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"Welcome Home, Iruma Sir." Iruma met Opera's eyes sheepishly, well aware of the fact that he had stayed out later then he probably was supposed to.
Red ears were pressed flat against their head, and when they twitched, Iruma got the distinct feeling he was in trouble.
"I'm... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stay out so late, honest! I just-"
"Is it standard for human children to stay out as late as they want without a word?" Their tone was slightly too sharp to fall into the usual monotone it usually had, reinforcing the idea that Opera was in fact angry with him.
His insides clenched uncomfortably, and he gripped the strap of his bag, ducking his head a little in shame. He closed the door behind himself quietly, dread making his hands shake against the golden door knob.
"Well?" Iruma turned, and Opera was much closer then they had been before, red eyes focused intently on him.
"U-uh.." His brain scrambled to remember what Opera had asked, taking a breath to try and focus. "N-no, its not-"
"And is it also customary to do so without a word?" Their ears twitched again, and Iruma shrank back against the door.
"...No." He looked up pleadingly. "But I really didn't-!"
"Lord Sullivan specifically gave you that hellphone to contact either one of us if the need arose, correct?" Iruma nodded quickly, ducking his head to look down at the ground now, the guilt choking him and washing away any word he thought of for his defense.
"I'm.. really sorry." Opera exhaled quietly.
"You need to do better in the future, young master." Iruma nodded. He knew, of course he did. It was an obvious rule, why did he even need it spelled out for him? "Honestly." There was a pause, and then a quiet sigh. "Raise your head, young master. It's not only me who needs your apology. Lord Sullivan has been worrying out of his mind for hours." Worrying?
"Worried?" He raised his head, frowning a little in confusion. "He was worried?" Opera raised an eyebrow, ears flicking up from their lowered position.
"Of course he was. Is it abnormal for a guardian to worry over their charge? He considers you his grandson, after all." Iruma blinked, the knot in his chest loosening.
"I... but I'm not really his-"
"For all intents and purposes, for every party concerned including yourself, you are his grandson, and he is your grandfather." Opera approached and quietly took his bag from him to hold. "He cares a great deal for you already, and he worries about your safety. Which is why it is very important that you inform one of us if you are going to be home late."
"He actually... cares about..."
All of his life he never actually had to consider the fact that someone would miss him if he wasn't there. No friends that even remembered his name, or a warm house to return to each night, not even a pet that would wait for him to come home each day. And that was when he had a roof over his head at all.
For as long as he can remember he never had anyone that even cared where he was, if he was okay. He was naive sometimes, but even he knew his parents had only ever concerned themselves with what money he was bringing for them when he was allowed to see them. He had long given up on any idea that he would ever have the kind of people in his life that would miss him. Or worry about him if he didn't come home. It wouldn't surprise him if no one had even reported him missing yet in the human world. He was probably just written off as a nameless casualty on the boat he had been working on.
But here, in this realm of monsters and demons- where he's constantly in danger, someone had noticed when he didn't come home on time for the first time in his life. Someone had actually cared if he was safe or not, and worried about him.
He sniffed, quickly wiping at his face to look up at a startled Opera, whose ears were pressed flat against their head again.
"I'm sorry for making you both worry." He couldn't help but smile, even as his lips trembled. The tension and knot within his chest was replaced with a rushing warmth.
He had actually been missed.
"I didn't think either of you would notice if I wasn't home, I'm not used to having someone worry about me, I guess." He wiped his eyes again and gave Opera a bright smile. To his surprise, he saw Opera's ears twitch before their face softened, just a little.
"Of course we noticed, you are family now." Iruma sniffed again, using his sleeve to wipe his face, earning a disapproving noise from Opera, who pushed his arm away from his face and produced a handkerchief instead, which Iruma accepted gratefully. "Lord Sullivan gets attached very easily, young master. And once he decides something, its impossible to change his mind." Opera carefully set his bag in it's usual place by the door. "So we will worry about you when you're missing."
"I'll guess I'll have to get used to that then." He laughed awkwardly, still feeling light and warm. Opera watched him for a moment before giving him a small smile, the first he's ever seen from them.
"See that you do, Iruma sir. Don't make us worry more then we have to." Iruma nodded, quickly wiping at his face. "Come now, sir. I'm sure you're hungry since you missed dinner." He eagerly followed Opera through the foyer and back into the dining room.
He spent the next half hour consoling his grandfather, shifting between apologetic to embarrassed to happy as easily as flipping through channels. Like Opera had said, his grandfather had been genuinely worried about him, dramatically despairing that he had been worried someone had harmed his dearest grandson.
Iruma had reassured his grandpa he was safe, letting the old demon fret over him and check him over, considering and actually letting himself believe for the first time that the concern was genuine, and not just an act.
Opera came in with a few large plates of food effortlessly balanced on his arms, setting them on the table as his grandpa encouraged him to dig in and eat as much as he wanted.
He did as he was told, the warmth growing as each delicious bite of food drove away the memories of when a full plate of food was just a dream. He chatted happily between bites about his day, and the surprise that was the cherry blossom tree, pleased when he was praised loudly for such a beautiful display. He complimented Opera for the food as usual, and beamed when he saw their pointed ears twitch in a way he suspected meant they were happy with the earnest compliments.
They both listened when he spoke about his day, and even Opera had made a comment about how beautiful the human tree was, asking what it was called.
And when he went to bed, his phone full of pleasant messages from Azz and Clara, and stomach painfully full, he hoped this was a dream he wouldn't wake up from.
I wish I could stay here.
It was the first time the thought would cross his mind, even as he was far too close to unconsciousness to remember it, but the thought caused a smile to creep up on his face as he finally passed out.
And that was the first seed planted in his head, the first step towards cementing his permanent residence in the demon realm, his real home.