#also i just needed solomon getting comforted for once so yeah if this is weird i'm kind of sorry but mostly not that much

[leviathanswingman]

Survivor’s Guilt - A Solomon Birthday OneShot (implied SoloDeus)

Solomon was sitting on his bed with a pillow propped against the headrest, a book sitting on his lap, opened to a page that he had tried his best to pay attention to. For some reason however, he found himself unable to get lost in the magic of words. Today, the strings of sentences failed to make sense to him and instead, confused him even more as his mind kept wandering different places.

He lifted his head and his eyes darted to the clock on his wall as he watched the hands tick with unrelenting fervour.

Before he could tears his eyes off the wretched clock he watched it hit zero and shut the book in his lap, filling the otherwise silent room with momentary noise.

11:58, 11:59, pause, pause, pause, 0:00.

There it was, a new day had begun, another Ninth of December, not much different from the myriads of December ninths he had lived through before.

Long gone where the days where Solomon had looked forward to the day, had watched the ticking of the clock with glee and waited impatiently for the day to come.

Nowadays, another year to his life meant nothing more than another year lost with the people he cared about. Only with immortality came the realization that even though time moved forward, it did not mean much to you.

Solomon checked his DDD. 0:05. There were no new messages. Good.

Through the years, Solomon had learned to hide the fact that this specific day, the ninth of December, was his own date of birth. Although he was rarely one to get gloomy over such trivialities, this one was inherently different.

With each and every year he remained stagnant while the people around him turned older, wiser, suffered through hardships, got sick and inevitably faced death, either with a smile upon their lips or regret filling their souls. Solomon however, was left to outlive them all, over and over again.

He shouldn't be one to complain, after all, in his unquenchable thirst for knowledge and power, he had chosen this life for himself. Still, Solomon couldn't help but feel particularly nostalgic every time this time of year came around.

Decades ago he had given up on celebrating this day, had done his best to demolish each and every record that proved that the Ninth of December was his supposed day of celebration. After all, there was no need to celebrate a day that marked nothing but yet another year, with myriads of others just the same to come.

Solomon put the book away and got up from his bed. He walked over to his balcony, pushed the doors open and enjoyed the stinging breeze of cold air blowing against his cheeks. Staring up at the dark sky, he was reminded of decades of birthdays, different from this one yet also very much the same, spent with friends and lovers, enemies and allies, all so discernible in life but now interchangeable in death. Solomon was the remaining factor, the man who had outlived them all, so self-absorbed in his search for knowledge; his very own narcissus standing ever so lonely in a lake of memories.

Solomon gripped the balcony's rails tightly and watched the way his clenched fists made his knuckles turn ghastly white, observed the way his dark blue veins threatened to break through thin skin. Sometimes, he wondered if he had made the wrong decision after all. Who was he to decide that he himself was above other humans?

Suddenly, Solomon heard the faintest of sounds. It was a sound he knew all to well, a sound which most definitely did not belong to the quiet whisper of a cold December night. Like a bell chiming through the empty halls of an abandoned church, a pretty voice cut through the silence, accompanied by the soft sound of wings flapping and then feet hitting the ground.

There was no need for Solomon to look up to know who had joined him on this cold and somewhat lonely night.

„Asmo,“ he said without looking up. His elbows were resting on the rails and he contemplatively watched the way the trees, dipped in white like used paint brushes, swayed in rhythm with the wind. „What brings you here?“

For the shortest of moments, Asmo stayed uncharacteristically silent, which generally meant little good. Solomon turned his head to look at the demon.

Asmodeus was sitting on the railing, still in his demon form, with a thoughtful look on his face. His gaze was fixed on Solomon and Solomon alone.

„You, Solomon.“

Solomon raised an eyebrow at the short answer. „What about me? You're generally not one to be this mysterious, Asmo.“

The demon's eyes shone eerily in the night as he pushed himself off the railing and walked closer to Solomon, putting his hand down on his forearm ever so softly. Those mesmerizing eyes of his seemed to gaze right through Solomon's soul, leaving him bare and exposed, leaving whatever was left of his stony soul to be looked upon by Asmodeus' hypnotizing eyes.

Asmo let out a soft sigh and gripped Solomon's forearm a little bit harder before turning his head to get a better look at him. Today, he seemed to be uncharacteristically quiet and perhaps even the slightest bit solemn.

„You're usually not this lost in thought either, Solomon. I can tell something is up, so don't even think about turning me away.“ A scowl appeared on Asmodeus' face as he mustered Solomon intently. „What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?“ he asked, his eyebrows knit together.

Finally, Solomon returned Asmo's gaze and let out a deep sigh, his breath visible in the cold winter air. He hadn't even put on a jacket and was shivering by now, but either didn't notice or didn't care enough to change something about it.

„I've just been thinking a lot.“

„About?“

Solomon's grip on the railing tightened once again. „Life, death. Everything in-between.  How slow it starts and how quickly it can end again. Do you know what the one thing is all humans have in common?“

Asmodeus kept quiet for a moment.

„Death. At least in the end, everyone is equal,“ Solomon continued, tracing the lines of a horizontal eight on the cold wood with his icy pointer. „With one exception,“ he added. „Me.“

To be honest, Solomon couldn't say what had brought him to confide in Asmodeus tonight. Normally, he wasn't one to regret his choices. After all, they had been for a greater purpose. Tonight however was the one night of the year where he allowed himself to mourn all the souls he had outlived and would inevitably outlive over and over again.

„Oh, Solomon dear,“ Asmo whispered, his voice barely discernible as he grabbed both of Solomon's hands,  ever so cold to the touch, and pulled them close to his chest. Solomon did not cry nor wallow in despair, he had spent all his tears decades ago. What was left was a certain emptiness in his heart, an emptiness he knew was never to be filled again, no matter how hard he tried to replace the human connections he had lost, whether it was with magic or power or knowledge; it was not on the same level and it was never enough.

Suddenly, he felt a steady rhythm against the palms of his hands, fluttering like a newborn humming bird flapping its wings, and looked up in slight confusion. He hadn't even realized Asmodeus had come this close. When-? He was really out of it today.

„Let's get you inside,“ Asmo simply said, still with that concerned look on his face. Solomon couldn't place why Asmo would look at him like that. There was no reason to be concerned after all. No one else had noticed his odd behaviour leading up to today, so why should Asmo be any different?

As if time had jumped forward, they were suddenly inside his room again and before Solomon knew what was going on Asmo had sat him down on the bed and had thrown a blanket around his shoulders. Solomon felt the clouds shrouding his mind clear a little when he noticed Asmo kneeling before him, one hand on the bed and the other resting on Solomon's thigh, staring at him intently, his eyes shining ever so bright in the darkness.

Ah, he must be using his magic, Solomon noted calmly. He felt his pact mark burn hot against his cold, chilly skin, filling him with that certain heat that was exclusive to their magic, both comforting and exciting at once. Asmodeus took hold of Solomon's hands again and pressed the lightest of kisses onto it.

With every second of this, Solomon felt his heart lose some of its weariness and felt his head regain its focus.

Asmodeus looked up again and the golden shine to his eyes eventually simmered down to the slightest of glimmers. „Solomon?“ he then asked cautiously, still kneeling and looking up at the sorcerer.

Solomon took a deep breath and felt the crisp cold air of his room fill his lungs, felt the coldness that filled his bones and shivered. At once, he felt grounded again, felt as if he had just returned to his body from an out of body experience . „Yes.“

A deep shudder ran through Asmodeus' body as well. „There you are,“ he said, his voice relieved, a slight smile replacing his former frown. He lifted a hand to Solomon's cheek and cradled it. „Where have you been?“

For a moment, Solomon gave it some thought, finally able to think somewhat clearly again. „In the past, I suppose,“ he answered, his blue lips still reluctant to push out an answer.

„You can't do this to yourself, Solomon. You had me so worried! I came here because I felt our pact mark grow cold, so so cold. For a moment I thought-“ he didn't finish the sentence, but instead crawled up on the bed, moving behind Solomon. Without any hesitation he hugged his partner from behind, burying his nose in the crook of his neck. „Let's get you warm.“

„There really is no need to-“

Asmodeus pulled Solomon even closer, much tighter than ever before.

Although he felt icy to the core, shivering and pathetic, Solomon didn't feel deserving of compassion. Not tonight and certainly not ever. After all, he was the one who had chosen a life untouched by sickness and death. He had no right to be consoled, for he was to blame for being selfish and power hungry to the core. Wasn't compassion a thing lost on someone like him?

Asmodeus cut through his train of thought before he could slip away again. „There is every need to do this right now. Solomon, I can tell you are feeling conflicted right now. You've been acting so strange all day, I just know something is wrong.“ One of his hands wound around Solomon's body and came to a stop on his chest, right above his heart, right where their pact mark had bloomed all those years ago. „This,“ he let his fingers trace circles around the mark hidden beneath the cloth of Solomon's shirt, „has been calling out to me all night long. You always indulge me Solomon, no matter how selfish I act. Let me be there for you, just tonight, please. I need you.“

I need you.

And with that one simple, sugary sentence Solomon felt the walls he always kept pulled up ever so neatly crumble to pieces.

He was tired.

Solomon turned around to Asmodeus and only for tonight, he let his head drop onto Asmo's shoulder and slid his arms around his body in a desperate embrace which was returned immediately in the same fashion.

As Asmodeus rubbed Solomon's back, the sorcerer allowed himself to let go of those gloomy ghosts of the past, even if only for this year.

It was true, he had dedicated himself to a path of knowledge and power, but inevitably also loneliness. He had lost more loved ones than he could count.

Right here however was someone who was there to stay and most certainly wouldn't go anywhere for a long time. Here was someone who needed him desperately, someone whom Solomon needed just as desperately in return. And although their relationship was certainly a strange one, hard to pinpoint and even more difficult to describe with words, it was indisputably one for the ages.

In the arms of his pact partner, Solomon felt his icy exterior thaw. His pact mark throbbed with comforting waves of warmth as Asmodeus ran one hand along the nape of his neck and worked his way up into Solomon's silver locks.

It was the Ninth of December and although Solomon despised the implications of the date, for once he felt free to let go of at least some of the guilt. Although he had outlived so many, there were still people in his life that would remain. After all, there was so much more beyond the realm of death.

For the first time in decades, Solomon spent the morning of his birthday entangled in the arms of a loved one, fast asleep, comforted by the certainty of countless more years to come. For the first time in years, he felt almost at peace.

[absolutepokemontrash]

Aaa congrats on 666 :D you've been one of my favorite obey me blogs since I joined the fandom! can I request the brothers with an mc that looks/acts like they just walked out of a zombie apocalypse? Turns out that while the demons werent looking, things in the human realm went down hill ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

👀 I love this! Sorry this took so long! I hope you enjoy!

Lucifer

When Solomon popped down into the Devildom earlier, Lucifer had noticed that the sorcerer looked a tad… concerned. After he left, Lucifer thought nothing of it until the second human exchange student appeared brandishing a gun and looking like they hadn’t showered in eight days.

After managing to disarm the human and avoiding the baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, Lucifer managed to explain exactly why the human was in the Devildom and what was going on. In return, the human calmed down and explained what was going on in the human world.

…geez, shit really hit the fan. Uh… Lucifer wished them luck in their exchange year and foisted them off on Mammon. Lucifer was not about to deal with that right then.

(Apparently one of Solomon’s necromancing acquaintances had something to do with the mini apocalypse going on in the human world. Lucifer and MC were assured that the zombie problem was being dealt with)

As confused and annoyed as Lucifer was at first, he quickly became glad that the human had some kind of self defence on them. The Devildom was a dangerous place, and the human could nullify some of that danger by popping a bullet or twelve into some idiots’ heads.

But one of MC’s more annoying habits were their tendency to set traps and hoard food. They didn’t seem to grasp that lack of food wasn’t an issue and that there were plenty of spells in place to make sure-

Okay, Beel just raided the fridge. Maybe MC had the right idea. Up for sharing some spaghetti-o’s?

Mammon

Now listen here! The Great and Amazing and Mega-Sexy Mammon wasn’t scared of the human at all! Got it?! Good. He wasn’t scared of how dishevelled and dirty they were and how they looked like they just crawled out of a horror movie! Not at all! He also wasn’t scared of the baseball bat they threatened to hit him with if he continued to spout threats of eating them.

Pff, he wasn’t scared… totally not scared… *ahem*

Once the human took a bath and stopped pointing their various weapons at him, Mammon quickly began to warm up to the human in their own tsundere kind of way. Fine, he could admit that MC was kinda cool.

The one thing that Mammon just couldn’t deal with was MC’s traps… he kept setting them off while trying to get into MC’s room!

Oi! Don’t look at him like that! He wasn’t tryin’ to steal anything! He also wasn’t goin’ in there to hang out with the dumb human either! Wasn’t goin’ in there to check on em’ and make sure they were comfortable…

Mammon is also #2 in terms of food theft in the house. He just spotted ramen and decided that possibly getting hit with MC’s baseball bat of pain was worth getting his greedy little mitts on some dollar store noodles.

Leviathan

When Levi went downstairs to threaten Mammon for his money back, Levi immediately recoiled at the absolutely fowl smell coming from the human. Ew, normie stink was getting all over him! And why did they look like they just walked out of TellTale’s The Walking Dead?

Once MC explained their situation, Levi took it upon himself to mansplain the zombie apocalypse to the poor human that was going through it. He had played plenty of zombie survival games and he was surely the expert-

AAKSJAKAJANA- PUT THE BAT DOWN! HE’LL SHUT UP! HE’LL SHUT UP!

After that was over and done with, Levi decided it would be his job to reintroduce MC to some quality entertainment. There couldn’t be that many good shows to watch in the apocalypse, so MC (starved for entertainment) agreed to watch whatever Levi wanted.

Food hoarding? Been there done that. Levi keeps at least ten boxes of Pocky in his room at all times, and a crap ton of other snack foods too. That habit doesn’t phase Levi.

The traps on the other hand? HELL YES TEACH HIM MC! THAT’LL WARD OFF SOME SCUMMY MORONS! *insert Levi cackle here*

Satan

Satan was amongst the people who had the privilege of getting a gun pointed at them on the first day of the exchange program. He kept his fake little smile on his face, but he sure as hell wasn’t too pleased with the human.

He kept his distance at first, studying MC from afar and taking note of their weird little habits. Satan found it quite interesting how quickly this seemingly average human adapted to their new circumstances.

After the body switching incident and the murder train incident, Satan developed a fondness for MC. But… maybe MC shouldn’t have brought their weapons with them on one of their hangout sessions with Satan.

It was on that day that MC learned that Satan was as good a shot with a gun as they were… Rest in Pieces to the idiot that decided fucking with the Avatar of Wrath would be a good idea.

The traps… oh yes the traps… that exact skill set transferred perfectly to pranks! Oh if MC would be so kind as to let Satan teach them the way of the bastard (tm) so the two of them could annoy that pompous peacock together?

Asmodeus

Ewwwww! What was that awful stench coming from the- EWWWWW! Why was the human so gross and dirty! Someone get the hose! They summoned a feral one!

Asmo was less concerned with the fact that the human was threatening everyone with an actual weapon and more concerned with how they smelled like a month old macaroni salad.

MC got a bottle of admittedly pleasant smelling soap thrown at them before Mammon dragged them off to the HOL.

Despite the nasty first impression, once MC took a much needed bath and washed all that gross grime off of themselves… they were honestly really hot… man, apocalypses should happen more often if they produce babes like MC~ *eyebrow wiggle*

Though, the poor human still needed some work, Asmo declared himself their fairy goddaddy (I regret ever learning how to type) and took every opportunity to make sure MC looked their best and took care of themselves.

MC’s odd habits don’t exactly phase Asmo much, I mean, look at who he lives with.

Beelzebub

…he doesn’t wanna eat this human.

Listen, Beel will eat anything, but if he has other options, he’s not eating the gross dirty human pointing a gun at him.

At first, Beel’s pretty neutral towards anything and everything MC ends up doing. They barricaded themselves in their room to keep safe out of habit? Okay. They scarily polish and clean their weapons out in the middle of the living room? So does Satan on occasion. They cleared out the fridge- wait they cleared out the fridge?

BEEL WAS GOING TO DO THAT! PREPARE TO BE EATEN, HUMAN!

MC miraculously survived a hungry Beel attack by chucking food at him until he calmed back down. Beel felt a little bad for scaring them, but anyone with more than five brain cells should know not to steal food from the Avatar of Gluttony.

Anyway, once the two get closer, Beel’s always there for a hug and comfort if MC needs it. Just don’t let him near the food hoard. He will reduce it to nothing in less than an hour.

More than 90% of the traps that get set off are set off by Beel trying to get into MC’s room for food.

Belphegor

Father Dammit, Belphie wanted a nice easy defenceless human to murder, not this Rambo-lookalike. Whatever, sure the human looked tough, but Belphie’s a demon.

Well… Belphegor’s plan went to shit when he was in the middle of choking the human, who pulled out a gun and nearly shot him in the eye. He ended up dropping them in surprise when the bullet grazed his face and ended up getting MC’s boot planted into his forehead.

Yeah… Belphie did not fare well. MC: 1 Belphie: 0

After that nonsense, Belphie demanded begged that MC become his full time nap guardian. They were scary and could protect him, the totally defenceless war criminal 🥺, come on MC, don’t be heartless!

Similar to Asmo, Belphie isn’t too phased by MC’s weird habits. As long as they don’t try and steal his pillows, he’s okay. Those traps though… perfect for a certain older brother of his…

He joins in on Satan’s crusade to get MC to join the Anti Lucifer League. Puh-LEEEEEEEAAAAAASE MC?

[astaroth1357]

Demigod MC Series: Athena

So. I have to deal with the virgin goddesses… By mythos, there really shouldn't ever be children of Artemis, Hestia, or Athena (yes, Athena was a virgin goddess). PJ got past that by making it canon that Annabeth and her siblings were born from cracking open Athena's skull (yes, that's also more or less the canon explanation). They gloss over it real quick but I remember, Rick. I've always remembered and that mental image has haunted me for years...

I can't, in good conscience, ignore the history around Athena's worship (call it an academic restraint) but I REFUSE to do the skull thing. So, since I make the rules here, I'm going with magic adoption. They still get magic powers, they're just more human than demigod. Cool? Cool.

Demigod MC Series: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hades, Dionysus, Demeter, Athena

Lucifer

The human that popped out of the portal seemed to have enough sense not to attack everyone in the room for a change, but even Lucifer could tell that was more of a strategic choice than for lack of ability...

Their very existence was highly unusual… and quite worrisome. He wasn't even aware Athena could have "children" of her own, but apparently she had been taking in some particularly bright humans to raise and train like her own...

Unbeknownst to him, a surprising amount of human scholars, diplomats, and generals have her to thank for their trade… and that alone should speak to the level of intrigue at play here. 

Was this an accident or Athena's attempt to plant an Olympian spy in the Devildom too…? Either way, he didn't trust them from the get go…

Look, Lucifer isn’t stupid. Athena is a goddess of Wisdom and War and war happens on more than just the battlefield… 

Since they've shown up records have been going missing, official documents keep getting misplaced, and he swears that there's some kind of bug in the student council room...!

It's infuriating watching the MC suck up to Diavolo when he's almost certain that they're running their own agenda behind the scenes! And he can't prove any of it!! They cover their tracks too well!

Lucifer has one of those corkboards covered in newspapers and string in a secret wing of the Castle - 100% dedicated to just tracking the MC's activities…. The longer they're there, the more obsessed he becomes...

He swears between Simeon, Solomon, and MC he feels like a shepherd wondering why the sheep are growling… The Devildom has never been in more danger than it is right now... Send help.

Mammon

To be honest, he kind of thought that they were just going to be Satan 2.0 but that's not really true.

They're more than just a book sponge! Though they do read, like a lot. Let’s just say from one schemer to another… Game recognizes Game.

They come up with plans and ideas soooo fast, it’s insane! Honestly, there are times where he has a new money-making plot and he just brings it to the MC first to run it over. 

Nine times out of ten, not only do they sniff out any problems but they have a solution for him in a matter of minutes! His scheme game has been on point since they’ve shown up!!

They’re also even better tutoring than Satan is, so he’s even managed to get a couple A’s for the first time in his life! Lucifer actually told him he was proud (which he secretly recorded and now uses as a ringtone much to his brother’s regret...)

So yeah, he likes them... buuut that doesn’t keep him from thinking they act a little weird sometimes... 

Mammon: *points to a unused tower close to the RAD building* Over there is the Tower of Sorrow. We use it for storage.

MC: Ah. Interesting… *starts writing in a notebook, muttering* It may need a few minor tweaks but the location is defensible...

Mammon: *stops* Ya say somethin’?

MC: *looks back up* Nope! Say, you’ve been to the Castle a lot haven’t you? Do you know any good ways in?

Mammon: Uhm… Why do ya want to know that…? *starts looking around for Lucifer*

MC: In case of emergencies. I like being prepared. 🙂

Mammon: Look, I don’t know what Lucifer might’a told ya…

MC: I’ll pay you a thousand Grimm for it.

Mammon: Well shit, ya want those maps with or without color?

... Yeeeah, that’s pretty weird… But it’s probably fine. I mean, as long as they keep giving him money, who’s he to complain? 🤷‍♀️

Leviathan

Also thought that they’d be a lot more like Satan but was pleasantly surprised that they were into more than books.

What else did they like exactly? Military strategy!!

It’s been a looong time since he’s been able to talk to someone who’s actually interested in all the battles he’s fought, both in the Celestial Realm and the Devildom, and their curiosity is kind of flattering...! Not a lot of people take his strategic prowess all that seriously anymore...

Plus, they are the BEST partner to have any turn-based strategy game. Hands down. He once got stuck on a level of D-COM for weeks until the MC walked in and mopped the floor with the AI!! They have a serious head for probability and tactics.

The House once made the mistake of letting these two be on the same team during a Hell Game and they absolutely demolished the competition. Mammon didn’t even get a single shot off before half his team was lost to a rigged paint grenade… It took a whole day to clean up… 

However, Levi’s also noticed some odd things about the human… He likes that they’re interested in his past but maybe they’re a little… too interested?

Levi: -and that’s how we defeated the Four Horsemen before they escaped from Purgatory. 

MC: Wow, Levi that’s seriously impressive!! *furiously scribbling on a notebook*

Levi: Well t-thanks… 😅 But, uhm... are you writing that down…?

MC: Hm? Oh no, just doodling. *they lift up the notebook to show a bunch of cute little sketches on the page… and not the magic-based invisible ink all over them…*

Levi: Oh you draw too? Can you do fanart???

MC: Eh, sometimes. But say Levi, can you tell me about your naval ranks again? I’m still really curious… *gets the pen ready again with a smile*

Satan

Oh, it's been a long game of cat-and-mouse between these two… and unfortunately, it’s been pretty addicting too.

He honestly had every intention of tricking the human into making a huge mess do he could bother Lucifer, but at every turn they proved just a hair too clever for him...

He once gave them a cursed book to “lend” to Lucifer, but they saw through it the moment they touched it and lifted the spell before handing it over.

He rigged a podium to spray glitter during one of Lucifer's speeches but the MC disconnected the trigger mic before he even got on stage. It was pretty dang frustrating...

At one point he got so desperate that, just as a test, he tried to trap them in the House's Music Room. Fortunately for them, it only took a few minutes to work out an escape. They even passed by him in the hallway with a wink!

It's confounding! It's infuriating!! 

...and it's so damn sexy... He should be furious but he’s just in awe!!

Add on that they know their art, literature, and multiple different crafts thanks to the tutelage of their adopted mother and that’s it. He’s finished. This boy is in love.

Truthfully though, a part of him is 90% sure that they’re also gathering state secrets… Like, they’re watching Barbs and Diavolo far too close for comfort - but he just can't bring himself to care. 🤷‍♀️

The MC could walk into his room one day and say, "Hey, do you want to help overthrow the monarchy with me?" and he dreads it because deep down he knows that he wouldn’t say no…

Take some notes, kids. Some bad influences get you to drink or do drugs. Others pull you into a centuries long conspiracy to destabilize and topple rival realms from within… But he has fallen for their brain hard. Devil help them all…

Asmodeus 

They’re pretty clever, he’ll give them that, but uh… Are they a little off to anybody else?

Asmo is a charmer by birthright so he has a bit of nose for when someone’s just a liiittttle too nice… Not much of a nose mind you, because he can be thrown off by compliments himself, but enough to think that the MC might be a little too… “kind” for their own good...

First off, who wants to spend that much time with Levi?? They don’t even seem that interested in anime! They just keeping asking him for old war stories…

Then all the sucking up they do to Diavolo and Barbatos? Look, he gets it. Diavolo is a delicious piece of man-hunk and his butler could give him a lesson or two in sweet-talk (and he has), but they seem to be just a little too… nosy.

Of course, Asmo’s suspicions disappear pretty quickly after they start to spoil him with spa nights and beauty secrets they picked up from “casual research” into the subject.

And you know, get a little Demonus in Asmo and start massaging his back? Oh, sweetie he’ll sing like a bird!! … with gossip. Singing with gossip.

Asmo: So I’ve heard that Lucifer has been spending more time at RAD than usual… His whole club is talking about it, they think he’s meeting with some witch!

MC: Hm, is that so? *works on a knot near his shoulder blades* What do you think?

Asmo: Ooh~! Right there, MC! *purrs and lays his head on his arms* Well come on, this is Lucifer we’re talking about! I’m sure he’s just working.

Asmo: Hmm... though come to think of it, I think I heard him asking Barbatos for the spare keys to the Tower of Sorrow…

MC: Oh really? Huh. *works out the knot and gets up* I just remembered that I left some papers with Satan... I’ll be right back.

Asmo: You’re going already??

MC: *waves him off quickly* I’ll be right back, Asmo. *hurries out the door to do totally on-the-up-and-up things… surely*

Beelzebub 

Honestly he doesn't like this one… But not for the reasons you'd expect.

He agrees with everyone else that they seem a little shady, but Solomon and Simeon are too so it's not like that's anything new... 🤷‍♀️

No, no. He dislikes them because they're the person who FINALLY figured out how to keep him from eating all the food in the kitchen!!

Turns out that the trick was to put a teleportation charm on the fridge door that would send all the food away if it’s opened after a certain time of night… 

And where does it go? The Purgatory Hall fridge. And where does the Purgatory Hall food go…? The HoL fridge…

It doesn’t sound so bad until you remember that it means half of their fridge is now Solomon’s leftovers…. 🤢

After they put the same kind of spell on the pantry, it was all over… He couldn't get midnight snacks from the House anymore… Everything was contaminated by Solomon…

The MC is a nice enough person, he doesn’t have a lot of complaints about them, but he wants them to leave. Now. This is inexcusable… He’s so hungry… and he doesn’t want to die by “goulash” or whatever Solomon calls his latest culinary catastrophe… He’s still too young for death… 😓

Belphegor 

In a way, he absolutely could not have asked for a better person to help him get out of that attic.

… In another way, he got one of the worst possible people to try and kill... Like. They saw through his scheme sooo fast…

How was he supposed to know that the human had training in body language and sniffing out lies???

Getting the door open was a piece of cake for them. They knew enough magic to undo the seals and just rummaged around Lucifer's stuff long enough to find the key to the door. He could not have found a more competent individual for a break out, really.

It’s just… well he didn’t expect to go from locked in a room like a prisoner to tied up in enchanted rope, still like a prisoner but now mobile. 😑 

They even used his own hug ruse against him! They caught his wrists when they got close and tied him up before he could shake them off...

Admittedly, it wasn't exactly the best look for them either - what with walking Belphegor downstairs to the others like a one-man-prison-caravan but they're as silver-tongued as they are sly so they talked their way out of it beautifully… 

And like hell was he going to trust them after that!! And not even Beel liked them so something had to be up...

Well, you want a detective? Look no farther than Belphie (no seriously, it’s in the canon). He can put things together pretty fast when he puts his mind to it and watching the MC for a while gave him enough proof to work off of...

He always knew that, humans were bad news and the MC just proved it to him all over again. They are bad news, bad bad news and they’re going to-!

Overthrow… Diavolo…? Is that what he is getting from them…? Huh…

Wait a second, MC. You might just have him interested… 😏

[arcadejohn127-9]

Heyyy, I hope you’re doing ok! I love ur blog and I know we’re strangers who will possibly never meet but Recently, the little things have pushed me over the edge and close to an anxiety attack I presume but I’ve been using knitting and crochet to cope. It sounds weird Ik, but may u do the brothers and Undateables with an MC who does that and MC just ends up making so much stuff in one day that she gives it away to them. I’m so sorry if it’s weird, pls feel free to choose whether to do it or not but this blog has made me a little happier than before, thank you for reading and being here!

I actually use to do knitting, never finished anything and lost interest but it was really calming and fun. Couldn't keep my attention for long as it was very repetitive and got boring quickly but I always just genuinely enjoyed it despite that?

Stress knitting seems like the most wholesome way to handle anxiety and stress, it helps you focus on something else, you're being productive and having fun aswell as being safe! Though do be careful with the needles

And thank you for being here and supporting me, I'm glad I could make you feel even a little bit happier, a small amount of happiness is better than none! So thank you for making my night with how kind you are! Your habit and anxiety relief isn't weird at all, I don't see how it could be weird tbh

Sorry this took so long, I feel stupid now but I got really stumped on some of them on what to make but now I'm laughing at myself due to how obvious they were

Lucifer:

You made him mug holders and now it's all he uses

"It's very useful, I'll take extra care of it - no need to worry."

He can handle the heat but he must use what you've made

You even made a massive sweater and socks for Cerberus

How you got his dogs measurements is beyond him but it was the most prominent things he uses from your biggest pile

But he was no fool, he knew you

He knew your habits and how you've grown more anxious

He isn't always the most available person with his emotions and with his schedule

But he was always willing to listen to your issues

Mammon:

You made him a money pouch - how could he not be happy??!!

He loves jingling it to hear all his latest 'finds'

What was even better you made him a sweater he got to wear for his modeling job and show off to Everyone

That article was an interesting find

"CHECK IT! everyone loved your sweater! I say we can make a bussiness with this."

But when you come handing him a large bag full of your latest projects he can't help but raise a brow

He's greedy, he loves being showered in gifts

But he knew you, he took note on your emotional

He got pouty but he hugged your shoulders

Reminding you that you can always come to him and he'll make you feel better

Levithan:

You made him knitted wrist support, for his long gaming sessions

He wears them pretty much everyday at this point

Not only are they comfortable and helpful

But you made them! Specifically for him! For him to use! YOU MADE IT!

Has bragged to his gaming friends about it one too many times

"My player 2 is obviously better than yours, does yours knit cute things for you? I thought so."

Also you made him a crotchet plush of his favourite animal crossing chatacter, he prefers the Devildom version of the game but he's a sucker for bright cute things

Anything he could he'd either put in on his desk or on his figure cupboards

But when you come in with a massive pile, strained smile he felt himself panic

You both have anxiety, you were comrades in it! So of course he knew how knitting was part of your coping mechanism

He felt annoyed and worried on why you weren't coming to him but quickly calmed himself down, when he saw he patted your head

Explaining you can always come to him because you're in this together

He definitely stole a line or two from his latest favourite media

Satan:

Crotchet chair cat paw socks was his favourite out of the pile

"They're little paws..... I need these for all my furniture!"

His second favourite is the baggy sweater you knitted for him

He's going to cherish these gifts until he dies

Which could be never

Though even in death he'd be keeping what you've made him

Worried about the massive increase as he knows it's coping for your anxiety

He's read books about anxiety so he has a fair amount of knowledge on it

Insists you can always come to him when you're worried

Asmodeus:

He adored everything you made!

The sweater had little holes in them? He doesn't care and even smirks at the holes

"wanting to expose my beautiful skin~? I don't blame you."

Made a scarf? He'll wear that instead of his usual black one

Just knitted squares or unwearable things? Proudly shows off your work

Is concerned you've been so ridden with anxiety

He wants to help as much as he can, he has teas and bath scents for these kind of things

Just say the word and he'll bring all of it out

Beezlebub:

A crotchet layered burger he can take apart because it's velcro-ed together??!

It's like a real burger!

He tries not to bite or chew on it but it has happened before

Would feel awful if he accidentally ripped it

"I love it, are you going to make more?"

Didn't expect for you to actually make more

As time went on he learned that it helps you calm down from anxiety

So he especially didn't expect you to come in with a massive bag full of your latest creation's

He immediately got worried

You wanted to show them off to distract your mind but he just grabbed your head

Gently moving it so you looked at him

He told you he wants to help and he'll be there for you, no matter what and no matter when

Belphegor:

You made him w blanket - you know how young children are normally seen with baby blankets? Just always carrying them around

Yeah that's him

"You can't make me take it off Lucifer-! This is MY gift from (Y/N) and I'm going to make sure everyone sees it!"

Always showing off the blanket you made him by carrying it around or having it wrapped around him

He loves it! He also loves the pillow covers you made! It helps spice up his pillow collection

But you can't hide your anxiety from him, he goes out of his way to give people it

And soon he found out how kitting was a coping mechanism

He felt a little special you were making him things because it calmed you down but also worried about your mental health

The concern RISED when you were in the attic, placing and organising the big pile you had

He hugged you and flopped onto the bed

Telling you that he'll look after you and you can tell him what's wrong, stress naps are always welcomed with him

UNDATEABLES↓

Diavolo:

Didn't expect to find such a huge pile of new stuff in his room

He saw mug holders and mits

Horn warmers

And his favourite- a shawl with tassels, he immediately wrapped it around him and refused to take it off

He's going to wear this everywhere no matter his outfit

"Barbatos can be strict but I'll wear this no matter what, if I even see a spec of dirty on it I'll make sure to get it cleaned with delicate care."

But then it hit him, you become more active with your hobby when you become anxious

He immediately got to you, asking you if you're okay

He's ready to charge your whole class schedule if he has to

Barbatos:

You crocheted desserts and he never felt so much warmth and love in his heart

Almost collapsed from sweetness when he found a knitted pair of gloves in the big pile of your creation's

Appreciates the gifts alot

"these are marvelous, I look forward to see what else you make."

Brings you calming teas as a thank you, understanding your anxiety must be high

Offers a shoulder to cry on and happy to take time out of his schedule to listen to your worries

He asks you to teach him so he can make things like you

He wants to repay you for all the things you've given him

Solomon:

Has a whole room dedicated to everything you've ever made and given him

Whenever he has guests he likes to take them to check out your creations

"Come and admire my collection, My apprentice made these, aren't they neat?"

The potion sacks you've made are extremely useful

Aswell as the coldrain mat

Can sense your anxious energy in the newest creation's and gets concerned

He'll invite you over to talk about what's wrong

Let's you to take your time incase you're comfortable to talk

Simeon:

His favourite amongst the massive pile was a cute crotchet octopus

It was nicely stuffed and felt so nice to rest his head on

Others that peaked his fancy were the long wrist warmers you made, the way you made it made it look like lace

Aswell as a shawl and the very well made bag to store his books in

"You're so thoughtful, I'll treasure them all."

But he noticed just how worked up you've been and knew your anxious habits

Sat you down for tea to ask what how you're feeling and if could help

Also offers to be a guardian angel and make sure you don't get so anxious

If he can he'll wear an entire outfit made out of your knitting

Luke:

Is in awe how much you gave him

Almost died with Happiest when you knitted him a new hat

The crotchet wings you made just made him bounce with joy

He loves everything!!!

"I'm going to wear everything you've made and carry the little crochet puppy with me everywhere! I promise I'll take good care of him!"

Though will always check in on you

Once he's learned you do it more or only when you're really anxious he'll want to do everything he can to help

Has looked up guides on how to help people with their anxiety and panic attacks

He's going to be your guardian angel!

[diavolosthots]

more requests! sorry if this is getting annoying. mc accidentally kisses the brothers and the undateables goodbye on the cheek before leaving the house/purgatory hall, what are their thoughts and how do they react (this actually happened to me and a friend we both come from a culture where this is normal but live in a country where it isnt so it was *super embarrassing*)

WAIT NO DONT APOLOGIZE FOR REQUESTS I LOVE THEM ❤❤❤ Also where i come from that's relatively normal too and where I live now people are f*cking sensitive toward that 🙄 anyway!

THE BROTHERS + UNDATEABLES reactions to MC accidentally kissing their cheek

Lucifer:

His first thought is that you're lucky youre this important to him because had anyone else tried that he would've turned demon ASAP. However, the longer he processes the action, the more he realizes that, in order for you to do this, even just accidentally, you must hold some kind of comfort around him and just the thought of you feeling safe and comfortable enough toward HIM that you kiss his cheek on accident, sends his pride skyrocketing.

Mammon:

He just kind of freezes for a moment and replays the event. Did that just happen? You kissed his cheek? When you apologize and tell him its an accident, he almost wants to say that accidents dont happen and of COURSE youd kiss his cheek because hes awesome like that, but for once his lifetime, he doesnt and actually bites his tongue.

Leviathan:

Uh yeah so he's gone. Not only is he blushing redder than the blood of his enemies COMBINED, but he also just stopped working. You kissed his cheek? It must've been an accident. Yeah of course it was an accident.... And then the self doubt kicks in.

Satan:

His cheeks will blush slightly but hes actually super understanding, especially if he knows that that's custom where you're from. Still, he cant help but wonder if maybe, it wasnt an accident, and if maybe, he should return the favor.

Asmodeus:

Awe babes youre so silly! Nothing happens on accident~ but really go in for the lips next time will you? He promises theyre softer ;)

Beelzebub:

He doesnt even realize until a while later and he just stops. And then runs to you because he needs answers. And its so cute because you tell him it's an accident but he tells you that you can keep making those kinds of accidents okay sidhsjiwiajas

Belphegor:

Hes almost as smug as asmodeus but not as dirty, ya know? Tells you its okay but hed be glad to pick up that custom with you 👀 makes him feel warm and fuzzy inside, more warm than his bed ever could and he cant help but recall the feeling of your lips on his cheek.

Diavolo:

He laughs it off because mistakes happen, right? Totally understands there was no harm done. But once you left, and he's alone again, only barbatos to keep him company, he cant help but indulge himself in that feeling of your lips and the warmth they brought... And he almost calls you back to him.

Barbatos:

Hes actually aware of your customs and quickly kisses your own cheek so it wont be awkward, except that it's... More awkward now and now youre both apologizing. He didnt mean to make you feel bad, and he will make it up to you. Unlike some others, his thoughts dont run wild and he wont think much of it.

Simeon:

Oh darling thats okay. He appreciates the gesture. Angels are quite touchy feely too, even with friends, people just dont realize this. Yet, your touch felt different and he cant help but notice. On the outside, it's as if nothing changed, but on the inside, hes sure his heart skipped a beat.

Luke:

Levi 2.0. He stops working because wait did you just touch his cheek? With your lips? His brain is overworking right now but once you tell him it was an accident, he kind of.... Feels sad? He doesnt understand why. Feelings are weird.

Solomon:

Hahaha darling thats okay he knows. Hes much like Asmo though and will tease you about just going all the way and kissing his lips next time. It seems like a joke but hes semi serious; these feelings are getting unbearable.

[smallheathgangsters]

Second Youngest | Part Two

Part One

A/N: This took way longer than it should have and I thoroughly apologise for that! There have been so many people asking for a part two and I hope you are happy with what I came up with :) Also, I switched from third person to second person, because I felt more comfortable while writing. Love you all, stay safe and healthy! 🧡

Tag List: @annabethgranger123 @marvelschriss @bloodorangemoonlight @chill-bee

Shelby!Sister Reader

Word Count: 1599

Type: angst, some fluff

---------------------------------------------

It was horrible, downright dreadful, hearing Finn argue with your family, while you were in the kitchen doing the dishes. The water in the sink was very hot, but the burning sensation was a distraction you welcomed. Still, it was impossible for you to ignore the conversation going on in the room next to you.

“She never once complained in all these years and now suddenly she’s upset about her situation?” you heard Polly scoff.

“The way you’re reacting to this is exactly the reason why she’d always been afraid to speak up about it!”

Finn’s voice sounded very frustrated and you felt bad for having him stand up for you. You hated yourself for not having the courage to hold the conversation yourself. To be your own fighter. You’d initially rejected Finn’s offer to talk to the family, but he’d insisted and there had been nothing you could’ve done to make him change his mind. He’d been very determined to start integrating you into the Shelby household in a way that was more respectful and loving.

But it seemed hopeless. The venom, the dripping poison in their words weren’t indicating any progress towards a compromise and all you wanted to do was get Finn out of the crossfire he was in. Tell him to leave it be, but that you were thankful for his dedication to make you part of the family.

“Pretty pathetic if you ask me,” Michael huffed, and Arthur agreed. “Sending her little brother? That’s exactly why she can’t be a part of our business.”

“Can’t you just give her a chance? She’s done nothing wrong!” Finn pleaded. You shuddered at Finn’s begging. There was no reason for him to put himself in a position like that. As the youngest of them all, he’d had it hard already, constantly having to prove himself to his brothers … he shouldn’t be risking the loss of respect he’d gained up until now because of you.

“Look Finn, if she’s not ready to speak up for herself, we’re not going to change anything to her satisfaction. Life isn’t easy and she apparently still needs to learn that.”

Tommy’s voice sounded calm, firm and bored. Bored of you. “Now please stop embarrassing yourself and get back to work.”

Immediately, there were chairs being pushed back and the footsteps of multiple people were audible. After only a few seconds, your brothers and Polly were out the door and peace returned. Finally. The house was quiet again and you let out the breath you were holding, freeing your lungs from the slight pain it had caused. Free of pain. The one thing you so desperately wished for.

You closed your eyes while your hands were holding a porcelain plate under water. When you heard a careful knock on the door, your eyelids sprung open and you started scrubbing the residue of food off the plate, almost a little forcefully.

You knew it was Finn, wanting to check up on you. He was aware that you’d been unintentionally eavesdropping from the kitchen and already knew what news he was bringing.

Finn pushed the kitchen door open and stepped inside, closing it quietly behind him. “Y/N, I’m sorry. I really tried–“

“I know, Finn,” you interrupted him, placing the last plate next to the sink and shaking the water off your hands. Then, you turned around to face him, your back leaning against the counter. “And it’s okay. You did more than I ever wanted you to do.”

Finn’s face turned into an angry frown. “But I don’t understand why they’re being so stubborn!”

“Finn!” you said a little louder. “I said it’s okay. I don’t want you to be upset. I really appreciate what you did.”

Finn let out a loud sigh. “It’s still not fair.”

“It’s what it is.”

A few seconds later the two of you ended up in a warm, comforting hug. One that reminded you that even though nothing was good at the moment, it’ll eventually be okay. That you’ll find happiness someday, somewhere. Just not here. A realisation you had needed for the longest time.

And that realisation lead to a decision. The decision to leave. For good.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Finn’s voice was shaky. You watched him nervously look around the train station. Nervous about being spotted with you. Well, not with you exactly. But being spotted at the train station with you.

“Yes, I’m more than sure,” you assured him, sending your brother a kind smile. “And to be honest, I’m actually really excited.”

“Yeah?”

You nodded. And while the sun tickled Finn’s face, highlighting the countless, beautiful freckles, the train rolled in. Loudly, puffing angrily. Your eyes wandered over to the steel machine making its way closer and closer to you.

“You got the address?”

Another nod. “Thank you, Finn. For everything.”

“Please ring me as soon as possible.”

You promised and got on the train, although not before giving your sweet brother one last hug. One that was even warmer, more loving. More understanding. A friendly farewell.

London was busy. Just as Finn told you. Busy and noisy. But so pretty. And a lot less dirty than Birmingham. It smelled of luxury and wealth. Like the scent of an expensive perfume tingling in your sensitive nose. Tingling in a good way, one that gave you little butterflies in your stomach. Just like the kind you got when you passed a cute stranger on the streets.

You’d followed Finn’s instructions on the tiny paper note he’d given you the morning before you left for the new city. He had promised you that the man at the address had a job as a secretary for you. The initial feeling of doubt haunting you as you knocked on the door in one of the creepy back alleys of London had been unjustified. The man behind it was polite and very happy about getting a helping hand. The pay wasn’t huge, but enough for you. A small apartment and a place you felt home was all you needed. And that had been exactly what you’d received. Nothing more, nothing less.

And you were happy. Very happy. With every day the loneliness, the worthlessness, all the negativity Birmingham and your family had caused you, drifted further away. Up and away into the mostly cloudy, dark sky of the city. Your boss made you feel like you were relevant. Needed even. Some nights you laid awake, wondering how all of this had improved so quickly, swiftly. Huffing to yourself and shaking your head at how incapable and stubborn your family had been and how little it had taken to turn your whole world upside down. In a good way.

Unfortunately, only a few months in, on a rainy Tuesday morning, your boss was waiting for you with unlucky news.

“What does that mean?” you gasped.

“That means there’s no way for us to achieve the breakeven-point. Our incomes are too low,” he explained, the tone in his voice almost a little embarrassed.

You gulped audibly, playing with your fingers, unsure of what to do with yourself. “What now, Sir?”

“Don’t you worry, dear. I have a friend, a very talented businessman, who could use a motivated and diligent employee like you.”

“But what about you?” you asked him, genuinely worried about his future. “Do you have a plan for yourself?”

But just as he opened his mouth to respond, there was a knock on his office door, his gaze promptly leaving you. “Oh, that must be him already.”

“Him?”

“Your potential new employer.”

“Why–“

The loud exclamation leaving your boss’s mouth, inviting the stranger in, cut your sentence off. And with that, your conversation was finished already, leaving you with many open questions and a little overwhelmed.

Your eyes observed the door swinging open and a rather short man stepping into the room. Or maybe he wasn’t actually that short. Maybe his hunched posture made him seem smaller than he was. He was wearing a white shirt, one of his braces hanging loosely by his side, the other one over his shoulder, where it should be. He looked anything but a talented businessman.

“Brother! Glad you could make it!”

Had your boss’s voice just gotten slightly higher? Or was that your paranoia creeping up? The weird feeling tapping on your shoulder, reminding you of the fact that you frankly knew nothing about your boss and even less about the peculiar man standing in the doorframe.

“This the secretary you told me ‘bout?”

His steps were slow. Heavy. Dragging themselves over the floor.

You held your breath when he halted in front of you. A little too close. You were sure you were able to make out his eye colour from this distance. Blue? Greenish even?

Did he hear your heartbeat in your chest? Was he trying to make you uncomfortable? Nervous?

You gulped. But the lump in your throat was still there.

Then, you slowly held out a hand, hoping to stop him eyeing you up and down. He accepted your greeting, grabbing your hand firmly. His was rough and large.

“D’you have a name, lovely?”

You nodded, reminding yourself of Finn’s note. The last sentence on it. In bold letters. DO NOT USE YOUR REAL NAME, OR MY FAMILY WILL FIND YOU.

“Y/N … Smith.”

Smith. Your mother’s last name. One of the only things you knew about her.

The man kept shaking your hand, making you question if he’d ever let it go again.

“My pleasure. Call me Alfie. Solomons.”

[trash-but-respectable-trash]

Headcanons of what life in the Devildom would be like if my best friend and I were both exchange student at the same time:

Heads up! This is completely self-indulgent content. I made this as a gift for my best friend: @beel-is-a-snack love you bitch 😘

Lucifer:

- Lucifer would probably really hate us at first.

- It’s feels to him like everywhere we go together, something really weird will happen

- It’s things he cannot link to us, but he knows it’s because of us because these things never happened before

- At first, we probably wouldn’t listen to his orders, we didn’t leave a controlling household just to go to another one

- A single punishment (and not the kinky kind) would be all it takes for us to never disobey his orders again

- It would come at no surprise that I would immediatly have a fat crush on him and that I would talk about him all the time to you, even though you wouldn’t understand what I see in him at first

- The more you would notice how much he cares about his brothers, the more you would like him. You two would developed a mutual understanding about taking the role of the parent by default even if that wasn’t your choice

- You two could probably also relate to each other’s daddy issues sorry love you

- With time you two could be really close friends, but probably not more than that, because he’s mine

- Don’t worry we’ll find you a more suitable boyfriend

- He definitely wouldn’t try to come between our friendship and would never be jealous of it either

- He would give us plenty of time alone, but even if he didn’t, we couldn’t even try to speak French around him because I’m 100% sure he also speak French as a second or third or fourth language

- We would probably found out about it the hard way while I would either tell you how handsome he is or you telling me he’s a control freak and he would just reply to us in perfect French

- Yeah we would only make that mistake once

Mammon

- Mammon also hates us at first, he has to take care of TWO humans?? That’s asking too much of him, he can barely take care of himself

- After a while, it would probably be the other way around as we would be the ones taking care of him

- He cannot decide which one of us he loves more (probably the one who gives him the most attention and positive reinforcement)

- He quickly becomes jealous of our friendship and tries to hangout with us every chances he gets

- It can be a bit awkward when we’re trying to talk about boys, since we’re likely talking about his brothers

- We would need to have codes to refer to the brothers or we could use French when we don’t want him to understand what we’re saying, since he’s definitely too dumb to understand French

- It was 100% clear in our minds that neither of us would end up dating Mammon as we both need someone who could mentally stimulates us

- Also he would for sure steal our stuff out of our rooms and try to sell them

- After a full week of silent treatment from both of us, he wouldn’t ever try to steal our stuff again

- He would try to trick us in participating in his shaninagans, but we would probably report it to Lucifer just to see Mammon get punish (ok mostly me, but I would drag you with me to see the aftermath)

- Never suspects us of being the one who snitch him all the time to Lucifer, he probably thinks it’s Levi

Leviathan

- Oh boy. Opposite to Lucifer and Mammon, it’s us who hates him at first

- What the fuck is that hair style, why is he always screaming and talking an hundred miles an hour rambling about animes and Ruri-Chan, who’s Ruri-Chan??

- Probably calls us normies until he finds out you had a Naruto collection when you were 13 years old and that you used to love mangas

- And that I now enjoy some animes and mangas myself, so now he calls both of us weebs, which isn’t much better honestly

- We would TOLERATE gaming with him if he isn’t screaming all the fucking time

- We would immediately leave any room we’re in everytime he says “Woooooaaaahhhh”

- He needs to shut up or else we can never be friends with him

- He also gets jealous of our friendship, he wish he had a best friend with such a strong bond, yeah he has Henry 2.0 but it’s just not the same you know

- He wonders if his friendship with Ruri-Chan would be similar to ours if she was real

- He tried to become really close with Solomon to recreate our friendship, but Solomon spent his time trying to form a pact with Levi so he ended it

Satan

- I have to say that I think that Satan and I are the most similar

- We’re both intelligent, independent and observant individuals who do not tolerate dumb people, we both enjoy reading a bit too much, we’re both messy, we’re both way too honest and we’re pros at hiding our anger (especially towards stupidity)

- Ok, so I’m not saying you wouldn’t get along with Satan, I just think you wouldn’t have much in common with him and by that I mean that’s he’s a very rational being and the best form of art in his eyes is writing

- I think what would make it or break it for both of you is his and your knowledge on all forms of arts and the history being it. Satan would probably test you and if you pass in his eyes, you can be friends, otherwise he would consider you unworthy

- Yeah I know it’s rough, but you don’t need a friend who needs to test you on your knowledge about art to see if you two can be friends

- Even if you pass the test, I don’t see you two being super close as he is mostly in his room reading and you would be in your studio, doing all of your art projects

- In any case, you guys would have to get along somehow since he would probably be the one I would be closest with and you’re my best friend so obviously you two would have to hang out by default quite a lot

- When you would be in your studio, I would probably be at the library or in Satan’s room reading

- We would also all study together and use Satan as our tutor for classes were we have more difficulty (but you’re lucky, there’s no French class given at RAD so you should do fine)

Asmodeus

- If we push aside the lust part of him and focus on his other personality traits, Asmo would like us from the start

- Two best friends how fun! He would probably tell us how Solomon is his best friend before finding out later by Solomon that it isn’t true

- Asmo is a lonely demon, sure he gets plenty of physical attention, but no one cares about him past his beauty

- We would be the one to change that, we would both see further than his beauty, but also further than his narcissistic ways to find out who the real Asmo is

- He’s the insecure one who only wants to be love. We would both act as his therapist. Sometimes he would confess to us while doing our nails and makeup or sometimes he would just start sobbing on my lap or your lap, pouring his heart out and telling us his deepest fears and secrets because he finally feels safe enough to say these things to someone

- He would probably crave our attention and comfort the more and more we listen to him. We would need to set boundaries or else we would feel like we’re suffocating. We both need our space and Asmo would have to understand that fact

- We would rub on him and he would slowly stop going out so much, instead appreciating his alone time the better he feels about himself

Beelzebub

- At first I would be a bit scared of him, he’s big and he keeps making comments about how delicious we look (and again, not in the kinky way)

- You on the other hand, would probably feel that he isn’t a bad guy at all and you would definitely see more than his angry looking face and his never ending comments about food

- Just a few conversations with him can tell how much he cares about his family and his twin in particular

- That man is such an himbo, but he also have a big heart just like you and you’re both so cute together

- Everyone ship the both of you even though you’re both emotionally dense and it would take a while for you and him to FINALLY be together

- It’s not that you didn’t love each other, it’s just that you never took the signs that the other one was sending you, mistaking it for simple kindness and nothing more

- He would probably have to just straight up tell you l that he’s in love with you for your relationship to go anywhere

- Basically everyone’s like “FINALLY” the moment you both annonce that you’re officially dating

- Wedding and kids would come shortly after that

- You’re both very family oriented and are both super vanilla so that’s a winning couple if I’ve ever seen one

Belphegor

- Ok first of all, if we were the MC, Belphie would 100% still be locked in the attic

- It would only take one warning from Lucifer for us to never go up those stairs again

- But for the sake of this, let’s say you knew this was Beel’s brother and you loved Beel so much that you were ready to face the consequences to save his brother

- And let’s say I wasn’t aware of this, because if I were and we both decided to go up the stairs anyway, it wouldn’t take me long at all before realizing that Belphie is lying to us and that we cannot trust him

- If I wasn’t aware of you going up the stairs by yourself, you’re so trusting of everyone that you would for sure do the same thing as the MC and free Belphegor just to get yourself killed. I told you dozens of time, don’t trust everyone!

- Anyway, let’s say we both died somehow (I probably got killed by Lucifer once he found out what you did) and Barbatos and Diavolo brought us to a timeline were we didn’t die

- Well, let’s say the saying “I forgive but I never forget” would represent me 100%

- I would be forgiving for the sake of Beelzebub, but Belphie and I would NEVER be close, whether it appears to be the case or not

- I might let him sleep on my lap or listen to him talk about how he loves his twin, but don’t get me wrong, I would never trust him or be his friend

- In your case, you would either be like me or you wouldn’t ever forgive him

- Forgivness isn’t always something you can control and you might always hold a grudge against him after what he did

- That could either destroy what you had with Beel, because he cannot date someone who hates his brother so much, or he could also understand how you feel, but he would still try to make you and his brother friends good luck with that

Diavolo

- Oh boy that’s my type of man right there

- What a fucking piece of ass

- Ok back on track, Diavolo would obviously be the one who’s most excited to have us in the Devildom

- He would always invite us for tea, asking us questions about the human world and laughing at our dumb stories

- We would troll him with human traditions that don’t exist like how you need to pray before eating chocolate truffle or how humans eat St-Hubert (a rotisserie restaurant comparable to Nando’s) every Sunday and how What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction is the national anthem of our country

- I can imagine him watching the video clip of What Makes You Beautiful that same night and being like “wow! That is beautiful!”

- Lucifer would be so mad at us, but it would be worth it

- We would also tell him that “thug life” and “yolo” are commonly use expression in the human world when you’re excited about something and he would start using them at the most random moments while everyone is like “???”

- We would totally hate every party hosted by Diavolo and we would 1000% leave to explore the castle only to get lost and then brought back by either Barbatos or Lucifer (lord have mercy)

- It doesn’t matter, we would do it everytime, choosing a different path everytime until we’ve explore every part of the castle (which would realistically never happen)

- Diavolo would probably give us a plan of the castle behind Lucifer’s back so we can explore the castle however we want. He himself, isn’t a fan of these events and would much rather hang out with us than be stuck making conversations with nobles he doesn’t care about

- Other than that, you would have to listen to me talk endlessly about how it isn’t fair that I cannot date both Lucifer AND Diavolo until I actually do

Barbatos

- This one is a difficult one, since we basically know nothing about the Butler

- We would probably have a good grasp of who he is if we were in the devildom, since we have pretty good intuitions on people

- I would probably talk to Barbatos about baking and all the different variations of tea, probably dropping way to soon a reference to Black Butler like he never heard the comparaison before

- Much like his devilgram story, he would probably invite me to get some specific type of tea that can only be purchase out of town, never implying that it’s a date even though he qualify it as one in his head

- There’s not much more to say about him, I think you would see him as Diavolo’s Butler more than a potential lover or close friend

Simeon

- Ouf poor sweet angel. Let’s state the obvious first, he would probably be very disappointed in me and my very obvious lust for certain demons

- Wouldn’t be happy with me straying further away from god each passing day

- I would defend myself by telling him I do pray and go once a year to church to ask God for forgiveness for all of my sins

- Yeah if I was in the Devildom, my list of sins I committed during my stay would be particularly long

- Still, I would have no regrets

- Ok, I have to say it, this angel is shady. I think we would sense that something isn’t right with him. His smile and energy are a little off, he’s definitely hiding something but what?

- If we had time to kill we could do some research on the matter and ask people around about what they know about Simeon, maybe spy on him while he’s out in town?

- We would probably get caught and ask by a very scary Simeon, to stop whatever we are doing

- Yeah let’s take the wise decision of staying away from him from now on

Solomon

- He would need to understand that it’s not because we’re all humans that we NEED to hang out together

- I would have to keep you away from him, or at least not let you hang out alone with him. I don’t think he’s evil, but he might use you as human experiment for his potions and spells and I don’t want you to accidentally be turned into a pig or something

- I’ll accept the occasional vines references wars and the team up to tell Diavolo even more made up things about the human world, but that’s all

- I would probably compare him to Harry Potter all the time

- Let’s just stay far away from the shady sorcerer

Luke

- I have no motherly instincts, but I would protect this child from all of the brothers teasing, but that’s about it. I really don’t care about this child, SIMEON COME PICK UP YOUR SON, HE POOPED HIMSELF AGAIN “Stephanie that’s not true!!” Luke would bark back as he tries to hide the streak of poop on the back of his white pants (sorry I don’t know why this came to mind, but I have this headcanon that sometimes when he’s afraid, Luke will poop his pants and this boy is VERY scared of Lucifer, so it happens quite often)

- You would probably be way more motherly towards him than me and you and Beel would basically adopt Luke as your own child

- Just always carry baby wipes and a clean pair of pants with you at all times and you’re all good

- I hope you like baking sweets, because your son will surely want to spend some bonding time with his mom over baking time, and of course you have to enjoy the sweets you both made over a nice cup of tea that Barbatos made for you two

[sparklingichigo]

OVA I - Date gone wrong

Somewhere in Asmo's room, Asmo is trying to find the right outfit for his date. He ends up calling up Ichigo and Haruka to his room.

Asmo: BESTIES I NEED HEEELPP!!!

Ichigo: Sis, what's wrong? What happened??

Haruka: Whoa, I did not expect that-

Why did she say that? Because Asmo's bed is full of clothes and ironically this fashionista can't find a good outfit of the day.

Haruka: What's happening? Why are your clothes all over the place?

Asmo: That is the problem! I have no idea what to wear!!

Haruka: To wear to...?

Asmo: Solomon asked me out on a date... it's been a while since I go out with him and I panicked so here we are!

Ichigo: O-oh! Fashion emergency! Right, right. We'll help you.

Haruka: Yeah, we'll help you!

And they did. First off is just normal things he wears every day, the second one is the cute strawberry dress but he wore that already so here we are on the third option.

Ichigo: This is the one...

Haruka: I think so too!

Asmo: Ah finally, I have a good outfit for the date! Thanks a lot, you two! I owe you one!

Ichigo: It's okay, it's the least we could do... ^^

Asmo: Oh well, it's time for me to do my hair and my make-up. Now out!

Haruka: You're kicking us out?

Asmo: Yes.

Ichigo: I-

Before Ichigo can even talk, she hears the brothers creating chaos again, so they have no choice but to get out and deal with that. Especially since they hear Lucifer's shout of one name,

Lucifer: M A M M O N!!!!!!!!

Ichigo: Okay...guess we do have a reason to get out.

Haruka: Yeah... let's go^^

Once they're out, they see Solomon and Mammon arguing in the hallways with Lucifer facepalming.

Ichigo: What happened?!

Lucifer: As you can see... [sigh]

Mammon: I'm just being a good brother and-

Solomon: How is preventing me from dating your brother is being a good brother?!

Mammon: First off, you are sus! Second of all, my little brother Asmo is too precious for you!

Solomon: .... He's the one who confessed to me first though... :(

Mammon: Still! If you dare hurt my little brother.... [transforms into his demon form] YOU'RE D E A D!

Lucifer: .... [sigh in where should I hang him again]

Solomon: Lucifer, you agree to me dating Asmo right?!

Lucifer: Not quite, but as long as Asmo is happy.

Ichigo: [sigh] Here we go again... Mammon, calm down. They've been dating for years.

Mammon: tsk. He's still sus nonetheless

Lucifer: Mammooooonnn!!

Mammon: Eek! See you, humans! Bye! [runs off]

As Mammon runs off, Asmo appears with Mammon running towards him.

Asmo: Mammon wtf- OmG!! [falls off lol]

Human trio: Asmo!!

Asmo: Nooo! My haiiirr!! ;-;

Asmo: Mammon.... I'm gonna kill you!

Mammon: Got no time for that! [still running away]

Unironically, a certain tall demon is there. Of course, Mammon didn't see that and bumped on Beel yet again.

Beel: Mammon?

Mammon: Hehe... hi...

Beel: What happened? Hey, Asmo, are you okay?

Asmo: NO?! MY HAIR IS RUINED! IT'S NOW ALL DIRTY AND I SPEND MINUTES ON THIS!!

Beel: .... oh...

Lucifer: Beel! Hold him back!

Beel: I am... :D

Mammon: LET GO OF ME!!

Beel: Lucifer told me to hold you back though

Mammon: That doesn't mean you should listen to him!!

Satan: As much as I dislike him, you've crossed the line

Mammon: Tf! Where did you come from?!

Satan: Oh, I was behind Beel.

Mammon: [sad/scared noises]

Lucifer: Thank you, Beel^^ [dragging Mammon away]

Beel: No problem! Enjoy your punishment Mammon!!

Mammon: f*ck you!

Lucifer: ^^Language

Mammon: ugh...

Okay back to Asmo and Solomon and the others.

Ichigo: Do you want me to help you with that hair?

Asmo: .... Uhm... I don't know...

Ichigo: I can always help styling it^^

Asmo: I'm gonna be late though :(

Solomon: It's okay, my love^^ You look just fine. We'll just need to brush them.

Ichigo: That's right! Here let me help you! [brushes Asmo's hair and basically fixing it]

Asmo: Ichigo you saint!! Thank you so much!

Ichigo: You're wel- [sees Solomon and Haruka arguing]

Haruka: Oh ho ho ho since when have you been dating him?

Solomon: ....years?

Haruka: How many years?

Solomon: .... since forever after? HOW THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW!

Asmo: 30 years to be exact^^ [glares at Solomon] you didn't remember our anniversary?!

Solomon: I do... I just don't know how many years have we been dating...

Satan: and that's how he got 50 on our math test^^

Solomon:...

Asmo: pfft-

Ichigo: He did?

Haruka: What?

Satan: Ichigo, you're literally in the same class with him.

Ichigo: That's been weeks! How am I supposed to remember?!

Satan: Touche, ironically I'm in a different major yet I remember^^

Ichigo: Whatever. Aren't you guys going on your date?

Solomon: Oh yeah, we are! Let's go, my love^^

Asmo: Let's go!

And so, Asmo and Solomon went on their date, specifically to the human world and Solomon being Solomon uses a portal to get there. Mammon of course is hanged by Lucifer's chandelier, we have no idea how long he's gonna be there though.

Satan: Anyways, what do we do now?

Beel: Eat +w+

Satan: You just frickin eat my APPLE PIE twice!

Beel: You told me I can have it :((

Satan: Right....avatar of gluttony. Shouldn't be surprised.

Ichigo: How about we go to Madam screams, Hon ^^

Beel: Sure, let's go!

With that, this leaves Satan and Haruka alone in the House of Lamentation. The two have no idea what to do, sure Satan has a lot of ideas for this like going to the cat cafe, library, art museum, his least choice is the mall, he dislikes it a lot.

Satan: So, what do you want to do?

Haruka: Hmm... I don't know... maybe I'll just draw or do some karaoke or something. Maybe walk around or....play some games.... probably with Levi if he's around.

Satan: Oh.

Haruka: What?

Satan: So you prefer to hang out with Levi? [leaning closer to her]

Haruka: w-wait no! That's not what I meant- [moving backward bcs why the fck is he so close-]

Satan: Then what do you mean by that? [haha kabedon happens]

Haruka: uh.... [trying to escape] you're too close.... [sweat drops]

Satan: I'm waiting^^

Haruka: I mean.... [hugs him instead] I do like playing games with Levi but I don't mind hanging out with you^^

Satan: .... [blushes a bit bcs Haruka barely does skinship on him]

Haruka: Are you by chance....jealous? Because of me playing with Levi?

Satan: What if I am? You know I'm really possessive about you, right?

Haruka: True...then we'll do what you want! What do you want to do?

Satan: I have a couple of ideas in mind^^

Haruka: Hm? What are they?

Satan: Well we can go to cat cafe, the library, art museum, probably the mall but we'll probably end up in a book store instead.

Haruka: Hmm... how about walking around the garden?

Satan: Hm? Garden?

Haruka: The castle's garden^^

Satan: Can we actually go there?

Haruka: Of course! He'd accept us. Why? Scared?

Satan: Me? Scared? Quite bold of you to assume such things. [more kabedon]

Haruka: Satan! Stop tha- Oh! There's a cat!

Satan: Huh?! Where?! [looks around]

With that, Haruka escapes all the way to the castle leaving Satan confused in house of lamentation.

Satan: ...where did she go??

Meanwhile, in Madam's scream, Beel is enjoying his 2nd plate of waffles as Ichigo watches him as she sips on her drink.

Beel: Oh, you have something near your lips...

Ichigo: Hm? Which part?

Beel: Right here^^ [takes the cream off easily with his finger]

Ichigo: O-oh... [blushes]

Beel: It tastes really sweet by the way^^

Ichigo: Eeeh?!

Beel: It really is

Ichigo: You can just ask if you want some-

Beel: Well where's the fun in that^^

Ichigo: [huffs]

Beel: By the way, do you want some? [offers his waffle]

Ichigo: N-no thanks... I'm not hungry-

Beel: Not even one bite? It's the strawberry one~

Ichigo: F-fine... [accepts Beel's offer]

Internally, Ichigo is really confused. Since when is Beel such a romantic? Well, he always is but since when is he this smooth. He's usually clueless just pretty much viewed as innocent and slow. But here he is.

Beel: Well, I'm more comfortable with you now so I can show you the real me^^

Ichigo: The real you meaning gremlin Beel?

Beel: Not necessarily a gremlin but I can be that if you want me to-

Ichigo: I- no thank you;///;

Beel: Oh too bad, you're so cute to tease^^

Ichigo: Beel! ;////; please-

Beel: Hm? Oh my! You've turned into a cherry! Did I overstep?

Ichigo: ....n-not really but... I-I don't mind this side at all [blushing really hard]

Beel: Alright then^^ [pats her].

Ichigo: I- Uh, your waffle isn't finished yet...

Beel: Oh yeah. Where do you wanna go next by the way?

Ichigo: The mall?

Beel: Hmm... Sure^^ We can go to that mall. Right after I finish this

Ichigo: Aw okay then^^

Now back to Haruka, she's now in the castle meeting Barbatos who's very very confused.

Barbatos: Are you okay?

Haruka: Yeah- [pants some more] I'm okay-

Barbatos: Do you want some tea? Water?

Haruka: Tea... make it cold

Barbatos, internally: Such a crime...but okay

So Barbatos prepares ice tea despite him disliking it. He also provides sugar cubes instead she needs them.

Barbatos: Here you go^^ [put the glass to the table]

Haruka: Thank you, Barb!

Barbatos: You're most welcome. It is my duty to serve Lord Diavolo's guests^^

Haruka: Speaking of him, where is he?

Barbatos: In a meeting, he won't be home until.... 5 pm I believe. It seems to be a long event.

Haruka: Oh? You're not going with him?

Barbatos: Unfortunately not^^ He told me to stay put and keep the castle safe.

Haruka: Ah I- [sees Satan appearing at the castle] Oh sht-

Barbatos: What's wrong?

Haruka: Hide me.

Barbatos: Come again?

Haruka: Hide me from that! [points at Satan from a distance]

Barbatos: Oh my goodness! [teleports the two of them away before Satan can even reach them]

Satan: [pants as soon as he reaches the table] Where did they go??

Meanwhile, Haruka and Barbatos end up in the kitchen.

Barbatos: You will be safe here. What happened? Did you have a fight with him?

Haruka: Not necessarily a fight.... he's just acting weird again...

Barbatos: Weird? How weird?

Haruka: He's just acting weird! When I talked about gaming with Levi, he instantly corners me into a wall and leaning closer. It's just so weird!!

Barbatos: Ah I see... [holding back his laugh]

Haruka: It isn't funny, Barb! I'm scared and creeped out! What's happening to him?!

Barbatos: Maybe you're discovering a new side to him. Good luck getting used to it^^ I'll return you to him.

Haruka: What?! Barb- Nooo!! [got returned to Satan]

Back at the table, Satan is walking around until he hears a portal opening on top of him, and here comes Haruka falling down from that portal.

Haruka: AAAAA!!! SATAN!! WATCH OUT!!

Satan: Huh? [looks up] Oh my! [catches her in time] You could've fallen for me in another way^^

Haruka: Tha-that's not the point! [flicks his forehead]

Satan: At least you're not injured^^

Haruka: L-let me down! I can walk by myself!

Satan: Not a chance, you'll run off again. Especially when I want to hang out with you.

Haruka: There you go again! Acting weird again!

Satan: What? Is my calm demeanor shocking to you?

Haruka: Y-yeah... sort off. Get that handsome face away from me! [looking away]

Satan: Oh? So you think I am handsome?

Haruka: Uh- Shut up, you stupid raging ball of chaos!!

Satan: I don't remember being stupid considering I got first ranked in our class^^ [talking as he's walking out of the castle]

Yeah, anyways, the two end up going to the mall. Yes, I'm talking Beel and Ichigo. Satan and Haruka went to that same mall but we'll talk about that later. Now let's watch Mammon get punish.

Mammon: How long am I staying here again?

Lucifer: 30 more minutes.

Levi: Ha! That's what you get for being stupid!

Mammon: Say that to your math exam, you weeb!

Levi: At least I got 65! Unlike you on that English exam!

Mammon: English is difficult you piece of-

Lucifer: [glaring at them] Levi, do you want to be hanged as well? I told you to come here to watch him, not create more chaos!

Levi: No thank you. Right, so I'm here to watch him?

Lucifer: correct. I'm pretty late for my meeting with Lord Diavolo. I just skipped two periods of it so I'll be off^^ Make sure he doesn't create trouble. If anything happens just contact me or maybe the angels. I'm sure Simeon would love to drench him in holy water

Mammon: What?! Nooo!!

Levi: You can count on me! I'll make sure he doesn't escape.... can I do it though?

Lucifer: I believe in you, Leviathan^^ Please do your best

Levi: O-okay... I'll try my best [nods]

Now back to the mall. Beel and Ichigo end up in a clothing store. Beel has 0 idea what fashion was but he likes watching Ichigo try out some of the clothes.

Ichigo: So? What do you think?

Beel: It looks great! Probably looked better on the floor in our room-

Ichigo: Beelzebub Morningstar!

Beel: no no no I'm joking. It looks great! I prefer the last one you wore though. The floral top and the red skirt.

Ichigo: Oh... well what about the pink collection? What's your choice?

Beel: Hmm...

Ichigo: Don't you dare make a dirty joke!

Beel: Do you want me to?

Ichigo: Beelzebub! [yeets a shoe at him]

Beel: [luckily catches it] Now, now, there's no need to get worked up, sugar^^

Ichigo: ^^ I might throw another one if you keep on making that dirty joke

Beel: Is your shirt next- [got hit by another shoe]

Ichigo: You've hung out too much with Asmo! Or have you been watching those animes with Levi?!

Beel: What anime are you talking about? I did watch the one with desserts on it.

Ichigo: Specify which anime was it...

Beel: Well there's a lot actually...

Ichigo: Doesn't explain this sudden change [glares at him suspiciously]

Beel: I mostly just focus on the food so I guess... this is just me being comfortable with you^^

Ichigo: Right- So the pink collection! Which one?

Beel: isn't that white?

Ichigo: Yeah but most of them are pink so they somehow called it the "pink collection" which is odd I know.

Beel: The puffy pink one looks nice, the white dress too^^

Ichigo: So both?

Beel: Both^^

Ichigo: Since you like both... are you gonna pay for it?

Beel: I might if you need help paying for it.

Ichigo: The-then we'll get this too! [shows a floral dress]

Beel: Anything for you^^

Ichigo internally: HAVE LEVI BEEN SHOWING HIM MAID SAMA?! USUI IS THAT YOU?! WTF-

Beel: Ooh! So that's the anime that has all the food :o

Ichigo: Hm? What do you mean?

Beel: Never mind^^ Don't mind me! Let's go and pay for the clothes~

Ichigo: Okay, let's go^^

As they walk to the cashier, their hands keep on brushing on each other that Beel ends up holding her hand.

Ichigo: U-uh can you hold them properly like that?

Beel: I'll be fine^^

Ichigo: Do you not want me to help?

Beel: It's okay, you already have enough stuff in your bag, plus your hand seem heavy I have to hold it for you-

Ichigo: [blushes furiously] Shut up you gluttonous bear!

Now, let's go upstairs. Now Haruka and Satan are looking at a menu on some restaurant in that mall.

Haruka: So... what do you want to order?

Satan: Are you on the menu?

Haruka: [steps on Satan's foot] I'm not food!

Satan: Ouch! Geez, you're so violent today!

Haruka: Says you! Since when is your brain as dirty as mud?!

Satan: [chuckles slightly] Oh? How do you know?

Haruka: OMG! Shut up you furry!!

Satan: Oh well, I'll order this one^^ [to the cashier]

Haruka: I'll have the sizzling beef curry rice, the package one!

Cashier: I see, so one sizzling beef curry rice package, Beef, and Salmon pepper rice. Is that all? Anything else? No drinks? [to Satan]

Satan: Oh... hmm.... I'll have Lemon Tea^^ Thanks a lot, Miss

Cashier: N-no problem o///o

Haruka: Tsk. [looks away sulkily]

Cashier: Here's your alarm when the food is ready^^ Hope you enjoy [gives the alarm to Satan]

Satan: Thank you^^ Have a nice day, Miss.

Cashier: y-you too, sir o///o

Haruka: [glares at the cashier]

Cashier: O-O

Haruka: [gives the cashier a warning look]

Satan: Oh? A little jealous I see^^

Haruka: I'm not!

Satan: I'm just being polite, babe. There's no harm in that^^

Haruka: Whatever. Sit here! I'll go sit there!

Satan: Oh? Why so?

Haruka: Because I want to!

Satan: Alright then, let's go, we'll sit there^^

Haruka: N-no! I meant-

Satan: Come on, let's go~ [leads Haruka to that far away seat]

Haruka: You stupid raging ball of chaos!!

Satan: For the last time, I'm first ranked in our class, that insult doesn't affect me. ^^

Haruka: Whatever! Do what you want!

After a few minutes, the alarm starts to ring. Haruka of course is still sulking so Satan ends up getting the food for them. As he gets them, the female cashiers are gushing because of how handsome he is.

Satan: I know, but unfortunately I'm taken^^

Cashier 1: oh... :(

Cashier 2: Really?

Satan: Yes, I'm taken. So just give me my order. [went to cynical mode]

Cashier 1: He-here it is sir! [gives the foods and drinks to him]

Satan: Thank you. [flat face lol]

With that Satan returns to his table and finds Haruka texting on her DDD turns out she's talking to Ichigo.

Ichigo: Just got out from Majolish, you?

Haruka: Majolish? Are you in Devildom's city mall?

Ichigo: Yeah... why?

Haruka: Omg gurl! I'm at Paper Lunch!

Ichigo: ....3rd floor?

Haruka: Yeah?

Ichigo: Omg we should hang out!!

Haruka: Well Satan and I are gonna watch a movie after this, do you wanna come?

Ichigo: Depends on the movie. If it's gore then I'll back away.

Haruka: I dislike gore as well, don't worry. I prefer action though.

Ichigo: Oh yeah, action is good.

In real life, their boyfriends are curious so they peek through their phones.

Ichigo: Beel... you're a bit too close...

Beel: Oh, I'm just curious. Who are you texting?

Ichigo: Haruka. Who else?

Beel: Just in case it was another guy.

Ichigo: Solomon?

Beel: [nods]

Ichigo: [smacks Beel's shoulder] you idiot! That'd mean I'm interrupting his date with Asmo! Why would I disturb his date?!

Beel: You guys seemed really close so-

Ichigo: Since when are you bothered by this?? [confusion went brr] I thought you trusted me!

Beel: I do, what I don't trust is him^^

Ichigo: No worries, Solomon and I are just buddies^^

Beel: Okay^^ I'll trust you.

The same thing happened with Satan, Satan is secretly peeking at Haruka's phone. Haruka is of course oblivious until she heard Satan's voice.

Satan: The food's here^^

Haruka: [looks up] Gah! Why are you so close?!

Satan: Curiosity. Who are you texting?

Haruka: Ichigo...?

Satan: Ah...

Haruka: Who do you think I was texting?

Satan:...

Haruka: ....Solomon?

Satan: [nods] You guys seemed really close.

Haruka: [pushes his forehead away] We're just friends but I'm clearly texting Ichigo. Here, you can read the chatroom. [hands him her phone]

Satan: O-oh....okay [reading the chatroom as Haruka eats]

Haruka: Anyways, wanna watch a movie after? [accepting her phone back and putting it into her purse]

Satan: Hmmm we can do that. What movie are we watching though?

Haruka: We'll just see.

Satan: Sounds fair.

As they're eating, Ichigo and Beel appear beside them.

Ichigo: Hi^^

Beel: Whoa! That smells really good!

Satan: no no no no order one yourself!

Ichigo: Hon...^^ didn't we just ate?

Beel: Well...yeah. Let's just order drinks or snacks.

Ichigo: Pudding! Let's order that

Beel: Sure^^

So, Beel and Ichigo order their food. The cashier is intimidated by his height. He was about to flirt with Ichigo actually because Ichigo is pretty and friendly.

Beel: I'll order 3 chocolate puddings, what about you, sugar?^^

Ichigo: I'll have oreo cheese!

Cashier 3: So...three chocolate puddings and one oreo cheese pudding. Anything else, miss? Drinks?

Ichigo: Hm... I'll have blackcurrant, what about you, Beel?

Beel: .... I'll have the chocolate milkshake^^

Cashier 3: Alright then, that'd be [insert price here] and here's the alarm, miss^^ [gives it to Ichigo]

Ichigo: Thank you^^

Beel: [glares at the cashier]

Cashier 3: A-anyways, here's your changes! Have a nice day^^

Ichigo: You too!

Once they sit down, Satan notices Beel's mood is sinking down.

Satan: You okay?

Beel: I'm fine... all this overthinking is making me hungry :((

Ichigo: The food is gonna come anyway^^ don't worry.

Beel: Hm.

Ichigo: Beel? Beelzebub? Honeybear?

Beel: Oh? So now you call me Honeybear? [leans closer to her]

Ichigo: I-is that a bad thing? [moving back]

Beel: That cashier is clearly about to hit on you though.

Ichigo: Aw Honeybear, don't worry^^ I was just being polite. I only love you remember?

Beel: You should, I'm not sharing you with anyone

Before Ichigo can answer him, she feels a vibration in her pocket. She fishes out the alarm and turns out their food is done.

Ichigo: Wanna go get the pudding together?

Beel: Sure^^

And so, Beel and Ichigo go to get their pudding. This time it's Cashier 2 giving them the pudding. Luckily no chaos happened.

Beel: Thank you! Have a nice day!

Cashier 2: You too, sir^^ Enjoy your meal!

Ichigo: ...Is that guy okay?

Cashier 2: Cleary not, but don't mind him. Enjoy your meal, miss^^

Ichigo: Alright then^^

After their lunch, the four of them go to the theaters to see what movie are they gonna watch. The list is endless and they're now confused.

Beel: none of them seem delicious. So Nah, I'll let you guys choose.

Ichigo: You're not eating a movie...

Beel: I know, but I'm letting you guys choose^^

Satan: What about that one? [points to a scary-looking poster]

Ichigo: Venom II?

Haruka: Ooh! I like that! We can watch that since I've watched the first movie.

Satan: There's the first movie?

Haruka: Y-yeah.... ^^

Satan: Then it'd be spoilers.... what about this one?

Haruka: Jungle Cruise sounds fun^^ An Adventure comedy movie

Satan: What about the others? Wait where did Beel go?

Ichigo: ...going to see the food:")

Satan: [sigh] Well, what do you think? Shall we watch this?

Ichigo: Yeah, it sounds fun. ^^ I'll be right back though [goes to search for Beel]

Haruka: So, Jungle Cruise?

Satan: Yeah. Sir, we'll have four tickets for Jungle Cruise.

Theater Cashier: Oh, which seat sir?

Haruka: B! Let's go with B!

Theater Cashier: Oh, you're in luck! The B seat is empty for now^^

Satan: That's great! We'll have four tickets in that B seat.

Theater Cashier: ^^ Okay. The total would be [insert price]

This time Satan paid for the tickets despite Haruka's protest. He just simply told her to pay him back if she feels that bad. Meanwhile, Ichigo is confused because Beel actually ordered drinks instead of food.

Ichigo: Just drinks?

Beel: Yeah, I'm thirsty... in both ways.

Ichigo: [smacks Beel's shoulder] Beel!

Beel: Alright, alright, I bought drinks for you guys though^^

Ichigo: Eh? Really?

Beel: Yep! A sweet ice tea for Haruka, Lemon tea for Satan, Strawberry tea for you, and....water for me ^^

Ichigo: Water? Are you sure?

Beel: Yep! Since I've drunk a lot of sweets at least I have to clean my palate.

Ichigo: That's smart^^

So here they are in the B seat. Here are the seat orders; Haruka, Ichigo, Beel and Satan. Of course, the boys are sort of disappointed with the seating order.

Satan: But-

Haruka: Sit with your brother! I prefer to hang out with my best friend rather than you and your dirty jokes!

Satan: What even did I do?!

Haruka: [rolls her eyes and seats on her seat]

Beel: Sugar, are you sure?

Ichigo: I am^^ don't worry. I'm beside you anyways~

Beel: Oh yeah, yay!

Ichigo: no touchy-touchy though! >:o [cute angy noises]

Beel: I won't promise, especially when you look this cute^^

Ichigo: Tsk. Whatever you gluttonous bear! Uh.... do you want some by the way? [offers the strawberry tea]

Beel: Oh thank you^^ [drinks the strawberry tea without any second thoughts]

Ichigo: How does it taste? Is it good?

Beel: It is, just like you^^

Ichigo: [blushes deep red] h-hon... I don't think flirting here is a good idea [sees Haruka and Satan in a bad mood]

Beel: Oh right... :(

Satan: [getting annoyed every second]

Haruka: [plays with her phone because the advertisement is annoying]

Haruka: wait... is that Asmo?!

Ichigo: Oh my goodness! You're right!

Asmo, in the ad: Use Majolish lipstick to get beautiful pucker lips! Mwah! [blows the kiss towards the camera]

Satan: [sigh] why must he be here...

Haruka: Whoa! I never knew he's an ad model!

Ichigo: So am I! That's so cool!

Beel: ...the lipstick looks delicious-

Ichigo: Hon...you can't eat lipsticks^^

Beel: Oh they were lipsticks?

Ichigo: Yeah??

Beel: Do you want me to buy you one?

Ichigo: So sudden?

Beel: Just feel like treating you^^ [pulls Ichigo closer so she can lean on his shoulder]

Ichigo: You don't have to though :<

Satan: [is on his limit] Can't you two just get a room?!

Ichigo: Deal with your own business! Plus we're gonna watch a movie, shut it!

Satan: Tsk.

So the movie has started. Everyone is enjoying the movie, including the couple. Haruka is enjoying every second of this and Satan is surprisingly amused by this movie. Yep, romance has left the chatroom for Beel and Ichigo because this movie is so funny.

Overall their movie adventure went well and they went home. As they went home, they waited for Asmo and Solomon to get back. Seconds become minutes, minutes become hours. It's to the point that It's already 10 p.m and he hasn't returned. This causes Lucifer to worried!

Lucifer: Have you girls seen Asmo?

Ichigo: Not that I know off, why? We just got back from the mall and didn't meet him there.

Lucifer: I see... it's already 10 p.m and he hasn't returned yet.

Satan: Knowing Asmo he'd probably bang Solomon again [coming in casually]

Lucifer: [smacks Satan's head] You! Since when did you have such a dirty mind?!

Satan: I always do, just not exposed much, D A D.

Lucifer: [glares at Satan]

Beel: I'm sure he'll be okay^^ Asmo can defend himself and so can Solomon.

Lucifer: I'm not concerned about that sorcerer. He can die for all I care. What I'm worried about is what he'd do to Asmo!

Beel: ...Oh my...you're right-

Lucifer: Oh well, I'll just search for him myself. Rest up you four^^ I'm sure you guys are tired. I'll be off [transforms to demon form and flies away]

Ichigo: Are you sure he doesn't need any help?

Beel: Sugar, you're literally this close to sleep. Come, I'll get you to your room.

Ichigo: It's fine.... I'll go myself. Just help me with the shopping bags...

Beel: I'll still help you though^^

As Beel helps Ichigo to her room, Haruka clings to Satan causing confusion of the avatar of wrath.

Satan: What's wrong?

Haruka: Lift me up.... to my bedroom.... [clinging on him]

Satan: As you wish^^ [haha bridal style]

Haruka: w-wait that's not what I expected- o////o

Satan: it's more comfortable for us anyway. Let's go^^ [carries her to her bedroom]

Haruka: B-but piggy back-

Satan: Just hold on to me, you can lean on my shoulder that way^^

Haruka: O-okay >////<

The night, Lucifer is still looking for Asmo and he finally spots him on his way to the House of Lamentation.

Lucifer: Asmodeus!

Asmo: ...Lucifer?!

Solomon: WTF-

Lucifer: [flies down and lands right in front of them]

Asmo: I-I can explain...

Lucifer: It's okay, I'm sure you're really tired. What I need an explanation of is him. [eyes Solomon]

Solomon: M-me?

Lucifer: Yes. So, where did you take him?

Solomon: The human world....? and we went shopping [shows shopping bag]

Lucifer: Uh-huh...

Lucifer: Wait- you went to where?!

Solomon: Human world...?

Lucifer: That is clearly forbidden to demons without the approval of Lord Diavolo! What are you thinking?!

Solomon: You didn't ask where I want how am I supposed to know!

Lucifer: You are dating a demon! A high-level demon! Taking him to the human world is against the law!

Solomon:...

Asmo: I-it's okay... I got one from Diavolo.... here! [shows a letter already signed by Diavolo]

Lucifer: Really? [sees the letter] Ah, so you did ask for permission?

Asmo: Of course... I'm not a rogue demon, Lucifer. Besides, I won't look good in prison clothing.

Lucifer: Alright. I'll get you back. You, go back to Purgatory hall.

Solomon: What-

Lucifer: You heard me, go back to your dormitory.

Solomon: What about his shopping bag?

Lucifer: Put them in his room then go back to purgatory hall. You're forbidden to stay in the House of Lamentation for three days.

Asmo and Solomon: What?!

Lucifer: Just Solomon

Asmo: that doesn't make it any better?! Who is going to deal with me when I'm in heat?!

Lucifer: Then we'll call him when you actually need him.

And so that ends this episode. All the three couples have their fun even though Solomon ends up with a punishment of not meeting Asmo for three days but he'll survive... will he....?

Simeon: It's okay, Solomon... it's just three days...

Solomon: I CAN'T!!! I MISS HIM A LOT!!! [sobbing dramatically]

Luke: It's been two days...

Solomon: Yeah TWO DAYS! EXACTLY! I can't even be apart from him for a few hours now it's for two days!

Michael: It's just two days, Solomon. You can focus more on your training or teaching Luke for his classes.

Solomon: [eating his ice cream in sadness]

The same thing is happening to Asmo, he's eating ice cream with the girls as they watch some random chick flick on the TV.

Ichigo: you'll be okay, it's just for a few days.

Asmo: Still! Who's gonna help me when I need help in that way?!

Ichigo: We can always call him when you really need him.

Asmo: I don't wanna cheat on him anymore. We've been in so many affairs because we can't see each other a lot so I end up doing stuff to a succubus but now I wanna focus my lust only on him, the one I truly love.

Haruka: Awww, that's really sweet of you Asmo!

Asmo: Yeah.... but for now I should deal with my toys for those three days if I need help and such.

Ichigo: there-there [pats Asmo] by the way... what have you been telling Beel and Satan?

Asmo: Hm? What do you mean?

Haruka: Satan is unusually dirty-minded yesterday.

Asmo: Oh? He did read a lot of sensual books so that explains his behavior.

Ichigo: What about Beel?

Asmo: Beel? He always is perverted! You didn't notice? Probably because he's really quiet the entire time that's why it came out that day. He's a demon, after all, a gluttonous one in fact. You don't think he'd use that sin on something else?

Ichigo: You mean....?

Asmo: Mmhmm^^

Ichigo: ... Oh my Lord...

Haruka: What has Satan be reading...

Satan: Some sensual books, as he said.

Haruka: Gah! Where did you come from?!

Satan: by the door...?

Haruka: Ish you! [smacks him]

Satan: ouch! Why are you so violent these days?!

Haruka: That's because of your perverted mind, you stupid raging ball of chaos!

Satan: You love this raging ball of chaos though^^

Asmo: ew, get a room.

Satan: Alright-

Haruka: Wait what- [get lift up by Satan] wait! Asmo! Ichigo!! Help me!!

Asmo: Have fun, darling~ ^^ [waves in a girlish way]

Ichigo: pfft- Good luck dealing with him.

[well-shit-im-a-morosexual-now]

There's a new lesson that I can't get to, so I'm going to you!

-35 Anon

Ahhhh??? I absolutely loved this lesson? It's a mostly mammon focused lesson (thanks to all the other brothers nearly dying) with angel backstory/hierarchy added in!????? I'm bouncing off the walls

LESSON 43 SPOILERS

It starts the next day after Solomon nearly kills MC with Mammon waking up looking for breakfast while complaining about the sun (fair enough) he gets annoyed when no one else is up, breakfast is not made and MC is the only one he finds. MC (with what I can only presume is a ridiculous eyebrow wiggle) says 'guess it's just you and me huh?....all alone....' Mammon blushes and says 'that literally cannot be the first thing I hear from you in the morning you're gonna give me a boner' (he actually says something like 'yeah...but don't say sweet, romantic stuff to me first thing in the morning cause you're gonna get me excited')

Mammon complains about the others sleeping in late and says he's gonna not so gently wake them up (this shit validates my HC that Mammon's an early bird and I dunno it just makes me happy) Mammon, with MC trailing behind him, goes to find his brothers. Lucifer is still asleep in his room, Mammon says this is probably a sign pointing to the beginning of the end, Lucifer says 'actually I'm dying cause the scent and flavour of Solomon's food bubbled up in the middle of the night so I'm going the fuck to sleep good night'. Satan wonders what exactly Solomon's food is cause it was able to not have an effect for hours and then suddenly come up again to kill them - he then passes out. Belphie is by Beel's bedside screaming at him to not go into the light, Mammon wonders if maybe Beel's just dying of hunger and Beel says there's no way in hell he's gonna eat anything and Mammon calls Beel out on being an imposter, Beel collapses on the bed and Belpie laments the fact that Beel's dying and that there's nothing he can do. Mammon says 'ugh bro you look like ya gonna die too' and Belphie says 'yeah well i feel like I'm gonna die ever since i ate some custard as a midnight snack and actually maybe it wasn't custard...maybe it was some weird as dessert solomon made cool cool cool i'm gonna pass out too'. Beel says 'Me too' and mammon wonders about the power behind Solomon's cooking. Levi I'm assuming is dead cause no matter how much Mammon pounded on his door and asked him to say something there was no reply so RIP. Asmo blames Mammon for getting sick, cause the bottled water Mammon brought for Asmo when he asked for it the previous night was probably some weird concoction Solomon made. Apparently Asmo's been hearing things ever since he drank it. He also despairs not being able to go the cafe with MC before collapsing on his bed. Mammon considers the fact that Solomon's food should probably be classified as a lethal weapon. Later in the corridor Mammon says that it seems like MC and Mammon are the only ones who came outta this unharmed but like MC nearly died the previous night so what the fuck is your stomach made out of Mammon!? When MC asks this he says he has no fucking clue either but it looks like their entire fridge is now a nuclear waste dump and that they should probably go get some food and medicine (you know these idiots are never gonna return and the others are gonna die).

They go to the Angel's Halo but it's still closed and they decide to come back later, MC ever the opportunist says 'hey ik your brothers are like dying rn and that sucks but ugh wanna make this a date?' And Mammon who has to live with 6 others who are in love with the same person as him and are constant cockblocks says 'shit yeah them being on death's door will probably be the only time we can spend time together without the others breathing down our necks, guess we gotta actually thank -the devs and their massive soft spot for Mammon- Solomon'. Mammon tells MC stories about the other times the brothers were sick, smiling about how they always take things to the extreme (levi had a slight fever and freaked out and turned Henry into Lotan, Asmo had a cold and all his fans came to the house to take care of him and it turned into a party). He says since they are in the human world now they wouldn't have to worry about anything too crazy...then he ruins it by basically saying 'probably'. They go to buy medicine with Lucifer's credit card. MC can ask him how he got it and he'll say it's fine cause they'll just buy food and medicine and only a few things for himself. Or MC can say 'yeah but would medicine actually help?' and Mammon will say 'good point considering it's Solomon's food but we might as well throw some pepto bismol at it and hope for the best.' While heading to the market, Mammon starts blushing about how MC and him heading to the market to buy groceries for dinner sorta feels like something newlyweds would do and hwuidhqowsho8ef7ydjb I'M SCREECHING!? Look me in the eye and tell me this man doesn't have a whole ass colour coded wedding planner aihdhwgdxugz he probably started making it a week after meeting MC. So they head to the market and I shit you not I screamed cause the butcher WHO FUCKING GAVE ADVICE TO MC & BEEL ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP calls out to MC. LOOK I joked about this happening last time but I didn't actually think it would???? and not this fast either! I thought i was gonna have to write a fic about this poor Butcher but solmare's really just giving it to me for free huh? When the butcher greets MC Mammon asks if he knows them and the butcher says that they stopped by the previous day (and look this part is kinda silly and self indulgent but some random as butcher just casually using they/them pronouns made me so happy???). The butcher then asks what the occasion is and if MC is inviting their friend to a party.  Mammon, sweet beautiful Mammon goes word for word "Friend? Me? Nah, nah, I ain't just a friend.   The two of us LIVE together." Bro at this point I'm in actual tears just imagining this whole scenario. the butcher stutters out an "Ah, I...I see..." MC has a horrid flashback to the previous day of the butcher happily giving them relationship advice for Beel. The Butcher and MC just silently stare at each other for a sec before MC goes "um so yeah ik that happened yesterday but see this one is the one I'm actually serious about." Mammon goes "hey!? wtf who's the OTHER one!?" Then to the poor butcher says "listen up, Me & MC are a THING, got it? so yeah MC's gonna show up with not one, not two but with six other hot guys at some point who are all gonna act like they're a couple BUT it doesn't mean anything  got it!? Specially if 'it's a real evil, sinister-lookin' dude with a huge ego and a heart as black as night' that guy especially doesn't mean shit to MC". The butcher says "o-okay". Anyway I desperately need this to be a running gag. Mammon later in really happy that the butcher thought they were a couple and living together and then Mammon who I'm 100% certain at this point has his and MC's entire lives together planned out starts blushing and sighing and saying how he really wishes it was just the two of them living together, sleeping in the same room (bruh I think it's implied enough to assume you already do this half the time), spending the whole day together and staying by each other's sides and how just the thought of all that is nice enough that he can't fight a smile. MC's stomach, much to mammon's dismay, ruins his daydreams by reminding everyone that they haven't had breakfast yet. They decide rather than waiting for the cafe to open to go get something to eat.

They decide to stop at a deli with a line of customers and I think I said this in my answer to your previous ask but I kinda just assumed Mammon would be the most comfortable in the human world and how it was kinda shown when they went to get pizza and later Asmo's dessert that he was able to act the most normal and actually noted when the others were acting weird and tried to reign them in. And that it was probably cause of how much he went to the human world for the witches and MC actually brings it up! They can either say that he seems pretty at home in the human world and he says something like 'oh? I'm just acting like I normally would' or they can ask him if he eats at delis a lot and he says that whenever he gets hungry while he's in the human world for the witches he'll stop at a deli cause it's easy. He kinda gets a sad look while talking about the witches and for once MC gets to turn the tables and be the jealous one. They can ask him if he has pacts with anyone besides them and he says 'no obviously not, do you think I went around making pacts with random people' ....except MC was a random person when he made a pact with them and I've always thought Mammon started getting a crush after making a pact but do you think he was kinda subconsciously curious even prior to it despite how much he tried to get rid of them? MC can also say "witches, huh...?" And mammon goes 'jyggfsdyugadsyu wait are you actually jealous!?" he then leughs, calls MC a dummy and asks how they could be jealous of the witches. AND!! this part made me so happy cause they only mentioned it once before in the main storyline but it was important enough that they had a whole backstory UR card for it and I was wondering if they'd bring it up now since they were in the human world - mammon gets all sad and says there's a reason he can't refuse the witches. he kinda hesitates around telling them that he borrowed some money, and they took over some of his debts and "...And some other stuff, too" (Me, banging my fists on the table: SHOW ME HIS CHILD SOLMARE! PLS! LET MC HAVE A DAUGHTER! or at least give me a name) MC asks if Lucifer knows about this, Mammon says he probably does cause lucifer's his big brother and you can't keep any secrets from your big brother. then he sighs and says he wishes he could live in the human world forever cause he wouldn't have to listen to lucifer's lectures anymore. He seems to realise what exactly he implied cause he goes silent and starts blushing and starts stuttering through saying that what he actually means is that if MC really wants him to stay with them then he might be willing to. They're interrupted by customers talking about a rumour that drinking coffee from the new cafe would make the person you have a crush on fall madly in love with you so obviously Mammon says fuck the deli and drags MC away to the cafe. MC sighs about Mammon being really easy to read. Mammon seems to finally remember that he's supposed to be a tsundere and says him suddenly wanting coffee has nothing to do with the rumour so don't you dare think that and it's not like he's gonna chug their coffee just so MC would fall madly in love with him. MC quite literally goes 'no you' and says well sure you won't chug the coffee but i will and then you'll fall madly in love with me. Mammon, blushing and stuttering, says 'okay but you gotta warn me before saying stuff like that cause it could literally kill me also wtf 'I'm sorta ALREADY madly in love with you...' if you make me fall any harder we're both screwed." He then walks into Luke.

Luke looks adorable!??????????? Before realising who it is Mammon snaps at him to watch where he's going and then goes speechless. Luke says he saw a couple arguing and came to check it out cause they looked like trouble (can't believe Simeon sent a child to scope out a suspicious couple screaming in the middle of the sidewalk about who loves the other the most). Mammon takes offense at the arguing comment and Luke brushes him off to instead talk to Mc about not seeing them in a long time. Mammon snaps at being brushed off and Luke just completely ignores him to hug MC and keep talking about how it's really MC. Mammon does he whole 'no hugging, no getting close, no staring I don't want your germs on MC' routine. MC ignores him and tells Luke that they really missed him, Luke says he missed them too and that actually he missed MC 100X whatever amount they missed him and that he planned on getting in touch with them but the grand opening had them busy. Inside the cafe they meet Simeon who is happily surprised that MC and Mammon are their first customers but that they aren't supposed to open yet. MC asks them what the cafe is about and they say it's a cover for them while they are in the human world and when MC then asks them why they're here Simeon says that Michael appointed him to coordinate relations between the human world and celestial realm. MC and Mammon's stomachs start growling loud enough to resemble Beel's and Simeon offers them breakfast when they remember they haven't eaten. MC catches them up on what's happened and Luke and Simeon laugh about MC now officially being the brothers' babysitter. Mammon says that the angels are really starting to get on his nerves and what they really came for was the coffee that everyone's talking about.

Simeon says that it's just a stupid rumour. MC says but wouldn't it be good for business. Simeon says yeah but since the cafe is just a cover they don't really care about making money and that as angels marketing under a false advertisement is something he can't condone. mammon asks how a rumour like that started and Simeon says that a girl had accidentally walked into the cafe thinking it was some other place and he had given her a free cup of coffee just to see if their new brew tasted good. the girl had later had unexpected, dramatic good luck in her romantic life and had spread the rumour. MC asks if this means Simeon has cupid like powers. Simeon says that he doesn't have that kind of powers, though some angels do. Luke says that angels possess powers from the moment they are born but like humans who are good at some things and bad at others, certain angels can only do certain things with their powers and that angels are assigned a rank based on how skilled they are at what they can do. Simeon's an archangel. Archangels serve as warriors in the celestial realm. And this is really interesting cause it means that Simeon actually fought against the brothers during the war and was not just a passive bystander. It also means Mammon was probably an archangel cause of his 'warrior' card and probably the only archangel from his brothers considering they don't have similar cards. Mammon teases Luke about just being a lower level grunt and Luke says that's still just in training and in the process of determining what he's good at meaning he's not been assigned a rank yet. Simeon says that since Michael expects great things from Luke that'll be really successful. Mammon teases Luke about how if he works hard and aims for the stars he might one day be on the top - a seraph (If this is the highest rank does this mean that's what Michael and Lucifer were?). Luke says that he's actually hoping to be a principality, which mammon laughs about. Simeon finally serves breakfast and talks about wanting to find a way to squash the rumour. MC offers to help and Mammon (rightfully) calls them out on sticking their nose where it doesn't belong again and says he's not gonna help unless they offer to pay him in gold. MC uses puppy dog eyes. It's super effective. Man actually starts blushing and panting and gasping before he gives up and agrees to help. pls sir there's a child here. Simeon calls out Mammon for being a hopeless simp (he actually just says "You really do adore Mc, don't you Mammon?") Luke says MC and Mammon are fucking disgusting and if he watches another second of this BS he's gonna hurl.

while brainstorming about how exactly they are gonna spread a rumour about the first rumour not being true Mammon says that if people saw a couple drink the coffee and instantly break up it might work but hahah it's not like you have one of those. Simeon thinks it's a brilliant idea. MC agrees and Mammon who has probably never been complimented for his plans combusts before pulling it together and puts on his confident narcissistic persona. Luke and Simeon eye up MC and Mammon as their potential couple. Mammon refuses cause he doesn't want to fight with MC even if it's just an act. Simeon offers for their breakfast to be on the house if Mammon agrees and Mammon says he already assumed it was (I mean so did I...). MC says they would really like Mammon to be their partner for this and obviously he instantly blushes and caves in. Luke calls MC out on being a manipulative little shit. Simeon asks MC and Mammon to practice a breakup before the customers come. MC can either start with 'there's something I want to tell you...' - Mammon asks if that's the way they are gonna start and then gets sad and asks them to reconfirm if this is actually an act. or they can start with 'ugh! I can't take it anymore!', and mammon gets shocked and then sad cause he says that since there are so many things wrong with him he can't decide what they are upset about and HOLY SHIT can we get this man some therapy!????? MC gets to pick one outta three problems. 1. He needs to return what he borrowed from them - he says he will eventually. 2. he needs to stand up to lucifer for once - he says he would if he could but each time he tries lucifer just gets worse. 3. he needs to just come out and admit he loves them - he blushes and says not in front of the angels and that he'll do it when they are alone. He then growls and says he has complaints too and that there's a lot he wants to say. he then starts dishing out actual grievances while Simeon and luke awkwardly watch. Luke says something along the lines of 'uhh i don't think he's acting anymore'. Mammon while blushing and sad says that MC is always flirting with others, and asks why they stay up gaming with levi all night, or why they let Asmo touch them all the time,  and why they let Belphie sleep on their lap without offering Mammon to do so, And how he absolutely hates the way they lock eyes with Lucifer and just smile and how he doesn't even want them to breathe in front of Lucifer and can we pls talk about the complex Mammon has regarding Lucifer? Lucifer really just took all his trauma and daddy issues and passed it on to his kids huh? Mammon again while blushing says he wants nothing to do with someone like MC and that it's over he then tries to growl at them but he fails cause "Dammit! Like I could ever really say that to you! I love you, MC! And I'll NEVER break up with you, okay?! NEVER!" and god this man is so soft my insides are melting i can't deal with this shit. Simeon sighs about Mammon being useless ((((Probably while Mammon and MC cling on to each other and cry about having to fake break up with each other i dunno they're both pretty useless))))

Since the whole fake breakup thing failed the cafe is packed and Simeon has MC and Mammon working for him during the rush. Satan and Beel end up walking in, when MC asks them how they are doing they both say they are better. Satan had found a curse that ended up transferring all his illness to someone he hates (RIP Lucifer i guess) and Beel's stomach is strong enough that he got over it quicker than the rest. Despite insisting they're only here as paying customers Simeon puts them to work with a sweet smile and a dark purple aurora reminiscent of Lucifer's and a flash of lightening (I love how they keep revealing that Simeon is secretly terrifying) with the reasoning that the cafe is flooded cause Mammon couldn't fake breakup with MC and as Mammon's brothers it's their duty to help out. Beel cries about having to work without being given to eat but is too terrified to actually protest. Mammon suggests MC and him sneaking away now that Satan and Beel are there, MC gives their best impression of Lucifer yelling Mammon (which considering it's previously fooled both Beel and Mammon is probably really good) and he gets back to work

back in their sitting room at home the four of them are beat, though Beel is happy considering he ate all the BLT sandwiches Simeon gave them as payment. Satan says it's a surprise to see the angels here and Mammon tells them about how Michael wants them to coordinate relations between the human world and celestial realm, Satan says that's sus cause that's usually a job for dominions not archangels and that it probably means that Michael is planning something. Mammon says "so you mean he's plotting something again?" . MC can ask about Michael from 1. Mammon - He says he's a demon masquerading as an angel. And that the punishments he gave Mammon gave him shiver, though Satan says that Mammon earned those punishments. Still doesn't excuse the fact that an angel was able to deliver punishments that can still make a demon who had to survive with Lucifer's punishments shiver... 2. Satan - Satan says that back then he was still just a part of Lucifer and could only see the world through Lucifer's eyes. He says that Michael was everything that humans imagine an angel to be and more and that he had a certain presence about him. Beel says the same could be said about Lucifer. 3. Beel -  he said he smelled tasty.......like sweets. Mammon says that he was always eating sweet stuff. Mammon says that Michael was A LOT like Lucifer. Satan says that while they were the polar opposite in terms of appearance it felt like they were twins. Mammon says that Michael was crazy about Lucifer (I mean he still has a weird shrine for him so yeah...) and that he really cared about lucifer. Satan says that it's cause Lucifer embodied everything Michael wasn't but wished to be and that he projected himself onto lucifer. Beel says they should probably open up an umbrella. Mammon goes wtf and Beel says cause it's raining. Mammon goes 'bro wtf we're inside'. Satan goes 'actually wait no I'm getting wet'. MC notes a leak in the ceiling, above which is Asmo's bathroom. They've been in this Mansion for little over a week and it's already leaking...

That's the end of the lesson. I'll post screenshots of Luke and Simeon's outfits in a bit. Cause they've been talking about Michael's appearance and personality and cause at the end of the last season he told MC he'll meet them soon do you think we'll actually get to see him? Is it bad that the angels scare me more than the demons? Since they brought up the witches while in the human world do you think we'll get to meet them/have more backstory? hdgudysidhzsjb I loved this lesson and I have so many questions that need to be answered... Let me know what you think!

[poc-movie-supremacy]

Guardian Angel

Remember that post I made with Joey as beth’s guardian angel? Yeah I turned it into a fic. I hope you guys like it! Comments likes and reblogs are appreciated. Enjoy!

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Joey opens his eyes to see a vast auditorium. He’s in a magician’s costume that mimick’s the one his father used to wear. The crowd is cheering, and applauding for him, but he doesn’t know why. He can’t really remember anything, and he’s freaking out. 

The crowd asks for another trick and he gives them one like its muscle memory. The trick was complex. It was a trick he never learned.

Joey opened his mouth to call for his father. No sound came out of his mouth. The crowds cheered loudly for him, but it wasn’t happy applause. It had a dark undertone to it, and Joey kept performing tricks, scared of what would happen to him if he stopped.

After a few hours, probably, someone called for him. Hastily Joey bowed to the audience and followed the person backstage. “Dad, Mom!” 

They took him to this house, theirs apparently. No one explained anything to him. When he hugged his parents, he realized his side was hurting. Joey asked his mom about it, but she just bit back tears and tried not to cry. He didn’t want to upset her further, so he decided to figure it out on his own. 

The doors to the house opened up and he saw his grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles all waving excitedly at him. They ushered them into the house hugging them and talking happily as they went in. He winced as they continued to hug him on his bad side. Joey was confused. He went to all their funerals, or the ones who...

Died

When, he lost his card, and he knelt down, and..

Suddenly Joey shivered like someone stepped on his grave. Wait. Suddenly as he got a vision, or something, he could see his actual grave with someone kneeling on it.  They were wearing sneakers, jeans and a blue sweater decorated with yellow stars. Their hair was in an afro-oh Joey realized that the person knelling on his grave was Beth. 

He strained to hear what she was telling him. “I got you these flowers, I remember you said you liked them cause your aunt used to grow flowers. She was at the funeral. Cameron was there too.” Beth bit back a sob and put on a watery smile. “I think he misses you. His dad’s back in town too. They said it was weird. Ice on the roads, in the middle of fall. Anyways, I finished that book we were reading, the Witching hour. The one with the famous female magician. It was a good book. The girl, she’s so brave. Her father ended up being super proud of her. You would’ve liked it.” Beth had to pause to let a few sobs lose. 

Joey felt like he was going to have a panic attack. He want to go to Beth, and comfort her. Tell her it would be alright, but his mind was already taking him to an old memory. It was the day they died, but the scope of the picture was wider than what he remember. In the trees there was a man looking like a cracked ice sculpture examining the scene before him. Joey wondered why this moment was important. Then Ice Sculpture man blew out and he saw his card move. 

“No.” Joey didn’t think that could’ve been the reason he died. Then the man shifted and he looked like... Mr. Mahkent? Joey watched him further, through different memories to see what the hell was actually going on throughout Blue Valley. 

~~~

So... superheroes were a thing. He watched proudly as Beth managed to save Yolanda from Mrs. Brooks. Joey really wished he didn’t have to see her in that outfit, though. Their fighting was incredible, although a small part of him did worry for Beth’s safety. He watched somewhat closely to make sure Beth was ok. 

~~~

The ISA’s words echoed in his head. They wanted to kill the Junior JSA. Beth. Joey watched their every move more carefully to make sure Beth doesn’t join him anytime soon. Soon, he realized he had some control on the comings and goings down on earth. As he watched over them, he tested out his abilities. 

Joey noted how much time the school delinquent, Rick Harris, spent with Beth. It was interesting to say the least. Rick seemed to almost soften with Beth. “You always were special Beth.” Joey whispered fondly. 

Yolanda smiled more often now. A weight, even a tiny bit, seemed to have lifted off her shoulders. Now, she’s happy. Joey’s happy for her. He also notes that she has a special smile reserved for just Courtney. Joey smiles happy knowing that one of the happiest girls in school finally seems happy again. 

He knew everything was going to go to shit the minute Dr. King woke up. He didn’t think it would be this bad, though. Dr. King is in cahoots with Mr. Mahkent and they plan on doing diabolical things together. Henry Jr. teams up with the JSA. Joey winces at Courtney’s choices, but it’s interesting to note how Yolanda handled the situation and why Courtney choose him. Joey wondered if Courtney ever got lonely in her childhood. 

It gives him a headache to try and keep an eye on all of the JSA members at once. At first he kept his main focus on Courtney, Yolanda, and Henry and prayed that Rick kept an eye on Beth. 

Soon though, he realized that Courtney and Yolanda worked well together and Rick was trying to release a seven-foot zombie. Thankfully, Joey doesn’t need to intervene because Beth’s voice filled with terror was enough to distract Rick from Solomon Grundy. They eventually met up with the others by a gate, the last obstacle from the main world. Meanwhile Joey took a minute to close the door to Solomon Grundy’s cage. It wasn’t open by much, but he’d rather be safe than sorry. When he caught up with them, Henry was facing his father while the other JSA members watched on in horror. 

When Joey saw the tunnel start to rumble and crash down on him he used his powers to simultaneously protect the JSA and hit Henry King Sr. square in the head. Before going to see a former classmate, Joey made sure that Pat and Barbara picked up the JSA from the tunnels. 

“Nice to see you again, Henry.” Henry King Jr. new ghost stared at him confused. 

“You’re dead.” 

“I’ll explain on the way. Come on, I get anxious if I’m not keeping an eye on the Junior JSA for a while.” Henry looked at him confused. 

“You did a wonderful job protecting them and all.” Joey complimented Henry as they walked to Joey’s house. 

After Joey assimilated Henry to the afterlife, Joey showed Henry a bunch of magic tricks as they let the lives of the Junior JSA play out in the background. “Do they like each other?” Henry asked Joey. Beth and Rick were sitting in one of the old cars in Pat’s auto shop. Beth was trying to understand how the car worked while Rick was examining his father’s notebook. In other words they were desperately ignoring the fact they saw their classmate die in front of them. 

“Probably? But then again, I used to spend time with Beth and we weren’t dating.”

“You weren’t?”

Joey wonders if he should tell Henry that he’s actually gay, but he thinks that’s something to save for later. “No, Beth’s just... She’s one of a kind.” Henry nodded like he agreed with Joey and they continued trying out different magic tricks. Joey wanted to see what they could accomplish with Henry’s telepathic abilities. The possibilities are endless. 

Henry looked torn when they found out about the ISA’s plan. “I died for- we died for this? This is why my dad murdered me? Why aren’t they just politicans?” Joey shrugged helplessly at Henry. 

“My father is way too damn dramatic. You didn’t have to kill me for this stupid plan to work!” Henry screamed at the window to the other world.

“They are definitely too extreme in their methods. Come on and focus, Henry, they still want to kill our friends.” Henry nodded and he and Joey kept a close eye on what was happening. 

“They’re splitting up in too many different ways.” Henry complained. 

“Well, let’s focus on the guy’s in the tunnel and keep everyone else in the background.” Joey said. They watched as the JSA and the ISA versed each other. Joey was impressed at how much their fighting abilites improved. 

Henry wanted to puke when he saw his dad masquerade as him to try and trick Yolanda. “He’s going to hurt her.” Henry panicked. 

“Save her, use your powers, I’m going to keep an eye on the rest of them. “ Joey split the window in threes. One on Yolanda, one on the battle in the tunnels, and another on Beth. Henry channelled his ghostly powers to subconsciously warn Yolanda of his father’s trickery. She slashed his throat and she watched him die. Joey cheered happily, then gasped when Cindy stabbed her father. Henry and Joey looked at each other stunned. 

“I mean, you shouldn’t gass your kids.” Joey reasoned. 

Henry nodded in agreement. “Gambler’s releasing Grundy and sending Jordan after Beth.” 

“You take Grundy and I’ll take Jordan.” Joey told him. The window was now split in two one on Grundy and one on Beth. 

“Hey he’s taking off the robot arms!” Joey noted that Rick had four minutes left on his hour. 

“Help me rewind the hourglass.”

“What?”

“Come on, put more time on his clock.” It took a lot of strength, but they managed to give Rick one extra minute. Sadly though, they didn’t realize how close Jordan was to Beth and Barbara. 

They were too late to save Chuck, but Joey managed to heal Beth’s concussion from her slam against the wall. He stayed with her until Yolanda ushered her out the door to watch Jordan and Courtney fight each other. 

Somehow Jordan managed to survive the fall. Joey looked for ways to somehow help the JSA when he saw it. Mike drove along the street haphazardly until Joey guided the car straight into Icicle. (It was the only straight thing he ever did). Not all the ISA members were taken down that day, but their heavy hitters were. Joey finally relaxed knowing that Beth and the others were safe.

~~~

Beth kneeled in front of Joey’s grave uncaring of the fact her jeans were now dirty. “Hey Joey. Long time no see. Sorry about that. It’s been a hectic few months. Jordan died. It’s funny in a horrible way, he also died getting hit by a truck. Can’t wait for the influx of drunk driving talks in school.” Beth paused as she thought. Rick waited calmly a little ways behind her. They had been planning on going to the ice cream parlor, but she wanted to take a detour. “I’m not as lonely as before.” She whispered to the grave. “I have friends now. Rick doesn’t mind my rambling, and Yolanda also read the Witching hour. She said we can discuss it together. I lost Chuck, but Rick says he can fix it. I hope he’s right. I have to go, but I thought I should say that I miss you. I hope you and Henry are having a wonderful time up wherever you are. Bye.”

Joey discreetly wiped tears from his eyes. “I miss you too Beth. We’re okay. Me and Henry? We’re okay.”

[og-danny-dorito]

Some Quick Alfie Solomons Headcanons

why? because ive been thinking about this baker dude for like a week ok don’t @ me

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S F W:

- big man is warm all the time, no lie. it can be any time of the year and he’s still basically a space heater with legs, although he doesn't really move much if he can help it. 

- yeah work is GREAT and all, but he’d much rather sleep until 5, wake up to get like some food or a drink of something, and then just fall back asleep with his dog tbh

- highkey doesn't like Italians because the Italian mob consists of some dickheads (in his eyes at least) but honestly wouldn’t mind an Italian s/o??? like yeah he might not trust them at first but after a while he’ll soften up to them

- i kind of see him as maybe bi, but i don’t know. he seems more inclined to females in particular, but there could always be that sort of curiosity there he REFUSES to acknowledge. yes he finds that guy kind of attractive, no hes not gay-

- it kind of takes him a while to get comfortable with anyone, just because hes been conditioned over the years to doubt who you trust. usually if he feels too comfortable with someone for the first few days or weeks talking to them, he’ll distance himself away and maybe not show up for a while just to try and space himself out 

- once he does finally become comfortable though? he won’t leave you the hell alone

- seriously, this dude might show up at your house at 3 am because Cyril seemed kind of distressed and he doesn't really trust anyone else to take care of his dog. or he might show up at your house in the middle of the day just for the hell of it, or at your work. of course he’ll make up and excuse, but the fact of the matter is that he just wants to spend time with you. and i can assure you he’ll have less of a struggle admitting it than a certain peaky blinder would

- probably more down to just lay around and read or something, but he doesn't mind going out every once and a while. id think that he kind of likes going to eat or something, but eating at home is always nice too. and NO drinking cause gross. hes kind of a hermit really, it’s just how he is

- highkey likes thiccies why? because i said so. that and he likes it better that way. it may be a secret kink but we wont address that because these are sfw and i haven’t made nsfw ones yet. to him people with more meat on their bones look like they could boss him round without a problem

- if you're self-conscious he won’t be having ANY of it. don’t think your eyelashes are long enough? not on his watch, expect to get kisses all over your face. don’t think your skin is clear enough? not on his watch, he’s going to make sure you feel like the most beautiful person on the planet. don’t think you look good in your clothes? dON’T MAKE HIM GIVE YOU FACE KISSES AGAIN-

- but seriously he’s v supportive and sweet

- he also may not show it, but he cares a whole lot about you. when you’re at work you may get a random bouquet of flowers and a little basket or container of your favorite sweets or food. he also low key makes lunches for you sometimes (he won’t admit it but he’s pretty doting on you and takes a lot of extra effort out of his day just to make sure you feel loved)

- very very out there but he probably likes it when you call him pet names like ‘sweetheart’ and ‘bear’ or something like that. it makes him all blushy and he starts smiling a lot. in turn he also calls you names like ‘love’ or nicknames while holding you from behind

- boss man likes it when you randomly grab his hand while you’re both walking. ESPECIALLY in public. seriously, just walk up and grab his hand and continue walking with him and he’ll get all flustered and grumble under his breath about people being around

- highkey doesn’t want you to wear revealing clothes because he doesn’t like it when others ogle at you. that body is his to touch and his alone, so seeing other people stare at you like some slab of meat isn’t going to fly without a slightly-pissed-off-yelling of “What the ‘ell are YOU looking at?” and him gripping you tighter to his body. he gets jealous rlly easily

- it’s not so much women that make him angry, he doesn’t like to get mad at women in particular just because he sees it as a sign of disrespect. if a GUY is doing it though the fucker is gonna get his face beat into the ground. he’s not fucking around, and may poor guy that dares to think he is when it comes to you will find that they’re sorely mistaken. he can and will do anything to protect you, even if that means beating the shit out of some guy publicly just to make the point clear that you’re taken

- if his violence scares you at all, he probably will try to keep his job and his more erratic nature away from you so as to not drive you away. once he’s gotten used to you it’ll feel weird to have you gone because of some dumb thing he did, and so he tries to avoid that situation at all costs. you mean more to him than anything else, and your word is law

- in any fight you guys get into he’s mostly pretty cool and collected, but there are occasional bursts from his cold exterior. usually he’ll play the ‘I’m not mad, you’re just being irrational’ care, which will result in more outburst on your part and eventually his inevitable angry venting. he tries not to do it, but after a while he does apologize and doesn’t start anything a long time after that. like I previously said he’s too scared of loosing you, so he tries not to make anything he does cause that

- probably would feel more safe protecting you than you protecting yourself. it’s not that he doubts your skill! he just doesn’t want you to get hurt. and he’s fairly certain bodyguards are much more powerful than just one person, right? you’re basically treated like a piece of valuable jewelry at all times

- low key pampers you. like,,, if you say that you like a particular item ONCE you best believe you’ll get it ASAP as far as he’s concerned. he gets you all sorts of stuff; clothes he thinks you’d like, clothes HE likes, etc etc. you could simply say that he likes to make you the happiest he can at all times, but perfectly understands if you’re more simplistic and really just enjoy his company. he probably feels more secure with someone who’s simplistic really, it lets him know that he doesn’t need to constantly get them things to keep them by his side

- would most likely loose his shit if you ever got anything for him. like in a Oh My God Thank You But Why™️ way because he doesn’t actually get gifts that often? literally anything will make him happy, but little homemade things really make his heart melt. you painted him a picture? he’s going to frame that shit and put it in his office dude

- he may be a mob boss but that doesn’t mean he’s always hard and macho, he kind of just needs to be held every once and a while. just hold him, pls he needs it

- all in all he cares a lot about you, and in the end he can’t bear the sight of you even slightly distressed or hurt. he’d lay down his life for you, and if that requires that he protects you at all costs and eliminates all threats then so be it, because he’d die in his spot before he let the enemy get to you

[multishipperlove]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series), Cinderbrush (Web Video) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Jamie Wrenly/Aff Flowers/Cameron Solomon/Sasha Murasaki Characters: Jamie Wrenly, Aff Flowers, Sasha Murasaki, Cameron Solomon Additional Tags: Truth or Dare, Kissing, Mentions of past injury, Childhood Trauma, Nothing explicit but it's discussed, Werewolf Turning, Polyamory Summary:

A game of Truth or Dare causes a distressing realisation for Aff. Luckily, their group is there for them though.

They were all currently spread out on the floor of Jamie's living room, lazily passing a bottle of cheap wine around while a movie ran in the background. None of them were really paying attention to that though, more caught up with each other than anything that was going on around them.

When Aff passed the bottle over to Sasha again, with quite a bit left, she emptied it without a second thought. Cameron gave a low whistle at that. “I thought you didn't roll at parties?” he asked teasingly, as she placed the bottle in the middle of their little circle. So far, she'd been the one who'd had the least alcohol between them. Now, Cam wasn't so sure anymore.

“Well I'm not at a party, am I,” she shot back, and the smile forming on her lips already told them she had a plan. “It's not like I need to keep my guard up when it's just you losers being around.”

“Thanks, we love you too,” Jamie interrupted, quite pleased when his lame comment got a giggle out of Aff at least. Stupidly adorable.

Sasha just rolled her eyes though, not rising to take the bait. “Whatever. Anyway, now that we got this,” saying that, she picked up the bottle again, giving it a slight shake to get their attention, “let's make this evening a little bit more interesting.”

“Not that I'm opposed to it, but do we really need a game of spin the bottle to make out with each other?” Cam asked amused, though he was already more alert, definitely interested. “I kinda thought we were beyond that stage.”

“Let's make it truth or dare then, maybe that makes things more interesting,” she suggested.

Jamie looked sceptic at first, and couldn't help but take a look around the room again. “Fine,” they agreed then. “But if you break anything we can't cover up, you're the one explaining it to my mom.”

“Oh hush, we're not that stupid,” Sasha sighed, before finally turning to Aff, the only one in their group who hadn't voiced an opinion yet.

“Yeah, sure, I'm up for anything,” they agreed quickly, giving the group a smile that seemed slightly tipsy but definitely excited. “I mean, I've never played spin the bottle before, so-”

“How have you never played spin the bottle before?” Cam asked incredulously, before Aff had a chance to start to ramble. “It's like, the game you play as a teen. Or pre-teen, you know, because we were all young at stupid at some point.”

Jamie's sceptical “were?” was easily drowned out in Aff's laughter, which sounded a bit too self-conscious for their friends taste though. “I dunno, I was never really invited to any parties, you know. I just never got the chance, I guess.”They didn't mention that it was mostly because no one wanted to invite the girl who broke her classmate's nose just for calling her that, but the uncomfortable shift in posture was enough to tell everyone that the question had hit a bit too close for comfort.

So before the tension could get awkward, Sasha spoke up again. “Good thing we're here to remedy that then. Would you like to start?”

Aff shrugged at first but then nodded, reaching for the bottle in her hand as they all started to form a proper circle. It felt more exciting than it probably should at their age, as everyone waited with baited breath for the first person to be chosen.

Naturally, it landed on on Cam. Who immediately started waggling his eyebrows at Aff with a suggestive smile. “Dare.”

Aff bit their lip, almost looking nervous if the others couldn't see them fighting a smirk that badly, as they briefly looked between Cam and the others. Jamie groaned. “Oh please, just kiss him already.”

And they did.

As expected, the first few rounds of the game were spend with almost nothing but smooching each other. It was fun, but after a while they actually started to throw in some other challenges as well. Some embarrassing questions here and there, daring each other to take silly photos, or to eat something gross.

When Aff ended up almost tossing their cookies because they insisted on finishing the sandwich that Cam had slapped together (consisting of three different condiments, a thin slice of raw beef, half a marshmallow, three gummy worms, and a spoonful of the mystery leftovers from the fridge), they all finally decided to take a break though.

They ended up in a pile on the couch again, Aff stretched out over Sasha's and Jamie's laps, and their head in Cam's. The boy was trying to make up for the stupid food challenge by running his hands through Aff's hair and gently scratching his nails over their scalp, just the way they liked it.

“If you get food poisoning because of this I'm going to kick your ass,” he muttered, gently flicking Aff's nose when they started to grin again.

“Yeah, I think it's a bit late for that,” Jamie chuckled, while Sasha rolled her eyes again and snuggled closer to them. “But if it gets worse, I can whip something up that should help.”

Aff just shook their head, eyes still gleefully closed as they enjoyed their partners' undivided attention. “Nah, I'm good. Actually, if this is the way you guys react, I might try this more often.”

“I think I'm with Cam on this one,” Sasha spoke up. “You only get to choose truth from now on, and it's your own fault.”

Aff made a disgruntled noise, mostly because it had been their first time being able to play at all and apparently they'd immediately managed to get themselves banned from part of it. But then again. “That's fine, truth is fun,” they muttered eventually, nuzzling a bit closer to Cam again.

“Of course it is, everyone likes talking about themselves,” Jamie said, and surprisingly, it didn't come out as snarky as it could have. “Especially if you give people an excuse to spill their secrets.”

“Well, some secrets,” Sasha interrupted. “Some things you keep to yourself. It's a fun way to start rumours though.”

“Isn't that like, against the rules?”

She chuckled softly and reached over, gently cupping Aff's face for a moment. “Darling, I got so much to teach you.”

Jamie grinned and pressed a kiss to Sasha's temple. “Maybe wait a bit longer before you corrupt them as well, I quite like them like this.”

“Oh, oh no, corrupt me all you want,” Aff said quickly, effectively getting the other's attention again. “I mean, if you want to. It sounds fun.”

The others couldn't help but laugh at that, and it soon turned into a fully blown laughing fit for all four of them, continuously egging each other on and relapsing back into it before anyone had the chance to get themselves under control again. When they did finally calm down again, still letting out the occasional giggle, Cam was the first to speak up again.

“Alright, anyway, does anyone wanna continue playing?” he asked, wiping at his face to get rid of the tear tracks. They hadn't laughed like this in a while, especially not for such a ridiculous reason. Maybe that was the alcohol speaking, though he felt almost sober again by now.

“I would, but I'm also, like, really comfortable right now,” Aff sighed. “Can we do this without moving?” As if to prove their point, they wrapped their arms around Cam's waist, refusing to leave their spot.

Cam chuckled softly. “I guess we could settle on just asking each other weird questions, if that's what you want.” Aff didn't protest at least, and Jamie and Sasha seemed satisfied enough with that solution as well. It was as good a way to pass the time as any, especially when they were all starting to get tired.

“Alright, I'll start,” Sasha said finally, when no one else made any move to do it. “Everyone's first kiss. Go.” Aff and Cam shared a look and started giggling again, and even Jamie had to bite their lip to not join in once more. Sasha looked predictably confused. “What, what did I miss?” she asked.

“Canoe kiss,” Jamie told her, and as understanding dawned on her face, Cameron hit their shoulder in fake outrage.

“You said you wouldn't tell anyone!”

“Not unless offered the right information in return, so don't act surprised,” they chuckled, leaning in a bit to kiss the pout off his face, which worked maybe a little bit too well.

But Sasha interrupted them before they could get lost completely, gently tugging on Jamie's sleeve. “So who was your first kiss then? You didn't answer yet.” Jamie pulled back from Cam again with a sigh, reaching out with one hand though to intertwine their fingers. Cameron appreciated it, gently starting to rub his thumb over the soft skin of the back of their palm.

“Well, this is going to be embarrassing, but- I don't remember,” Jamie told them. At Sasha's unbelieving look, they tried to wave it off. “I know, I know. But there's a reason I have a policy about taking my own products now, at least when I'm working.”

“You really don't remember your first kiss? Isn't that a bit sad?” Aff asked. And if it had been anyone else asking the question, Jamie probably would have taken offence, but they knew that Aff was just like that sometimes. They probably hadn't meant it in a judgemental way.

“Some people would probably profit from not remembering their first kiss, so I'm not too hung up about it,” they admitted with a shrug. “As far as I'm concerned, as long as there is no proof that can be used against me in any way, it doesn't matter. I would much rather focus on who I'm kissing now.”

“That's fair,” Sasha agreed, though she still moved a bit closer and laid an arm around their shoulder. Jamie leaned into it, maybe not needing the comfort but enjoying it anyway. It was really not a huge deal for them, but they were well aware that most people put more significance on this kind of thing.

“So who was yours then?” Cam asked after a few more seconds of silence, looking to Sasha for an answer. “The one who asks has to answer, too. Anything else wouldn't be fair.”

“Fine,” she muttered back, though the blush rising on her cheeks gave away she didn't quite like the new rule. “It was you, doofus.”

“Wait, what?” Cameron thought he'd misheard her at first. “No way, you told me you'd already done it all when we started dating! Didn't you have a thing with Jason once, too?”

“No, I made that up,” she admitted, almost sheepishly. “I didn't want anyone to think I was inexperienced, and Jason certainly didn't mind. It's always been surprisingly easy to get the rumour mill going in my favour, so I figured, why not for that, too?”

“Huh. I guess that makes sense,” Cam muttered, though he was obviously still a bit shaken by the new revelation. “I can't believe I was both yours and Aff's first kiss. That's crazy.”

“Maybe you were Jamie's, too!” Aff piped up, a wide smile on their face. “And neither of you remembers!”

“I could live with that,” Jamie replied immediately, before Cameron could deny it, and prompting another round of laughter. “Sure, let's go with that. Cameron's been my first kiss, then our group is even.”

Cameron shook his head slightly but agreed easily enough. “Sure, that works. Always happy to be of service.”

“And for your sacrifice, you're allowed to choose the next question.”

He wasn't sure if that was actually a reward, but accepted it anyway. After a moment of thinking about  it, he nodded again. “Hmm, alright. What's the worst childhood injury you had?”

It wasn't a question Sasha had expected, but she was the first with an answer. “Oh, easy,” she huffed. “Nothing. Maybe a sprained ankle or something, but my parents never really let me do anything fun, and I spend most of my time inside.”  

“That's tragic,” Jamie replied with a frown. “I think mine would be the time I cut my hand while looking for herbs, because that's the only thing my mother panicked enough about to actually take me to the hospital.”

“Did it need stitches?” Aff asked, sounding maybe a bit more interested than they should have.

“Yeah, a few. But it wasn't as bad as it looked, really. What about you?”

Aff pondered it for a moment as well, and then got a weird look on their face. “I got bitten by a dog once. But does it count if I don't really remember it?”

“If you don't remember it, how do you know it was your worst?” Cam asked, confused.

“My parents have told me about it a lot and I guess I went to therapy for it for a while?”

That definitely made the others pause, and the sudden silence in the room combined with their stares made Aff uncomfortable enough to start squirming. They finally sat up properly again, sitting down on the arm of the couch beside Cam, who quickly reached out to hold their hand.

“I mean, you don't have to tell us if it's like a really bad memory or something,” the boy quickly assured them, feeling bad now for not thinking about something else.

But Aff just shrugged. “Not really? As I said, I don't remember it. It's kind of a funny story, actually, I don't mind telling.”

“Okay, so what happened?” Sasha asked, not able to hide her curiosity now.

“Yeah, so basically,” Aff started, trying their best to tell the story in a way that actually made sense and not start rambling again halfway through. “I think I was like six, maybe seven years old. And back then we lived in a house that had this open backyard that would just lead into the woods, you know, and I do remember that I was there all the time.”

True to their words, they didn't seem to get more agitated or nervous while speaking, but the other three still kept a close eye on their body language as they went on. Cam gently tugged them a bit closer as well, missing the intimacy from just a few minutes ago when Aff had been spread out over their laps.

“Your parents just let you roam the woods by yourself? When you were six?” Sasha asked in disbelief, and before Aff could continue.

“Well, yeah,” they replied. “It wasn't all that big, and I was, like, really small. So if I went back now it would probably seem really small, too. Anyway. So one day I went out after lunch, and apparently I was gone a lot longer than usual. My dad was about to go out looking for me when I finally showed up again, and whenever he tells me about this he still gets really pale when he remembers that part. Because he opened the door and I was just covered in blood.”

Everyone's eyes went wide at that, even Jamie looked shocked behind their red tinted sunglasses. Aff gave a nervous laugh, as if they didn't know how else to react, and quickly continued.

“He said he didn't even ask me what happened, he and mom just packed me in the car and drove me to the hospital. He also said it took me like an hour to start talking again at all, and that I didn't remember anything back then, either. But yeah, I had a bunch of bitemarks on my legs and like, upper torso? And tons of scratches. And most were really shallow, but some have left scars and stuff.”

Cam remembered seeing them, now that they were talking about it. A few white lines and dots criss crossing over most of Aff's back, marks that no one had ever really spoken or asked questions about. They'd had better things to do at summercamp back then. But the scars did resemble old bite marks, he'd just never bothered to think about were they might have come from.

He placed a gentle kiss on their shoulder, just as Sasha spoke up again, still looking concerned. “But, were you okay afterwards? I mean, that must have been a huge thing for you.”

Aff shrugged again, and finally leaned closer to Cam. “Not really? I'm missing a few days there, so all I remember if my mom taking care of the wounds afterwards. Apparently there was a whole police investigation about it too, because at first they weren't sure if maybe my parents had anything to do with the injuries, but the doctors insisted that dog attack was the only thing that made sense.” “Did they search the forest, or do anything else after that?”

“Oh, yeah, but they never found anything. There was a newspaper article and everything, but no one saw anything,” Aff told her. “But some people apparently collected money or something so I could go to therapy for a while? I don't really know the details, you'd have to ask my dad.”

“But you're not scared of dogs now,” Jamie stated, remembering that they'd seen Aff playing with dogs before. And enthusiastically, too, no sign of any fear.

“No, I never way,” Aff confirmed. “But my anger issues got like really really bad after that, so that's why they send me. Not that it helped much.”

The witch looked even more sceptical now, and raised an eyebrow at Aff. “And you've never considered that it might have been something else than a dog?”

“Why?”

God bless them, Jamie thought, but sometimes Aff could be dense as a brick wall. “Babe, you're a literal werewolf. And it's not like that's a trait that runs in your family.”

Aff was quiet for a moment, and then seemed to really process what Jamie was getting at. All they uttered was a very quiet “oh.”

“Yes, oh. That seriously never crossed your mind?” Jamie asked, incredulously, and getting louder as the were talking. “Not even when your anger issues got worse and you started shifting for the first time?”

“Hey, easy,” Cam interrupted, pulling Aff into his lap now and wrapping both arms around their waist to hold them close. “It's not their fault, they don't even remember the attack in the first place.”

Aff was frowning slightly, but felt like Jamie was right. It was weird that they had never put these two things together. They hadn't even really thought about the incident in years though, it had never even crossed their mind. “Well, I dunno,” they mumbled. “It seems kind of obvious now, I mean- I guess it's possible that that's where it came from?”

“Either way, I think it's a bit too late to say anything for certain now,” Sasha said gently, reaching over to lay a hand on their knee as well. “And it's not like it's all that important where it comes from, right? It's just important what you do with it.”

“But- if someone else lost it enough to attack me back then, does that mean that I could do the same to some other kid?” they asked, looking distraught now. Cam turned his head to glare at Jamie, mouthing over Aff's head 'Did you have to say that?'

Jamie gave a helpless shrug, but then focused on Aff again as well, reaching out to cup their face. “Hey, listen. Sasha's right, we can't know for certain that's what it was, and I'm sorry for implying otherwise. Second, if it really was another werewolf attacking you, who said they didn't have it under control? They might as well have done that to you on purpose, we don't know.” Aff clearly didn't like that idea any better, but they didn't look like they were about to go into a panic anymore either, so Jamie continued. “And lastly, beside the fact that you're already actively working on your control of this stuff, you're not alone. You have us, and we're all ready to help if you ever feel like you are loosing it.”

They nodded slowly, making an appreciative little sound when Cam started rubbing their back. “Yeah, yeah you're right,” they finally sighed. “I guess I'm not at that point yet. And-”

Sasha interrupted again. “And you never will be. You're better than that, Aff.”

Cam nodded, hoping that the conflicted look on their face wouldn't stay. They all fell silent again, still huddled up and hoping to comfort Aff however they could, while they themselves were trying to come to terms with the idea of being able to pass this on to someone else if they weren't careful enough. It wasn't a good feeling, but the others being there made it better.

“Okay, no more questions for tonight, huh?” Cam spoke up eventually, keeping his voice gentle. “Does anyone wanna go to bed yet or should we just- I dunno, watch another movie or something?”

“I'm fine with either,” Aff mumbled, admittedly still a bit more subdued than they usually were, but also feeling a little better again. Since no one else showed any preferences either they decided on watching another movie in bed, which was the superior choice in Aff's opinion anyway.

Along with Cam they called dibs on middle spoon, since Jamie's bed was actually the only one to fit all four of them more of less comfortably without them needing to pile two or more mattresses on the floor. They had gone over to doing that when they were all sleeping over at Aff's house instead, which happened more often, but everyone being able to sleep on the same bed for once was nice.

After a while, about halfway through the movie, Sasha and Jamie fell asleep, leaving Cameron and Aff awake by themselves. Cam was still holding on to Aff as well, having pretty much refused to let go since the whole werewolf conversation earlier.

Tucking a strand of their hair back, Cam leaned in a bit closer to whisper. “Hey, you doing okay? You're not still worried about what you said earlier, are you?”

Aff sighed softly and nudged close to him, and in the dim light of the laptop screen still running in front of them Cam could see their concerned expression. “I don't know. Kinda, I guess?” Their bit their lip again, and at first Cam though he's need to keep pushing. But then they continued. “Even if I don't remember the pain or anything, I know that it was a terrible experience for my parents, you know? And it's turned me into a werewolf, which is kind of cool, but also like really fucking scary. I don't wanna do that to anyone.”

“Hmm. You know, Jamie has a ton of books on all kinds of weird stuff, maybe we can find something about werewolves in there,” Cam suggested, actually having been thinking about this for a while. “And maybe we can find something that either makes it easier to keep your cool, or something that makes it impossible for you to pass it on? I mean, that kind of information has got to exist somewhere.”

“You think?” Aff asked, actually sounding hopeful. “That would be nice, yeah. I know it probably sounds stupid now, but I always thought being a werewolf is just something that happens to some people. That it's, like, random.”

“That's still a possibility, don't forget that,” Cam reminded them, closing his eyes now as he was getting more and more tired as well. “My thing was kinda random, right?”

“I don't know if it counts as random if something literally chose you,” Aff chuckled. “But I guess you're right. Or maybe it is a family thing, and it just skipped a few generations or something. That can happen, right?”

“Unlikely,” Cam muttered. “I still think you'd know, in that case. Sasha's thing is a family thing, right? And she knows, even though her parents are shitty and just left her to figure all the stuff out by herself.”

“Huh, I didn't know that,” Aff admitted, making Cam realize once more that they were still, in a sense, “the new kid”. They hadn't known the rest of them for years, like he, Jamie, and Sasha had. And while Aff probably knew some things about him the others didn't, just because of the anger management classes, the other three of them still knew more about each other just due to growing up in the same tiny city. And especially he and Sasha had been sharing secrets with each other way before the other two had joined the picture.

“Yeah, you know what, we should probably talk about that,” he said. “Like, all of us. Where we think our stuff comes from, and what we know for certain. That would probably be a good thing to know.”

“Probably,” Aff agreed, sounding like they were slowly starting to drop off as well.  

“Tomorrow then?” Cam asked.

“Tomorrow,” came the sleepy reply, and it didn't take long after that before the two fell asleep as well, barely remembering to close the laptop before they did so.

[the-gedonelune-times]

Chapter Seven: The Land of Solomon.

Summary: Gedonelune, the prestigious royal magic academy is waiting just for you! The door has opened a whole new world of possibilities for your future. For the next thirteen days you’ll be undergoing the provisional trial to see if you have what it takes to become an official student. Along the way you’ll be meeting new faces and going on exciting new adventures. But be warned, shadows are being cast on the land, if you dive to deep, you may find yourself being swallowed up by the chaos. Your journey begins now, will you be able to banish the darkness? 

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

The first thing we had done after stepping off the train was to go and find the nearest clothing shops and produce stands to stock up a little. I had managed to carry a peram with me and since we didn’t pack any clothes or even any food, Lily thought it was a good idea to get those things checked off before we find an Inn and rest up before our search for the night. 

I felt bad having Lily pay for most of the stuff, but she kept telling me that it was fine and that she had more than enough money to suffice for our trip. We ended up buying a couple of outfits each and a bit of food and bottled water. Afterwards, we roamed the street in search of an Inn. We had tried multiple times to talk to people and get directions, but they always remained silent or took off running in a completely different direction.

“I wonder why the people here are so scared?”

“Hmm, I think Felix told me that this is just how the people in this place are.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Felix mentioned that he had been here once for something important and that people here don’t trust outsiders. You have to earn their trust before they open up to you.” 

“This really complicates things then.” I sighed. “Does this also mean that we won’t be having a place to stay and rest up?”

“I think we can still get a room. The owners of the other shops still allowed us to go in and purchase what we needed. I don’t think this will be any different. But I can’t say that it’ll be easy to find an Inn.”

We continued on with our search for nearly half an hour before we finally managed to find one, however, when we inquired out about room availability, we were told there was only one room left. I was a little hesitant at first but after Lily had paid for it and we got inside, my entire thoughts changed. It was rather big and there was a queen-sized bed along with a metal sofa daybed next to it. We had all the amenities we needed and for a reasonable price.

“This place is really nice.” Lily spoke happily as she pulled back on the curtains of what appeared to be a glass sliding door which led to a small but cozy balcony. Her eyes lit up as she pulled the curtains back the rest of the way before practically pressing her face against the glass. “What a pretty view!”

I walked over to stand at her side before peering down at the street below. The street was bustling with friendly faces, something that was completely different from what we saw while we were walking down the streets. Once I had my fill of the view, I backtracked back to the bed where I sat on the edge of it before grabbing out my peram.

“Lily? Is there something you want to eat?”

“Not really.” She smiled as she came over. “I don’t really eat a lot anyways.”

“Huh?”

“Well, this is going to sound strange but, I think I get more energy whenever I’m outside in the sun or surrounded by nature than I would if I had a snack or a meal.”

“I see…” 

Huh...I never knew about that. It seems there’s still so much I don’t know about Lily. Maybe now would be a good time to ask some questions?

“Hey...Lily?”

“Yeah?”

“We’ve never really been able to sit down and talk like this, so is it okay if I ask some questions?”

“Go right ahead, I’ll answer them the best I can.” She smiled.

“Well...where are you from?”

“Hmm….good question. I-I don’t really know. All I know is that it was very pretty and filled with nature, it was nothing like the places I’ve seen. We never had transportation or technology offered to us like there is here.”

“What about your family?”

“I can’t really remember them either, but when I think about them, I get this really warm feeling in my heart. I know they were kind people, I...wish I could remember their faces.”

“Okay, last question….how did you end up in Gedonelune?”

“I can’t remember that either. I just remember waking up in a forest with a bunch of really pretty pink rabbit creatures. I know somebody found me but...I...I can’t remember who. I want to remember so badly, but every time I try to search for the memories, I draw up a blank. It’s like looking into a fogged-up glass. The memory is there, but I can’t see it well enough to know what it is…”

“Lily. I’m sorry.”

“No need for apologies. One day it’ll come to me, it has to! Until then, I’m content with the memories I have with me right now. The ones I’ve made up until this point.” I watched as she stretched her arms above her head and then smiled at me. “Maybe now is a good time to go to sleep? We haven’t had any rest and the moon will be rising soon. Getting a little bit of rest will be necessary for our search.”

“You’re right but uh...are you sure you want to sleep on the daybed? It’s a bit small and it looks like it might be rather uncomfortable. I don’t mind sharing the bed with you.”

The words came out before I had time to process what I had even just said. When I finally realized though, I could feel my cheeks burn brightly, prompting Lily to chuckle.

“Would that be appropriate though?” She asked curiously.

When she saw my eyes widen she quickly waved her hands in her face wildly. “Ah, let me please clarify. I have no intention of getting intimate with you if that’s what you might be thinking. I have no desire or need for that kind of thing. What I mean is that people share beds when they are a couple, right? Is it really okay if I share the bed with you if we’re not one?”

“I…”

“I want you to be comfortable, so please don’t worry about me, I’ll be alright.” 

She gave me a sweet smile and a pat on my head before going over to the daybed to lay down. I too had slipped into the covers of my own bed but I couldn’t sleep right away. I had a lot of thoughts running through my head causing me to toss and turn every time I thought I could get comfortable. After a while, those thoughts subsided and I was finally able to fall into a well-rested slumber.

It was around eight at night by the time I had woke up and gotten ready for travel. Lily had the map in her hand that was recently sent to us by Beckford. There was a red circle in the Northeast, indicating the location of the flower we were in search of. 

There was hardly anyone in the streets around this time, in fact, most of the stores were closed up for the night, making way for a rather eerie setting. The worst part of it all was that I could have sworn someone was watching us. Every now and then I would glance over my shoulder just to make sure and even though I never saw anything, I still couldn’t shake the feeling.

“Hm, we must be getting close.” Lily had her face buried in the map and looked up to see that we were getting closer to a field of flowers. 

“I hope so, we’ve been walking for at least a couple of hours now.” I pointed out.

“Are you getting tired? Maybe we should take a break?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine right now, plus we can’t exactly afford to take a break right now. The nights aren’t as long as the days.”

“I understand but...please don’t overwork yourself. If you start feeling tired let me know.”

**********

We continued to search and search and nothing matching the description we were given had been found. At this point, Lily and I had taken the chance for a quick break as we tried thinking up a plan.

“We could split up.” She suggested.

“But what if something happens? This field looks like it goes on forever. We might get lost in here.”

Lily sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Did Beckford mention anything else about the flower? Other than the petals?”

“Well, in the note attached to the map he pointed out that the flower resembles a daisy.”

“Wait, didn’t we pass by a field of daisies?”

Lily gasped. “You’re right! Maybe the flower is hidden among them.”

I quickly got up and brushed myself off before helping Lily to her feet. “Looks like we know where we need to go.”

Lily nodded. “Yep!”

Careful not to ruin any of the flowers, we skillfully navigated our way back to the field of daisies that we had passed by. Upon closer inspection, we noticed something that was off about them.

“Hey, Lily, check it out.”

“Hm? H-Huh?!”

The daisies that bloomed before us all had shimmering, almost translucent petals that danced in the soft breeze that blew by.

“They’re all like this?! H-How did we not see this before?”

“Maybe it only happens at a certain time of the night? I could have sworn they weren’t like this before. Or perhaps they were? I never really paid attention.”

Without even missing a beat, Lily gently leaned down and plucked a few from the ground. “I can’t believe it. We have the flowers we need to wake the others up!”

“Yeah….”

Lily tilted her head. “Is something wrong?”

“Well, I hate to bring this up but don’t you think this was a little *too* easy?”

“What do you mean?”

“Beckford told us that finding the flower wouldn’t be easy and that it could get dangerous. Don’t you think it’s weird how easily we found the flower and that we didn’t even encounter any obstacles along the way?”

I watched as Lily looked at me and then down at the flowers. Her whole demeanor had changed and it seemed that she was hit with a sudden realization.

“No...n-no this...you’re not saying that this was a set-up are you?” 

The daisies dropped from her hands and gently landed among the others. Around that time a shadow came from the ground and landed behind us. The person in question was cloaked in dark full-body robes but despite that, I could see a sinister smile.

“Well now, aren’t you just smart?”

I quickly moved in front of Lily and drew my wand out. “Who are you?”

“My name doesn’t matter, what matters is that you’ve stuck your nose someplace where it doesn’t belong. Now, you must suffer the consequences.” 

The man held up his hand as a ball of swirling shadows began to grow. This...was dark magic in its most potent form. I knew that my magic was no match for it; there was only one thing left to do.

“Run!” 

I quickly spun around and took Lily’s hand before dragging her along the flower field. We narrowly managed to avoid a few of his attacks so far but this one managed to clip me in the leg, sending me falling forward and tumbling down the hill. I only stopped when my body came into contact with a small wall of rock which later turned out to be a cave hidden behind the vegetation. Lily had ran after me and quickly carried me inside to hide from our attacker. She was doing her best to stay calm, but when she noticed the cuts and blood she was beginning to tear up.

“I’m so sorry….y-you shouldn’t have come.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be alright, I still have my…wand...” I pulled out what was once my wand, but now it was nothing more than broken pieces in the palm of my hand.

Well...this was going to make things harder on us….

“Your wand!”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m still able to nngh!” I had tried to get myself up to my feet, but fell right back down to the ground in pain. My ankle was throbbing from the tumble I had, in fact, my whole body was beginning to hurt.

To make matters worse, I could hear footsteps coming closer to us until the figure from before sent a blast our way, sending rocks and debris flying in all kinds of directions. 

“Now this is just a pitiful sight to see.” The man laughed. “You two really are pathetic. You can’t even use your magic.” The man looked at me. “...and you had none to begin with.” He then turned his attention to Lily. “Why don’t you two amuse me for a little bit and beg me to spare your life? Hell, maybe I’ll even give you a chance to run away once more before I finish you off, I’ll even give you a head start, what do you say?”

“I say to stick that idea where the sun doesn’t shine.” I sputtered out at him which caused him to glare and hold his hand up.

“You’re going to regret saying that.” 

I watched as a ball of black miasma accompanied by lightning was gathering in his hand. I was prepared for the blow but what I was prepared for was what I saw happen next.

“Don’t you touch them-- AHH!” 

Lily let out a piercing scream, sending a gust of wind so powerful that it cut through the rocks like nothing before hitting the man full-force. Their body was sent flying out of the cave with a groan while Lily herself groaned in pain. The cave began to shake as rocks came tumbling down, closing off the entrance. Meanwhile, a light began to gather around Lily and it was at that moment that I could see blood trickling down from the wound in her back. She was crying from the pain and clutching the now shaking ground with gritted teeth. Everything happened so fast, but I remember feeling Lily’s hand reach out and grab mine as she called out my name.

My vision went blurry as we plunged into the darkness….

************************

On the other side of the cave, was the robed man who drew back the hood of his robes with a grin. He midnight-blue hair blew gently in the breeze as he stared at the rubble that was once the cave.

“Well, well, well, it seems I was mistaken after all. It seems that man was truly telling me the truth when he told me that there was an ancient being walking around.” He let out a chuckle as he pressed his hand against his forehead. “Oh what joy I’ll be having when I watch you crumble in defeat the next time we meet.”

------------------------------------

Nadia: Things are really starting to take a turn for the worse…

Persephone: Yeah, it really makes you wonder if everything is going to turn out alright in the end.

Nadia: We just need to believe in them both.

Persephone: Right...anyways, we should probably get on with the next preview.

Nadia: You’re right.

Persephone: The next chapter is ‘The Ark of Forgotten Time’.

Nadia: I wonder what an Ark is and more importantly, I wonder what it is they’ll reveal?

[boogiewrites]

Mae Flowers 4

Characters: Alfie Solomons x Mae LeBlanc (OFC)

Word Count:  4900

Summary: A modern, magical Alfie Solomons AU. 

Warnings/Tags: Language.Magic/Supernatural. Soul mates. Racism, microaggressions. Some domestic fluff, getting to know you stage. Talk of past neglect, depression, anxiety.

Click on my screenname then go to Mobile Masterlist in my bio for my other works and chapters. (Had to do this since Tumblr killed links, sorry.)

Mae wakes up for the second morning in a row well rested. She'd gone to bed with a full stomach, having eaten their weight in seafood and grits the night before. She felt more at ease today with the fact that there was a man living with her now. He'd stood up for her, helped her cook and put Ruth and Nance's minds at ease for. She felt a warm feeling when she thought of him. It could be the magic, she thought.

Her inner light was growing stronger, it was being fed with another power like it's own, the darkness stirring up her previously unstable energies, making it build and heal itself from all the years alone and unsure. Alfie gave her a strange sense of fullness, stability of sorts she hadn't expected. Normally having another person in her life would make her feel anxious, second-guessing everything she did at the expense of her own peace of mind to keep the other person comfortable. But that wasn't happening with him.

She throws on her robe, scratching her head and yawning big, the smell of coffee hitting her nose as soon as her slippers start bopping across the old hardwood floor towards the kitchen. Alfie stood leaned against the counter in pajama pants and a soft, sleep rumpled t-shirt. His hair was a mess, one side flat and the other sticking up, his eyes lazy with smacking lips as he scratched his stomach waiting on the coffee pot to deliver.

"Mornin' love." he says with a slow nod, his voice deep and sleepy.

"Mornin'." she grumbles, taking a seat at the table in a sunbeam.  Percy lets out a little 'mrrrrowl' of greeting, bumping his head to hers as she runs her fingers along his spine. "Hey Perce." she mutters, his tail swishing in her face and making her nose twitch. She's slowly waking up, Percy laid out in front of her on his back, trying to be cute and keep her attention.

"Hazlenut or French Vanilla?" Alfie asks, standing with the fridge door open, staring into the dull glow.

"Thought you could read my mind." she smirks, her head slowly turning to him.

"I can but you don't know which ya want." he retorts with a snarky smile.

"Hazlenut." she answers with a nod, watching him bring the two mugs over to the table as he plops down next to her, landing in the chair with a loud scoot of its legs across the floor.

So what's on the 'ol agenda today?" he asks, sitting up straight and cracking his spine.

"Uh... not much. We got ahead yesterday." she nods and closes her eyes, taking a sip of the hot liquid and letting it warm her from the inside out. "Thanks for that by the way." she says, eyes blinking open now, looking more alert.

"Don't mention it. I'm here to help." he nods and watches her over the steam rising from his mug.

"If you need to like, do stuff here today you can." she offers. "Just basic stuff for me today to do at the shop. No orders or anything. All caught up for the week." she states with a lazy smile of thanks. "If you wanna unpack and get used to the place... bond with Percy." she nods over the lazy white cat soaking up a sunbeam.

"I do have stuff I can do today with ya out. Get me things all situated. What do ya say Percy?" he asks the cat with a smirk on his face.

Percy raises his head and looks at him, blinking slowly.  A weak meow escapes him before he lays back down totally uninterested.

"He doesn't care." Alfie chuckles.

"Alright." she nods, taking a bigger sip. "I'm gonna take this." she holds the mug in both hands and stands. "Gonna get a shower and get ready and be on my way. Make whatever you want, Friday's are my day I get a smoothie on the way to work." she says and he feels her excitement about the future purchase.

"Will do. I'll keep it simple. Lots of liftin' 'n that to do today." he groans and stretches, as she waddles back into her bedroom. ---- The calm she'd felt at home felt farther and farther away the further she got from home. The usual heaviness, that quivering ball of nerves that told her something was wrong, that she was wrong started to grow back into its usual place in her stomach. Mae sips her berry smoothie and leans over the front counter, her jeans feeling a little tight today, her toes curling and uncurling in the ballet flats that matched her green t-shirt that she'd had made for her company. Her loose spiral curls dancing around her shoulders, the various shades of almost black brown catching the light that came through the high windows of the crowded and humid building. This would be the only moment of peace that she got for the day, as the downpour of things that made her want to crawl up and disappear seemed to hit all at once, leaving her dazed and confused.

First, Jessica shows up. She struts in the door tits first with her large Starbucks cup in tow, overlined lips sucking away at the straw. She doesn't even look at Mae until she's right in front of the counter.

"What do ya need today Jessica?" Mae asks with a perfectly polite attitude, setting her drink down to the side.

"Where's that big leprechaun you've got in here now?" she asks with a smirk as she looks into the back of the shop.

"Leprechaun?" Mae's nose wrinkles up in question.

"What was his name. The big guy with the accent in here yesterday." she replies obviously, jutting a hip out in her annoyance.

"Oh. Alfie." Mae answers flatly.

"Yeah that big boy." she grins.

"He's not working today." she answers, trying to remain indifferent.

"Oh." she slumps and pushes her lips together into a tight line.

"He's also not a leprechaun." she clarifies. "He's English. Not Irish. And don't call Irish people leprechauns, that's just... some weird kind've racist."

"They're white and ginger, who cares?" she says without a thought and rolls her eyes. "Not like I'm calling you the n-word or something." she retorts like it means anything and Mae takes a deep breath.

"I'm not black, I'm Hispanic." she clarifies with a more forceful voice.

"Well, it's not like I'm calling you a... what's a racist word for a Mexican?"

"I'm Spanish not..."

"Tacos? Burritos? IS that something? Beans! Wait, no... Mexican jumping beans, yeah. Wait... that's not it."

"I know what you're thinking and there's no reason to say it. What do you want?" she answers more curtly.

"To see Alfie. He won't be in today?"

"No." another flat response.

"What's he doing today? Where's he at? What's his deal?" her inquisition begins, waving her cup in the air as she speaks.

Mae sighs and goes back to her smoothie. "He's at home. I don't know what he's doing. That's his business and you should respect his space. He was clearly not interested when you talked to him yesterday."

"He's just playing hard to get. You know guys, they act like assholes and you just have to get them to like you by doing stuff for them and letting them make fun of you sometimes. It's all part of it. Not like you would know. Not like anyone's trying to get with you." she snaps back.

"No, but that's..." Mae lets out a  heavy sigh. "Whatever." she gives up and takes a noisy sip of her drink.

"So he lives with you?" Jessica says with a tilt of her head. "You said at home. If not where does he live, you probably have that on file for his employee records or something, right?" she asks , leaning over the counter.

"He does live with me." she decides to not address the clear violation giving an employees persona information would be as she figures it's pointless.

"Wait... so are you guys like a thing?" she says with a clearly disgusted look on her face.

"No. He's a friend of a friend, he's new in town and needed a place to stay and I had a spare room."

"I have a whole guest house if he wants to stay with me. Got a pool and a hot tub." she grins. "So let him know I've got a real house for him to stay at if he wants."

"Are you saying my house is abstract?" Mae chuckles to herself.

"What?" she says with a twist of her neck.

"Nothin'." Mae rolls her eyes.  "If you don't need anything I've got stuff to do... so..." she says, looking over at the tall blonde under her lashes.

"You were just standing here so SORRY... thought you had free time." she retorts.

"I just opened. I have to let the systems boot up." she explains with a deadpan delivery.

"Is he workin' tomorrow?" she asks, one hand on the counter.

"No, we're closed tomorrow."

"Then Monday then?"

"Maybe." Mae shrugs.

"He's your employee, why don't you know?" she bites back.

"Because he's new here and he might need off to run errands to get everything settled." she says offers up. "Not that it's any of your business." she mutters.

"You just let your employee take off like that? Not knowing if he'll work and he can just drive around town all day?" she asks seriously.

Mae sighs again and takes another drink, not answering as a pain grew between her eyes.

"I wanna work for you then, dang." she laughs, her mood shifting fast. "Oh my God, ARE you hiring? I'd be willing to get my hands dirty for that little... whatever he is."

"He's English." Mae rolls her eyes and lets out an exasperated sigh.

"Little... what do English people do? Drink?" she asks seriously.

"Jessica I'm not hiring and just... please go, I have things to do." Maw says with a clear tone of exasperation.

"Fine. But I'll be back on Monday to see Alfie." she sass's taking a long drink from her straw as she walks backward, keeping an eye on Mae who watches her bump into a shelf as she tries to look cool making her exit.

"Bye Jessica." Mae says shaking her head.

"Tell Alfie I said Hiiiiii." she says before leaving.

"What an idiot." Mae says rubbing her forehead.

With a thoroughly racist and rude conversation to start the day, the day only picks up speed from there. A phone call comes in, an irate customer claiming she'd sabotaged her party. An order that was entered incorrectly by the customer, a miscommunication of what sort of flowers they wanted in their arrangements. Mae didn't know how this woman had written down Black-eyed Susan's instead of sunflowers on her order sheet, or picking a Transvaal daisy over a  shasta daisy, but she was certain this woman was overreacting at how the arrangements ruined her church's barbeque. Mae had pictures of flowers next to the names of them in her big folder that sat on the top of the shop counter specifically for this reason. She gave the book to customers coming in to make orders and it wasn't her fault she filled out the order how it was written and what the woman wrote wasn't right. She couldn't read her mind. But still, she was blamed, getting dog cussed for all she was worth, the woman even bringing the Lord into it and telling her she'd had to refund her in full. Which was in no way happening. After you sign off on the delivery sheet, everything is final. No refunds. There was a chance to say they were wrong before she signed, that's why Mae set it up that way. But the woman wouldn't listen and Mae ends up just saying 'I'm Sorry.' to everything she says, taking the abuse.

The woman gives up eventually after a few people are waiting for her attention for the lunch rush. She works as fast as she can, but the line grows as a little old lady requires her undivided attention, asking about every flower, telling her stories about the flowers her husband used to bring her when he was alive. On a slow day Mae would've indulged her fully but with customers waiting behind her the stress was sky high.

She apologizes and leaves the lady to talk to herself, ringing out people as fast as she can while they give her dirty looks. She had great pride in being a good business owner and people thinking she was bad at her job made her a mess. A child that was with a negligent parent that had been waiting, knocks over a shelf of succulents, her biggest sellers, destroying the handmade pots she'd made for them. In all, the day was a total shit show.

She shuts the shop up and cries as she finally gets around to cleaning up the broken pieces of pottery, nestling her little friends into one big pot for the weekend to deal with on Monday. She apologizes to them and she feels they understand, her tears falling into the new soil as she sniffles and packs them in. She hesitantly throws away the shattered pieces of pottery, thinking off all the time she spent painting and glazing each, how much time and money lost on them. How she'd have to ask for half the price until she could make more holders for the plants. A personal and a professional loss all in one.

She doesn't even skate home as she usually would. She throws her skates in her oversized work bag and walks, her feet feeling as heavy as her heart. Everything about the day had drained her. Her body was tired, her chest hurt from a racing heart all day from embarrassment and anxiety. Her pride took a hit from the disappointed looks from the customers. She takes a heavy breath, hand on the doorknob, hoping that Alfie wasn't about to add to the bad day she'd had.

As soon as she opens the door, the feeling she'd left the house with hits her again. She wipes her tear stained cheeks, setting her bag down by the end of the couch, seeing everything clean and tidy with candles lit and the smell of food coming from the kitchen. The house smelled amazing, it somehow felt amazing, like getting into a hot bath after the end of a long day. The build of depression holds strong as she sees everything he's done for her while she'd been out.

"Hello Mae!" he calls out cheerfully. "Ya need help with anyfing?" he says, moving pots around the stove top. "Give me just a second love and I'll be right in to help ya." he calls out over his shoulder.

She comes around the corner, her face was sunken and clearly upset, taking in the sight before her. A kitchen filled with a home cooked meal for them both. She sees bread in the oven, lasagna sitting on the table as he switches off burners and pushes the rest of a chopped head of lettuce into a large salad bowl. A tin of muffin batter sits on a tea towel at the end of the counter. She gets a swirling feeling in her stomach. It builds quickly and she starts to sob, putting her head in her hands.

He turns, wiping his hands on a towel as his eyes grow large at the sight before him. Her glow was dull, her curls falling into her face as her hands with their yellow chipped polish covered her crying face.

"No, no love now that won't do." he says, moving quickly over towards her. He takes her into his arms without a moments hesitation. "Come here, little Mae." he coos out, holding her to him. As much as he may have wanted, he didn't have much healing magic to pass around, he wasn't really a healer so much as a destroyer of things. "Shhh, there, there, love." he pats his hand on her thick hair, the smell of her shampoo rising up as he leans his face in close. She feels the warmth around her, the soft-spoken kind words from this man who had swept in and taken care of her without expecting anything in return. She felt her chest thump, her stomach building again and more sobs are pushed out as she lets herself wrap her hands into his t-shirt and press her forehead against his chest.  

He wears a deep-set frown, not knowing what was wrong, her thoughts a roller coasting of emotions, totally unstable and making his dizzy when he tried to read them. Her magic and mind were working hard and fast and he knew something must've set off the sensitive little thing she was. "Now lovely, we can talk 'bout what's got ya upset, or we don't have to say nuffin'." he gives a nod, putting his hands to her shoulders to pull her away, taking a handkerchief that was older than her out of his pocket and giving it to her.

She wipes her eyes and blows her nose with a little toot of a sound that makes him smile as she sniffles, nose twitching like a little rabbit. "I just wanna eat and sleep." she answers, staring into his chest, not looking up at him. Her voice was small but she felt smaller. She fought the urge to tell him she didn't deserve all this special treatment, she didn't understand why someone would be doing all these nice things for her. No one else ever had. Her last caregivers, the ones who left her the house had been good people, but they never coddled her. They never cleaned for her, held her while she cried, stood up for her when others would try to bring her down. They'd always left her to her own devices. She'd never had anyone to treat her like something worth going the extra mile for. It was all a bit too much on her weak shoulders after the day she'd had.

"Well lemme finish up dinner and you go get comfy and cozy on the couch and I'll come get ya and we'll take care of that 'eatin' bit, eh?" he suggests, rubbing her upper arms as he spoke to her with a voice that she could feel warming her from the inside out. Her light tried to fight past the years of neglect to make her bloom and be able to draw from that endless well of love she had so she could give it to her herself and not just those around her. But she was still weak, and there was time to grow. So it settles, feeling it's mate so close and humming in wait with a baseline of contentment.

She takes one of the fuzzy throws on the couch and wraps it around her, grabbing one of her decorative pillows and wrapping her arms around it to try to get comfy for a moment. She falls asleep while the bread is baking, her body giving over to a much-needed recharge after the stress that the day put her through.

Alfie pulls the muffins out and lets them cool, wiping his hands and giving a nod to the first big meal he'd cooked in decades. Being alone there wasn't much of a reason to cook big and when the last group of people he ran with being musicians in the 90's, he'd never had a reason to cook for a group of people. But now he had plenty of reasons to dust off the old domestic skills that his mother and sisters had helped him learn. The baking was more familiar, as per his old cover for his criminal days, but the meals were what took the most focus. With Mae's plethora of fresh herbs to use, and come harvest time a garden full of fresh produce, he was sure cooking would be something he used to help both of them learn some new skills.

He ponders what he should cover with her the next day as he watches her sleep on the arm on the couch. A headful of curls on top of a fuzzy blanket, her lips smushed out against the pillow she clutched in her arms.

"Mae." he says gently, leaning in close, a hand to her arm to rub her awake. She grunts and puffs out air between her pink and pouted lips but doesn't wake. The softness of her makes him smile, he enjoys it a moment without having to worry about making her uncomfortable. The long dark lashes spread out over freckled cheeks, her full brows set in a scowl. All curled up under the blanket she looked so small, and he supposes compared to him she is. Standing just a bit over five feet tall he supposes, her shorter frame gives her a stocky and soft appearance. With round hips that only slightly narrowed into thick thighs, he sees her small feet sticking out from the covers. Yellow nail polish to match that on her fingers on her toes. It wasn't only her body, her hair or her sweet face with it's round, button nose that was soft but her heart was as well. He could feel her power humming quietly, even it was still timid. His darkness wants it to burst, to flow out of her as it can do within him. It wants to soak up that innocence, that sweet softness that she's made of. His closes his eyes, his darkness rumbling, soaking up her delicate heat into its cold center, Alfie feels his limbs tingle, a prickling warmness that only she could give to him.

He exhales slowly, a hand soft to her hair, pushing it back. "Mae." he says, moving to give her nose a gentle tap.

"Mmph." she grunts, nose twitching as he eyes flutter open and meet his before she sits up to straighten her back, rubbing her eyes.

"Dinner's ready, love." he says, standing back up straight.

"'Kay." she mumbles, sitting in a daze as she wakes.

He beams at her, a smile she doesn't see. "Come on to the table when ya ready." he suggests, moving to go set their places.

She plops into a chair, the sleep slowly leaving her body as she watches him move around the kitchen, a towel over his shoulder as he cuts and plates her food.

"Now 'is I learned from an Italian, yeah? Found a wonderful little market when I when shoppin' today 'n got fresh cheese." he says proudly. "I went 'n did some of your shoppin' as well while I's out. Got more cleanin' supplies since I used most of 'em today. Got the bathroom and the kitchen. Dusted and vacuumed." he nods casually while trying to recall everything he did, wanting to let her know what he'd been up to, letting her know he was useful to her. "Already watered and fed all the babies." he chuckles. "Although I think a few in the greenhouse could use a personal touch. Wasn't about to try it meself. I'd just mess up all your hard work. So I figured we could start wif those tomorrow hmmm? Start simple with somefin ya like."  He moves his eyes to hers and finds a puzzling look on her face. Her eyes give true meaning to the term puppy dog eyes. Her mouth is slack, partially open and her big hazel eyes are glimmering at him. Not tears yet, but the look in her eyes says lots of things. He feels that loneliness that resides in her throbbing stronger. He decides to switch the conversation. "I made the bread, eh? That flour you use is top notch, love." he tries giving her compliments but it doesn't seem to help. "Used some cherry tomatoes out of the greenhouse for the salad, hope ya don't mind. The muffins are ready as well, made 'em with blueberries I found at the grocery. Hope ya like those." he continues plating her food. He doesn't look at her face, not wanting to seem nosey as she was clearly going through something. But he sees big fat tears fall onto the table top and he can't stop himself. As soon as he makes eye contact, he sees her face much like a baby's, a trembling bottom lip, wet rosy cheeks rounded before her face contorted and she hid it in her hands. "Oh come now, little one." he says dropping the utensils and kneeling next to her. "What is it love?" he rubs her back gently in a circle, his palm tingled as he felt the chaos inside her. Mending her was going to be a very messy job.

"Why are you so nice to me?" she chokes out between sobs.

His chest aches, his face falling out of it's friendly and polite expression he'd held in place for her sake. "Oh Mae," he whispers, pulling her to his chest. "There, there." he shushes her. "Why would I not be nice to you? You've been nothing but nice to me." he explains. "You're my mate. Your well bein' is me own, I would only be hurtin' myself to not try to take care of you." He invades her privacy, shutting his eyes and trying to see what was causing all the trouble.

He feels the day she'd had. He sees a lifetime of abandonment and neglect. All the bullies growing up, all the hardships she was given to overcome from a young age. An absent father, a childhood spent in the system and an adult life of loneliness and rejection. Putting herself out there time and time again to be met by men who didn't care or understand. He didn't see the loneliness, he felt it. He felt her bed only ever being empty and cold, he feels her heart struggling to maintain it's one-sided giving when no one would replenish it. Her power touches him as he's washed in all this hurt she knows. The light shines within her. With his eyes shut he can see it, glowing like the sun on an overcast day, trying to break through the barrier of gloom that spread across it. He can feel it's tired, that it's just as lost as her. But he most importantly feels that it knows he's there, whether Mae knows or understands it herself. Her power knew better things were ahead for them and Alfie felt more certain he would protect and help this beautiful soul as long as he could.

"I just... No one's ever... I'm not used to it. It feels..."

"Like you don't deserve it." he finishes her thought, hearing it ring true in his own head for so long.

"Yeah," she says with a whimper, looking back up at him. "How did you?" she trails off, wiping her nose.

"Because I know it too." he nods, using his handkerchief to wipe at her face. "But it's not true. Don't listen to that voice. It's a liar." he says sternly. "You deserve the world, Mae. You are bright and full of love and good and the world needs that so very desperately. You deserve every bit of kindness that comes your way. Don't you dare think differently."

Her doe eyes blink up at him, never having heard something like that said to her before in all her almost thirty years. "I..." she begins, not knowing where to finish her thought.

"You just sit and think about that, yeah?" he gives her a nod. "Let's eat on the couch." he suggests. "We'll stop this cryin'. We'll go get cozy and we'll eat until we can't breathe and that'll make ya feel better. Watch somethin' ya like?"

She nods and swallows noisily.

"Good girl." he gives her back a pat before pulling away. "Now go get ya blankets and I'll grab the plates." he says with a self-assured tone.

She lowers her head, eyes on the ground as she gets them each a blanket. He gets everything else in order and they flip through Netflix together, large plates of food sitting on pillows in their laps.

"What do ya like, eh? Nature documentaries I bet." he suggests and she gives a small but enthusiastic nod as she sticks her fork into her lasagna.

They sit together, side by side, eating the towering plates of homemade food. Alfie talks over the narrators, sharing things he knew, but mostly making up his own narration in an attempt to make her smile. "Now 'is one ain't lookin' for a mate, he's lookin' for trouble. He thinks 'is one's been talkin' shit, yeah. By the looks of 'em I'd say he's right. Look at those little shifty beady eyes, ya can't get that look past me." he wags his finger at the TV and looks down to see her smiling after a tiny huff of a laugh escapes her. "There she is." he says proudly, giving her a nudge with his elbow. She looks up at him bashfully for a shared glance, before turning her face back to the tv with a tiny smile that told him she'd be just fine.

@jaegeeeeer @negansdirtygirl22 @brianaisasongbird @hardygal69 @emerald-bijou @captstefanbrandt @coolgh0st @tinastarkandco @stylishmileage  

[miss-musings]

My List of Top 10 Blacklisters

Let me say right off the bat that it was really difficult to compile this list. Because while I feel a lot of one-off Blacklisters are pretty much throwaways, especially all the different cults and kooky people that the show likes to keep introducing, many of the better ones (IMO) were bad guys who had been around for multiple episodes, maybe even entire arcs or seasons.

So, picking out my Top 10 -- based on how unique they were, how memorable they were, how intimidating, how threatening they were to the main cast, etc. -- was relatively easy, but ranking them was difficult. Because, again, a lot of them get way more screentime than others.

So, I'll try to rank them based on a combination of how much I personally liked them, how much of an overall impact to the story/characters the Blacklister had relative to their screentime and build-up, how well the actor did with the role, how unique and memorable they were, etc.

You'll notice that people like Laurel Hitchen, who was an antagonist but not technically a Blacklister, isn't on the list; and you'll notice that "good guys" like Dembe or Marvin Gerard who were technically Blacklisters, but weren't antagonists for Red or the Task Force aren't on here either. Tom, who flip-flopped between good guy and bad guy as the show progressed, isn't on here either; but that's because there's so much material to judge from as he was a main cast member for at least three seasons, which is unfair.

Anyway, without further ado: my list. Again, feel free to disagree and make your own lists if you like.

(EDIT: I’ve done a follow-up list of ‘Top 10 Best One-Off Blacklisters’, because so many of the below entries had multiple episodes in which to be menacing.)

Note for future reference: this list only includes Blacklisters up through the end of S5.

###

HONORABLE MENTION: MR. KAPLAN

I really wanted to put Mr. Kaplan on this list, and I had at one point, but then I realized I forgot one of the more imposing Blacklisters and had to slide him into the spot where I had Mr. Kaplan. The only reason I took her off completely rather knocking every lower-numbered entry down a spot, was because while I really liked Mr. Kaplan up until S3c, I hated how the showrunners forced the storyline where she had once been Liz's nanny and hated Red for doing her and the Keen family wrong. I love Susan Bloomaert and think she's a very talented actress who's incredibly underrated; but I loved her character more when she was on Red's team -- his cleaner, his friend, his confidant. Granted, there were some really good episodes with her as an antagonist, but I hated the way she died -- throwing herself off a bridge.

Anyway, again, I want to emphasize that this list is purely subjective. So, if you think I've done Mr. Kaplan a disservice, feel free to make your own list to give her to honor you believe she deserves. As I said: I loved Mr. Kaplan, but I felt the whole S4b storyline completely assassinated her character as we knew it up to that point.

P.S. I also feel like GREGORY DEVRY should get a shout-out, but I’ll probably include him in my list of Best One-Off Blacklisters.

10. LEONARD CAUL

This is one of those entries where I guess I kind of cheated. Caul didn’t really end up being an antagonist for Red, Liz or the Task Force. But he was introduced to us a little ambiguously with him developing photos of Liz and Red, listening to the police scanner -- and then holding Liz at gunpoint (briefly) in Red's Bethesda apartment... I really liked all of that and how it was kind of vague from the beginning whether he was on their side or not. Granted, he doesn't get much screentime even in his own episode, and honestly, after S2, I'm not really sure what happened to him. I know he was hanging around with Red up until the S2 finale or thereabouts, but yeah, whatever happened to that guy?

Anyway, it was a really tense episode, and I felt like Caul brought a level of adrenaline and urgency to the situation with Red and the Cabal, as well as the show in general.

9. IAN GARVEY

You'd think Garvey would be higher on this list, but I was never really a big fan of him. Granted, he did pose a pretty serious threat for our main crew, after he stole the Real Reddington’s bones, killed Tom and his goons knocked Liz into a coma. And the actor did a fine job. But, I just felt that -- up until his connection to the Reddington family was revealed -- he was just kind of cartoonish. A dirty cop who runs a drug cartel? Yeah, I don't care.

But, again, while I don't really like Garvey, I felt like he had such an impact on the show and the characters that he deserved a spot -- even if it was a low one.

8. MADELINE PRATT

The only female Blacklister to formally make it onto the list. (Sorry, Mr. Kaplan.) I thought her character and this episode was incredibly well-done. It was a little bit of a heist storyline, and Pratt was a good foil for Liz and Red, forcing both of them to open up in ways we hadn't seen before (up to that point). Liz became more comfortable doing criminal-type things, using her slight-of-hand, infiltrating locations and lying/manipulating people; while Red, conversely, became more human and opened up about why he has been so distant with people and the hurt he has experienced in the past.

Also, Madeline is one of the few past/current love interests of Red that we see on the show, and I really like Jennifer Ehle (mostly because of the 1995 version of Pride & Prejudice). I felt like she matched well with Spader and wasn't overpowered by his always-charismatic performance. And, while we only ever saw her in this episode and briefly in 2x14, I felt like she deserved a spot because she was such a unique character and that episode introduced a lot of character details and traits that became important later.

7. THE STEWMAKER

I really, really liked the Stewmaker -- both the bad guy and the episode. The only reason I didn't put him higher on this list is because I feel everyone else is too good (or bad, depending on how you want to look at it) to be displaced.

So, I remember reading on one of those TV-watching websites that if you weren't entirely sure about a show but you wanted to give it a chance, you should watch at least four episodes to see whether it was any good. By the fourth episode, the show should have established its characters, its dynamic, its continuing plot points, its feel, etc. Pilots, of course, always feel a little different than the shows themselves because they're filmed months before any other episode; so you have to give shows a chance to establish themselves and walk on their own two feet.

So... when THIS was the show's fourth episode... oh, buddy.

The Stewmaker posed a serious threat as he was the first person to ever hold Liz captive and feel the wrath of Red for such an offense. The episode gave us the infamous Parable of the Farmer; and continued the then-mystery of Liz finding out about Tom's shady past.

But, as for the character himself, he was just really weird. Walking around naked while he was working, but having that mask on; disintegrating bodies; having his dog with him; actually being a family man but having this criminal work on the side. And, also, we had a little bit of interaction where Liz was actually trying to do her job (for once) and profile him and use that info to her advantage.

He was a character that I feel the show has tried to redo several times -- the kooky weirdo who's very calm, apologetic and doesn't like violence but who is also fascinated by death, bodies, etc. But, of course, this was the FIRST time the show had used such a character, so it was much more memorable then and not so watered-down.

In any case, I really liked the Stewmaker and thought he was a fantastic Blacklister for the show to have in its fourth episode of the entire series.

6. MATIAS SOLOMON

So, this is actually the spot where I had Mr. Kaplan. But, while I was doing some background research on my #1 choice, I ran across Edi Gathegi's name and remembered that I left Solomon completely off the list. He had been an antagonist throughout the whole of S3a and then came back for his namesake episodes where he and his crew attack Liz and Tom's wedding, Liz gives birth to Agnes, and later she "dies" with Red by her side.

Solomon is either directly or indirectly responsible for a lot of major shit that happened on this show -- hell, just in those two episodes. And, I really like Gathegi's performance, especially considering how Solomon was a little Extra™. So he had to play him as dramatic with a penchant for flair and style ... but without him becoming cartoonish. He was just a little bit eccentric but could still hold himself and lead a team of goons in shooting up a church.

Again, I hated to leave Mr. Kaplan off the list but I felt it was a greater disservice to not put Solomon on it, considering how much of a threat he posed to our main cast throughout various points of S3.

5. THE DECEMBRIST (A.K.A. ALAN FITCH)

This is basically just an outlet for me to talk about how amazing Alan Alda is and how much I love him and wish the show hadn't killed his character off. Seriously, he's just so adorable, and it was hilarious to see him partly playing against type here. Fitch was intimidating, but I also kept wanting to give him a hug.

And, I felt like that was how Red felt toward him. He hated Fitch for the whole bullshit in that raid on the Post Office, but yet, he also respected him. That look on his face when he's having that last conversation before the bomb on Fitch's neck goes off... just heartbreaking.

And while so many actors seem to bow under the weight of Spader's performances, Alda is also one of the few actors who I felt like was on-par with him in terms of charisma and acting chops. It seems he just strolls onto the set and does whatever is required of him without a care in the world. "Need me to be gruff and menacing? I can do that. Need me to be sad and fearful? I can do that. Need me to look bored and indifferent? I can do that." God, I just love Alan Alda, and I want to give him a hug. 

But, seriously, Fitch was a Blacklister who's impact on the story goes all the way back to setting Berlin on Red decades before S2 takes place, and he was one of the few people (at that time) who seemed to know Reddington from the pre-Night of the Fire era. (It's unclear now whether that was actually true; he probably knew the REAL Reddington, but never knew our guy was an imposter.)

Anyway, Fitch had a major impact on the story because he was the one person/thing who had a connection to the raid on the Post Office, the Cabal and Berlin. So, he definitely deserves a spot on this list. And also, ALAN ALDA!

4. BERLIN

This is a weird entry, because Berlin is hardly in either of his two namesake episodes; and even when he is, his identity is obscured until the very end of "Berlin: Conclusion."

Berlin had been built up for a long time, and while I still am so frustrated that it was never addressed how he organized a giant criminal syndicate from inside a Russian prison. Honestly, for as much as for as long as he was built up, I feel like the pay-off was a little bit disappointing. Which is why he’s at number four for me.

Still, when he came back in the first half of S2, he was such a good baddie. I absolutely love when he and Red meet on Coney Island, and that weird, dynamic and layered conversation that they have. And overall, Peter Stormare's performance is fantastic. He's mustache-twirling, sure, but he was so intimidating at the same time... threatening Liz, capturing Naomi, being responsible for the attacks on Cooper and Meera, etc.

He had a tremendous impact on both S1 and S2a, so he definitely has to have a spot.

3. ALEXANDER KIRK (A.K.A. CONSTANTIN ROSTOV)

Like Berlin, Kirk is hardly in either of his namesake episodes, but we get to see him more fleshed out as a character/villain in S4a.

Unlike most villains, we actually got to see quiet moments of Kirk, where he was caring, respectful, loving and just ... generally not villainous. Most of these other Blacklisters never got those opportunities, and Kirk -- in hindsight -- was built up as a kind of hero out of a Greek tragedy. Odette tells Liz that he was a kind, caring and gentle man up until he found out about Liz’s identity as Masha and her connection to Red. Then, he flipped his shit and did whatever it took to get his (step)daughter away from him. And, honestly, I really liked his little farewell speech to Liz about how she would only ever remember him as a villain who kidnapped and threatened her and her child; and she would never remember him as the young, happy father who held her in her arms, excited at what the future would hold for their family.

God, just thinking back to that speech makes me feel such sympathy for the man... not the one he became but the one he used to be. Kirk was hurt and betrayed multiple times by Katarina, the Real Reddington, the Fake Reddington, and all these other people who played him like a puppet for their own ends. Really thinking back on it, it’s no wonder he became the broken man he is, so desperately trying to cling to this frayed prospect of happiness with the family he once had. Yes, he was hoping that Liz or Agnes would help cure him of his disease, but I truly believe that was only a bonus in his mind and he was really hoping to piece his family back together -- to have a second chance in his (step)daughter’s life and help her with her newborn.

He’s also one of the few villains with his own arc who WASN’T killed off at the end of said arc, so I REALLY hope he comes back. I doubt it, but I would really like to see it. Maybe he could help Liz understand what all happened with Katarina, Real Reddington, Fake Reddington, and everything on the Night of the Fire.

And, again, like with Fitch, he was a really important Blacklister as he was connected to both Red’s past and Liz’s. And, that scene where he’s about to kill Red, and the two stop to reminisce about Katarina, who she was, and how important she was to them ... that’s the kind of depth we don’t get out of most Blacklisters.

Honestly, even though his introduction to the audience was a little too Darth Vader/Alias-esque, I still really enjoyed the range of emotions Ulrich Thomsen got to run through in his portrayal, especially in that final episode. And while he doesn’t really have a lasting effect on the story once his arc is resolved, he was a major threat to everyone, including Liz, and the main characters to make major decisions in the latter half of S3 and the first part of S4 that showed us who they really are.

So, yeah. IMO, he deserves to be this high on the list.

2. ANSLO GARRICK

It might seem a little weird to have a one-off villain this high on the list, but Anslo Garrick -- both the character and his namesake episodes -- was an actual game-changer. Here we were, skipping along through S1, pretty complacent and chill. And then all of a sudden, Anslo Garrick shows up and turns everything on its head. The Post Office is under attack; Ressler gets seriously injured and he and Red have to make due hanging out together inside the box; Cooper et al is captured; Liz and Aram, who have little field experience between them, have to team up to try to get to safety. Luli is killed; Dembe is almost killed; Liz is threatened; Red is captured and later escapes.

God, so much happened in those episodes, and I still think “Anslo Garrick: Part One” might be the best episode of the show to date. Seriously. Even though Red and Liz have zero screentime together, that episode is just SO GOOD. Intense, dark, with high-stakes and important character moments -- and there have been very few episodes like it since.

But, anyway, as for Anslo Garrick himself... he isn’t really all that much. He was a rabid dog sent by Fitch to bring Red in. He was intimidating, coarse, violent and gave zero shits about his actions.

This entry doesn’t really celebrate who the character of Anslo Garrick was, but more of what he represented and the major impact he had on the show at that point in time. He introduced us to Fitch, who first brought up the whole “Cabal” storyline, which was responsible for a lot of shit in S2 and S3a.

Again, Garrick woke us viewers out of our little complacency that Red & co. were just going to glide through their Blacklisters with only a few cuts and bruises and no real stakes (outside of the Tom/mystery storyline that was going on at the time). This was a good kick in the pants to make us realize that we were wrong.

So, yeah. I feel like he deserves to be Number 2.

1. THE DIRECTOR

So, you’re sitting there, wondering who the hell could be sitting at Number 1... above Garvey, above Kirk and Garrick and Fitch and everyone else?

It’s the man who if I could push a button and bring any of the show’s dead character back to life, he would be the one I’d pick:

Peter Kotsiopulos, The Director ... played by the amazing David Strathairn.

Even though he appeared in 12 episodes over what amounted to an entire season of the show (from 2x09 to 3x10), I really wish The Director hadn’t been killed off. Seriously, I have no idea how much money TPTB had to throw at Strathairn to get him to appear for as long and as many times as he did, but it wasn’t enough. I've always said that this show deserves a Big Bad (assuming that Red isn’t it), and he would’ve been great as the Big Bad for The Blacklist.

While Strathairn's basically just reprising his role as "Unethical and Shady AF Government Official and Resident Mustache-Twirler" from The Bourne Series, it's a role he's REALLY good at. And even though he didn’t get a lot of quiet moments to be humanized or come across as sympathetic, like Kirk did, I still feel like it was such a bitch move for Red and his crew to play on The Director’s feelings for/obligation to his wife as their opportunity to abduct him. I know that Liz was facing trial for murder and desperate times called for desperate measures, but I can just imagine that poor lady sitting in her therapist’s office, wondering where her husband was only to find out that he was a villain who had ditched her and fled the country, when that wasn’t the case AT ALL.

Yeah, I know The Director’s an absolute piece of shit who’s responsible for threatening the entire Task Force, publicly demonizing Liz and almost killing Red... but he was so good at being bad that I wanted him to stick around long-term. I wanted to see him and Liz have more interactions; and again, Stathairn was one of the few actors who held his own in scenes with Spader without any effort.

He was also the first one, as I recall, to set Liz on this path toward Katarina Rostova’s backstory and finding out how alike the two of them were. Remember in 2x19, he remarks how much Liz looks like her mom, and I feel like that sends Liz down a road to get answers from Red about who she was and what his connection was to her mom and her family.

But, anyway, yeah. I just love David Strathairn; I loved him in this role, on this show; and I loved how diabolical, manipulative, and just conniving his character was. I also just absolutely love the look on his face in 3x10 when he and Red are watching Laurel Hitchen on the TV and Hitchen just outs The Director as a member of the Cabal. He just goes from angry and staring daggers at Red to flustered and “oh shit” in an instant.

So, just like my Fitch entry was my opportunity to celebrate how amazing Alan Alda was, this is my chance to celebrate how underrated David Strathairn is as an actor and how much I wish he was still on the show.

But, putting all of that aside, why should The Director as a character be ranked above all those other people as a better Blacklister?

Because, The Director represented the Cabal, which was an entity that had been built up from 1x09 as a major force that had power to easily destroy everything Red, Liz and their crew was trying to work toward. They sent Braxton after info about the Fulcrum, they sent Karakurt to frame Liz, they sent that team of commandos to attack Red. They were a force that seemingly could not be stopped, and the Director was at the head of it all.

And, while I can’t find it anywhere (so help me out if you know what I’m talking about), I know there’s a saying about how the worst man is the one who does evil in the name of good. And that’s The Director. He is the embodiment of all the worst parts of The Blacklist’s villains, actual real life government officials and humanity at large. He has dozens of people killed without batting an eye because it’s all in the interest of “national security.” Or so he tells others. But, deep down, we all know that he’s only really concerned about his own self-interest.

Now that the show has killed him off, obviously, there’s no way for Strathairn to return as The Director; but perhaps, if/once the show delves more into Katarina and Red’s backstory, maybe we will see a Young Director in a flashback so that we can see exactly how he was connected to Katarina, the Cabal, and that whole mess with the Fulcrum.

Plus, I can’t get over how awesome his interactions with Liz were, and Strathairn’s delivery of the now infamous line, “I know who you really are, Raymond -- who you are TO HER.”

###

Again, if you disagree, feel free to reblog with your comments or your own list. This is all purely subjective, but -- because we’re on this crazy-long hiatus until January -- I felt like it was good to fill the time with SOMETHING. My goal with this isn’t to give a definitive list and that’s it; but rather, to prompt discussion about the topic.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end and cheers! ~mm

[multishipperlove]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series), Cinderbrush (Web Video) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Cameron Solomon/Aff Flowers Characters: Cameron Solomon, Aff Flowers Additional Tags: hints at eventual Cameron/Aff/Jamie/Sasha, Chest Binder, Nonbinary Character Summary:

Aff gets a surprise visit from Cameron, and a gift they weren't expecting.

Aff was lying on their bed, desperately trying to make sense of the paragraph in front of them and resisting the urge to throw their book against the wall. The Castle of Otranto was without a doubt one of the shittier books their English teacher had put in front of them so far, and while reading it hadn't been all that bad, having to analyse and make sense of any of it was hell.

Still, they couldn't afford to put another hole through the wall, if for nothing else than sparing their father the added stress. So they closed their eyes again, pushed the book away, and tried counting backwards.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Seve-

Their concentration was broken by a sound outside the window. Like something had just hit the glass. With a frown they opened their eyes again and looked towards it, but there wasn't anything visible which could have caused it. No damage to the window either.

But as soon as they turned their head away, the sound came again. And then another time, and Aff could see a small pebble flying up, hitting the glass and making that noise once more.

Curious now, they got up and made their way over, opening it and then stepping aside barely quick enough to avoid another small stone from hitting their face.

“Shit! Sorry, I didn't see you there!”

“Cameron?” Aff finally looked down, leaning out of the window just far enough to see their friend (boyfriend? The whole situation with Sasha and Jamie and the two of them was still a bit in the air) standing on the lawn outside. Cameron, completely unabashed, looked back with a big grin on his face.

“Hey! Yeah, it's me, let me in?” he asked, hands folded behind his head, his posture cocky as always.

“Uh, yeah, sure. Come to the front door,” Aff called down again, a bit confused but also happy to take a break from homework.

A minute later they opened the door to Cameron, who immediately greeted them with a peck on the lips. “Hey, sorry for the weird window approach,” the boy muttered, before pulling back again, out of their personal space. “Wasn't sure if your dad would get mad or anything. You know, because it's already pretty late and all that.”

“No, no no, it's fine. You know he's cool,” Aff assured him, pulling him inside and up the stairs. “Why, do your parents not know you're out?”

Cam scoffed, though it took him a moment to answer as he looked around Aff's room, taking in all the details. He'd actually never been here, only ever in the shop or the Flowers' tiny living room, losing himself in some playstation game with Aff as they both tried to avoid thinking about court orders and murder charges. But the room was nice, small but personal. Some posters on the wall, an old CD player on one shelf, a bunch of self help books on another.

“Nah, I didn't tell them,” he finally said. “They wouldn't have let me anyway. So, I probably don't have all that much time, before someone notices I'm missing.”

“Well, shit, why did you come?” Aff asked, immediately worried for his friend. They hadn't seen a lot of Cam's parents, but the way he all but cowered in front of them sometimes... well, they didn't like it. “Did something happen? Is everyone okay?”

Cam looked confused for a moment, but then seemed to understand where they were coming from. “Ah, no, everything's fine, don't worry. I do this all the time, I'm good at sneaking in and out.”

He took a closer look at some of the photos that were displayed on the wall before turning back to the conversation, a bit more nervous now. Scratching the back of his neck while avoiding eye contact, he continued though. “I just came here to give you something, because I wasn't sure if you'd want that kind of thing handed over in school or if you'd want it at all, so... y'know, I thought I'd come here.”

“Well, that's cool, I'm always happy to have you here!” Aff replied, all smiled and enthusiasm again, and Cam couldn't help but smile.

“That's- that's great. Okay, why don't you sit down and close your eyes or something, and I''ll give you the thing.”

“Okay, okay, sure.” Aff sat down on their bed again, not even bothering with further questions before closing their eyes and holding out their hands. After all, they trusted their friend. Boyfriend. Well maybe boyfriend. Whatever.

For a moment they could only hear some rustling from Cam's backpack, and then something cool and smooth was placed in their hands, some kind of fabric, it felt like.

“Okay, open your eyes,” Cam's voice came, the nervousness now even more obvious.

So Aff did, finally getting a close look at the thing in their hands. At first, it didn't make much sense. It looked like a crop top, made from a stretchy material, in a light beige color. Then after a second, it clicked. It was a binder. Not even a used one, it looked brand new, still almost stiff with how it had never been broken in.

“No way. No fucking way, really?” they asked, excitement rising quicker than any anger ever could in them. Their face showed it as well, about to nearly split in two with the bright smile that broke out.

Before Cam could really react, they were already up and enveloping him in a hug, squeezing so tight he was sure he heard his own ribs creak in protest. “Okay, okay, easy,” he chuckled, wrapping his arms around Aff's shoulders as well though and, a bit awkwardly, patting their back. “You don't even know if it fits yet, don't give me too much credit before you try it.”

“I don't even care if it's going to fit, this is amazing!” Aff insisted, pulling back again now and giving it another once over. “I'm probably even going to wear it if it doesn't fit!”

“That's really not- I don't think you should- that's really unhealthy,” Cam stammered, running a hand through his hair again. “Look, I'll just step out for a minute and you try it on, okay? Tell me if it feels good and stuff.”

“Oh yeah, sure. I'll do that,” Aff agreed, and without really thinking about it started to tug their shirt over their head right then and there. Cam quickly turned around at that, furiously blushing and wondering if he was supposed to leave the room anyway, but since Aff didn't seem to complain... he stayed.

A few moments later, Aff tapped his shoulder, and he took that as a sign to turn back towards them. And maybe his opinion was being influenced by all the newly naked skin he suddenly saw himself confronted with, but they certainly looked... nice. To put it politely. (They looked fucking hot). It wasn't helping the color in his face to go down again either.

“I, well, I mean- it's good,” he finally mumbled, carefully making eye contact again. Aff was beaming, and damn if that didn't make up for all the trouble he'd probably be in for this. “How does it feel?”

“Pretty fucking great,” they told him, still giddy with excitement. They turned back to the mirror for a moment, running a hand over their newly flat chest. “Do you fucking see that? I'm flat! Like, you almost can't see anything. Isn't that awesome?”

“It sure is,” Cam agreed with a grin. “So it doesn't hurt or anything?”

“No, it's weirdly comfortable actually.” Aff looked down, tugging a bit on the bottom seam of the binder, testing how stretchy it really was. “I probably shouldn't wolf out in it though.”

Cam chuckled and stepped closer again, wrapping his arms around Aff from behind and tucking them a bit closer. “No, you really shouldn't. That's never been good for any of your clothes.”

“Yeah, no, I'm gonna be super careful with this one,” they agreed, meeting Cam's eyes in the mirror with a smile. “How did you even get this? How did you know what size I would need?”

“Eh, took an educated guess,” came the amused reply. “And you left a shirt at my place a few weeks ago, remember? I kinda went off of that. And as to how- I might have stolen my dad's credit card.”

“No you didn't!”

“Yes, I did!” he insisted again, openly laughing now. “I put it back right after, don't worry! And he hasn't noticed yet, so... keep your fingers crossed.”

“You're so stupid,” Aff muttered, placing an affectionate kiss to Cameron's arm where they could reach it.

Cam just shook his head slightly in return, before pressing his forehead against Aff's shoulder and relaxing a bit. He was just glad his present had gotten the desired reaction. “So, are you gonna wear this all the time now?” he mumbled, a bit quieter, a bit more gently, still pressing close.

“I don't know,” Aff answered honestly. “Probably not everyday, just when I, like, need it? Some days I don't mind, you know.”

Cam didn't know, actually, but nodded anyway. He didn't need to understand it to show some support. He gently kissed Aff's shoulder, still not drawing back yet. “I should probably get going,” he finally muttered though, aware that time was running out.

“You want me to drive you?” Aff asked immediately. “We can put your bike in the back of the truck if you took it with you.”

Cameron considered it for a moment, then nodded. “Sure, that would be great. Thanks.”

“After what you just gave me, don't even mention it,” Aff replied with a grin, before reaching for their shirt again and tugging it over the binder without an issue. A last glance at the mirror left them looking genuinely pleased, and Cam felt his heart beating a bit faster as they reached for his hand before leaving.

He could get used to this.