#Series: Rose Tinted Sight (And a Candy Red Taste)

[parlideldiavolo]

have mercy, pt. 01

l.

“You have to stop doing this.”

The devil’s plea fell on deaf ears. Vic could only flick his eyes heavenward in a fit of blasphemous humor when Alicia Davenport freed him from a hug. He sighed and released his palms from her arms and maybe the lopsided quirk of his mouth wasn’t as severe as it could have been.

“Okay,” Alicia lied with a wide smile.

“I mean it. Shoo.”

This was met with a kiss on his cheek and Vic huffing before he waved the young woman away. She waved back before breaking into a jog and disappearing down the street. The devil waited until she was well out of sight before shaking his head and smiling to himself as he tucked a bit of hair behind his ear.

Fucking hell.

She’d caught him picking up some mail this time. (Alright, ‘caught’ was a strong word.) Every now and then the soft-spoken human appeared in his periphery like the weight of their shared secret kept pulling them together, though them living in adjacent neighborhoods was the real reason for their occasional run-ins. He’d been careful to keep an eye on her because it was his duty as a gentleman to cut her off at the quick if any interest in him developed beyond ‘freaky guy who saved my life.’

That hadn’t happened (and she was a lesbian.) What had happened was her insistence on a friendship of a kind, and, eh—maybe Vic didn’t push back too hard on it because at least she was keeping her distance otherwise. Ambushing him at the corner of a post office for a few seconds was fine.

And why was he at the post office? To pick up a package, of course. Why hadn’t it been sent to the house? Because Vic happened to live with a mischievous Caligo who couldn’t be trusted not to mess with it if he found it first. That just wouldn’t do, not when the package contained a gift for him.

Vic slid said delivery into the seat next to him as the car roared to life. The dangly, red devil charm hanging from the mirror sparkled against the tinted shades Vic slipped on when he stopped to check himself in the mirror. He smiled at his reflection, flicked his tongue out and finished tying up the rest of his hair. The radio had popped on with the engine and picked up where it’d left off: on the playlist he and Tom had slapped together for the times they felt like tearing up the road on one of their high-speed ventures, and the devil was content to let it stay that way.

He finished primping and checked his phone. Tom got a warning that Vic was on his way back (whether the vampire was home or not. If he wasn’t, maybe he would be.) A few others got memes, his dad got a reply and a series of hearts… (Pfft, Logan liked MCR? Who’d have guessed?) ...

… Aaand, perfect.

(…)

Vic sat in the car a little longer. An odd feeling settled over him when he leaned back in the driver’s seat and gazed out over the dashboard with one gloved hand tracing the wheel. The Maroa streets stretched out in a haze and the car’s A/C purred over the sound of distant traffic and music. After a moment’s consideration, Vic flicked the air off.

That was enough to stir Mephistopheles from his nap. The black cat rose and gave a great languid stretch when he clambered over the seats from the back. He stopped and sniffed at the package before bumping his head into Vic’s shoulder, to which the devil hummed and bunted back.

“Awake now, harlot?” He teased before scooping Meph against him and kissing him on top of his little silken head. Vic then released him and waited til Meph was settled in the passengers seat next to the box before he finished buckling in.

“C’mon,” he told the cat. “Let’s go home.”

Fuck, Vic thought with quiet amusement and another quick glance at the mirror. It really is home now, huh. There’d been a time when he’d thought he’d left that word behind.

But! There was one pit stop to be made. He’d already grabbed some snacks and a few extra items for the candy drawer back at home because he owed Logan and Skipper that much, but the household was also getting low on non-blood drinks and schnapps and that couldn’t be allowed. Vic pulled up at his favorite liquor store and hopped out to correct this while Meph dozed on top of the package whose box he would surely receive after it was opened.

The sensation hit him again when he was checking out. It grew like a shadow in the back of his mind—not quite clear, but lingering. Vic accepted the drinks and stopped in front of the door.

Several heartbeats passed.

He could hear that same heart in his ears. The rest of the world faded. The doors chimed. Hazy sunlight filtered through the windows and pooled around his booted feet.

Vic gazed out the door and knew the taste filling his mouth for what it was, because everyone was a little different and a waterfall of years can never put out the feeling of taking the hand of someone you thought could be your family only to have them let you be swallowed by fire.

Fire. Vic could feel it crawling up the back of his neck like a ghost. 

Fire.

He stepped out onto the street and the older man who’d been standing next to his—Tom’s—their car looking through the window instead turned to look at Vic.

Fire. It was still written in his face. Years hadn’t diminished the mark it had left or the smile he now wore, set deep amongst well-worn laugh lines and bright eyes shadowed by the sun.

Fire. Vic was burning up just like all those years ago.

You can’t be saved.

The man smiled. “It has been a while.” He looked back down at the car with his hands drawn behind his back.

Fire. 

(Of course it’d be here. Of course it’d be now.)

<“Let us go for a drive,”> Mercy said.

(Of course he thought he’d have more time.)

#standalone #post

[attickit]

Check up tag.

Thanks Ai (@aiimaginesbts ). It's been a while!! My dumb sleepy ass blushed at the tag. Idk why. I just did. Please excuse any weird spaces in the answers or whatever of this post. I'm doing this on mobile and you know how that is a mess.

How has your day been?

It's morning. Like it's 9+am right now as I write this. But the time has been good. Haven't had my breakfast yet and still thinking of what to eat... (I'm always like this. By the time I decide it would be past lunch hour...)

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Hmmm... Oh fuck. Well... This tag did but before that I'm not sure. Oh. No. I remember. The 94z vlive. That made me very happy as a namseok bias. Also seeing someone mildly freak at a thing a I tagged them in made me smile.

What's keeping you entertained these days?

Videos on YouTube. Writing random things even though I should be working on a series. I've been knitting too though I still haven't finished a single article.

I am very slowly running out of things to do so if you have any recommendations of what to do that would be great. I would love to watch things but I also have nowhere to watch them.

If you are in some sort of quarantine/self-isolation, is there anything you'd like to achieve in this time?

Finish up Rose Tinted Sight (And a Candy Red Taste) and post up the entire series. Just trying to get back into the groove of the modern witch au. Also try to work on Black Cat and Calico.

Honestly also try to figure out how the heck a carbonara works and how to make it right. Been cooking more as well so might as well try to properly hone that skill instead of just merely being I make edible things (some would disagree that I already know how to cook well. I don't. I just make things that are edible enough like some broke college student)

Post a selfie! (If you want)

No thank you. I don't even have photos of myself and taking one now while I'm in pajama land is a big no-no. ;33

Idk who to tag. I mean like I don't want to bother anyone if I do tag anyone. So let's just say uhm... If you pass by this post and would like to keep someone updated you can say I asked.

#tags #hmmmmmmmn #well #nice to know you're still alive ai #I still don't know what the heck to eat #I might just end up making French toast...