#I wouldn't forget if I HAD A TAIL OR HORNS OR GLOWED IN THE DARK

[tepid-judas]

Anytime I write anything involving the Demons/Daemons, I gotta go back in and add tails and horns and bioluminescence because I keep forgetting and goddamnit- we need more of that in this fandom /lh

[apomaro-mellow]

Demon Eddie is based. But did we think to incorporate priest Steve ?

OOOOOOOHHHH

Steve was on his knees, prayers muttered under his breath. He kept his eyes closed. If he didn't seem him, then it didn't exist.

"I don't go away just because you ignore me~"

It was right into his ear but Steve had learned not to flinch. If anyone had learned he was being haunted by an actual demon-he'd never seen an exorcism up close but they didn't sound fun. This apparition had appeared to him suddenly one night. Steve had awakened in a sweat, body warm yet unsatisfied with just the whisps of a dream when he saw red eyes in the dark.

"What delicious desperation..."

Steve had started to tell his elder that a demon walked among them but quickly found that he was the only one who could see and hear it. This evil meant to consume him personally and he wouldn't let that happen. It had been triggered by a moment of weakness. By thoughts of depravity.

So he prayed harder. If he proved his faith, he would honor his Heavenly Father.

"If it's a daddy you want-"

"Leave me alone!", Steve hissed. Thankfully he was alone at the altar right now but people came and go. He didn't want to appear a lunatic or worse, marked by the devil. He got up and walked out, seeking sunshine. It seemed cruel that his demon would also enjoy bright sunny days, basking in the bench next to him.

Steve didn't have to guess how his devil was made. It was unfortunately very clear to him. He had been tasked with taking over Father Brown's duties while he had been under the weather, which included sharing the good word with the inmates of the local prison. He thought he'd been unaffected by the lewd catcalls thrown his way and the prying eyes, but apparently not.

The men had all looked different but there was something about their intensity that had intrigued him. Steve had only gone once he found it hard to forget their features. It only made sense that his demon would be an amalgamation of them all. Dark, curly hair that was too long for a man nowadays, an attractive nose, deep brown eyes when they weren't glowing red in the dark.

Steve might've been able to appreciate his handsomeness in a completely normal way. But the curved horns and pointed tail showed what he really was. That and the visions that haunted him at night revealed the demon's true intentions.

Every night was the same. He'd wake up with a start at the first rays of light, left with just the ghost of sensations and the vague memory of the dream. Hands adorned with rings, touching him in ways no one ever had. A voice, a familiar once now, whispering sweet nothings.

Sometimes Steve wished he remembered what he said. But then he reasoned that not remembering was a blessing that he shouldn't take for granted. He was still being shielded by the Lord's light, even if a tiny sliver of darkness got through. It was Steve's fault, it had to be.

He worked with children sometimes and it was a little amusing how most of them imagined a literal fistfight with the devil. How could he tell them that the devil didn't attack that way? That it all came down to mental fortitude?

His demon never left him, even at night as he settled in for bed. Oddly enough, he was courteous enough to give Steve privacy as he dressed down. Perhaps because he's already seen everything Steve had to offer. But he never put laid a hand on him, at least not while in the waking world. He laid his head down, rosary clutched tight in his hand.

Tonight would be the night. This time he would overcome his impure impulses. He'd dream of something else, he'd be sure of it. This demon would bother him no more.

"You can just call me Eddie, sweetheart. That suits me just fine. Sweet dreams."

Steve rolled his eyes but kept them on him as he sat in a chair at the edge of the bed. He never imagined it would have a name but he didn't care. This demon, this Eddie, would be gone before morning.

When instead, he awakened, a moan on his lips that sounded suspiciously like a name, well that was just another secret he would keep to himself.

[vermillion-bloodmoon]

(Inky Space) Ink Portal Troubles

Lake can be seen panting heavily as they run from an oni-saiyan hybrid covered in the blood of an unfortunate victim, the oni-saiyan cackling maniacally.

"Laaake~! Come back, let me just take a bite!" The oni-saiyan shouts after Lake, who's panicking as they try to make an ink portal to get away from him.

"Leave me alone, Dekura!" Lake shouts back behind them, jumping into the portal, the ink puddle sinking into the cracks in the sidewalk they had been running along.

"You can't run from me forever, Lake! Lest you forget what we had!" Dekura taunts towards where he saw Lake go, though he suddenly collapsed from how much running he had done.

"Oh well...you win this round, Lakie-poo~!" Dekura snickered before slowly floating himself up in the air then leaving the area.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Lake had been resting and trying to open up an exit in their inky, voided space that they had planted themself in. After all, they needed to pop back up at some point, even if it was as far from home as possible. At least there would be less risk of Dekura finding them.

Lake steeled their nerves as they finally managed to get an exit to appear, rising up from the puddle they had formed, taking a moment to glance at their environment. This...wasn't on Earth, or at least it wasn't any location they could reasonably recognize. Obviously it was a lab, but something about it felt...off.

"Um...hello? Is there anyone here? I...I-I need help finding out where I am!" Lake called out into the hallway space, their ears and tail lowered as they waited for anyone to answer.

They wouldn't have to wait long as tall, Moon-like animatronic rounded the corner, their piercing pinkish-red eyes glaring icy daggers into them.

"Oh...poor thing, lost, aren't you?" The moon-like animatronic bent down onto their knees to be eye level with Lake, their voice laced with mock pity and even slightly taunting towards them.

"Well my ink portal made me pop up here, and I don't....wait a damn minute." Lake finally realized where they were, flustered now to hell and back and pulling on their own hair.

"I'm in that god damn pocket dimension that Dark Sun made in the TSBS universe! How did this happen, that shouldn't be possible!! And appearing to YOU of all people! NOOOOO!!!!" Lake started ranting, becoming even more red in the face, the moon-like figure laughing their ass off at how flustered Lake was.

"Oh, so you already know who I am, hm?" The moon-like figure's wide, uncanny grin seemed to get bigger.

"I know damn well who you are, Nexus! You goddamn cheeky bastard, you!" Lake grabbed Nexus by his long sleeved, sort of fancy shirt and started shaking him like a ragdoll.

Nexus hadn't expected this amount of strength from such a short toon-like person, their eyes swirling from how hard they were getting shaken.

"Ay, ay, quit it!" Nexus growled, yoinking Lake up by the back of their jacket and holding them out in front of him at arms' length.

"Bite me!" Lake retorted, angrily gnashing their fangs at Nexus.

"Tempting, but I don't have fangs like you do, puppydog!" Nexus pulled Lake closer as he insulted Lake.

"I can make them sharper, just for you, you dollar store KC-looking ass!" Lake insulted Nexus right back, causing Nexus to lose his temper more.

"Oh you're just tempting fate now, pipsqueak!" Nexus' mouth twitched from how much anger he was feeling, tempted to rip Lake in two.

"Good, it's what ya get for adding fuel to my fire!" Lake's voice went a deeper pitch, their eyes glowing red and horns popping up on their head for a split moment.

Nexus felt...well he wasn't sure what he felt, especially at seeing those demonic features on Lake. He knew there was a sense of slight awe, demons were pretty cool, so the idea that this little 5'10" ink being was half demon was pretty appealing to him.

"Well...it was worth seeing your more demonic features." Nexus reached over and squished up Lake's face, his eyes going wide on realizing how malleable and squishy Lake's skin was.

"Oi, let go!" Lake growled and gnashed his fangs at Nexus, which only got them a wide stretching of their face in response.

"I don't think so....and I don't think I'm letting you go anytime soon." Nexus was too invested now, squashing and stretching Lake's face in their hands, only letting go to wrap his arms around Lake and pull them right up against their chest.

"Ugh, great, I've been kidnapped by an emo try-hard villain." Lake huffed sarcastically and lowered their ears, not even noticing that Nexus had started petting them for a moment.

"Keep giving me mouth and I might just kill you instead." Nexus placed his head on top of Lake's, not actually meaning it, not really.

"Ha! Would love to see you try, buddy." Lake rolled their eyes, now just accepting that Nexus wanted to keep them around.

"I will be leaving at some point though, you know." Lake continued, a deadpan look on their face.

Nexus scoffed in response, acting more cat-like as he just held onto Lake tighter, letting out growl-y purrs.

"Nevermind, I'm stuck with a giant cat." Lake sighed and decided it would be better to just wait for Nexus to get distracted or called away by something. For now they'd just deal with Nexus acting like a cat.