#ignore that ugly sinner head

[i-am-so-normal-about-radiostatic]

Radiostatic Week day 2

CANNIBALISM AND GORE WARNING!!! IT'S UNDER THE CUT!!!

Alastor convinced him to do this

Said demon is currently blushing outta frame

I spent like 3.5-4h on this thing and I regret nothing

(I finished 2 art pieces today. I am going insane. The RadioTV duo got me in shambles)

[deadghosy]

How they would react to teen sinner! Reader getting catcalled/ S/A:

WARNING: long depending on your reading speed, explicit language, uncomfortable themes, read if you don’t wanna read anything you have encountered in life like this. If you are dealing with s/a please call your national hotline. This will be the only time I write something like this cause this is a serious topic.

LUCIFER

It was late in the pride ring as you snuck out of the hotel wanting to get snacks and a drink. I mean shit you died in the late 2010’s, you’re use to this shit. So you went to a store as you didn’t see an older sinner smirk, slowly gazing your body up and down as you grab a pair of chips and energy soda.

“Hey sweetie…” the older sinner says as he slowly appears behind you. You divest even bother to look at him as you felt him get closer. You whipped around and glare at him only to see such an ugly sinner who looks homeless as well.

“Hey now, I’m not gonna harm you.” The man says grabbing your arm and pulling you toward him. “I just wanna see your pretty face little boy/girl.” Your eyes widened shocked. You tried to pull your arm as he tugs tighter. You yelled for him to let you go as he dragged you out the store. You were not gonna let some creep take you! So you bit his arm hard as fuck. He let you go, but not without punching you.

You ate the punch but start to run to the hotel you know and love. You ran as your heart beat for safety and away from anything else. You didn’t think it would be like this, but what could you except. This is hell itself. There’s a lot of ass holes and bastards that deserve to be here.

You ran inside ignoring the look of a certain king who was sitting down in the lounge room, he swore he saw tears fall down your cheeks. He felt his heart ache to know what was wrong with you as he slowly followed after you.

A soft knock was heard as you look up to see the king of hell, the man who always gave you ducks when you first came here. “Kid are you okay? I heard you cry?” He said worried seeing you tear up hearing his worried voice. It wasn’t making it better as you ran into his arms. He was move back a bit at your usually tough attire cracking into a soft and scared one. Now he was concerned.

He set you back in bed as you rant out about what happened, even giving a description of what he looked like. After a bit of comfort in for Lucifer and him petting your back a lot. You sniffled a little, feeling better than what you felt as Lucifer smiled at you sleeping against his lap. He sighs sensing you sleeping as he poofs away from your sleeping body.

“DONT worry kid…that bastard isn’t going to see another hellish day…” Lucifer says walking out of the hotel as his hat overcasted his face.

It was a new day as you woke up to play your regular tv show only for the news to play. “BREAKING 666 NEWS!!! ALLEGED PEDOPHILE DEAD AT GRIMM’S MARKET AS HIS HEAD WAS-” the news was cut off by Lucifer who had a guilty expression as you had a wide eye expression shocked that the bastard got some quick karma.

ALASTOR

You and alastor went on a walk together as he wanted you to get off your pesky small picture rectangle. He’s talking about your damn phone.💀

“And I told the fellow gentleman to make my meat, medium rar-” before Alastor could finish his story about how he went to a restaurant. You groaned tired of this, you wanted to sleep and be on your hell phone since you miss the human world.

Alastor rolls his eyes with a smile, he pinches your cheek making you huff. “No need for an attitude!~” he said in a song tune voice you pushed him away from you embarrassed. “I don’t need to fix my attitude old man..” you say walking a bit forward ahead of the deer demon.

The radio demon chuckles, but the chuckles stops when seeing you immediately get whistled at by a male sinner who eyes you. You flipped the sinner off before going back to Alastor, holding the older’s hand as he slightly move in front of you.

It seemed like this asshole was trying to talk to you, but he couldn’t as alastor smiles down at the sinner. “C'mere sweet thing. Why don’t you come and get a drink with me.” The sinner says. You and Al narrow your eyes at the sinner, you weren’t budging from behind alastor who stands strong and confident

“I don’t think they will be going with you anytime soon my dear fellow.” Alastor says with a strained smile. The sinner was definitely new and didn’t know who was companying you at this very moment.

“I don’t think I give a fuck.” The sinner says teaching his hand out to your frame.

The sinner tried to make an attempt to grab your arm from the radio demon. There was a ring of static in the air whilst making the sinner stop grabbing your arm. Alastor grabs the arm that dares to try and take you from him. Alastor smiles eerily at the sinner.

“I’ll teach you some respect you filthy pest.” He says as static seems to boom the area before he goes full demon mode and drag the filth to the alley to have a nice “talk.”

Their screams were broadcasted on his radio station the day after they whistled at you. Alastor made sure to have his shadow follow you for a few months before he was sure you were fully okay. Harassment towards a minor, is a big no-no.

VAGGIE

You wanted to help her get more flowers for a decoration of a trust exercise, so she let you run the errand.

You ran out the hotel happy and excited. You always weee excited to help the hotel ever since you died. You knew your mom was in heaven so you wanted to be redeemed quickly and possible.

You went to the flower shop smiling which gained the attention of a female who smile sweetly at you. She approached you holding a flower. You knew not to take things from strangers, even demons as Charlie and vaggie told you.

But it’s a flower, what’s the worse that can happen. Plus you need flowers for the event itself. As you grabbed the flower, the flower sprays out this gas that made you feel slight drowsy. You feel your body limp as the woman comes closer to you.

You try to push her off as she caresses your body. With your mustered up strength, you use your sharp nails/claws to stab her eyes and run.

The flower drug was slowly taking affect until you did a few symbols on yourself. You learnt it from Lucifer as he gave you a book. The drug wore off but your mind was scrambling. You felt yucky and violated. As you bursted through the hotel door, accidentally running into vaggie’s arms.

“What the fuck happened!!?” Vaggie says concerned as she sees the bruises on your wrist. Her eyes widen. “What. Happened..” she says seriously.

You explained the situation while sobbing softly. Vaggie comforted you in her hold as she closed her eyes ashamed at how she wasn’t there to protect you. She was suppose to your guarden. Your parental figure.

Vaggie takes you upstairs, run you a bath and just watched you softly. Guilt in her eyes for not being a good parent to you and just follow you to make sure you were okay.

The whole night, she stayed close to you. Not even dropping her guard when it comes to you. You are too precious to go through this. She just hopes you can recover.

She’s not letting you out of her sight ever again. Hell she might teach you how to fight , but might go overprotective on you and keep you in the hotel until she and you were sure to go outside again.

CHARLIE

It was during a trust exercise with one of the new residents…

It was a trust fall activity as Charlie shows the residents how it goes. You say what you have in your mind and do the trust fall. After Charlie does it with vaggie. It was your turn and the sinner’s.

The sinner looked calm and you were anxious as you never done the trust fall game. Even in the human world.

As you stood on the stand talking to every member of this exercise and Charlie. She gives you a thumbs up which made you smile and gain confidence in talking. You fell backwards into the sinner’s hold as they caught you.

But they didn’t let you go. You tried to tell them but they didn’t let go still. You felt their hand travel around you and gr0pe your lower and waist. Your eyes widen as you try to move away from the bastard.

Tears were in your eyes as you hyperventilate at how you feel their touch. It burns, it feels like lit burns. Charlie notices what is going on. She gets up and pulls the bastard from you. She pushes you behind her as she looks behind her to see if you were okay. Whilst she does that, she glares heavily at the sinner.

“WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN TOUCH THEM LIKE THAT?!” Charlie yells as her demon form was slipping out of anger seeing you run towards her. Hell was going loose as the sinner tried to back away from the raging aura Charlie was releasing.

Before Charlie can send hell fire at the bastard who dares to gr0pe you, you grabbed her arm. You know she isn’t really the type to kill someone and might regret it. So while you grabbed her arm, she calmed down and stared at you. Her yellow pupils going back to red as she glares at the sinner.

“Your stay isn’t welcome here..” Charlie says lastly as alastor takes the sinner away, probably to kill them and eat em.

Charlie takes you up stairs as you grip onto her arm. Her gaze on you soften with protectiveness and worry. She can’t believe that happened to you.

She checks on you everyday and has to mane sure you are with a resident before leaving the hotel. She feels guilty knowing she wasn’t there to protect you. Charlie must definitely hands razzle and dazzle to you if you are going out or going to sleep.

HUSK

A drunk resident had walked into your room as you were busy doing art work.

It was a night that you were relaxing in your room just drawing. You always had a passion to draw, maybe even to be an artist.

Your father figure was down stairs tending the bar. Husk was giving drinks to a resident, husk could tell that the drunk bastard has enough. He told the bum to go upstairs as he had enough beers.

Husk watches the person go upstairs, stumbling and staggering. The cat demon rolls his eyes as he hears a door close, assuming the sinner went to their designated room.

You were so busy listening to music you didn’t notice someone enter your room. As you put down your pencil, going for a crayon. You noticed a resident you would see at the bar. Your eyes widen smelling the strong alcohol from their body as they walked closely to you.

A curling scream came from your room making husk immediately drop the glass he was cleaning. He rushes upstairs to see the problem and why you screamed. He sees you being pinned down by the sinner he was tending to earlier.

“GET THE FUCK OF THEM!” Husk yells, eyes filled of anger. All he saw was red as he pulls the bastard off you and starts to beat the person up repeatedly. Their face was bloodied as heavy breathing came out of their face. You stopped husk as you had already been traumatized. Husk stops, breathing heavy before he kicks the bastard all the way down stairs.

You sometimes still relive through that moment as husk stays beside your bed. Husk would have to calm your down from your panic attacks from that night as you lash out at your own “father”

“Kid. Kid! Calm down…it’s okay. I’m here for you..fuck. I’m here for you.” Husk says calmingly while you try to get out of his hold. Still in panic mode. He had to hold you tightly for you to understand that you were now safe.

Hot tears fall to your cheek as you sob painfully at what you just experienced. Your tears made husk’s heart break and shatter. He was just glad you were okay in your room for now.

He holds you to his chest as his fur called you down even more. You sniffled holding him tight as if he would disappear if you let him go.

He felt your heartbeat go slow as you fall asleep in his hold. He stays close to you the whole night as he promises that he will always protect you. You are like his own child since you came to the is shit hole.

He lets you stay by him in the bar as you fall asleep. He grumbles a lot remembering that night as he almost broke a glass in his hand. You are only a kid…

ANGEL DUST

You were sent to find angel dust, only to see him in a bar drunk. So what did you do? Try and drag him out only to drag into trouble

You went into the bar to see Angel drunk, he was also talking to some demons who smirked at his drunken state.

You scoffed going over to grab Angel dust. As you went to grab him, one of the demons made you sit on his lap as if you were ready to meet Santa Claus. But you weren’t as you headbutt the demon and grab Angel dust.

The rest of the demons pull out knives and gun. Your eyes widen as you rushed pout the bar door, sensing the demons on your tail.

You throw a beer bottle at one of the members, the shards went in their eyes. Even if it was a small trick, the screams distracted those asshole as you make a run for the hotel.

You gently laid angel dust in his bed as his eyes tears up, realizing the situation and what could’ve happened if you didn’t take advice from Vaggie about combat.

“Shit…I’m sorry for getting you in this shit.” Angel dust says as he looks away with a drunk shamed look. You sighed, you’re just a kid looking after a drunk adult.

Angel sobered up a bit after you left him in his room. His memory fuzzy, but it was clear that you were uncomfortable with those damn demons that were eyeing you. Even if you got pulled into someone’s lap, that made him disgusted.

He promised you when you first came here that he would protect you. You was like a little sibling to him. He couldn’t believe how he was a drunk asshole who couldn’t even protect someone he cared about most.

Angel was actually sober for months after that encounter. Worried you would run into those demons he was with that night. He would also make you more like force you to watch fat nuggets while he is at work.

He would probably make a deal with Valentino or probably mostly alastor to make sure you were safe since that day.

SIR PENTIOUS

You were trying to find Frank, one of the egg boiz in the pride ring only to run into trouble.

You found Frank being ganged by some sinner who looked from the modern era you are from. You looked around for something, and you found an old computer. Mustering up your strength, you threw that bitch at their head.

Frank runs to you, holding your leg tightly. He was happy to see you were okay with him. You and the egg right here was like family as you smile at how cute he was happy to see you. Pentious would be happy to see Frank is in good condition

You left the alley way and start to chat with the egg boy by your side. It was have been obvious that you were being watched as a female sinner stared at you and your body. You felt the gaze and scoff making Frank raise a brow until seeing the sinner. The sinner seemed scary for poor Frank.

A whistle was made towards you, you flipped them off as you picked up the poor egg who was trembling. He obviously was trying to seem strong for you but it fails as he holds tightly to you. The sinner lady smirks as she follows you. You felt more uncomfortable with Frank as Frank was trying to warn you that she was gaining speed for you. But you already knew.

You made a circle with your hand, a portal opened and it closed immediately when you entered it. The portal sent you to the hotel in one piece with the adorable egg boy.

Your face was stoic with some disgust in your eyes. Eyebrows furrowed on your face as you entered Pentious’s room with Frank.

“Ssssweetheart? What happened? Whatssss wrong?” Pentious says as he notices your disgusted look. "Nothing nothing. Here you go penny." You said brushing off the feeling on your shoulders. But it still noticeable in your body language.

Before you could walk out of the room after putting Frank down. Frank just had to open his eggy mouth. The egg confessed that you were catcalled and almost followed to the hotel until you did your powers you have conquered in hell.

“Why that behavior is not acceptable to a minor!! That bunch of filth shall learn to never mess with my dear friend.” Pentious says as he forces out of his room so you can get a fresh start on a new days and this time he is making baby gates for his eggs so they will not bother you anymore

He was planning all night to see what he can use as a revenge for the cat calling you had experienced. Frank was also giving sir Pentious ideas also. It seemed they both agreed on one plan to have your get back.

He used his machine weapons to destroy that monster who catcalled. He was definitely making sure the laser was fast so he can come back to you and make you cookies so you could feel better. For the rest of the week and probably month.

CHERRI BOMB

You wanted to grab a snack out for Cherri and you. You left the hotel as she started to stay, as you left you didn’t notice of couple of shark demons. The leader smirked flicking a cigarette from his mouth eyeing you. They whistled at you making you scoff and keep walking.

The leader nods his head at you as the sharks move towards you snickering. You felt their presence, luckily you brought your…damnit you left your pepper spray.

The leader grabs you trying to pull you into an alley as your eyes widen. In a heap of panic you screamed for help, that only made it worst. Next thing you felt was a slap to your cheek as you sobbed.

The leader and the members chuckle grabbing your hair. With one final effort your screamed, but it wasn’t an ordinary scream. It was a sonic one that blew them away (a/n: sorry if it sounded corny😕) With that you left in a hurry inside of the hotel. Tears running down your eyes, you ran upstairs passing Cherri who looked shocked to see you run pat her like nothing.

“Sweetie?” Cherri says softly, her Australian accent showing her absolute worry for you as she followed you into your room. She sees your face in your pillow. Softly sobbing, scared as your adrenaline was still high. She sat next to you softly holding you in her arms hoping you would open up. And you did after calming down. 

After explaining what happened with a tired and broken voice, you couldn’t believe that this would happenu to you. You felt kinda yucky being touched but you felt safe with Cherri.

“What a fuckin' asshole. I bet his dick is small…don’t worry honey.” She says caressing your back as you sniffled before falling asleep.

In the aftermath, she blowed up their house in honor for you.🔥💗 no witnesses either.

HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED IT!

Remember that my requests are closed, so please if you are new to my blog check out my other work as I am currently working on other requests‼️ THAT ARE IN MY DRAFTS, not the ones people are asking me. So please don’t DM me and respect that please.

And mostly, please seek help if you are going through any abuse or assault related issues. Everyone needs to speak up in their own experiences. ❤️

[helluvapoison]

You were a rare soul— and that means something down here. You didn’t care about holding the title Overlord, nor the power that came with it. You had exactly zero souls under your belt, yet people… respected you. Not feared, respected. A peculiar word to hear in Hell.

Your name was uttered quieter than a whisper, like saying it an octave too loud would summon you.

The Rat King.

Soon you would meet…

˚✧₊⁎ Lucifer Morningstar ⁎⁺˳✧༚

warnings: gn reader, language, angst, canon divergence

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

• He thought it was very brave (re: idiotic) to carry the title king in his domain

• Lucifer came to you out of boredom, absurdity, and— no shit— the slightest bit of self indulgence! He was supposed to see this so called second king and rip them a new asshole. Except you weren’t a king— not even close

• He scoured you toes to head, seemingly unimpressed. Not rat-like, not king-like. Lucifer knew himself well enough to know he should have been bored by now. His expectations plummeted, nothing was going according to plan. And yet.. he found himself more curious than before

“You’re this ‘Rat King’ I hear so much about?”

“I guess so” You shrugged, “But I didn’t pick that name for myself.”

• You properly introduced yourself to the one and only king. Your real name tasted interesting on his tongue. Lucifer tested it thrice as he shook your hand, relooking you over like he missed something

• Apparently they called you The Rat King because you were in the secret trading business. Give one, get one. Simple as that. You explained the rules to him over a cup of tea that he asked for. It wasn’t his first or second choice of blend but he drank it to be polite. No other motive. Definitely not because there was a question on the tip of his split tongue

• Lucifer wasn’t the most observant of people. He couldn’t tell what people were thinking, he wasn’t fluent in body language. So when he caught your eyes bouncing between his tight grip on the chipped cup you offered him, to his jittery knee sticking out from where he sat. His body and his head were, for one, in agreeance; leave, they told him. He didn’t like to be sized up and that was always his go to answer for why someone was watching him so intently. But with his chest facing you, and his heart in control, he stayed put

• “Lilith.” He choked out, “I want any knowledge you have on her.”

Saying her name out loud hurt more than he thought it would. It was acid in his belly, smoke in his lungs, and fire on his tongue.

Your smile faded.

“What?” He scoffed, “Lemme guess, you want something, right? A deal? I have to make a deal to find my own wife? Let’s get this over with then! I’m the fucking King of Hell, whatever you want is—“

Your hand shot out so suddenly that Lucifer was almost disappointed. He was expecting this. Right? This is what Sinners did, it’s why they were here. Why was he hoping you’d be different? And, more importantly, when did hope creep into his system again? He hadn’t been on good terms with the feeling in decades.

• However, Lucifer’s disappointment was killed before it could spread. Gently, so gently he could cry, you took his hand and pushed it, palm down, onto the table. Your eyes never left his. There was something about them that captivated him. He loathed it. It made him feel small. Not the kind of small that equaled insignificant, either.

No, it was worse.

Vulnerable.

“I don’t do deals,” You said quickly and it had Lucifer wondering if those eyes of yours saw how his mind was spiraling.

Stealing his hand back, ignoring how he immediately missed the contact, he wiped it on his pants.

A suspicious glare took over his face, “You—?What? You don’t do deals? What does that even mean!?”

“I just… trade secrets,” You sounded so defeated, “I don’t need deals for that. But I don’t have any secrets about the queen. I’m sorry.”

• Lucifer expected pity to rear its ugly head from you any moment now. His pride couldn’t take that hit, not today. What was it about you that made him so fucking transparent?

• The uncomfortable silence began creeping into the insufferably small shop of yours. It was fucking suffocating.

“I wish I could help you, I really do.” You said softly.

He really wished you would stop doing that. Your softness felt like a dagger to the heart. Reminding him it existed was agony he thought he’d never feel again.

• “Not one?” Lucifer asked bitterly.

Not a single one of these undeserving demons and sinners that Lilith loved so much spoke about her? Not a whisper or a rumor? They just forgot about her? It’s only been 4 years!

“I’m sorry, your majesty, if I hear something, I can—“

“No… No, it’s fine.” Lucifer cut you off, holding up his hand. His wedding ring blinded him with a sparkling gleam. He sighed, “I think we’re done here.”

• You stepped behind him cautiously, walking him to the door.

“You’re welcome to come back?”

He scoffed out a laugh, grinning at you from over his shoulder, “You’re not getting any of my secrets.”

A smile of your own began to spread.

“I also dabble in conversation.”

_

(part one? or move on to the next character? i dunno if i feel like continuing but want this to be as interactive as possible so tell me what you would like to see!)

[colourstreakgryffin]

Hii! Can we get a fic with how would it like to be if the reader was basically douma same personality appearence etc. With Alastor? I REALLY WANT TO SEE HOW IT WOULD GO.

Oh my fucking god. This Duo— it’s this duo and Discord with Alastor, I think would mesh well! Haha! Anyway! I am definitely trying this out, thank you, loves! Hope you enjoy!

Alastor- Rainbow Irises

Ah… a cannibalistic murderous cult has rolled into the Pride Ring. Alastor isn’t surprised when he hears over the new Overlord being the Eternal Paradise Cult leader. He’s heard worse

Though… her eyes are a mesmerising rainbow. A gorgeous, colourful, almost hypnotic swirl of multiple colours and the way she has presented herself to the Pride Ring… menacing yet elegant and cool-headed. Dressed like a fancy old-fashioned Japanese woman and wielding golden sharp fans

You’re an entire walking-talking red flag of a person. Speaking smooth and doting to everybody you meet but raising your fangs to their neck. You’re possibly even worse than Valentino. You trick everybody into thinking you’re polite and considerate and playful but you have a VERY ugly monster under those rainbow eyes

You have that charisma and friendliness Alastor uses regularly, coming off as upbeat and you greets all the Overlords politely but the proclaims you make… the way you eat other sinner demons with no problem and even brag about putting heads of decapitated men in pots. You have everybody in the room’s spines shivering in both disgust and intimidation at how you’re like

Alastor respects the way you establish yourself and getting his full respect is hard. You are intimidating, you are menacing, it’s a sign of how strong you actually are. The second strongest Overlord in Hell’s history(right behind Alastor). You regularly loom over Alastor and enjoy sweet-talking him

Alastor can recognise when a psychopath is talking so he never falls for your tricks nor your innocent act. You’re dangerous and twisted, specifically targeting and only eating men, hence you’re only-men member cult. He won’t let you even try take a finger off him

Alastor is basically our Shinobu, except Al doesn’t beat on us

Alastor doesn’t like you just touching him. You’ll reach out and touch him, solely to annoy him. He isn’t scared of you but he can tell why the other Overlords are so tense around you… you’re the most perfect cult leader, a inviting aura and a sensual voice that screams illusionary safety

Alastor has to hold his breath around you. When you’re angry, you turn ice cold and you don’t mind making the air too frozen for anybody to breathe in. So, he is quite careful with you. Juggling inbetween cold treatment and warm treatment, he feels like he is handling a spoiled brat when he talks to you

Alastor ignores the ‘gifts’ you make or get him. The lotus ice statues are wonderful but he knows what you’re trying to do… he may compliment your work but he won’t let you talk him into anything

But that doesn’t mean, Alastor doesn’t find your work nor your power impressive. He is very impressed and he rewards you for all you’ve done with your little cult and rising up to the rank to being the second strongest Overlord ever known in Hell. It’s a grand feat that he will clap to

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Aren’t you even a little bit worried about me, Lord Alastor~?”

“Darling. Kindly do not touch—“

“You don’t know how dreadfully worried I was. Since you all are cherished comrades of mine. I’d be heartbroken if I lost any of my comrades~”

Alastor finds your Japanese voice and language irresistible in a way, since it reflects your English and ‘nature’ very well but once again… he won’t fall for how often you say you like him. He knows people like you, he’s one of them. He’ll just commend what you’ve done as a Pride Ring Overlord

Alastor HATES the ‘Lord Alastor’ nickname you give him and always address him under… yeah. You give it to every other Overlord, he isn’t the only one who is called ‘Lord’ but it feels so condescending and in reality, it is…

“Silence, my dear. The adults are speaking… now, calm down that temper of yours. We don’t need anymore aircon in this room”

[arioloyal]

Sepandarmazgan

(King baldwin iv x reader part 5)

Warning: none!

How it feels to rest

On your patient lips

To eternal bliss

I'm so glad to know

Today, before sunrise, after the king's suggestion, y/n and baldwin iv left the palace without informing anyone. The hooves of their horses raised dust on the way. They passed everywhere , enjoying the clean air and the absolute silence of the dawn. The crows began to crow and the clothes spread on the ropes in front of the village houses danced and waved in the wind.

Then Baldwin pulled on his horse's reins with one hand and pointed to an oak tree on a hill far away. After getting there, y/n spread the long cloth that was with her under the tree and both of them sat and looked at the sky that was slowly turning to light red and orange.

The sound of adhan came from far away. lady y/n said under her breath: "When I arrived in Jerusalem, I saw this tree on my way first and I sat here. I met someone who said that your sermons can take all the sadness out of any heart, and you know how much I I am a curious person."

Baldwin IV did not respond. He stood there motionless as if he had traveled to another world. His eyes were looking far away. Meanwhile, y/n picked up a large bowl and walked over to the river to fill it with water. she returned and placed a bowl of water and some dates and walnuts in front of him.

:" I was there that day and witnessed all the events.I saw how some templars looked at you. Willingly or unwillingly, you ignite the fire of anger in them. I have no longer the power and ability to suppress them. I don't even like to predict what calamities can befall you. Then I can no longer protect you."

:" I am not an enemy to anyone, I am against the conspiratorial nature of some of them. The world is always full of sinners who wear holiness clothes. Jerusalem is the land of conscience. Sometimes, order, law and words are not enough. The only thing that always It's worth it, it's only love. The love of God . I came here to ask for forgiveness, but I had no idea that I was going to be the king's companion."

"I wish one day I could experience the love like you..."

Lady y/n turned her head, probably so he wouldn't see her laughing. :" If God wills, you will definitely reach it. The place where words lose their meaning."

He took a deep and heavy breath, in this world, they were the only ones who could drive each other crazy out of excitement. Whenever Y/n was with him, she felt like a young girl who was ready to learn new things at any moment, she had the feeling of a caring mother, and she was like a lotus flower that was ready to bloom. She would flourish, she would become a woman.

:"You say that if God wills it for me, I will reach it. What exactly do you mean by that? Does it mean that it is in my destiny?"

Lady y/n nodded and said, "Yes, that counts as well. But we shouldn't have false beliefs about fate. I can't say what fate is, but I can say what it isn't. destiny doesn't mean that the path of our life is predetermined. That a person after every tragedy says, "there is nothing more i can do!This was my destiny" is a sign of ignorance. Destiny is only at the crossroads. It is up to man to choose the path.

In fact, we are neither in control of our lives nor condemned to it.

He moved a little closer to y/n and adjusted the white scarf on her head and tucked her black hair behind her ear. he was close enough that y/n could smell him. The smell of wood, amber and rained soil...

:" I brought you here to ask you an important question. away from everyone. After these events, I have become more determined to protect you at any cost. Now it's your turn to choose between this dilemma. .."

:"Dilemma...?"

:" I saw you as a person who loves not only beauty but also ugliness. I trusted you in any situation because I knew you deserve it. You will one day become a great person in this land. But I'm not here for too long. I will not be there to see that day."

He held her hand, it was pleasantly warm.

:" Jerusalem and I need you and we are fascinated by you in all the way... are you willing to stay here?"

:"Yes, my lord if you wish...!"

:" No hear it all before you answer...

would you marry me?

Lady y/n felt like the blood froze in all her veins for a moment. The world stopped moving. her happiness, like the life of her king, was short. For a moment, she imagined the farewell . that day. which would destroy heart. But she was glad that she could at least have him from now on.

she came here in search of divine love. But at this moment, she was blessed with divine and material love at the same time...

[To be continued]...

[inuhiime]

:: 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ! ──── ⪩⪨ 𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄

' fear is a premonition. if you ignore it, it's bound to cause even worse disasters. '

' brace yourself. there's gonna be an ugly battle. '

' your death now belongs to me, and so does your life. '

' there is no place in this world for kindness and tolerance. '

' as long as you still want to shout and hold your head high, you have the right to fight. '

' let go. this time, it's my turn to protect you. '

' the faithless, the insincere, the dishonest-- their souls do not return. '

' for someone like me, dying here is the easy way out. '

' you were born to wreak destruction. '

' you have already seen the truth of the world. do you still want to head towards the deep end? '

' it's incredibly easy to kill a person. too easy. '

' no matter how you try, you will be forever mired in blood. '

' don’t you want to destroy everything? '

' those who fool others have no place to turn to. '

' the fires of rage may burn out, but i am their fuel. '

' i'm not your enemy. '

' no matter what you're doing, no matter what they say, i believe you. '

' you idiot! how could you put your life on the line like that? '

' look at you, scared to death. '

' thank you for always protecting me. '

' neither love nor hatred matters anymore. '

' along this path, many have come and gone, and i am one of them. '

' don’t die in a place like this. '

' as long as you need me, i'll always stay by your side. '

' the fraud believes in what they think is true, and therefore feels that they can manipulate everything. '

' don't give me that crap. answer my questions. '

' the deluded take refuge in the dark. '

' you don't care about the lives of ordinary people anyway. '

' stop beating around the bush. my patience is thin. '

' you have nothing but that violent power of yours. '

' the stronger you get, the more you are doomed to failure. '

' don't back away. we have to fight. '

' i will crush every enemy with my own hands, and i will do that by whatever means i can find. '

' i'm really sorry, but this is the only way out. '

' we aren't friends and can't be friends. it was doomed from the start. '

' if you had the slightest idea what real tragedies looked like, you wouldn't think to defend the sinners. '

' better be careful if you're their lapdog. '

' in the face of a massive disaster, all the pride of human beings is ultimately vulnerable. '

' i will always be grateful to have met you. '

' don't lose control of your emotions. '

' this is our duty; we must continue, even if it's a losing battle that we're fighting. '

' the answer's not out there, it reflects from within. '

' i can't make you stay even if i want to. '

' come on, you can always trust yourself '

' don't hold onto your little secrets and lock yourself up. '

' our city was never built on peace. '

' all is well as long as you're safe, no? '

' sorry, i may not be able to survive much longer. '

' how much have you given up and how much evil have you done for that false hope? '

' i'll bury your body when the time comes. '

' you cannot accept it, and you cannot forgive. '

' you'd rather burn it all down and destroy everything than run away or compromise. '

' fulfill my most frantic loneliness. '

' there are questions you should never ask, and there are unspoken rules you should never challenge. '

' that future you kept talking about, it doesn't exist. '

' it's not going to end. everything is completely rotten, but no one is going to end it. '

' don't get overprotective. i'm not that weak. '

' you don't really have a purpose, nor a destination. '

' do you want to stop here? '

' i'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. '

' is your body feeling stiff? how about i help you reassemble it? '

' come on, show me how you're going to torture me this time. '

' we all live, bleed, and die. what makes you think we're any different? '

' i'm all alone again... this is for the best. '

' don't lose... and don't lose to yourself. '

' are you monitoring me? or do you need someone to protect your safety? '

' don't go, please. '

' i'm sorry for leaving you there alone. '

' the wheel of destiny has begun spinning sooner than i thought. '

' you've tried hard to search for a way out, tried hard not to fall into the abyss. '

' blind idiot, all is vanity. '

' someday, you'll be mercilessly abandoned, too. '

' you're thinking you must go back, aren't you? '

' sorry, i took the liberty of judging others. '

' you never stop moving forward, that's the way you've always been. '

' i'm sorry, it's all my fault... i messed up things for everyone. '

' good luck, i'll be waiting for you. '

' don't come back. it's not worth it. '

' you wish to dominate all, but will perish a servant. '

' you've done your best. leave the rest to us. '

' in the end, i've been able to protect nothing and no one. '

' protect yourselves and get your freedom. this is an order. '

' if there's any danger, do not risk it. you can't die here. '

' they don't know death. '

' if devils did exist in this world, i suppose they would be as stubborn and shameless as you. '

' never underestimate the darkness lurking beneath the city. that's a lesson that's cost me everything. '

' i won't betray you. so... don't betray me either. '

' don't bring up all that crap from the past with me. '

' your path will not be easy from now on. '

' may you spend every day in peace and happiness. '

' this world will punish you. '

' if something bad happens, i can't save you. '

' don't you want to be human? '

' you've already lost one companion, you can't lose another. '

' why are you so stubborn? why can't you just let go? '

' let me feel that i still exist. '

' this kind of attitude won't do you any good. '

' you see something that i can't. if what you see is hope... then go and fight, and i'll protect you. '

' i'm better at using people than you are. i make the most of each of my pawns. '

' if you have so many doubts about me, why don't you just kill me? '

[radioiaci]

@ducktastic-dad ⧐ it has been a short time since giving alastor his birthday gift. at first, lucifer assumed that ━ given the state they had been in, wobbly and hungry and not altogether there ━ maybe alastor just hadn't been able to properly convey a response in the face of something so. . . profound. a bit ugly. sickly black flesh tainted in sin, concealing the golden flow that continues to persevere through its twisting veins that have been soldered together like wires in a self-sustaining machine. as always he gives the benefit of the doubt to the sinner in his favor, patient and not at all wanting to put a dim on the morning after. staying by their side to deal with the hungover headache they no doubt felt in the morning, going out of his way to be sweet on them, and carrying on throughout the day in hopes of being pulled aside for a more private moment.  but that moment doesn't come. the next day, too, he is patient. about as patient as lucifer can be about putting such vulnerable feelings on the line, some increasing signs of stubbornness and a souring attitude around alastor that begins to openly fester. not one mention of the box. unbelievable !  he has to wonder if maybe, by some backwards cannibal logic, his display of vulnerability is underwhelming in the face of someone who has seen all manner of gore. he had figured the meaning would at least be significant, for someone who is so drawn to literature with ruminative themes and poems chock-full of similarly graphic symbolism. something special catered to alastor, easy for a man like him to read.  sad, frustrated, and disappointed, lucifer remains in the privacy of his room for the latter evening of that day. rather than seeking alastor out, as he is often the one out of the two of them to do so, he busies himself in waiting ; hoping that it will be alastor who makes the effort this time, only to end up spending the night alone. the next morning, the third day, his patience has worn thin to a snap. he does not exit his room and linger in the halls in hopes of crossing paths, does not enter the communal kitchen when he knows the radio demon likes to have his coffee and breakfast around that specific time, does not sit and wait for the arrival of their morning broadcast ━ a routine in shambles. not entirely sure of what to do with himself, while simultaneously trying to avoid being within eyeshot, lucifer has taken over grounds keeping in place of niffty. ample time to take out his frustrations on the weeds peeking through the hotel's cemented walkway. if alastor were to approach him in the sensitive state he's currently in, he's not entirely sure how level-headed he could be,  ( and would rather not test his theories, )  so it's ━ nice. sort of. the fresh air, or however fresh air in hell can be outside of his stuffy room. unfortunately, upon re-entering the building, rubied pupils constrict into slivers and avert their gaze from the hotelier across the lobby that he is avoiding. his still-beating heart sinks, the feeling of falling, despite being kept safely within its coffer, perched upon alastor's shelf to collect dust and remain unappreciated. in the moment, he worries if those sensitive ears will pick up on the shallow tremble in his breath when he walks past. very blatantly ignoring alastor, lucifer only stops to greet his daughter, and then continues on with the intent to ascend the hotel and retreat to the safety of his room. out of sight, out of mind ; or that is the hope, anyway. UNPROMPTED ASKS.

If ever asked and forced to reveal the truth under threat of death, Alastor still might hesitate to reveal that he does not immediately notice Lucifer's withdrawal from him.

Charlie has kept him busy. Flitting hither and thither to complete this task and that - and with a few new additions to the residential roster, he is especially called upon to ensure that their rooms are comfortable and custom-prepared, that the inventory in the kitchens for various meals each day is satisfactory, and that Husker is kept appeased with a selection of spirits that appeal to both him and the other guests. Though he finds a few moments on occasion to enjoy a drink on his own or have a cigarette up on the balcony to de-stress, it is usually short-lived. And all of this combined makes it relatively easy for him to lose track of what others have been rumoring to be his 'other half', by now.

But he does notice on that second day - when Lucifer does not make himself known at all. Alastor has to wonder whether he is feeling well. Maybe another momentary segue into a sad state that he should interject into, to ensure that the other is looking after himself, even when lacking the desire to. To prepare him a warm bath and provide some company - but he does not get the opportunity. There are more things to plan, more things to do, and though he makes a point of selecting a few songs for his nightly broadcast that perhaps might indicate that he is, at least, thinking of the Devil while he cannot be present, they do not seem to land when he receives no response.

On the third day is when he finally begins to piece things together. There is no Lucifer present at all - not in the morning, not in midday. At least not roaming the halls. Is he still in his room? Concern begins to broil somewhere within him. It's not like Lucifer to hide away for this long without somehow seeking him out in some way, shape, or form, and Alastor makes a point to take a break from Charlie's pestering to roam the halls in search of him, even stopping by the door to his tower which he raps on and calls for the man quietly so as not to be starkly overheard by any passersby. But the sensitivity of volume is abandoned somewhat when he receives no reply. Not a one.

No luck, then. Is he being... avoided? Or perhaps Lucifer is simply... busy? Is it another case as they often find themselves in when a gift is being prepared and one sequesters themselves until it is complete? But for what occasion? His birthday has already passed. So too have the holidays. There is some concern that perhaps Lucifer is aware of the next holiday - Valentine's, if he recalls. And maybe there is some offense that Alastor has not... asking something of him? But this early? Ludicrous.

Until finally, the answer comes when the radio demon finally spies the other entering the lobby. Ah. Outside then! Relieved, Alastor nearly turns on his heel to approach with casual coolness to inquire as to what Lucifer has been up to -

But being snubbed entirely is not on his bingo card for the day.

The way Lucifer oh-so-casually seems to not acknowledge him at all is jarring and purposeful. It is so painfully obvious that even as the other makes his way out of the lobby and presumably back to his room, Charlie pulls Alastor aside to ask about it.

"Ah - not to worry. He is simply preoccupied with a few things we spoke about regarding some of the décor. I asked him to design a few more pieces of furniture, and I am sure it is taking up the majority of his time to ensure that they fit the theme."

A lie. Though he gives nothing away in his expression, Charlie seems to know that it's a lie, but blessedly says nothing more on the matter. Presumably, she hopes it to iron itself out as Alastor, still in outward good-spirits, trots away towards his own room.

Where, once inside, he can begin to fret and wonder exactly what he has done to earn such treatment. Or what he hasn't done, perhaps? The holiday idea seems to lose steam the more he thinks about it. Lucifer cannot possibly be that petty about not being asked to be some sort of Valentine's beau a near full month before the damn day actually happens. It must be something else. Something he has said or some offense he has given. He cannot remember refusing any meals cooked, even ones that are a bit too sickeningly sweet for his tastes. Nor can he remember anything he might have done or said to dear Charlie. Charlie herself certainly seems to be left in the dark. So what???

Alastor's shadow emerges as he paces about his room, deep in thought as he picks apart the events of the last few days. It plasters itself up against the wall as it observes, a sudden glare appearing in its eyeless expression as it seems to gradually lose its patience with Alastor's muttering. As if to grab his attention, it soars across the room and towards the shelf. It knows precisely what the matter is, though even it is oblivious as to the contents of the chest (Alastor had not processed it, so the shadow could not have either). Still, it knows that the thing was a gift given and Alastor has yet to truly express gratitude. That must be the issue, surely. And the shadow makes an effort to wave its arms and antlers about in an effort to pull Alastor's eyes over to the thing where it sits.

Stubbornly, it takes the radio demon a sudden and fierce knock of the shadow's antlers against his own for him to clue back into the moment, hissing in agitation and a vicious snap at the creature as it points aggressively towards the shelf where the chest sits.

At once, Alastor understands - or thinks he does, anyway. The chest had been his birthday gift. He'd been drunk, he recalled that much, but not much about the details beyond that. He remembered Lucifer being there the morning after to spend uninterrupted time with him - and that had been nice and appreciated. Wanted. Always wanted. But had he once thanked the man for the thoughtfully crafted thing? He's not even thought of what to put into it yet.

Stepping over to where it sits, he reaches to pull it from the shelf - only to find that there already... is something in it. Something that he supposes he did not fully register on the night it was given to him, seeing nearly triple as he had been and staggering all over the place like some sort of drunken miscreant. Thinking back on it is embarrassing enough, knowing Lucifer had presented the thing to him in such a state.

Searching for the key, Alastor uses it to pry the lid open with care, not wanting to damage the thing. It's been his careful consideration for its craft that he hasn't looked at it further before now -

Much to his detriment, apparently.

The sight he is met with not at all what he has expected and it is any wonder how he had simply glossed over it in his idiotically drunken stupor. What a fucking fool.

Inside, he can finally parse the beating heart within, its dark coloration only somewhat blending with the darker stain of the chest in which he sits, though even that, he knows, is a pathetic excuse for having not seen before now. The thing is far too beautiful - not in spite of but because of its coloration and appearance - for him to not have noticed it. And though his stomach rumbles slightly at the presence of what, at the surface, is a fine cut of internal meat, he refuses to acknowledge its nutritional value beyond that. No, this is something meant to keep safe and secure. And how Lucifer has managed to place it in there at all is anyone's guess. Is it simply a representation? Is it the real thing? It must be. Tied inexplicably to his existence and his core. A display of trust like no other he can ever recall being so willfully handed to him.

His claws caress the outer surface of the heart, gentle and supplicating. An apology in every single touch. What a precious gift that he has given the poorest impression of. Lucifer deserves more than mere gratitude. He deserves to have the radio demon thrust himself down on his knees before him to beg for forgiveness for being such a fool as to not realize what blessing he has been given. And for his birthday, no less.

A slight pricking of tears at the corners of his eyes brings him back into the moment, stepping away from the chest for the briefest minute or two to gather something from his wardrobe: A bright red handkerchief which he does not use very often - but is embroidered with his initial. He lifts the heart very briefly, lining the bottom of the chest with the fabric that he can then set the heart gently down upon. So that the starkness of its deep black color with its bright gold accents - the signs of Lucifer's life blood - can properly be seen. And appreciated. And adored. Regularly. Often. Daily. Like a pilgrimage performed to a holy site, Alastor will return to the thing to lay hands upon it and ask for forgiveness that he does not deserve.

But for now, the chest is gently and carefully shut. And instead of placing it back onto the shelf, Alastor carries it into the bayou where there still lingers the woven nest bed that Lucifer had crafted where Alastor had convalesced during his brief period of illness. In that same tree, he steps towards its trunk - strong and burdened with great purpose - as he uses his own manifestation magic to open up a hollow within it. Inside, he forces illusory blossoms to bloom, lighting the area with a gentle greenish yellow glow. And inside, he nestles the chest. It is a precious place for it to stay; for it to be displayed. And hidden in the bayou, he knows it will not be touched by strangers - or anyone who does not deserve to touch it. Though he knows even he hardly deserves to.

That is something he will remedy. That he must remedy.

But he waits, at least. Until the remainder of the hotel has gone to bed and he is able to pull himself from his room to creep along the dimmed halls until he can get to the door of Lucifer's once more. He does not knock this time, but instead, in his hands, he has penned a note upon bright red paper, the ink dark and thick - like he's taken an exceptional amount of time to write it so that his handwriting is not the scrawl that it usually is.

Folding it, he slips the paper beneath the door. There are any number of nerves that come along with it - with what he has written that he does not think he has ever once put those words to paper.

But with that, he steps back away and to his room. He will not rush Lucifer, knowing that he has done a hurt and one that will take time to soothe.

He only hopes that Lucifer will provide him with the opportunity.

The note, once the Devil sees fit to find and read it, says the following:

Lucifer,

I have been a heel. A villain. There is no apology I can offer that will make this slight right. I have neglected the appropriate care and appreciation for the blessing you have given me. And while I know these words may ring hollow, I hope that you will give me a chance to prove their earnestness.

Please let me right this wrong.

My Beloved.

You know where I will be.

- Alastor ♥

[satanismeng]

We need to stand on our own feet and face the world head-on—with all its good and bad, beautiful and ugly aspects. See the world as it is and not be afraid of it. Conquer the world with reason, not with slave-like submission to the fears it generates. The concept of God is borrowed from ancient Eastern despotisms and is utterly unworthy of free people.

When you hear people in church demean themselves, claiming to be miserable sinners, it seems demeaning and unworthy of self-respecting human beings. We should stand tall and look openly at the world. Take everything the world can offer, and if it proves to be less than we desire, in the end, we will still receive more than others have taken from the world throughout the centuries. A good world needs knowledge and courage; it doesn't need mournful regret for the past or the enslaved confinement of free minds by words thrown around by ignorant people in times long gone.

A good world needs a fearless gaze and a free mind. It needs hope for the future, not endless reflections on a past that has already died and, we believe, will be far surpassed by the future that can be created by our minds.

[xthedevilscircusx]

It’s like an itch at the back of his skull he can’t quite satisfy no matter how much he scratched at it. That somewhat familiar thrum of energy that seems to come in and out throughout his city. This ITCH has been with him for a long time now to where Lucifer can almost ignore it. He kept tabs on every single sinner within Pentagram City. No matter how aloof he might be when a random sinner comes up to him, if he took the time to look in his book he will be able to identify them. St. Peter isn’t the ONLY being around that kept a book of Life. There had to be one for those cast down to hell after all. With the overpopulation problem, it’s absolutely critical to know the numbers.

No matter how hard he had searched, he could not find the sinner, or whatever the hell it is causing the massive amount of power that seemed like a blip that went in and out every so often. So, at the time he simply ignored it. Its been decades upon decades now and he had far better things to do with his time. If it was a threat, it would have raised it’s ugly head by now.

This all had changed during his walk through downtown.

Lucifer didn’t walk in public all that much, but when he does, it’s to take a trip to his favorite coffee shop just outside of cannibal town. It’s then when he’s hit with that familiar flare of energy. It’s stronger now. Palpable in the air. He scanned the block he had been walking on and noticed a few random sinners watching Vox’s broadcast outside a shopping area. He slowly makes his way over not wanting to draw in too much attention.

@rradiio

[velvetwarfare]

Heads turned in a collision of PANDEMONIUM, UNEASE, AND SKEPTICISM toward the two’s UNLIKELY ENTRANCE.

I.M.P wasn’t too common around this area, but Blitz’s reputation was most certainly heard of — FOR BETTER OR WORSE. As for Betty, her status as the OVERLORD OF WAR made a bigger splash than her previous career as PART OF THE VEE’S PROPERTY — ALSO FOR BETTER OR WORSE.

A good portion of her RELISHED IN THE ATTENTION. Formerly, Betty accepted Valentino’s contract due to the fact she wanted to RELIVE HER DAYS AS A PERFORMER WITHOUT HAVING IT STRIPPED FROM HER SO EARLY ON BY VAMPIRISM — but because of how DEEPLY EMBEDDED HER BLOODLUST RAN, that endeavor wasn’t permanent. The nosferatu could only play nice and soft for so long before the URGE TO REVERT BACK TO HER ROOTS REARED IT’S UGLY HEAD. Being known for her MACABRE APPEARANCE AND FEAR FACTORS simply itched a scratch she couldn’t reach.

“ This is my favorite place to shop for fancy-esque outfits! It even has the cutest decor and jewelry on the side! “

By cute, it’s GRIM AND GRISLY. The boutique specialized in blacks mixed with other dark shades, suits with SPINES PROTRUDING, DEMONIC TOUCHES, EYEBALLS ON BOWTIES — and the dresses were up the same alley, only more HAUNTING AND GHOSTLY in nature. Various shelves were stocked with CREATURES IN JARS, BLINKING EYES, ANIMALS WITH ANOMALIES, all that fun jazz. An oddity shop made for formal wear.

For the most part, the warlord ignored how all eyes settled on the two from afar. She was well aware that the audience were ON EDGE as opposed to IN AWE — after all, they were two of the most VIOLENT SINNERS IN BUSINESS. The shoppers presumed the two wouldn’t leave without A BODY BEING DROPPED AND RIDDLED WITH BULLET HOLES.

@jc-helluva-mumu

[fandomworld9728]

The Life of the Morningstars - Chapter 17:

Lucifer caught both Angel and Niffty before they could hit the ground. Who the fuck did this guy think he was? He wasn't about to let some ugly, overgrown moth get away with something like this. Lucifer was pissed. There was fire running through his veins, burning the same way it did when someone hurt his baby girl. Glaring at the man in front of him, he checked on the two in his arms. Niffty seemed fine but Angel... he was bleeding.

"What makes you think you can treat him like this?!"

The room was deathly quiet as he set the two sinners behind him. Their little group standing close by. It seemed that no one had recognize him yet. Good. That just means there's no ass kissing. Nothing but true intentions.

"Oh? Now, who is this feisty beauty?"

Gross. "You don't know who I am?"

"Val. No, don't. J-Just walk away. Don't-"

Pink smoke curled around them before turning in chains and a shackle around Angel's wrist. The moth, Val, yanking him forward and to the ground. "Angel~ Shut that pretty mouth of yours. I'm busy. Now then, where were we? Oh, yes. Your name."

Lucifer didn't even try to hide his growling this time. Summoning his cane, he used the apple topper to smack the horrid man in the face and send him to the ground. Walking up to him, the omega stomped on his chest before digging his heel in. With a wave of his hand, he was back in his normal attire. Placing his hat back on his head, he let his full demon form out, the fear in the room both suffocating and energizing. 

Leaning down close to the sinner's face, he let his smile turn sharp and deadly. "Me? I'm Lucifer fucking Morningstar. Your king. And as King of Hell, there's a neat trick I'm able to do. Watch closely now."

Grabbing a hold of the pink chain, Lucifer poured some of his power into it. The chain slowly turned gold before breaking and turning into a soft leash and landing in his hand. The shocked looks on everyone's face had his smile widening. As did the shocked look on Val's face that morphed into one of pure rage. "How dare you-"

Cutting him off with a slam of his heel to the moth demon's face, effectively breaking both his sunglasses and nose, Lucifer walked over to his group. "I'm the King of Hell. All souls belong to me, and I can do whatever I please with them. So, stay down unless you wanna be nothing more than a stain on the floor, bitch." Flipping him off over his shoulder, Lucifer walked further into the club with the others to get away from ugly man bleeding on the floor.

"Holy fuck, short king! That was- I can't even... Thank you."

"No thanks necessary. I'm not going to let anyone treat any of you like that. Oh, hey Niffty. What you got there?" 

The small cyclopes had climbed onto his shoulder and showed the fluff she had stolen from the other sinner with a maniacal laugh before jumping over into Alastor's awaiting arms.

~

Charlie laid huddled up in a blanket on her bed. How could she face everyone now? She had failed and now they were coming to attack the hotel. Not only that but her girlfriend of three years had hidden something huge from her! They shared everything. Thoughts swirled around her head and wouldn't stop no matter what she did. Is this what her dad felt like all the time?

Speaking of her dad... It seemed like not even he could cheer her up. So, he just sat with her until she felt better. Charlie was going to have to send everyone away from the hotel, so they didn't get hurt.

"Oh, Charlie. You look an absolute mess."

And now here was Alastor. Just materializing in when all she wanted was to be left alone. She wasn't in the mood for him to try and poke and prod at her failure right now. "Ugh! Go away Alastor."

"Now, now, is that any way to act after picking a fight with all of Heaven and dooming everyone you love?"

"Okay bastard. That was a low fucking blow."

"Ignore him dad. He's just trying to get under our skin. He thinks this is funny." Turning to the radio demon, she let her hurt and anger take over. "Now leave. I have enough on my mind without hearing your sadistic idea of a joke, asshole." Laying back in bed, she rolled over and let her dad wrap his arms and wings around her. It made her feel safe and warm. Just what she needed right now.

"Who's joking?!"

"Whoa!" Jumping at the sudden appearance of the demon next to them in bed, Charlie ended up knocking the two of them to the floor, while Alastor looked amused as all Hell watching them from the bed.

"You have a captive audience downstairs waiting to hear what kind of inspiring performance you have planned next."

"Why don't you understand that I can't? How can I face them after failing them all so hard? They came here to be saved and all I gave them was more pain. I'm a disgrace of an alpha and just as bad as the cruelest Overlord in Hell. Maybe worse! At least they don't go around giving false hope." She had to get up and move. If she stayed still too long, she'd just wallow in her negative emotions for as long as possible. She'd completely shut down.

"Well, I never expected to see such a miserable display of self-loathing from you."

"Oh, fuck you, Alastor! All you do is stand there smiling while you watch us all struggle and fail. I don't know how you can enjoy all this suffering so much..."

"Just because you see a smile, don't think you know what's going on underneath. A smile is a valuable tool, my dear."

That was true. Lucifer knew for a fact that was true. He's been hiding behind smiles his entire life. But right now, all he could do was smack the sinner's hands off his daughter and lowly growl at him from behind her. He wasn't going to step in unless absolutely necessary.

Seeming no less amused by the situation, the Overlord walked a bit away from the father daughter pair while continuing on as if nothing happened. "It inspires your friends, keeps your enemies guessing, and ensures that no matter what comes your way, you're the one in control."

"But I'm not. I'm the farthest thing from in control. The person I trusted the most has been lying to me for years. Heaven refuses to listen like dad always warned me about. Even if they did, I can't prove the hotel works. Adam has an invincible Exorcist army pointed right at my doorstep, and there's nothing I can do about any of it!"

Lucifer caught her fist before it could slam into the glass. He didn't need her to hurt herself and break things in her rage.

"I know something you don't know~"

Oh no.

"Those big, scary angels are not quit as indestructible as they seem."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just that you and your band of misfits stand more of a fighting chance than you think."

"How? I'll do anything!"

"Charlie no! I taught you better than this. I know you're desperate, but you can't go rushing into something with those words. You can't ever take them back." This bastard wasn't about to give up the information willingly. Lucifer understood that how he worked but it still pissed him off to no end.

With how Alastor's smile grew, he knew he had both of the Morningstars cornered. One of them was going to give in and make a deal with him. Lucifer was going to make sure it was him. He wasn't going to let Charlie take the fall for this.

"Anything? Then let's make a deal."

"You... you want my soul?"

"Your soul? Heavens, no! All I need is one itty bitty favor. What's a favor between friends?"

"And what's important lifesaving information between friends?"

"Oh, your majesty, you wound me. Are you offering to take up this deal instead? Since we aren't friends?"

Standing in front of her father, Charlie glared at sinner. "We won't hurt anyone for you."

"Who's asking? One favor at the time of my choosing where you hurt harm no one! In return, I tell you what I know. Do we have a deal?"

"Deal."

< Previous

Next >

[beevean]

Mactor + Escape :)

call me the spanish inquisition the way I pop up when you least expect it forgive me i have to physically brawl with my brain to get shit done

Happy birthday bestie <3

~

"Hector, come with me."

Mathias extended his hand towards his knight, frozen in surprise by his sudden request. Only the rustling of the dead leaves could be heard in the courtyard, but Mathias waited with all the patience that was necessary.

"Lord Cronqvist... You can't mean..."

"But I do. When the Count finds a way to send me back home... I ask you to join me."

A soft gasp escaped Hector's lips.

Perhaps he had expected him to propose to run away from the castle, like an eloping couple. Mathias had considered it, in the past days. But he was no fool: of the many, displeasurable things he had learned ever since he had been brought into the far future, the worst and most important one was that Count Dracula made fire and brimstone rain from the sky when something took his possessions away from him.

Only seeking refuge in another world would protect both of them from the monster's ire.

Hector, poor eyewitness and victim of said ire, still hesitated to respond, his gaze darting back and forth. Mathias held onto the thought that the knight was not rejecting him in full, ignoring what his racing heart was screaming at him.

"I understand your apprehension. To be flung in a different century, so far in time as to almost be a different world... It's disorienting. Nothing will be the same." He shook his head. "But surely it would be better than this life you're living."

Hector's fingers flew to hide the ugly purple bruise on his neck, hardly concealed by his uniform. His Lord was growing more shameless by the day - and it did not escape Mathias' notice how the vampire's nostrils flared like a hound's every time Hector approached him, and how he'd shoot a deadly glare at the younger Lord that nearly soured the sweet taste of Hector's lips on his.

Mathias had a tendency to keep his loved ones close to him, that was for certain, but it disheartened him to learn how petty he'd become in the future.

He no longer had the words to express the sickness that took his stomach when Hector returned to his quarters, pale as the undead creatures that roamed in the castle and with eyes just as devoid of life. There was only so much his embrace could do to soothe the shivering man.

They were both prisoners in that cursed castle, at the mercy of the Devil. But Mathias did not have the heart to seek freedom for himself, leaving the man that had captivated his soul behind.

A good Lord would do anything to protect his most important knights, and it was high time Hector learned it.

"I... It would be betrayal," the man finally whispered, in that tone typical of children terrified that their parents might overhear.

"Betrayal of what?" Mathias snapped. "Of a mindless slaughter of your own kind? Of a monster who only sees you as a meal to satiate his filthy appetite with? Do you truly want to place your loyalty in the claws of a creature who doesn't even deserve to gaze upon you?"

The Count's icy, cruel voice resounded in his head, cackling and wicked, that Mathias was not the one who saved the boy's life and thus had no right to claim him as his. What could he hope to achieve, after only a handful of months, while the vampire had years of time to shape Hector to his leisure and fill his mind with despicable lies, such as that he loved him?

But he could hope that he had done a good job as showing Hector what love truly was. The way the knight was balling his fists, instead of rebuking more, comforted him.

"Hector, please. You're too precious to waste yourself in a place like this. And you know it." Mathias refused to hold back: he approached Hector and put a hand on his shoulder, on the armor that marked him as one of Count Dracula's Generals. "You're one of the bravest, most noble men I've had the honor of meeting."

"Even if I'm a sinner rejected by your own God?" Hector asked with a wry smile, that Mathias reciprocated in full.

"Especially because you're a sinner, dear."

Count Dracula may have done his best to ensnare Hector's body and soul, but Mathias highly doubted that he had ever seen him with such warmth in his icy eyes, a deep sentiment that surpassed the mere loyalty of a knight. That sight was for Mathias and Mathias alone, and he nearly swelled with pride.

Hector's fingers brushed against Mathias' hand on his side. But still, he did not grasp it.

"Lord Cronqvist," he sighed, "you're asking me to live with humans. I can't do that. I do not belong with them, no matter in what time and place. I'm not a mere sinner: I'm a cursed being."

Mathias suffocated the wave of fury inside his chest. He wished he had crosses and holy water with him, to reduce the vile Count to ashes for what he had done to such a pure man, for the shackles he had put on his mind.

"I'm not. I'm asking you to live with me, my Hector."

The most he was able to do was to offer Hector the key to escape his prison.

The rustling of dead leaves was deafening, now. Hector looked at him, through him, eyes no longer warm but whet with sharp determination. Then, he took Mathias' hand with his ungloved, callused one, and placed his lips on its back, and took the key.

"Very well... my Lord."

[the-demon-of-a-thousand-eyes]

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒟𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝒻 𝒶 𝒯𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓈𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝐸𝓎𝑒𝓈 𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝟫

Perceiving a Gift from Someone Who Gives None

Pairing: Alastor x F!OC (Theia, The Demon of a Thousand Eyes)

Chapter Summary: After leaving Rosie's, Theia and Alastor make their way back to the hotel. You forget yourself and think some things you know you shouldn't, you spot the most stunning knife you've ever seen in a window, Alastor buys it for you, and then the both of you head to his radio tower. What question will he ask? What question will he ask when he inevitably asks one you insist on passing? How can this all go horribly wrong?

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: None

Silence falls between you both again as you walks down the street, arm in arm. He walks on the outside of the street, letting you glance in the shop windows and avoid any pedestrians and any passing cars as you exited Cannibal Town and through the entertainment district. Little interests you there as you keep walking. I wonder if Angel is done working. I hope Tino didn’t work him too hard today.

Leaving the entertainment district, you pass into territory that is mostly unclaimed, a few shops here and there but there is plenty of fighting between passers by, who scatter and scream at the sight of you both, walking arm in arm. You glance at him. He’s calm, if not satisfied, you think. His walk is jovial and his smile is soft, probably genuine. He’s always handsome, but when he’s happy, genuinely happy, he’s at his most attractive. I wonder what kissing him would be like. He catches you staring, even as you realize that he wouldn’t want you to kiss him. “Care to share with the class, my dear?”

Instead of answering, you let your gaze drift to the shop windows instead. You mean it to just be a means of denying the fact that he’d caught you staring, but something in a little weapons shop manages to catch your eye. You stop and stare at it in sheer surprise at how beautiful it is. Alastor doesn’t notice you stop at first, despite looking at you, so he continues walking forward until your arm doesn’t give. He turns back and looks where your gaze is fixed, captivated.

Inside the shop window is a knife. It’s long, sharp, and has a slightly serrated blade, perfect for cutting meat or tearing apart victims. That isn’t what captivates you, though. On the hilt is a stunning gold eye with a silver iris, and looks just like your own, somehow. Alongside it, the sheath is attached to a belt. Both are a black leather and covered in those striking gold and silver eyes.

Wordlessly, Alastor opens the door and ushers you into the shop. The shopkeeper, an older, grizzled goat sinner with a cracked horn and a scar across his face, takes one look at you and goes to retrieve the knife from the window. “I knew one day someone would come looking for this beauty.” He says as he sets it on the counter for you to inspect. “There was only one ever made. The blade is pure angelic steel, a genuine Carmine.”

Alastor picks it up and inspects it. There is a matching gold eye with a silver iris on the other side as well. He tests the weight, and lets his discerning eye scrutinize the blade for any damages. You watch him as he does. He knows his way around knives. You realize in that moment. I knew he was a killer, obviously, but there are many ways to kill. He used knives, though, I can tell. Knives are an ugly way to kill. Messy, involved, almost animalistic. Fun though.

He offers you the knife, then, hilt first, so you may look it over yourself. “What do you think, dearest?”

That’s a new one. You flush at the attention and zero in on the knife, ignoring the stabbing sensation in your chest that you feel as his empty words grace your ears. It’s the right weight, hefty but not heavy. You smirk as you make the eyes blink on the hilt, then give Al a look, and the look he has when he sees you blinking back at him from the blade is one you can’t decipher. He holds it for longer than you are comfortable with and then he turns to the salesman. “What price are you asking for the whole set?”

You slip the blade in the holster, and wrap it around your waist. It’s a perfect fit, as if it were made for you. The eyes on the belt, holster, and hilt blink as the rest of your dress does. If it were alive, you’d suspect it would be happy to be with kin.

The salesman names his price, and it’s far too low to be correct, but you manage to swallow any protests and start to fish out your wallet. Alastor stills your hand as he rests his on your arm. You stare at him, startled. Your smile slips for a moment before you affix it into place again. He manifests the money and hands the exact change to the salesman, who doesn’t offer you anything to carry it with you. He knows you will wear it out of the store. Purchase complete, Alastor holds the door open for you to exit, then offers his arm for you to take as the door to the shop closes behind you. You slide your arm in and grip his bicep and start back on your way to the hotel. Silence falls between you and you glance at him again.

“What are we thinking now, darling?” He raises an eyebrow.

This time, you answer him. “What are you expecting in return for this knife? I was going to pay for it myself, you know. If you weren’t so insistent on being a gentleman, I might be offended by it.”

His eyes seem to sparkle with something, but you’re not sure if it’s really there or if he’s just succeeding in charming you far more than you should let him. He leans close, whispers in your ear, “I want to see you tear the blade’s first victim to pieces in front of me.” You shiver at the thought of slicing up some idiot apart with your blade. Some idiot who’d decided he could best you in the street. You are more turned on than you should be, imagining Alastor seeing you in your element. Despite what you know about him and his sentiments, you know this would entice him to some degree—though perhaps not to the same degree as yourself. “You like that idea, hmm? We’ll have to arrange for it soon then.”

A few minutes more, and you arrive in front of the hotel. You expect him to open the front doors and be bombarded by Charlie and whoever else may be in the lobby with mile-a-minute questions. Instead, he says, “Close your eyes, darling.” You shouldn’t trust him, but you do, at least enough to close them and not open the one in the awning in front of you. You feel the shadows wrap around you and you know he’s taking you to his radio tower the faster way, to avoid having to go through the lobby and up all those stairs. “You may open your eyes now, dear.” He says, and when you do, you let out a gasp. Looking around the rather small space, it looks almost like you’d imagined. There’s a desk with his radio equipment, with a chair in front of it, a lamp on a table (which to your delight you note is covered in eyes), and an antler coat rack, with a blanket draped on one of the ‘hooks’. The room is surrounded in panes of glass so he can look out from every angle on pentagram city.

You cross to one of the windows, one that has less blood covering it. Niffty wasn’t kidding when she said that Al doesn’t let her clean in here. This place does need a little cleaning, and maybe a little weeding? You think, perplexed, as you eye what appears to be a cattail. Apparently his room isn’t the only space with swamp imagery. That must be significant to him, too.

He comes up behind you to wrap an arm around your waist, hand resting just above the belt—literally, above the belt covered in eyes that he just purchased for you. It startles you, and you nearly jump. “Relax, darling. I didn’t mean to glare you.”

You chuckle. “Are you eyeing to peep me off my feet?” You don’t mean to sound so sweet, so love-struck, but you can’t help it when he uses your puns against you. Damn him.

“Why, is it working?” The night sky in Pentagram city twinkles, and you think for a moment that it’s reflected in his eyes.

“That’s not the question you’re going to ask me, is it?” You raise an eyebrow. “Surely that would be a poor choice to run with, Al.”

“Ah, yes, our little bargain. Two questions, was it?” He asks as he lets his cane rest against the windowsill.

“No, dear.” You reply, an affectionate but snarky smile on your face. “One question. If I choose to refuse to answer the question you ask, you may have a second one to ask me instead.”

“Very well.” He pulls you close, flush against his chest, and the hand that isn’t around your waist cradles your chin so you find it impossible to turn away from his gaze. You hear his heartbeat, or maybe it’s your own, throbbing in your ears. Maybe it’s both of yours, but they’re so in sync they sound like one beat? You’re uncertain. You focus on his voice as he speaks. “The secret Vox made a bet with you about. What powers do you possess that would drive him wild to know that you have?”

“Glass.” You breathe out, struggling to keep your tone assured and neutral when you’re literally touching him as much as physically possible with this much clothing on you both. “Next question.”

“Earlier this evening, when you didn’t tell me what you were thinking about. Tell me now; what were you thinking?”

You panic in that moment. You never said you had to answer honestly, never even agreed to answer at all. I don’t want to lie, but there’s no way I can tell him the truth!

Your eyes—all twenty-nine of them—widen as you freeze. You try to look away but pressed flush against him and his firm grip on your chin, escape seems nye-impossible without revealing the secret you’ve worked so hard to keep hidden. Your smile falters as you struggle to keep your breath calm.

“Come now, darling, it can’t be as bad as all that, can it? Where’s that smile you always wear?”

You put that grin back on your face even as you know it’s a lie, just as you’ve trained yourself to do. “I–” You start, then splutter, trying to find an answer that isn’t the entire truth without being an outright lie. “I was thinking…about how good you look when you have a genuine smile on your face.”

“So you weren’t thinking about kissing me?” His tone is mocking, cruel. It bites at your insides as you hear it. You know that he knows that you’ve been caught.

“I already answered your one question.”

“So you were.” His smile grows impossibly wider, crueler.

“My…inclinations are a misstep and my cone weakness to combat. I would never initiate unwanted physical contact or burden view with any expectations for something more than a platonic companionship.” You take a breath. “I do not expect anything from you, Alastor. I enjoy your company and see you as a worthy ally and possible friend, even as you attempt to lure my secrets from me by pretending as if you desire something more. I realize that you do not see me as someone worthy of your attention beyond the intrigue I pose due to the secrets I keep, but you do not have to pretend to have romantic intentions towards me to gain that knowledge.”

“I don’t?” He asks. His eyes are indecipherable, even at this breath of a distance.

“No, you don’t. Pretending you feel anything beyond mild intrigue and a lust for power (the only kind of lust you could ever have) is rather eyeballing. I don’t pretend you’re capable of romance or sexual desire. I certainly don’t expect you to, or to rope Rosie into this scheme. Unless it was her idea? Get her a date and she’ll eye and tell you all her secrets because she’s desperate for anyone to show her attention and affection because she’s depressed? I’m hardly that easy.”

“That’s quite the tale you’ve spun there, dear, and accusing our sweet Rosie of such unbecoming behavior? That’s not like you.”

“We’ve known each other for all of two days, Alastor, and barely that. I have known Rosie for years, and I know that above all, she is an overlord, just as you are. While we are lens, I don’t trust that she wouldn’t seek outside help to gain knowledge of my secrets. She was the first one I told that I had them, that I would share them with no one. It’s only fitting that she would desire to know them as well.” You glare at him now. “You could have just made a deal with me, offered me something useful in exchange for the knowledge I possess. I would have agreed, stipulating, of course, that you would be unable to speak or write of the knowledge you’d acquired from me. That time has passed, however. I will never tell you my secrets. You will hear them when the rest of all of Hell knows them, if that time ever comes. Someone else will hear those words pass my lips first, and by the time the knowledge you could have had comes to you, you will be unable to use any of it to your advantage.”

“And who will you share this knowledge with, hmm? Vox, perhaps?”

“The both of you and your pathetic arch-rivalry, I stare. You two are like bitter exes, except the relationship never happened because one is too obsessed with destroying the other sexually and the other is too obsessed with destroying the other mentally.” You roll all your eyes at him and decide to have the gall to remove his hand from your chin and step away from him. You look out the window and pull your pin from your hair to grow it into a cane. As you lean against it, you reply, “Of course I won’t tell Vox. The bet I made with him was merely an entertaining diversion. So you can rest easy. You’re not going to lose me to him, even if we have fucked a few times.” He looks appalled, and you shrug. “No need to look so scandalized. It’s not as if I have feelings. It’s purely transactional. He likes having all my eyes’ attention on him and I like a few orgasms now and again. I’m hardly his first choice anyway. He only takes an interest in me when Tino won’t put out.”

You look out over Pentagram City instead of looking at him anymore, though the eyes on the back of your horns look at him anyway as you continue. “I will adhere to the promises I have made to you. I will share our next meal together. I will cook you a meal and share it with you as well. They will be the same meal, and it will be the last meal we share together other than in forced situations that Charlie arranges until I decide otherwise. I will be civil and polite, maybe even pretend to be friendly. You may learn many things from me, of me, in these circles, but that is the extent of our conversations. Oh and I’m keeping the knife, because it may have been given with the intent to make me swoon for a man who holds no interest in me, but it is truly what you said it would be, ‘the most interesting, captivating, and useful item I have ever owned’, and you will get the pleasure of seeing me tear apart my first victim with the blade. I’d say that you should be lucky to not be the one I set my eyes on, but that would just end in a petty retort about you liking to see me try, so let’s be adults and not go there.”

You sigh, finally turning your head to look at him again. He’s still unreadable, but you’ve given up caring what he’s thinking. “I’ll take the rooms, despite your intent. Perhaps someday, if you’ve earned my friendship instead of my distrust, I will come to appreciate this arrangement. In the meantime, keep your distance from me. Keep your shadow away from me, and stay out of my way.” You pause, then raise an eyebrow at him. “So are you going to show me to my new room or shall I go find Niffty and ask her where you’ve decided to stick me? Let me guess, you put me next to you, for you’d planned to make me look the romantic fool, and, what was it, ‘smitten, drunk, obsessed, addicted. I’d crave you, desperate to spend every waking moment by your side’?” You laugh. It’s harsh, cold, cruel. All of your eyes flash red. You feel the mirage of your tentacles covered in eyes start to emerge from your back. You fight the urge to release your demon form. It wouldn’t do to show your strength—your true power—now.

“I do recall saying that.” He replies after you finally stop ranting at him. He looks as if he wants to say something more, but doesn’t, not even about the glimpse of your power you'd accidentally unleashed.

Silence falls between the both of you as he opens the hatch to his radio tower and lets you exit first. You follow him down and around the corner. The first room he comes to is his, and only one door down, as you’d anticipated, is yours. You open the door and peek inside. Despite everything he’d tried to orchestrate through this madness, you do find the rooms to your liking. All the eyes are packed away in the fridge and cabinets, your dresses are in the closet, your toiletries on the counters in the bathrooms, your slippers by your bed, your books on a bookshelf in the living room, and your bag is by the door. He doesn’t enter your space, and when you’re done walking through the rooms you exit them. You notice the key on the counter of the kitchen as you exit and put it in your non-subspace pocket.

You return to the door to your rooms when you are done. “Everything appears in order. Niffty is an excellent caretaker for you. I’m glad you’ve found someone to meet your needs, and despite your attitude towards me she will likely be one of my closest friends. If you put a damper on our relationship by trying to eye and find out more about me than I am willing to disclose it will only hinder the mending of what little we had to begin with, Alastor. Don’t push it.”He nods, as if unsure about his own words. That’s a first too. “Thank you for the evening. It was fun, until I realized your frame. Get better at playing, or maybe learn to play a different one. Good night, Alastor.” You reach into your non-subspace pocket and fish out the key to your old room, then hold it up. When he opens his palm, you set it in his hand. Your fingers brush as his hand closes around it. You ignore the stabbing sensation in your chest as your hand slips away from his.

As you close the door, you hear a very quiet, “Good night, Theia.”

With a sigh, you take a shower before you change into your night dress and crawl into bed.

As your head hits the pillow, you think, I hope Angel’s around tomorrow. That would be a welcome distraction from the nonsense of today.

I edited this one over and over to try and get Theia to say less, but she will not stop drilling it into him, not letting him get a word in edgewise. She is *pissed* and won't stop being so for a little while.

Chapter 10 brings another bonding exercise from Charlie that Alastor is notably absent from, and Theia gets drunk to try and cope with what happened the night before. She runs into Alastor himself when she's drunk out of her mind. This can only lead to an interesting outcome.

First || Chapter 8 || Chapter 10

[rainbow-roomba]

Have you ever seen the devil?

I have.

I see him every day.

I see him in the morning, at 6 AM, when my first alarm rings.

Somewhere between the middle and the end of the song, along the rushed, disconcordante notes, I hear his voice. It's soft as a cloud, warmer than the sun. Unfitting for such a sinner.

"Turn the alarm off. You can sleep ten more minutes. You can lay in bed, just a bit more. Rest your body."

I ignore him.

I see him when I sit at the breakfast table, my back straight, unlike the nest of black strands laying atop my head, unlike me.

His eyes shine, with such kindness, you'd almost imagine a crown of thorns on his beautiful curls. Those eyes don't meet mine. They stare at the plate, with a sad look. Their blue is reflected right back at him. Too caring for sinners like him.

"You need to eat. How else will you be able to go through the day? Nourish your body."

I pretend not to listen.

I see him when I'm getting ready, his reflection in the bathroom mirror welcoming me as I walk in.

I try not to look at him, but his face is more welcoming than mine. I start to wonder if the Moon does rise along with the Sun, and is just obscured by his beauty. Maybe that's why the Stars only come out at night. They've learnt their place.

"Embrace your beauty. If you weren't meant to love yourself, your eyes, your nose, your lips, your shoulders and every other part of your body, if you weren't meant to love yourself, you would've been born blind, deaf, mute and loveless. Appreciate your body."

I turn my gaze away from him and leave. Behind me, the mirror lays shattered.

I see him when I go out with my friends. He sits next to me as the waiter passes me the note.

I haven't eaten much, and only drank water. He'd been much the same. Could he even eat? I've been told stories of him eating the souls of youth, yet he seems hesitant to even touch the chicken breast. I could see the pity in his eyes, like he'd been told to kill it himself. Maybe he has. Maybe he did.

As I reach to pay for everyone, he sighs. A soft sound, like wind blowing through a broken bell.

"You know, you don't have to do that. Pay only for what you've bought, you're tight on money. Save it to maintain your body."

I frown at him and extend my card.

I see him when I'm sitting on the shore, the cold water chilling my feet. I look at him, and his wings glow brighter than that big ball in the sky. Yet, they don't burn me when my hand brushes against the feathers.

I see a family admiring the waves. They don't notice us.

The father holds the mother's waist, smiling at her as if she hung the stars, looking like he'd burn down the Heavens for her. Their child is running around, her giggles sweeter than the nectar of the gods.

My companion stares at me, his eyes sad, glistening with oceans of unshed tears.

"It's okay to admit you're jealous. You wanted to have what they have, there's nothing wrong with that. Wishing you had a better childhood does not make you a bad child."

I wipe a tear.

"But it made you..."

I see him when I take the shortcut to my apartment. He's walking next to me, looking cautiously at every man passing by. I do the same, occasionally speeding up.

He stops walking. So do I.

To my left, I see a man whistling after a little girl with wild black hair. Her dark brown eyes are wide, like a deer staring at a hunter. I feel anger burning my veins, my fists clenching.

His fists clench, too, his perfectly sculpted brows furrow, his lips curling into an ugly snarl.

"Don't pull the covers over your anger. Protecting others is a good soul's ultimate purpose. Do as you wish to achieve it."

This time, I listen.

When my fist connects with the man's face, when I hear the crack and my once tan hand is redder than my companion's curls, I finally feel satisfied.

Last time I saw him, I was waiting for my date, wearing my best suit, the bags under my eyes gone, a half-empty glass of wine in my hand.

He offered me a smile, filling my glass once more, those now so familiar blue eyes glinting in the dim lights of the restaurant.

"Don't be anxious. If you won't find love in this person, there's always another. Don't settle, know your worth. Having standards doesn't make you undeserving."

With that, he disspeared, leaving me to wait for my date.

Following a short wait, my date came, greeting me with a charming smile and twinkling eyes.

Maybe it was irony that his curls were as red as the wine and eyes as blue as the sky. Maybe it was fate.

[spacelazarwolf]

i find the response from atheists to the concept of cultural christianity really interesting because they'll be like "oh, so you're saying i'm irrevocably tainted by christianity??? even if i've never been christian??? i'm tainted by proxy??? i need to beg you for forgiveness and feel guilty for growing up in a christian culture????" like BABES you're doing the culturally christian thing RIGHT NOW like this really mirrors shit like white guilt in activist spaces. where the cultural christian lens has white people thinking they need to grovel at the feet of people of color when what they actually need to do is be able to learn, grow, materially support people of color, and meaningfully oppose white supremacy SIMILARLY, people who are culturally christian need to understand that their perspectives are limited by christianity and work to be aware of that, learn new perspectives, and understand the influence of christianity in their lives. you don't have to stop celebrating christmas, but don't act like it's 100% secular for you to celebrate it, don't ignore how you're only able to celebrate christmas because of the influence and dominance of christianity i think it really comes through when anti-theism rears its ugly head because like you said it really is just evangelical atheism. if you think all religions are bad/evil/stupid and shouldn't exist, and everyone needs to be saved enlightened by adopting your beliefs, you are no different from evangelical christians who've eradicated cultures in the name of assimilation into the dominant culture. this framework of universality of belief being good or necessary is inherently a colonialist one informed deeply by christian values anyways, I recommend everyone to read How It Is: The Native American Philosophy of V. F. Cordova for some bangers like this: "From within one's own conceptual framework (the framework that is shared with the rest of the members of one's culture) it is possible to ignore the framework-as long as one communicates only with one's fellows. This is usually the case with Westerners. Their communication takes place within a closed circle-everything that exists outside that circle of reference is seen as "other" and is subject to understanding only after extensive interpretation. The interpretative network, however, is of their own making (or it would make no sense to them), so that the interpretations lead less to knowledge of the other as other than to an extension of one's own way of seeing: the new is made familiar."

the groveling thing is so real! it’s this weird expectation white ppl have created in activist spaces where If You REALLY Aren’t Racist Then You’ll Loudly And Publicly Self Flagellate when that’s never something poc have asked people to do. it kind of reminds me of the whole thing in catholicism where you go confess your sins to a priest then say whatever prayers he tells you to say and apparently you’re good to go. or like even in the super progressive church i work for, they all recite ethos confession of sins and it’s just like 100 white ppl chanting abt how they are all miserable sinners who are only saved through jesus?????? it weirds me out lmao. but yeah, performative guilt seems eerily similar to that.

[piningbuddies]

if we're sinners (it feels like heaven to me)

1.2k | tw: implied/referenced homophobia; panic attacks; religious themes

so...we got that shot of eddie in the promo...and this happened.

also available on ao3

Eddie thinks he’s always been a sinner.

As a child, when he did something ‘bad’ (and bad was a very vague term in the Diaz household), his father would bundle him into the car and drive him to their nearest church. He’d be made to kneel down in the cold pews, the harsh material of the wood digging into his knees as his father made him pray to a God he’s never believed in for forgiveness that he didn’t think he needed. He was made to kneel beside his bed every night, asking God to watch over him while he slept, and his mind would drift to literally anywhere else.

So, as he’s sitting on his bedroom floor, room destroyed around him as he shatters and breaks into a million pieces, he can’t help but wonder if this is divine retribution catching up with him.

The worst part about it? He can’t even say he’s been blindsided by this. Months of ignoring the feelings clawing from the inside of his chest, of aborted screams stuck in his throat choking him as he shakes awake from yet another nightmare, it’s all led him here. Eddie thinks in some ways, it’s where he’s meant to be. He doesn’t deserve happiness, he’s made for bad decisions and pain and anguish. Frank had tried telling him the world isn’t black and white at his last session, had levelled him with a grounding stare in the way only Frank could. Human beings exist in the grey, Eddie, he’d said, and it’s part of the complexity and beauty of the world we live in. No one single person is simply good or bad. You can be angry and worthy at the same time.

He’d just smiled and nodded, refusing to tell Frank that he wasn’t allowed that - that he’d been told from way too young an age that his soul is tarnished, impure, ugly. He remembers being fourteen years old, being caught kissing Lance Barnes behind the bleachers, and his father screaming at him until he was bright red in the face. He remembers the hours he was made to spend kneeling in the pews at church as the priest reminded him venomously that there was a place for “boys like him”. Eddie’s long since come to terms with the fact that something within him is fundamentally broken, and no matter how hard anyone tries, it can never be fixed.

It all leads him here, to this moment. He’s sobbing and heaving and gasping like he can’t get enough air into his lungs, and he’s clutching the baseball bat between his fingers like a lifeline, too scared of what happens if he lets go. He feels like if he lets go of the bat, he’ll break apart into a million and one pieces. And he’s conscious of Chris being in the house, and he does try to keep the noise down, but he just can’t bring himself to stop crying.

In a distant corner of his mind, he thinks he hears the door opening behind him, but it’s late and dark in the room from where he closed the curtains and his head feels like he’s underwater. A presence, silent and stoic and calming registers near him, and sound begins to filter back to him slowly.

“It’s okay, Eddie. I’m here. I’m just going to sit right here until you’re ready.”

Buck.

Chris had Buck’s number pinned to the notice board in his room for emergencies, and he must’ve heard Eddie and decided to call Buck. The realisation that Buck was there, in his room with him, seeing him at his worst moment caused a fresh cascade of tears. Because this was yet another way that Eddie was failing. He tried so hard to hide how he was feeling from Chris, tried to shelter him from the ugliness that was continuously festering within his father. But he failed to do that, and now Buck was here, and Eddie couldn’t breathe. His fingers tightened reflexively around the bat as he sobbed harder.

“Scared.” He eventually manages to choke out, and Buck sits up a little straighter.

“Of what?” He asks, so calm and so patient. Eddie doesn’t think he deserves it.

“E- Everything. Myself.” He whispers, voice breaking. He doesn’t know how quite to put it into words - how to tell Buck that he’s terrified that the darkness in him will consume everything around him - that it’s got the power to warp reality and corrupt even the most pure of souls like his and Christopher’s. He doesn’t know how to tell Buck that he’s had a one way ticket to Hell booked ever since he came out broken and warped and wrong, and that he doesn’t want to drag anyone down with him.

Buck clears his throat, and Eddie looks him in the eye for the first time, his breath catching at the sincerity he sees there. “I’m not scared of you.”

“What?”

“I’m not scared of you, Eddie. I could never be scared, not when it’s you.” Buck states, like it’s a fact, like the sky is blue or the grass is green. Eddie feels a warmth bubbling in his chest, and it causes tears to start streaming from his eyes once again. His breath shudders as he inhales, his teeth catching on his bottom lip as he looks into Buck’s eyes. He’s scared to look into them, scared he’ll be staring into the fiery abyss. But all he sees is warmth and all he feels is comfort and all he can sense is love. Eddie knows Buck loves him - he’s always known. And Eddie knows he loves Buck, and he always will. He’s not brave enough to admit that to himself just yet, so he cries and laments for the future he may never get to have. Buck shuffles closer to him then, a hand landing on the bat just above where Eddie’s are. Their hands aren’t touching but it’s close enough.

“Why don’t we get up off this floor, hm? One step at a time. All we have to do right now is sit on the couch.”

One step at a time. Eddie thinks he can do that.

They manage to move to the couch, and at some point in the journey, the bat gets left behind. Eddie finds himself more than a little unmoored with his hands unoccupied. Buck sees this, and has a steaming cup of hot tea between them within five minutes. Eddie drains the cup rapidly, and feels like he can breathe for the first time in hours. His head flops to the side then as he looks at Buck, and there’s so much he wants to say to him. Things like I’m in love with you, but I don’t want to corrupt you too and I don’t deserve an angel like you in my life and I’d spend an eternity in hell if it meant I got to be close to you for five minutes.

“Thank you.” is what he settles on. Buck looks over at him then, a small smile gracing his face. In a moment of bravery, Eddie reaches over and tangles their pinky fingers together. There’s a lot going on and a lot Eddie needs to work on, and maybe he’ll never be ready. But for right now, this can be enough.