My Wives are Beautiful Demons

The airport was as busy as ever.

People were hurrying through with suitcases in hand, some in absolute silence, others murmuring between giggles or stifled yawns. Children tugged on their parents' sleeves, announcements blared from the loudspeakers in that robotic, impersonal voice. The smell of fresh coffee mixed with expensive perfume and the sound of suitcase wheels turning on the waxed floor.

In the middle of it all, there they were: Vergil and Sapphire.

Vergil wore a black overcoat, impeccable as always, with a pair of sunglasses that concealed more than they revealed. His posture was elegant but casual. His attentive eyes scanned his surroundings calmly, although they carried that eternal air of someone who has seen everything the world has to offer.

'Wondering why she wanted to take a commercial flight... when she has a private jet, she has teleportation magic, she has all the tools she needs to get around quickly...' Vergil thought as he turned to face her.

She looked like she'd stepped straight out of a fashion shoot. Fitted suit in a dark burgundy shade, hair tied up in a stylish bun, subtle but killer make-up. Every step was a show. But unlike what you'd expect from an aristocratic demon, she was... determined. Determined not to let Vergil do anything to her...

"I'll carry my own bag, thank you," she said, when he naturally reached out to help her.

Vergil blinked, with no immediate reaction, as if he had just heard something in an alien language.

"You know it's not a huge sacrifice, right?" he said with a small smile, his fingers still reaching for the strap of her silver suitcase.

"Don't weaken me with chivalry, Vergil." She was already pulling the suitcase with one hand, while typing something into her cell phone with the other. "I'm perfectly capable."

"I'm not saying you're not capable. It's just that... sometimes it's nice to let someone else do something for you."

Sapphire looked at him over her shoulder, with that little smile that was somewhere between charming and dangerously adorable.

"That would be an emotional trap, and you know it." She stopped walking for a second. "And let's not forget that you've basically ignored me recently. Consider this trip a private revolution, don't worry about me," she said with a happy, closed-mouth smile... something that... She doesn't do...

'She... she...' Vergil couldn't even think of anything... She was simply getting into his head!

What was left for him? Only to laugh, a rare, soft sound that escaped his lips as if by accident. He moved closer to her, but respected her space. He let her pull out her suitcase by herself, drop her cell phone and pick it up, refuse the coffee he bought her because she could buy her own, and even refuse to use the preferential boarding gate because it was "elitist".

It was almost... cute.

"You look like a teenager who's just won her first freedom from her parents," he commented, walking beside her with his hands in his pockets.

"Don't underestimate me. Teenagers are dangerous," she said, turning to him with an arched eyebrow.

"You certainly are," he muttered, more to himself than to her. 'I've got to be careful here... for now it's just comments and actions... when it starts with insults... then it's going to be complicated'

Boarding began, and while the flow of passengers was getting organized, Sapphire was already checking her tickets, checking the seat numbers, and triple-checking that her passport was in her bag. Vergil just watched her in silence, enjoying the spectacle of independence.

When they reached the gate, she tried to scan her own ticket, but the code took a long time to be recognized. Vergil, behind her, stepped forward to help.

"Don't even think about it," she said without turning, with a finger in the air.

Vergil froze as if he had been hit by a paralysis spell.

"You're unbelievable," he commented with a restrained smile.

"I'm self-sufficient," she retorted, as the scanner finally beeped in approval.

The two of them passed through the boarding gate and made their way through the tunnel to the plane. Sapphire walked ahead, pulling her suitcase with a certain clumsy elegance, and Vergil behind her, as if he were her personal bodyguard - a bodyguard she knew would die if he dared interfere.

Inside the aircraft, first class was spacious, luxurious and quiet. The reclining seats were more like spaceship capsules. Sapphire took her seat without waiting for him, already grabbing the blanket and adjusting the ambient light.

"Don't you want me to adjust the pillow?" Vergil asked with a completely innocent expression.

"I already have. And if you offer to put my seatbelt on, I swear I'll jump out of the plane."

"We know how to fly..." He muttered.

She crossed her arms and leaned back with a sigh, but her eyes gave her away. They were soft, light. Behind that attempt at absolute independence, there was a woman enjoying herself, playing with her limits. Vergil realized this, of course. He knew Sapphire better than anyone. He knew that she was just trying to rediscover parts of herself that had lain dormant - and if that included picking on him for every gesture of affection, then he would accept it.

'Well, whatever... in a couple of hours she'll be back to normal.

The plane took off smoothly, leaving the ground behind. The view out the windows showed clouds tinged orange by the sunset.

Sapphire glanced at him and then discreetly took off her shoes, pulling the blanket up to her waist.

"Don't think I've given in. I'm just optimizing my comfort."

Vergil just smiled, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Of course. Revolution with a velvet blanket. The most dangerous of all."

She laughed softly, her laughter muffled by her hands, and then leaned back in her seat, finally relaxing. As much as she had pushed her own limits in this little domestic battle... she was happy. And even though he couldn't help her as much as he would have liked, he was happy just to be there - next to the woman who would never cease to amaze him.

About four hours had passed.

Sapphire had already read half of a boring novel, looked at the flight map for twenty minutes, dozed off for exactly thirty-seven minutes - according to the on-board clock -, had two glasses of juice she didn't like, and spent fifteen minutes just trying to rearrange the table in front of her into different positions, as if that was going to change existence.

Boredom. An emptiness as big as the sky outside.

She turned her face slowly and looked away. Vergil was standing there, absolutely oblivious to the universe, his headphones positioned perfectly, watching something with intense focus in his eyes.

Sapphire narrowed her eyes. 'What... is that?

The screen showed a Korean man violently punching a bizarre creature, with English subtitles flashing by. The creature looked like an overgrown ant with a very powerful exoskeleton.

Sapphire tilted her head, curious. There was something almost hypnotic about the way the protagonist screamed while throwing punches in slow motion.

"Are you watching anime now?" she asked.

Vergil didn't even blink. He just chewed a peanut calmly and replied a serene, "Yes."

Sapphire waited for a pause. Some attention. A gesture. Nothing.

"That's... what exactly?" She asked curiously. "It's an adaptation of a webnovel by Paimon, she said to see it. She said it was based on some stories she'd heard. The protagonist has the power of the Ashborne, so I'm studying it a bit. I don't know if it's based on fact, but... well, Paimon makes entertainment, she's good at it."

She shifted, uncomfortable in her seat. She looked around as if the universe had forgotten about her. And then she sighed loudly - very loudly - as she sank into the armchair next to him.

Silence.

Three more minutes.

Sapphire then slid over, subtle as a cat pretending it doesn't need affection, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm just resting my neck," she mumbled, as if she needed to justify it.

Vergil didn't answer. He didn't even move.

Sapphire stood there, eyes half-open, watching the anime screen without a sound. The protagonist was now throwing a flaming sword at an ant that was screaming in exaggerated agony.

She smiled a little.

"You liked it better when I asked you to open the water bottle," she muttered, not looking at him. "Or when I pretended I didn't know how to move the blanket."

Vergil tilted his chin slightly, still watching, but now with a half-smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Pretended?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied, laughing through her nose. "But you seemed so... proud to help me. Do you think I'd deny you that?"

He finally paused the episode. The silence between them was now full of intent. Vergil turned his face and regarded her with an arched eyebrow.

"So your whole independence revolution was just theater?"

"Was it?" she feigned surprise. "I thought we were playing together."

"You gave a lecture on 'not being a porcelain doll'. I was afraid to offer you gum."

She bit her lower lip, trying to contain her smile, and then let out a giggle that escaped as if it were a secret.

"Okay, maybe I overdid it a bit... But this is all your fault. You spoiled me so much that now I don't know how to play at being normal."

Vergil sighed with the calm of someone who had lost this war a long time ago. With a subtle movement, he slipped his arm around her, slowly pulling her closer. Sapphire rested her head on his chest this time, as if she had finally found the only pillow worthy of the trip.

"You could at least play it again. Now I want to know if he kills the ant for good."

"Only if you promise not to steal my phone," Vergil said, already knowing that she would do it anyway.

She just stretched out her hand, took one side of the earphone and put it in her ear without the slightest ceremony. Vergil, resigned, pressed play.

For a few minutes, all that could be heard was the epic soundtrack and the sound of monsters screaming as the screen softly illuminated their faces. Sapphire was quiet, almost sleepy, but there was a serene smile on her lips.

The truth was that, deep down, she loved depending on him. Not because she was weak, or because she couldn't do everything herself. But because, with Vergil, she could be anything - strong, proud, spoiled, silly. And he would be there, always.

She poked his chest lightly with her finger.

"On the next connection, you buy my chocolate."

"Of course," he replied. "But only if you carry your own bag."

"Close," she said, before yawning softly.

And then, for the first time since the start of the flight, she really relaxed.