#don’t get me started about how the bad kids act after that night in leviathan

[doodlebug-aboo]

hoping and begging that fabian in the bard classes this year and what we’ve seen of terpsichore so far means that we’ll get to see more of fabian dealing with some of his issues this season. i think brennan tried to set it up sophomore year after fabian’s No Good Very Bad Day in Leviathan, but all of the bad kids reacted SO poorly to fabian’s actual emotional state after that, that it never happened. i want a deeper dive into fabian and i want him to seek help <3 that’s all.

[astaroth1357]

Demigod MC Series: Athena

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

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

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

Lucifer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mammon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mammon: *stops* Ya say somethin’?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leviathan

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

What else did they like exactly? Military strategy!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Satan

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

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

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

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

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

It's confounding! It's infuriating!! 

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

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

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

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

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

Asmodeus 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Asmo: You’re going already??

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

Beelzebub 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Belphegor 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[solomonish]

selfless (to a fault?) [demon brothers]

CW: allusions to past toxic relationships. minor description of injury in beel’s. belphie’s is a bit sad (happy ending! just melancholic vibes) and alludes to chapter 16.

no problem nonnie! i hope this is to your liking <3

nowdateables: here!

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Lucifer

Honestly, he'd be a tough one to get to allow you to do anything for him. You know, the whole avatar of pride thing….and he also just generally has a habit of holding the weight of the world on his shoulders. He thinks - no, he knows he can handle everything on his own

If he's letting you in enough to help him - not only trusting you enough to think the tasks he delegates to you will be done to his liking, but allowing you to help and opening up the possibility that he might be risking his image of perfection - he can only expect you'll let him do the same for you. It's like your own special love language, right?

He does NOT like how jumpy you are about the subject. At first, he's miffed. Do you not think he can do the task to your liking? Has he given off the false impression that he cannot take any more work than he already has? Was your offer to help not based on affection, but pity??? It really ruffles his feathers.

He's the type to confront you head-on. At first, his voice is harsh because he's talked himself into thinking you've offended him, but when you start backing away and trying to dodge the conversation, apologies falling from your mouth about how the last thing you wanted to do was upset him, he softens. He doesn’t understand yet, but something is upsetting you and he intends to get to the bottom of it.

Not one who would pester you about opening up to him, but the sooner you do, the more of a show of good faith it is. He’ll trust your word entirely regardless, but it does a lot to soothe the upset of his own creation if you come back to explain sooner rather than later. After all, being vulnerable is perhaps Lucifer’s greatest show of love - it does not go unnoticed when you do the same.

Doing his best to talk through a solution is act of kindness #1 - and it helps you adjust a little since you worked with him rather than completely handed him the reins. He starts off his own plan to help you out by bringing in things he was already going to do for himself - offering you coffee when he gets his own, for example. He uses the fact that you’d feel bad for refusing against you for a little bit, but he means well!

You might notice him going softer on you for just a little bit - don’t say anything about it. He’s worried that he gave off the impression of using things against you because of how much of a disciplinarian he is. Besides, the two of you normally don’t get into arguments (he doesn’t have the time to let things simmer - if he’s that upset about something, he’ll try to address it immediately), so he doesn’t really know how else to change his behavior. He just hopes that allowing you the opportunity to open up to him again, should you need it, will alleviate the feeling that he’d ever use your kindness against you.

Mammon

The first time you stiffened up after he tried to help you, he thought you were crazy. Lucifer had just given you a punishment for one of his schemes that you took the fall for (and he still isn’t sure why Lucifer let you take the fall when it was obviously Not You), and you insisted that you could do it by yourself! He wasn’t too keen on cleaning every window in the House of Lamentation himself, so he left soon after placing the offer, but his time was spent mindlessly wondering about you.

The next time was shortly after, when you came into his room and crashed on his bed. He offered you a hand massage, although he did it in a very muttered voice with dark cheeks - and you said no again! Forget being offended that the romantic hand-holding idea he totally didn’t get from a magazine he was reading waiting for you (that would’ve somehow ended in disaster anyway) wouldn’t play out - he was getting worried.

He doesn’t bring anything up immediately, but he worries about you and watches you intently. Sometimes you’ll catch him staring at you, and he flips out when you ask him what’s up. The only clue Mammon gathers is that you don’t seem to be angry with him, so what’s up? He’s used to his backwards advances working against him, but he’s making a genuine effort here!

He finally gets pent up in his frustration and asks you head-on. Mammon isn’t known for his tact - “Oi, why won’t you just let me take over once in a while? Cut yerself a break, MC!” - but there’s a certain...desperate tinge to his voice that makes you realize he really does care (and is driving himself crazy trying to figure things out on his own). When you DO finally tell him, he sort of deflates and his voice goes to that softer, more genuine tone.

“H-hey, I would never do that kind of thing to ya…” He starts shuffling in place, kicking at rocks (if there are any) and you realize he kinda looks like a kid. “You do so much for everyone, and it makes me feel real good inside. I just wanna make you feel that, too. Besides, we don’t need TWO cranky workaholics in the house. Lucifer is plenty.”

He knows one moment of honesty isn’t going to fix your entire way of thinking, but he goes right back to his blatant offers after that. Maybe if he desensitizes you to it, you’ll feel less weird about accepting his help! It doesn’t work, so he shifts to little things. Catch him running across classrooms as soon as you’re dismissed so he can grab your textbooks to carry for you off the desk before you can. 

Once he realizes you’re more receptive to him helping you, he’s ready to breathe a sigh of relief and be annoying about it again. Generosity doesn’t come easy to him, okay? Besides, he’s The Great Mammon! You should’ve known he’d be better than any other guy you’ve been with!

Leviathan

Of COURSE you wouldn’t want someone like him to help you out. He’d probably mess it up, anyway…

Seriously, Leviathan is very sensitive to rejection, so the moment you politely decline any offers to help he backs up about a thousand miles and sulks when you’re not around. It’s hard for him to get out of his own head, and he’s so ready for you to just tell him what everybody else is thinking and how much he sucks…

It dawns on him, though, that you never gave up on him when he pushed you away. It’s totally not poggers sucky of him to just give up on you like that. You’re his henry! You’re his s/o! He’s totally ready to fight any boss for you!! …..after he levels up a little more.

Levi spends a TON of time looking up ways to talk to you, one-on-one. He isn’t good with emotions like this but he is capable of them and having deep, serious talks. It shouldn’t MATTER that his research material is a bunch of feel-good romance anime scenes that he based his most recent Top 10 OTPs of the season post on! 

Surprisingly enough, he brings it up relatively smoothly one night when you’re chilling in his room and he’s playing some relaxing simulator. You’re complaining about the things you have to do in the morning, and when there’s a lull in your conversation Leviathan turns and tentatively asks, “Hey...why don’t you try letting me help you out?” He can feel your refusal before it comes so he hurriedly adds “Please! I just- you stress yourself out so much and what good am I if I can’t even help you at all?”

Is it his impassioned plea for you to let him in? Is it his willingness to obviously step out of his comfort zone? Have your walls just conveniently crumbled at this moment? Whatever it is, you don’t have it in you to reject him when he’s so open about wanting to help you (and the pain it’s caused him not to). Either way, you sigh and give him a few, small tasks that you think you both could manage him having and he swears to do them well!!

Truly opening up to him about the reason why you were so hesitant on letting him help takes a while, and he doesn’t exactly pick up on it himself. Once you do tell him, though, in your journey to help yourself let him in, he holds you a little tighter and mumbles that he’ll never do that to you. Levi knows better than anyone that words can only mean so much, but he’s grateful for the chance to prove it to you. He won’t let his Henry down!

Satan

Satan is perceptive, and he knows how to talk about emotions. He might even have suspicious about the root cause before you even think about letting him know what’s up. He’s already started doing a few things for you - carrying each other’s books, for example. Small acts of kindness to get the both of you through the day.

However, one thing Satan isn’t good with…..is dealing with emotions head-on.

He spends so much time keeping his own under lock and key! After doing his best to keep the most calm, analytical front he can, Satan tends to uh….forget about the emotional part of emotions.

So. When he asks why you won’t let him reciprocate in the relationship, attempting to display that he just wants the two of you to be on equal ground and he is worried about you, he sort of comes off...as cold. And like he’s accusing you of feeling a certain way. He definitely presents it as “I’ve noticed you feel x and i think y would be helpful for us to fix it” rather than “how are you feeling? What is causing you trouble? How can i offer assistance in a way that translates well to you?” And if that doesn’t bring back some memories…

He feels awful, and at the end of it all you’re crying (or presenting your stress and bad memories however you normally do) and he still doesn’t know how to fix things. Counterintuitively, he looks through his books for an answer, and it takes him a few days to realize that’s what got him into this mess.

So he goes to you directly and, albeit a little clumsily, apologizes and asks what he can do to help you through this. You say that’s just the problem - you don’t want his help - and he sits next to you and just asks why? The two of you wind up talking for hours, sitting next to each other and just...really talking. You aren’t the only one feeling vulnerable - Satan is talking about his emotions full-on rather than through a scientific lens and it makes him just as nervous as you are.

Satan doesn’t get into arguments with you. He runs from the possibility because he’s worried about what his wrath could do to you. But he promises you that he could never hold anything against you, especially something like asking him for help. It’s an honor that you let him this close, and he can only return the favor in kind. He hopes you have enough faith to believe in him until he has the opportunity to prove it beyond a doubt.

Asmodeus

Asmo does things for people without asking. He gives unsolicited makeup and relationship advice, he offers to touch-up any products you may have on, he lends you clothes just because he felt like he should…

The thing is, Asmo will start before you even have a chance to ask him to stop. He’ll start before you’re even wondering if you like him. And at first, you’re ok with it. Well, you’re not, but you can decide he’s just testing the waters or that this is some weird demon way to earn your friendship or tell you he considers you a friendly presence, like cats. But it still rubs you the wrong way.

However, Asmo always notices that you...aren’t receiving it the way he wants you to. He invites you out and leaves you an outfit on your bed, and you come out wearing something entirely different. He leaves you a bouquet of flowers, and suddenly the dining room has a new bouquet in the center of it. (and you always avoid his gaze during those dinners, which is totally weird.) It’s almost like you’ve recognized the face he makes when he’s about to touch up your makeup, because you pull out a pocket mirror and check yourself over before he even has a chance to!

Are you leading him on? He doesn’t think so, but you are quite literally the only person he can’t literally charm the pants off of, and he isn’t quite sure how to navigate the signals you’re giving him. You seem fine with the relationship - it felt pretty genuine to him, and you looked thrilled when he made the romantic moves on you - so what was going on?

He finally caves and asks when he’s going through your wardrobe, sifting through it with you on the bed to make room for a shopping spree the two of you had been planning, and sees all the outfits he’d bought you hanging, still in their outfit bags. Some of the bags even had DUST on them!

He turns around and puts on a gentle voice. Though Asmo doesn’t know what’s happening, he can feel the air in the room shift and he knows he’s encroaching on some sensitive territory. “Hey, do you not like when I give you gifts? I haven’t been able to understand what’s been bothering you, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable…”

He does NOT like the way you turn your face away from him, but he sits a respectable distance away and keeps his hands in his lap. Asmo is as good at genuine advice as he is at gossip, so it isn’t hard for him to get you comfortable enough to open up to him. You don’t have to tell him everything at once - he’ll listen to whatever you’re willing to tell him, letting you lean against him when you’re ready.

Asmo is known for being petty, but you bring out sides of him nobody knew were there. He’ll swear up and down that he’d never turn your good heart against you - after all, it’s one of the many things he loves about you - but he does understand where you’d get that impression. If you’ll let him prove it to you, he will - and he’ll start by only pestering you to let him buy one outfit for you on that shopping spree!

Beelzebub

Listen. Beel is a generous soul (for a demon) ((to those he really loves)). He just doesn’t ever really find himself in possession of anything worth sharing. Really, the only thing he is ever in the possession of is food. When he isn’t at his sports practice, working out or studying, he’s eating, and he’ll gladly share his food with you.

Oh? You don’t want it? He gives you a confused look - he’d ask if you were feeling well if he hadn’t eaten lunch with you just an hour before - but shrugs, his growling stomach winning over his concern. It’s not like you’re skipping meals, anyway. It isn’t until you get hurt helping him work out and refuse to let him pick you up to carry you to medical attention that he gets VERY concerned.

He feels awful enough as is. It was his fault you were even there - he just wanted to add more weight to his workout. (And, he won’t admit it, the idea of using a bench you were sitting on to lift over his head may have been a bit overkill. But he saw that little spark that said ‘that isn’t possible but man i wish it was’ when you saw it happen in that show and mmmmmmaybe he wanted to impress you. How was he supposed to know Mammon had broken it and left it there?) He could practically feel the pain in your ankle from the sound it made, and you were clutching desperately to your shin, wanting to press on the wound but knowing it was a bad idea. MC, there’s no way you can walk on that, why aren’t you letting him help?

The guilty puppy face he’s giving you is making the whole situation worse. It’s taking everything you can not to snap on, from the overwhelming pain in your ankle to the negative thoughts racing in your head to the knowledge that you’ll have to give in eventually. Finally, you face him head on and decide to just rip the band-aid off. “I don’t have the best experience with letting people do things for me. If you’re expecting to use this against me, I’m going to be out of commission for a while, so remember that.”

He is. So confused. Are you really mad at him? What are you talking about? It’s not that he’s stupid - because really, he isn’t - this just kinda came at him from left field and he does not know what to do about.

“What? I’m worried about you, MC, and there’s no way you can walk on your ankle. Come on, please let me take you to get help. I won’t mention it ever again if that’s what will make you happy.”

So maybe it takes a while to get to the nearest infirmary, and maybe he’s going extra slow so as not to jostle our injury, and maybe in the meantime he’s being so contemplative and quiet that you have a heart-to-heart. Beel’s too genuine not to trust him when he swears he’d NEVER use your kindness against you, but he understands it’ll take a while to show you.

Belphegor

So. Um. This is awkward.

Belphie is a smartass, and he’s the youngest and used to getting his way. He’s definitely the type to dig his heels in and fight dirty in an argument, just because he’s used to winning. He’s also sadistic and has plotted with you to use his brothers’ weaknesses against them for fun. So he gets it. He totally gets why you would think he’d do it. Honestly, that’s basically what he did to free himself from the attic, only with more violence involved. He gets it.

Since Belphegor hasn’t exactly been the nicest to you in the past, he isn’t about to make you pity him with words like “yeah, of course you wouldn’t trust me after what I did to you…” First of all, on the off chance that it’s completely unrelated, he doesn’t want to put that idea in your head and give you a resentment you never had, but also he’s getting a hang of this redemption thing. Yes, on an average day he’s still a bratty, selfish little shit, but he does show you how sorry he is for using you and hurting you. It shows in the way he checks up on you in situations he knows you’re uncomfortable in, in the way he cares for you in that gentle way that’s so subtle you wonder if he’s even actively doing anything. (He is - offering you the best spot in a blanket nest, suggesting your favorite meals when the brother on dinner duty needs ideas, little things - and you both know it.) But how does he repent for something he doesn’t even know if he’s doing?

The way you stop cold when you peek in the kitchen and see him (and Beel) cooking the dinner you just complained about wanting hurts. The two of you have a stare-off for a moment, and Beel gets the message to slide out of the room. Belphegor clears his throat.

“What do you want?” You ask with narrowed eyes. Ouch, way to be a Lucifer. He instead says, “Nothing. I just wanted to do something nice for you.” “And you don’t want anything in return?” “Have I given off the impression that I would?”

You sigh and step into the kitchen to wash your hands, asking if he needs help since Beel left. He grabs your wrist. “You’re welcome to keep me company, but I want to do this for you.”

He doesn’t like you looking at him distrustfully, but is relieved you sit at the counter instead of leaving. He wants to ask you what’s up, but something is stopping him - he ignores that what’s stopping him is fear that you’ll have another thing to add onto the list of the unforgivable sins he’s committed. If you feel like telling him, he’ll listen - but until then, he’ll go back to quietly trying to prove his worth to you, hoping one day you’ll see that it’s genuine and let him give you all the good things you deserve.

[dreamkidddream]

Can I request a teen mc who is like YUJI from jujutsu kaisen as in they are the vessel of SUKUNA PLSS? Like maybe they can manifest SUKUNA in his curse form as another being as well like megumis dogs? (If you don’t know JJK can you just do a chaotic teen mc? ❤️)

WHEW THIS ALMOST DID NOT GET POSTED SINCE TUMBLR DELETED PARTS OF IT.

So let me tell you: I started reading the manga but have yet to watch the anime 😭 it’s really good though and I’m probably gonna start it this week, but I’m not sure if I’m 100% confident in writing Sukuna. BUT this request was too good to pass up, so if you don’t like it I will write the other scenario instead just let me know!

So for these headcanons, I made it to where MC is Sukuna’s vessel like Yuji, and that they can manifest him if needed. But, I still kept it to where he’s not exactly a good guy with MC’s best interest at heart. Reader is gender neutral and younger than the Bros, so the dynamic is more family instead of romance just a heads up! Hope you enjoy!

TW: Minor cursing, spoilers for Lesson 16 in Mammon’s, Beel’s, and Belphie’s part

The Brothers with Teen MC who’s Sukuna’s Vessel

Lucifer

Was very irritated with this revelation, but still curious

Still annoyed either way though

He already had to make sure that you stayed alive during your stay and not disappoint Diavolo, but now he had to make sure that you kept this curse at bay too!

#GiveLuciferABreak2021

He’s very skeptical of you: not only because of you being a young human but also being a human with essentially a demon inside of you

A very troublesome demon if not kept under control at all times

Honestly Sukuna was like an buzzing gnat who wouldn’t just go away, so Lucifer didn’t see him as a threat personally. More of a nuisance that could grow into a threat if remained unchecked

After you explained the whole situation, he still assigned Mammon to you, but he made sure to personally keep an eye on you too

Your presence was seen as a threat at first, but as time passed, he, along with his brothers knew you meant no harm, but the same couldn’t be said for this Sukuna

He wanted to have faith in you, but he couldn’t bring himself to fully believe it. After an incident at RAD with another demon attempting to attack you, your powers (or rather Sukuna’s) came out to play

He saw the markings, the extra eyes, the malice spread on your face, and he then realized just how serious this has become. You were able to gain control back, but the damage was already done. You were so distraught, sobbing before you, trying to apologize and swearing that you didn’t mean for this to happen, all the while Sukuna was laughing, morphing a mouth on your cheek

It was so bizarre to see, and he couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity for you. You were such a kind person, always going out of the way to spend time and help wherever you could. You essentially became a part of the family, but he knew that you didn’t feel accepted because of him

After that, your “punishment” was to practice holding control over Sukuna with Lucifer, every day after school (which can just be seen as him checking in on you on a daily basis, and trying out different techniques to make sure repeats of this incident doesn’t happen again). Meaning that you trained on manifesting him at will, instead of him completely taking over

Not gonna lie he’s acting like a proud dad when he sees you making progress and Sukuna just sitting in your head tired of all this positivity lol

Lucifer cares for you, he’s accepted you fully even if you hadn’t for yourself. He wants to protect all of his family (including you), and he doesn’t want to think about what could happen if Sukuna becomes a danger to the Devildom or Diavolo...

Mammon

Is impressed but also low key nervous

Humans are not suppose to be like this, ya know!

He’s not the smartest demon in Hell, but he definitely knows that you can’t summon demons without a pact, and he knows your baby face doesn’t have one with the King of Curses

You had to break down the whole deal, and it made him even more confused and distressed

Was still acting annoyed being your designated babysitter, I mean seriously, just how annoying can you be?!

Just kidding! You guys are totally partners in crime in no time and you both make Lucifer get 2x the wrinkles now

“MC, let the Great Mammon show you how’s it done!”

“Mammon, you’re going to be the reason why we’ll be strung up again for the third time this week.”

“It’s going to be both of your idiots’ faults. Such a pathetic display.”

SHIT HE FORGOT YOU GOT A WHOLE CURSE INSIDE YOU

He HATES whenever Sukuna makes an appearance, whether you call on him or he makes his own special appearance. He’s like a gritty and more sadistic version of Lucifer, minus the style and uptight personality (and honestly the finesse too), which made him 10x the more aggravating

He honestly hates Sukuna in general. Here you are, his MC, one of the only people to stand up and defend him always, struggling to live a normal life because of him. It was bad enough that you got sent down here with no warning, but now you got sent with him, and from what Mammon could hear with the conversations between you two, he wasn’t exactly your BFF

Denies being excited about seeing you perform your cursed techniques, but only because it brings him out (and he guesses it’s a little cool that you know how to do it). But human, you don’t need that lame curse, you got the great demon himself to protect you!

On a darker note, you made Mammon swear to you that if Sukuna took over and you for some reason couldn’t gain back control, that he would protect himself and his brothers first before worrying about you. He hated this even coming up, you should be worrying about what’s the next scheme you guys could pull off, not some weird sharpie colored entity causing problems. But you were dead serious, and you made him promise that if the worst case scenario ever happened, he would make sure it’s taken care of

Mammon realized you were the missing piece to their family. It felt nice to have someone depend on him, to actually treat him with respect and care for him truly. He refused to accept Sukuna as a part of you (really he just acted like he didn’t exist, which he didn’t in his mind), and he refused to let him or anyone else harm you

You’re family now, and he wasn’t going to lose anyone else ever again

Leviathan

Oh look, another normie

Wow, you’re such a normie that you’re even talking to yourself through a manifested mouth on your palm-wait WHAT

You broke it down to him, and you just...stared at you, with a blank expression on his face. Until-

“OMG THIS IS JUST LIKE THE ANIME-“

How ironic lol

He practically had a fanboy overload moment whenever you showed off your cursed techniques to him after he begged asked you countless times

You guys remember that vine with the kid saying, “I have the power of God and anime on my side”? Recreate that while doing your moves and he’ll be in awe and dying laughing at the same time

Will post it to his Devilgram and DevilTube

His envy will start to show at first. How is it that someone boring like you get to have all these cool powers and have an actual king reside in you?? You’re living the Shonen dream and not even grateful for it!

But this reality for him would soon shatter after he saw Sukuna for himself, and the way that he behaved towards you. The way that the curse would just look at with disdain in his eyes just made Levi’s skin crawl. He was made well aware that you were in fact not living the anime dream he thought you were. The look in your eyes reminded him of how he would feel whenever he felt like a scummy otaku, and from that point forward he would find ways to cheer you up

You can plan on having anime marathons, game nights, even talking with Henry (I hc that he can talk and understand aquatic animals) when you get into these moods. Anything that helps him get out of his funks he’s hoping it helps you too. You don’t deserve this type of treatment from anyone, especially someone that even he can no doubt eliminate

You were honestly one of the coolest people that he knows, and one of the strongest too! Not just physically, but mentally too. He can’t imagine what could be going on in your head since Sukuna became a part of you, but he knows that you’re strong enough to overcome anything that he throws at you. And if you had moments where you faltered or doubted yourself, that’s okay! Levi would be right beside you the whole way, doing anything he can to keep pushing you forward

Be the teen anime hero that he’s know you can be MC! You wouldn’t be his Henry if he didn’t have any faith in you, you know?

Bonus: you don’t have to worry about your anime nights being ruined after one night when Sukuna somehow found a spoiler to an anime that Levi was really anticipating became a very visual warning for the curse. Levi convinced you to let him take over, and whatever was said resonated with him because you never heard a peep after that, both out loud and in your head

Satan

Oh he was BEYOND fascinated

We all know how much Satan loves to read and how smart he is, so while you look at your condition as a curse (no pun intended), he saw it as an opportunity

Could you feel this curse coursing through your body? Did you feel stronger? Could he see through your eyes all the time or only when you let him? He had so many questions it wasn’t even funny

Very understanding of your situation surprisingly (but still called you dumb for eating Sukuna’s finger)

Satan would be one of the only people you could really trust when dealing with Sukuna. Yes, you trusted all of the brothers, but if you were really in a bind you could count on Satan to come up with a solution quickly

The only issue was his anger. Everyone knows just how angry he can get, and to avoid him ASAP if you even think he’s getting frustrated. Sukuna knows this too, and will be more than happy to taunt him to truly bring out his wrath. While he does need you alive (for now), it wouldn’t hurt to have some type of fun around here. Plus, this could cause your bonds with these brothers to weaken, and the weaker the bond, the weaker the will to help you keep him at bay and defeat him

But Satan knew better, and you did your best in keeping Sukuna away. He may be the Avatar of Wrath but that didn’t mean he was stupid. However, he did have one slip up unfortunately

You see, he was just having a bad day and already got into a spat with Lucifer, and you sensed that he certainly needed his space. So while you slowly backtracked to your room and from his path, Sukuna decided to be the evil ass that he is, and proceed to provoke him. What finally made him snap was his comment that, “You would be a formidable opponent if you weren’t in your older brothers’ shadow, but oh well. Can’t help who you come from I see.”

It took Beel, Mammon, and Lucifer to properly restrain him from ripping Sukuna (really you) limb from limb, with him laughing manically and you scrambling back in fear. Which called for a very long, detailed family meeting (of course after Satan fully calmed down) that resulted in mediated meetings between you and him for the next month. You felt guilty, you should have done better containing him, but you couldn’t predict whenever he decided to pop up!

But after a long talk, Satan didn’t blame you. He blamed himself for losing to his anger and especially blamed Sukuna. He decided that it was time to get rid of this pest once and for all. Be ready MC, cause once he puts his mind to something, there’s no stopping him

Prepare for your bonding time to be deep into books and practicing new hexes and curses. But don’t worry, it’s not always boring and Satan makes sure that you’re having some type of fun. He’s really doing this to have some sort of protection for you: whether it’s against Sukuna or himself. He wants you to know something besides your cursed techniques just in case they fail for some reason

Will shockingly want you to manifest the curse, one main reason is to obviously collect information on him, the other reason is to test said hexes and curses on him

Can a curse be cursed? Let’s find out

You helped Satan with him realizing that anger isn’t the only emotion that you can feel, and with you being so young, he wanted you to experience life as much as you can. And while you had an extra...passenger with you, he will do his best to make sure that it doesn’t get in the way of you enjoying life. It was nice to see a joyous smile on your face

Also you guys did find a hex that made Sukuna meow for the whole day and it was the best thing to ever happen with him lmao

Asmodeus

Honestly wasn’t really bothered with it at first. If anything, he treated it like hot gossip when you told him in the beginning

One thing he will say though: humans can be so revolting at times. I mean you ate a rotten finger, a cursed, aged, sharp, disgusting- you get the point. He did cringe at that, but everything else was pretty normal besides that

Still talked about your daily gossip, painted nails, the works. But recently, Sukuna’s name has been coming up more and more in your recent convos. Asmo, being quite the messy curious demon, wanted to know more about this curse

He really treated Sukuna like he was just your show and tell act and would want you to bring it out to see how he really was. He was amused with your cursed techniques, but he wanted to see more!

He heard you both talking with one another, and he wanted to see him in person! He hasn’t done anything and you’re among the seven strongest in Hell, so what could go wrong?

So much. So much could go wrong

And so much went wrong

After you manifested him, it went downhill from there. The large amount of control you did show caught his attention, but then it moved to the King of Curses himself. He was very delighted to see him up close for more than a couple of seconds, and took his time admiring his physique up close. It was fun for him, but not for you. Sukuna could feel your will slipping since your focus was being divided dealing with Asmo, so he took this as his time to shine

You had an exhausting day, and you were tired, which he used to his advantage. Asmo started to complain when Sukuna suddenly disappeared, but didn’t have a chance to voice it as your arm suddenly gripped the front of his shirt. He felt himself jolt, feeling his heart pumping. He looked into your eyes and realized that this wasn’t you, this was now Sukuna. The black markings that lined your face along with the new eye color (and the extra pair of eyes) came with a grin that stretched across your face

“What’s the matter? You were so eager to be in my presence, is it not to your liking now that the tables have turned? You claim to be one of the strongest, yet I would be able to kill you just being in this form-Ah, the brat is trying to come back, what a shame. Do me a favor, little Asmodeus, don’t insult me like this again. I am a King, and you will remember that. I might have to pay you another visit and take your heart with me next time to make sure you’re aware of that.”

He didn’t give Asmo time to answer, as his grip loosened and you were back. He saw you stumbling, shook out of his own thoughts and reached to catch you. He knew that this curse was an issue, but he didn’t understand just how serious this was, how serious it had gotten so quickly. The thought of Sukuna didn’t scare him, but the promise of him coming back just for him caused some worry. He wasn’t the weakest, but he didn’t want to hurt you! As much as he couldn’t stand his new found scorn of Sukuna, it wasn’t enough for him to take the chance of injuring you

You didn’t strike fear in him, rather the opposite. To see someone he has grown to care about be the one to try and bring his demise was...saddening. He could just feel his heart breaking at the notion. And if this experience taught him one thing is to be more understanding of what you’re going through

You remembered bits and pieces of the incident, and whenever you asked Asmo about it, he would divulge a tad in what happened, but wouldn’t go into too much detail. He didn’t want you blaming yourself, and he didn’t want you to distance yourself from him either. You already proven yourself of formindable you are ever since you gotten down here, and Asmo wasn’t going to let some jealous wannabe demon get in the way of that!

So no more talk of the thing, and whenever it did want to make an unsuspecting visit, Asmo would be ready. The thing was immune to most curses, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t be charmed to some extent, right?

Has covered the eye slits up with makeup and other beauty products every morning, becomes both of your favorite bonding activity. Anything to erase any evidence of it existing and to hear your giggles brightens his day everytime!

Beelzebub

Is very sympathetic of your ordeal

Has mad respect for you eating that finger though, even he doesn’t think that he would eat that

Maybe with some sauces and some Hellroast he might

Is another brother that tries to keep an eye on you. If this Sukuna really is as dangerous as you make him out to be, then he would make sure to be prepared if things went south

Beel’s motto: stay ready you ain’t gotta get ready

Will want you to practice your moves with him. Beel’s pretty powerful, and on muscles alone is one of the strongest brothers. He wants to make sure that you can recognize your full potential, and to always do your best. Expect to be in the gym or the HoL’s backyard working out and training majority of the week

Is thoroughly impressed with your cursed techniques

Beel doesn’t understand that while yes, you have a whole curse residing in you, doesn’t make you less of a human. He forgets that you still have some limitations, and you have to remind him at least twice a week. You gotten more powerful yes, but you still weren’t at Beel’s level

“You can do it MC! Don’t give up!”

“Beel this is over 500 pounds...are you forgetting that I’m still HUMAN-”

But you can never stay mad at him, he’s just too sweet and he means well. He genuinely wants you safe and prepared if anything happens with Sukuna, and if getting you buffed up makes him feel somewhat at ease, then you’ll deal with it

Shares his food with you sometimes. He makes sure that you eat properly too, so no skipping out on meals!

Great listener! Whether you’re complaining about class, talking about a new restaurant you’re interested in (he’s definitely tuned in), or venting about Sukuna, he’s all ears. Even gives you advice if you ask for it or if you really need it

Has encountered Sukuna while he took over your body once, and let me tell you, he was not happy at all

Beel is one of the brothers that are in touch with his emotions; he doesn’t really fly off the handle into a rage unless someone has done something to his family or if he’s being denied food. But now that you’re family and vulnerable not only to other demons but to this curse inhabiting your body, he wasn’t taking any chances

He made sure to be very clear when talking with Sukuna. He wouldn’t stand for anything happening to you, and he made sure that the curse would wish he stayed scattered if that boundary was crossed

Beel is a very protective big brother that’s constantly looking out for you all the time. Even if you feel like that you need to bare this burden on your own, he makes sure that you never feel alone.

He already lost Lilith, and he doesn’t want to lose you too. He won’t mess up this time

Belphegor

See, he knew that there was something wrong with humans, and you were living proof of that

How can you trust humans not knowing if they have another creature living within them?!

Whatever, he’s too sleepy to even care about it

And you weren’t one of the worst so...he guesses that you’re tolerable, but don’t push it!

In the beginning, he thought it was easy to manipulate you, but he could just sense that something wasn’t right with you (and no, it wasn’t because you were just human). He would hear you talking aloud to yourself, except that you were...responding to yourself too?

He thought you finally cracked up lmao

He brought it up as a joke once, but the way you reacted was tense and...ashamed? Oh, he just hit a gold mine. This could make things much more interesting. You shared a little bit of your story with this so called “King of Curses”, but he was smart enough to make a plan off of the information. Maybe he could take advantage of Sukuna like he is of you. Kill two birds with one stone

Well his plan backfired swiftly. After he was freed from the attic and went straight in for the kill, things went array. His hands were wrapped around your neck, he could-should see the life leaving your eyes, but instead he was met with Sukuna’s gaze. Belphie thought he planned this right, he made sure that he didn’t give you enough time to manifest him or to use your curse techniques, so how was this-

“You think I don’t recognize the look of bloodlust, you spoiled child? You were foolish enough to believe that you could get rid of me this easily like the brat?!”, and he was sent flying across the room. How was this happening, this wasn’t suppose to happen!-

“As much as I would like to see them die, they’re useful to me for the time being. Once they are of no use anymore, the only one who will be relishing in their demise is me. They’ll be dying by my hand, not by some weakened child.”

Those words still resonated with him still to this day. Honestly, the whole incident did. No matter how many times he tried to convince himself that you forgiven him and want to build a real bond together, his mind refused to erase that horrid memory, and he deserved it. When Belphie remembers back to that day, he remembers the horrified and heart breaking looks on his brothers’ faces, the way that your eyes show how betrayed and petrified, and how you were gasping out begging him to stop, before he comes out and puts everyone in danger

He felt disgusting, guilty, mortified, regretful, a disappointment. Those feelings only escalated after having them explain the truth to him, both about yourself and being a descendent of his dead sister. He could see how much you touched his family, and you extended that kindness to him too, and he just exploited it

He stayed far away from you for a very long time. He didn’t try to approach you at all, only staying in the planetarium or even the attic, to avoid crossing paths with you. He didn’t deserve to make a connection with you like his older brothers, as much as he wanted to. He was remorseful, it wasn’t because of the whole Lilith revelation, but because you really didn’t deserve that happening to you

You made the first move to make amends, to have a fresh start, and he couldn’t have been more grateful, albeit nervous. He was so terrified of messing things up again, but you were there to help keep him grounded. “I won’t lie to say that what you did was okay, but I’m willing to move on from it. You aren’t completely forgiven, but we can work towards fixing things, together.”

Belphie was shaken by Sukuna’s words, but he wasn’t necessarily scared of him. In fact, he would personally find a way to cast him out of your body and destroy him permanently as the perfect apology and thank you gift; the thank you for reuniting him with his family, and for helping them develop healthy relationships with one another. They weren’t as separate as before, and it made him feel so warm every time he thought about it

Not that he would ever say that to anyone

You both spent time together either napping or plotting for future LYS (Lucifer You Suck) pranks. And since Belphie is pretty good with magic himself, he would be teaching you some new spells or curses that you could use to protect yourself, even against the curse inside you

Belphie will make sure to not make another huge mistake when it comes to you ever again. He’ll have his little slip ups, but you were never put into harms way because of them. He doesn’t want to sabatoge this bond, and he wants you to truly be happy spending time with him. He’s not the greatest role model (obviously) and may be tight lipped about how he feels most of the time, but he really does have your best interests at heart

[plush-rabbit]

Mental Toll - Brothers.

Request: My mom kicked me out, her 15 year old daughter out of her house. And I've been staying with my aunt but everything is taking a mental toll on me . Can I get a Beel, mammon, Leviathan, or asmo comfort?

A/N: Sweetheart, I’m sorry for this. It can be all so difficult for you, but please take care of yourself. Remember that nothing is your fault, you’re a child, you’re gonna be okay. Please don’t keep these emotions bottled up (im also assuming this is comfort on your situation, so yeah)

-

Mammon:

You’ll always have a place with him. He’s taken on a guardian role for you and while he might have hated it at first, he’s grown attached to you. Your guardians in the Human Realm don't matter. They decided to leave you, so now you’re here with him and he isn’t going to abandon you anytime soon. Mammon may not know what to do when he finds you crying and unable to speak, but he cares and he’ll try to show that to you, telling you that you can bunk with him for the night- you get to take his bed and he’ll sleep on the couch, you don’t have to be alone.

He isn’t exactly the best at comforting, using a bit too many words only to come up short, but once that initial nervousness wears off, he’s comforting. He’s taken care of a child before- granted they were much younger, and was then put into the care of witches- he knows what a scared kid looks like. He’ll offer what he can to you and let you rest your head on his bicep as he listens to you ramble about what happened. He won’t ever push for you to talk, but it might help sort out all those feelings that are bubbling up inside of you.

Of course it’s difficult for the both of you. He isn’t too knowledgeable about the mentality and fragility of a human mind and emotions but he can assume to be essentially kicked out of a parent’s home can be rough. He’s dealt with it before even if he knew the risks. He remembers the nights of pain and agony, the silent suffering that was thick in the air, and the lack of self-care. He comes in with a small meal every day, grabbing random vitamins that he thinks might be good for you, and just lets you rest. You see a more hidden side of Mammon, the one that cares too much, that acts almost like a parental figure and have a comforting smile and gives nice hugs.

You aren’t free to rest forever. He’s also seen what that kind of damage that can do to someone's mental health. He won’t ever pressure you to go out and do something you don’t want to, but you do have to move from the spot on his bed. You can hide yourself in his room for as long as you want, but you can’t live your life stuck in a bed. He knows that that isn’t good for anyone. You’ll have all the space that you could want and need, but you need to also talk to him and take care of yourself.

It’s his role as your guardian to take care of you and make sure that nothing bad would happen to you- you being in the Human Realm makes no difference to that. You’re still under his protection and he’ll take care of you as much as he can. Mammon can be brash, and have his sin take over, but it isn’t all that he is. He can be selfless and take care of you and let you just relax around him. There’s no pressure put on you and he’ll protect you. He promises that- he’s a demon, he’s lived for a long time and he’ll live for an even longer time and as long as he’s around, he’ll protect you.

Leviathan:

Coming to Leviathan is certainly a choice. He cares- of course he does! But, he doesn’t know what to do. Of course he knows how it feels, but it was different and so long ago and buried under memories and the fictional world, that he chose to forget that. It’s different with you. You’re a child who’s crying and at a loss for a parent that left them and it must hurt. He’s awkward, but he’ll sit by you and have a hand on your back telling you to take all the time that you need. He’s always here in his room after all, so you can always find him.

In the beginning, he doesn’t know what to do. Surely, there should be words or tips online that could help him translate his words and feelings better than “that sucks.” An apology feels so fake and unsure and he doesn't want that for you. You deserve something real, an actual meaningful interaction that might help you but he comes up blank. He doesn’t know what exactly he should say, so he just lets you rest beside him as he tells you his own encounter with abandonment and what helped him.

He tries to make you feel better in a way that helps him- via distractions. It helped him and maybe it could help you. You like to spend time with him so you both must share some type of interest in common. He feels so proud of himself when he offers you to read his manga or play some of his games. It’s a nice distraction and depending on what you choose, it can be a great way to just open up emotions and see what could effectively help trigger just that blockade of emotions for the both of you. You don’t have to do it, but it proves to be nice to just immerse yourself in some fictional tale.

Eventually, he starts to read what you read once you’ve fallen asleep. You gravitated towards it for a reason and it’s easier to talk to you like that. You get to be the hero, the protagonist or whoever you want, and he knows the struggles that they go through. He can help through an outside glance. It starts off simple, just him mentioning comments, prying for information about why you like a certain character and then in just a blink of an eye, you’re crying. You opened up and he’s by your side.

Comforting you is a bit awkward, but what could he expect. He sits by you and lets you talk through your emotions even if it makes no sense- your words are garbled and out of order- but he gets the main point of it. Leviathan understands that you’re hurting and who wouldn’t be. You’re a child, and the love of a parental figure means a lot. He might not be confident to have that type of relationship with you, but he can certainly be a big brother who lets you come into his room and sleep in a futon that he has when you’re feeling particularly lonely.

Asmodeus:

His eyes are sad, the usual glow and glimmer dimmed and his smile once beautiful and stretched, it pulled into a soft frown. Even in sadness, he still looks beautiful. With a gentle pull, he brings you into his room, and lets you set your stuff down on the floor. Asmodeus holds your face in his hands and gingerly wipes away your tears. You’ve had such a long day and it’s no secret that he has the best bath in the house, so he lets you go use it in order to destress, just enough to clean yourself and have time to gather your feelings and thoughts.

The room is suited to him and to only him, but he figures that you wouldn’t want to be alone. He has to rid some of the extra pillows on the bed, rid of the stronger scents in the room in order to not congest you more, and just declutter his room a bit more. It’s suited for him, a demon who can and lives for the finer things, but for you, he needs you to be able to breathe. The sheets are replaced, the towel that he has set for you soft and fluffy and the clothes clean and smelling like the house, a much better scent than the stitched to your clothes. He sends it to you via magic, wanting you to come to him when you’re ready.

When you approach him, he gives you a comforting smile and pats the bed beside him. He grabs your hand and massages it slowly, telling you that he’ll be here for you if you need anything. You can talk to him or choose not to, and he won’t pressure you in the slightest. You can take your time to talk to him. He feels a bit bad that he can’t tell you that everything will be okay, he knows it will, so sure of it that he’d bet himself on it, but it isn't what you want to hear. You just need to know that he’s right there by your side.

For now, you’re okay. You’re safe in his room and he likes being an older brother- at least to a few. He likes to spoil people rotten, and he gets to do that with you. You get to have everything good and shiny. You’re going to be okay when you stick with him, because he won’t let anything happen to you. He’s going to be your new home, your new big brother.

The process is tough, and he doesn’t rush anything. It’s subtle with Asmodeus and being ever so careful with his appearance, he makes sure to take care of yours. Mental health is so fragile and he just wants you to be okay. He’ll offer substitutions if certain activities can feel a bit too difficult for you, but he doesn’t push too much. You still have to take care of yourself and it might feel overbearing, but he needs to take care of you.

Beelzebub:

Family means everything to Beelzebub. At the very end of it, it’s part of the core of who he is. He feels your pain and is empathetic when you tell him what happened and he holds you close, letting you rest on his bed as he sits on the edge with a comforting hand rubbing circles on your back. He’s a demon, he knows just how cruel others can be, and yet, to see someone hurt someone as young as you, it makes him sick.

Your tears hit him hard and he can only hug you as you cry into him about your situation. There are too many emotions inside of you and it must be so difficult for you to handle all of them and he wishes he could help take that away, but he can only hold you and make sure that you sleep in a position that won’t hurt your neck once the tears have tired you out. It’s the little things that he does for you until you come to him and explain everything to him, and he’ll listen and won’t interrupt.

During this time, he tries to not be imposing. He doesn’t want you to run from him so he’ll give you time to come to him when you’re ready. He checks up on you often, knocking on your door and entering with a few snacks. He’ll stay if you ask him and talk to you about mundane stuff. A part of him wonders if that’s really what you want to hear, but he can’t say anything different. He doesn’t know what it is that you want to hear and he doesn’t want to pressure you any further. Anyways, it seems like you like to listen to him during these moments. Maybe, he provides a nice distraction.

He’ll always make sure that he has his phone on him in case you need him. He’s told you before that you can contact him whenever you want, and that he’ll come running to you. He’s sure it’s his big brother instincts taking over. He may be the sixth brother, but it doesn’t remove the fact that he has a twin. It’s only by his power that he ranks sixth. With you, he can be a big brother and be the cool and caring type that takes care of you. You can always come to him whenever you need something and he’ll make sure to give you whatever you want.

It comes to no surprise that you two develop a strong bond and you start to stick to him and he welcomes that. He won’t leave you alone unless you ask him to and he always makes sure to include you in whatever activity he has. During lunch, he’ll sit with you and listen to you and he’s glad that you're starting to feel better around him. You’ve both grown quite attached and he tries to do good by you. Beelzebub will give you whatever you need because beside his twin, you’re the youngest in the family. He’ll reassure you that nothing is your fault, that you’re only a child and that you’ll be okay. You’ve been there for him and he’ll be there for you.

[rrasado]

The demon brothers with MC who is very childish like they still watch blues clues wear soft and pastel cloths and play with toys?

Such Childish Antics

And again, I’m soft af- y’all just keep sending fluffy requests and it’s distracting me from my daily dose of angst dkns/j. But on all seriousness I had a lot of fun with this one ^ ^.

Lucifer

At first it was...not exactly what he expected, like far from it actually. Was there something that purposely made you wanna act like this? Who knows.

When he checked your files prior it didn’t mention anything about... needing routine head pats or literal tucking into bed- heck he didn’t expect you to actually go along with Mammon’s equally childish antics.

Which fully circles us back to the subtle fact that he learns to actually find rest in your behavior because let’s face it- your childish and his brothers’ childish are different.

Actually gets worried when you refuse to eat your veggies tho- he didn’t think he’d had to resort to...very underhanded methods i.e. using illusion spells to just feed you proper food despite sweets.

“MC you must finish this if you don’t want to fall ill. You wouldn’t want that would you?”

Very by the book with dealing with you he isn’t exactly the best at kids due to his aura but overall his actions make up for it.

Mammon

The solidarity you two have just spiked up tenfold, don’t worry about being the few people that still use jinx or superstitions like swallowing gum and believing it’ll stay there for the next seven years, because mammon also semi believes them-

But on a more chaotic note, mammon would go from ‘hey I don’t like the human being here why do I have to look after them they’re so childish-‘ to ‘oi f*Ck you my child is fine-‘

Sometimes feels guilty of taking advantage of your childish nature so he makes sure to make it up to you in some way whether a food treat a plushie treat or heck whatever outing you’re up for.

Which equates to the conclusion that if mammon is being nice to you he might’ve pulled a joke or two unbeknownst to you and his mind won’t let him rest the guilt dsdkwksk.

“Yo! I found a new ice cream downtown wanna get some and try? We can bring beel if ya want!”

As proven by season two(?) he’s good with children so I believe he’s the best at dealing with you in general. Besides you distract him from the suffering he gets from his brothers so win win!

Leviathan

This can go either two ways, one a grand friendship via watching anime and reading manga/comics or two unholy screeching cause hey Mc don’t touch those not so family friendly series he has ey-

So starting with the former- wait you said you wanna binge some colorful series instead of doing work? GRAB THE POPCORN LE GO- will literally have stars in his eyes the moment you two click on one series and it’s just a rant (on his end) while you nitpick at your favorite elements of the series.

The latter well, after delving into your more hyper ish series he’ll try to avoid letting you catch glimpses of his other stuff, which we all know is a lot but we don’t need to mention that now do we-.

Will not hesitate to pull out a human tv with a human cable plan just for you to binge watch your own cartoons and series because if that’s what it takes for you to calm down then aIGHT- besides it’s calming you down so win win?

“Hey wanna cosplay that duo together?”

I kid you not it becomes a dream come true when you both get to cosplay duo characters from series and the sheer nya uwu power you two hold is powerful enough to break devilgram records djdjd.

Satan

As uncanny as it sounds, he reads bed time stories for you, to put into context- he teaches you a lot of useful still via bed time stories because he can’t approach you the normal way.

Like- the concept of corruption in the history of the Devildom? Yey let’s turn that into a tyrant king! Need to learn the importance of always having one of the brothers with you? Eyyy this is the tale of the Queen’s child and their knights!

If there are any words you have a hard time getting your head around or just don’t know the meaning like at all, he’s your go to dictionary.

Suffice it to say he’s good at what he tries attempting. Was at first a bit concerned because you complained about his books not having pictures and it takes the fun out.

“Hm? Well we can always search for ones with diagrams in the library if that’s how you learn faster...”

Surprisingly to him those horrific diagrams did help you learn faster in various Devildom subjects, but your suggestion of making them colored ink was just calmly rejected.

Asmo

I pray for the House of Lamentation’s mail box because it’s full of chEQUES AND BILLS- the shoppings sprees you two go on is enough to even have Mammon concerned.

Like- you two just went down town to buy some new matching outfits and really pretty ones at that, and asmo is now dragging you by the arm to head to another newly opened boutique saying it’s from another district and he and has to be the first ones to post some of their pieces? Mhm

Non stop devilgram pictures, you are the epitome of color in the Devildom soley because of this Demon- He actually managed to make pastel a trend in the gloomy circle of hell with the amount of pastel you wore in your pics together.

When he takes care of you or offers you a relax day, mans will grab the most spontaneous bath soaps and body washes and even make you a bubble bath with hella cool shaped bubbles in, ngl I want one now-

“Ahh darling your genuine laughter is just a good break from the others’ bickering it’s actually doing wonders for my skin-“

Asmo is the ultimate wine aunt and he will not hesitate to end anyone’s career the moment they speak of one negative thing about his precious human.

Beel

....we all know it’s gonna be glorious food- ANIMAL CAKES AND CUTE CUPCAKES THINK ABOUT IT GUYS THINK ABOUT IT-

His food diet looks like a Pinterest aesthetic pastry board because of you, the amount of cafes and cute bakeries you go to because you said you liked their vibe and that they look cute has him nomming sweets upon sweets.

Heck- you two Will attempt to make those cute Sanrio bento boxes for lunch, well more like for you cause he doesn’t care what his food looks like but hey! If it makes you happy and if it’s good then he’s hella happy.

Is probably on Lucifer’s side regarding you needing to eat your veggies. He’ll shape them into cute animals and objects if that’s what it takes assuming he can even go without eating them himself-

“Please MC? For me? Finish mr snikerdoodles-“ “you named your chives after what-“ “hush it Belphie”

Will join you and mammon on district runs for food and outings, will also join you and Levi when making cute food from certain series you’ve watched.

Belphie

Depending on how childish you are you’ll either see nap time as a blessing or a punishment, no matter which one you’ll still wind up napping with belphie.

Ya don’t wanna nap? Well too bad cause you’re already trapped with his arms to sleep, he does that with his pillow and since his pillow helps him sleep well Goodluck cause you’re now a plushie.

You wanna nap? Good cause you get to nap with a lot of stuffed toys heckin soft pillows fluffy blankets and a grown man to make sure you actually sleep and not...pretend. (I actually do that a lot believe it or not-)

But here me out, animal onesies, matching animal onesies, matching soft and comfortable animal onesies- ok but really, onesies you two will wear and not care if the others see because you’ll walk a round the house and that at night heading to the twins’ room.

“Want some milk before bed? It’ll probably get us more good dreams..”

Whether he actually believes what he’s saying or not, a good glass of milk before bed is one of the few calming routines you two share and he finds them pleasant.

[itsthestutterforme]

Friendzoned (Supernatural)

Characters: Dean x demon!reader, Crowley x reader, Sam x reader

Summary: Y/N admits her feelings for Dean and Dean lies about not feeling the same way as a way to save her friendship. She goes off the deep end and convinces a demon to possess her so she can escape her harsh reality.

--

I've had enough of this. Enough of hiding away my emotions from Dean. He can already tell that something is up. Dean and I met on a vampire hunt in Ohio and we've been friends ever since. He mentioned that I was the youngest hunter he's met and that I shouldn't be hunting alone. I told him to shove it and that was the deal breaker.

He's been there for me when my depressive episodes would spike and I was there for him through Lilith, Abaddon, Megatron and the Leviathans. I used to think that our friendship was just that, friendship. But one night when me, Sam and Dean went to a hunter barbeque, a light bulb went off.

I was talking amongst some old friends when my eyes went looking for Dean. I saw him laughing hard about something. The type of laugh where his face turns red as a tomato and his eyes were screwed shut. Butterflies built up in my stomach and a soft smile tugged at my lips.

"Ooo, I see you eyein' up Dean Winchester." One of my friends teases whilst nudging me with her elbow. "Believe me girl, everyone has at one point. He's fine as hell." I silently curse myself when my cheeks redden with embarrassment. "Girl, stop, you're making her blush," my other friend teases.

"Can you guys just stop? I don't have feelings for him, okay. We're just friends," "Oh yeah? Then why is he looking at you right now?" I look over my shoulder to lock eyes with Dean as he takes a swig of his beer.

He sends me a wink and I roll my eyes. "Just friends my ass," "Stop it," you beg, wanting then to change the subject.

"Girl! They're coming over here!" Sure enough, Dean and Sam walk over to us. "Ready to head out?" Dean asks. "You sure? You seem to be having fun with your pals," "Ah, I'm missing my bed right about now." Dean says as he wraps an arm around my neck. He tightens his grip and pulls my head down as rubs the top of my head with his knuckles.

"Ouch, Dean! Let me go," I exclaim as I hold onto his large forearm. I apply slight pressure to his ribs and he grunts, momentarily letting go of my neck. I push him and jump up to slap the back of his neck. Instead, he grabs me and throws me over his shoulder.

"Dean, put me down!" "See you around ladies," Dean states before advancing towards the Impala. What was that about? When did he become so touchy?

Later that night after a long bath and an even longer time thinking about it, I decided to go for it. I walked up to his room and knocked on the door. "It's open," he calls, and suddenly my nerves started to take over. "D-dean, I need to talk to you about something,"

"You okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine.. physically." "If this is about you not fully believing that I'm okay after the Mark, I told y-" "I love you, Dean." "I love you too, Y/N," "Not like that," Dean's face falls and my hands ball up at my sides.

"Y/N, I don't. We can't," "Why not?" "Because after everything that happened, we were there for each. We were able to do that because there was no romance involved. Just commitment to each other."

Words were trapped in my throat and you look away from him. "You're right, I'm sorry." I say softly. He stands from the bed and slowly made his way towards me. "Y/N, you're more than just family to me. You're so beautiful and pure. And I don't want to taint you," he says, trying to touch my face.

I push his hand away and say, "What is this talk of pure? I'm not a virgin, Dean." "That's not what I meant. I.. You're like my daughter, Y/N. There are things that me and Sam went through to keep you safe. To make sure that you don't never feel what we felt." "Daughter?" I say in disbelief.

I take some steps backwards and Dean tried to reach for me. Daggers stab my chest and tear prick my eyes. "I need some air," I rush out of his room and ran into mine. I close the door and lock in case Dean tried to follow me.

I collapse on my bed and rest my back against the headboard. My elbows come into contact with knees as I hold my face in my hands. Why didn't I keep my mouth shut? Did I ruin things between us? I think as I gently cry into my hands.

**

Third Person POV

Things have been quiet and tense between you and Dean. Dean had enough of it. You guys just got back from a hunt and the first place you went was your room. Dean followed you and bursted into your room without warning. Your heart nearly launched outside of your chest. "What the hell, Dean?!"

"We need to- where are you going?" He asks when he sees a duffel bag on the bed. "Home, my Mom wanted me to visit. And I need a change in scenery," you lie. You just wanted to leave the bunker and find something or someone that makes you feel like someone. Hunters very existence is to be invisible, go into towns undetected. They have to be nobodies to thrive as a hunter.

And you're tired of being a nobody. You want to be a somebody. "You can't leave when we are on bad terms," "That's what I'm doing," Dean puts his hand over yours to stop you from packing. "Y/N, look at me." You slowly comply and he adds, "I care for you deeply, and I'll do anything to bring things back to the way they were."

"I just need time," you say. Dean takes a moment to look into your eyes in search for a lie. And he found one. He knew you like the back of his hand, of course he knew when you were lying. "You're lying. Just tell me what you want, Y/N. And I'll do it." "You want to know what I want? I want out! I want to make something of myself," you snap.

You pull away from him and he stands up straight. "That's not what you want," "How the hell are you going to tell me what I do or don't want?" "Because I know you better than you know yourself. You just want to belong," "Fine, you're right. But I don't belong here." "You don't mean that." He crosses his arms and narrow his eyes at me.

"And what if I do," you say, mimicking his actions. "You're not leaving," he says before advancing towards the door. He closes it and you heard multiple locks clicking. You never understood why the doors locked on the outside. "Wh-- are you serious?" You bang on the door and yell, "Let me out of here!"

"I would cancel your plans with your mother if I were you," "God, you are such an asshole, Dean!" You collapse to the floor and lean your back on the cold, rusted door. You wanted out of here, which means that you had two options. Both you would regret, but what the hell. You only live once right?

You find yourself talking to Crowley until he appeared. He looked around the room with his hands stuffed into the pocket of his black trench coat. "Well this is unexpected," he says amusingly. "I was about to say the same thing," "Any particular reason why you called? Or are you just lonely?"

"If you even think about it, I will kill you," you threatened, brushing off your hands as you stand up from the ground. "You a most definitely a Winchester," he says with a chuckle. You roll your eyes and say, "I need to ask you a favor,"

"Let me guess, get you out of here? If I may ask, how did you get grounded anyway?" "None of your business and that's not what I was going to ask." "Well spill it out then. I don't have all day," "I want you to find a demon to possess me," you say all in one blurb.

"Damn, you're full of surprises, aren't you?" "Are you going to do it or not?" "That depends if you're completely aware of what you're asking." You lift your shirt where your devil's seal resided. Taking out your pocket knife, you cut through and broke the seal.

"I guess you are." He snaps his fingers and black smoke comes from the vent and aim straight towards you. "Good luck, darling," Crowley says before leaving. You fall to the ground and fell unconscious momentarily.

The demon was in charge and looked around the room. They stood from the ground and looked in the mirror. "Finally, a hottie." The demon finished packing their belongings and blinked into the garage to hijack a car.

"Is that the garage?" Sam asks while he was in the middle of arguing with Dean. "Y/N," Dean says before sprinting towards the room. Sam ran into the garage but Y/N was already long gone. Dean's eyebrows furrow when he sees the door was still locked and shut. It wasn't until he smelled sulfur that he knew what it was.

"Sam, she's possessed," Dean says. "What? How? She has the devil's seal, right?" "She must of broken it. I can't believe she would do this," "I can't believe you locked her in the room like some kid," Sam snaps.

"So you're saying that this is my fault?" "I'm saying that you could've handled it better." "I don't have time for this, I have to find her." "Where would you even start?" They both look at each other for a few seconds before saying in unison, "Crowley,"

Weeks went by and you were in the wind. But truth be told, you were having the time of your life. Crowley made sure to give you the soul of an gay, extroverted fuck boy. The exact opposite of who you were. The demon has been bouncing between bars and clubs, bring home new guys every other night.

They made sure to stay under the radar so the Winchester couldn't track them. But one night, they decided to twerk on the bar with a bottle of Hennessy in their hand. Sam found it through an algorithm he created and showed it to Dean.

"What the hell is sh- is she twerking?" Dean says both in disbelief and disappointment. "It seems like she's-" "Like she's what, Sam?" Dean snap, unable to pull his eyes away from the computer screen. "She's having fun."

"Come on, that's just the demon possessing her," he says, his eyes still glue to the computer. Sam closes the computer and Dean's eyes were starting to glaze over. "What if she doesn't want to be found?" Dean says softly.

"She'll miss home, eventually. She just needs time." "How much time, Sam! She's being selfish! She's acting like our relationship is one sided. I love her just as much as she loves me." "As friends, Dean. She needs to accept the fact that you see her as a daughter,"

"I don't actually see her as a daughter. I don't even know why I said that." Dean sits down and placed a hand over his face. "You have to tell her how you really feel, dude. Time's running out." "Listen, she's in Detroit. That's almost a half day's drive. If we leave now, we can get there at 8 in the morning." Sam adds.

In ten minutes, the made their go bags and took the Impala out of the garage. When they get there, Dean got straight to business after he downed three coffees. Time is of the essence when it comes to this demon. They never stay in the same town for longer than two days.

Sam and Dean ask around for Y/N and a man overhears her name. He knows the name because she slept with him last night after they met each other at a club. "Hey, is she in trouble or anything?" He asks.

"No, she's not. She's our family and we just want to make sure she's okay," Sam states. "The last I saw her, she was in Victory Hotel. You guys are some lucky bucks," "And why is that?" Dean asks.

He knows where this was going, but didn't care. He was looking for something to punch anyway. "She does this little twisting trick when she's on top that I--" Dean's fist collides with the man's face. He catches him before he hits the ground to slam his face against the bar counter.

"So she is your girlfriend," the bar tender says to Dean. Dean storms out of the bar and everyone looks to Sam in deafening silence. A nervous smile tugs at his lips and he awkwardly walks out of the bar.

Dean waits for Sam before driving to Victory Hotel. Without another thought, Dean walks in and slams $200 on the counter where the clerk resided. "Y/N, what room is she in?" Dean asks. "R-room 30," the clerk stumbled.

"Dean, wait," Sam calls out as he follows Dean up the stairs to Room 30. "You have to calm down," Dean ignores him and kicks the door in. The demon yelps out in shock before a playful smirk fell on their lips. "Hey there, Deany boy. I'm assuming you're here for you little lady back." They ask.

"Put her on," Dean commands. "What if I don't, huh? What exactly would you do to me? To her. Absolutely nothing," they taunt. "Why did she do it?" Dean asks, getting closer. "She said that she wanted to feel like someone instead of a nobody lurking in the shadows. And I don't blame her, you called her your daughter. Ouch."

"I would want to leave you too," "She really wanted to leave?" "You know what? How about you talk to her," the demon says. Y/N came to the surface and you nearly lost balance. "Y/N?" Sam asked. You looked over to him first before cowering under Dean's angry gaze.

"You had us worried sick about you, Y/N. What the hell were you thinking!" "For once, I was thinking about me and my life, Dean! Is that so hard for you to comprehend!" "You hate being called a child, yet here you are, acting like one!"

"Screw you!" "You mean like you did the grocery list of guys." Your hand comes up and slaps him. Your hand print instantly made a mark on his cheek. "My sex life is none of business," "You me to kiss you? You want me to be with you, fine."

Dean rushes over to you. "No, it has to be your choice. Not an ultimatum. And you made it clear that you didn't--". Dean's hand finds your stomach and pushes you into the nearest wall.

Before you could object, he slams his lips on yours. Your body instantly tenses and every time you try to pull away, he follows your lips. "I'll just be outside then," Sam says. Your legs became jello and you no longer felt the need to fight him.

He steps closer to you until your body melted into his. He softly pecks your lips every time you try to speak. When he finally pulls away, you are completely speechless and tired. "I lied about before," he whispers.

You look into his eyes and a small part of you believed him, but not enough of you did. "Let's go," You say to the demon. "No," Dean says but the demon already took over. "Whew, you really know how to make a girl wet. I'll have to take care of that later. Those lips certainly works wonders and you almost won her over.. almost."

Dean tries to tackle the demon but with the flick of wrist, they send Dean crashing into the wall. "Dean!" Sam says as he rushes into the room. "Oh, and Y/N says to stop looking for her. Tootles!" They said before blinking elsewhere. "Damn it!" Dean yells before flipping the table. "Get Crowley on the phone, now!"

**

With Crowley and Cas' help, they summoned Y/N within minutes. They trapped her in a devil's trap and the demon crossed their arms. "You really don't know how to take a.. hint." The demon says when they see Crowley standing in the corner. "My apologies, my liege," the demon says.

Crowley walks up to them and says, "Get out." "I didn't hurt her, like you made me promise, my liege," "Either you get out or I kill you. Your choice," Dean says, taking out his inscribed knife. "Oh please, you would rather stab yourself than stab her,"

Crowley snapped his fingers and the demon left Y/N's body. "I'll deal with you later," Crowley says to the demon as it goes back to Hell. You collapse to the ground and slowly lift your head to see everyone. Embarrassment warms your cheeks and your gaze falls to the ground.

"Guys, we should give them some privacy," Sam says. Dean kneels down next to you but you refuse to meet his gaze. "Y/N, you gotta talk to me, please." "I don't even know what to say, Dean."

"Let's start at the night after the barbeque," "Let's not, Dean. I don't want to relive that pain," "What about my pain, huh? What about my suffering?"

"Y/N, I'm sorry for hurting you and I'm sorry for lying to you." You stand up from the ground and look down at Dean. He stands up and brushes the dirt from his hands. "But I understand if you want to leave," he adds.

You turn to walk towards the door but stop yourself when your hand touches the cold door knob. You turn back around and run into Dean's arms. You squeeze him as hard you could and he tightened his grip on you.

"I'm so sorry for everything, Dean," you whimper and he says, "There's nothing to be sorry about. You found a way to cope and I should have judge you on that."

"Dean, about that kiss," you say and Dean pulls away from you slightly. He looks down at you but didn't move his hands. It was like he was waiting for the signal to kiss you.

"You were right, about leaving things as friends. You are more committed that way. As ass backwards as that sounds, it finally makes sense now."

"But kiss me like that again, and that won't be the case anymore." You joke but Dean still looked quite serious. "Dean?" He grabbed the back of your neck and captures your lips in a burningly slow kiss.

He brings you closer by the hips and slides his tongue against yours. You moan softly and try to pull away before you coupf make anymore noise. But of course, he follows your lips and bite down on your bottom lip.

You finally managed to pull away from him and put your fingers against his lips so he wouldn't kiss you again. "My God," you say softly. "We'll continue this later, but I'm hungry and I have to kiss and make up with the rest of the team," you add, earning an eyebrow raise from Dean. "Not actually kiss, Dean. It's an expression,"

"I know, and I never liked it," he says, squeezing your hips. Now you start to wonder what exactly you got yourself into?

[quazartranslates]

Welcome to the Nightmare Game II - CH49

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

-----

Chapter 149: Purgatory Reunion (I) {cw: misgendering}

[Player Qi Leren has completed the task Star Death Reality Show. The task completion rate is 77%.]

[A reward of the base 15 days survival days has been given. 77% of task completion rewards 31 extra survival days. Best of the Day ranking was received 3 times, earning the reward of 15 survival days. Eliminated all amphioctopuses for the reward  of 30 survival days. The proportion of the audience who questioned you was 47.8%; the reward is retained.]

[Data synchronization countdown, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, synchronization complete.]

　　&&&

"Aaaaah how could they kill us!" As soon as he came back, Qi Leren heard Dr. Lu’s screams. "It's really crazy! Blowing up the four of us together to destroy the octopus! Is this something that people do?!”

Du Yue was also very depressed: "That, how can it be like this..."

Qi Leren thought that this was unexpected. Looking at the strange things done by the copy’s cast, and how many strange alien creatures existed in the universe, the future interstellar world was probably not a civilized world ruled by law. In order to avoid future problems, it had bombed the planet, destroying the humans and the threat together… If the military in the Alien movies was so decisive, the Alien series wouldn’t have been able to go on for so long.

He just didn't know how the audience felt. But as for what kind of "audience" existed in that copy, Qi Leren couldn't figure it out now. He guessed that there may be no "audience" at all, and the Best of the Day and questioning rate were just a set of data simulated by the system.

Qi Leren took a look at his survival time. He had had 147 days at the start of the copy, and his survival time would not pass while the task was in progress. However, because he had used that bug-like card [Sophisticated Lawyer], he’d consumed 130 days of survival time all at once, and only 17 days remained at the end of the task.

This task had rewarded a total of 91 days, so now he has a total of 108 survival days, which sounded good, but... Qi Leren looks at his missing left hand. He would have to pay at least one hundred survival days to make it grow back—he had come back to life, why couldn't his missing hand grow back as well?

Qi Leren has many speculations about how he had been resurrected from a pile of meatloaf. He vaguely felt that he was different from before. He could feel a huge energy, but he didn't know how to push open the heavy door that blocked him from it.

Dr. Lu wanted to take Qi Leren to find the player who could regrow limbs. Qi Leren refused: "I’m in a hurry now, I’ll come back to you later when I’m free."

Saying goodbye to Dr. Lu and Du Yue, Qi Leren rushed to Chen Baiqi.

When Chen Baiqi saw Qi Leren, she was really surprised: "What happened to your left hand?"

"It's a long story, listen to me first! Is it safe here?"

"...Come with me."

In the basement that usually acted as their training ground, Qi Leren spoke quickly about what had happened in the task, and also told Chen Baiqi about the laptop.

Chen Baiqi listened to him quietly until she heard the news of Ning Zhou's death.

"So I have to go to the Underground Ant City’s Purgatory as soon as possible, and I don't have much time left," Qi Leren worried.

"Yes, but I'm afraid it's dangerous for you to go alone. You’ve broken your shell now, and you’ve already sensed your original force. Although a half-field hasn’t yet been completed, you’ve been much faster than I expected... We’re not ready, tsk, it’s troublesome, and you survived falling into a mess of meat. I’ll go to see the Prophet later and ask his opinion." Chen Baiqi's slender eyebrows furrowed. It was rare for her to have an uncertain expression. "Forget it, I can’t help with anything right now. When you bring Ning Zhou back, we'll think it over again. Wait a minute and hold your horses, and I'll ask if anyone at the Court will go to the Underground Ant City. If so, they can take you there."

The next few hours were as busy as a fight. Qi Leren took the time to recover his left hand. Dr. Lu volunteered to help him pay all the medical expenses. Qi Leren was very moved and then refused him: "Forget it, I’ll be going somewhere dangerous soon. I may not be able to come back alive. If I owe money, I won’t be at ease when I die."

"...This is the first time I’ve seen someone curse himself so bluntly." Dr. Lu looked pained. "You have to cherish your life, isn't it good to live?"

"This is only the worst case scenario," Qi Leren said calmly. He had realized that whether he raised flags or not, his lucky value wouldn’t change from E to S, so it didn't matter.

"But treatment takes 100 survival days at once. This is still the value of friendship given to you by your cute peer... Hey, shouldn’t you have a lot of survival days from the previous Holy City task?" As soon as Dr. Lu counted the time, he felt that Qi Leren’s survival days weren’t quite right.

"I encountered some things and deducted 130 survival days... I will come back and tell you in detail next time." Qi Leren felt depressed when he thought of Su He’s face.

"Did you have it deducted because too much of the audience questioned you?" Dr. Lu said doubtfully.

"No, it's something else." Qi Leren said anxiously, "Don't talk about this right now, talk about the treatment."

"Oh, then I'll pay some of it for you first. Give it back to me when you have more time next time," Dr. Lu said generously.

"Well, I'll sell this to you." Qi Leren remembered the reward he received after killing Leviathan, and showed the item [Lucky Revolver] to Dr. Lu.

[Lucky Revolver: There are six slots in this gun’s chamber, one of which is loaded with a bullet. Shooting at one's own temple can give one minute of absolute defense within a radius of 500 meters around the locked target, but the absolute defense is invalid for this bullet. Even if you are lucky, God will only give you five minutes. If you are not afraid of death, you can continue for another minute. Locked target: not set.]

"Oh, this is good!" Dr. Lu picked up the revolver and said happily, "You can get five minutes of absolute defense in a critical moment!"

See, this is the confidence of a European emperor. When he looked at it, he felt that he would not be shot, while Qi Leren felt that he would absolutely be shot! If it had to be used, it could be paired with S/L Data, but Qi Leren was short on time now, so he chose to sell this item to Dr. Lu.

Finally, this item was given to Dr. Lu for 20 survival days. After deducting the treatment cost, Qi Leren had 28 days left, which was enough for him to go to Purgatory deep in the Underground Ant City.

After his limb regrew, Qi Leren, who was sweating profusely, rubbed his newly grown left hand and hurried to Chen Baiqi's house.

"Why is it you?!” Qi Leren saw the Illusionist drinking tea with Chen Baiqi, and he had a bad feeling in his heart. After asking, his hunch came true. The Illusionist just wanted to go to the Underground Ant City to perform his mission, and promised to take Qi Leren with him.

"Can you fly an aircraft? Do you know the way to the Underground Ant City? Do you know how to deal with demons? Do you know anything about life in the Underground Ant City? Do you know where Purgatory is in the Underground Ant City? If you don't know all this, do you dare to go to the Underground Ant City? Kid, do you think the world outside is as peaceful as the Village of Dusk?" the Illusionist mocked Qi Leren with a smile.

Qi Leren didn’t dare to refute. Although he had gained a preliminary understanding of information about the Underground Ant City when acting undercover as Red, after all, he had never been there, and his understanding of it was very superficial, so it was very dangerous to rush forward.

"Time is of the essence, you should set off tonight. Take this material and equipment, Qi Leren. You can use them on the road, and ask the Illusionist directly if you don't understand anything. Although he talks a lot of shit, he’s still reliable," Chen Baiqi said concisely. She threw a big bag of things directly to Qi Leren.

"I have no money now, after coming back..." The poor Qi Leren said sullenly and was interrupted by Chen Baiqi: "As long as you bring Ning Zhou back safely, these are all free."

"I’ll definitely bring him back!" Qi Leren said firmly. Even though he was still sitting in the cottage in the Village of Dusk, his heart had already flown over the vast wilderness and arrived at the distant Purgatory.

Chen Baiqi smiled, and uncharacteristically did not refute him: "Well, I know."

The senior single dog Illusionist’s face shifted, turning his eyes away with an unbearable expression, then turned his head to continue drinking tea with a straight face.

　　&&&

At 23 o'clock that night, the Court’s official aircraft took off. The driver was not the Illusionist, but an executive officer of the court. He gave a gift to the Illusionist and was very respectful.

The Illusionist and Qi Leren sat in the back seat of the aircraft, and both of them were very silent along the way. Qi Leren studied the information about the Underground Ant City and watched it for more than two hours at a time, until a faint headache worsened to the same pain as electricity drilling into his brain. He retched a few times and felt sick.

The Illusionist said with a look of disgust, "If you dare vomit here, I will throw you out."

"Don't worry... There’s nothing in my stomach to vomit." Qi Leren covered his throat and poured himself some water.

Qi Leren hadn't had a rest for a long time. Except for his death in the underground glacier, he hadn't slept for more than 48 hours. His body protested physically and mentally. He could still hold on under tension, but now he was sitting in the aircraft and forcing himself to watch the information intently for more than two hours. He couldn't hold on.

He also knew that he should have a rest, but the urgency of time that waited for no one spurred him on, leaving him with constant fear and uneasiness.

He was really too scared. When he closed his eyes, the figure of the black dragon sinking into the lake of flames would emerge in his mind. Just imagining the pain and fear of losing, it felt like the string of reason in his mind was broken.

But he had to rest. Qi Leren himself knew that he couldn't meet the next challenge in this state.

"I'll sleep for a while," Qi Leren whispered.

"There is a bed in the back, go and lie there," the Illusionist said without looking up, pointing behind him.

"Thank you." Qi Leren gave thanks, climbed from the seat to the back cabin, and pulled down the bed curtain that cut off light and sound. Although it was just a cot narrower than a college dormitory bed, he felt satisfied when he lied down to rest for a while.

Qi Leren, who had a splitting headache and was exhausted physically and mentally, took two pills, which were the sleeping pills he had asked Chen Baiqi for. Before they kicked in, Qi Leren took out Ning Zhou’s life crystal. It was intact, suspended in his hand safe and sound, and there was a small drop of blood in the center of the crystal, which was surrounded by the slowly rotating bright spots of gold and silver.

He just looked at it gently and quietly, letting his overflowing thoughts hover in this narrow world.

At the moment of reunion, he thought, he would have to give Ning Zhou a hard hug, hard enough to convince him that they would never separate again.

The roaring mechanical sound outside the aircraft faded away, and the exhaustion began to emerge. Qi Leren carefully returned the life crystal to his item bar and slowly fell into a deep sleep.

-----

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[milfjensenackles]

to purgatory and back: chapter 1

2k words | read it on ao3

Dean had been trapped in Purgatory for at least a month now. He could barely keep track of time at this point. It’s not like it mattered. The world felt muted here, the sky grey and lackluster. Dean subsisted on whatever food he could find, whether that be a fish he miraculously found in a nearby water source or the flesh of a large beetle (that had been a terrible day, one he wishes he could forget). He was miserable. He wanted to get back to his brother and start hunting again. Every day was the same here. Every action he took was only what was necessary to stay alive. Kill monsters, look for Cas, sleep, repeat.

He hadn’t seen Cas since the day Dick exploded and sent their asses here in the first place. He just up and disappeared, leaving Dean to mutilate Leviathans and various other monsters on his own. Dean didn’t even know why he fought for so hard for so long. He didn’t know if Cas was alive. He didn’t know if they could escape, even if Cas did survive the last month alone against the unforgiving terrain that was Purgatory. All he knew was that he had to try to find Cas as soon as possible.

And then he met Benny.

Benny was an… interesting character, to say the least. He was snarky, reckless, and honestly? He could be pretty annoying sometimes. No wonder they got along so well. Dean ran into Benny during what was now a routine Leviathan attack that might have been Dean’s last. The Leviathan had Dean restrained in the air, holding on by the collar of his t-shirt. Something managed to knife the thing before Dean had a chance to get near his own weapon.

“I had that under control,” Dean mumbled from the ground, attempting to brush some debris off his jeans until he realized that, based on the amount of grime currently covering his person, there was no point in trying.

A large, scruffy-looking man looked down at him and smiled before winking at Dean, intentionally flashing his sharp fangs. “Sure you did.”

Dean gaped at him and immediately pointed his knife at the man’s neck. “You’re a vampire.”

“No shit. Really?”

Dean’s eyebrows knit together in confusion. “Why did you help me? So you can drink me dry?”

“Nah, I’m not that kind of vamp. Human blood doesn’t do it for me. Seemed like you were in a bit of a pickle there, so a ‘thank you’ would be nice,” he said, looking Dean up and down with a smirk and a look in his eyes that Dean couldn’t quite pinpoint. The vampire stretched out his hand to shake Dean’s. Dean looked at it for a brief moment, hesitating to align himself with someone he would have killed without a second thought as a hunter. Normally, Dean wouldn’t even consider trusting him, but what choice did he have? It was either work with a vampire or die at the hands of a different one. The vampire seemed to sense his hesitation but leaned his head forward and moved his arm even closer to Dean’s. Dean rolled his eyes, lowered his weapon, and clapped their hands together. “Nice to meet ya. I’m Benny. I can help you get out of here.”

So Dean and Benny continued forward into the endless cycle of fighting monsters and waiting for something dangerous to find them. Dean could feel himself warming up to the vampire, against every fiber of his being that warned him against it. Dean told Benny the story of how he and Cas were sent to Purgatory, and Benny told Dean the story of his death. Benny tried to convince Dean to move on without Cas, but Dean refused each time he tried. Dean wasn’t leaving this terrible place without Cas, even if it meant he had to stay forever.

“So, are you in love with this angel or what?” Benny asked as they warmed themselves by the small fire Dean built. It was dark, and Purgatory got cold at night. Dean was lucky he and Sam taught themselves how to make a fire when they were kids, otherwise he’d more than likely have frozen to death by now.

Dean spluttered out a noise that was a mix of the words “What?” and “No!” while aggressively shaking his head.

Benny laughed. “It’s just that all I’ve heard about him from you is that he has the most dreamy eyes ever and he’s so strong and smart. Not to mention all the ‘where’s the angel’ crap I’ve had to listen to every time we try to gank somethin’.”

Dean stared into the flames before quietly saying, “First of all, I never said his eyes were dreamy. And second of all, I ain’t into dudes.”

“You coulda had me fooled,” Benny mumbled under his breath. Dean heard it and chose not to respond.

Dean and Cas had a complicated relationship. It didn’t help that one of them was always dying. Dean wasn’t in love with him, though. Benny was just being antagonistic as usual. Cas was his brother. His family. That’s why he was so desperate to find him. You don’t leave family behind.

Every night, Dean and Benny slept on the ground as close as possible to the fire, waiting until it inevitably fizzled out and they had to depend on their thin jackets to keep them warm. Dean learned to block out the noise of screeching and wailing that came from deep in the trees over time, allowing him to get a few hours of sleep after their light source disappeared for the day. He found comfort in praying to Cas. He had no idea if Cas was listening, but it made him feel safer as he laid there, everything surrounding him engulfed by the dark Purgatory sky, rocks pressing into his back.

“Cas, if you’re out there… I hope you’re still out there. I don’t even know if angel radio works in Purgatory. I’m going to find you. We’re going to get out of here. I just… I miss you, Cas. You’re my best friend. You’re family. I’m not leaving without you. I don’t care how long it takes.”

Dean felt a tear slide down his cheek as he finished the prayer, hands clasped together and eyes squeezed tight in an attempt to make his effort feel more sincere. He’d never been one to pray, but he would try anything to get into contact with Castiel. Dean took a few deep breaths and slipped into a fitful sleep.

He dreamt of Cas most nights. Cas dying at the hands of some monster and Dean can only watch, can’t move to save him. Cas leaving him, choosing not to come home from Purgatory. Dean would wake with a start, the vision of Cas drifting away slowly, only to find himself an empty clearing with Benny fast asleep nearby. Sometimes, though… he had good dreams about Cas. Cas grazing his fingertips across Dean’s lips. Cas ghosting his mouth along Dean’s jawline. Cas pressing into Dean until all he can do is gasp Castiel’s name…

Those dreams terrified him just as much as the nightmares.

Dean was a wreck the next morning, having barely slept. He pushed himself off the ground, attempting to rub the sleep out of his eyes. God, did he miss coffee. He missed having breakfast with Sam and Cas after a long hunt. He missed normal food, like bacon and pancakes. He missed Cas. Dean was beginning to wonder if it was worth it. Maybe his nightmares were trying to tell him something… Maybe Cas didn’t want to be found.

“What’s got your panties in a twist?” Benny asked after a few hours of wandering through the forest.

If Benny noticed, Dean was being more obvious with his moping than he had originally thought. He sighed before responding, “I’m sick of it here. I want to shower. I want to see my brother. I want to find Cas. And I want this stupid beard off my face.” Dean rubbed at his chin, which was now layered with thick stubble. Normally, he would shave at least every few days, but that obviously wasn’t possible here.

Benny snickered. “I think it suits you.”

Dean grimaced. Benny held up a finger to him, indicating that he should stop whining for a moment. He searched through his pockets and eventually presented Dean with a pocketknife. “I can use this to shave you. If you’d like.”

Dean looked at the knife, and then at Benny. “You sure that’s a good idea? What if you cut me and you can’t control yourself?”

“I think I can handle it. I want to make you feel better.”

While Dean wasn’t ecstatic about the idea of a vampire and a knife all up in his face, he did really hate the scratchy feeling that came with excess facial hair. Dean eventually resigned himself to the fact that this was happening and settled on a tree stump near the water’s edge. Benny kneeled in front of him and pushed his knees apart to get close enough. Dean watched as Benny wet the knife in the river before pressing it against Dean’s jawline, scraping away the thick hair that had grown uncontrollably over the past few months. As Benny concentrated on Dean’s beard, Dean was watching Benny’s face. He wasn’t bad looking by any means. Dean’s eyes flicked from the top of Benny’s head to his eyes, and then down to his lips. Benny happened to look away from shaving Dean at that exact moment, catching Dean openly staring. Benny inhaled quickly, and shakily whispered, “Like what you see?”

Dean screwed his eyes shut and swallowed heavily. He was lonely and had nothing to lose at this point.  It was just a friend comforting another friend. Nothing wrong with that. Cas was probably dead, anyway. Why was he thinking about Cas right now? Dean watched as Benny leaned in, slowly, waiting for Dean to confirm that he was okay with this. Dean gave a small nod and Benny’s lips crashed into his.

***

The morning after… whatever happened between Dean and Benny wasn’t as awkward as Dean expected. Dean didn’t want to think about it. Benny was acting normal, so he could act normal too. Just guys bein’ dudes. Relieving some tension. He had been stressed, and it felt good to enjoy himself for once. It felt good to do something normal. Dean couldn’t help but wonder though… if this meant that he was actually ‘into men’, like Benny suggested so long ago. He really didn’t have time for a sexuality crisis right now. They still had to find Cas. Dean pushed the thought to the back of his head, making it a problem for his future self to deal with.

“Hey, Dean. I see something over by the river.”

Dean’s eyes followed where Benny was pointing. There was something… someone, maybe… crouching down on the rocks. It looked like they were desperate for water, like they hadn’t had anything to drink in weeks. As Dean got closer, the shape became clearer and the tan color of a familiar trenchcoat came into view.  

Cas.

Dean felt himself move toward Cas and wrap him in a hug. A grin stretched across his face, threatening to break him apart by the seams. They found each other. His thoughts became a repetitive cycle of telling himself that Cas is alive, Cas is safe, Cas is okay.

They had never hugged before. He didn’t want it to end. After months of searching for him, all he wanted to do was sink into his best friend’s warm embrace for as long as Cas would let him. Dean pressed his face into Cas’ shoulder, breathing him in. He felt Cas relax against him, and they stood there for what felt like an eternity, as though each of them was making sure the other person was real. As he pulled away slightly, his eyes roamed over Cas’ face with abandon. His bright blue eyes, his cheeks smeared with dirt, and his plush lips parted in a way that made Dean feel insane. Cas was looking at him, head tilted, a small smile growing on his face. Dean’s heart was going to beat out of his chest. He couldn’t remember a time when he felt more relieved, more peaceful, more… full of love.

Oh, shit.

He’s in love with Cas.

[mittensmorgul]

I've watched season 11 again, and I have a question if you're willing to answer. In season 5, Cas was very disappointed about learning God was basically a "dead beat dad," as Dean called it. But when Cas had an opportunity to talk to Chuck, he didn't seem all that interested in talking to him or even asking a question or two. Why do you think they never had Cas interact with Chuck as a son talking to his father when it was such a huge deal for Cas in season 5?

Hi there! I’m happy to talk about this, because honestly I was personally GLAD that Cas treated Chuck the way he did in s11.

(A/N: I was halfway through writing this when my power went out last night, so now that everything is back on I’m gonna see if I remember wtf I was even talking about... if this goes sideways halfway through, blame Potomac Edison)

Cas had already realized long before exactly who and what Chuck was. I mean, not that Chuck was actually God, but that God and “His Plan” was always a load of BS.

Chuck left the angels a lot of conflicting information, and not a lot in the Free Will and Critical Thinking arena. I was just thinking about season 6, and this sort of feeds into a lot of the same distinction between Cas and the rest of the angels. My personal line of thinking earlier this evening was this line in 6.20:

CASTIEL I'm doing this for you, Dean. I'm doing this because of you. DEAN Because of me. Yeah. You got to be kidding me. CASTIEL You're the one who taught me that freedom and free will -- DEAN You're a freakin' child, you know that? Just because you can do what you want doesn't mean that you get to do whatever you want!

Major Tangent Warning, because I gotta write out what I was thinking earlier in order to explain why I am So Pleased with Cas and his reaction to Chuck in s11, which I think of as abject disdain. This is key to everything Cas had learned, to all of his growth as a person up to that point.

What Dean tells Cas here is in direct contradiction to what Raphael’s self-stated motive in restarting the apocalypse was. Also from 6.20:

RAPHAEL You rebelled - against God, heaven, and me. Now you will atone. We'll start by freeing Lucifer and Michael from their cage. And then we'll get our show back on the road. CASTIEL Raphael...No. The Apocalypse doesn't have to be fought! RAPHAEL Of course it does. It's God's will. CASTIEL How can you say that?! RAPHAEL Because it's what I want. CASTIEL Well, the other angels won't let you. RAPHAEL Are you sure? You know better than anyone, Castiel. They're soldiers. They weren't built for freedom. They were built to follow.

Raphael is just doing “whatever he wants,” in the way Dean was trying to convince Cas NOT to. Because if Dean learns anything in s6, it is the cosmic cost of his own actions. Think 6.11, and the lessons he learns having to play Death for a day. As much as Dean tries to work around the Bigger Picture of the Universe, he does understand that there is a right and a wrong, and that some things are worth fighting or even dying for, but the cost might sometimes just be too great. And unleashing all the souls in purgatory on the planet seems like just a different sort of apocalyptic level of bad... like putting out a fire with a flamethrower.

Cas had to make a choice here. He’d chosen his path every step of the way, wrestled with each decision he’d had to make over the previous year leading up to that point, but he’d passed the point of no return, and his direct prayer to Chuck went unanswered, and he never got a sign whether he was doing the right thing or not.

I’ve argued in the past that he absolutely DID get a sign, in the form of Dean telling him to stop in 6.20. But Cas dismissed him, out of pride, out of hubris, out  of desperation to do the one thing he believed could give him the power to stop Apocalypse 2.0, save Heaven, and also save Dean in the process, since Dean would be back on the radar to be Michael’s vessel if Raphael succeeded in breaking him out of the Cage.

And here’s the really tangenty part of the tangent: it just made me think of all the nitwits who won’t wear a mask in public, or follow social distancing rules because MAH FREEDUMB, you’re impinging on MAH LIBERTY. BUT THE CONSTITUTION!

Because yes, we can do what we want, but we can’t do WHATEVER we want when our actions are harmful to others!

The framers of the Constitution could never have foreseen a pandemic like this. But any SOCIETY where people must coexist needs to put some constraints on liberty, and the framers absolutely DID understand this.

They also couldn’t have foreseen air travel, but we have established rules about this. They couldn’t have foreseen cars and traffic lights and interstate highways, and yet we have rules that govern our behavior there, as well. Air traffic controllers, stop signs, speed limits-- we don’t just have the right to drive 90 mph through a school zone and run through red lights. And yet nobody yells BUT MAH FREEDUMB! when they get a speeding ticket.

Polite society ALSO must include *MY* right not to be killed because someone else decided that traffic laws didn’t apply to them, see?

Basically, wear your mask and shut up about it, whiny pissbabies. This is what is required of you to live in a functioning society. You do NOT have the right to infect others with a potentially deadly illness. Full stop.

But back to Cas and the Leviathan infection he’s about to infest the entire planet with...

Dean was effectively giving him the “wear a mask, nitwit” speech, but on a cosmic level.

And Cas had to live with the consequences of his choice, with the GUILT and DEPRESSION that resulted. And he spent the next few seasons desperately trying to make up for what he’d done, to atone and do whatever he could to redeem himself-- to Dean. He’d tried to redeem himself to Heaven, but the more he eventually began to learn about Humanity, the less affinity he felt for his fellow angels, and for Chuck’s construct of Heaven.

Because back to another previous point, Chuck effectively left the angels two opposing sets of instructions: orders to watch over the earth and act as shepherds to humanity, and orders to bring on the apocalypse at any cost. Can’t do both, truly. Even Naomi will eventually say, right before Metatron stabs her in the head, that she (and the other angels) forgot that their true mission was to protect and defend humanity, and she didn’t know when or why that ever changed.

FINALLY back to the point! WHEEE!

Basically, Cas has, in the six years between s5 and s11, experienced “god-ness” from every angle, experienced his own guilt over what he now believes were misguided actions, that sometimes Humanity has a better answer, and there are some things that just aren’t worth it in the long run.

Mostly, he’s realized just HOW deadbeat Chuck has always been. And the revelation that Chuck had actually been God all along? Saw their pain and suffering at trying to STOP the apocalypse all those years before? KNEW FULL WELL that Sam, Dean and Cas were doing everything they could to try and save the world from basically the entirety of Heaven and Hell, who were plotting the destruction of humanity and most of creation with it. I mean... Cas spent s5 begging for God’s help, to save the world, to convince Michael and Lucifer that they did not have to destroy humanity, and Chuck... had done LESS than nothing. He’d sat there and ghoulishly watched the entire mess unfold like a bad tv show... oh wait... :’D

By s11, Lucifer had not reached that point that Cas had. Lucifer had many other issues, having been rejected and locked up for most of existence, and even HE had been the one in 5.22 to try and talk Michael out of enacting Chuck’s battle plan. Lucifer never had the experiences Cas did (and despite being given every opportunity to have them over the next few seasons after s11, he continues to reject those experienced at every turn anyway, only serving to highlight the difference between Cas and, honestly, most of the rest of the angels). Lucifer had a personal need for a direct apology from Chuck for everything he’d been put through-- starting with taking on the original Mark and ending with the cage.

Of course Lucifer didn’t get an honest apology, because in the end, it was all just a theoretical production to Chuck. He had never apologized, in any of his universes, to any of the beings he created. And he never would. And on some level, Cas-- via his experiences, what he himself had already come to understand about God and creation-- already understood this about Chuck.

Cas... didn’t care about him anymore. He cared about HUMANITY, about Chuck’s CREATION. The creator might be a worthless jerk, but what came out of his creation is a thing of ultimate beauty. Humanity, love, free will, and the beauty of the universe is what ends up saving the world in 11.23, so I’ve chosen to accept this read of Cas and his relationship and opinions of Chuck. Because it’s perfectly in line with the “moral” of season 11.

Plus it’s just so personally satisfying to me watching each individual character’s reactions to Chuck, and understanding how that aligns with all of their personal arcs.

Dean: brought the “how could your forsake your creation” of a broken-hearted son who has finally seen the truth. something he worked out YEARS ago between himself and his own father, so it didn’t come with that particular personal baggage and didn’t completely break him in the process (as it may have done with Cas had Chuck revealed himself, say, in 7.01...)

Sam: brought his life-long hope that God was real, his faith in God’s inherent “goodness,” did the Chuck Fanboy for a bit before seeing Chuck a lot more clearly. He was able to relinquish his idol worship of Chuck as the Savior of Humanity.

Cas: had brought his experience of Humanity and Godhood, the entire spectrum of Creation that he had experienced for himself and grown through. Cas, for all his mistakes, had never stopped TRYING to do the right thing, never stopped doing everything in his power to save humanity and creation from every cosmic threat, while Chuck himself had only hidden away and watched from the sidelines, when he’d ALWAYS had the power to make everything good and right and allow the Winchesters their peace. Honestly, what BETTER response than to treat Chuck like a bit of gum stuck to his shoe?

Metatron: who had basically spent s9 trying to turn himself into Chuck Lite, literally plagiarizing his Supernatural novels to create his own origin story as the new God, and failed miserably. What other angel could truly confront Chuck, writer to writer, and call him out for His Story? Even fallen as low as he could go, Metatron understood first-hand the responsibility of The Cosmic Author in ways even Cas couldn’t, because narrative symmetry. Metatron was always about the Word, as God’s Scribe. He was a bad copy of the original with the names scratched out. He basically wrote the worst self-insert fanfic of all time. And that gave him the narrative space to confront Chuck about everything that Cas no longer had. Cas had long since rejected that role, sided with Humanity, and smashed Chuck’s Word. The original tablet-breaker.

Crowley: carried on Crowley-ing. Doing the best he could with what he had, and somehow miraculously BS’ing his way through.

Rowena: recognized the Biggest Power in the room and ingratiated herself to it for comfort and protection, and hopefully for a bit of power and security.

Billie: gosh she just stepped in at the 11th hour to annoy Chuck. :’D

But yeah, I’ve always been incredibly pleased that Cas basically ignored Chuck in s11. Good for him.

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Dragon Dancer: Bondarev

We were so focused on our sword training that Johann and I didn’t notice that Mingfei, Nono and Crow were watching from a distance.

Mingfei and Nono had decided that there was enough information here to spend several nights studying and there was no point in making the long drive back to the shrine.

“As for me,” Crow said, “I have to go back to work!”

“You’re leaving us?” I asked with some worry.

“Oh yes, I have to make my daring escape from the S-grade rebels.” He threw one arm over his eyes. “I barely made it out alive!”

A quiet giggle came from my back.

Crow peeked out from under his arm. “Ah... our sleeping beauty has awakened.”

He walked over to stand next to me peering at Ru’Yi who was looking over my shoulder at him. 

“Do you mind if I give her a kiss goodbye?” He asked.

“Sure thing, Prince Charming.” I rolled my eyes.

He planted a kiss on Ru’Yi’s soft hair. “I left some stuff here for her. As well as some food for you. Good food, not the instant noodles and beer I left for the others.”

Mingfei’s jaw dropped. “What are we, chopped liver?”

“Your bodies can take it! Carli has to eat healthy for the baby to grow strong!” Crow roared in response.

Then he turned and grinned at me fondly, becoming that profound and majestic persona, Saeki Ryuuji. “I am a street gangster, and so is my father. He could beat up just about anyone, but when I was a boy, my father told me that I should know how to protect girls, because girls will be mothers in the future. They can have children, and children can bring hope! If the girl is dead and the man is alive, how can he forgive himself?”

We pored over the esoteric manuscripts. Herzog had his own shorthand, abbreviations, and things only he understood. It wasn’t a code, but his lingo and jargon. It made it near impossible to figure out his reasoning.

Nono was using her profiling ability. A lot of these works weren’t complete, not because of his short hand, but because they were referencing other materials not in this collection.

It didn’t help that the man was so disgusting. He conducted hundreds of human experiments. Almost all the disappearances of people in Japan in the past 20 years could likely be traced back to him. For Nono, searching for valuable clues in this man’s thinking was like searching for a wedding ring in a pile of dog vomit.

“Herzog wasn’t basing his work on known dragon research. He’s making leaps in conclusions that shouldn’t be possible given how we understand dragons. Sometimes, he said things that are completely contradictory and yet in hindsight were absolutely right.”

“For example, he knew that the sacred skeleton was not actually a bone but a parasite.” Mingfei said. “Literally no one was saying this, not even among the Hydras, so how did he know?”

“The only way he would know is if he had direct access to someone with first hand knowledge.” I said, sitting with a sleeping baby in my arms. I’d taken the opportunity for her nightly feeding while I listened to them work.

Mingfei looked at me and so did Nono.

I didn’t tell them but I’d actually done something very similar to Herzog’s accomplishments during Code: Leviathan.

EVA had needed assistance in translating reams of dragon text in a short amount of time, but about 25% of that dragon text was completely new to the study. It would take months to decipher it all and our ability to investigate a nearby dragon temple depended on understanding these parchments.

Enter my ethereal twin.

Through my dragon’s scale, I had access to an entirely separate reality, a reality where the White King never rebelled and humans still were ruled by dragons. With her first hand knowledge, I was able to make leaps in interpretations that should not have been possible.

But the system wasn’t perfect. Once my soul twin realized that we were going to kill Leviathan, she hid information from me. It wasn’t until we reached the central chamber of the temple that we found out that we weren’t at Leviathan’s nest at all, but a temple devoted to her human lover, the Raj Yamir.

“What first hand knowledge? Dragons have been dead for ages. The Secret Society is the one with the oldest records...” Nono rubbed her chin.

I shrugged. “Let’s not dismiss a possible solution just because its so obvious. Not only did he know it was a parasite, he had prepared a host for it months in advance. He knew exactly what he was doing ”

That host was a child made from my genetic materials -- materials that he had bought for 500 million dollars.

“He knew exactly what he was doing.” I said, in a softer voice, remembering how helpless I was to stop him.

“Uh. By the way!” Mingfei said loudly. “Do you think Crow has a thing for you?”

I lifted my head, dazed. “Huh?”

“Yeah speaking of obvious...” Nono smirked at me. “I think you should go for it.”

“Oh please.” I rolled my eyes. “He’s very kind and... what he said was nice, but you could tell he was putting on an act.”

“Was making all these dishes for you an act? What about all the baby supplies?” Nono pointed out.

I looked over at it. “He said he’s always wanted kids... ”

I turned my eyes to Johann who was tucked away in a sleeping bag. “I’m already married.”

“He just doesn’t know it.” Nono pursed her lips.

I chewed my lip. “I can’t do that. I swore to death... not to memory.”

Nono tilted her head and cracked open a beer. “Well, I’m done for tonight.”

“Yeah... let’s take a break.” Mingfei said, looking at me with sad eyes.

The next day we were back to it again, this time searching for his sources. One name kept coming up again and again.

Bondarev. 

“Herzog himself said that his original research was just going to help him to create a super army which... as far as villains go is not a very creative plot.” Mingfei commented. “He only started talking about the Sacred Skeleton after Bondarev came into the picture.”

By that evening, we had opened and closed at least a hundred books, taking pictures and searching for any references to Bondarev we could find.

We kept asking ourselves: Where did Bondarev get his knowledge? He claimed to be a Romanov, a family of Tsar’s that according to Secret Society information, were hybrids.

“But if Bondarev had inherited this knowledge from his ancestors, why did they go west to fight Hitler and not push into Japan to conquer them and get the most valuable treasure?” Nono said. “Japan was not really an opponent to them later either. But this guy is leading him step by step to becoming the White King on his own!”

“Herzog copied Bonderev’s route to becoming the White King pretty much verbatim.” Mingfei added.

According to Herzog’s notes, he killed Bondarev in a sneak attack, but it seemed too easy. Such a mysterious man was shot by Herzog through a cabin wall with a machine gun so that he died. “Herzog himself also said in the diary, ‘I don’t know if it is really Bondarev, I’ve killed.’”

The face of the deceased was Japanese, not Russian. Herzog guessed that it was Bondarev based on his body and figured Bonderev had performed some sort of plastic surgery to blend in and become part of the Hydra.”

We stared at each other a moment. After two nights, we had seemed to have gotten no closer to any answers. Nono, fed up, grabbed one of the books and pitched it across the room.

Crow, who had just walked in, caught it right in the face. “Wow! Good evening!” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Did I come at a bad time?”

“Do you see my face?” Nono snarled, crossing her arms.

“Aaah! So scary! I come bearing gifts!” He held up a bag as if to shield himself. “To make up for my oversight earlier. Fresh gift fruits from the Academy!”

We looked at the bag like it was a bomb. And it could have been given that the Gear Department wasn’t above hiding explosive devices in food.

“Ahahah! It’s fine! I tested it myself on the way here! The finest in Japan. The melon alone is about ten grand!”

Ru’Yi squealed when she saw Crow and he picked her up and squeezed her. “You’re too young for solid food princess!” He planted a loud raspberry into her cheek.

Ru’Yi reached out and grabbed his nose, cackling with a wide smile.

With his nose pinched, he said, “Moutong-sama, if you could please take a look at the video on my phone here. They’ve asked me to broadcast it all over Tokyo.”

He handed over the phone then turned to continue to play with Ru’Yi.

On the screen was a burly middle-aged man with a square face and a determined expression. 

“Motong, if you can see this video, please be sure to watch it all the way through. This is a message from your family. You are in great danger. The people you are with are potentially violent and have committed serious crimes. Your family misses your safety very much and hope you will know how to return.”

“This Mingfei business has nothing to do with you. You are innocent. You have been deceived. No matter where you are now, as long as you fight to come home, call the following number and we have the absolute ability to ensure your safety....”

Nono tossed the phone back to Crow. “What does he consider me? A little girl who fell down a well?” She said, her tone cold.

Crow and Mingfei exchanged glances.

“So... he really is your father?” Crow asked carefully. “You don’t have a good relationship with him?”

“Can you see my face right now?” Nono circled her face with one finger.

When Crow tried to ask another question, Mingfei made a throat cutting gesture.

“Well if you don’t care, I’ll let it broadcast then.” He shrugged, pocketing the phone.

“This is... getting too heavy... Why don’t we go out to eat?” Mingfei humbly suggested. “I know a place near here. A 24-hour Ramen shop. We can decompress there.”

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S4 Ep 13: Yugi Dies in California, Makes Everything Awkward

Hey guys. Yugi’s DEAD. (again, but way earlier in a season than I thought he’d be)

So lets get into it.

Last we left off, Pharaoh got imbued with the powers of Lime Green. A green that I swear used to be more Aqua, but seems to sort of shift and change depending on if it’s day or night.

As a consequence, Yugi now can’t have any communication with Pharaoh. I guess this makes it so now Pharaoh is split with his “light” side but like...both Yugi and Pharaoh have both light and darkness so...I see the metaphor going on, but I don’t think the metaphor actually...worked when you think about all the screwy stuff Yugi has done even without Pharaoh around. So just don’t think about it.

The big consequence of the Yugi Banishment was more that Yugi wasn’t there to tell Pharaoh how the Oricalchos card works because--and I say this a lot--but Pharaoh doesn’t know how to read.

Pharaoh’s biggest downfall isn’t so much his greed or pride this episode, it’s his goddamn illiteracy. If he took just five seconds to study the fine print then...he wouldn’t have even cast the Oricalchos in the first place. He did it because he wanted to protect his dragon Timaeus on the field, but the Oricalchos made Timaeus immediately disappear so...Pharaoh cast this for no reason other than the plot really wanted him to do it.

Just kinda shocking that Pharaoh, of all people, made such a huge card mistake when he’s supposed to be from where all cards came from. Then again, he’s separated from Yugi who I guess had more card input than I realized, because the rest of this episode is just Pharaoh playing kind of like a dumbass.

And on the voice acting side, the guy who plays Pharaoh had to try and talk even deeper--which was kind of funny when he’s already as deep as he can go. So...it just seems like Season 1 Pharaoh to me, except he laughs more.

TBH Pharaoh was WAY more rude to PaniK than he ever was to Rafael.

(read more under the cut)

Meanwhile, Rex and Weevil have joined the pack.

Only to be hassled by the pack.

And so, since this is a show about cards, how do you make Pharaoh look like a bad person when he...always plays cards, and is usually a good person for doing this same card playing thing?

And as the person in charge of the Death Count, sorry Yugi, that doesn’t even make sense to me. If you’re telling me that JUST NOW cards are suddenly real and not 10+ episodes ago, and if you’re telling me that all of the other times Dark Magician Girl died didn’t count?

If I had to count every time that a card died when I’m pretty sure they were real then we would also have to count most Bakura duels, probably that Pegasus duel, any Shadow game, really, and like...I don’t want to do the math so I am not counting Dark Magician Girl, y’all.

She was alive at the end of this episode, and as far as I’m concerned, her prime function--the reason she exists--is to die a lot. She’s a card, that’s what they do, and I doubt she even felt bad about it. Like...I don’t think the cards are mortal. Does that make sense? I just...maybe it hurt her but like...does she care? She’s a god in this universe.

You can’t kill Zeus. And like maybe people can hassle Zeus but like it would be maybe the sensation of an itch to Zeus if you stab him directly through the throat--that’s how I feel about Dark Magician Girl. She can take a beating and won’t even know it’s happening. Girl is freakin Zeus.

A lot of this Rafael arc is about making a false reality to justify your actions. Rafeal’s was a pretty extreme case involving cards that are angels and that are still cards...or something. Pharaoh’s was “I’ll be fine, I’ve always been fine, I’m very good at this, I’m the exception to every rule.” which is a much more approachable and relatable fake reality than Rafael.

Thing is, Pharaoh’s not entirely wrong. That’s usually true for him. He usually is the exception to every rule bending RNG to his every whim. Like there’s a reason why he took the chance on the Oricalchos, it really should’ve worked out.

And TBH, would have liked to see Pharaoh do this for longer than one episode, especially since him going his brand of cray only lasted during a card game, which I don’t really watch anyway. But eventually all good things must end, and it catches up to him when he realizes the horror he has wrought.

Spoiler, it’s not that horrifying.

Like for reals, I have seen Pharaoh do some THINGS and maybe this is a sign I’ve seen too much Yugioh when I’m like “lol Pharaoh went nuts and that was it???”

I cannot believe he did not pull out even so much as a single knife this entire episode. The hatchets are right there. Then again, his puzzle powers don’t really work in the Oricalchos realm so he has to play normie style. But knives are pretty normie. I feel like Pharaoh should have pulled out some sort of makeshift brain teaser involving knives, but youknow, this season is very much more for kids than previous seasons of Yugioh.

Again, what he did to Panik is about 1000x worse than making a Halloween Kuriboh.

But, now that all the cards he sacrificed to the Shadow Realm are being resurrected and used against him, he looks into the blank face of Dark Magician Girl and accepts his defeat.

Which is very similar to what happened to Kaiba in the earlier seasons of this show. Pharaoh got Pharaoh’d.

But...while it is a throwback, heaven forbid that this show used a real ass human as a stand in for Dark Magician Girl in this scene. Could’ve had just any actual person standing around here to make Pharaoh realize a change of heart--maybe even the kid he banished in his head? But nah.

It was Dark Magician Girl for this emotional beat.

I mean we are watching Yugioh but lol, that was a decision the writing team made. Joey Wheeler’s right over there. Maybe remove Tea from that RV? No? Want to use Dark Magician Girl instead? OK then.

Anyway, now that Pharaoh was shamed enough by a paper card to remember how to be slightly more human, Yugi holds his Puzzle high over his head and screams “BY THE POWER OF THE MILLENNIUM PUZZLE!” or something and does his own brand of magic. Surprise, it’s punching stuff.

Punching stuff is always the answer.

So apparently the puzzle is more powerful than Oricalchos. Which we basically knew the whole time, I mean...Pharaoh got possessed by Oricalchos and all it did was make him play cards.

I can’t believe no one got set on fire that entire sequence.

So, since the Oricalchos demanded a soul, Yugi figured out a loophole.

And again, another Yugioh game was ended by someone threatening to kill himself, and this time it was Yugi. Who died so that Pharaoh’s yummy soul would not resurrect the Great Leviathan.

Because, while Yugi may be a soul-copy and somewhat reincarnation of the Pharaoh? Or something? He’s still not yummy enough. Not yummy enough for that Leviathan tummy.

Which lead to this great scene that I’m sure you’d remember vividly if you ever saw it even once. This is so unexpected and wild and everyone should see it.

This is moments following a very heavy death in the show--Pharaoh’s lowest point--and it is just SO JARRING AND FUNNY in context. I don’t think they meant it to be that way but I had to rewind like 8 times.

First off, enjoy this wtf helicopter, and then...

Wow.

A+ animation, I would never have been so bold as to do drop Pharaoh like a sack of potatoes from 50 feet in the air right after killing Yugi Muto on screen. 10/10. Amazing.

And after it happens, Duke kinda looks over and has the gall to ask... “Are you guys all right?” It’s just...

Wow.

I’m applauding at my computer, I am so glad that whole sequence exists. I’ll probably lift it eventually just to have.

And then the rest of this episode is Pharaoh trying to tell everyone what happened but Everyone still doesn’t quite get it, despite how wildly blunt Pharaoh is.

Cue the endless crying, because if this show loves anything, it’s men in eyeliner openly weeping into the dirt at their feet. Thankfully, Yugi had the foresight to get waterproof mascara, because if he’s gonna die, he doesn’t want Yami to blow up that perfectly cut stiletto heel line.

MAN I am so jealous of this teenage boy’s makeup.

And since I asked the void nicely for Yugioh to be in PAD, and now that PAD put Yugioh in there as if it heard me, I will now turn my attention to Sephora.

Please, Sephora, make me a Yugioh makeup line that is waterproof as hell so I can ugly cry in the hottest desert in America and still not smudge, thx.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand Yugi Muto is officially dead!

Didn’t expect that, being real.

Wow.

Really I thought that they would die if ever they ever got separated, but apparently Pharaoh is fine he just...lacks his Yugi half that knows how to read stuff and had a slightly longer attention span.

I can’t believe they cured Yugi of his curse! Congrats, Yugi! You are no longer possessed! 

Y’all. Lets just appreciate the Yugioh Episode 13 curse for a bit.

First episode 13, Bakura killed everyone with like no warning

Second Episode 13 was Ankle-slicing Bandsaw Clown

Third Episode 13 Noah revealed he was Seto’s Secret Already Dead Brother trying to take over Seto’s body

Fourth Episode 13 Yami finally managed murdering Yugi.

Like I dunno if they planned for all 13s to be all the WTF ones, but I’m glad it’s managed so far. I should’ve known when I started this episode that it was a 13, but I just...I just forgot.

Really thought Yami was going to survive this one and we’d have to bury Rafael on this mesa. Lucky for them and the local police, it’s just paranormal murder today.

Anyway...there’s like a lot more episodes of this season left and I don’t know where it’s going anymore. Should be fun. At the rate we’re going, we’re gonna take a bike ride over to New York City to do more card games on the desert Mesas of NYC. Lets see how long Yugi will remain dead.

Maybe next episode Pharaoh will just throw on a bedsheet and Rebecca’s shower sandals so he can go full Egyptian Era? Maybe the eyeliner will be drawn all the way to his freakin ears? Y’all what if he gets really into beads and gold now?

(and if you just got here, this is a handy link to read all of these recaps in chrono order. There’s a lot of them.)

[astaroth1357]

Demon Brothers as Roommates

Intro:

So, the MC has left the Devildom and, of course, everybody is quite sad… But this time around, they have a little trick up their sleeve. With just a bit of magic (and training thanks to Solomon) the MC can now summon one of their favorite demon boys up to the human world with them! There's just, uh, one problem though… After being summoned to their side, their beloved demon now refuses to leave it.

Alright MC, enjoy your new demonic roommate!!

Lucifer

Apparently Lucifer is on sabbatical… And yes, he does appreciate that irony in that.

Lucifer actually has a surprising amount of human world money stashed away in alias accounts (because this man renting a cheap motel on business trips? Let's be real) so he uses that wealth to get them a place befitting his standards… which are high.

Spacious apartments in nice areas that would make even the upper middle-class shit their pants? Congrats, MC, that's where you're staying now!

Even with all that money, though, Lucifer CANNOT sit idle for a second. The guy is used to working all his life and just sitting around would drive him insane!

Expect him to still be running some Devildom affairs long-distance style while doing something else on the side, probably stock market stuff tbh.

Is going to want to pay for and provide everything himself but will respect the MC if they still want to work and split the bills (not to a ridiculous degree, though, like half-and-half because that would mean getting three jobs at least).

A lot of trips and vacations too, especially if the MC likes to travel. It’s a good excuse to relax while also technically doing something so he doesn’t lose his mind doing nothing in particular.

He is going to be that strict roommate who expects you not to be a slob and isn't afraid to say so. Regularly scheduled cleaning/organization days are mandatory because hygiene is important. Take some pride in yourself and wash up, MC. That kind of thing.

Also going to have short-fuse for… antics. If you want to prank him, do so at your own risk because he may prank back (and that’s not nearly as fun as it sounds, trust me.)

Mammon

Yeah so, living with Mammon is like the inverse of Lucifer. Prepare to be poooor.

Man has no human money, are you kidding me? Even if he did, he wouldn’t keep it for very long. Couples budgeting is a MUST if you’re looking to survive.

The apartment is going to be whatever the MC can more or less afford on their own with Mammon shoved in somewhere like a cheap lamp… Don’t expect a lot of room.

However, Mammon is great at the hustle. Man can work multiple jobs and actually be pretty dang good at them. For the most part, anyway. He may occasionally trip up and get himself fired, but he bounces back quick.

If the MC isn’t so moral he can also uh… “find” some extra money lying around too. Just be careful when playing with fire, right?

Even if they’re poor as shit, Mammon is still a blast to be around. The guy knows how to have fun on and off of a budget. Lots of “window shopping” (getting kicked out of stores for goofing off), nightclubs, amusement parks, and cheap fun. They’ll never be without a story to tell or a smile on their face!

He IS pretty slobbish though. He’s not going to remember to clean up after himself unless told, but he’s also not going to be bothered if they don’t do the same thing. A weekly cleaning day is going to be ideal unless they don’t mind living in a pigsty...

Prank waaaaars!! The kind of guy to get them both water guns and have a war in the middle of the apartment complex. Good luck getting any rest with Mammon around.

Leviathan 

Whelp, your room is now his room, quite literally MC. You had to pick the shut-in…

The guy isn’t exactly poor but what human money he does have is all wrapped up in his many interests… Merch interests specifically. 

Thankfully, he won’t take up too much space. Put him in a room with a desk, bed (or bathtub), TV, and computer and he’s good to go! 

He’s not going to be a complete bum, thankfully. There’s no way that they can get him to leave the apartment, but he can run small online stores (usually anime themed) or become a streamer. Probably enough to help pay the bills, but not much more.

If they don’t mind having a literally permanent housemate, then being with Levi has its own kind fun. Lots of anime marathons, movie nights, and game nights. Really, it’s just like how he was in the House, but now transported to the human world.

Is probably going to want a pet goldfish, snake ,or lizard so prepare to house Henry 3.0.

When he does leave the apartment, it’s to take the MC to conventions, concerts, or anime stores. He always manages to get just enough money for these trips, but never says where the money comes from… Best not to ask. Could be black market for they know...

… He’s a shut-in. He’s a shut-in roommate. Hygiene isn’t exactly his main concern. If they ask him to, he’ll make sure to clean up after himself, but he may need a reminder.

Can have a fun side, but just don’t mess with his stuff too much. He doesn’t need a Mammon 2.0 around too...

Satan

He's either hatching a plan for world domination or adopting 10 cats… One or the other.

About as poor as Mammon at first, but threat not. He won’t be for very long. Satan is intelligent beyond his years (or equivalent his years maybe?) so he’ll probably net himself several degrees within a couple semesters like a certified prodigy.

At that point, there really isn’t much to worry about (aside from student loans, join our pain Satan) but he can sell himself just fine and probably get some high paying job like a lawyer or doctor or whatever… I’m not jealous…

They’ll start out in a pretty modest place, but there will be upgrades fairly quickly when he starts racking it in so Satan’s a fairly decent choice as a roommate.

He does still have that nasty habit of breaking things when he’s pissed off, but that can be subverted by getting a pet! Just hold up whatever cat you own when he’s about to rampage then declare that he’s scaring/upsetting them and he’ll stop in his tracks. Works every time!

Probably going to be the most domestic out of the brothers. He enjoys cooking (and ain’t half bad at it either), shopping is a practical necessity, he’ll take care your pets like they were his own flesh and blood, etc.

There will even to be points where he’s in bed reading in the middle of the night with tea and reading glasses like some kind of grandma so take that image for what you will.

Satan is the prankster of the household, but he does his pranks more as a way to give grief to his enemies rather than for funsies. Be warned, if you poke this bear he will retaliate for sweet, sweet revenge and he has centuries worth of pranks behind him. Good luck.

Asmodeus 

It's a new party every night, sweetie, get used to it!

Asmo is the only other brother who has some amount of money to offer from his own trips to the human world, but it's just a modest amount.

Is totally willing to work to help pay for a nice place. He wants a building nice enough to host parties!

Would go back to modeling and maybe dip his toe into acting from time to time… He gets a lot of gigs (this IS the Avatar of Lust after all) so they won't be strapped for cash. Which is good, because Asmo is a very "business by day, but party every night" kind of person. 

Do know that his shopping is NOT going to slow down either. Keep an eye on the budget.

He’s also going to make friends wherever he goes so he’s going to want for them all to hang out at least somewhat regularly.

That being said, he can tone it down some if the MC so desires, just know that they can’t keep him cooped up in the apartment for too long or he’ll start getting antsy. You can’t keep this stallion locked up, MC, he needs to run free!!

Being with Asmo is going to be like having a free pass to whatever gathering the MC wants to go to, at least. He could even get them into red carpet events with just his sheer charisma, charm, and er-… “charms.” Who doesn’t want to meet their favorite actress or singer, eh?

But oh, sweetie, please don’t prank him! Life is too short to waste on silly games (he also just genuinely just doesn’t enjoy being messed with so best not do it).

Beelzebub 

Brave choice, MC, but quick question. How in the world are you going to pay your food bills???

Beel is a real sweetheart through and through but his stomach is NOT. That thing will eat them out of house and home! (Maybe even literally!!) Both of them are going to have to work and probably some pretty looong hours (cause he’s got no money either).

Honestly, Beel would be best as a personal trainer in the human world. He’s a pretty decent combination of tough but genuinely kind and motivating. (The fact that he’s pretty easy on the eyes would help out a lot too).

But the MC won’t have to worry about Beel sneaking off with someone just looking for some “quality time.” He’d take his job seriously, though he’s not particularly versed in what the human body can’t handle so only the really dedicated (or masochistic) would stick with him anyway.

“Good work last week, April! You did so well that we’re going to go from 500 pushups to a thousand! … I can see you’re worried, but I believe in you.”

But hey, he can deadlift well over 2,000 pounds without breaking a sweat so who has the balls to argue with him, anyway?

Trying out every restaurant in town would be a must. He’d even plan out vacations for them with the sole purpose of travelling the globe and tasting the different flavors. Food trips!!

He's neat enough since he used to tidy up a lot for Belphie so no need to worry about him picking up after himself (except for the occasional pile of wrappers. Toss those out unless you want ants)

I mean, you can prank Beel if you want. He'll be pretty good-natured about it as long as it stays harmless. Just don't ruin any of his food, got it?

Belphegor 

So… Belphie makes for some excellent décor! Really he is great at laying around and looking fantastic just… he’s not that great at much else...

Realistically, choosing Belphie as a roommate is kind like having a high maintenance pet. He’s good for love and cuddles, but he’s not going to be helping with the bills or anything unless they whine incessantly about it.

If the MC can make enough for the both of them, then it should be fine. They won’t get upset and he won’t be crabby but if not… Oh boy.

Regular job Belphie is a needy Belphie. He’ll come back from whatever job he’s working, likely a night shift, and demand attention or cuddles right then and there. He needs to recharge those batteries, after all...

If he isn’t working then he's at his happiest. He can even pull off being a “househusband” of sorts. He’s not going to go above and beyond the call of duty, but he can keep the place clean, get a basic meal on the table (provided someone teaches him some human recipes), and get groceries if he needs to… You know, basic domestic shit.

They’re going to have to come to terms with the fact that, at some level, Belphie just doesn’t believe in “common curtesy” or “human decency.” If some neighbors are being too noisy for his liking, he will troll them to oblivion and beyond. He may even get sued for it if he takes it too far, so the MC will have to keep an eye on him…

He’s the House’s #2 prankster, but unlike Satan he doesn’t need any malice to be a little shit. The MC will be pranked and it will be at the most unexpected times. Be warned...

Check out my Masterlist for more!

[mrnibblesleviathan]

Entry 6: Now that stings!

“Welcome Aboard Captain” rang through the base as Ryley entered. They wandered towards Bart’s workbench, hiding something behind their back, and tapped on the wall to grab the man’s attention. Bart turned to find them smiling widely.

"Wow, looks like you're in a good mood." Bart commented. "What did you find?"

"Bart! I found something!" Ryley signed, excitedly, using only one hand. The other one was still behind their back.

"...Yes. I just asked you that." Bart pointed. "What you got there? Is it the rouge cradle seeds I was looking for?"

"No. A new thing." They answered. "A new plant! New plant for you!"

Bart smiled, increasingly more interested. "So? Let me see it!"

Ryley exposed their hand. A long and beautiful glowing algae was dangling from it, with thick leafy blue curls growing around a purple stem. It was dripping and heavy from being out of the water.

Bart instantly took a step back.

"Ryley, that's... that's a dropping stinger." He muttered. "Why are you holding a dropping stinger?"

"You like it? Pretty, right?" Asked Ryley, joyful. This time they used both hands, one of which was still holding the algae, causing it to splash in all directions. Bart dodged, fearful.

"Ryley, let go of this thing, it's poisonous!" He said. Ryley furrowed their brow. They looked at the plant in their hands, and then back at him.

"Why hands numb?" They asked, puzzled.

"Let go of this thing!" Bart slapped the dropping stinger from their hands. Ryley looked at it, sad.

"You didn't like."

"No, Ryley, it's not like that." He assured. "I actually really like this plant, I promise I do, but the thing is that it needs to be handled carefully. With special gloves, not bare skin. Honestly, it makes me happy that you thought of..." He stopped talking. Ryley was looking out of the window, distracted. "Are you even listening?"

Ryley looked back at him. And then at the ground. "Bart! You dropped the pretty plant!"

Bart rested a hand over his eyes for a moment and took a slow breath. “Ryley, I want you to look at me.” Ryley met Bart’s eyes with a glazed, unfocused look. Their pupils were way bigger than normal. The man let out a deep sigh. “Fucking hell. You’re high, aren’t you.” Another shrug from Ryley. “What exactly am i supposed to do with you now? I can’t even lecture you about safe plant care because you’re obviously too out of it to understand.” He started pacing around in circles. “No, no, don’t worry. I remember how it was, with Maida that one time. The effects will pass in a few hours, I just need to…”

Without warning, Ryley stepped over the plant on the floor to grab onto Bart, who scooted his chair just out of reach.

“I missed you so fucking much... Can’t believe finally here…” They were teary-eyed.

“Woah there big guy! I am not having you sit on my lap, you’re enormous! And I have space cancer, I’m a bit fragile at the moment.” Bart blurted. Rayley, naturally, didn’t register a word of that, just turned to him again and gave him a spine breaking hug. Damn, he was the cuddly kind of drunk back in the day, Bart thought.

“Lets go over to the bench, alright? That way you won’t crush me?” Bart took in the look of concentration on Ryley’s face with a growing sense of dread. And was promptly removed from his chair and carried to the bench, where he gained a lap full of his high as a kite best friend. “Is this better? See, pal, I’m back, I’m not going anywhere. Not that you’d let me.” Ryley nodded into his torso, and Bart laughed. He carded his hands through his friend’s hair for about 10 minutes until they started getting squirmy. Yeah, it definitely wasn’t like that with Maida that one time.

He remembered how she had spent her stoned hours trying to battle a reefback. Of course, all she had was a hardened blade at the time, which did nothing but scrape some mossy patches off the mighty animal. A gentle snap of a tentacle sent her flying 10 meters away and she was convinced she had won.

He missed those simpler days.

"I'm hungry" Ryley signed once their hands were free and facing upwards. Bart let out a weary sigh.

"Of course you are." Ryley started walking towards the kitchen. "Wait for me. I need to watch what you eat. I don't think cured fish is a good idea right now." Ryley gave a sloppy salute and sat up on the bench. “Stay here, okay? Don't go wandering off.” Bart watched them as they backed out of the room into the kitchen. They grabbed some lantern fruits and a chunk of marblemelon, hoping that it was light enough not to upset their stomach but still able to satisfy their munchies. 

He walked back to see Ryley on the other side of the room, in front of the window. Naturally.

“Whatcha doin’ there bud?”

Ryley accepted the lantern fruit, biting into it as if they hadn’t eaten in days. Then they tried to speak, forgetting their current condition, and course the headache attacked. Not only that, but they hadn’t even finished chewing, which caused yellow juice to grossly drip through their chin.

“By gods Ryley, you’re starting to act like me. Please take your time” Bart attempted to clean their face with one of his tissues, while his friend confusedly tried to shake the pain away from their head. Finally, after these few struggling minutes, Ryley managed to sign… and Bart took a step back once he read it.

“Wanna go out and fight a Reaper?”

He had to admit, he was impressed. As far as he taught them, Ryley knew all these words separately. Still hadn’t gotten the hang of signing sentences from scratch. But with the fluidity of their gestures, it was like they had known the language their whole life. Bart began to think what was holding their friend back when his inhibitions were in place. Perhaps they were shy, afraid to get it wrong, so they didn’t really try?

That was a question for another time, as Ryley was still staring at him, excitement gleaming in their hazy eyes, after having just asked if he’d be up to wrestling a leviathan.

“Uh… Wait, are you serious? You’re not serious, are you? Are… Holy shit you are.” Quick, think of something. “Ahn - I’d love to, pal, but I think that one might be a little out of our league, don’t you agree? Also, your sane self would murder me if I even got out of the house. So that’s a no from me and you.” Bart tried to coax them back to the bench, but they kept pushing back to go to the hatch. “No, no, no, don’t make me drag you, you know I won’t be able to. Eat some more first and we’ll talk about going out on adventures, okay?” He was suddenly worried that this was going to turn into the Drunk Maida Incident 2.0, and he’d have to go along for the ride. He sneaked over to the locker nearby while Ryley was distracted by a marblemelon and, just in case, snagged the stasis rifle. Not doing that all over again.

Turns out he was right to, as Ryley refused by all means to get away from the hatch.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Bart blurted, distressed, feeling somewhat like the parent of a toddler. A very large toddler. 

“Wanna find more plant” Ryley signed, slow and deliberate. “More stuff. Wanna go out. Pretty colours out there!”

Fuck, they really were tripping bad, if they were already seeing more colours than the myriad of bioluminescence outside. No way in hell would Ryley be able to keep themself from being mangled by some stupid shark if they left now, but in his condition, Bart couldn’t possibly stop his giant and strong trained-in-the-military friend from doing whatever they wanted. He cursed himself for not thinking of giving Ryley a prep talk on the poisonous organisms in that planet. That would have been the sane thing to do, right? And shit, they were already reaching for the damned hatch again.

“Ryley wait!” He exclaimed, and they looked at him, waiting.

Bart knew he couldn’t hold them back. Not with that condition. But what else could he do? Go along for the ride? Ryley had been very insistent on him not leaving the house - and he couldn’t even pretend he didn’t agree. He could get hurt, he could die, they both could die despite his best efforts.

And yet, there he was, faced with the opportunity to, after months, finally live a little. Not trapped in a cage, not feeling so weak that he might as well be dead. He couldn’t even remember the last time he hadn’t been drowning in habitat malfunctions, medical emergencies and resource depletions… until now.

He knew Ryley wasn’t thinking straight. Deep down, Bart knew it was unfair for him to take advantage of that moment. But if for once in his life he could prove he was good enough to be trusted with his own life, that could be it...

“I’m coming with you. I could help you find more plants, and… colours. Can you help me get my diving equipment?”

Ryley waved their head, excited, and let go of the damned hatch. No backing out now. Bart headed to the moonpool to gather his gear.

.

Bart breathed in, savouring the moment and the bottled up oxygen. As surprised as he initially were, being out was really doing him some good. In the water, his weak body felt a lot lighter, and his lesions didn’t ache so much. Could do without the cold of the ocean, though. He started to imagine a way he could make his dive suit generate its heat. Such mechanism  would likely require power, which he knew could become a limited resource from day to night if one isn’t watching it. Still, he could…

He jumped to the side, startled, as a giant mouth emerged from a white dune and a huge shark started barking at him.

“Geez, I’m really out of practice, aren’t I?” He whispered to himself, as he rose the stasis rifle and paralyzed the creature. “Get outta here. Bad dog. Bad dog!! Where’s Ryley when I need ‘em?”

He searched around and found his companion, digging for abandoned treasure around the giant wreck stationed in that section of the Grassy Plateaus. High or not, apparently the kid still had their survival instincts impaired. They cut a very wobbly hole into a sealed door and got in.

“Can you at least wait for the metal to cool down?” Bart yelled more at himself than at Ryley, as he knew his friend wasn’t going to pay mind to anything he said. “Hey, Rye, do you have any water on you? My throat is parched.”

Ryley dug into their Compressed Inventory and threw him a bottle. Missed him by a few meters, of course, but nothing Bart couldn’t swim and catch by himself. Swiftly, he pressed a button on his helmet, deploying a plastic tube into his mouth. He attached the other end, stuck in the suit, into the bottle, and drank. What a ritual just to get some water, when you’re already surrounded by the stuff. The ocean sure was a deceiving place.

Bart was actually surprised at how well he was doing. He wasn’t even feeling dizzy. Perhaps it was the breathing, helped by the oxygen mask, finally pumping the right amount of much needed air in his lungs. Such realization came with a darker thought, however. He had never been in need of an oxygen mask, until the last time he had enough resources to thrive. And he needed it now. The bacterium had spread further into his lungs.

           Ryley bonked a fist on his helmet, to call his attention. Proudly, they exposed their salvage: several cheap plastic hair clips, one broken wind chime, and a jukebox file. The last one actually caught Bart’s attention.

           “Hey, Ryley, good job! This is going to be great for us! Imagine having a jukebox back home? With music?” He ignored as Ryley stuck the hair clips into his helmet antenna. “Do you think the blueprint would be around here as well?”

           “This was cafeteria wreck.” Ryley told him. “I think jukebox is here, or close, in pieces.”

           “Where’s all that eloquence when we’re studying, huh?” Bart crossed his arms. “You’re a sign language natural!”

           “I gonna try to find more music.” They said, turning their head away, flustered.

           And they sure did. The wreck was littered with all kinds of files and other treasures. The cafeteria menus, cards for the snacks, the snacks themselves (all rotten and moldy) as well as music. Ryley followed them across the room, and then the corridor, and then another room, until they ended up at the back of the section, in front of a cave entrance.

 Ryley spied it, with curiosity. They didn’t know that particular opening, but it seemed to lead on the same giant system that contained the bright pink jellyshrooms. The one they had previously found one of Bart’s old habitats inside. Something in their mind was trying to bypass the intoxication, and tell them they should step away. But, peeking further into the hole, there was some kind of equipment abandoned on a rocky platform, and once they realized what it was, their eyes gleamed with excitement and they forgot any bad feelings he might have had about it.

“Bart. Bart. Bart.” Repeated the PDA, in maximum volume, as they tried to get their friend’s attention with the monotone robot voice. At least it worked. Bart came swimming, a little slower than they’d like.

“Yeah? What did you find there?”

“Bart, I fnod hrj jsaubox!” Said the PDA.

“Wha…?” The question was abandoned when Bart realized where Ryley was swimming. “My stars. Ryley, get out of there.”

Sighing, Ryley dropped the PDA on the floor, where it was still blurting nonsense, and decided to sign at him. Too high on their own excitement, and too focused on figuring out the signals to see a giant slender form creeping up behind him.

“No, no, no, no, no, get out of there! Ryley it DOESN’T MATTER, GET OUT OF THERE!”

Ryley was about to tell him they had found the jukebox, but was cut short when the crabsnake rising it’s enormous body from the hole snatched them by the waist with it’s mandibles.

[queen-parasoul]

Burnout

Summary: All Samson had wanted was to jump on a motorcycle, ride out into the middle of nowhere, and have a life of his own. But like everything with the Medicis, things could never be so simple.

Characters: Samson, Filia, Vitale

Genre: Family/friendship

Author’s Note: This is a fully human AU with no supernatural elements like the Skull Heart.

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There were names for this place on a roadmap. For good reason, “No Man’s Land” was the one that stuck.

A line through a tan blotch on a map did little justice to the scope of the warm arid expanse. Dust and sparse vegetation spread for miles, split by a seemingly endless road. Any rise in elevation rested along mountain ranges barely visible in the shade of night. During the day, the heat could be unbearable, but on nights like tonight the air was pleasantly cool, the sky above cut by the moon and hundreds of stars.

Contrary to popular belief, there were a few dots of civilization around this wasteland. The largest was a modest town, though quiet at this hour. The loudest signs of life came from its outskirts, a dive bar just off the road, parking lot lined with cars and motorcycles illuminated by streetlamps light.

Only people with simple needs or without a future would live out here, and on a Saturday night, this place was full of them. Muffled music played within the walls, briefly leaking out as the front door squeaked open and a brick wall of a man skulked outside.

He looked half like a greaser, in a leather jacket along with a white tank top, jeans and boots. His black hair, styled into a pompadour, led into sideburns then a short scruffy beard, all framing a strong tired face. Before the door slammed shut, he gave a short wave behind him to the patrons inside casting friendly insults and wishing him a good night.

Sober enough to drive, fatigued enough to sleep as soon as he got home. An uneventful end to a Saturday, but a good one in his book.

Walking up to a motorcycle parked in the front lot, he dug through his pockets for his keys when a meek voice addressed him.

“Um, excuse me?”

He looked over his shoulder to find a teenage girl approaching. People around here could be clean-cut, but she stood out, wearing a fresh-pressed button-up blouse and a pleated skirt with a headband pushing back her long blonde hair. He couldn’t help but eye the purse over her shoulder, a designer brand if he wasn’t mistaken. Her face was full of nervous curiosity as she craned her neck a little to look him in the eye.

“Are you Samson?” She asked.

“Who wants to know?”

“…Me?”

That should have sounded like an insult, but her tone showed no indication. He had nowhere pressing to be, so he humored her.

“Yeah, I’m Samson.”

She sighed in relief. “Oh, thank goodness! I thought I’d never find you.”

“You’ve been looking for me?”

“Well yeah, you’re the reason I’m here, after all.”

“Really.” He’d never been called out so politely in a parking lot before. “What for?”

“Well, I thought you’d be at your house, but no one answered, so I came here.”

So she knew where he lived, and when no one was home her first instinct was to check the only bar in town. Either she knew him or just knew what to expect from people who lived around here.

“I get why you’re here, but why were you looking for me in the first place?”

“Well, where else am I supposed to-” She suddenly frowned, “Wait…do you recognize me?”

“Nope.”

Her eyes threatened to mist over, and he didn’t want to stick around for the misplaced waterworks.

“Look, you got the wrong guy.” He started to walk away. “Do yourself a favor and go somewhere worth being.”

Her voice suddenly spiked in frustration. “Samson, it’s me! Filia!”

He froze. Now there was a name.

Memories came rushing back, and as he looked her over again, her features started to fade into familiarity. While her light hair was her mother’s, the dark hue of her eyes was unfortunately like his. The voice was familiar too, if half a pitch lower. The polite demeanor had thrown him off, but if he pictured her a little shorter, with a smug look on her face…

“No way.” He muttered. “Filia?”

The next second, her arms were wrapped around him. “You do remember me!”

He glanced around the parking lot, making sure no one was witness to this awkward encounter then slowly pushed her an arm’s length away. She seemed completely oblivious to his discomfort, smiling ear to ear.

“I can’t believe you got so tall.” She marveled. “And you grew a beard!”

“Yeah, you, uh…you got pretty tall too.” He mustered in reply, still bewildered.

“It’s so good to see you again. I had heard you left the city, but I had no idea you were all the way out here!”

“Well, I wanted a change of pace from New Meridian, and this is where I ended up.” He refocused on the matter at hand. “But never mind that, what are you doing here?”

“Didn’t my Dad tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

They both fell quiet as he waited for an answer. His gaze on her narrowed, and she smiled nervously, searching for the gentlest explanation. Just when he started to feel the rush of an incoming bombshell, she finally spoke up.

“So…” She tapped her fingers together, “Funny story.”

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“Put him on the phone, Vitale.”

“He’s not here.”

“Like Hell he’s not there!”

Samson banged against the wall of an aged phone booth that stood at the edge of the lot, its interior lit by a single flickering lightbulb. It was functional, but the scratched glass struggled to contain both his wild gestures and shouts into the receiver.

“You gotta be kidding me! I haven’t seen him in five years, and he sends me his kid?! He could’ve given me a heads-up at least!”

“You didn’t leave a phone number, Samson.”

He wasn’t about to admit Vitale was right. “Well you still managed to figure out where I was.”

“Marcus already knows where you live. Apparently, he had your address.”

“Yeah, I sent it to him a while ago in case he found any important stuff I missed when I was packing. Guess I forgot to send it to you too.”

Vitale’s voice twitched in annoyance. “How…thoughtful. And yet you didn’t think to send a new phone number?”

“Not important.” Samson diverted. “I don’t even know how you got her out here. I’m surprised she didn’t get kidnapped.”

He glanced over his shoulder. Thankfully, she was still sitting on the curb, patiently sipping a bottle of water.

“We did our best,” Vitale responded, “And she’s a little more capable than she looks. That said, hopefully she’ll be safer in your care.”

“And what am I supposed to do with her, huh? I don’t have any room for her at my place, and I don’t have time to babysit either.”

“She’s sixteen.”

He threw his hands in the air. “Whatever! I haven’t seen her since she was what, ten? I didn’t even recognize her at first, since she’s so…nice. Did she hit her head or somethin’?”

“She grew out of her bad habits, Samson. Most people do that, unlike you.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “How did you even convince Marcus to do this?”

“It was his idea. And it’s more like he wouldn’t be doing this if we had any other choice. Not to mention you owe us after all the trouble you caused before you ran off on us, and after that for that matter. Your departure and little spats with Leviathan came up when we were trying to make peace with the Contiellos, and it did not make us look good.”

“Yeah, well-” He paused and leaned against the phone booth wall. “Wait, what happened with the Contiellos?”

“That’s…not important. The point is, Filia’s there now and she needs somewhere to stay. You don’t even have to bring her home. Once everything has calmed down, I’ll send Cassandra to come pick her up.”

“Oh yeah, Bella!” He snapped his fingers. “How’s she doing?”

“She’s…fine.”

“Good to hear. I guess you’ve been keeping her busy as your little errand girl.”

Samson heard a satisfying sigh from the other side of the line.

“I understand this is inconvenient,” Vitale admitted, “But Filia isn’t safe here right now.”

“Why not?”

“She just isn’t. That’s why Marcus is trusting you with this. Like it or not, he’s doing what’s best for his child.”

“And what would you know about that?”

The air held still on both ends of the line. Samson wasn’t keen on opening old wounds, but Vitale brought out the worst in him. He decided to bite his tongue, and only act defensively, and luckily when Vitale spoke, he chose to resist too.

“Alright, just…listen. You don’t like this. Neither do I or your grandfather or even Marcus and Amelia. But you’re the only one of us who’s left New Meridian, and if anyone still thinks you’re part of the family, they don’t know where you are. You aren’t in danger so long as you’re out there and neither is she. Trust me just this once when I say we have no other option.”

Samson leaned an arm against the glass and stared out at Filia. The longer he did, the clearer his dusty memories became.

“She’s family, Samson. Surely that still means something to you.”

He ran every grating scene of his old home through his head. Every passive-aggressive jab, every pinch of pressure to be someone different, every tireless complaint from every branch of his family tree.

“Fine.” He relented. “But no guarantee she won’t be a heavy drinker by the time she gets back.”

“I guess that’s as much as I can ask for.”

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

Filia had just finished her water bottle when Samson returned, an exasperated look still plastered to his face.

“Is everything okay?” She asked.

“Yeah.” It wasn’t, but he rummaged through his motorcycle’s side bag and tossed her his helmet anyway. “We’re gonna head back to my place. You ever ridden one of these before?”

“Nope.”

Of course she hadn’t. With Vitale’s iron fist, it was a miracle he had even touched one when he was sixteen. “Just get on and don’t let go of me once we get going.”

She took a seat sidesaddle on the bike while he started throwing her belongings into the side bag, surprised by how little she had brought for someone living the high life. Knowing the family, he assumed they had just thrown her a few weeks’ allowance instead to save space. (Still more than Samson’s rent, he also assumed.)

“My place is no Medici Tower, but it’s decent.” He continued. “You’re gonna have to sleep on the couch though.”

“That’s okay, I don’t mind. Do you live alone?”

“No, I got a roommate and a dog.”

“Oh…okay.”

And of course she didn’t like dogs. She called them “slobber factories” back in the day, and no matter how different she was now, he could tell that hadn’t changed.

“Well, at least you’ll like my roommate. She’ll be around tomorrow, maybe she can help you get settled in.”

Filia’s eyes twinkled. “‘She’?”

The implication flew high over his head. “Yeah, a friend of mine. We ran into each other a few years back.”

“What’s she like?”

“She’s…nice.”

‘Nice’.  As if she wasn’t going to laugh herself to death when he explained this in the morning. But she wouldn’t be his best friend if she couldn’t be as much of an ass as he was.

Shooing her further back on the seat, he took his place in front and turned the keys in the ignition. The rumble of the engine brought some ease to his anxiety. He couldn’t even begin to think about this whole mess in the long-term. What he needed was a short ride and a good night’s sleep. He’d figure out where to fit her into his life tomorrow.

His mind couldn’t help but wander back to New Meridian. Just from Vitale, he could tell things weren’t perfect with the family. They took a real risk sending Filia out here even if Marcus did trust Samson more than anyone else in the family did.

As much as he tried not to be, he was worried. Vitale, Lorenzo, and all their goons could take a long walk off a short pier for all he cared, but Marcus and Amelia were good people. Not to mention Cerebella – sorry, Cassandra, a fine name even if Vitale acted like he owned it – was still under Vitale’s thumb, probably promoted from doing chores to dirty work that, worst case scenario, could get her hurt.

Funny how Vitale cared more about the precious heiress than he did his own kids. Samson hoped to high heaven it would come back to bite him in the ass.

For the first time in years, a malicious spark lit up in Samson’s eyes.

Maybe there was a silver lining here, more than just another friendly face and at least one housemate who wouldn’t steal his leftovers. There were ways to twist this in his favor, a little more compensation or one final jab for old times’ sake. He’d have to be careful to keep the innocent out of his line of fire, but if he aimed for the right targets….

He had given up on that life a long time ago, and he’d sworn that all the money in the world couldn’t drag him back into it. Even so, that didn’t stop a devious smile from emerging on his face.

He was still a Medici after all, right? And all that was left of that legacy for him now was the spite in his blood.

“Samson?”

He snapped out of his thoughts. “Yeah?”

“Thanks for letting me stay with you. I know it’s pretty sudden and everything.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

“And…I was pretty young when you left, and I know we weren’t the closest,” She hugged Samson so genuinely that he could feel his skin crawl, “But it’s nice to see you again.”

He took a deep strained breath then slowly exhaled. “Damn you, Vitale.”

“Hm?”

“Nothin’.”

He revved the engine and sped off with his cousin into the night, praying to whatever higher power that was listening that there was still booze at home.

[peggysousfan]

Agent Carter An Au Series

Here is Chapter 16! There’s a lot more of the show in this one to make up for 15 lol and some peggysous fluff in the beginning. Enjoy! :) 

(PS. Tio means uncle lol)

Peggy's POV:

I wake up early in the morning, feed Steph, and go to the kitchen to make some tea. I notice Daniel still asleep on the couch, and he looks uncomfortable. Perhaps once we move he'll be able to sleep in his on bed again, and actually be comfortable. I can't believe I told him as much as I did last night, although it is a relief having some of it off my chest, I still wasn't ready for him to know all of that. I like Daniel, i really do, perhaps more than friends...but he showed me last night that he wasn't interested, or that he lost any interest he had. I never forgot the time in his room where we nearly kissed, our lips barely grazed the other...and yet I felt something; and I want to feel that spark again. Thats why, when I slip up and kiss his cheek, I try to compose myself or act as if it weren't a big deal. But last night he turned away from me, and I'm afraid that door is well and truly locked for good.

I look in the refrigerator for the milk to put in my tea, and I notice the label; Daisy Clover Dairy. Damn. I almost forgot I have to find the milk truck with nitramene that Branis stole. Ugh, its going to be a long week. I look over at Steph and she keeps wiggling around as if shes looking for something; or someone. I love how much she loves him, but once we leave I'm afraid of how she'll respond. I look over at Daniel and hes still fast asleep; then an idea pops in my mind. Perhaps its a bad one, but I do it anyway. I lift poppet up and place her on Daniels chest, and the second she realizes who he is, she snuggle against him and falls asleep. More and more am I amazed at how close they are. Its incredible. I can only imaging what her father would say or do if he knew how close Steph was with someone else. Knowing his obsessive and overbearing nature, he would probably get angry and try to prevent Daniel coming anywhere near her. But babies are good detectors of good people, and it seems Daniel is he best.

I hear a noise and look over at the sleeping pair. Daniel laid his arm over Steph to hold her close to him. All I can do is smile at the sight in front of me. If only I had a camera to capture this moment. Normally I wouldn't care for such things...but this is an exception. I turn away and sip my tea when I hear a noise; Daniel is starting to wake up.

"Mmm." He moves around and realizes hes not alone. "Uh, Hey little one. Where'd you come from?" I'm assuming he looks around, but I don't think he sees me. "How the hell did you get over here?" I see his head pop up from the couch and hold her closer. She rest her head on his chest and sleeps soundly.

"I'd be concerned if she were walking already." He looks up and finally notices my presence.

"Jesus Peg! You scared the hell outta me!" I laugh at his declaration. "How long has she..."

"Only a few minutes. She wouldn't sit still and kept looking around for you, so I placed her with you. And of course, she fell right back to sleep." He looks down at her and kisses her cheek.

"You are the sweetest thing ever." And I couldn't agree more.

"Can you believe she'll be 6 months in a few weeks? Because I can't!" I say.

"Seriously? Jeez.. Has it really been that long?" I nod my head and make my way to the couch, and i sit next to him.

"Indeed it has. Its only 5 weeks away, but it feels much shorter than that." He hands her over and she snuggles against me. "Well its about bloody time you little minx." He looks at me and laughs." I suppose she just needed to cuddle with Tio Daniel first."

"Tio Daniel!?"

"Or would you prefer....Godfather?" He leans back and looks at me, his eyes wide.

"Peg. Are you serious? You're not kidding?" I laugh and shake my head.

"So is that a yes?" He quickly leans over and embraces me and starts to lead towards my cheek, but stops himself.

"I don't mind, Daniel." I turn to him. "I do it to you, why should it be one way around." I say boldly. I know exactly why. Women do it as affection, or for thanks and gratitude, sometime its only a friendly gesture. But for men? Its meant for familiar family and spouses. He still looks afraid...I suppose I need to squash that. I lean over and place one hand on his cheek, and kiss the other. "See? no harm. We're very good friends, Daniel. It doesn't bother me." He still looks shocked and frozen.

"Yeah, uh..right. No, uh sorry. Your're right." Hes adorable when he gets like this, all awkward and stuttering, and I can't help but laugh.

"We should be getting ready. I have a feeling its going to be a long day at the office." At this he snaps out of whatever trance hes in and stands.

"Yeah, you're right. I should probably jump in the shower and get ready." I stand up as well and embrace him.

"I'll see you at the office." Steph reaches out one last time and gets her snuggles, and then we leave. I meet up with Jarvis and we look at the housing I will be staying at. Its one of Howard's quieter residencies; But I'm starting to have second thoughts. I take a delicious scone from the table as we continue to walk. As we tour the house and Jarvis describe the layout and such, I speak up.

"I can't stay."

"Mr. Stark insisted."

"But he also wants me to clear his name for multiple charges of treason. If anyone finds out I'm living in his house, I'll be fitted for the noose!"

"Well if it puts you at ease, this isn't one of him primary residences. He uses it more for...private entertaining."

"Its too risky."

"Well if you're sure you wouldn't like to see the master bedroom." Although I know this is a absolutely horrible Idea, I follow him anyway. When we enter the room, I fall in love. The bed is the most comfortable thing I have ever laid on.

"Perhaps a night or two won't kill us." He chuckles and give me the Intel he has on Leviathan; which is nothing at all. The SSR had nothing on them either. The only lead we have in the milk company that has a truck full of nitramene. Jarvis asked about the foreign agents with the odd throats and I explained that the New York hospitals had no record of Laryngotamy patience in the last 3 years."So I've got 2 foreign agents, with no voice boxes, fighting over a milk truck full of experimental implosives. "

"Just another day at the office"

"Ugh, I wish." I explain when the Daisy Clover opens and how I plan on infiltrating it and finding the truck. He insist on waiting with the car, but I tell him no. Hes already been through enough danger. As we have this conversation I explore the room, and when I get to the wardrobe...I am astounded. I'm not sure a theater has as many costumes as Howard does. But the white coat will prove useful. Soon after I hand Steph over to Jarvis, I head to get some work done

When I get there at the Daisy Clover, I use my American accent and a pair of glasses, and the white overcoat as a disguise. I confront the manager and say that there have been many complaints and I am one of them. I go on a rant and scare him enough to get him to cooperate; not many men like a bossy women and it can intimidate them. It seems like forever that I've searched this entire bloody place, but theres no sign of gamma rays or the truck. I look at the paper and notice a truck is missing.

"We've had a guy out sick the past two days. He uses his truck to commune."

"Has he never heard of a bus? Name and address."

"Sheldon McFee, but I don't have an address."

"Leave that to me." I storm off the property, but not without doing some proper inspector work. I shout to put air in one or the tires, and then leave.

Daniel's POV:

I can't believe Peggy wants me to be Stephanie Godfather! And she addressed me as Tio Daniel to Steph...I honestly can't believe that just happened. But of course I ruined the moment by trying to kiss her again. I know she doesn't mind it, but I do. I still can't forget the time in my room when we almost kissed; thats and all the times shes kissed my cheek or my hand.  I felt this...spark, and yet we barely grazed our lips against each other. Its torture having these feelings and not letting them out. I really like Peggy, as more than friends, but I know shes probably not ready for that sort of thing right now; and besides she has a kid. Even though I love that kid as if she were my own, shes not. I'll never be able to be her dad, and I think thats what hurts the most. It'll be worse when they find somewhere to move, I won't be able to see them as much; especially Steph.

When I know Peggy is gone I go to my room and look for something to wear after I get out of the shower. But the only clean shirt I have left is the one Steph ripped. Dammit. Guess this will have to do. I jump in the shower and get dressed, and once I'm done, I drink some coffee and head to the office. Peg isn't here yet, but I don't expect her to be; I know shes looking to see if he can stay with the sitters for a while. I know she hates the idea of house jumping, but its the only option she has that lets her live with her daughter. I would say Steph could stay with me while Peggy came by my apartment and stayed for her free time while she worked or was at the Hotel for woman. But I also work and can't watcher her 24/7. I feel horrible that I can't help out more...

"Hey Sousa! What happened to you? Did you get mugged?" Krisminski Laughs.

"What?" I ask.

"Well, your shirt is ripped. So I asked if you got mugged? I mean, Its not like you can fight back with one leg."

"Hey, whoa. We don't know if it was some low life thieves out to steal a gimps money. Maybe it was that girl hes been rushing off to see... Am I right Sousa?"

"Shut up, Thompson." I go to my desk and start looking through the files we have on Stark. I look up at the clock and notice Peggy isn't back yet, and its almost 9:15. Where is she? Maybe I'm the only one whos noticed, but shes always here five till 9; always. I keep looking at the files, but can't help but look at the clock. And then she arrives. Thank God. When she walks by my desk she smiles, but then looks at me confused. She makes a small gesture to my shirt, and I nod, then she laughs softly; she knows its the same one Steph ripped.  Hours go by and I get bored, so I look at the horse race chart.

"Whiteby's Prospect. Third Race." I turn round and see Peggy looking over my shoulder, her coat in hand.

"You sure?" I smirk. I know she doesn't really care about these things. Once when I was home and she came in, she noticed the races and laughed at me. She said it was a waste of time and money, and that most of the races were probably rigged.

"Not at all, thats why they call it gambling." We smile at the each other and then I circle her suggestion.

"I have to pop out for a moment, personal matters. Cover for me?" My first thought is somethings wrong with Step.  I lower my voice, so no one else can hear.

"Is everything okay with..." At first shes confused, then she gets it.

"Oh! No of course not, thats...no everything's fine in that regard." I sigh of relief. Peggy quickly reaches out and rubs my back comfortingly. "You'd be the first to know if something were wrong, Daniel. I assure you." I nod my head again and smile.

"Okay, good to know." She smiles and leans one hand on the back of my chair.

"So will you do it...?"

"Sure, but you'd own me one." She smiles again and Agent Mills hands me the photos from Spider Raymond's club. "Hey, Thanks a bunch." Peg asks about the folder and I tell her, then she offers to help me look for the woman who killed Raymond. Weird... "I thought you said you were leaving?"

"Oh well-"

"Hey Sousa, you're needed in the basement." Krisminksi says.

"I'm kind of busy"

"Well now you're extra busy. I got a ten ton ball of rocks and garbage with your name on it." God I hate this guy.

"Alright alright, just give me a minute." I put the folder away and the paper with the race. Then turn to Peggy. "Guess I'm gonna miss that race."

"Its probably for the best." She says. Kriskminski orders Peggy to file some reports, so I guess she doesn't get to leave. I hope it wasn't too important.

Peggy's POV:

"I see. Yes, Yes, Perfect. Thank you." I finally was able to gather the information and address of Sheldon McFee. Hopefully I'll be able to find the truck of Nitramene an turn in into the SSR; maybe then I'll get a break around here. I grab my coat and glance at Daniel before I leave. What is he doing? He has something hidden under a file that hes looking at. Gambling on Horse racing. Men...I take a guess and he listens to me, God he is a mess. I tell him that I need to leave on personal matters, and he automatically got worried about Stephanie. I don't think I can adore him any more for that. If anything were wrong with her, not only would I rush out of the this building, but I would grab Daniel and force him to come with me. Hes the first person I would come to if something were to ever happen to my daughter.

As I start to leave, I'm called for me reports to file. The bloody buffoons I work with are so idle. I look around, and make sure no one is watching me, and then I hurry to Chief Dooley's office to make a call; no trace. And he answer.

"I don't have long, so I need you to listen very carefully. I need you to dispose of Howard's car."

"I beg your pardon?" Jarvis says.

"The SSR are looking into Roxxon at this very moment at car sustained damage at the site, and is likely to be teeming with Vita Radiation. Make it disappear." He huffs, but agrees.

"Very well. The linens should be done in the wash in 30 minutes-"

"Now."I say. He asks about the Dairy truck and I give him the Intel I've found and then end the call. I have to know if my face is in any of those photos. This could ruin my career, get Steph taken from me, and... cost me everything with Daniel.

Hours later, when the coast is clear, around lunch, I stop eating the Orange Daniel gave me and sneak over to his desk. But of course nothings ever that easy. The phon on my desk rings, and then the one on Daniels; and I hit my head "Bloody Hell" I whisper aloud. That wasn't suppose to happen.I peak my head from the Desk and see Daniel coming my way. Dammit. I sneak back over to my desk as he answers the phone. Chief Dooley wants me to bring the Vita Ray Detector to the main Roxxon office.

"What was that about?" Daniel asks.

"Oh, just another errand." I reply as I walk away. I go to the file room and pick it up from where I pout it back this morning and then leave for Roxxon.

"Carter about time." Dooley says. Wanker...

"Oh! I didn't know  our government had such good taste in secretaries. Whats your name, Darling?"A man says, I'm assuming is Mr. Jones.

"Agent." I say simply. i hand over the detector to Dooley and say I will see him at the office, but he has other ideas.

"Yeah we could use your help" Thompson says. I'm sure you do.

"It wouldn't be for filing would it." I retort.

Dooley explains that the vita rays could still be on the person that handled the nitramen. He wants me to stay and check the woman in the facility because a man doing it isn't appropriate. God help me...I rush to the restroom to make sure none of the Vita rays are on me form when I had infiltrated the other facility and found Branis. Turns out I do. "Sorry Nana." I throw away the watch my grandmother had given to me before she died. I wasn't particularly close with her, but I was closer to her than my mum. She always encouraged my adventurous side and never forced me to learn to 'be a lady'.

Mr. Jones gathers up his employees and they stand in a long line to be tested. For a while there was nothing and i thought this whole thing was pointless, but then I see him. The man who helped Branis make the nitramen bombs. Thompson tests him, but he comes back clear. I ask him to stop walking away and ask Jones about the uniforms. Vita rays hardly saturate a persons skin, but clothing is tainted for longer, and when I suggest to check the locker rooms, Van Ert makes a run for it; and Dooley and Thompson chase him. Men are so quick to act rather than think. I take the stairs and beat him to the lobby.

"May I?" I ask as I take a mans brief case. I take it and wack Van Ert in the legs, and he falls to his feet. Thompson puts him and handcuffs and Dooley watches, out of breath. How he can be sweating this much is beyond me. "May I be pf any further assistance?" I ask. Once he is apprehended we leave to the SSR.

When we enter the SSR, I notice Daniel hard at work, and I catch myself from smiling. He works so hard and yet no one notices his efforts. Our eyes meet and I tilt my head for him to follow, and he does. We watch chief start to interrogation, but I'm not completely paying attention. I look over t him and see his shirt still torn, and i laugh.

"What?" He looks puzzled.

"Your shirt." I point and he looks down and laughs

"Yeah, uhm...its the only one I had left that was clean."

"I'm still sorry that happened,I-I still can't believe it."

"Its not your fault, Peg. Things happen." I hum in agreement.

"Have any of the boys noticed?" I ask. But he doesn't answer. "Daniel?"

"Yeah, but its nothing."

"What did they say?" He turns away from me and watches Dooley. "Daniel. What did they say?" Now I'm getting angry.

"It doesn't matter, Pe-

"Yes it does. It matters to me. What. Did. They. Say." He glances at me, quickly, and then back at Dooley. I reach out to him and hold his hand. "Daniel..."

"They just...thought I got mugged by some thieves..."

"And...?" He shakes his head and refuses to continue. I grab his shoulders and force him to face me, but he doesn't look at me. I place my right hand under his chin and my left in his cheek. "What aren't you telling me?" I ask gently. He takes a deep breath and speaks.

"They said that I got mugged by thieves..."I raise my brow, "Becasue I can't defned myself with one leg."

"What!?" He tries to shuh me to not bring any attention "No. I will not 'Shh' What else?"

"Pegs-"

"What. Else?"I place my hands on my hips; now I'm fuming.

"The other wasn't so bad..." Again I raise my brow. "He said that...it was a woman who did it." I know hes still holding back. "I can't win with you can I?"

"Never." I say and he laughs.

"He said that it was the woman that 'I've been rushing to meet' for the past 2 weeks."

"What woman?" Daniel's seeing someone?I had no idea.But I suppose it makes sense as to why he turned away from me last night...

"No one. There isn't one, I swear" I hadn't realized I was holding my breath, that is, until I released it. "No need to look so relieved." Damn.

"Sorry I-"

"I'm just messing with you, Peggy." I smile and shove him playfully.

"Arse." Before we know it, Dooley walks in the room and watches Thompson beat on Van Ert. If talking doesn't work, brute force does. He sends me home because 'lady's shouldn't e seeing this' As if I haven't seen worse during the war. I glance at Daniel and smile; one more night before Steph and I go to Howard's old house. I'll miss Daniel...