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snippychicke · 2 years ago

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For the Sake of a Smile (V.2) Chapter Ten

Title: For the Sake of a Smile (Revised)

Overall Rating: Mature (18+)

Chapter Rating: M for Mature. We've begun the 18+ content

Trigger warnings: Nothing beyond the child abuse hinted in the series, though we do explore the consequences a bit more.

Main Pairing: Balam Shichiro/Reader

Summary: Hell on earth was your motto for your job. Granted, you were pretty sure earth really was hell, considering the shit you had seen in your life. And the fact your coworker was a child.

A child named Suzuki Iruma, in fact. A kid who’s life was decidedly worse than yours, but yet he smiled despite everything. It wasn’t long after meeting him that you decided you’d do a lot for his smile. Including summoning a literal demon and signing your soul away.

But as it turns out, hell (The Netherworld, actually) was a lot better than living on earth. Demons were more humane than a lot of humans you knew.

And Iruma’s smile wasn’t the only one that would change your life.

Masterlist | Ao3| Mairimashitai! Simps Discord

After the harvest festival, Babyls returned to its usual chaos. Students were once again focused on their classes and clubs; or, you supposed they called them battlers here. To you, they seemed just like the Netherworld version of highschool clubs.

And now that they were more or less done with their intensive training, it seemed like the Misfit Class spent the extra time in the library; filling the space with their rambunctiousness.

On top of that; to your shock, embarrassment, and yet also slight joy, more than a few had followed Clara's lead and started to call you 'mom' instead of Miss Suzuki.

It had started with Lied, but quickly followed by Jazz - and then most of the rest followed suit as well. Except for Asmodus, who continually insisted on using your proper title. Sabnock also, who refused to call his rival's mother his own.

So yet another rumor began to spread, this one claiming that you were the 'Mother of the Misfits' - which seemed to overtake the 'courting Balam' rumor. Granted, part of the reason that rumor was dying down was due to the fact you were self-restricting how often you spent time with him - as much as you personally hated it.

Instead you had holed yourself up in the library, doing your own studying of Netherworld culture; between helping students find books, or aiding the battlers research new ideas and theories - and of course, restocking books and keeping the place tidy.

As it turned out, there were no true guides on the different aspects of demon society with the sole purpose of explaining the multitude of intricacies. You supposed mostly because demons learned them from birth, so no one saw the need to write them down. Each family was different, holding their own customs as closely guarded secrets. You had gleaned that the first few years of a demon's life was devoted to teaching them the rules of society, all the proper mannerisms and such long before they were allowed out of their family's home.

Your mind often repeated Opera and Sullivan's idea that Balam would happily explain those things to you - considering he knew your true situation. And the thing was, you could easily imagine him becoming excited and probably making a whole series of picture books on the subject. They'd be so cute too; because his art skills were exquisite, as well as easy to read and understand despite the heavy subject.

Given the chance, your mind would drift away for extended periods of time to imagine how the situation would go.

Which came back around to why you were avoiding him. Because absence absolutely did make the heart go fonder, and you weren't quite ready to face that.

If you thought you had a crush on the demon before, it was worse now as you realized what all you liked about him. You missed the easy physical contact, and your heart would still thump every time you remembered what it was like being in his arms. You missed his deep baritone voice, and the way he would excitedly lecture you about some aspect of the Netherworld. Or the way he was overwhelmed when asking questions about the human realm, and his face would pinch together as he tried to focus.

Hell, you even missed sipping tea quietly together as you reviewed notes in his office while he was training Asmodeus and Sabnock. You saw the intellectual side of him often enough, but watching him train those two had given you a chance to see the more - ehem - physical side; reminding you that the kind and gentle professor was just as strong as he looked.

Then there were your dreams, borne from the confusion and frustration you were experiencing. Many nights a week you were waking up gasping, body aching for release as your heart's fantasies played over and over in your mind's eye.

Which of course, was another reason to strictly avoid him. How could you face him when you remembered your mind trying to supply what it would be like to be pinned down to a table beneath him, husky voice praising as you screamed his name.

You couldn't. You just… couldn't.

Of course, fate had other ideas.

--+--

"Hey, mom!"

You looked up from your book at Lied's words to half the Misfits in front of the counter, with varying expressions from guilty to pleading.

Something was up - which meant your peaceful afternoon was about to go haywire.

"Yes?" You answered slowly, eyeing the blond-haired demon who was leaning on the counter with a grin on his face, trying to act completely nonchalant - and failing. Mainly because you felt like you knew him - all of them - too well.

He didn't give up the charade and continued persistently. "You're friends with Professor Balam, right?"

Instantly your face felt flush, and you scratched at your burning cheek out of nerves. "I mean, sorta?" You answered, looking towards Iruma for an answer, but the boy shrugged his shoulders helplessly, looking a bit awkward himself. "Why, what's going on?"

And here you thought he was the unofficial leader of the class.

"Professor Balam has been…" Asmodeus started after no one else spoke, then trailed off as he debated his words. That alone filled you with dread.

It had to be horrible if the refined demon was at a loss for words.

"Moody?" Jazz offered after a moment. "I mean, he's always been weird but…"

"He's been crabby," Elizabetta stated bluntly with a soft sigh. "Not at all like his usual self. But we don't think it's an evil-cycle, either."

"Er, I'm afraid I haven't been around him much lately," You admitted, though you had been texting him rather frequently despite avoiding him, and he seemed his usual self. Asking questions, patiently explaining the answers to your own.

Though you had deftly avoided any questions related to relationships or reproduction, despite the growing curiosity beginning to burn in your mind.

"A demon denied his lady's affections?" Kamui gasped, placing a wing against his chest. "No wonder the professor has been out of sorts!"

"It's not like that!" You, Iruma, as well as Asmodus answered at once, and you felt a brief flash of relief that at least someone was understanding.

That relief died quickly as the students talked amongst each other.

"Wait, they're not courting? Does Professor Balam know that?"

"You know, I wonder if that isn't the problem…"

"Exactly! Miss Suzuki is a sublime example of a mature woman. I would mourn being denied her lavish bosom if I was the professor!" Several fists found themselves planted on Kamui's head as you groaned.

"Balam is well aware of this," You insisted. Except you had to wonder… did he miss you?

No - surely he would have said something. Or asked why you hadn't dropped by. Or he could have dropped by; his mood probably wasn't tied to you at all.

Right?

"Could you… maybe see what's going on?" Goeman asked carefully after a moment. "We don't know how else to tackle the problem."

"Him and Kalego are close," You answered and then quickly chided yourself. 'As if they weren't already aware of that.' After all, everyone knew the two were close as brothers just by the fact the dark-haired demon was always referring to him as Shichiro instead of his title.

(You had to remind yourself frequently that you were not on such casual terms - though part of you all but ached to say his name aloud, to allow your tongue to play with the easy name. He was Balam, or Professor Balam. Nothing else. Not even in your head.)

Their dark expressions were all the answer you needed to your implied question. None of them were going to volunteer to talk to Kalego about the situation.

Maybe you should? Then again, Kalego had glared daggers at you last time you had visited him, making you think twice about traveling to his office again.

"Please, mom?" Iruma asked, giving you those soft blue puppy eyes. "He really is acting odd."

You groaned, your resolve crumbling like soft sand against the ocean waves. Damn your boy and those eyes of his. "Okay, I'll… I'll pay him a visit."

You prayed to whatever deity you could to stay focused while you were with him. No thoughts about the crush that was holding your heart for ransom. Or about Opera's words from the other morning that continued to replay in your head.

Just focus on Balam; what was bothering him and what he needed to feel better.

And keep your mind out of the gutter.

--+--

Usually as soon as you approached the biology prep room's open door, Balam somehow knew it was you and would greet you before you could knock on the doorframe. Yet you were able to reach the open door - and even linger in the doorway without a hint he had even noticed.

Instead, you could see him hunched over his desk, obviously lost in thought. The general atmosphere of the room seemed… tense - or maybe it was just your imagination.

It was hard for you to tell at the moment, considering how anxious you were. Your heart was thumping rapidly in your chest, your hands felt shaky and clammy as you clutched a tray you had grabbed from the kitchens, loaded with a pot of Devil Grey Tea and some treats.

"Heya," You announced your presence after a moment of awkwardly trying to reign in your worry and also selfishly admiring his form. The thick muscles of his neck and back, how his wide chest narrowed at his waist and hips. And then his clawed feet that were curled beneath the chair that was almost too small for him, able to study the underside of his feet and wonder briefly if they were ticklish. "Um, I brought some tea and cookies."

He finally looked up, causing you to pause. He looked… haggard; his dark eyes had darker circles, his skin paler than normal, and - had his hair grown that much without you realizing it? What was once a buzz cut, now was in that awkward stage between short and long around his ears.

Yes, it had been several days since you last saw him - but surely that wasn't enough time for his hair to floof out like this.

"Tea sounds nice, actually," He grumbled distractedly as he scratched at his messy hair. "Thank you."

Well, so far so good. You entered and set the tea down on his desk before going ahead and pouring two cups.

You took a deep breath as you picked one up and offered it to him. Best way was to be direct and to the point, right? "If I'm prying, let me know," You started softly, "But the students are saying you've been a little rough around the edges lately. Is everything okay?"

"Fall is the molting season for many avian demons, such as myself," He explained with a sigh. "And constantly itching tends to shorten one's temper." Your heart fluttered as his fingers briefly grazed yours as he accepted the cup from your hands, reminding you how much larger his hands were, and how warm they were, even through his gloves. "You… don't mind if I remove my mask, do you?"

It took you a hot moment for your mind to catch up with his question; causing your flushed face to heat up even more, both from embarrassment for being distracted by such a trivial thing as well as forgetting to bring a straw for him.

You really were out of sorts today.

But, it was just the two of you, and you certainly didn't mind. "I don't mind at all," You replied, giving a reassuring smile despite your nerves. "But, if you'd prefer that I leave…"

"Never," He answered instantly with a slight smile; one you could actually see once he removed the metal plate of his mask.

However, the smile was short lived and was quickly replaced by a grimace as he itched at his hair once more. "Though, I admit I'm not the best company right now."

You didn't even think, your body moved of its own accord as you set down your cup and moved to stand behind him. Sitting down, his head was at chest level - which was perfect for you to run your fingers through his hair to scratch lightly at his scalp.

Devi, his hair was soft as downy fur - or maybe feathers in this case. Your ministrations elicited a soft sigh as he leaned into your touch, which reassured any worry about overstepping. His head fell back, resting against your chest and silently all but begging for more.

And how could you resist?

"I take it that feels good?" You asked, your heart once again racing. Maybe you were just reading into it, but it felt like a tender show of trust with him relaxing against you, his eyes closed peacefully and throat bared to you.

"You have no idea," He mumbled distractedly, making you smile.

Who knew demons really liked head scritches?

You gathered your courage and continued running your nails along his scalp, noticing the bases of some of the silvery-white hair had the stiff coverings that reminded you of pin feathers, making you grin. You remembered the few pet birds you had seen in your early years, and how they loved it when you helped work the waxy bits from their feathers during…

During molt. He really is a giant bird.

You worked a bit, alternating between scratching his scalp and rubbing the waxy coverings off between your thumb and forefinger.

Then, in a moment of impishness, you ran your fingers from the back of his head towards his face, floofing his hair even more. It gave you a rather brief moment of amusement before a sensual moan escaped from his parted lips.

You froze, feeling warmth flare in both your face and lower abdomen at the noise. Devi, your baser-self wanted to hear that again - putting it with the faded memories of your more… spicer dreams.

Part of you - most of you - wanted to continue, secretly more than a bit thrilled at his reaction; while your rational sense was screaming at you that there was a strict boundary you were threatening to break - if you hadn't already. Friends did not cause friends to moan wantonly like that - or feel a sudden burst of arousal because of it. That was definitely not appropriate.

One of Balam's dark eyes cracked open, looking straight up at you with a soft, pleading, expression. "Please, don't stop."

That - that just made things worse. Your heart hammered in your chest as you frantically tried to make a decision. Do you step away with some lame excuse, making things even more awkward? Or should you give in and continue despite the new realization that this was possibly more than helping a friend with an itch.

Or rather, with a different kind of itch.

You bit your lip, so many parts of yourself at war with each other.

He did ask you to continue. (With his own version of puppy-eyes that made your resolve crumble even more.)

Yet that was a rather lewd noise.

Was this really okay?

But… if it wasn't okay he surely would have stopped you, right? If it was inappropriate, he would have told you. He - he knew of your ignorance, he wouldn't allow you to make a faux pas like that.

And, if he did… like you as Opera and others seemed to believe… he wouldn't take advantage of you, right?

Actually, you knew the answer to that with certainty. He was always so careful and polite during anything remotely awkward that it left you confident you could trust him in that regard.

You bit your lip as you slowly continued, though you were cautious not to repeat the earlier motion.

Still - soft, pleased noises rumbled from the back of his throat, making you feel a bit awkward (if only because you were rather… aroused by the noise).

But you also realized how much he had relaxed, virtually melting into his chair. 'It was just a good massage,' you told yourself. 'Nothing sensual about it.'

You repeated the revelation to calm yourself down with little success. You wished desperately your body would stop reacting as if it was a risqué situation.

"Are you going to let your hair grow out?" You asked after a moment, mostly to fill the silence and switch subjects - but also because you were rather curious. You didn't really have the chance to appreciate his long hair before he had rather brutally cut it himself.

And now that you felt the soft silky strands, it seemed like an absolute shame for him to cut it so short.

"I'm not sure," He answered, still sounding rather dazed. "It seems either way I'm still terrifying towards others. Of course, if I cut it now it would just grow back, so I would have to wait for a few weeks if I decide to."

"Maybe put your hair up?" You offered. "Or keep it pinned back? I know I only saw you a few times before you cut it, but I think part of the reason it was so intimidating was the fact it was so wild and unrestrained."

His eyes cracked open again, a faint frown on his face. "Were you intimidated?"

You paused, remembering that first meeting. Looking up to see him ducked behind a bookcase, trying to hide his massive frame as he watched you intently, his hair looking wild and giving the impression of a mad man. "A little," You answered honestly, remembering his bloodline ability. "But more because you were just… staring."

"Of course," He replied simply, surprising you as his eyes fell shut again. "Discovering not one, but two humans? And then you were nothing like I was expecting. You still manage to surprise me nearly every day."

"Me?" You paused briefly, though your fingers were still tangled in his hair.

"Before you and Iruma, I thought humans were meek, peaceful, and weak. You have proven quite the opposite." There was a hint of both exasperation and fondness in his voice.

You worried your lip. "Is that a bad thing?"

His eyes opened once again as he reached up to brush your cheek softly. "No, far, far, from it. You are far more than I could have ever dreamt of. I have learned so much from you and Iruma…. I am forever in your debt."

You felt your face flush as you slowly resumed finger-combing his hair, avoiding his gaze as his fingers fell away from your cheek. A hundred different thoughts sifted through your mind, your heart torn on how to interpret his words and the possible meanings behind them.

Was this an opportunity to ask him about if humans and demons could… intermix? Or should you open with how different demon and human societies were - even though that was a subject you had touched on many a time - but maybe see if you could steer the conversation towards the more romantic aspect?

Test the waters to see if he… if he really could be interested in you.

"I have to admit I've missed your company," He continued as you wavered internally. "Though I've heard you've been assisting many of the students, so I can understand you'd be quite exhausted by the end of the day."

"They can be quite overwhelming," You agreed weakly, guilt bubbling in your stomach. Had he simply assumed you were too busy, and kept to himself out of consideration? (The realization did not help your infatuation any). "Plus, I, uh, have been doing some studying of my own, which has kept me rather busy."

"Oh?"

You bit your lip, gathering your courage. You couldn't ask for a better opportunity. You had to ask it.

Right here. Right now.

Devi, you were going to be ill.

"Well, you know there's a lot of differences between our cultures, and some are more… subtle than others." You started, hoping your voice didn't sound as shaky as you felt. "But there's no real materials that cover some things like - say - molting, or - uh - courting?" You trailed off, forced casual tone turning into a squeak.

His eyes opened once more, and you swore he could read your thoughts as he stared up at you. "You…want to learn more about courting?" He asked, a faded pink dusting his nose and cheeks.

"Well, I mean," You looked away, focusing on his hair but sure your flushed expression was giving your intentions away. "It's bound to pop up eventually, maybe, possibly? And I don't want to look completely clueless…"

In a flash of movement, Balam virtually jumped out of his chair, startling you. You instinctively jumped back, primal mind screaming to run as he towered over you.

Yet before your body could act on the instinct to run, he gripped your shoulders firmly as he crouched slightly to look you in the eye.

"Has someone asked for your permission?" He asked urgently, almost strangled by the thought. No, he was worried - the expression on his face made that very evident. "Did someone approach you already?"

"N-no!" You stammered out. Instantly, he slumped with relief, making your heart flutter as it jumped at the implications. He cared. He really did care for you. Your heart soared at the thought, but your logical side, still filled with doubt, demanded a straight answer. "Why?"

Balam paled slightly, his grip tightening before he suddenly released you and stood to his full height. "Well, it's just… with you being human, it would be a rather precarious situation, I think," He explained awkwardly after a moment. "I mean, I'm not saying that you shouldn't be able to court, or Iruma for that matter. I-I just worry about your safety. I worry for both of you."

His words crushed you more than you could have ever anticipated, making you feel ill. Of course. He… he really didn't like you in that way. You had just been misreading the mixed signals, your own emotions coloring the truth.

He was looking out for you as a friend - he was just being protective of you out of concern, and not jealousy or anything.

It was fine. Completely fine.

"So, what about molting," You quickly changed the subject, hoping he hadn't noticed any hint of dejection on your face. Or the roughness to your voice as you spoke past the lump that had formed in your throat. "Anything I should know about that?"

His face turned a darker pink and it was his turn to avoid your gaze. "A remnant from our ancient ancestors. Our hair and feathers are replaced or grow out for the upcoming seasons. And, um, it's generally a time spent with…families, since grooming builds stronger bonds."

Family. Maybe a significant other, but maybe he also meant just family in general too. So nothing inherently romantic or anything else in the action.

But you would take it. You were such a lovesick dope you would take any kind of relationship with him. "Well, um, I know we aren't related, but I'm willing to fill in if needed. That's what friends are for, right?"

His gaze met yours again, studying you for a moment before nodding. "R-right. I appreciate your assistance, I really do. But…I suppose we both have duties to return to."

Oh. Right. You had been gone long enough, and he probably had classes to prepare for. "Yeah, I promised one of the battlers to help with a project. So I, uh, should go. Text me if you need anything!"

You hadn't even finished your sentence before turning and bolting.

Devi, gods - whatever. You were such an idiot. Obviously Opera and Sullivan didn't know Balam that well. You had, though. Why did you allow yourself to hope - to dream - of so much?

Ambition - desire - were for demons; but you were completely human. You needed to learn to be content with what you had.

--+--

Why? Why had he said that?

Balam groaned after you left, furiously rubbing his face. When you had asked about courting - it was like all rational thought fled his mind, and he was terrified someone had asked you before he did.

Thank Devi you had said no. But when you asked why…

He couldn't admit that he wanted the honor. That he had been thinking - planning - on asking you; and given the opportunity, he… couldn't. His words failed him and he gave another, more basic answer. And then, the same when you asked about molting. Yes, families did help each other, but parents and children. Siblings.

Or mates.

Had he unwittingly taken advantage of your naivety? You hadn't asked - or even hesitated before your fingers worked through his hair - and as soon as you touched him… all the stress and frustration had simply melted away. Between your touch, your scent - you just being there - he had a short sweet moment of peace.

How did other demons do this? He knew the basics, yes. But in actual practice, how did one go about asking another to court?

He groaned as his head thumped against one of the bookcases. He felt like a teenager all over again - and he hated it. He thought he had finally gotten over his awkwardness around other people.

Nigyul chirped from his nest among the vines that covered the ceiling, his golden eyes staring down at the demon. Balam sighed, knowing Nigyul could sense the tension just from the changes in his mana, and was likely concerned in his own way. "Yes, I know. I horribly messed that up."

The small dragon jumped from his perch, landing heavily on his shoulder where he settled. A deep rumble echoed from the wood dragon's chest as he tried to soothe Balam, making the demon sigh once more. Animals were so much easier than people, it was easy to tell how they felt just by their actions alone. But people--demons and now humans alike-- weren't so straight forward, even with his bloodline ability detecting lies and deceit.

Despite countless hours and thinking, dreaming, rationalizing, he was still unsure of how you truly felt. Sometimes he was sure you were as interested as Kalego said, but other times he was sure that you weren't.

Would a human even be interested in a demon such as himself? You may not be bothered by his scar or the problems it caused when eating, but that didn't mean you could be attracted to the rest of him; considering how different he was.

Granted, you were different from him, but he… he couldn't deny his attraction to you; some of which was because of how exotic you were, but little things like your smile - your caring nature.

How easy you were around him despite everyone else's natural fear.

Devi, he was sure he loved you. He just didn't know what to do about it.

--+--

Balam set the stack of picture books on the table, happy to see Iruma smile excitedly. "These should go over the subjects you're having difficulty with. Bahamut's reign over the southern waste, and some of the magic fundamentals you may be missing.”

"Thanks so much, Professor!" The boy grinned, flipping through some of the pages carefully, examining the artwork inside. "I know mom will love to read the ones on magic to help her with those Runes."

"Er, speaking of your mother…" Balam started, rubbing his neck, and then itching at the prickly hair growing there. You probably hadn't been able to reach it since his head had been resting against your chest.

He could easily recall the softness of your breasts, providing a perfect type of pillow to rest against. He could feel every breath, the subtle movements of your muscles as you worked. The hint of your human scent beneath Sullivan's cologne.

"Oh, yeah! Did she go see you earlier?"

He blinked at the boy's question, blushing at the realization of where his thoughts had taken him. Here he had been meaning to ask Iruma a question and he had been so easily side tracked.

Maybe he should take a few days off like Dali had recommended, but he hated the thought of not being there for you or Iruma should you need him. (Nevermind Lord Sullivan and Opera were both available too…)

Iruma naively assumed the expression on Balam's face was from confusion, and chuckled nervously. "My class and I…. Well, we noticed you've been rather distracted and on edge the last few days. And - well - one thing led to another and we ended up asking mom if she knew what was going on. She agreed but… she's avoided us ever since, so I was worried about what happened."

"It's… complicated," Balam admitted after a moment of contemplation. Maybe he should write a book on molt and other such cycles of other types of demons. Not just for you and Iruma, but maybe for future students as well to help foster understanding.

Though so far only a few from the misfit class seemed interested in them. Clara in particular, from what Iruma had said in the past.

"She did help," Balam continued, pushing those thoughts away until later. "Hopefully things will be a bit more normal." At least, for a day or two. Then he secretly worried he'd go hunting for you, tempted by your earlier offer. To be able to indulge in such bliss once more. "But, something she said made me wonder… how exactly do humans… court?"

It was awkward asking Iruma such a thing, but his alternative was asking you - and he feared that would be even more awkward.

"Court?" Iruma repeated thoughtfully. "Well, from what I understand that's pretty much what we call 'dating'. And it's kinda complicated, and really depends. But usually people will spend time together, and maybe bring each other gifts, like chocolates or other sweets, and flowers. Plus, you know, hold hands and stuff like that."

That's really all it took to court in the human realm? It seemed so… tame. Granted, he had always theoriezed their world was simpler and kinder than the Netherworld.

Wait - spending time together? Bringing gifts like sweets, holding hands and being affectionate?

Those… were things you had been doing. You would often come to visit and spend time with him when you could. And ever since Opera exposed his secret sweet tooth, you often brought something from the kitchens to share while you talked.

While you never really initiated anything, you never complained about his skin-ship habit. If anything, you embraced his touch - often happily leaning into him.

You hadn't argued when Kalego teased about flirting as he had expected. Instead, you had looked at him silently - obviously flustered, but he had been too flustered himself to really think.

Actually… that's when things had seemed to change, and you had more or less withdrawn from him.

Had he missed some kind of basic human cue? Had you already been courting him? And he had been completely oblivious as Kalego claimed.

Both panic and excitement gripped his heart as his thoughts became a disjointed mess. Could you really have been trying to court, was that why you asked about it today? Had he unknowingly messed things up?

"Uh, professor?" Iruma spoke, shocking him out of his thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"Oh yes," He answered, forcing a smile. "Just… distracted for a moment there. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I just agreed to meet Ameri in five minutes…"

Balam's smile became more natural, though equally hidden by his mask as he reached over to ruffle the boy's hair affectionately. "Best not keep the council president waiting. Just let me know what you think of the books later."

"Of course!" The boy carefully placed the books in his bag before holstering it over his shoulder. "Oh, and Professor Balam?" He paused halfway towards the door. "I really do hope you and Mom figure things out, and I know Grandpa and Opera are cheering you guys on too."

With that, Iruma left while Balam was struggling to process his words, and the implications behind them.

--+-- Su-Ki-Ma--+--

You sat on Balam's desk, his head resting once more against your chest as you teased the hair at the nape of his neck. His hands rested on your thighs, lightly kneading the supple flesh.

This was bliss; having your arms wrapped around him, being close enough he could smell your true scent, your fingers working deftly to help ease that frustrating itch.

He groaned as your fingers combed through his hair, and felt your breath hitch in response. You froze, and for a moment he distantly wondered if he somehow upset you when he noticed it. A change to your already appetizing scent, becoming sweeter, muskier.

Balam gripped your thighs in realization, which only made it stronger. Your human pheromones were actually quite similar to demons and…

And you were aroused right now.

"Like that, did you?" You teased, trying to pretend as if nothing happened.

He should act like he hadn't noticed anything. It could just be an instinctual response and nothing else. Yet he looked up from your chest, and saw the deep flush of your cheeks, how you worried your lip as you avoided his gaze.

Devi, you were so beautiful.

You finally looked at him after a moment, and somehow became even more flush. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tease you like that."

Tease him? "I don't understand."

"If I made you feel uncomfortable…" You explained as you pulled your hands away.

And no, that was the last thing he wanted. He grabbed your wrists without thinking, making you pause. "Uncomfortable is the last thing you make me feel."

You moved to cup his cheeks, your hands so small and delicate compared to him. His eyes fluttered shut as you caressed his face, absolutely uncaring about his disfigurement.

To be touched so gently, so lovingly. It was more than he could ever hope for. And for it to be you. His dear little human.

"My handsome demon," You sighed, making his heart clench in his chest.

He couldn't resist anymore. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against yours. Any fears that you would be disgusted were quickly quieted as you eagerly reciprocated the kiss, arms wrapping around his shoulders as you clutched to him. That delicious smell of yours became stronger.

He wanted you.

He needed you.

He had to have you. All those pretty sounds you made as he allowed himself to touch you. Your supple breasts, so soft in his hands that made you whine. Your inner thigh, his thumb brushing against the junction of thigh and groin, making you gasp and arch into him.

"Please, Shichiro," You all but begged, clutching him tightly. Your legs wrapped around his waist, his hand moving to cup the swell of your backside. Devi, why were you so soft and perfect and…

Balam groaned as he woke to morning light seeping into his room, far too familiar with the throbbing need between his legs. He relaxed into the edge of his nest, his hand reaching for his cock, struggling with the thoughts of you.

He could admit he was attracted to you, there was no denying that. Everything about you was so… beautiful. Enchanting.

But thinking of you while he touched himself left him torn. Because dear hell did he want you, but to use his memories of you in such an obscene way, recalling how it felt to have you in his arms, your smile, your smell left him feeling as if he was somehow taking advantage of you. Your trust, your companionship.

Yet it was always you he ended up thinking about, calling and pleading your name as he came.

#mairimashita! iruma kun #welcome to demon school iruma kun #balam shichiro #balam/reader #suzuki iruma #lord sullivan #naberius kalego #balam shichiro x reader

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ciaossu-imagines · 1 year ago

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So, for day five of the event, I used number 44 from prompt 2 for the Misfit Class from Iruma-kun! I hope everyone enjoys the headcanons 😊

44. If you are of age, will you try to enter the Triwizard Tournament if they ever host one again?

I don’t think Iruma would really want to enter the Triwizard Tournament. In fact, he’s really against it. He doesn’t want to stand out and he thinks it would be more fun to watch the tournament with his friends or even to cheer one of his friends on that really do want to participate. However, because this is Iruma we’re talking about, I do see something happening where his name gets put in there without him knowing and someone tampers with the Cup enough (*cough* Sullivan *cough*) for Iruma’s name to get chosen.

Asmodeus definitely would want to enter the Tournament. To him, it’s a way to show his strength, bring honor to his family name and to impress and bring honor to Iruma. He puts his name in proudly and he’s one of the students that most are certain would be likely to be chosen by the Cup.

Clara sees the whole Tournament as a really fun game, honestly. She really doesn’t get it beyond that and with that in her mind, of course she’d want to enter!

Sabnock is another one that would love to enter. To him, it’s his shot to show how cool, manly, and awesome he is. He puts his name in while bragging about how there’s no possibility the cup would choose anyone but him and honestly, to say he really wants to be chosen is an understatement.

I think Gaap goes in between wanting to enter and wanting to watch the Tournament. He thinks it would be really interesting to participate in the tournament and see how strong he is, but especially would love to participate in order to make friends with those from other schools. However, he is a little worried he wouldn’t be strong enough to win and would bring dishonor upon not only his House but Hogwarts as a whole.

Lied and Jazz talk about how fun participating in the tournament would be, how they could definitely win, how cool it would be to have all the other students practically worshipping them, but neither of them ever really gets up the courage to actually put their name in.

Both Agares and Allocer wouldn’t even consider putting their names in. For Agares, it’s just too much work and too much trouble. He’d rather just relax and take it easy. For Allocer, he’s already doing a class more than the others, maintaining his status as top of his year, and the tournament would only get in the way of his schoolwork. He’ll go and watch the Tournament with his friends but that’s about the extent of it, though he really does hope the winner is not only from Hogwarts, but from his House.

Purson puts in his name, but nobody notices, and he doesn’t get chosen. He wasn’t expecting his name to get chosen anyway, so he’s not disappointed when it doesn’t. He mostly just did it for the experience.

Caim and Elizabetta never even considered putting their names in but they’re both loudly supportive of the Hogwarts champion and are very invested in the tournament right from the time it’s announced.

Kerori really just doesn’t care about the Tournament. It’s not her kind of thing, she’s just not that interested in it. If a friend of hers ends up as the Hogwarts champion, she’ll support them but otherwise, she’s just kind of meh about the whole subject.

#unrequested prompts #welcome to demon school iruma kun #mairimashita! iruma kun #misfit class #headcanons #harry potter #hogwarts au

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weeb-polls-with-pip · 1 year ago

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Autistic Anime Boys Round 2 Matchups!

Side A

L Lawliet (Death Note) VS Gohan (Dragon Ball Z)

Haruka Sakurai (MILGRAM) VS Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Umetarou Nozaki (Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun) VS Taisei Yoshida (Assassination Classroom)

Itona Horibe (Assassination Classroom) VS Light Yagami (Death Note)

Sunny (Omori) VS Kaworu Nagisa (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Yu Narukami/Souji Seta (Persona 4) VS Kiyotaka Ishimaru (Danganronpa)

Near/Nate River (Death Note) VS Mash Burnedead (Mashle: Magic and Muscles)

Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist) VS Rui Kamishiro (Project Sekai)

Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece) VS Yuusuke Kitagawa (Persona 5)

Hitoshi-san (Nyan~ Neko Sugar Girls) VS Wakatoshi Ushijima (Haikyuu!!)

Kamille Bidan (Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam) VS Subaru Mikazuki (My Roommate is a Cat)

Natural Harmonia Gropius (Pokémon) VS Giorno Giovanna (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure)

Laios Touden (Dungeon Meshi) VS Touma Akechi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.)

Gon Freecss (Hunter x Hunter) VS Senkuu Ishigami (Dr. Stone)

Ash Ketchum (Pokémon) VS Shichirou Balam (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun)

Shintarou Kisaragi (Kagerou Project) VS Takashi Natsume (Natsume’s Book of Friends)

Side B

Haruka Nanase (Free!) VS Takeo Gouda (My Love Story!)

Kim Dokja (Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint) VS Roronoa Zoro (One Piece)

Sig (Puyo Puyo) VS Yugi Mutou (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Legoshi (Beastars) VS Doppo Kunikida (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Kusuo Saiki (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.) VS Nagito Komaeda (Danganronpa)

Yotasuke Takahashi (Blue Period) VS Misumi Ikaruga (A3!)

Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney) VS Ren Mihashi (Big Windup!)

Ranpo Edogawa (Bungou Stray Dogs) VS Masayoshi Hazama (Samurai Flamenco)

Jotaro Kujo (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) VS Sora Harukawa (Ensemble Stars)

Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic X) VS Kabane Kusaka (Kemono Jihen)

Tenya Iida (My Hero Academia) VS Tetsuya Kuroko (Kuroko no Basket)

Goku (Dragon Ball) VS Shinichi Kudou/Conan Edogawa (Detective Conan)

Gin Ibushi (Your Turn to Die) VS Akihiko Sanada (Persona 3)

Loid Forger (Spy x Family) VS Sabro Sabnock (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun)

Apollo Justice (Ace Attorney) VS Saitama (One Punch Man)

Langa Hasegawa (Sk8 the Infinity) VS Yusei Fudo (Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds)

#tumblr polls #autistic anime boys poll #fyi #poll info #information #to be updated #poll bracket #tumblr tournament #tumblr competition #tumblr tourney

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myths-tournaments · 2 years ago

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Found Family Tournament [Round 1 - Poll 62/64]

(list of characters under the cut)

RED VS BLUE

Red team Blue team

WELCOME TO DEMON SCHOOL! IRUMA KUN

Iruma Asmodeus Clara Lied Agares Jazz Elizabetta Kerori Sabnock Garp Kaim Allocer

#foundfamily tournament #foundfamily round 1 #red vs blue #welcome to demon school iruma kun

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bleuhisteria · 2 years ago

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Chapter 4 Love, was it all in Vain?

"Yosh..." (Y/N) closes the textbook in her hands, "Class dismissed." she announces before leaving the room, rushing to where the misfits class would be for their rank advancement test.

She quickly headed down to the training area where she saw the group of students gathered, a smile forms on her face as she took out a camera, ready to record for her family, "Hey!!!" she called out, getting Kalego's attention, she was currently only visible to him.

He looked at her and didn't respond seeing as though the other students weren't looking at her.

"I came to watch, that's fine right?" She asks.

Kalego sighs and began to explain the rules to the students, (Y/N) took this as a sign of approval.

The cute explanation began and ended just as quickly as Kalego's fist shoved it to the ground making (Y/N) giggle, "You really don't like cute things do you?" she asks.

"I don't like things made by the headmaster." He replied.

He then went on to give the students their armbands and sent them to their teams before starting the match.

Caim immediately threw the match by trying to hand the ball to Elizabetta, a time out was called by the guys just to have a minute beating up the pervert bird.

"Hurry up and restart the match!" Kalego ordered.

The group went back to their side.

(Y/N) released the camera demon to record the match before turning to Kalego, "Ne, remember when you lost to me in execution ball cannon?" she asks while giggling.

Kalego huffed, "I don't remember useless things." he stated.

"Really? It was only a free play but I still think it's a win." she laughs, "If memory serves me right, we both ranked up because it took too long and the teacher got tired of watching." she says while looking on at the students in the playing field.

A chaotic match ensued.

"Agares, you're out for using magic on others besides the ball." Kalego states having the sleepy demon out of the field, whining about the others being loud.

A sigh came from Kalego, "About what you told me yesterday, why are you researching about cursed items?" he asks before calling Sabnock out after getting hit by Asmodeus.

(Y/N) hums, "I don't have to tell you anything do I?" she asks with a smirk while looking away.

Kalego facepalmed, "Valac, out." he called having seen Clara stupidly get hit by the ball she threw at Asmodeus.

He side eyed (Y/N), "I know what kind of demon you are, you wouldn't be researching about it without purpose." he states.

(Y/N) looks back at him, "Who's to say I haven't changed?" she shrugs, her expression became cold and serious, "As for my real answer, it's a secret." she stated in a tone of unwavering resolve, obvious to Kalego he won't get an easy answer.

"You've changed alright, in a sense that you've become even more annoying." He states, a little annoyed that he couldn't get a real answer out of her. 'Though, you're showing emotion these days, what really happened to you, (Y/N)?'

She laughs and turns back to game playing out, the players were kicked out one by one, more and more gathered in the outfield and two remained in the infield, Asmodeus and Iruma.

(Y/N)'s eyes widened as Asmodeus became fired up, though Iruma's head was in the game, it would be difficult for a human to deflect Asmodeus' throw let alone take it, she unconsciously began to fidget with her fingers, not going unnoticed by Kalego.

'There's something going on with these two.' He thought as the battle continued.

Iruma ran up and caught the ball, throwing it back at Asmodeus, grazing him by the shoulder, everyone stood in shock, (Y/N) let out a sigh of relief.

"Winner, team A!" Kalego announced, turning to (Y/N) who seemed to have a proud look on her face as she looked at Iruma with a bright smile. "What is your relationship?" he asked bluntly.

"Well..." (Y/N) smirks as she looks at him, "Who knows?" she says, taking her camera before turning to leave.

An irk mark appeared on Kalego's forehead, "Tch." he scoffed.

(Y/N) walked through the hallways humming as she thought about how she teased Kalego by withholding information, 'I should be more mysterious~' she thought with a smile.

Her walking was halted when an explosion came from a room, opening its door with thick black smoke and the sounds of coughing came from beyond the smoke.

"Oh dear..." The demon coughed, the smoke cleared out as a demon with short turquoise hair came into view, he had round glasses and only one horn.

(Y/N) immediately came to his aid, "Are you alright?" she asks, extending her hand out to him.

He looked over and took the hand, "Thank y--" he coughed, blood.

Her eyes widened and immediately let go to cast healing, "Are you really alright?!" she asked in panic.

"Y-yes, it's just that my body is naturally weak..." replied the student as (Y/N) continued to heal them.

"Is that so? Get up and get some rest then, here, let me help you." She says, picking the student up and guiding them back into the room where a wooden mat was laid out.

(Y/N) looked around the room while the student laid down and rested, "What kind of room is this used for?" she asks, looking around seeing the magic items.

'It could be useful to me.' She thought as she picked up an orb.

The student sat up and sat on his knees facing (Y/N)'s back, "This is the magical tools research batra, what you have there is an orb that glow when you put magic into it." he says.

"Really?" She asked as she poured some magic into it, making it glow. "It really does light up." she said in surprise while putting the magic tool down.

"I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Amy Kiriwo, the leader of this batra." He states.

"Leader? How many members does this batra have?" She asks.

The student shied away looking awkwardly, "S-so far...it's just me."

(Y/N) hums, "That's surprising." she says, walking over to the student placing an encouraging hand on his shoulder, "I heard from Dali-sensei that the batra challenge is coming up soon, I'm sure you'll find a few freshmen who'd be willing to join." she says.

Amy's eyes began to water, "You really think so?" he asks.

"Yeah, of course." (Y/N) smiled making the student blush.

'I-is this what meeting an angel is like?' He thought.

The two spoke about some of the magic tools found in the room, until (Y/N) brought up something that had been on her mind for quite some time by then.

"Do you know anything about cursed items?"

Amy placed a hand on his chin, "Cursed items...As far as I know they've all been disposed of by the former demon king, beyond that knowledge about them have been pretty scarce." he says.

"In Babyls' catalog in the library, there's a book explaining the creation and origins of cursed magic items, there's only one book and it's written by Delkira himself, I haven't been able to find it though no matter how much I look, not even the librarian seems to know where it is." he sighs.

'I have it at home...' (Y/N) thought with a deadpan look.

"In any case, if you were to say, find a cursed item, what would you do?" She asks.

His eyes began to twinkle, "I'd do research on it immediately of course! The origin, how was it made, and who and where it came from, I--" Amy coughed up blood after overexerting his body from being too excited.

(Y/N) looked away in thought of whether to show him her staff or not, being in possession of a cursed magic tool can alter the netherworld pretty heavily, especially the knowledge of how to create one, it was quite risky but she thought it'd be fine as long as he didn't know how to create one.

"Actually, I have a cursed item with me." She says as she took out her staff from the holster on her back.

"E-Eh?!" Kiriwo promptly passed out due to shock.

(Y/N) sweat ran cold at the sight and sighed, "I'll come back another time." she says, writing a note and leaving it on the table before leaving.

'I haven't thought to check the library's catalogue yet, I only found the book through a streak of luck, I should go see if there's more about cursed magic items hiding in there.'

While thinking, (Y/N)'s feet had walked her to the direction of the library.

'No, there's really nothing other than that one book, not even scrolls or anything, damn it Delkiraaaa!' (Y/N) sighed.

"Looking for something?" A familiar voice asks.

(Y/N) whips her head around and greets, "Dali-san, you're here, I'm just looking for more things about cursed items, the book I borrowed was really interesting." she stated with a smile.

"Ah, that's right, I brought the books and a few scrolls that I promised, I do have to warn you though, reading and learning about cursed items can rouse suspicion, knowledge on its creation is pretty dangerous." Dali states, his eyes closed as usual.

His eyes opened slightly as he looked at her with a more serious look, "There's a reason Delkira-sama disposed of everything regarding cursed magic items, those that remain are coded in riddles."

(Y/N) nods, "I understand, I'll try to satiate my curiosity with the little knowledge you give me." she says with a gentle smile.

"Good, let's head back to the teachers lounge, I left them at my desk." He says.

"Here you go, hm?" Dali looked over as he handed (Y/N) two scrolls and three books, "I swear I brought three scrolls..." he stated worriedly.

(Y/N) hummed, "Did you misplace one?" she asks.

Dali shook his head, "I was sure I had it all here, someone must've took it." he looks around the room with sharp eyes before turning his attention back to (Y/N) as she opened up one of the books.

He lets out a sigh and slumps his shoulders with a shrug, "I'll just have to look for it later on." he says.

"Is a book on cursed familiars also important to learning about cursed items?" (Y/N) asks, lifting her head up from the book.

Dali chuckles, "No, I figured since you were learning about cursed things you might find cursed familiars interesting." he clarifies.

(Y/N) nodded, the two other books were, Demon's Guide to Making Magic Tools, and Delkira's Century Long Journey Of Purging Cursed Items. The scrolls were a written copy of Delkira's notes when he destroyed each of the cursed items he gathered.

"I circled the page numbers of the pages you should read up on in the page list of each book, I can't exactly tamper with the scrolls so you'll have to read them on your own if you want to learn, and just so you know, the scrolls are my family's keepsake so please don't damage them." Dali stated worriedly.

"Got it." She says, then casting protection magic on both scrolls. "I'll be sure to return them once I'm done."

Dali smiles before looking up at the clock on the wall, "I'm about to have a class, I'll see you around (Y/N)-chan." he says, waving as he left the room.

'I guess I'll get going too.' (Y/N) thought as she placed the books and scrolls at her desk, preparing to leave to teach her next class.

(Y/N) got home, books and scrolls at hand, she opens the door greeted by Opera, she hand them her things to bring to her room before excitedly announcing, "I got everything on full video! So hurry up and put those away, call dad and bring snacks, you have to watch it!" she exclaims, bringing out the camera.

Opera's ears twitched, "Right away." they state before dashing away.

A laugh came from (Y/N) as she called out to Sullivan, moving to the living room with him as Opera brought them snacks, the video of Iruma playing execution ball cannon played on full DeviHD.

"Uwahh~! Iruma-kun has gotten so strong!" Sullivan in his egg form cried as he continued watching.

Opera's tail would sway and sometimes their ears would even flinch at seeing Iruma almost get hit but dodging very easily, proud that he managed to catch the ball a few times.

Some celebration was had when Iruma finally got home, Iruma thanking Opera, much to Sullivan's despair, (Y/N) watching and laughing at him which made him sulk even more, overall a calm night ensued.

Chapter 4 End.

#suzuki iruma #welcome to demon school #kalego #m!ik kalego #kalego sensei #iruma #iruma kun #naberius kalego #kalego x reader #iruma kun characters

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silkhy-john · 7 days ago

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TEA PARTY

Summary:

Because even if it’s just a passing fancy, just infatuation—even if Baal will ask to see less of Shura like she has a feeling he will at some point today—she sees no reason not to enjoy Baal’s attention and company to the fullest while she can.

***

As Shura watches her attendants begin to set the table for tea, she thinks back to the last Deviculum she attended.

‘The Thirteenth of Betrayal’.

That’s what they’re calling it in The Netherworld. She’s being paying a lot more attention to the news and affairs and politics of the Netherworld ever since everything that transpired that evening. Not for any sense of endangerment on her end—not primarily, at least. No. All the extra attention she’s paying can be credited to a very particular man. Sabnock Baal.

Shura can’t help laughing softly just thinking his name. The attendant closest to her—the one currently setting out different spreads for the scones—gives her a bemused look.

She shakes her head and blooms a flower in her palm. ‘It’s fine’.

The attendant hesitates a moment before nodding his head and turning his attention back to his task.

The hesitation is likely because Shura typically uses her voice to speak to her attendants. Perhaps he’s taking the use of a flower as a sign that not all is well, but is simply accepting the answer out of respect for her privacy. But Shura isn’t lying. It’s simply that her thoughts are putting her in a silly mood, and she doubts she can keep her voice level and controlled with the things running through her mind.

The person running through her mind.

Sabnock Baal.

And again, she laughs, less soft and a touch giddy. This time, however, she ignores her attendant’s concerned gaze. She pulls the tea set closer to herself and begins the process of preparing the tea. As she crushes the dried red hibiscarce petals, she lets her mind wander, sifting through the information she’d recently received from her feelers in The Netherworld and from her own sleuthing.

Sabnock Baal, ‘The Thunder Lord’. Younger brother to Sabnock Sabzan. Uncle of three. He was attractive even in his younger days, when he was still working his way up the ranks on the Southern Frontier and unable to strike a pose that wasn’t at least somewhat awkward. He’s only grown even more attractive with age, like a fine fruit wine. And that attractiveness most definitely runs in the family, judging from the pictures of a younger Sabzan (because Shura will respect the privacy of a man who’s locked himself in his forge and hasn’t made any public appearances in that many years as Sabzan) and from the pictures of his two nephews and his niece.

She’s only seen him in action once, but she’s committed it all to memory. The agility with which he took to the air. The way his crisp white suit stretched and strained against his muscles as he drew his arm back to throw his spear. The grace with which he landed after, a far cry from ruthlessness with which he subjugated the demon rushing Shura just seconds before. The ease with which he took her upon his arm, and how weightless she felt seated there, hand against his chest. The smile on his face, gentle but doing a poor job hiding the feralness that lurked beneath it.

And his eyes. Oh, his eyes.

Shura comes back to herself a little when the ceramic of her bowl, reinforced as it is by numerous priests’ magic, makes a sound of extreme strain. She takes a deep breath and tries to calm herself. Her hold around the bowl loosens, and she looks down to find that the petals have been ground down to a fine powder. Too fine to remain as dregs at the bottom of a teacup, but just fine enough to remain suspended in the tea and cloud its flavour. Clearly she’s not in the right frame of mind for work that needs her to be delicate and focused. She clears her throat quietly, and one of her attendants is at her side in the blink of an eye.

“If you’d please,” Shura says, handing over the ceramic bowl. “Thank you.”

The attendant gives her a bow and makes her way to the kitchens to fetch more petals and crush them in Shura’s stead. It’s unfortunate that she isn’t doing this herself. She understands that the hibiscarce’s magic of endearment is more potent when the one who seeks it is the one who works with it, but she sees no need to serve Baal subpar tea just to achieve that. With nothing to occupy her hands, Shura goes back to staring unseeingly at the variety of snacks spread before her and returns to her thoughts. Where she left off.

Sabnock Baal’s eyes.

Golden. Sharp. Intense in the focus they had on her and only her. Barely containing a wildness, a madness, that Shura has only ever heard of in Harpnus’ and Thoth’s stories of a time before the first Demon King—one she’s only ever read about in pages far older than The Netherworld as it is today. Like he would devour her, given the chance. It’s embarrassing to admit to herself that the thought of having Baal devour her is not unappealing in the slightest.

She does her best to steer her thoughts away from the direction they are heading in. As much as Baal’s appearance, demeanour, and… readily apparent hunger captured Shura’s attention, it’s not the only thing about the man that Shura has taken interest in.

She’s paid some mind to reports on his professional life: one of the more well-known and well-liked members of The Thirteen Crowns, much closer in power to the three greats than to the fresher additions to their ranks. An alumnus of Babyls, and a well-lauded one at that. The research of magical tools flourished under his guidance and withered upon his departure, and it’s revival is a rather recent feat—one that he is not unconnected to, no matter how distant the connection may seem.

She’s paid mind to reports on other things too, of course. His other professional life, for instance. The fact that he doesn’t actually use the name Sabnock—a fact linked to he and Sabzan rarely ever speaking, though Shura doesn’t know the specifics of the matter and doesn’t plan to do any digging. The large sums that are transferred from secretly held accounts as untraceably as possible, leading to dead ends. The threads linking him to an organisation that even The Deities pay some attention to: The Demon Reformation Movement.

That last bit of information in particular brings Shura some discomfort. There are very few demons who truly understand Deities. Even The Three Greats, or that one demon who blips in an out of relevance—Mephistopheles, with their greater knowledge of Deities relative to other demons, still do not understand much about their nature. Perhaps it was the nature of the particular Deviculum Shura was invited to attend—a bold plan to announce the joint effort to groom multiple candidates into suitable replacements for the missing, not dead, Demon King. Perhaps it was Shura’s small stature, a choice on her end given that weaker demons—which is most of them, really—would quite literally evaporate were she to bring her full presence to The Lost Lounge. Perhaps it was the fact that Shura was the biggest and most important political piece on the board—the fact that despite everyone in the room being aware of that, they forgot why exactly that was.

The long and short of it is that Shura could have easily disposed of Behemolt, even in her limited guise. Very easily. She sometimes wonders about the genuineness of Baal’s actions, especially when she thinks back to the barrier. The barrier. She knows that beyond Gran, the most common of demonic protective spells, such barriers can only be cast by two bloodlines: descendants of Amy and descendants of Morax.

Baal is neither Amy nor Morax—cannot be either, because he is a Sabnock in all but name, and strong bloodlines do not take well to each other. There’s more to Baal’s feat than the simple desire to save a soul in danger. Much more. And it all starts with the barrier, but that is where it ends for Shura as well. She can hear a voice that sounds suspiciously like Thoth’s telling her to exercise more caution—to follow the facts until the end or until there is sound reason to abandon the effort. Shura has reason to abandon the effort.

‘Sound reason’, says the voice of Thoth in her head.

“Be quiet,” she mutters under her breath.

The nagging voice disappears. Good. However, around Shura, the sound of her attendants moving about quietly grows even quieter. Her face flushes. She would never command more silence from her attendants when they are already doing their best to limit their bustle.

“As you were,” she says, doing her best to keep the embarrassment out of her voice. “My apologies. My request was not directed at you all.”

Everyone goes back to going about their business as usual. Shura’s bowl is set before her once more, this time with the dried petals crushed to a more reasonable size. She checks the time. Just a few more minutes left. Few enough that she can put the tea to steep.

It’s back to her thoughts once that’s done. Her reason. She’s chosen not to pay any attention to the fact that everything might have been a set. She’s chosen not to because… because… with a sigh, she rests her cheek in her palm. She feels her stomach flutter. Because of that feeling. Because Baal dresses up for her, even if she has the suspicion that someone else is handling his wardrobe for him whenever they have their tea parties. Because Baal lets her talk and talk and talk, even if his responses are short and cursory. Because even if it’s just a passing fancy, just infatuation—even if Baal will ask to see less of Shura like she has a feeling he will at some point today—she sees no reason not to enjoy Baal’s attention and company to the fullest while she can.

Shura looks around the garden to find that her attendants have made themselves scarce. A quick glance at the time shows that it’s about two minutes to Baal’s arrival. She rearranges herself in her seat, puts her veil over her face, and tries to contain her excitement as she waits for Baal to step out of the dimensional door. His appearances always feel so—

“Greetings, Princess Shura,” says Baal, stepping out into the garden.

—sudden. It’s only recently that Shura has found it within herself not to startle.

“Baal,” says Princess Shura, joyful. Joy is extremely easy to come by whenever Baal’s smiles at her.

The tea party is like any other they’ve had before, for the most part. Shura offers Baal a new selection of sweet treats, stating like always that she knows he he has a sweet tooth. He denies it, though not overly so, and preemptively excuses his avoidance of anything savoury by claiming that it would be rude not to have what the Princess has provided with him in mind. He takes a sip of the tea and compliments it as usual, though this time she can tell it’s a hit with him from the way his eyes widen ever so slightly, the pleased little hums that follow every sip, and his taking a second cup. He listens as Shura speaks—hums and ‘is that so?’s and ‘I see’s where appropriate.

It’s only as their tea comes to an end that he finally speaks, as opposed to simply responding and reacting. To be quite honest, Shura is surprised that he’s waited as long as he has to say what’s on his mind—what she knows he’d like to say.

“Actually, Princess, I had wished to speak to you,” says Baal.

“I had suspected as much,” says Shura, smiling.

She can’t help smiling—all this has been extremely enjoyable, and she isn’t so resentful a person that she’d hold the start of the end against Baal. She won’t do the spiteful thing and rescind her word-of-mouth support for Baal and any attempt he makes at taking the Demon King’s throne for himself.

“Would you perhaps like to request fewer tea parties? I understand that it can be a bit demanding: meeting with me so often only to listen to me speak and speak, on and on.” Shura really wishes Baal had brought this up while there was still tea to be had. Having something to sip would really help with how awkward it feels to acknowledge that she can be extremely chatty, and how that particular quality of hers might be affecting this arrangement. “I wouldn’t mind it, if that were—”

“Pardon my interruption,” says Baal. He sounds courteous enough and looks truly apologetic about doing so. Shura nods. “My intention was to hand you this.” He places a box, tastefully plain, on the table. He continues to speak as he pushes it to her end of the table. “You have expressed repeated interest in the Netherworld and its culture. Given your garden and your interest in flowers, I though that this would be an appropriate gift to you…”

Baal’s voice trails off, and he watches as Shura carefully takes off the box’s cover to find… she gasps silently as she lifts out the most beautiful vase she’s ever seen in her life. Its body is made of glass, clear and spotless. The glass is raised and stained in the shape of flowers, unidentifiable but beautiful, around the bottom of the vase. On the bottom, in a perfect circle, is a niginigi weed vine-and-leaf pattern alongside an inscription invoking healthy and bounteous growth for anything placed inside the vase. The vase must be artisan-made, maybe by a Stolas or a Strow or by a combined effort of the two bloodlines, given how powerful the magic of it is.

She looks up at Baal, at a loss for words. Her face must convey enough emotion, even through the veil, for him to understand what she’s thinking, because there’s an extremely pleased smile on his face.

“Baal, I…” she feels her cheeks flush. She searches her mind for words to say, and again comes up with nothing.

“Princess Shura,” says Baal, “it’s true that our tea parties are rather frequent. That does not mean that I do not enjoy them or the opportunity they give me to get to know you better.” His smile grows softer, and his eyes crinkle at the corners. “I especially enjoy your stories, Princess. You have a way of making each word that falls from your lips blossom like a flower, and arranging them such that your sentences are the loveliest of bouquets.”

It feels a lot like the floor has been pulled out from under Shura’s feet. She could levitate above it if she so wished, as if the sudden nothingness under her feet has no affect on her, but in this metaphor she’s falling fast and she isn’t even remotely interested in stopping her descent. She can’t describe the feeling, but she’s sure of one thing: she wants to know more about Baal. Not from the dry reports that she receives from her sources of Netherworld information, or from her own conjecture based on what she herself has found, but from Baal himself.

“Next time,” she tells Baal, “please tell me stories about yourself. As many as you can.”

***

There’s a troubled look on Amduscius’ face as he looks at the massive bouquet the princess sent Baal. The expression’s intensity increases as he continues to look over the bouquet. The rest—Atori, Ocho, and Kirio—wander over, clearly curious about what’s kept Amduscius silent this long. They all watch as Amduscius shuts his eyes. Pinches his brow. Sighs. Intentionally relaxes his shoulders. Then, he turns to Baal very slowly.

“What,” Amduscius says, controlled and quiet, “did you do?”

Baal shrugs, accepting the cigarette Kirio hands him. “Exactly what you told me.”

Amduscius gives Baal The Look™, the one that leaves even Atori fearful for his wellbeing. “Just the vase and the reassurance?”

Baal lights the cigarette and takes his first drag. It’s unfortunate that the taste of the smoke dampens the lingering aftertaste of scones and jam on Baal’s tongue, but definitely worth the way it feels to have that smoke fill his lungs. He holds it there a moment, and gives his response as he exhales.

“Mmhh.”

“…This is a return present for the vase? Just the vase?”

Baal shrugs. “Yeah.”

Amduscius looks at the bouquet again, and his face... see, Baal understands that flowers have meaning. Hell, he knows Paimon and Amaymon can send whole encrypted messages to each other just through their choice of flower and arrangement. He simply isn’t versed in the language of flowers himself—can barely even name what’s in the bouquet beyond the marcabrose, because only an idiot wouldn’t be able to recognise a marcabrose. But surely whatever Shura’s trying to tell him doesn’t warrant the way the furrow in Amduscius’ brow goes from ‘troubled’ to ‘extremely concerned’.

“Hey Poro, why the…?” Atori gestures at Amduscius’ face.

“Yeah, yeah, what’s wr—”

“Shut up!” Amduscius says viciously, cutting Ocho off. He turns to Baal and speaks, this time softer. “Maybe you should cut down the number of d—tea parties.”

Baal takes another drag of his cigarette. “Too late.”

Again, Amduscius looks at the bouquet. He puts his palm to his forehead and drags it down his face. He sounds done with everything when he responds. “Thought as much.”

“Besides,” says Baal, falsely chipper, “what’s the harm in entertaining her until she’s satisfied?”

***

(Also posted this here, but yeah. Hope you enjoyed :D )

#silkhy writes #rare instance of me posting my writing in its entirety to tumblr #but yeah!#also wanted to show off the fact that I’ve been paying attention to the shit the author tells us lol #but that’s whatever #Princess shura #sabnock baal #mairimashita! iruma kun #it’s also on ao3 yeah

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