inching closer to Sett’s fingers. She regretfully retracts her hand, letting Sett’s warmth and magic seep out of her skin. “I am a selfish demon, you know. Or just incredibly lucky, I don’t know. We’re all supposed to lead short lives in space and then fall to the ground and burn out. But Eyce caught me, and I was so terrified and young, and he told me he could save me—he gave me his soul and I clung to it for years. I got a sense of what it’s like to be human—at least how you humans are. And now I’ve fallen for you even though that’s not any demon’s place.”
 

Sett listens carefully. “Maybe you’re a little more human-like than normal for your kind.” They smile, and Mariko appears amused as well. “That doesn’t make you selfish. You’re just like the rest of us. And if anything, I’m the lucky one. Like you said, it’s not every day regular people get to fall in love with powerful fire demons.” She laughs. “I’m serious Mari, none of us deserve you.”
 

“Go to bed.”
 

“What? You want to get rid of me now?”
 

“God knows how long you’ve been up, let’s be honest.”

Sett grins. “Aw, you know me so well.” They stand, returning the chair to its place at the table. “You should get some sleep before breakfast, too.”
 

She sighs, a high-pitched groan ringing through the air. It makes Sett fear for the unconsciousness of the ship’s other occupants. “Of course. Before you all make me use more of my magic to feed you. You should just buy a stove at this point! It’s not like you can’t afford it. Eyce finances an entire ship for crying out loud.”
 

“Like I said, we don’t deserve you Fuse Mariko.” They walk towards the staircase, the floor creaking a bit with each step. “Goodnight.”
 

After a moment, as Sett reaches the first landing on the staircase, they hear a small, “I love you.”
 

They gaze at Mariko from beyond the wooden beam. A soft, “Love you, too,” and they continue their upward trek. Before Mariko is out of sight, Sett catches her with her palms covering her face and an audience of red flames popping like quiet fireworks. They smile, their own face burning with the same sentiment.