Confronting Your Demons
CW: Mentions of trauma, panic attacks, rape, murder, torture, racism, violence against women, interaction between exes
(Side note: this is my first time writing a pair of exes who aren’t exactly amicable (like Damien and Vera in Sparks & Fire), but don’t exactly loathe each other either. This is also my first attempt in writing a fight scene.)
She hadn’t had any nightmares in a long time. So long, she can’t recall when the last time she had one, or even a panic attack related to them. Seeing her birth family again after over twenty-five years definitely helped in that regard; just telling them that she was alive…ish, and well was just enough.
But still, one shadow lingered deep in her mind: that of her killer. While she hasn’t suffered from nightmares regarding him; he finally returned the previous night. The only thing was that she didn’t dream about the traumatic event that ended her life. Rather… something else.
And to think she started having nightmares again after her and Polly’s big fight. After she started sleeping at Brian’s place. She just groaned, thinking that it was just a coincidence. Now, Brian had killed the man responsible for both of their deaths within minutes of reawakening, so that destroyed any chances of her getting closure from his end… or did it?
She had an idea to do so, but it involved seeking out a certain someone she used to be close to. Besides, fighting or not, she didn’t want to drag Polly into her mess. So she felt like she had no choice otherwise.
Hesitatingly, she headed back to the apartment building, heading not to her apartment door, but the door of her next door neighbor… her ex. A light knock on the door, and he answered. Deep red hair disheveled, wearing only a pair of boxers and a bathrobe, he looked like he had just woken up, even though it was 2:00 in the afternoon.
“Hey… what do you want?” he asked, looking down at the woman who was more than a foot shorter than him. There was no venom in his voice; just the irritation of a man who had just woken up.
“Can I come inside? After you’re dressed, of course,” Vicky answered. “I need your help.”
Damien, tired as he was, only raised an eyebrow. “Really? You need my help? You sure your girlfriend ain’t able to? Or do you actually need my boyfriend? Well he ain’t available either,” he replied, with more of a bitter sneer to his voice.
“Well maybe if you’d get dressed, I could explain better,” Vicky responded, using the same tone against him, looking him in the eye and trying hard not to stare at his perfectly sculpted chest, or abs, or lower.
Even if she wanted to, Damien didn’t give her much of a chance, as he shut the door in her face. Undeterred, Vicky stood there, tapping her foot as she waited for Damien to return. To her surprise, he opened the door again, this time in his signature orange leather jacket, as well as the rest of his casual attire. He now looked less tired, but still irritated.
“Start talking,” he ordered, inviting her inside and letting her sit on his bed. He, in turn, began working on his hair and his horns, half-paying attention to her.
“So… you’re a Prince of Hell, right?”
“Wanna make something of it?”
“So… you can talk to sinners who were once alive, like I was… right?”
“… Yeah. I don’t, because most of them are whiny assholes complaining that they shouldn’t be in Hell.”
“… Could you check to see if there’s a certain someone in any of the circles of Hell?”
“Eh, why do you ask?”
“… I want to meet my killer.”
Damien just paused in the middle of applying his eyeliner when she asked that. Slowly, he turned to her, a sense of curiosity and concern beginning to rise.
“… You never told me you’d been killed.”
“I never knew while we were together. I had only found out shortly after we broke up,” Vicky explained. “I had been having nightmares about how I died and—”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were having nightmares?!” he asked, now joining her on the bed.
“I… don’t know,” Vicky answered with a shiver.
“So whose ass am I kicking?!” he shouted, anger taking over.
“Damien! It’s not about that!” she yelled back. “I just wanna talk to him, tell him I’m living my best afterlife, no thanks to him! … And certainly no thanks to you.”
“Okay, why are you dragging me into this?!”
“Gee, I don’t know! Maybe it’s because you violated my trust!”
“So it’s my fault I see my girlfriend tossing and turning in bed and I want to comfort her?!”
“I THOUGHT YOU WERE HIM!” Suddenly, Vicky fell silent. Thinking back to that night when she let Damien stay over because it was raining. She didn’t remember what it was she was dreaming about; only being grabbed from behind, kicking, screaming, and slapping her assailant in the face. Said assailant happened to be Damien, trying to hold her in his sleep.
Damien, meanwhile, finally realized why she has been so hostile that night. Why she screamed at him to leave her room. Why there were tears in her eyes and terror written on her face. Why he obliged and left, he still never understood. Probably to avoid the wrath of Vicky’s mother. Even so, while it explained so much, it still left him with questions. This woman who had once loved dearly… was murdered? And that she had apparently been having nightmares about her killer?!
After over a year of not being together, only now did either one of them decide to, well, talk to each other about it. Even as they hung together through their respective partners, it never came up. They just got along for their partners sake, since Polly and Oz were still good friends. Vicky and Damien, on the other hand? Not so much. Shaking that thought out of his head, he took her hand. Break-ups never were his favorite subject to talk about.
“How long have you been having these nightmares?” he finally asked.
“I don’t know… for a while, I guess. They only became more clear after the breakup…” Vicky answered, not exactly pulling her hand away. “Then after therapy, and Polly, they came less and less often.”
“So why come to me?”
“It… happened again last night. After so long, I had a nightmare about him, finding me, somehow finding Polly and…” Vicky couldn’t finish that sentence, as she had to hold back a sob. It hurt too much to even think about, let alone talk about. “I didn’t wanna tell her, because I didn’t want her to think about HIM possibly hurting me again, let alone her!”
Damien could tell she was holding back tears. He never liked seeing her cry. He never really found himself good at the whole, “comfort,” thing—likely why she dumped him—but he figured having Oz as a boyfriend helped him on that front. Sure, he had previous partners before her: Hope, Miranda, Liam, Vera, he even had a one-night-stand with Aaravi somewhere down the line.
But there was just something about Vicky that still made him feel, well, what he feels with Oz now. The feeling that if anyone were to hurt either of them—either physically or, like now, making them cry—that’d be the last thing anyone ever did. So hearing this bombshell, he practically froze. After a while of sitting in silence, his ex-girlfriend silent herself, he got up and grabbed his car keys.
“What’s the bastard’s name?”
Later, he and Vicky found themselves in the Second Circle of Hell, where all of the sinners whose crimes of Lust deemed them unworthy of the gates of Heaven. Some sinners here are living relatively happy afterlives, what with the amount of orgies happening every hour, in spite of the raging storms that seemed to contain itself within the Circle. This is what Damien would consider the, “sexy,” part of Hell. Makes sense, given the sin.
But there are some sinners in this circle that nobody would want to affiliate themselves with, and would gladly leave them smothered in fire and brimstone. Among them was one man: been here since 1996, known in life as a serial killer and rapist. He could’ve had anything and everything he ever wanted, but he would mostly take what, and who, he wanted by force. After his death at the hands of a hungry zombie-like man, he was judged harshly and sent here.
So it certainly surprised him when he was told that he’d be getting a visitor. A royal visitor no less. He figured it’d be either of the Queens of the Second Circle of Hell, if not they’re sixteen-year-old daughter. To his disappointment, he was being visited by one of the Princes from another Circle of Hell instead. However, his disappointment fell when he saw that the Prince had a girl with him. Perhaps he could have some fun with this after all.
Outside of the room, Vicky and Damien had gazed through the window separating them from him. Vicky took a good look at the man who made the last weeks of her original life a living Hell. His buzz cut blonde hair had seemingly burned off, with patches of it growing sporadically across his head. Like her, he was stitched back together, with bite marks in certain places where the stitching met, having never been allowed to heal. Only his eyes, as blue and cold as ice, remained the same as they were in his own life. And yet, all he did was stand there, looking in her direction, almost trying to analyze her, seeing if he was able to recognize her.
“Vicky, are… are you certain you want to take him head-on?” Damien asked.
“Yes,” she answered. “I don’t need you kicking his ass for me. I can handle him.” Without hesitation, she opened the door, giving her entrance into the cell-like room that held the man who ended her life.
“Huh… so the Prince here is letting me have a turn with his whore… Okay then,” he muttered as Vicky entered the room, letting the door shut behind her. Vicky made no indication that she heard what he said.
“Well… Hello, Jonathan,” she began, standing firmly in front of him. It was then that she realized how much he towered over her. Was it the same when both were alive? Or did she perceive him that way because he always had her pinned down underneath him? She shook that memory out of her head with a shiver.
“Do I know you?” he asked, looking down at her with a sneer. Vicky, unflinching, took a deep breath, careful to not inhale the sulfur.
“Don’t you recognize me? You’ve had me kidnapped, raped, and tortured before you murdered me.”
“You and eleven other women, Dollface,” he replied, eyes scanning her body. “Then again, maybe I do… Too bad I never caught your name… Never bothered really. You learn the name of a whore, you start getting attached to it.”
“You think you would, considering you likely heard it during your trial. At least two life sentences, I’ve been told.”
“Oh really…” he chuckled, taking her chin in his hand, which she promptly swatted away. “Oh, I could never forget the last pretty face I killed.”
“So you do remember me…”
“I’m surprised your Master is allowing you to dress modestly.”
“… My what?”
“You heard me. Why else would you be here? His Royal Highness wishes to share his concubine with the public. But at least death seems to make you more presentable,” he sneered, paying attention to her skin. Sure, it was blue instead of olive like it was in life, but at least it was a light blue.
“Still as racist as the rumors say…” Vicky muttered. “But no; that’s not why I’m here. And I have no Master, thank you very much!”
“Alright then, humor me, Chica. What made you decide you were worthy of my presence?” Jonathan asked. Vicky simply inhaled, and then exhaled before answering.
“I figured I’d let you know how I’m doing, Gringo,” she began. “As much as it likely pains you to hear, I am doing fine. Sure, you nearly broke my family when you killed me, but they are also fine. They’ve moved on… and so have I. I have friends, best friends, a supportive mother, and most importantly… I have someone who loves me very much. And that’s no thanks to you.
“When I laid my eyes on you today, I felt anger, grief, disgust, but mostly pity. I actually pitied you, for you’re likely, no, definitely facing punishment for how you’ve hurt me, my family, all of those other women, their families… But of course, some creatures don’t deserve pity. That feeling came and passed in a matter of seconds. So now? I feel nothing but pride, pride in knowing that I will not only feel more accomplished than you, but am also not an irredeemable piece of shit.”
As she went on, Jonathan snickered to himself, giving a soft, slow applause as she finished.
“Oh, how wonderful. I’m so very happy for you. The hard-working Mexican gets her happily ever after. Now answer me this… what of your boyfriend?”
“Damien is not my boyfriend.”
“I’m not talking about your Master. I mean our good friend… what was his name again? Neil?”
“You leave him out of this…!” Vicky shouted, throwing a punch at him, which he caught effortlessly.
“Oh right, because he’s as dead as we are. Now, tell me, did he actually manage to get into Heaven, despite being a traitor to his race and falling in love with a girl like you?” His eyes then locked with Damien, who was watching the whole time, trying to hold himself back. “You clearly didn’t, or else you wouldn’t be a Prince’s concubine, now would you?” he asked, yanking Vicky to him.
Now Damien was starting to get pissed. How dare this nobody talk down to her like that! While he definitely admired how Vicky stood up for herself against the worst person she’s ever met in both of her lives, he didn’t like how that same man was trying to belittle her, her struggles… Not even Damien would do that, previous romantic feelings notwithstanding.
“Honestly, if I had been the sort to collect keepsakes from what I killed, I would definitely have kept your pretty face…” the sinner confessed, taking her chin in his free hand as he began to twist her arm. “The only thing that would make it look better would be my cock, or the barrel of a gun, down your throat. Now which of those sounds better?”
“Not like you actually cared for my interest… you ended up having me choke on both anyway,” Vicky coldly reminded him. “I died with that gun down my throat after you had moved on to your next victim.”
“Not like I could’ve had fun with her anyway,” he spat back. “If it weren’t for you, I probably would have. Had no one caught me trying to dispose of part of you, well, then you would’ve been just another notch on my bedpost. But you, you ruined my life!”
“You ruined your own life!” Vicky retorted. “Although, after you ended mine, it sounds like Karma was finally ready to give you your just desserts. So if I really was the reason you finally had to face consequences for your actions, then I’ll gladly take that with me back to my afterlife.”
Vicky refused to let herself falter, let him see her as the vulnerable victim from her previous life. She dare not let him see her tremble, hear her whimper; she simply stood her ground, even as he had her in his vice-like grip.
Damien was close to intervening at this point, but he stopped, hearing Vicky’s words. Even as she was being physically restrained by this diabolical asshole, she still didn’t waver. While he was experiencing pride for the girl, he wasn’t surprised. This was the woman who stood up to all sorts of monsters, including him, to stand up for her friends. This was the woman whose very essence never lost that spark. This was the woman who… he still loved for those very reasons.
And those were the same reasons her killer was set off. He roared and threw her into a wall, seething as he stood over her. To his anger, she still had that fire in her eyes, trying to stand up in spite of her pain. He then pinned her to the wall, hand coiled around her neck. It is then that he remembered that the Prince who brought her here was still watching. How is it that he hadn’t gotten involved with enjoying the spoils of his wealth yet?
“Your Highness, it appears that your slave needs to be taught a lesson.”
Without saying a word, Damien opened the door to the cell that held the man who tormented his ex-girlfriend and ended her life. He inhaled deeply before swinging his fist, connecting square with the corner of Jon’s head, sending him stumbling backwards as he lost grip on Vicky’s neck. Damien refused to give this asshole an inch, giving him another punch to the face.
“And here I thought you knew how to put dumb bitches like her in their place,” the killer spat, delivering his own punch, hitting Damien in the nose.
“Of course you fucking thought!” he growled back, nose bleeding. The pair continued to fight as Vicky just watched, trying to sneak an attack of her own.
“HEY! Where do you think you’re going?!” Jon roared, aiming to attack her, only to be kicked in the side of the head by the girl, colliding with the floor. He tried flipping himself over to sit back up, but he was met with a steel-toe boot pressing into his chest.
“Home. Away from your fucking ass,” Damien answered, right before kicking the dude in the jaw, his head coming clean off. Wiping the blood off his shoe and on the floor, he turned to Vicky, who gave him a swift kick to the crotch. “You alright?”
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that!” she answered. The dick’s head just rolled helplessly as both walked away and slammed the door shut behind him, leaving him alone in his cell once more.
“What is this…? This feeling of relief. I just beat up a guy—”
“And I helped…”
“And yet… I feel as bad for him as I did when I got here. In fact… I’m actually happy that I got to do that!”
“That, right there, is revenge,” Damien answered with a smirk. “I know some sanctimonious fuck will probably tell you some shit about revenge being, ‘like drinking poison in the hopes someone else will die,’ but believe you me, revenge can actually be helpful and, dare I say, therapeutic.”
“That… feels weird coming from you,” Vicky muttered, still walking with Damien as they reached a portal. Stepping inside, she soon found herself coming out of Damien’s apartment’s oven. “And yet… here you are, actually giving sound advice.”
“I learned from the best,” Damien chuckled, climbing out of his oven. “From the same guys who told me, ‘If you love someone, shoot them and see what happens.’”
“And how did that work out?” Vicky asked, sitting down on the couch, where Dante, Diablo, and Donut were sleeping. Damien just remained silent. “I mean… giving me a shot.” That earned a chuckle from the demon.
“Well, considering we’re now seeing other people…” he began.
“Hey, you have Oz, and I have Polly. I say it worked out well in the end.”
“Did it?” Damien asked, looking her in the eye. “You… you know how hard it was for me to get over Hope?”
“Yeah…” Vicky answered. “Damien… what are you—”
“I’m still in love with you.” And with that, silence fell in the apartment. How… how could he still be in love with her? They’ve not only broken up, but each found new partners! How could he possibly…?!
“Damien… I don’t understand,” she said, trying to keep her heart from beating too fast. “What do you mean, ‘I’m still in love with you?’ You and Oz…”
Damien sighed and sat down in a chair. “I know, I… I love Oz, I do. I’m in love with him. But… I’m also in love with you too? It’s confusing for me to feel this way. Being in love with two people at once… and I’m…” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “Look, I’m embarrassed to say this, but… I was scared. I was scared to tell you, and I’m scared to tell Oz. I… I don’t want to lose either of you.”
His face was drawn in a tight look of concern, a look Vicky had rarely ever seen on his face, even when they’d been dating. But now he was tapping his foot anxiously, his tail was whipping from side-to-side like Shelley’s, and wrinkles ridged his forehead. “And all this time, I… I’ve felt ashamed. I felt like I was just… I don’t even fully know how to describe it. But my emotions have been fucking me over.”
Vicky wasn’t used to seeing Damien so stressed out; normally he was the picture of confidence and going with the flow. She sighed and sat down across from him in a chair. “Damien, we have to address this.” Her voice carried sympathy and gentleness, but belied a sense of warning underneath. “I’m… happy that you told me the truth. It doesn’t have to eat you up inside, and you shouldn’t feel ashamed simply for having these feelings, because you were honest and open about it. But—”
“Don’t say it.” He put his hands over his ears and put his head down. “Please… don’t make me hear it. I know, I know what you’re going to say, I didn’t… I didn’t expect anything different, it would be wrong, I just…”
She leaned across and gently laid a hand on top of one of his. He gripped it, looking for comfort. “Damien… I think you need to hear it. I know it’ll be hard… and I promise I’m not doing it to hurt you… but I think maybe if you hear it, it’ll begin to help you move on.”
Slowly, Damien looked up, removing his hands from his ears and nodded. Vicky noted that his eyes were shiny and wet, and it looked as if he was trying to hold back tears. “… Okay.”
“I’m not in love with you anymore.” He winced a little as she said it, but took a deep breath in through his nose before letting it out. “I’m in love with Polly, and you’re in love with Oz,” Vicky continued. “And I know he makes you happy… better than I ever could. You don’t have to worry about trying to impress Oz’s family; they already love that you make him happy.
“I’m not going to forget, or regret, what we had, though. I loved that you were able to bring out a more reckless side of me… and from what I can see, I think I was able to bring out a more caring side of you. And you’re a very important person to me; I’ll always care about you. But… we weren’t right for each other. We realized that when we broke up, so we have to move through this, and move on, so that we can put the past behind us and not lose the people that are right for us. Okay?”
Sniffing, Damien nodded, his eyes showing hurt… but also understanding and agreement. Smiling, Vicky added, “And I know just the person who can help you through this kind of stuff.”
Damien snorted. “A therapist? Damien fucking LaVey doesn’t need a therapist! I—”
“Damien,” Vicky cut him off, thoroughly unimpressed, “We dated long enough for me to see through this macho bullshit. Just hear me out?” He closed his mouth, put down his hands and nodded. “Good. Anyway, Miranda became a couple’s counselor after she and Liam broke up. You don’t have to see her… but I think it would do you good. If anyone can help you get over me properly, she can.”
She grabbed a pen and wrote Miranda’s number on Damien’s arm. He looked at it quizzically. “I’m… still not sure…”
Vicky put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with, Damien. But it’s clearly not good for you to keep these emotions bottled up inside… it never has been, for you or for anyone around you. It’s only going to cause more trouble down the road if you don’t learn how to manage them. And if you’re confused about them or don’t know how to properly sort them… I think a therapist would go a long way to helping you out. Just… at least consider it? For me?”
She gave him a sweet smile and he felt his resolve give way. “Okay,” he conceded, “I’ll… give her a shot.” He then hugged her, catching her off guard. Vicky, nonetheless, eagerly hugged back. Though she might not feel the same way, she still cared about him. The two stayed in their embrace for a while, before Vicky finally broke away and headed for the door. With one final wave, she left.
However, that did make her wonder… could Miranda help her and Polly as well? That conversation did leave her thinking, maybe Polly feels similarly to how Damien feels?
… She grabbed the phone, and called Polly’s number.
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Control (Pact!AU, 6/???)
(In today's episode of Summoning Demons Dos and Don'ts: Pillow talk (no not the sexy type dammit tumblr would eat my face and probably set fire on me while they were at it)
Also, I'll try to work on more of the plot, but here's some fluff with slight exposition.
Also Murder and Arson mention. Just in case.)
Diavolo looked over his notes, reading over the tome as the demon slept in the other room. As he had observed with the demon's natural behaviors, he discerned that demons needed to feed of off malevolent energy, which fueled their own magical capabilities. It also seemed that demons had subspecies, and much stronger demons seemed to attack and oppress their much weaker brethren. (This was base knowledge for him, granted, but the tidbit about subspecies was new to him.)
It also seemed that demons had natural magical capabilities (again, something obvious) and it seemed to very from individuals. 'It makes some sense, as he was able to recognize the rites of the binding spell and use it against me.' he thought, flicking a page as he continued to research more. 'Perhaps he was studying magic on his own before I had summoned him... but how much does he know?'
Tiredly, Diavolo closed the tome, rubbing his eyes. He could figure out how to ask when the time comes, but for now, he could fall asleep. As he approached the bed, he notices the demon asleep, twitching every so often.
While Diavolo was familiar with the overall shape of the demon's body, he hadn't really noticed too many features the past few days. Curious, Diavolo carefully approached the demon, watching him sleep, not wanting to rouse him.
The fur on his limbs was somewhat deep pink, dappled with spots. Diavolo carefully reached out and gently touched the demon's arm, surprised that the fur was soft rather than coarse. Diavolo held the demon's hand, rubbing the back with his thumb. It twitched as the demon slept, making Diavolo freeze.
For a moment, it seemed like the demon would rouse himself from sleep, but he didn't. Diavolo bit back a sigh of relief at this, letting the demon's hand slip from his grasp.
'It almost fits in mine...' Diavolo muses, blushing faintly at the thought. He shook his head as he continued his silent observation.
Diavolo faintly notices the demon's tail move slowly, the scales a pale sort of pink and shining faintly as the light touched it. A dark line of fur ran along the back of it, with a tuft of fur at its tip.
At this point, Diavolo was nearly clipped by the demon's wing- it definitely matched the bat-like depictions some old artworks used, but faintly....fuzzier up close. Carefully, he trailed his fingertips against the membrane, noting how warm to the touch it was.
The wing seemed to fold against the demon's back, twitching slightly. Diavolo decides not to continue in the event the demon woke up and lashed out at him. Carefully, he laid down on the bed, sighing and closing his eyes for a moment.
The demon, unbeknownst to Diavolo, raised his head and propped it on his arm; it seemed he was somewhat unamused by something. "Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to bother someone while they're sleeping?" He growls, annoyed.
Diavolo's eyes snapped open as he realized he fucked up yet again. He barely sits up before he feels the collar around his neck, dropping back onto the bed against his will. 'Fuck fuck fuck.' he screamed in his head, somewhat frightened.
The demon eases his posture slightly, chuckling a bit. "You could've asked to touch me, you know." He murmured, scooping Diavolo up and wrapping him up in his wings. "I don't think you would've like me doing the same, hm?
Diavolo went limp in the demon's grip, at a loss from the response. He hadn't really gotten used to how capricious the demon's moods were; tempting and alluring one minute, then fierce and at his throat the next.
However, it was... nice; being held like this. Diavolo wanted to nod off, but he was also tried to stay awake.
"It's a shame about the other day." The demon muses, his voice thoughtful. "I wonder what sort of fucked up things you did to literally be drenched in sin-"
"It's like you're implying I'm the scum of the earth." Diavolo hisses, nearly spitting the words out. "I have no obligation to tell you anything."
While not the right thing to say, the demon didn't even flinch, gripping the chain causally. "I can make you tell me, you know." He said, his voice icy. "I have my ways."
Diavolo barely spoke a word before he feels his head go foggy, which was... not good; he could barely think a coherent thought, let alone at all.
"Don't worry- all this will do is make you incapable of lying." The demon spoke, almost cooing. "I'm not going to torture any words out of you."
Diavolo remained silent, unable to protest. After moments of cloudy thoughtlessness, Diavolo finally spoke. "I killed my family as a child." He said, not really able to say anything else.
"That doesn't sound bad- unless, there's more to it." The demon answered, curious.
"It was only meant to be my mother- a woman I barely knew, but I made a mistake and she didn't die immediately." Diavolo explained. "So I foolishly her body underneath the floorboards, but my adopted 'father' found her."
The demon blinks, a bit shocked. "Okay, that's- a bit extreme." He said, sounding wary. "How could you not know your own mother, for one-"
"She was in prison." Diavolo answered. "I was adopted by a priest- he was rather nice, but that wasn't important."
"You didn't... kill him, did you?"
"Couldn't really leave any witnesses. I wasn't sure how many others I killed before setting the fire."
The demon sat there for quite a bit, silent. Eventually, he spoke with a somewhat grim, quiet tone. "... that's just fucked up." He fell silent for a moment. "How old were you when this happened?"
"Around nineteen." Diavolo answered. After that moment, the fog around his thoughts cleared. Shit. He just told the demon his past (under pressure, albeit, but still a stressful experience really) and now he couldn't kill him without getting eviscerated himself.
The demon just sighs and looked a little dejected. "I don't know who or what fucked you over as a kid, but that being a solution is a bit fucked up." He mumbles, stroking Diavolo's hair gently. "I won't ask that, but now I'm definitely not leaving."
Diavolo felt his heart sink. "And why would that be?" He asked.
"Other demons will flock to you just to feed off you, and even if I'm not stronger than some of them, I can't let you get killed." The demon hisses. "Plus, if I leave you behind, I can't guarantee you wouldn't cause any trouble. It's best I stay to keep you out of it."
Diavolo was at a loss now. His original goal might as well be very compromised at this point; the demon was quite willful and capricious, and any attempts to shift the dynamic might be deadly.
However, he refused to give up his plan. 'I will become the King of kings, I just have to overcome these obstacles...' he told himself, drowsily closing his eyes. 'I just have to build his trust...'
Diavolo would wake up hours later, still wrapped in the demon's wings. As much as he wanted to get up, Diavolo found himself not wanting to; the hold was warm and he swore he could hear the demon was... purring?
Diavolo sighed, reluctantly nuzzling his head against the demon's neck. This was... admittedly comfortable. "...damn you." He mumbled sleepily, holding the demon's face. "I can never figure you out, for fucks sake... Your moods are like a storm that calms or intensifies, and I can never tell which is coming next. Yet, when you're asleep, you're almost... charming.
Just as Diavolo finished his thought, the demon woke up slightly. "You... you think I'm charming?" He asked, grinning rather dumbly.
Diavolo blushes, embarrassed from his own tired rambling. "I... damn it." He mumbled. "Forget what I said. Right now."
The demon laughs, amused. "No. I'm going to keep those words in my mind forever." He said, laughing softly. "Maybe you aren't as awful as you act...."
"Just... just shut up."
"No."
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