#'alexa aren't YOU married?' yeah he sure is!

[furby-organist]

> "Hmm... if you start your divorce announcement with 'no one gets married expecting to divorce,' I probably don't have much sympathy for you! Haha! Stay well!"

[xoteajays]

And you just now figured this out? See! I told you. Everyone has some type of person (or character) they're very attracted too. Took you long enough to realize that. I should bonk you with a newspaper for that.

But no one ever seems to listen to me about things.

I was right.

~

Yeah.. They're in their thirties now. Dohwan's 1992, Sangyi's 1991. And actually, Dohwan's birthday was actually just a couple months ago.

I'm not complaining! Never. Just.. Let me marry these men now. They are perfect husband material for me. I want them, and I need them as my husbands. Okay, okay. I'm actually stop now. I'm serious. I'll stop.

Like.. Yeah. You only officially see his scars in two scenes. During their exercising scenes (whenever they are shirtless), and the scenes when Jin shows those guys his scars from being stabbed - just so he would prove that he was actually stabbed. Even if the scars aren't so visible.

Maybe? I don't know. But Jin was so willing to die from liver failure for drinking alcohol, just so Gun wouldn't have to give up his ideals about not drinking alcohol. Because of how his abusive alcoholic father was.

Actually, five characters died. Not four. Lee, his wife, their baby since she was pregnant (with a baby who should have been born in months - two months to be specific), Yang and Choi. And almost Woo-jin too.

~

Besides anime. And besides Asian media. I have been watching many different Asian media now, that I can't really remember that American or European media that I enjoyed. Besides what I've already told you.

My brain is fried from watching too much media now. What the fuck.

In American.. We have basic trains. Cargo trains, subway trains, trains like that. I can't say much. I've only been on a train twice in my life. So I have no comment about trains. I remember how germy trains are.

~

Bloodhounds OCs

I know quite a few fans of the show had mixed feelings toward Damin as a character. Because they were complaining that they replaced Ju, with her, just so the boys would have "another sidekick" with them for when they defeated the villains. Which is partially true. But eh.. Still.

What do you think of her now?

I love Gun-woo and Woo-jin equally in their own ways, but I also really think Jin needs more love too. So I will try giving him more backstory.

That works! I do love both shades of the blue hair, but at least it's very different shades of blue. Since I'm slightly leaning more toward colors that are darker with my character (in this fandom), then you might be leaning more toward the lighter and brighter colors. So that's so fine.

I know that I've mentioned this before.. A lot of times. If I'm able to do this for some of my characters, sometimes I would give them medical conditions like disabilities and disorders. But usually when I decide to give characters conditions, I usually use their real conditions for them though. I don't know why. But I do. So how unusual would it be if I did give my character conditions based on AleXa's medical conditions? Is that too weird? Or? I don't know. That was a thought I've been having.

~

High&Low OCs

Orange:

Possibly. If one of the boys, like Cobra, doesn't bandage her up any time she falls off the skateboard then I could see Naomi doing that.

I don't know if she will ever get her motorcycle license. But I'm sure the boys, especially Cobra and even Yamato (since I don't think our boy Noboru has a motorcycle), could always ride her around on any of their bikes. Even if she does not get a license, they might always drive her around. But I could see Cobra and Yamato (and even their Mugen brothers) teaching her how to drive when she gets a license at some point. Though she might have to settle for the motorbikes.

Red:

I know of Babymetal.. But I've never listened to their music though. So I have no comment. But I did notice that the actual person does mention Babymetal a lot, hence why it's one of her favorite bands.

White/Green:

Something she has in common with Rocky! If she does work at the Club Heaven club, a woman who's working in a building that serves alcohol to people while being a lightweight. Kizzy's blackmailing so much between these two lightweights to get whatever she actually wants from them. Rocky and W/G should never drink around Kizzy.

The Twelve Kingdoms is her favorite books.

She seems open minded when it comes to genres for any shows or movies she watches; crime, drama, fantasy, horror, thriller, any and every genre. She'll give everything a chance when watching media.

~

Gwi-nam's actor is a attractive. But as some character, I just can't get past that fucking mullet as his hairstyle though. Ew. Mullets are gross to me. He needs a glow up. If he survives, give him a makeover too.

If Gwi-nam and even Cheong survive. I might be surprised, but not so surprised at the same time. We know Gwi-nam's a hybrid zombie and who knows about Cheong (if he survives). Because the quiet girl have already survived starvation and being burned alive in the explosions.

I'm not a fan of Seinfeld. I've seen some episodes when I was younger because my parents watched the show, and still do, but I just can't be someone to watches it. I don't find that show funny. In my opinion.

the Behaviours™ i’m about to exhibit about tattooed cobra. especially the second link with the jacket slung over his shoulders and his hands and the sex hair and the thigh. inappropriate thoughts in my brain.

also i just can’t imagine cobra with dark hair. that boy is Blonde. i wonder how murayama would feel about the headband tho.

~

i wasn’t paying attention! a tiktok just popped up and it hit me. chishiya …. short ….. blonde …… like cobra and takeshi. fuck. we know i have an idiot brain! she’s not paying attention up there in my skull, she’s just vibin’!

~

i was worried about that with gun and drinking! i didn’t want him to be uncomfortable, but apparently he was all good. even managed to bounce back the next morning without a hangover and make breakfast with jin. they’re such good boys.

i was trying not to think about the baby. it wasn’t even old enough to survive out of the womb yet. icky thought but i hope lee died first so he didn’t have to see his wife and baby killed.

i wonder if gun’s mum came back down from the orphanage to be with gun while jin was in hospital. i bet she was worried too, but it’d probably be dangerous because myeong gil was trying to kill them all.

~

she does feel very much like a replacement character, hence why i figured she could be rewritten in to replace ju’s earlier stuff.

i’ll get back to you once i’ve watched the last episode. idk much about her yet. i think archery is rad tho so. there’s that.

i don’t know much about aleXa’s condition, but i wouldn’t say it’s too weird since people usually use faceclaims that have similar things to their ocs, like when it comes to medical conditions or gender or sexuality and such.

~

i do love a good ‘patching up their romantic interest’ plot. i had a vague idea like that for yui and cobra, her patching him up tho.

noboru has a bike, that’s why he wasn’t there when miho was assaulted, because he was off riding with cobra and yamato.

babymetal is fun. i’ve listened to some of their songs. they really pissed off a lot of annoying men in the genre though because they thought a bunch of young girls shouldn’t be in the ‘metal’ genre. i think they were pretty fondly endorsed by some american metal artists tho iirc. there’s like an infamous facebook post by rob zombie being like ‘they roll harder than you’ to some hater.

kizzy sniffs out blackmail material like a bloodhound. nothing gets by her. she’s got dirt on everyone.

~

he looks good with longer hair. i can’t say anything about the mullet though. i’m australian. every guy around here has a mullet at some point. so i’m unphased by them by now. not to be on my bullshit again, but he also looks good blonde agdhdjdls

if i was going to watch an old(er) comedy with vaguely out of touch, off-colour jokes, i’d rewatch how i met your mother or community or modern family again. friends is another one like seinfeld that i won’t watch because i don’t really care for it.

[fanficsandfluff]

A New Miracle - Chapter 15

A/N: This one's a long one!

Fandom: Encanto

Character(s): OC (Original Character) Alexa, Bruno Madrigal, Julieta Madrigal, Pepa Madrigal, Mirabel Madrigal, the rest of the Madrigal family

The prospect of marriage was never in Alexa's mind, or anywhere remotely in her wheelhouse of 'life-living.' She'd dated, she'd met married couples, but she'd never come close to being the bride. She'd never even been to someone else's wedding. That just wasn't her life. At a certain point, she reached an age where she never even imagined marriage to be possible. Who'd want a barren 40+ year old woman for a bride? What could she provide?

And now that was all she could think about. Was she acting wife-ly enough? Would the kids all still like her and not treat her differently now that she was going to be a tía? Heck, she was still sleeping in Mirabel's room most nights. She didn't all together feel like a soon-to-be bride.

And Bruno... oh Bruno...

Alexa smiled at just the thought of him sometimes. He didn't even have to be in the room with her; that's how much this was affecting her. He didn't appear to be handling this much better than herself. He was still awkward, still nervous, still so utterly Bruno.

In Alexa's spare time, when she wasn't with Bruno or when the family wasn't working (days off were a new thing to the family, apparently), she started crossing off her to-do list with all the Madrigal nieces and nephews. And she was having a lot of fun, and at least from her perspective, the kids seemed to be enjoying it, too. Some occasions were awkward initially, like her spa day with Luisa, for example. They didn't know what to talk about at first, but conversation budded when Alexa started talking about all the places she'd traveled to throughout her life.

"Are there people like us out there?" Luisa had asked Alexa.

"None that I've seen," Alexa answered truthfully, "But that doesn't mean you wouldn't fit in. You aren't freaks or anything, not at all."

"Yeah, I guess that's what I was really asking... if anyone looks like us. Or me."

"You're beautiful, Luisa," Alexa told her, looking her in the eyes, "And I know you know that already," she grinned, "Do you like?" she lifted up Luisa's hand which she had just finished painting with nail polish. She had two containers of nail polish that she'd kept with her through the years and used one on Luisa.

"Wow... they're so cute," Luisa inspected her now pink fingernails, "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Of course," Alexa agreed, "It will take some patience and practice, though. You'll mess up a lot at first."

"I'll practice, don't worry," Luisa smiled.

And Alexa spent the rest of that hangout showing Luisa how to paint nails and allowing her to practice on Alexa's. Then Alexa braided Luisa's hair, since Luisa couldn't do so on Alexa's short hair.

And then a few days later was Isabela's time with Alexa. Mirabel would pop in and out, but Alexa kept playfully scolding her as she wanted each of these encounters to be spent with one on one time with the kids. Alexa was amazed and full of wonder every time Isabela would hold out her hand and flowers would appear. It was mesmerizing. She learned about the different kinds of plants and what care they each would need, even though Alexa was mostly sure it was a ruse. Any plant that Isabela fabricated would probably be filled with magic of its own and never die... or at least that's what Alexa kept telling herself. A long bath was much appreciated after the work on that day.

Alexa was on her way to dinner one of the nights after the proposal and she caught Antonio with Bruno, in the hallway, seemingly chatting. Bruno was kneeling down to his nephew's height. Alexa observed for a little longer, not making her observing presence known. Antonio pointed at Bruno and made himself laugh, and the childish giggles warmed Alexa's heart. Then she watched Bruno scoop the boy up in his arms and nuzzle into him, making Antonio shriek louder. Alexa hummed to herself, still sporting a smile, and she avoided the pair by going the long way around and down the stairs.

After the meal, Alexa caught up with Bruno as he seemed to be heading to his room, "Hey," she stopped him with just her voice.

"Hi," he smiled and his whole face softened upon seeing Alexa.

"Tomorrow is my scheduled day with Antonio. I was wondering if you'd want to come?" Alexa asked.

Bruno knew of these rituals Alexa had been holding with his nieces and nephews and he thought they were all sweet.

"I mean... does Antonio mind if I come?" Bruno asked. A rat poked its head out of his shirt collar and seemed to squeak an answer, shaking its small head, "Oh, I guess not," Bruno shrugged, "Okay, good."

"Good."

"You okay?" Bruno asked her. Alexa seemed stumped. He asked that of her so out of the blue. Was she looking not okay? She was keeping herself very busy lately, so maybe she was looking burnt out.

"Yeah," Alexa answered, "Why?"

Bruno shrugged, "I don't know."

"Very perceptive," Alexa grinned, her teasing nature coming back out. Bruno smiled, looking up the flight of stairs that led through casita.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then. In Antonio's room," Bruno repeated the plan to make sure it was really happening.

"Yes, his room. Goodnight," Alexa leaned in to give Bruno a kiss but he moved his head back so she couldn't.

"What did we mention yesterday?" he asked her, a smile playing on his lips.

Alexa groaned and rolled her eyes, "Ugh... Buenas?.... dias?-- dude, I don't know, I forgot."

Bruno chuckled, "First of all it's buen-os; there's an 'o' in there. And night is which word? Starts the same way."

Alexa wracked her brain. She literally just learned this last night, "Nnnn... Noches! Noches! Buenos noches! Ha!" she poked his nose.

"Buenos noches, Lexi," Bruno smiled wider. Alexa leaned in again and got a kiss this time. This was a new thing Bruno came up with to help her learn parts of the Spanish language. Before bed they'd wish each other goodnight in Spanish, and Bruno would throw in a bonus word for her to learn.

"Hasta mañana," he threw in before going up the stairs. He chuckled when he heard Alexa groan, "You're killing me!" but she loved it.

And the next day arrived easily, Alexa dressing into her coveralls and a tank top underneath, since she figured she'd be getting down and dirty with animals today. And to her delight, Bruno was in the kitchen with Julieta when she went downstairs.

"Good morning," Alexa greeted the two, eyeing Bruno up and down with a wide smile, "You'll be joining us for breakfast finally?"

"Yes," Bruno nodded, "Yep. I decided it was time."

"See, I told you," Julieta wagged a finger at her twin, "Everyone will be so happy to have you eating with us."

"You do need to fill out a bit more, rat man,"  Alexa went over to Bruno and patted his belly teasingly, but then turned it into a squeeze. Bruno recoiled as the shock got him squeaking.

"Okahay! We know..." Bruno covered his stomach with both his arms folded over the area.

"Help casita get the table ready, you two," Julieta grinned.

"Sure, Juli," Alexa went to the dining room with Bruno trailing behind her and grabbed the plates while Bruno went for the utensils. As they walked in circles around the table, Alexa caught on to Bruno watching her closely. She grinned, by now used to his staring as she learned that was one of his ways to show affection. His loving stares.

"Bruno," she looked right at him to break his concentration, "Do you sing? I know you can dance, but... the other wasn't made as clear to me."

"Well," he made a face, "I wouldn't call myself a singer, no."

"Everyone in your family can sing, it's amazing. Did you realize that? Well, duh, you've realized, they're your family. Sorry, stupid question, but you see what I am getting at?" she looped herself around til she met Bruno at the head of the table, "You don't like to sing?"

"I'm not good at it," Bruno answered, "And you might have to just trust me on that one."

Alexa tilted her head, "Okay, I do trust you," she nodded and reached a hand out to pick some lint off Bruno's poncho, "You spoke-sang that night at the anniversary. You remember? The caterpillar song."

Bruno nodded, "I do remember. That wasn't really singing, though."

"You sounded sweet," Alexa smiled.

"Well, yeah, I was woo'ed by you, of course I was going to sound sweet."

That comment made Alexa laugh and Bruno even giggled briefly, "Ahall I'm saying is I like music."

"Thahat is not at all what you were saying, are you crazy?"

Alexa laughed again, "My point is I want to listen to music with you... I want to be musical with you..." her finger never left the collar of Bruno's poncho, playing with the fabric there even after she got the lint off.

Bruno paused for a moment, understanding what Alexa meant, but he just wanted to tease her one more time. For fun. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "So is that a sex thing?"

Alexa snorted and she finally backed up from him after smacking his arm, face turned fully red. And at that moment the Madrigals were trickling their way in for breakfast, so Alexa cupped both her burning cheeks in her hands, playfully glaring Bruno's way. His smile was broad as anything.

Breakfast went by without a hitch, Alexa enjoying listening to Bruno participate in the family's conversations. And afterwards, Antonio sped up to Alexa and looked up at her, "You ready?"

"Ready Freddy," Alexa smiled at the small child.

"Who's Freddy?" he giggled.

Alexa grinned, "Not important, it's just a saying," she saw Antonio reach his hand out for hers and she took it, Antonio now pulling her along.

"Your Tío Bruno is coming, the rats said you knew--"

"Yep! And Mirabel is gonna be there, too," Antonio said, still pulling Alexa through casita, "I invited her to come."

"And that's perfectly fine, Antonio. Whatever you're comfortable with."

Mirabel was already waiting at Antonio's door holding her bag which looked very full of stuff, "Hi!" she greeted, "I know this whole hang-out thing was supposed to be with just us one-on-one, but Antonio asked me if I wanted to--"

"Mirabel," Alexa smiled, "I understand completely. This will be fun."

"The most fun!" and Bruno slid up to the group seconds after.

Antonio giggled, "Come on!" and he opened the door to his room and immediately sounds of running water, rustling trees, and animal calls were heard. Alexa was breathless, yet again. She had the same reaction to the room now as she did the first time she stepped into it. It wasn't even a room, it was another world.

The jaguar friend of Antonio's came right up to them at the door and Antonio grabbed Alexa's hand again, "Okay, you're first."

"W-What?" she didn't expect to be thrust into this so soon.

"We said we'd give you a ride!"

"He's going to go slow, right?"

Antonio glanced to the jaguar and a bigger smile spread across the child's face, "Yes!"

"O-Okay," Alexa approached the animal, "So do I... yeah, okay," she threw a leg over the creature and sat on its back, "Am I too heavy?" she looked at Antonio to check the jaguar's comfort levels. Antonio giggled again, "He says remember to hang on."

"Hang on to wh--AT!?" the jaguar lurched forward and Alexa was stuck sliding her hands around the animal's shoulders and neck as it very much ran forward.

Antonio was doubled over from giggling by that point as he and Mirabel and Bruno watched the jaguar cart Alexa away.

"Let's go!" Antonio got more of his smaller animal friends to help guide Mirabel and Bruno up to the topmost part of his room, in case they forgot how to get there.

Alexa was frozen stiff at first with the fear of falling off and plummeting to her demise. But after the jumping was mostly finished and the jaguar was just running, she opened her eyes more fully and experienced the world around her. She spluttered and laughed when the jaguar ran under a waterfall stream and got her wet. The jaguar would usually throw Antonio around to make the experience more fun for him, but the creature knew already that Alexa was older, so maybe she wouldn't appreciate it as much.

The ride stopped at the strip of land up in the tree by Antonio's bed. Alexa slid off the jaguar and her legs were noodles from the grip she held onto the animal's sides so she just plopped down onto the ground. She saw Antonio's little face come up first from the steep path that led up here and he ran up to her.

"How was it!?" he asked excitedly.

Alexa laughed and she hugged the child, "Never have I ever had an experience like that. It was... incredible."

Antonio hugged her back, "Yay! He says you were scared, though," and he quickly grinned.

"Wh-- Well, yeah, maybe at first," Alexa scoffed, "What, you weren't scared the first time he did that to you?"

"Nope," Antonio was back to giggling. Alexa had to smile, Antonio's giggle being one of the most contagious things she'd ever heard.

"Send Bruno! Look, you'll see how scary it is at first!" she pointed towards Bruno standing near Mirabel.

"Uh, no, I'd probably wet myself."

And that statement made Antonio laugh harder, falling into Alexa with the might of it, and she was giggling, too.

"Woah! Are you laughing at your tío, Antonio?" Bruno's demeanor suddenly shifted.

"Yeheah," Antonio wiped at his deep brown eyes.

"Show some respect, niño!" Bruno approached Antonio and Alexa and extended his hands out, "You're not getting away with laughing at me so easily. I'll make you laugh, mwahaha!"

Alexa leaned back so Bruno could scoop the child up away from her and into his arms. She brushed hair out of her face and watched Bruno taunt the boy, even throwing him into the air and catching him again. The sight made something inside of Alexa twist and turn and bubble. He was good with kids. She'd seen it happen a few times, but very seldom. He was really good with kids.

"Don't worry, I was also terrified when I first got a ride, too," Mirabel had come over to sit next to Alexa. Alexa was knocked from her thoughts and smiled at Mirabel, "Oho my god, did I seem that scared? You could tell?"

"I mean if the jaguar said it, he wouldn't lie. Would you, you big cute gato?" Mirabel cooed at the animal and it came over and nuzzled into her cheek.

Alexa tentatively reached a hand out to touch the animal's fur, and a bird had flown out of nowhere, startling her and landing on her outstretched arm, "Oh--! Oh wow..." she whispered, afraid to move.

"Aww, he likes you," Mirabel smiled, scratching the jaguar behind its ears.

The bird kept blinking and twitching its face toward Alexa and she stared back at it, afraid to move, "I remember you... you were here last time I was here. And you scared me then, too," she narrowed her eyes at the animal and it squawked and flew away. Alexa chuckled. She heard Antonio screech and she looked back over to where Bruno was sitting with his nephew, currently nuzzling his face into the side of Antonio's and growling while he did it.

"Don't worry, Antonio!" Mirabel stood up, "I'll save you! Psst, come on!" she beckoned to the jaguar, who happily followed her. Alexa sat back and watched the scene with a small smile on her face.

"No, you may not steal him from my clutches!" Bruno was using one of his character voices, but the hood wasn't flipped up so it wasn't clear which one.

"Charge!" Mirabel ran towards the two of them and grabbed onto Antonio. At the same time, the jaguar ran forward and bounded right towards Bruno.

"Ay, wait wait wait wAIT!!" he screeched when he was tackled by the jaguar and Antonio was pulled free to go into Mirabel's arms.

"Get him, boy!" Antonio cheered on the animal. The jaguar resorted to licking Bruno's face affectionately and Bruno was laughing and twisting and making sporadic squeaks.

"Now, I gotcha. Don't worry, the evil Tío Bruno will never get you again," Mirabel squeezed Antonio in a hug. Antonio hugged Mirabel back but let out a childish scream when even Mirabel tweaked his sides.

"Sorry! Sorry, I couldn't resist!" she let Antonio squirm out of her hold and run to Alexa.

"Help me! Help me, tía!" Antonio threw himself at Alexa and snuggled into her. Alexa's heart warmed at being called an aunt like that from the little guy and she smiled so big her cheeks started to hurt, "I won't let them get you, don't worry."

Mirabel got the jaguar off of her poor uncle, "You okay?" she asked.

"Yep, yes. Amazing, actually," Bruno shook his head out and wiped at the cat saliva probably all over his face, "Are there healing properties to jaguar spit? Do I look younger?"

Mirabel laughed at her uncle and tugged him to get him closer to Alexa and Antonio. Bruno's heart melted at the sight of Antonio in Alexa's lap.

"You two are very mean," Alexa accused Mirabel and Bruno.

"Yeah!" Antonio jumped in.

"He laughed at me!"

"He's just too cute!"

The group of four giggled amongst themselves afterwards.

Antonio brought Alexa to some of his favorite spots in his room and introduced her to more animals she hadn't met the last time they were there. Some of the rats had camped out and she still couldn't get over her skeeviness about them.

"I-I've been getting better with them, I just don't want them touching me," Alexa reasoned.

"Every other animal is just as dirty if not more dirty that that little rato," Bruno tried to make her see her dichotomous feelings.

"Yeah, they actually like you," Antonio said, "But they can see you're scared."

Alexa rolled her eyes, "Again with the scared-- Look at them! They're little vermin, aren't they? With their beady eyes and long tails, eck," she made a face.

"Now you're just insulting them," Bruno knelt down by the two rats on the floor and held out his hand to them, to which they scrambled up his arm. He moved toward Alexa and she jumped back.

"Don't you dare. Bruno, I'm serious," and she frankly was. She didn't even want to pet one of them.

"Come ooon," Bruno groaned, his hand still extended towards her and the rats were in his palm, "You can trust me, querida," he tried to schmooze with the charm and puppy eyes, but it still wasn't working.

"Noho," Alexa said again and still backed away, holding her hands to her chest, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she then looked directly at the rats and apologized to them, "I do not want to hold you."

"Okay okay," Bruno smiled, "Not today. Maybe someday, though, hm?" he set the rats down on the floor before being allowed to now get closer to Alexa. He kissed her on the cheek.

"Definitely not today," Alexa couldn't help but smile when he kissed her cheek, "And you can keep holding your breath on that 'someday.' Don't think that's happening, either."

Bruno grinned and he brushed his cheek against hers, "We'll see."

Alexa recoiled slightly, "Your beheard itches, Bruno."

"That's what I'm famous for, don't you know?" Bruno turned toward Mirabel and Antonio sharing the hammock together, "Antonio, you're too young to remember. But Mirabel, before I left, I'd always play around with you and your sisters and cousins. You said to me every time I'd give you a kiss, 'Tío, your beard is scratchy!' and I would say, 'I'm sorry, amor, but your tío needs his fill of Mirabel.' And you'd always giggle," Bruno had gone over to the pair of cousins and he squeezed Mirabel's cheek in his fingers.

Mirabel chuckled, "I don't remember, but I wish I had. You sounded fun. Before you got all old," she grinned.

"Wait, you do that to me now!" Antonio accused him, "It does scratch a lot."

"I'm sorry, Toñito, I thought I heard something," he turned his gaze towards Mirabel, "Old? I'm old?"

"Yes. You're my mom's age, of course you're old," Mirabel chuckled.

"Ay," he held his heart, "I can feel it breaking."

Antonio and Mirabel fell into giggles. Alexa smirked at Bruno's playful nature.

"You are old, Bruno, I don't know why you're denying it," she chimed in, "Heck, I'm old. We're both old. It's just a descriptor."

"Why do you have to make it so serious?" Bruno spun around, "I was just trying to educate my sobrina y sobrino about respecting their elders."

"So..." Mirabel sounded again, "You agree that you're old... you called yourself an elder."

There was a moment of silence and Bruno sighed, "I can never win."

Mirabel and Antonio laughed together again and Bruno sat beside Alexa on the log she had now perched herself on, "They're cute, huh?" he observed.

"Very," Alexa agreed, "You're very good with kids."

Bruno shrugged, "I was the fun uncle, believe it or not. Before I went away."

"I wouldn't have believed it before I got to know you. But I believe it now."

"It's different now," Bruno continued, "They're all so grown up. Luisa and Isabela like me enough, and so does Dolores in her own way. Camilo is more comfortable around me now than a few months ago. But they've aged. They're young adults now, with futures and new lives ahead of them. I missed all of that. I still picture them smaller than me, even Luisa. And I never met Antonio when he was born. So he doesn't even know me."

"Well, he knows you now. And he loves you like everyone else does."

Bruno nodded, watching Mirabel showing Antonio something she was making that she pulled out of her bag. It looked like the beginnings of another plush.

"You should bring 'fun uncle Bruno' around more often. He seems to be a hit," Alexa nudged Bruno, smiling at him.

"Oh, you like him, too?" Bruno replaced his soft smile with a full grin, "Even with his scratchy beard?" he leaned over to Alexa and nestled his nose into her cheek before giving it a kiss.

"Yes, even with-- hey!" Alexa nearly jumped off the log when she felt hands squeezing at her sides. Bruno had wrapped an arm around Alexa's back and now both hands were poised at each of her sides. He slid her close to him until their thighs were touching and she couldn't get away easily. Bruno happily squeezed away at Alexa's sides, hearing her fighting the laughs that were bubbling up inside. He temporarily moved his hands away and Alexa took a breather. Bruno glanced down and reassessed where to put his hands and he smirked. At a higher angle, his hands stuck to Alexa's ribs, not protected with an added layer of coverall like her sides were. Alexa screamed in surprise and her arms cinched to her sides.

Mirabel and Antonio looked over at the two when they heard Alexa scream. Mirabel giggled and Antonio made a face, "Yuck! Get a room!" he yelled at them. Mirabel laughed at that and grabbed his arm, "If you don't wanna see it, let's go up in the tree, little man. Where the screams won't reach us!" she yelled at Bruno. All Bruno did was stick his tongue out at his niece and nephew and they escaped up the tree with an array of animals.

"Gehehet out!" Alexa fell forward, slipping off the log. She couldn't get Bruno's fingers off her ribs even if she tried. She'd try and lift her hands back to grab Bruno's and wrench them away, but he'd just jab in between the bones of her ribs harder, so she just shut her arms again.

Bruno followed her down to the floor and even was able to slip his hand under Alexa's arm at one point. She shrieked again and tipped over into Bruno's lap.

"Stop!" she wheezed, "Stopstop! Bruhuno!"

"Someone's reeeally ticklish," Bruno teased, grinning like a mad man, "And no sleeves," he tsk'd, "Oh, Lexi, big mistake for someone so sensitive in there."

"Ah!" Alexa arched her back, head resting against Bruno's shoulder, "Nohohoho! Wahahait!" Bruno's fingers found their way into Alexa's hollows and scratched away, poking in harder to hear her squeak.

"Oho my GOD!" she screamed.

Bruno was giggling now, trying to see her face becoming challenging based on their position. Bruno slid his hands back down to Alexa's ribs and adjusted her. Her head had flopped back onto his shoulder and she was panting and giggling, "Nohoho mohohore... Bruno, I'll dihihie."

"Well, I don't want you to die, amor," his breath got low and whispery and it hit against Alexa's ear, making her shiver, "But you sound too adorable for me to want to stop," and he dove right in, nibbling and nuzzling into Alexa's neck.

That alone may have drawn the biggest reaction yet from Alexa. She screamed and brought both her hands up to try and build a divide between her face and Bruno's, but couldn't, so she ended up just covering her face with her hands. Bruno blew a raspberry to be extra mean and Alexa snorted.

Bruno kept sweeping his face from side to side against Alexa's to get the beard to scratch against her neck and jaw. Alexa had tried sliding away from him once more, this time from becoming limp with exhaustion.

"Ihit's worse! The beard makes it so much wohohorse!" Alexa spit out in one breath before snorting again when Bruno blew another raspberry. Then his hands rejoined the fun, thumbs digging into Alexa's hip. That's when she jolted up and pulled herself away from him with all her strength.

"Enough!" she wheezed, falling over when she escaped his clutches. Bruno crawled over to her and she screamed, "No, hey! Calm down, I'm good! I'm done now," he chuckled at her. Alexa lay there on the stone floor interspersed with dirt. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest and her cheeks were sore and her eyelashes were wet from budding tears.

Bruno laid beside her, watching her recover, "Too far? I went too far, didn't I?"

"Yeheah, no duh, rat man," Alexa scooted closer to Bruno, still breathing heavily. Bruno chuckled.

"Well, I felt it was only fair. You did call me old, and you've been tickling me a lot lately, too. So payback."

Alexa chortled, throwing an arm over Bruno and hugging him, "You're cruel, uncle Bruno."

"I told you, it's one of my greatest roles."

Alexa snorted again at his dumb joke and snuggled closer to him.

"That's also why I couldn't stop. I had to hear that noise."

"What? That? You do it, too."

"Yeah, but when you do it, it's cuter."

"Oh shut up," Alexa blushed. They laid in a calming silence for a period. Alexa swore she could still feel phantom pricks and tingles all around her neck and ribs.

"Is it safe to come down now?" the pair heard Antonio's voice yelling from somewhere above them.

"Yep! Safe!" Alexa sat up now, in preparation for the kids rejoining them.

Their day together pretty much ended after the complete wrecking of Alexa, which Bruno was very, very proud of. They got food and went to retire to their own rooms for the night.

"Stay the night in my room," Bruno blurted out with zero prompting, "Please?"

Alexa's freckled cheeks flushed pink and she giggled, "You aren't sick of me yet?"

"Never," Bruno shook his head, "I don't think I could ever get sick of you, even if I wanted to."

Alexa smiled bigger at the sweet sentiment, "Yeah, sure. I'll change into my pjs."

"Your what?"

"Pjs. Pajamas... sleep clothes?"

"Oh! That's what you call them?" Bruno chuckled to himself, "I didn't know what that meant."

Alexa smiled still, "Well, I can teach you stuff, too. I'll see you in a bit," she planted a kiss to Bruno's cheek before heading to her and Mirabel's room to get her things.

Alexa walked her way towards Bruno's room and opened the door for herself, her bare feet stepping into the sandy floor. She prepared herself this time, not in the mood to dump and brush sand out of her sandals. The sand parted for her like it did the last time she was in Bruno's room and she walked her way through, pausing to look upward at the rock and sand.

"Bruno?" she called, not seeing the entryway to his room.

She didn't hear a response, "Bruno? If you think this is funny... it's not." Alexa moved in circles around the space, looking in every direction. She even opted for tapping on the rock walls to see if one would open.

Alexa sighed and looked straight up, "Bruno!" she yelled, getting a bit frustrated now. Where could he have gone? As she was about to leave the room to look for him elsewhere, she heard his voice echoing against the walls, "Wait!"

She spun around again and Bruno kept talking, "Wait, I'm up here!" And all around Alexa, sand begun to shift and swirl. She backed up until she was out of the way and squinted through the blur. The sand itself had morphed into a giant pillar and rose to meet Bruno way up top of his room and lowered him down to ground level.

"Wh-What were you doing?"

"Nothing, it's not important," Bruno went right up to her, "I'm sorry that I didn't hear you."

"Isn't that your vision cave or something? Were you having a vision?" Alexa did notice he looked a bit concerned.

"It's okay, everything's okay. We can go to sleep. I'm sorry for startling you, Lexi."

"Yeah, no, it's fine," she held his hand, "I'm not mad. You worried me, is all. Let's sleep, like you said."

Bruno flashed a smile and the walls opened up. He went inside with Alexa and laid down on the bed together. Alexa was facing Bruno in bed, looking at him, trying to figure him out. Bruno was staring back at her. Alexa lifted her hand up to his cheek and cupped it, stroking her thumb along the skin above his beard, just under his eye. She then pushed curls out of his face and leaned in, planting a kiss onto his forehead.

"I love you," she whispered to him.

"Love you, too," Bruno smiled, eyes crinkling in happiness. He scooted closer to Alexa and snuggled her under his blanket. Bruno peeked an eye open when he felt Alexa relax into the sleep, letting out a sigh finally. Yes, he was trying to see a vision. But he couldn't. It was blurry and unclear and unfocused. He worried if it contained Alexa and if something was going to happen. Worry was all he had clouding his brain after the last unclear vision led to his exile. Bruno shut his eyes at last, his forehead pressing against Alexa's. Her warmth soothed him into sleep.

[meenah-chan]

Quintessence

A Lucifer x MC’s Over-protective! Sister fanfic

4.45k words

Genre: Angst

Trigger Warnings: mentions violence, self-inflictions; Read at your own discretion.

Chapter 1: click here

Chapter 3: click here

"Is this a some sort of punishment?"

"You're really lucky... I am quite jealous, if I may say."

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

With the noisy, yellow demon unconscious, the only sound on their way to House of Lamentation is MC's periodic yawns from the lack of night's sleep and the rumbling wheels of their suitcase on an empty road.

"We're here! Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone. They should be in the dining room right now." Starting to feel the exhaustion she's been holding back since meeting the other-worldly creatures, Alexandria let her sister half-drag her off to somewhere.

"I'm home!" Pulling her to a room, the first thing she saw is a large dining table filled with food and... Five more demons. Five male demons.

"MC, we're leaving." She tugged on the female's hand, still attached on her own, but in turn resisted her slight force.

"What? No, we won't." The teen raised an eyebrow from her sudden demeanor.

"MC!! I MISS YOU!!" A brown-haired guy came rushing towards their direction with open arms. Yet, before he could even latch his arms around the girl, Alexandria pulled her away, causing the male to hug nothing but air.

"MC! Why did you avoid— Huh?"

"MC, w–who is she?" A purple-haired tensely asked, anxious of the stranger in their home.

"She's my sister—"

"Ahhh!!" Alexandria and MC flinched from the sudden outburst of the man who came running at them moments ago, which caught her off-guard.

Suddenly, her hand was yanked away from her little sister's grasp and was held a few centimeters to the demon's eyes.

"Wha... such a..." He then stretched the said arm out and tenderly stroke it up her shoulder, "What a flawless, plump, porcelain skin..." then let go and cupped her cheeks with both hands.

"Such a refined beauty. But wait..." The male narrowed his eyes for a second, "Are you not sleeping well? Your face is a tee~ny bit dry and a bit of bag under your eyes." The demon gave her a sad pout.

"I usually appreciate such flattery. However, right now, I can only sense it as an assault from a stranger I just met. So will you please refrain from your harassment?" Regaining her composure, she snapped at him.

"Asmodeus, stop harassing our guest unless you wanted punishment." Asmodeus instantly raised both his hands up from the domineering voice on the doorway. Lucifer appeared with a beat Mammon.

"Whoopsy! My bad. What a rude way to greet a wonderful guest such as yourself." Asmodeus sends her a wink before returning to his seat.

"MC, will you introduce her to everyone."

"Hmm! Everyone, meet my sister, Alexa! Due to certain circumstances, she'll be staying here with us all throughout my stay here."

"Pleased to meet all of you. I'm Alexandria Evergreen, MC's older sister. I'm here to watch over her. I hope to have a conflict-free relationship with everyone."

"No, the pleasure is ours." A blonde-haired man replied, "I'm Satan, the fourth eldest. I maybe the Avatar of Wrath but I assure you, I'm the nicest and most logical person here." But her instinct says otherwise as she felt an odd atmosphere around the green-eyed man.

"Bush e'shi, shoo shais shoo hamp 'o shibi." Her eyes travelled to the oranged-haired man who seemed to be emptying the table stuffing himself.

"Beel, you shouldn't talk while chewing." A drowsy, navy blue-haired guy yawns beside him. "MC, he means you said you have no siblings." He rubbed his eyes before turning his attention to the older sister. "Hello, I'm Belphegor, Beelzebub's twin and the youngest. I'm also the Avatar of Sloth. This guy beside me is Beelzebub, the Avatar of Gluttony and the sixth oldest." The scarfing guy nods and she returned the gesture.

"Oh that? Yes, I don't have one back then, but our parents got married a few weeks ago. We're originally childhood friends."

"WoOAAAHH~!! That's just like the anime 'My Dearest Childhood Friend became my Sister after our Parents got Married but now the Aliens Invaded the Earth so We Became Heroes and Stop the End of the World!!' and that is really LIT!!" The demon, whom she thought was timid a while ago, squealed in one breathe, and it certainly caught her by surprise.

"That noisy one is Levi." MC sweatdropped.

"I'm Leviathan, the third oldest and the Avatar of Envy."

"And don't forget about the sweet and charming Asmodeus here~~ I'm the fifth eldest and the Avatar of Lust. You can call me Asmo-chan~~" he winked for the second time.

Yet contrary to his positive attitude, Alexandria cocked an eyebrow. "So you mean..." Her gaze followed Mammon wobbling to the table. "That crook right there is the second oldest?"

His head snapped at her. "Oi! Gotta problem if I'm the second oldest?"

"Yeah, in more ways than one." She curtly replied. "So, if you're the Avatar of Greed, you being a crook does make sense."

"Oi! You don't have to say it twice!"

Ignoring Mammon, she faced the oldest. "And you're the Avatar of Pride, I suppose?"

"Yes, and let me properly introduce myself to you." He placed a palm above his chest. "I'm Lucifer, the oldest of the seven brothers and the Avatar of Pride. I'm the one who leads this household and tend to all of these problem children." Satan, Mammon and Belphegor glared daggers towards him.

"Ha! More importantly, I have a juicy piece of news to you guys." Mammon grinned which alerted Lucifer.

"Not a word Mammon."

"'Ya see, that's no normal human right there. A few hours ago, she just made THE Lucifer on his knees and tied him in a pact with her."

The five brothers' eyes popped out of their skulls and jaws dropped. Even Beel almost choked.

"Pact... you say?" 5 pairs of eyes darted between a grinning Mammon, a displeased Lucifer and the new female.

"You're right. She's not an ordinary human but let me clear two things." The menacing red-eyed demon crossed his arms and raised his chin. "The only one on his knees, or rather, on his back is none other than you Mammon. You're the one knocked out after just three blows from her. You're also the one who caused this series of unfortunate events... Don't ever think I'm done with your punishment yet."

"Eek!" Making shrieked and cowered in fear.

"Wait– She what? I know Mammon is weak but, she really knock him out with three blows??" Asmodeus exclaimed.

"Are you really sure she's a human?" Satan added.

Although Beelzebub is also shocked, his brows twitched in realization, glancing at the two female. "MC, Miss Alexandria, you probably haven't eaten anything yet. You should eat."

"I think I'll pass. I'll get some shut-eye first." MC awkwardly laughed. Beel is pretty amazing in his own way...

"I thank you for the offer, but I also needed some rest." She slightly smiled.

Lucifer stepped closer beside her. "If that's the case, then you should stay in MC's room for now. Mammon will clean the room beside MC's for your use later."

Glancing at the oldest, she shook her head. "Providing a room for me is more than enough. I can tend to it just fine. And I can't impose to you anymore than I already did."

"But you're a guest. It's only natural for us to ensure you'll have a great time staying here."

"But I insist. And I'm not a guest. I'm the one who made my way here so it's only natural for me to help here in exchange for my stay." She paused as she crossed her arms. "Unless, freeloading is a thing here. That'll be bad, for encouraging irresponsibility and decadence."

"..." Lucifer speechlessly furrowed his brows.

Seven pairs of eyes were both shocked and amazed to see someone actually have the guts to run their mouth against one of the strongest demon in their realm without breaking a sweat.

"She really is not a human. There's no way a human can stand her ground against Lucifer." Asmodeus gaped.

"Or maybe she's just clueless of Lucifer's true power... Though I could use her help to mess with him." Belphegor and Satan snickers at the same time as if having the very same thought.

"To not even have the natural instinct to flee from danger is just dumb." Alexandria ominously glance towards Belphegor, Satan and Leviathan, causing a chill run down their spine.

"Then please excuse us. MC shall be my guide." Drawing back, she bowed towards Lucifer and the others before pulling MC and their luggage out of the dining room.

"MC... I must say, our time here will be anything but harmonious..." The older sister sighed.

"But I'm sure you'll have fun. There's no boring times here" MC just laughed awkwardly.

"Oh well, all I want is a peaceful time you. Even an hour or two a day would be nice."

-----

Forget their peaceful time, getting along with most of the brothers is hard, except Beel who is too nice to her to be considered a bother. All the other brothers do was try to steal MC away.

Well, Asmodeus is an exception. He's not trying to take MC away. He's trying take both of them away for his beauty and night out shenanigans.

A few days have passed, and she was also made into a student to be with MC as much as possible.

"Hey Alexa-chan, I'm just wondering... Is there anything you can't do? At this rate you'll end up stealing MC's heart faster than any of us. You're too dreamy, you might as well take her as your bride." Asmodeus pouts as he lazily pokes through his steak Alexandria prepared for dinner.

"O–Oi! The hell are you saying, Asmo?" A flustered Mammon yelled, sitting beside MC.

The older female sighed and glance at Asmodeus, sitting beside her. "Just eat Asmodeus, you're just hungry. And I told you to not call me Alexa."

"But aren't I right? You're so in love with her enough to follow her here. And you're not really her sister by blood, so it's possible."

"If I told you, you and Mammon look good together, you should marry each other, what would you feel?"

"Eww! That's the grossest thing I ever heard." He stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"She really hates you, lololol." Levi snickers at Mammon, sitting across him.

Mammon narrowed his eyes at him, tapping his knife on his plate.

"I never saw this child that way. I'm more like a mother to her more than anything." She points to the 'child' next to her, too busy stuffing her face with the food to notice she is the topic on the table. "Saying that, I didn't protect that child just to fall for any demon."

"Aww... And I thought it'll also be interesting if there's that kind of plot twist." Asmodeus look down, only to find his plate empty. "Hey! Beel, give me back my steak!" His eyes darts across him, towards the orange demon chewing happily.

"I thought you don't want it anymore so I ate it." He smiled innocently as Belphegor and Satan laughed in amusement, witnessing the whole theft.

Alexandria glance around the room, searching for a certain person she haven't seen since yesterday night. "By the way, where's Lucifer?"

"He's probably still in his study, it's the time of the month he have tons of work to do." Satan replied.

"He'll probably coop himself until tomorrow or the day after." Belphegor added, finishing his meal.

She gave a second glance in the table, void of any trace of any food left, sweeping to the also empty plate of her sister.

"Hmm... MC did you eat well?"

"Yes! I really missed your steak!" The teen beamed at her, having a drop of sauce on her lips.

"What am I gonna do with you." She giggled as she wipe the stain off. "Come on, you should rest for the night."

After sending her to her room, Alexandria strolls towards the kitchen and left with a tray on hand, walking towards the library.

She passed by the tall shelfs with several missing books of all sorts of fields. Going further in, she knocked on the door inside the library.

"It's Alexandria, I brought you something." Hearing no response, she let herself in.

The first thing that attract her eyes is the tall pile of paper wall on the table and the male who is almost hidden by it, black circles around his eyes.

"Are you still alive?" Lucifer's flipped towards her, finally noticing her presence.

"Ohh, it's you. What do you want?"

"You probably haven't eaten anything since this morning. I brought you some sandwiches and fruit shake." She set the tray down the small table in the middle of the room and took the plate of sandwiches and the large cup of fruit shake, moving towards Lucifer's study table.

"Here, taking a breather won't hurt." Red orbs darted between the plate, the cup and her face before reluctantly taking it after a sigh and setting it down the free space is the table.

"This is a nice study. It's cozier than mine back in human world."

"What's your deal?"

"Well, I like the fireplace. I can't have one in my apartment."

"If you need nothing, then leave. I don't have time to waste."

"Yeah, I need to do something." She took a few leaves of paper from the desk and scan through it. "Hmm... I see... As expected..."

"What is it you need to do?" Lucifer raised his eyebrow.

"I'll help you with this papers. With us two, we can finish it by morning."

"Hmmp! There's no way I'll let a human mess with the financial statements of the Devildom."

"If it's about the difference of terms and flow of currency, then I have already studied about it."

"...Huh? How..." The demon suddenly remembered the several books missing from the library's shelf. "Ahh... But then, how did you learn how to read our language?" His brows furrowed.

"There's no way I could have extensive knowledge about pacts and such if I can't read the original texts about it."

The lady in front of him never failed to impress him. And yet, "The answer is still a no." Stoic expression returned his face.

"Then let me rephrase it. My master is having a hard time," Lucifer almost slip out of his chair from her words. "...and I can do something about it, so I want help however I can."

"Did you just say 'Master'?"

"Yeah, based on our contract, you're technically my master. Though you can't take advantage of me, which is a good thing..."

Lucifer wouldn't admit it. He can't admit it. But being called master by this capable human who always amaze him has stroked his ego more than he could ever felt from anyone, he can't even stop himself from grinning.

"You really know your way with words. But don't get me wrong. I only allowed you because you've went so far just to do what you want." A smile was also plastered on her face.

"Yes Master Lucifer, if you say so." She chuckled a bit before taking the papers Lucifer choose for her to do.

Sharing a few conversation while working, they really did finish by morning as she predicted.

------

"Alexa, why aren't you in your room? Did you woke up early?"

"Yeah, something like that." With a bit of sleepiness clouding her head, Alexandria chose to eat light breakfast before taking a rest. Good thing it's weekend.

MC moved her attention at the demon on the end of the table. "Lucifer, it's really unusual. You've finished quite early."

"I just discovered a breather had been rather helpful." He stealthly stole a quick glance towards the lady busy eating her food.

The only sound on the table after that is a few yawns— from the usual sleepy Belphegor; and Leviathan and Mammon, probably from overnight gaming marathon they could never finish tonight as Lucifer is out of his confinement.

Everyone has their own world when Alexandria breaks the silence.

"MC, you told me you're hanging out with Mammon and Asmodeus today, right?" She place down her utensils as the girl glance at her.

"Yeah, we're going to shop some clothes on Majolish. Why? You're coming anyways, aren't you?"

"No. I have some business today, but I'll leave you to Beel. Is it alright with you Beel?" She scan the face of the food-loving demon whom just finished his food.

"I don't mind." He smiled softly.

"Thank you. Please do bring her safe and I'll treat you to Madam Scream's of anything you want."

"Madam Scream's...? Really? With anything I want?" Beel's eyes sparkles as drool pools down his empty plate.

She gave him a broad smile. "Yes, anything."

"Alexa, you probably don't know what you're saying. Beel will definitely bust your pocket in no time." Belphegor yawns as he took a bite on his toast.

"But I'm aware of Beel's appetite. Let's just say I'm loaded enough to feed 10 Beels for at least 1 month." She swiped a black card in air with her middle and index finger.

"Hey... Is that..." Satan raised an eyebrow.

"WOAHH!! The legendary black card! Imagine how many Ruri-chan collectibles and games I could buy with that." Sleepiness flushes out of Leviathan's system as he stared at the black card.

"Can feed... 10 Beels..." The sixth-born's drool intensifies.

"Hmm? When did you get one? You should've just asked me to process it for you." A surprised but rather unfazed Lucifer asked.

"I told you I don't want to be a bother. Though I admit getting one is not an easy task."

"Hey Alexa-chan. Are you sure you don't wanna join us shopping?" The fourth-born playfully twist her bangs around his fingers. "And while we're at it, let's have a full body Super Beauty Mud Course~"

She touched her chin in thought. "I'll think about the mud course, but not today."

But then, a demon, who should be hyper at the sight of a premium item, was rather silent.

"Hey Alexa-sama... Can I touch it?" The second-born teleports beside her, orbs sparkles gold and fingers twitching on air in a perverse way. "Please. It'll be a dream come true to hold it in my arms for even just a second."

"I refuse." She slid it back her wallet as fast as she swiped it out. "Show me first that I could trust you." She pinched the tan nose facing her, grinning.

Cherry red orbs observes the sight of the lively table, a curve tenderly forms across his face.

"O-Oi! Let go–" *Ring ring*

The sound of a phone rung through the spirited atmosphere, which wiped the smile off Alexandria's face.

Picking up the cup of tea with her free hand, she gulp it down before letting go of Mammon.

"Take care while shopping later, MC." She ruffled her sister's hair, "Thank you for the meal. Now, if you'll excuse me." ...before leaving the room.

"Then, I'll also retire for today and take a rest. Don't make a mess while I do so." Feeling tired of his restless shift, Lucifer decided to leave and retire to his room.

On his way, he heard the familiar voice of the lady behind her door, seemingly distressed.

As unethical as it seems, the oldest's curiosity of the enigmatic female wins him over and decided to stood his ground.

"I told you Father, I can't right now, that's why I'm telling you to just let me quit...... If I tell you, you'll definitely try to take me back there....... No...... Not telling......."

He could hear the series of loud sighs and frustration beyond the door.

"No, I don't want it. Brother deserves the company more than I do. So please think it over again.... Yes....... Yes, I will. Then, bye." He then heard a beep ending the call.

On the verge of stepping away as to not get caught, the next thing he heard render him motionless in place.

"I'm not even a your real child to begin with. If I continue there, I'll actually end up killing myself..." Unconsciously, he turned the knob and pushed the door open.

Alexandria jolts in surprise as her door opened out of nowhere.

"Wha..." Surprise was imminent on her face yet, realizing it is the first-born, her brows scrunches. "Don't you know knocking is a common courtesy?"

"What do you mean by you not being your father's real child? And what do you mean about killing yourself?" He ignores the annoyed expression of the woman. There's no way he could let this information pass under his nose. Not with this girl who made him concede more than he expected, and certainly not because of that grim words.

"What do you want?" She narrowed her eyes in annoyance.

"Killing yourself is something I could not ignore. And, I want to know more about the human who have the audacity to force a pact with me." He returned the same gaze with crossed arms above his chest. They stared at each other for a few seconds before the lady yield for the first time.

"Alright. I guess as a demon who have a pact with me, you have the right to know. We are, after all, connected by soul in spite of everything... Let's go to your office or something. I don't want anyone to hear this like you did."

"Right now, Satan is probably cooped in the library. He'll certainly asked why we're together. Let's go to my room instead. It's quite spacious for someone to eavesdrop."

She followed behind the oldest brother, careful not to be seen by anyone. Entering the room without meeting anyone down the hallway gave her a sense of relief.

"Even your room is nice." She casually strolls in the room, brushing her fingertips on the bones in the pillar, the candelabra, the gramophone, and scanning a few picture frames above the fireplace.

"You may want to start your story this instant or I'll pull the words out of you by force." Growing impatient, Lucifer took a sit at an angle on the corner of his bed, arms drapes his chest again.

With another sigh, she sat on the length of the bed partially behind the man, placing both her palms on the bed as she face the furnace.

"Too eager, aren't we?"

"Unlike you, I want to take a rest." Alexandria chuckled of his remark.

"It's true I'm not a real child of the current family I'm in. I am adopted after all." Her Aquamarine eyes glows a hue of orange as she stare at the dancing fire in the furnace. "It's no secret to MC. I did met her in an orphanage after all.."

"She's a volunteer that time when we're still young. Is that good enough? Am I off the hook already?"

"No. That doesn't answer my second question. You're still hiding... something." The strained smile he witnessed on her face almost made him regret continuing his statement.

"Is this a some sort of punishment?" A self-reproachful laughter rings the room, "You're good with picking your card if it is."

"You can say that. But I'm also curious of you."

"Yeah, yeah... But it'll be a long story. Is it alright with you?"

"I have the whole day available. And you?"

"I also have nothing to do. I just gave MC a sister-free day or she'll get tired of me."

"Then, continue your story." He moves facing the same fireplace.

"Ahh, right... If I remember correctly, the Great Celestial War... It's a conflict within your family, right?"

Lucir flinched from the sudden question. "...Why did you ask?"

"I just thought we may have the same sentiment... or maybe not."

"..."

"Anyways, MC knew nothing about what I'm going to tell you, so it's our secret, okay?" She waited for his reply before continuing.

"You see, I also have a big family. I'm the oldest with my six, adorable siblings. They're 3 set of twins. Amazing, right?" She smiled at him, softly.

"We're living a normal, happy life. I'm really satisfied with our big family I feel it to last forever... Or so I thought." The softness in her face disappeared into a grimace. Colors in her eyes disappeared as she travel back to time.

"I was 9 at that time when that night happened. It was freezing I couldn't feel my fingertips. Snow was falling hard when I witness everything."

"Unlike that fire, the place was rather cold and dark. My struggling brother's neck in his bare hands, my limp and beaten mother trying to pry him away from my brother, the bloody corpses of my 3 sisters, my 2 other brothers writhing in pain... and that sickening smile on my father's face." She spat, grabbing Lucifer's comforter with her fist. Lucifer watched the scorching flame reflected in her eyes as if it's her own.

"There's no way I could ever forgive him for what he have done..." She rid of her shoes and hugged her legs, facing Lucifer as she lay her cheeks on her knees. "Like how I could never forgive myself for what happened."

"Forgive yourself? That's a foolish way to put it. You didn't do anything wrong."

Bluish orbs draw itself towards his own as she gave him a bitter smile. "You can say that because you don't know everything."

"Then tell me what I don't know."

"Let's just say that a drive to protect MC and a drive to live are two different things. And I've been searching for the latter to no avail."

"You're really lucky to still have your brothers. I am quite jealous if I may say." She wore her shoes again and amble her way to the entryway. "It seems like this is as far as I could tell you right now. Maybe I'll continue it next time. If you'll excuse me." She bowed before closing the door.

In contrast, Lucifer couldn't utter another word. Perhaps it's because of the pact above his chest which connects them, but he felt his heart ache slowly since she started telling her story.

And right now, he feels an unbearable pain. An unbearable pain as if he's reliving his own scars.

He stared at the same scorching fire, and as though imitating her, he tried imagining the grief he have felt of losing someone dear.

"...lucky, huh... I guess I really am..." Clutching the fabric above his chest, he felt a pang of guilt from his curiosity.

If anyone asks if I hate Mammon for bullying him here too much— the answer's no. In fact, he's my # 2 (sometimes # 1 coz Luci). I really love him and his dorkiness! But he's just so adorable when he's flustered that I end up picking on him a bit too much (maybe that's also the reason why I love Luci and he's my first if not because of my occasional Mammon hype).

Anyways, it's a good thing I posted it now. I've been proofreading it for the umpteenth time cause I don't have any friends to ask nor share sentiments with the Obey Me Fandom (sad life of an otaku). I have many revisions but I'm quite satisfied with how it turns out again. UwU

And I didn't even noticed it's already 3 a.m. so I'm gonna peace out now~~

Chapter 3

MASTERLIST