#i was just singing Cirice by Ghost

[the-depths-of-ones-mind]

why is it so fucking hard to just let people be happy with who they are and what they do with their lives to keep themselves happy?

[polarisbibliotheque]

Can You Hear The Rumble? - Vergil x Reader

Music Inspired Fics (Devil May Music) - Cirice, by Ghost

Pairing: Vergil x Reader

Summary: Everyone knew the kind of demon a hunter should be wary about is the one who plays with their victim's minds. You and Vergil were very proud on the outside - but how would it be when having to save each other on the inside for the first time?

TRIGGER WARNING: A lot of blood, cuts, bruises, scars and suffering on both Vergil and the reader's sides. The reader also struggles with perfection and self-loathing - in a "I'm never going to be a good person" kind of way, because I needed to get more intimate on the reader's part as well - and there are scenes with the reader covered in cuts and bleeding, though not self-imposed, it could be read like that. Those scenes are the reader's and Vergil's internal images of themselves. Reader and Vergil meet each other on their imperfections and the darkest parts of their souls, so BE WARNED. This might not be everyone's cup of tea and there are lots of potential triggers.

Author's Note: @tokkis-shelf asked me if Vergil's part of the Halloween special was inspired by Cirice, and here we are now. It is what kickstarted the song-fic requests! As with a lot of people, I think, Cirice is pretty personal to me.

In the video, it was so comforting to me seeing the black sheep being represented hahahaha and I guess that's why people love it so much. The part where they hold hands? I died, I'd never let go, I cry my soul out upon watching. (I did a very similar drawing to that scene when I was in school around 15 years ago, so it drop-kicked me out of my body xD)

Now, when writing this, I kept in mind that this song has a double meaning and can be quite comforting and quite manipulative at the same time - hence why I use the "can't you see that you're lost without me?" in two different situations, 'cause I think Cirice can be interpreted in so many ways and each person takes what they need from this song. I hope you guys like it!!

Plus, the song the reader and Dante sing at the end is The Power of Love, by Huey Lewis and The News

Cirice, by Ghost

“Can’t you see that you’re lost…?”

It happened every time Vergil walked in the darkness.

That voice in the back of his head, silently taunting him, the hiss of a quiet viper in the hopes of taking him back to the darkest parts of his soul. Quiet, lurking, whispering… Mundus always there, somewhere in the folds of his consciousness, guiding him back into the void – luring Vergil back into his shackles.

“Can’t you see that you’re lost without me?”

As if Vergil couldn’t belong anywhere else, as if his place was in Hell. After all he had been through, after all the sins he perpetrated, he believed wholeheartedly there was no hope for him at all – only a fool’s hope; only a glimmer of a wish he wasn’t as tainted as he was… A desire to not be such a monster as he was.

Pacing quietly through the empty cathedral, Vergil had already learned not to give in to those thoughts – to keep them at bay, as only a whisper in the darkness, of trickster voices that would always remind him of how inhuman he was.

It was times like this Vergil longed for the faint glimmer of the moon, or the warm ghostly light of a candle. It was easy to get lost in the dark, but a single ray of light could help through the direst of situations. That night, though, it seemed like the moon had fallen asleep behind the curtains of the clouds – Selene hiding her tears for her earthly lover in his eternal sleep.

None of you knew what that night entailed – you weren’t even certain what you were dealing with. That was the reason why Lady strutted in the Devil May Cry, not too fond of taking a job she didn’t know if it was up to her abilities.

“Well, looks like I have a new one for you to pay your debt, big guy!” Her singsong voice interrupted the ambience of the jukebox; Lady entering the shop with Kalina Ann and all.

“Eh, I’m never gonna be free of my debt, Lady, let’s be honest.” Dante sighed, putting his feet down and throwing his magazine across the table, shooting her a serious glare. “But things have been borin’ lately, so one of your odd jobs’ not gonna hurt. Whaddya have for me?”

“You talk as if I never help you enough to maintain this place.” She lifted one eyebrow, approaching the big desk at the middle of the shop.

“Gotta give the woman credit, Dante. Last month’s bills were on her.” You shrugged as you had finally come out of your shower, happy to see Lady around, still drying your hair with the towel as you went down the stairs.

“See? Someone who has a bit of common sense.” Her smile was nothing short of devilish as she gestured towards you.

“You know where you are, Lady. ‘Common sense’ isn’t much of a thing in this household.” You greeted her by quickly blowing her a kiss while passing by, making your way towards the couch where Vergil was quietly reading.

“Ey, you’re hurtin’ my feelings like that.” Dante put one of his hands over his heart, laughing alongside you as you kept on your way. “But fine. I’ll give ya that, Lady. So, what’s up? What job do you wanna throw at me this time?”

“I am not throwing it at you.” And there it was: you could always see when Dante stroke a nerve when Lady got defensive and with that fiery stare on her multicolored eyes. “If you wanna do it, great, if you don’t, I can deal with it myself just fine. I’m here to be a good friend since you can barely afford all that pizza you keep stuffing yourself with!”

As you sat by Vergil’s side, you both exchanged a telling glare. Just like you, Vergil was used to observing people. Granted, he didn’t know Lady as much as Dante or even you, but he did know her since he was very young. That fiery, easy-to-anger personality had been there since they first met at the Temen-ni-gru – and Vergil argued it was one of Lady’s traits that would never change.

Something he was quite pleased with, if he had to be honest with himself. It was a good trait for a human demon hunter like her. Dante always praised human’s hearts and particularly their love and empathy – Vergil praised their burning anger that made them unconquerable in the direst of circumstances.

“Jeez, alright, alright, don’t shoot me!” Dante raised his hands as if he was at gunpoint, making you wheeze quietly. Vergil side-eyed you for a while – half judging, half holding his own laugh. “It’s not like I have much of a choice, do I?”

“Humpf.” Lady rolled her eyes and took a slice of pizza from the box resting on the desk, pointing at Dante with it right after. “You know I wouldn’t bring you something if it wasn’t important.”

“Actually, you would.” With those words, Dante rested his arms crossed on the table – all the while, you and Vergil watched it all as if it was a show. Who needed a TV when you had those two? “But you’re bein’ too dodgy ‘bout it, babe. What’s goin’ on?”

“I got a call from a priest in a city nearby.” Lady’s answer was uncharacteristically quiet, followed by a bite from the pizza while she seemed pensive and in any hurry to chew it. “I’ve done some jobs there, know the guy, he’s nice. All the times he called me, it was always a quick, good-paying job. He said some weird things have been happening at the cathedral for the last couple of weeks.”

“Not to sound mean, but there’s always somethin’ strange happenin’ at churches.” Dante’s eyes carried a bit of skepticism: ‘weird things’ didn’t always entail a job for the Devil May Cry – and it usually ended with all of you hunting a rogue raccoon or something.

“I know. But this guy, he doesn’t get scared easy, ok? He’s one of those types of priests who’ll try to shoot down a couple of demons with a shotgun and, if that doesn’t work, he gives me a call.” Those words, though, made you and the Spardas raise your eyebrows. Indeed, it was a rare type of priest, but a good one to keep as acquaintance. “He said the cathedral is increasingly quiet, even from noises outside, with occasional distant noises that are not done by any of those who live there. After it all started, the other priests reported having weird nightmares, of being chased by something in the dark, inside the cathedral – this thing whispering things they can’t understand. Alright if it happened to one or two, but soon all of them started waking up in the middle of the night with similar nightmares – and, catch this, the higher ups of the clergy didn’t tell the common priests about it, but they all reported the very same dream.” Those words caught everyone’s attention. Vergil finally closed his book and leaned forward, paying attention to Lady’s retelling of the priest’s misfortunes. “The priest has been trying to figure out what’s going on, but some old books appear to go missing from the library, only to re-appear as if nothing has happened. Some books are missing pages, something that never happened before. He also said the inside of the cathedral has been getting darker and darker as the weeks go by. As if something is approaching – his words, not mine.”

Vergil immediately furrowed his brows and seemed to turn into an ice sculpture right by your side. You risked a glance, finding him with his usual dark aura – pensive, somber and quiet; hunter’s eyes showing themselves in a matter of seconds.

“Rare are the creatures in Hell in search for knowledge…” He muttered loud enough for his brother and Lady to turn their attention to him. “But those who do, are usually among the worst. Haunting noises, torn books, nightmares, dead silence and total darkness…”

“What? You think those Hell Piranhas came out of their pit?” Dante’s question had a bit of fun in the words, but his eyes were serious and he didn’t allow his lips to smile.

“Could be. Could also be a demon trying to mimic them to hide something else.”

“Hell Piranhas?” You and Lady didn’t need a cue to ask at the very same time. Neither of you had ever heard of that – and both of you had heard of a lot.

“This is not their name, but it is how Dante calls them since we were kids.” Vergil almost sighed in response.

“How we both called ‘em. Mister smart-pants over here isn’t that much better than lil’ ol’ me.” Dante winked at both of you, making you giggle quietly in return. “They’re kinda like illusion demons, but they like stayin’ in the darkness and gatherin’ knowledge. Usually work for someone bigger, though.”

“And even if they don’t, they swallow up all their knowledge and that is dangerous in itself. Afterwards, they feed from the victims they have been toying for so long.” Vergil continued Dante’s thought, ignoring his brother’s previous words. The more you didn’t think about what Dante had said about him, the better – for Vergil couldn’t deny it. “They hunt in packs, and the more victims, the more powerful they become. Some call them the Pit Deceivers, others call them the Lie Weavers…”

“You call them Hell Piranhas.” You concluded bluntly, making Vergil stare at the horizon with emptiness in his eyes – he could say all he wanted, flex all his demonic knowledge, you heard the Piranhas and now you’d never forget it.

“I never heard of them.” Lady had her eyebrows furrowed, searching her memory for some story like that.

“They either don’t leave the pit that much or not many humans survive to tell the story. That’s why.” Dante pointed at a great, old book Vergil had left on one of the tables a long time ago and now it was its official resting place. “You can find it only in the likes of the Codex Daemonica.”

“So either we have them around, or it’s something else. Something bigger. Right?” As you asked, Vergil only agreed with his head as the attentions turned to you. “Or something mimicking the Piranhas.” And Vergil had to sigh at your addition. He would never have peace again. “The mimic or the master, what kind of demon would the Piranhas answer to? If they are that obscure, I take it their existence is more of a niche knowledge in Hell rather than a common information.”

“On that, you are correct…” Vergil murmured in response, falling back into his pensive demeanor. You knew he would be lost for a while.

“See? Good thing I brought this for you, then.” Lady waved dismissively at Dante, but you could sense a little edge in her playful voice. Dealing with big things was fine, same as dealing with cruel demons and the ones that played the big-scary-one persona. Unknown demons were another kind of monster – one only Dante and Vergil used to deal with. “Plus, they always pay well.”

“Eh, I won’t be seein’ much of that money, if I know ya well.” Dante scoffed, having a small smile hidden in the corner of his lips; his tone and demeanor, though, were quite somber and you knew the red devil was taking it seriously.

“If you don’t mind, Dante, I would like to take over this one.” Vergil finally declared while getting up from the couch. “I know some of the hellish creatures who might make use of the Weavers or mimic them.”

“Fine for me, I’m needin’ some time to rest.” Dante sighed, but looked right back at you while Vergil rested his book on the big Devil May Cry desk. “But I’m gonna feel a lot better with someone around to keep an eye on ‘im, pretty thing.”

“Well, I didn’t intend on letting you guys deal with this all by yourselves anyway.” You got up from the couch, immediately receiving a glare from Vergil. “I’m going, blue devil, whether you want it or not. I want to get acquainted with these Piranhas.”

Vergil only closed his eyes, letting out the longest and most regretful sigh you ever heard in your life.

And there you were – although Vergil lost track of you quite a while ago. He knew the stirrings rippling through his heart when you were in danger; and being the fierce human you were, Vergil wasn’t worried about having you search for the demons in the cathedral.

There was, though, a slight uneasiness. That voice echoing in the darkest parts of his soul, it always came as an omen – causing nothing but destruction, inside or outside of himself. Vergil never could really say which one would be, but both were devastating.

“Veeeeergil…”

His steps came to a dry halt in the middle of the cathedral. The night outside the colorful stained-glass windows was pitch black, robbing the colors of their warmth and light – the fire on the candles, long dead in that cold night. The whisper that crept to his ears, like stark chalk on a chalkboard, dragged itself through the marble floor and took a hold of his soul in its clutches.

It was a different kind of sound – different from the ones inside himself, calling him to the darkness. It was from the outside… The Lie Weavers. Slowly coming up, finding him as their next victim. He was close to one of the places they were certainly lurking in the shadows, patiently waiting for someone they could consume.

Vergil never feared the darkness. Tightening his grip around Yamato, his steps resumed his way, approaching the places in the cathedral the faint light of the night could barely touch. Those demons should have known their end was near, and he was the harbinger of their demise – he expected all kinds of trickery, of resistance, of fight from them.

He did not expect to hear a familiar voice, filled with uncertainty.

“Vergil…?”

Halting his steps once more, this time his silvery eyes lost their predatorial gaze as his heart jumped in his chest – even if for a slight second.

“Mother?”

His answer was but a whisper before he was swallowed by darkness.

*

When engaging with illusion demons, one should be aware of not falling into their element: when engulfed by it, those demons were more powerful than expected, able to subdue even the strongest of foes. Breaking from their control required mental and emotional discipline rather than brute force.

It was a slight second – a foolish slip from his human soul, disarmed by the trickery of Eva’s voice – and Vergil was surrounded by a sea of darkness and turmoil. His heart stirred with anger towards himself for being such a child, a vulnerable stupid child, tricked by a puppet of something his heart missed so much.

Eva was long dead. There was no demon able to bring her back. And he would never see her again. All that logic was tossed aside in a spark of a second by his stupid human heart, trembling upon hearing her speak his name again. Granted, Vergil only heard his mother in his dreams, barely remembering how her voice sounded in reality, and this time he heard outside himself – but he should have seen it coming. Illusion demons, trickster demons, cruel demons… They all relied on the barely closed scars inside his damned human soul.

Vergil could always count on them to re-open those wounds, making him bleed as much as he did on the floor of that cursed cemetery so many years ago – and he was a fool to fall for it after he had been through so much.

“Vergil… Can you hear me…?”

“I can, you damned deceiver. You can stop these theatrics – mimicking my dead mother will not affect me.” His voice cut through the dark like the sharpest of ice, his predatorial gaze back into his silver eyes.

“I… Don’t understand you, son. I cannot find you.” Her voice had a tinge of sorrow and desperation – but it was exactly like Eva’s voice. Vergil remembered it with a tinge of gold, probably a result of the haze of nostalgia, but today it was grounded and melancholic – perhaps, that was how Eva had always sounded… He just didn’t remember it. “I can’t find you. You aren’t home.”

“I haven’t been home for a long while.” Vergil didn’t even try to hide the growl that raised from his chest as he argued with that creature. He was used to having a puppet of his mother parading in front of him to hurt his human soul even more, but that was already getting on his nerves. Taunting him about the fact his mother ran to find him that fateful night wasn’t part of the usual games those filthy demons played – and to say they were honing his wrath was an understatement. “And I will never be back.”

“I… I cannot see you, Vergil. Where are you…? Why…?” He could hear the weeping in her voice, faint sobbing while the desperation made her words tremble. Vergil raised his head in the darkness, holding his own heart not to quiver: she wasn’t real and it was all a gimmick to affect him. He would not be affected. He was stronger than that. “Why couldn’t I save you? Those demons they… They hurt you, didn’t they? Oh, my child! My son! They hurt you and I could do nothing! I couldn’t be your mother!”

“Enough with this, filthy, hellish creature!” His voice finally exploded from his chest, roaring in the dark and echoing through the void, finding only silence. “You have no right to desecrate my mother’s memory like this! Shut your putrid mouth and stop with your rancid lies!”

The glint of the Yamato being unsheathed made the darkness recoil for a split second, only to envelop the Dark Slayer once more. His grip was tight, his eyes fiercely looking for his first opponent to direct a very well-placed judgement cut that could end all those creatures with just one swing of his hand. Vergil had enough and all the patience he carried in his being wouldn’t be enough to stop him from overkilling those demons – he just had to know where to direct his wrath.

“Don’t say those words, Vergil… You are not… Not like this.” Her voice still trembled, and his hand was still certain around Yamato. Vergil knew quite well at that state he was a weapon of mass destruction, he just had to find his opponent. His soul was screaming for him to do that, to put a stop to all that mockery. “You are good… You are my son.”

Vergil would have sliced that demon into a thousand million pieces without flinching, even if it took the form of his mother – but his eyes widened as a soft, warm hand touched his face. In all those years being taunted by demons, being tricked and mocked, seeing so many puppets of Eva, Sparda and Dante, none of them had touched him… And none of them genuinely felt like them.

It had been so many lost years he hadn’t felt his mother’s touch – last time, she could cup his entire face, thumb lovingly caressing his innocent eyebrows, but now her thumb could only reach his cheekbones. Nevertheless, it felt like her: not like a golden, nostalgic lost memory of how she felt, but exactly like Eva’s hands, even with the slight roughness of her continuous gardening.

“It took me so long to find you… I am so sorry.”

“You are not my mother.”

“Don’t say that.” Her answer was a sorrowful whisper, her thumb now carefully caressing his sharp cheekbone. Vergil closed his eyes, unable to move, convincing himself all of that wasn’t real and not allowing his heart to sway – forcing his arms to remain frozen by his side, fighting the urge to embrace her. Reminding himself: his mother was dead, killed while trying to save him, a long time ago, and nothing could bring her back. “Your heart hasn’t hardened as much as not to recognize me. You…” Her voice once more became soft, as if trying to do the same with his soul. “You are not a monster… You are my son, my Vergil.”

With those words, Eva’s hand was finally met with a tear – melting the ice from those silvery eyes.

*

There was an impending storm rumbling inside your chest.

Whenever that turmoil took ahold of your heart, you knew Vergil was in trouble. You had just finished checking your side of the cathedral, finding some things out of the ordinary but no demons, when the waves became aggressive in your chest. Your steps were already taking you to meet him, but you found yourself walking even hastier – the sound, though, eaten by the shadows that seemed to only grow around you.

Neither of you had calm seas of feelings: they usually raged like a maelstrom of emotions you could barely get through without some destruction – be it internal or external. But there was a certain note of melancholy and desperation in your heart at that moment that made you know Vergil was hurting – and that hurting, you knew quite well.

It was almost ironic how you apparently despised each other at the beginning, but after a while you came to understand; that aversion was there because you, in a certain way, were a mirror of each other. You could see in him the traits in your soul you disliked the most, and Vergil did see in you the same thing – those traits, however, were the same ones that brought you together, and made both you and Vergil feel seen and understood for the first time in your lives.

He didn’t judge your sins, as you didn’t judge his. To your eyes, he was never a monster, and to his, you could never be as crooked as you thought you were. You found each other in imperfection and, in that, you managed to talk and feel on the same level – after that, every feeling of admiration, care and love was easy to blossom.

You understood that storm, that thunder rumbling inside your chest at that very moment. You could feel it exactly the way he felt – and you knew Vergil needed help… Even if he would never say so himself.

You couldn’t hear or see him, though. You found yourself exactly at his area of patrol in the cathedral, but there was no clue as where your blue devil had gone – and for him to completely disappear, imposing presence and all, was quite an achievement in itself. The air was stiff, heavy as if the windows had never been opened, eating up any sound from the inside and the outside. The darkness was heavier than the one you had previously patrolled, shadows allowing only a few glimpses of the opulent decoration and the path in front of you – although, you couldn’t see more than a few meters beyond your feet.

If you couldn’t trust your sight or your hearing to find him, you could trust your heart: the storm would guide you. Closing your eyes, you allowed your feelings to take over, following with your footsteps in the direction you could hear his soul calling.

Those shadow creatures wouldn’t be able to hide him from you: no matter what happened or where you found yourselves, you would always be able to feel Vergil’s presence and find him in the darkest of hours.

And as the thunder in your chest cracked violently, your feet came to a halt and you opened your eyes.

Right in front of you, there was only darkness. Not like in the shadows that took the cathedral little by little, but pitch-black darkness, that no light could cast aside. To enter it would mean to be completely bare: vulnerable, lost, without guidance, naked – but the screaming in your soul made it very clear Vergil was in there.

Contrary to your lover, you were afraid of the dark. You always preferred to have a little light by your side, for you never knew what could be lurking alongside you, ready to pounce and drag you to certain suffering and death. You protected yourself by being forever vigilant, as you always did – a trait that exhausted you, yes, but luckily, in the last few years, you had Vergil around to keep a light by you when your body started giving out.

For that reason, you would never fear entering the darkness for him.

And with a deep breath, your bold steps took you inside the dark.

*

Your feet were cold, bare, stumbling over a sticky floor. Even if your eyes could see only darkness, you felt the freezing air of that night slicing your skin: you were shirtless and something was hurting… Oozing. The cold wind mixed with a faint warmness that leaked from the open wounds on your skin.

Blood. You were bleeding.

Your arms immediately wrapped around you – those scars, they were showing. They never showed before.

Running your hands quickly over your body, you could feel the warm blood slipping through your fingers; some wounds barely holding themselves closed while others still poured as in the day they were created.

That was the version of yourself you used to fiercely hide. None of those wounds were physical, none of them could be seen… But whenever you looked in the mirror, you saw them there, under your skin, under your soul, quietly resting until you couldn’t hide them anymore.

“You are lost…”

It was always the same voice, of something dark, something inside you that could break your soul if you didn’t shove it back into the darkness like you always did. That was why you were afraid; that was why Vergil always kept a faint glow by your side whenever you couldn’t hold yourself together. The dark was dangerous to you – to both of you.

“You are lost without me…”

“I can survive quite well without you…!” You growled to the darkness, keeping that part of yourself at bay. The part that gave in to the pain, that bathed in the blood and didn’t want to get up… And the part that would bathe and rise in rage, making you survive at great cost to those around you.

You were past that. And you didn’t need that to survive. You didn’t have to survive, you could live.

“Can’t you see that you’re lost…?”

“Vergil!” Your scream was a roar in the dark, looking for the one you plunged into the darkness to find. You wouldn’t give in to the trickery of those Piranhas – and you would get Vergil out of there.

They would learn they shouldn’t fear only the son of Sparda: they should also fear you.

“You think you can find him…?” After the mischievous ethereal voice questioned, you heard a giggle rippling around your feet as you stumbled on the sticky floor to find your lover. “You think you are that good? You think you aren’t a monster?”

You furrowed your brows, doing your best to ignore the voices. You knew it was that part inside of you that always taunted how broken you were, how imperfect your soul was. For the longest time you believed there was nothing good in you, nothing to save you from a life of loneliness, until you crossed paths with Vergil.

He was broken too – and he would never judge the things you did to survive your lethal wounds.

“Vergil! Can you hear me?! I’m here to find you!”

“How chivalrous, how heroic! What are you trying to accomplish?” The giggles pooled around your feet, threatening to drag you inside that pool of viscous darkness. “Trying to prove yourself? You’re never going to be perfect. You’re a black sheep, an outcast, remember? The likes of you aren’t heroes.”

“Oh, I’m no hero…” You growled back, fighting against the things trying to pull you back; fighting against the pain of the freezing cold and warmness of blood. “I’m a fucking fighter. You’re messing with the wrong kind of monster, fucking Hell Piranhas.”

“Piranhas…?” A faint whisper in the dark broke whatever control those things were trying to have over your body, starting at your feet. It was Vergil’s whisper – followed by a louder speaking tone. “Y/n! I can feel you, where are you?!”

“Trying to find you!” You screamed back, immediately dragging your feet towards Vergil. You couldn’t see him, but you could feel where he was – and there was nothing those demons could do against that.

The darkness seemed to shift for a couple of seconds. You couldn’t understand what was happening, but you saw a faint, ghostly pale glow in the dark – almost imperceptible, but your heart knew, you could finally see Vergil.

And, in return, he could see you. Moving his feet, Vergil dragged heavy shackles through the floor, screeching in a horrid, soul scratching sound as he willed his body to move towards you. You could hear him grunting with the effort, another set of chains being dragged as Vergil moved his arms – slowly, but surely, wearing all of his strength to get to you.

You felt the viscous ripples of the floor creeping up your legs, almost on your knees, doing their best to pull you away – back into the darkness, back to the taunting voices, to the doubt, the hurt, the self-loathing.

“Vergil! Let me hear your voice! You’re still there, right?!”

“Yes. I am always here.” His answer came with grunts of effort, barely above the noise of the chains screeching around him.

The darkness shifted again, and his form became even more visible, as yours did to him – followed by a scream that rumbled in his chest, Vergil managed to get even closer. That made something spark inside yourself, that thundering storm breaking in your soul cracking in a scream that broke the insidious tentacles holding you back and making you lunge forward.

Once again, the glow you diffused only to each other seemed to get stronger as the darkness wavered.

“Y/n…” He growled once more, the shackles screaming on the floor as he reached out to you.

“Vergil…!” You reached out in return, barely making out the form of his fingers in the dark.

As you were almost touching each other’s hands, the heavy, muffling darkness faltered once more. You could finally see one another, as you were in that godforsaken place.

Vergil was shirtless, his body covered in wounds – new and old – bleeding profusely. His silvery eyes were red, sunken in deep shadow, surrounded by a deep purple mist on his dry skin. You could see his bones under his pale skin covered in so many lacerations you wouldn’t even know where to start healing him. His knuckles were battered, showing the flesh underneath, as well as his wrists covered by heavy iron shackles – wounds from fighting against them for so long. His hands were still long and elegant, but bony and covered in bruises.

You had never seen Vergil so hurt, so broken, so… Vulnerable.

In return, his eyes took in shock the vision of you: as shirtless as him, as battered and wounded as he was. Even if not locked in the shackles he wore for so long in Hell, you walked barefoot leaving a trail of blood behind you. Those scars, those wounds, those bruises… He knew they were there, but he had never seen those. You looked weak and tired, bloodshot eyes under dry skin, as if you hadn’t slept in ages… And those things you fought so much to conceal, now crystal clear in front of him.

Those were the scars you carried inside yourselves. The wounds you had to fight against every day – that you had to try to heal, even if sometimes it seemed impossible. The things you would never show, but, somehow, you managed to sense it in each other… Now you could see it, clear as a bright night.

And, even if you wouldn’t admit to yourselves, those were the very same breaking thunders that would keep you moving – fiercely fighting, fiercely surviving.

As you took in each other’s internal selves, Vergil’s silvery eyes finally found yours.

A loud thundering noise shook the floor underneath your feet twice, as your hearts rumbled alongside the devastating sound. You lunged forward, holding Vergil’s hand as if your life depended on it. Never breaking your eye contact, Vergil held your hand with the strength you would expect of the legendary Dark Slayer. You made each other stronger, and there was nothing that could come between you now.

His shackles immediately screeched back, pulling Vergil violently away from you. At the same time, you were grabbed by the viscous darkness – your knees, your legs, your abdomen, your arms. It pulled you back with vicious strength, doing its best to drag you away from him – back into the darkness.

“Don’t let me go!” You screamed back, tightening your grip around his bony hand.

“I will never let go!” He growled, doing the same, trying to drag his body forward – failing to notice you willed yourself towards him as he pulled you into his arms. Those silvery eyes never moved away from yours.

“You are lost…! Lost…!”

The voices chanted and screeched around you, doing their best to drag you apart. For a moment, your hand slipped and you let out a desperate scream, hurting your lungs as you were almost pulled back into the void. Vergil’s cry resembled a roar as he willed his body to move and tightened his grip in a way he didn’t hold even Yamato.

He hadn’t held his brother’s hand once. This time he wouldn’t make the same mistake. This time, he would hold you even if that damned the both of you to the darkest pits of Hell.

“Can’t you see…? Can’t you see that…?”

“I am lost…!” You barked back to the voices, still staring into Vergil’s eyes, trying to catch your breath while your lungs stung as if you were inhaling a thousand knives.

As Vergil looked into your eyes, though, he knew exactly what you were going to say – and he could safely say it was the very same thing he struggled to find the words to.

“Without you.” His answer came in a dark tone, ragged from the effort he too made to be able to hold your hand.

The thunder rumbled twice again – the voices shrieked and you suddenly found yourselves being launched into each other’s arms as the forces that bind you broke into a million pieces.

Vergil’s arms wrapped around you, one of his hands holding your head close to his chest, as you wrapped yours around his waist, keeping him as close as you could. His head rested on top of yours, and you kept your eyes closed – washing away the blood above his heart with the tears that streamed down your face.

“Don’t ever hide from me.” Vergil’s voice was uncharacteristically shaky, somber but reassuring. You had never been so vulnerable in front of him – and even upon seeing you like that, his reaction was to take you in his arms, to welcome you. “I’m not afraid of the dark.”

“And I’m not afraid of your darkness.” You tightened your arms around his cold, bony body as you felt tears running through your hair. “I can see beyond your glimmer, and I’m not afraid of what’s in the dark.” Your voice shook as you took a deep breath and Vergil’s arms held you even closer – his body shaking with the tears falling from his eyes. “It’s you. And I’m never afraid of you.”

“Neither am I of you.”

His answer was but a whisper – a whisper enough to break the darkness into a memory to be kept away in the deepest pits of Hell.

I can feel the thunder that’s breaking in your heart I can see through the scars inside you

*

*

*

*

“You killed the Piranhas from Hell with the power of love?”

Vergil wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. Or die. Or both.

Probably both.

The whole crew was there as you and Vergil never came back from the job as quickly as expected – and when you did, it looked like you hadn’t slept in days.

The priest was more than happy with the result of your work – even though you never discovered why the Weavers decided to come out of hiding nor what they wanted. The congregation was just happy they were gone and the whole reason behind it would be a long-term thing for the Devil May Cry to work on – or to keep an eye on; maybe something bigger was approaching.

You and Vergil didn’t feel like going back to the shop, though. When you were hurt physically, things were very much ok to deal with, but when the wounds were emotional… You needed time for yourselves.

Unlike his brother, Vergil was a little more responsible with his money – and you, a lot more than the two. You managed to find somewhere to spend a few nights… Which involved the both of you talking out everything you felt and saw. It was harrowing at first, something neither of you were versed in and honestly were terrified of, but it eventually brought you even closer together.

So, to say you had defeated the Lie Weavers with the power of love was something that killed Vergil inside.

And you could almost see his internal self, glaring at you with a ‘really, after all of this you say this kind of foolishness’ look in his sad, silvery eyes, as Lady stared at both of you and made the question everyone was thinking.

“Yep. Power of love, it’s a curious thing.” You shrugged, making Vergil physically groan by your side while Dante slapped his table with a huge grin on his face.

“Make a one man weep, make another man sing! Hell yeah, Back To The Future, babe!” He winked back at you as you smiled in response.

“Of all the people you could end up dating, Vergil…” Trish sat on Dante’s desk, crossing her long legs while sporting a devilish smile on her rosy lips. It was interesting how her voice could never really sound like Eva’s. “It had to be someone who references the same songs as your brother.”

“Alas, fate plays many games…” Vergil rolled his eyes, but as they rested on you, there was a vulnerability you saw only once in that pitch black darkness. “But it is kind enough to give us what we need.”

No one ever really understood what he meant, but Dante was the only one who managed to see something inside his brother’s silvery eyes that could only reflect in yours – and that made him genuinely smile.

Indeed, you would never be the romance of a fairy tale book or a romantic comedy – but you could see what lied beyond each other’s scars; taking a glimpse at the worst of each other without fear and finding whatever light was left inside. You could understand – and that was much more than most lovers in the world would ever have.

[delulluart]

Fic authors Artists self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics pieces that you've written, then pass on to at least five other people. Let’s spread the self-love 💜

Caaaake! Thank you! This was DIFFICULT. I didn't expect to like so many of my silly little thingies... I'll limit it to Ghost things and SFW only, to make it a little bit easier, hehe.

Copia singing in profile

The second Ghost piece I've ever published and both of them were surprisingly well received! I never had such a response in a fandom before and it kind of...triggered the creative explosion over the last year. Really happy with how this turned out, the hair, face etc. But having a great photo reference makes things easy :) unfortunately I don't know who the photographer was - if anyone knows, please let me know!

The Terzo and Copia as Genie and Ange du Mal Paintings

Such a fun commission! It wasn't easy, but having such a nice reference in the original statues by the Geefs helped a lot - just had to papa-fy the bodies a bit.

This Copia Cirice Portrait

I'd do the arm differently, but all in all I'm very happy. It was very difficult doing the out of focus effect traditionally and black background...If you know, you know. The eyes turned out really well, as did the hair!

The Papal Family Portrait

Probably my most successful piece, I think, so far? It sparked some controversy with people upset over Terzos height...which was obviously a joke (because I'm the type of person who puts way too much effort into jokes and ends up doing a whole watercolour painting with 4 people).

The 30(ish) Minute Sketch Series

It was surprisingly difficult to chose the fifth one! I thought about the Nothing Lasts forever Copia, because I'm proud of that one for trying new things, or Guitar Playing Copia, which i really like, too, or Ass and Thigh Fabric Study Copia and if I hadn't restricted the list to SFW only, you'd find the Desk fun one that turned out so well, or suggestive Terzo here... But ultimately decided to be a filthy cheater and chose this series, because it helped me grow a lot as a (portrait) artist, with certain facial features, angles and poses, developing a sketch style I like and focusing on important parts, instead of trying to do ALL the details, as I usually do - and I do like the results (the ones I publish, anyway, the others discreetly end up in the trash, ahem), actually. (Cheated even more and added three of them as examples, sorry, sue me)

[ashthewaterghoul]

Everything's Fine - A Copia One Shot

Rating: General Audiences

Relationships: Gen, Copia & Imperator (it's completely platonic mother/son stuff I swear)

Tags: Angst, dissociation, derealisation, Copia needs a hug, author is projecting, author does not care.

Words: 1813

Everything was fine. That’s what Copia told himself at least. Or, I got way too excited about Copia canonically having dissociative issues and wrote this as a more detailed version of his perspective throughout RHRN.

A/n: This was definitely better in my head but I couldn't help myself. I have dissociation issues myself (mostly DPDR) and seeing Copia struggle too made yap and ramble and this came about! Any feedback or comments are welcome and appreciated!

~~~

    Everything was fine.

    That’s what Copia told himself at least.

    He’d seen the signs but his mind wouldn’t have it. Everything was fine, apart from his own doom, it felt. But he knew his own mother would never permit that, right?

    It didn’t matter now, he had a Ritual to perform. Adoring fans screaming his name, the crew waiting for him to give the cue to start Imperium. There were a few new things tonight as well. The skeleton dancers, the quartet on the B-Stage, that new lighting rig for Watcher In The Sky, Twenties for the first time and If You Have Ghosts for the first time in a while. Stressful, but it’s fine. Everything was fine.

    Kaisarion was going as amazing as always, an explosive opening to an explosive show. Copia did his usual of running backstage, his Ghouls deserved the spotlight. Sister was back there of course, looking as great as always. Kevin had been keeping a close eye on her recently, wonder what that’s about?

    That didn’t matter, he had to get back on stage. He got to his mark and everything was fine. Rats, Faith, Spillways all went great and his bat wings were waiting for him for Cirice.

    “It’s going great now, innit?” He shouted to Imperator.

    She was on the other side of the backstage area and wasn’t hearing him. So he went over.

    She’s in a wheelchair. She’s getting weaker. Her pills are all laid out for her with water to wash it down. She never could swallow tablets dry.

No, everything was fine. She was comfy in her high-back chair, her favourite tea and biscuits next to her. She had a blanket because she didn’t have the warmth of the stage lights on her like he did.

    Her bones grow weary, the chill seeps in and her heart won’t warm her up.

    He left for the stage and heard something shaking behind him. Was Swiss or Cirrus back here with their shakers? They should be on stage! Yet they were. It wasn’t more pills…

    She’s dying.

Read below the cut or on ao3

No, she’s watching the show. Maybe she just wants to join in in her own little way and borrowed one of the spare shakers.

    He got to his mark for Cirice and everything was fine. He chose a lovely person by the barricade to sing that iconic chorus to. He remembered when Terzo originated the idea, how excited he was. He missed his brothers; it took a long time for the reality of their passings to settle into Copia’s bones.

    Even when their bodies were paraded around for the fans. No, it wasn’t them, they were just dressed up mannequins. They would come back any day soon because this wasn’t real. Everything was fine. It took Copia a long time to draw the line between reality and what he manifested it to be. Even still, he hoped that one of them would interrupt his Mass, walk into the dining hall and lovingly kick him out of the Papa’s seat.

    He went back to take his bat wings off, no doubt Phantom would steal them later when they thought he wasn’t looking, and Ashley fixed his hair for him. Stubborn thing always ended up with a cow-lick. The reflection of the mirror was interesting.

    It’s an IV drip, she needs these infusions now.

Maybe it’s some new cool thing where you drink from a bag. Swiss showed him the bags in those boxes of wine, maybe this was the sober version.

    The first lyrics of the next song almost betrayed how fine everything was.

    “Ever since you were born, you’ve been dying.

    Everyday, a little more, you’ve been dying.”

    But that’s just a song. No one’s dying. Not the Ghouls, not him and not his mother.

    She will.

    Ritual’s chorus also sought to ruin the peace he wanted for the night.

    “Smells of dead human sacrifice.”

    No one’s getting sacrificed, thankfully.

    She sacrificed everything for you. Just be there for her now.

No. No one is dying.

    He went backstage again and donned his sparkling blue robes. Sister helped design these, so proud of her son and bringing him to the spotlight he deserved from his Emeritus blood.

    Her life’s purpose complete.

    He went back to take his mitre off and Sister was fine, everything was fine. He got his thurible and went back out. Con Clavi Con Dio went by perfectly, the lick of incense wormed it’s way through the air. It reminded him of Sister comforting him when he had a nightmare. It never used to make sense to him why she would pick up so many shifts in the orphanage when she had so many duties.

    He changed again for Watcher In The Sky, and Sister tried to tell him something, Nihil too. He thinks anyway. His mind was as foggy as the rig ascending from just above Mountain’s head. He could make out eyes, no words. Nothing. Where was he?

    “Go, go!” Sister urged him.

    Copia snapped back in and left for the stage. Watcher was fine, he gave his hat to Ashley and jumped into the crate to take him to the B-Stage. What was that thing the light was reflecting off by Sister?

    It’s the IV, for those infusions she was just telling you about.

Maybe she finally watched Star Wars and bought a lightsaber, maybe she finally watched the films like he’d told her to do for years now.

    He was being taken away to the B-Stage, and of course his father shows up. Slightly less fine but it’s okay. He’s already dead, there’s nothing to worry about there.

    She’ll join him soon. The Great Beyond calls her.

    “Listen and obey your mother.”

    Say goodbye while you still can.

“You don’t get it. Just listen to her for my sake and try to do it.”

    No. She’s not sick, she’s not dying.

    “For the new guy.”

    You’re going to take over. You inherited a title from your father, now it’s your mother’s turn.

“Right.”

    No! Why did he say that? Everything’s fine. Nothing’s happening.

    If You Have Ghosts went fine. Well, more than fine, those Ghoulettes are amazing. Chills all around from their gorgeously haunting talents. The speech he gave was one he was quite proud of. He didn’t know where it came from, he just knew he needed to assure his fans.

    Listen to what you say. It’s your life. Your ups and downs. You’re allowed to be sad about your mother, you’re allowed to enjoy your show.

    Twenties was amazing, the dancers too. Dewdrop’s solo, everyone hit their marks. And he went back for his black robes. He got to his spot for Ashely to meet him and looked over to Sister Imperator.

    She’s in her wheelchair because her chair that supports her joints is back home. Her IV is there, she’s taking more of her pills. She’s looking paler and paler each song. She wants you to know she’ll be okay but you keep refusing her. Refusing the truth. She loves you, let her be your mother this last time. Be her son while you still can.

Wait, why do his clothes feel different. He’s in his robes? When did that happen? What’s this on his chest? He picks up a cross. And drops it back down. Inverted only please.

    Just like how you invert reality.

The flame mortars were, thankfully, fine and went off on cue, just like he did to hand his Cornette over to Ashley. He looked over and Swiss was switching his guitars, Rain was taking his jacket off. It was fine.

    Sister she was… being seen to by a doctor, in her wheelchair, another IV linked up.

    She’s getting worse, and fast.

No, she was in her nice chair with her tea.

    Look at her doctor’s face, she knows Sister just needs to be comfortable now.

The doctor was rubbing her arm. Sister looks grave, staring at Copia.

    Copia willed the fog in his head to stop. For reality to come forward. He felt like he could feel every fibre of his robes yet none of them at all. He could see Sister clearer than clear and yet there was two of her, blurred and dancing around. What was happening?

    He Is. That’s what’s happening, he can deal with this later.

    Later, she’ll be gone.

    Miasma, he almost dreaded tonight because of course they would choose the middle of the show to have some family intervention. It was too mortal for Copia. He couldn’t bear to listen, yet the fog was gone. Sister in her chair and IV, her pills and wine as clear as day.

    His mind was on autopilot during Mary On A Cross. He wasn’t sure what his body was doing because all his mind could see was how it ended for his parents after that show in the Whiskey-A-Go-Go. In the cartoonish fashion of the shows he would stay up and watch with Sister. She would be scolded for it by the Sister Superior of the Orphanage, but both would promise to do it again.

    At least Mummy Dust went fine. No issues there, not his growls, the canons, nothing. Well, his shoe broke, but that’s easy enough to fix. Just Respite On The Spitalfields to go now.

    You sung it yourself, nothing ever lasts forever. Soon, she will go softly into the night.

He’s not doing an encore. He’s going to have a night out, maybe drink a bit with Sister. She had her wine goblet before, maybe it was a new red she had yet to introduce him to.

    Sister called him over, talking him into it. For a shocking moment of clarity, he saw his mother as she is. Ill, weak, begging for her son’s understanding.

    “Okay.” He told her, grasping her hand for dear life.

    Kiss The Go-Goat, Dance Macabre with the dancers again. It went great. He ran back for his red jacket. And saw his mother and father.

    “Right here, right now.” He said. And he was, high on adrenaline and everything feeling so good. He could see the chair, but he couldn’t focus on it.

    “See you on the other side, son.” Sister told him.

    The other side, when he returned, took him away. They all waved him off as he floated off in his balloon. Safe. Away. Disconnected. He was free. Soaring in a different realm to the others where it was just him, he didn’t need to hurt here. So free, so far. He could see Sister staring at him, something was wrong in her eyes. Maybe she didn’t like heights, Kevin was helping her down the stairs after all.

    It’s funny, Copia would think later, how much of an illusion his mind carefully structured for him to hide from the pain. Yet, it all came crashing back down so quickly.

[xxnashiraxx]

With Stars to Fill My Dream (7) - From Now Our Merge is Eternal

I'm releasing chapter 7 early!!!! ❤

Please have my girl in her new hard af fit, about to be traumatized next chapter. Lets goooooooo.

I'm setting up Ofelia's and Astarion's relationship, just the bones, it's so hard to write these two idiots sometimes. Forgive any grammatical errors I really tried to proofread this a billion times first. :")

Thank you guys!

Summary: A street-smart, musically inclined human girl with a tragic past gets abducted by a nautiloid after her painfully average shift at a retro singing diner. What's worse- putting your all into Olivia Newton-John and Travolta for lousy tips, or getting your guts ripped out by a gnoll? Or worse- getting turned into a hideous humanoid squid? Ofelia Montez will have to see if she can survive long enough to find out.

Pairing: Astarion x female!Tav

Warnings: 18+. Mentions of past abuse and trauma. Canon-typical violence and gore.

Word Count: 8,238

Opening below the cut!

Sparks of red and gold flash behind his eyes as Astarion sits against a tree, the breath that fills his lungs and pushes outward again makes him feel almost alive. Every scent feels more powerful- even his sight is sharper. He can see the individual feathers of a hawk circling above, looking for its next meal.

He’s chosen a view of the sunrise today, and whether it's his freshly sated appetite or something else, it looks more beautiful this morning than ever before. Granted he hadn't had the chance to see it before these last few days in as long as he can remember, but still… Ofelia’s blood has made him feel like himself again. Maybe more than he has since he’s been dead.

No flush colors his cheeks when he thinks of their union- he does regret the intimate nature of the bite, but even knowing its troublesome side effects, he’d have done it all again just the same, perhaps aside from not properly asking her first.

She’d been so willing, and that fact wasn’t lost on him. Why? He can’t fathom it. No matter how hard he pours over her every word and subtle expression, he doesn’t know why she’d said yes. Stupidity? Curiosity? Some strange notion of compassion? Pity?

He grits his teeth, though he can’t find it in himself to stay irritated. He can’t stop thinking about the taste, the warmth in his skin now, all of it. How can he secure this strange partnership between them? She isn’t like his usual marks. She’s intelligent but stupid. Kind, but petty. Soft, yet tough. She doesn’t seem to be receptive to his more flirtatious remarks, but perhaps he isn’t trying the right kind. All he’d had to do before was bat his lashes and flatter his prey, but with her it’s different. Her keen eyes search for something deeper- a connection.

The kind she looks for isn’t something he has. Mutual trust? Banish the thought. He’d sooner flee their odd little group of misfits than confess to Ofelia a genuine emotion of his. Or thought. She’d find some use for it, no doubt- keep it stowed away for her benefit someday. She’s just enough of a wildcard that if he yields a sliver of control to her, she may see the opening and go for his throat. He’s smarter than that.

Perhaps he’ll manufacture lies for her? Pretty ones? She’s young and impressionable- perhaps she’ll be swayed by them. He can feed her some truth, just enough to gain her trust, and perhaps secure future feedings and a warm bedroll. Astarion’s nothing if not a master of deception- the scores of victims trailing behind him speak for themselves. He’ll resort to the one thing he knows best- luring with his looks to keep her hooked so he can stay fed and safe while he figures out how to remove his old master from the equation.

After that’s through, he’ll be rid of her and the parasite.

He ignores the odd little twinge in the back of his mind- likely the worm. When he stands, his limbs stretch, and his muscles flex, the breeze coming off the river balmy and carrying the promise of another hot day. He’ll go find her and thank her, see if he can begin this dance he’s set out before himself.

And hide her marks from the rest of their companions…

[devildomsoup]

hii!!!! can i request karaoke hcs for the brothers? (could u also add what song u think they'd sing lol) ty very much <333

Karaoke Headcanons

Lucifer

Believe it or not, Lucifer actually enjoys doing karaoke, especially with his brothers. Not that he would ever admit it, though.

It will take a lot of convincing to get him to do it since he has an image to maintain.

He will never laugh at the person singing no matter how bad they might sound.

Lucifer actually becomes irritated when people laugh at someone's singing abilities. It's fine if someone is purposefully trying to sound bad. But if someone is genuinely trying their best, he will shoot whoever is laughing a nasty glare

Lucifer will most likely sing songs by either Kiss, Queen or Ghost.

Depending on the situation, the songs Lucifer sings might change. Let's say he, for instance, was alone with MC

Songs Lucifer might sing

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen (obviously)

Square Hammer - Ghost

Cirice - Ghost

When alone with MC, tired, or drunk

Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy - Queen

Somebody to Love - Queen

I Was Made for Lovin' You - Kiss

Dance Macabre - Ghost

Are You Satisfied? - MARINA

Mammon

He loves karaoke and has a blast every time.

It's most likely him or Asmodeus, who suggested doing karaoke in the first place.

Super supportive and cheers for whoever is singing.

If someone is scared of singing, Mammon will offer to sing with them so they don't have to do it alone.

Mammon doesn't stick to a particular genre of songs. He does like upbeat songs but is not against singing a slow ballad.

Sometimes, he let his brothers pick what song to sing to mix things up.

Songs Mammon might sing

On Melancholy Hill - Gorillaz

I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor

Gasolina - Daddy Yankee

Runaway Baby - Bruno Mars

Just Dance Lady - Gaga

If you are extremely lucky, you might hear Mammon sing Can You Feel the Love Tonight.

Leviathan

He loves karaoke, but doing it in front of others is scary.

It takes a lot of convincing and encouragement to get him to sing karaoke with others.

Leviathan prefers to have at least 4 or 5 people sing before it's his turn. He needs tge time to prepare himself.

Once he has sung a song or 2, he will become confident, and you will have to force the mic out of his hands.

Anime songs, game fan songs and vocaloid need I say more.

Songs Leviathan might sing

Luka Luka☆ Nightfever - Samfree

the WORLD - Nightmare

Unravel - TK from Ling tosite sigure

World Is Mine - Ryo (supercell)

It's Been So Long - The Living Tombstone

He will absolutely pour his soul out to Unknown Mother Goose by Wowaka. He puts his entire heart into singing that song

Satan

He doesn't hold any particular opinion on karaoke. If asked he will join, but it's not something he would suggest himself.

Usually reads until it's his turn to sing.

Sings a lot of different types of songs. Another one who doesn't stick to a particular genre.

He will definitely be the one who is most likely to sing any form of metal.

Also, most likely to sing any songs involving cats

Songs Satan might sing

Spillways - Ghost

Mein Teil - Rammstein

Everybody Wants to Be a Cat - Aristocats

Sonne - Rammstein

Love Like You - Rebecca Sugar

Papaoutai - Stromae. Satan actually gets a bit emotional when he sings this one.

Asmodeus

Without a doubt, the biggest fan of karaoke amongst the brothers.

He is the reason why there is at least one karaoke night per month.

Asmodeus cheers on everyone who sings.

Now Asmodeus doesn't just sing he preforms. He will give you a whole show when his turn comes.

He likes upbeat dance music, but he is not against trying other genres. He will do an amazing job regardless of what song he sings

Like Lucifer, the songs he sings might depend on the situation and how he is feeling.

Songs Asmodeus might sing

S&M - Rihanna

Toxic - Britney Spears

Applaus - Lady Gaga

Bubblegum Bitch - MARINA

Mary on a Cross - Ghost

When sad, tired or drunk

Washing Machine Heart - Mitski

Gilded Lily - Cults

Hermit the Frog - MARINA

First Love/Late Spring - Mitski

Beelzebub

Another one who doesn't have a particular opinion on karaoke.

He does like it since it brings his brothers together and there tends to be lots of snacks to munch on.

He is very supportive and always encourages people to do their best.

Beelzebub will sing just about anything he doesn't have a preference and usually lets his brothers pick.

When Beelzebub picks songs himself, they tend to hit people right in the heart

Songs Beelzebub might sing

Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood

Feel Invincible - Skillit

Gimme Chocolate!! - BABYMETAL

Fix you - Coldplay

A Sky Full of Stars - Coldplay

Home - Cavetown

Fourth of July - Sufjan Stevens. This one tends to make his brothers shed a few tears.

Belphegor

Most of the time he joins because he is too tired to move away.

Doesn't have anything against karaoke it's just not his favourite thing.

Falls asleep most of the time and someone have to shake him awake even it is his turn

Belphegor does, however, try his best when either Beelzebub or MC are singing l.

Tends to pick calm songs or songs that doesn't require a lot of work.

Does join Satan from time to timecwhen he sings more aggressive songs

Songs Belphegor might sing

Rises the Moon - Liana Flores

Bad End Theatre True End ver. - NomnomNami

Aunnobeats - Maigo Hanyuu

Little Dark Age - MGMT

This Is Love - Air Traffic Controllers

Runaway - ARORA. It sounds absolutely amazing when he sings this song 10/10.

[slavghoul]

Short interview with Joe & Tobias from Rolling Stone l’Hebdo n°113

They've been listening to each other for years, but Joe Elliott (Def Leppard) and Tobias Forge (Ghost) only recently met to record a new collaborative version of the hit 'Spillways'. The connection was immediate. The two musicians show that despite the generation that separates them, their passion and talent are in tune.

Joe Elliott: The intro to "Spillways" reminded me of "Jane" by Jefferson Starship or "Hold The Line" by Toto. That's what I like! When I joined my band, I had the whole legacy of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, who had the rock in them, but they never forgot the melody. "Spillways" is for me the perfect hybrid of what people expect from Ghost and what they don't.

Tobias Forge: I was partly formed with underground extreme metal, where the music is more atonal, loud, brutal and fast, that's why Ghost has this evil aura about it. But I also grew up with AOR. Ghost combines those two elements. I wanted Ghost to be like a 70's band trying to create music that was futuristic and scary at the same time. I love "Jane" by Jefferson Starship. I play it on the drums as part of my gig prep routine.

Joe Elliott: I remember when I discovered this song. In the UK, as a young adult, we didn't have rock on the radio, apart from a show on Friday nights between 10pm and midnight when no one was listening, and on Sunday afternoons when everyone was away at the football match. "Jane" made the top 40, not many rock songs have had that. As well as being a great single, "Jane" is an exemplary vocal performance!

Tobias Forge: I never saw myself as a singer, I became one by force of circumstance...

Joe Elliott: Me too!

Tobias Forge: Of course, I love punk and other less vocally demanding music, but one of the things that makes AOR stand out from the crowd is the incredible talent of the singers, whether it's bands like Journey, Foreigner, Kansas...

Joe Elliott: It turns out that my favourite singers aren't really singers, but they get their talent from their interpretation of the lyrics. Steve Walsh from Kansas could sing the phone book, but my favorites are the ones that make my hair stand on end, like lan Hunter, Joe Strummer, Michael Monroe... These guys may be screamers, but they know how to interpret the lyrics. When "School's Out" came out, people wondered if Alice Cooper was singing or barking. When asked what I wanted to do, I said I wanted to be somewhere between Phil Mogg, Bon Scott, Phil Lynott and Gary Holton, with influences from Alice Cooper and Johnny Rotten. We can't all be Freddie Mercury. When I listen to myself on the album On Through The Night (1980), I hear a guy drowning. He does his best, but he doesn't have it all together. Mutt Lange later helped me to find my voice, and from then on I was on my way, it just took me longer than most singers. But you Tobias, you can sing! To hell with humility!

Tobias Forge: I think half the work comes from being comfortable with your voice. I've learned to love working with it. My "hit radar" doesn't always work, sometimes there's that magic moment when a song screams that it's going to be a hit. This was the case with "Spillways" or "Square Hammer". But "Cirice" wasn't originally intended to be a hit, I wanted to make it more progressive. When I played it to my daughter, she said it was her favourite. That's how the song was redesigned as a single, which got us a Grammy! Success is very hard to determine when you're writing, it's the audience that decides. On the other hand, I couldn't understand why "Mary On A Cross" didn't do so well. But in the end, it just took it a little longer.

Joe Elliott: We all say to each other in Def Leppard, "In a parallel world, this song would be a hit". It turns out that nowadays, hits don't happen the way they did in our time. It used to be that you'd make a single, it'd get picked up, played on the radio, and then you'd make a video for it and it'd be on MTV. Everything has changed since then. It just so happens that the Bank Of Dave movie has completely resurrected our song "Kick". When we did that song, we knew it was going to be the first single from Diamond Star Halos. We felt the same way about "Fire It Up" (on the same album) and "This Guitar". We've never questioned our songwriting skills, which get better with time. Some of our big hits still leave us confused! (laughs) As Tobias said, we play some of our songs to our kids and if they say "play that one again", we're onto something. They know better because they have the heart, they don't calculate anything.

Tobias Forge: That's what I say to people who tell me they can't write a song. It doesn't matter, it's what you feel that counts. The Ramones wrote some very direct songs, but a lot of them weren't that successful. While ABBA wrote some pretty technical songs, a lot of them are pretty hard to play. They made their songs accessible, especially with the vocal melodies. A lot of people in pop say "don't make it too complicated". Yes, do make it complicated if the song demands it! You have to follow your instincts.

Joe Elliott: We musicians are a special breed. As soon as we started talking it was like we'd known each other for ten years. I also hope that one day we can sit down with our guitars and a bottle of wine and see what comes out.

[frogsformax]

Can you hear the rumble?

warning: contains slut papa and bad boyfriend (slapping, name calling)

_______________________________________________

You and your boyfriend were planning on seeing Ghost for a while, but he was extremely jealous of your little crush on the singer. It wasn’t easy getting those pit tickets but you worked doubles every night for two weeks to be able to afford one for you and him. It was such a waste for him since he would pout the whole show about you looking at some other guy rather than him.

You showed up right at doors, sending your boyfriend with your credit card to buy you a shirt and another papa plush while you ran to the pit, managing to snag a spot right at the front of the barricades. Your boyfriend joined you after a while as you scrolled through your phone to get updates on their setlist.

“oh my god, theyre ciricing people again” you said, stunned as you imagined how that would feel if it was you.

“dont get any ideas (y/n) they dont want to even touch you, youre lucky you have me” your boyfriend scoffed, going back to watching videos on his phone and completely ignoring you.

This completely hurt your heart, knowing that everyone heard it because the venue was practically empty. Little did you know Sodo and Swiss were looking out onto the crowd from the wings, seeing and hearing this entire interaction.

-

Finally it was time for your favorite song, you had just finished screaming spillways with some random girl in the pit because your boyfriend wasn’t having it. Sodo walked out on stage and started to slowly but loudly play the opening, the lights engulfing him in a deep crimson red as papa went to put on a coat and take off his robe. You screamed as you reached up to wave to them.

“I feel your presence amongst us” Papa sang into the mic, appearing on stage and strutting over, continuing to sing. Tears streamed down your face as you screamed and cried to your favorite song. Eyeliner smudging slightly as you reached up for him. As the song progressed the excitement and nervousness built inside of you.

“From now our merge is eternal” Papa sang, kneeling down in front of you and taking your hand in his as you screamed out of joy.

“Cant you see that youre lost? Cant you see that youre lost without me?” He sang sweetly, gesturing with his fingers to make you look him in the eyes.

You were bent over the barracaide, holding onto his hand as he sang to you, his eye contact never breaking. The moment was magical, white light shown down on you as you stared into his eyes. His voice like silk echoed in your ears as you were lost in the moment.

“I can hear the thunder thats breaking in your heart, I can see through the scars inside you” he sang, blowing you a kiss as he let go of your hand.

Suddenly your boyfriend yanked you down, making you face him as he screamed at you.

“You dumb fucking bitch you really thought you could just go and do that? fucking throw yourself at other men?!” He slapped you across the face, making papa and the ghouls look over at the commotion as the security guards rushed over to pull him away.

You were crying harder as you picked up your bag of things, turning around and not bothering to help him as the girl you sang spillways with hugged you and brought you back to the front to finish the song.

-

At the end of the concert you were drained, but the memories of your now ex had left your mind. From the sax solo in Miasma to Papa fingering the air at you during Mary On A Cross your spirits had been lifted.

Everyone walked out on stage to say thanks and throw guitar picks to the crowd. Papa walked over directly to you, leaning down and slipping you a piece of paper before winking at you and interacting with the crowd more. You turned to your new friend, screaming as you opened the note.

“Side door. 11:30. Code Emeritus”

Maybe this night wasnt so bad after all…

——————————————————————————

part 2 maybe?? maybe???? only if yall want it

okay i hope yall enjoyed that because woof if he ciricied me i would cum and cry and actually pass away. Also heres some sodo hands from last night and a clip of papa ciricing someone but boy LOOK AT HOW HE MADE HER LOOK AT HIM…

[homosekularnost]

how i look explaining to people that the future is a foreign land (1969/2024) is the topic of idolatrine (2013)

i. real life terror as a tool used by evil institutions to draw in followers

in 2013 the subject sings of a scammer playing into the fears of masses to "inflame their minds", something only possible because of the state of the world. in 69/24, the character of nihil (simple charlatan?) opens the song by asking the listener to imagine themselves victims of a totalitarian regime his country was at the time fighting

ii. this fool wants to lead you

in 2013, "idol" and "latrine" coin a new word to pejoratively speak of how the listeners of the song, let us say, buy into this crap

in 69/24, papa nihil repeatedly calls on the listener to "hear him out". both times, he pauses his fearmongering to talk abour peace and love, but notably provides no actionable advice as to how this might be achieved. combined with the earlier line ("fifty-five years from now (...) the dark fascist regime might be gone") which both fails to explicitly name the fascist regime And appears to think it could just go away on its own, it does seem as if nihil would prefer the masses stick to hope and inaction, and not engage in any sort of organizing or resistance (perhaps even remain.... simpletons?)

iii. holy suffering

the chorus of the 69/24 forgotten hit sees nihil prepared for and certain of the imminent nuclear death of our species. he is not going to fight it nor does he call on the listener to do so, but does promise to hold the addressee as this inevitable end comes. the tone of the song and the sick riffs following it naturally led to its current reception, where accepting our upcoming doom together comes off like a positive and an uplifting message

in 2013, however, the lyrical subject plainly and openly stated that such a mindset serves only the charlatan peddling it to you, and that by accepting our suffering, by rushing to the comfort offered by this person, we are only granting evil sovereignity

iv. conclusion

the lyricism of ghost has through the years evolved from the open and oftentimes goofy satire of the catholic dogmas to the more subtle, and thus much more effective expression of the same cult-like manipulation (see: cirice, darkness at the heart of my love). nihil-era music --- while of course much older --- appears to tonally fit into the newer discography

(though while terzo and copia might portray themselves / be portrayed as romantic and tragic figures, nihils main goal seems to be to make devil worship sexy)

the future is a foreign land (69/24) is a perfect example here of a singer whose pretensions at solidarity, sympathy and unity only seek to mask its actual goal: to keep the listener scared, docile, and loyal to the singer. these are the goals ghosts lyrics openly advertised in 2013 -- but with the current state of the world, and with those sick licks tfiafl (69/24) hits you with, the evil correctly guessed it would still get away with it

also with the cold war themes + "if you by then have forgiven me" neither followed nor preceded by an admission of a wrong / a promise to do better + footage showing the many times the us government has failed its own people one could also conclude that the evil institution tf is satirizing here is the us government itself but thats for later

[delta-ghouls]

Give everyone in your pack a song!

Oh, this is going to take a while, but I do love this question. I'll do this one for Ghost songs first.

Meliora

Ifrit: The definition of passion. Per Aspera Ad Inferi (which would roughly translate to "Through hardships to hell.")

Ivy: Venomous Beauty. Majesty"Old one, master / All beauty lies within you / This oasis is a poison well / Of rotting carcasses that clog the deep"

Mist: The first Ghoulette, one who you'll revere. Ghuleh / Zombie Queen "From the darkness, rise a succubus / And usurp the throne" "Black light guides you, Ghuleh"

Pebble: Energetic, both the rumbling thunder and the unshakeable ground. Cirice "A candle casting a faint glow / You and I see eye to eye / Can you hear the thunder? / How can you hear the thunder that's breaking?"

Zephyr: What a melodic piece, don't you think? As elegant and as powerful. Helvetesfonster (1:05 - 1:52)

Rhine: Hidden in the water, flows through darkness. Monstrance Clock "As the parish sighs in smoke / Enters lady revealed of cloak / To the haunting sound of the Monstrance Clock"

Trent: My soul is intertwined with him, persevering even through the dark. Darkness At The Heart Of Love "When the summer dies, severing the ties / I'm with you always, always / Paint a pair of eyes, let's watch as it dries / I'm with you always, always"

Era I - III

Air: Guide of lost souls. Depth of Satan's eyes. "Spiral and pulsating / His eyes are enthralling / His eyes' like a vortex / A well in which you're falling"

Alpha: Fiery, spreads the unholy word. Death Knell "Can you say his name? / Carrier of the light / Legions of his seed"

Omega: Ancient One, his eyes are everywhere. I Believe "It's the same old song / That I always sing each year / But just because it's perennial / Doesn't make it less real"

Era III - V

Aether: Loves deeply despite it all. Mary On A Cross "We were searching for reasons to play by the rules / But we quickly found out it was just for fools / Now through all the sorrow, we'll be riding high / And the truth of the matter is / I never let you go, let you go"

Dewdrop: Bright and all-consuming. Spillways "It's the cruel beast that you feed / It's your burning yearning need to bleed / Through the spillways / Through the spillways of your soul"

Mountain: Steady and ever reliable Force. Respite On The Spitalfields"We will break away together / I'll be the shadow, you'll be the light / Nothing ever lasts forever / We will go softly into the night"

//ooc: this took me so long. went into analyzing land. also included technically era 3 ghouls but are still included in others

[bedrock-to-buildheight]

you got good ass takes on minos and sisyphus hows The Lady and the Tiger by tmbg as a those two guys type of song ? I need peer review on my song associations lol. also do you have any songs you associate with any ultrakill characters ?

It's a very interesting and spicy song for those two, cause in this song, Minos' opinions is represented by the tiger, the more dangerous choice. I like it!

As for my songs for the blorbos, OH BOI YOU UNLOCKED AN UNSKIPPABLE CUTSCENE

Below is a bunch of songs and who they're for. Some even has explanation

Gabriel

This Is Love by Air Traffic Controller - damn near a gabv1el anthem. A homoerotic AND homicidal lovesong. Literally the third line is 'I'm an idiot for thinking this was anything but blood'

Dear Wormwood by The Oh Hellos - Gabriel to the Council

Kaiserion by Ghost - same vibe as above, with more anti-christianity vibes

Bitter Water by The Old Hellos - Minos/Gabe, in an anticipatory grief, doomed yaoi kind of way

V1

Would That I by Hozier - highly specific Gabv1el with Minos/Gabe former relationship

Stars from Les Mis (Phillip Quast version)

V2

The Plague by the mountain goats - imo V1 was never made to give much of a shit aboyt humans. It's almost vindictively happy at seeing humanity's hubris catching up to them at last

The Toy Soldier's Song by The Mechanisms (Gunpowder Tim vs The Moon Kaiser) - loyalty is a lot to ask of a weapon, the song

Want You Gone from Portal 2 and Still Alive from Portal

Cry for Judas by the mountain goats - 'But I am just a broken machine, and I do things that I don't really mean'

A Sadness Runs Through Him by The Hoosiers - Gabriel/V2. The story of guard dogs who had bad owners

Minos

Sisyphus

Cirice by Ghost - Minos/Gabe that started out as Minos manipulating Gabe into siding with him a la Drowning Man (fic)

The Music of The Night from The Phantom of The Opera - slow, powerful and seductive. If charisma itself is a song

Ferryman by Shayfer James - despite the name, this is a Minos song. There's a certain indifference to shitty lovers and the insignificance of individual humans that fits him well

Run to You by Pentatonix - Minos/Sisyphus post-Prime. The specific amv scene I have in mind is 'Minos finds him bleeding out after fighting V1 and they share a few moments. Sisyphus realizes that maybe, he did regret one thing'

For the Departed by Shayfer James- Minos/Sisyphus, depicting their final moments before Gabriel arrives in Greed

Villainous Thing by Shayfer James - Sisyphus to Gabriel. An understanding between people who care about Doing Right, but hold too much anger to take the respectable route. Plus a bit of flirting <3

Ferryman

The Moon Will Sing by The Crane Wives - Ferrygabe resentment song <33 They fucking hate what he made them into

Obsessed With You by The Orion Experience - self explanatory

Others

Body by Mother Mother - self explanatory 2. That one piece of unadded ferryman lore hakita dropped is the gift that keeps on giving

Cupid by Fifty Fifty - lmao

Bury My Mother Pale and Slight by Amalgemotion - Virtues song. The chorus is directly calling to Gabriel as 'the knight' who will bring them freedom. I like to think that 'the king' mentioned here is God

For Narmer from Warframe- Sisyphean Insurrectionists

Like The Dawn by The Oh Hellos- Hell/Lucifer

Nothing Changes from Hadestown - The Council

Living in The Light by Ridiculon - The Council

[psychflood]

Not me listening to Ghost while at work and imagining Narinder singing the songs and Aym and Baal as backup vocals and instruments.

Specifically:

Watcher in the Sky

Witch image ( i see it as naris theme)

See the light

And Cirice

Idk how lamby fits in? Maybe as a new member and just gets more popular

Idk

Music is a strange subject

[velvetvexations]

yay! a Ghost lyric! I love that song, although my favorite is probably Cirice, I love picturing Papa singing it in such a soft understanding way

I know people make fun of their songs bc it feels like they don't match the physical aesthetic cbut I love them so much, they're one of my favorite bands and I love their lore so much anyway sorry for excited dumping in your asks I just got really really happy when I saw your blog title 🩷

I was indeed very surprised by the contrast between their sound and their aesthetic. As of right now I've only heard MOAC, The Future Is A Foreign Land, and their cover of Crucified, but a friend's partner gave me a playlist to go through.

[lixxen]

That Glitter Wasn't Gold - Papa Emeritus III x Male!Reader

Part Two

This is crossposted here on AO3. This was the first thing I've written for Ghost and hasn't been edited at all. I apologize for the mistakes. This is mostly platonic but with romantic subtext. Ghouls are not human and are polyam/pack dynamics

Warnings for: major character death, dead and rebirth, graphic description of said death/rebirth, angst

--

Y/n didn't know who this band was.

Y/n was currently in the front row of a rowdy concert with people pushing against his back as he gripped the barricade. His friend next to him was just as excited as the crowd was. They had told him about some rock band that had become popular and seemingly had some ties to some type of satanic church.

Y/n liked this friend, as they had gone to college together and were close ever since. So he said yes. He enjoyed concerts and enjoyed time with this friend. So where was the harm?

Apparently the harm was being constantly pushed into a plastic barrier every two seconds as rock music tried to drown out the screams and off pitch fans. 

Y/n was enjoying the music, he loved rock music. There was no question there. He was also enjoying watching the attractive singer interact with his band mates; who while masked was still attractive.

The crowd quieted down slightly as the song ended and the two on guitars started a long guitar riff battle. Y/n's friend gasped and grabbed onto his arm.

"I hope he chooses me!" His friend looked up at him and Y/n felt so lost.

"What?" Y/n frowned, yelling slightly since he couldn't hear over the guitar.

"I hope he chooses to Cirice me!" His friend continued, but didn't give any context.

"I hope so too?" Y/n gave an uneasy smile and turned to look back up at the performers.

The singer started to sing and Y/n could tell that the song felt like it was a trap. He watched the singer closely as he seemingly stalked across the front of the stage, singing about how whoever the song was about was too was lost without him.

When the singer came over to Y/n, their eyes met and Y/n internally cringed. He didn't like it when people looked back at him. But also the man seemed to find who he was looking for. The singer pointed at Y/n, who offered an anxious smile. Y/n's friend nodded eagerly, thinking that it was them that the singer was seemingly trying to court.

The singer approached and Y/n's friend let go of him and seemingly braced themselves. But the singer stopped in front of Y/n and half his hand out. Y/n's friend stared in shock as Y/n reached his hand out.

"Can't you see that you're lost?" The man seemingly sung to Y/n.

The man took Y/n's hand in his gloved one. His hold was careful, as if he didn't want to hurt Y/n. The man kneeled down to Y/n's level and Y/n held his breath and moved closer.

"Can't you see that you're lost without me?" The man smiled at Y/n and Y/n felt like he was suddenly the only person there.

The man leaned closer and pressed his forehead against Y/n's as he sang about thunder and scars to Y/n. The words sounded ever so sweet as the two stayed pressed against each other. It felt too personal and Y/n knew that the man was doing this for stage flare. To capture the hearts of his audience. But it felt so real for a second.

As quickly as it came, the man started to back away. Y/n felt a small tug in his throat as he smiled up at the man. The man smiled back as he let go and stood back up. Y/n was then hyper aware of the people taking videos and pictures of the two and felt slight dread in his stomach. There was something in Y/n's hand though. It felt like a folded piece of paper.

The man blew a kiss before moving back towards his band mates. Y/n looked to his friend, who was grinning.

"Papa III chose you!" His friend threw an arm around him and laughed in his ear. 

Y/n guessed that the man's stage name was Papa III. He looked back up to the stage again, his friend still laughing in his ear. The song was coming to an end and the band was clearly getting into their next positions and sending small motion cues.

Y/n felt some type of way as the song ended and the man, Papa III, started to speak to the audience about something. Y/n didn't pay attention to him, but instead unfolded the paper to see an address, some type of room number, and time written on it.

"What the fuck." Y/n said out loud. His friend obviously didn't hear him over the crowd, as they kept cheering towards Papa III.

Y/n glanced back up to the band and noticed that the other performers had a slight haze around their feet and hands. Almost as if they were made of smoke.

Y/n guessed he had to show up then.

-

The time on the paper was an hour after the concert ended.

Y/n walked down the street as his friend told him they were missing a Ghoul, one of the faceless band mates.

Y/n ended up telling his friend that he was going home and to go party with other Ghost fans. The band's name was Ghost, apparently. Papa III was the third man to be the frontman, hence the name. Y/n didn't understand.

Y/n had looked up the address and it ended up being a nearby hotel. A really nice one also. He showed up and went directly up to the room. It was on the sixth floor and the furthest back room. It almost creeped out Y/n, but he told himself it would be worth it. If he gets kidnapped and dies, then so be it. He'd at least be famous after death since a band killed him.

Y/n knocked on the door and waited. It took a second, but eventually the door opened to show the singer.

"Why hello there." The singer grinned at him.

"Hi. I found your note." Y/n held up the piece of paper with a nervous smile.

"I'm glad!" Papa III made room for him to come inside. "Come in, come in."

Y/n passed through the door and looked around. It was a stereotypical rich person hotel room. It was huge with a large bed and a big TV. There was a small kitchen and table to the side and a door that led to a bathroom he couldn't see into. There was a suitcase and items throughout the room, obviously for Papa III.

"Are you impressed?" Papa III asked Y/n, who turned towards him. 

The man was dressed down into his white button up and black pants now. He still had his makeup on also.

"Yes." Y/n nodded. "I've never been in such a nice hotel room before."

"I'm glad I am spoiling you, then." Papa III moved past Y/n. "Would you like to tell me your name as I pour us drinks?"

"Sure." Y/n followed the man into the small kitchen area and leaned on the counter. "My name is Y/n. I'm guessing Papa III isn't your real one."

"It isn't. It's Dante. But my family and other Papas call me Terzo. You can call me that if you please." Terzo pulled an old bottle of wine out of the fridge and opened it up. It looked more expensive than Y/n's car when he first bought it.

"Well, nice to meet you then, Terzo." Y/n smiled. He was pretty sure Terzo meant third in Italian, but he wasn’t going to say that.

"It is nice to meet you also, Y/n." Terzo picked up the glasses once they were poured and handed them to Y/n. "I can tell you haven't seen my band until today, yes?"

Y/n took a sip of wine and hummed. He felt slightly embarrassed by the question.

"My friend brought me along. They are quite the enthusiastic fan. They'd be very happy to be in my place." Y/n thought the wine tasted sweeter than any wine he had ever tasted. Normally wine had this odd bitter dryness to it. No matter which he had, they were all the same. But not this one.

"Your friend was enthusiastic. I appreciate their support. But you… you were the prime spectacle of Cirice." Terzo motioned his glass slightly before taking a long sip. He then continued. "You were also the type I needed."

"That you needed?" Y/n raised an eyebrow. "We just met. I could be some crazed fan in disguise."

“Yes, you do have a point there.” Terzo hummed and swirled his wine. Y/n watched as it swirled. “Then I would like to hear about your life.”

Terzo motioned towards the table and Y/n walked to sit down. Terzo sat across from him and the two looked at each other for a moment. Y/n didn’t understand what the man wanted with him. He was an odd one.

“So, tell me about your life. Your work, family, relationships. That friend of yours.” Terzo sat his glass down and folded his hands together on the table next to it.

Y/n looked down at his glass, staring at the deep red wine. His life wasn’t the worst, but it wasn’t the best.

“I guess my life isn't the worst. My parents try their best and they managed to get me to college. From there I got my degree and got away from them. Not that I hold any malice against them. But my family can be overbearing." Y/n didn't want to sound ungrateful for his family. He can't change anything about them. He grimaced as he continued. "I have a couple of good friends. The one who went to the concert with me was someone I met in college and we talk because we had to."

Terzo hummed and leaned forward slightly.

"I understand family strife. My own family can be cruel. I come from a long line of higher figures in our Clergy. Each of my brothers and I have had our turns leading." It felt like Terzo actually understood. It felt like an underlying tone of having to love your family even though they're flawed. "And relationships?"

"Well, I haven't been in one since college." Y/n let out a small laugh. "The last two kind of ended in turmoil. One couldn't leave me alone; she wouldn't even let me go places. The other… he was a pain. He was an alcoholic who refused help "

Y/n looked back up to Terzo.

"So I guess currently I have a job that isn't in my field and my family are just… there. And my friends I can count on one hand." Y/n felt almost sad saying it out loud.

"What if I could offer you a new life?" Terzo offered. It felt very out of place and sudden, like it shouldn't have been asked this moment. But Terzo looked settled on whatever he was thinking.

"What kind of new life?" Y/n lifted his glass to drink the ever sweet wine.

"One as a Ghoul. Serving The Olde One in his glory. You can be reborn as a Ghoul, the other band members you saw earlier." Terzo stated bluntly. It was almost nice having a clear answer. "It is not a pleasant rebirth, but afterwards it is worth it. There are specific humans who have what we can turn into Ghouls. That's why you were chosen in Cirice. One within the flock who did not belong and held the right requirements."

It made sense while at the same time didn't. If this was a movie, Y/n felt like this would be some cheesy cult movie that had to just cut to the chase.

"So I will be literally reborn as… whatever the Ghouls are and have to play in a band to serve Satan?" Y/n tilted his head slightly. "What if I don't know how to play instruments or songs?"

"The Ghouls will teach you. They're very good at it." Terzo waved a hand through the air before picking up his glass. "And trust me, The Olde One is worth serving. No matter who you serve, each being is all the same. His Glory is just who we have chosen to spread the word for."

"Right…" Y/n nodded.

What did he have to lose? He didn't like a fantastical life. He didn't have pets. No relationships. His family is distant. He genuinely didn't have much to lose except telling his friends he was moving. The offer didn't sound bad.

"What are Ghouls exactly?" Y/n scratched his face idly for a moment.

"They're demonic entities. They are saved by The Olde One and work with the Clergy. It will hurt, shedding your mortal form. But afterwards you will be okay." Terzo shrugged. "There is no way to sugar coat it."

Y/n nodded and took a long sip from his glass. He finished it and sat the glass back down. Terzo's eyes followed the movement and seemed pleased with him. Y/n wondered idly why he looked so pleased.

"Is it worth it?" Y/n asked. "I don't want to sign my life over to a church and a being blindly. There has to be some type of catch."

"I believe so. You do not get ill and normal human harm doesn't come to you. You also get to be around people who will love you unconditionally. Others who have left their lives behind." Terzo's smile was sweet. "You will be the first Ghoul I have accepted into the Clergy. After our Fire Ghoul has left us to be with The Olde One, we've been searching for the right one. I wanted to find a complete match."

"They went to be with The Olde One?" Y/n frowned. That sounded menacing.

"Fire has been with us since my eldest brother. He isn't the eldest Ghoul, but he has been here for a while. Ghouls are allowed to step down from their place and get to serve The Olde One directly." Terzo seemed to jump to explain, trying to not cause any panic. "You do not have to worry. You'll be able to stay in another realm or with the Clergy as you please. The Brothers and Sisters who take care of the Monastery."

"So… it actually doesn't sound bad." Y/n hummed. It actually sounded better than his current life. He's always thought it would be cool to be some creature.

"It doesn't." Terzo nodded. "But it is completely up to you. Unless you were dying on the ground, wanting to live still, I wouldn't force you into being a Ghoul."

"Sure. Yeah." Y/n nodded. "I'll do it."

Terzo smiled. Y/n thought it'd be a shark-like smile, but it was fond. Like he was looking at someone he held close to his heart.

"I'm glad to hear." 

-

Y/n followed the man in front of him with a quick pace, trying to keep up.

The man in front of him was named Cardinal Copia. He was one of the right hands of Terzo, and apparently Papa Nihil. Y/n had learned that Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator ran the monastery and proceedings of the Clergy when Terzo wasn't there. Apparently Papa Nihil was Terzo's father. Meeting them was awkward for Y/n. He never knew how to talk to older people.

It was a lot, but he kept up.

Cardinal Copia had told Y/n to simply call him Copia, as he did not like the formality. The man looked slightly older than Terzo but acted more… chipper. He was still formal, as his hands were clasped behind his back and he looked straight forward. But he felt more devilish.

"Are you worried?" Copia spoke out of nowhere. Y/n looked up to see Copia looking back at him. Copia looked forward again once he caught Y/n's eye.

"Not really." Y/n shrugged and adjusted his shirt. They had him change into a very thin t-shirt and sweatpants that felt like nothing on him. "I know it's going to hurt though."

"Indeed it will." Copia smiled. "But afterwards you're reborn."

Y/n and Copia fell into a silence for the rest of the walk. The monastery was beautiful and somber. It almost felt like it fit the members he had met so far. As the two approached the end of the twisting hallway they were in, they stopped in front of an oak door. It looked old and had a silver handle on it. Y/n briefly wondered if Ghouls couldn't touch silver.

"Here we are." Copia glanced back at Y/n before opening the door.

The door revealed a dark oak staircase and walls lined with dark red bricks. It looked almost stereotypically satanic, if you asked Y/n. There were dimly lit lanterns on the walls. At the bottom Y/n could see slight shadows of people. There was quiet talking coming up the stairs.

The two started down the stairs and it revealed a room with stone flooring and only a few tables pushed against the wall. There was a large symbol in a circle that Y/n didn't recognize painted in black onto the floor. It was surrounded by the elemental symbols; he recognized those. It was also surrounded by lit candles.

Standing around the circle were the Ghouls. They were all talking amongst each other, besides one who was talking to Terzo. They all come to a stop as Copia and Y/n stop at the foot of the stairs.

"Enjoy." Copia pats Y/n's shoulder before going back up the stairs.

Y/n watched Copia disappear up the stairs before turning back to Terzo outside of the circle and smiling at him.

"Y/n." Terzo's smile was all teeth as he held his hands out to Y/n. Y/n took his hands once he was in reach. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Y/n glanced at the Ghouls behind Terzo. 

They all were fidgeting and Y/n noticed some had spaded tails that were flicking around behind them. They were moving in a way like they all had restless energy. Like they were excited for what was to come. One or two of them kept looking like they were blurring or dissipating into fog around the edges before solidifying again. Y/n wondered if it was from them being a demonic entity. He noticed it when they were performing.

"Good." Terzo brought Y/n's attention back to him. He brought Y/n to one of the tables and picked up a tray of what looked like ash.

Terzo brushed Y/n's hair off of his forehead and pushed his fingers into the ash. He lifted his hand back up and drew symbols onto Y/n's forehead and cheeks. His eyes looked focused as he drew the symbols on. Once he was done, Terzo sat the tray and took Y/n's hands again.

Without saying a word, Terzo led Y/n into the circle. They stepped over the candles with ease and Terzo gently pushed Y/n into his knees in the middle of the circle. Y/n wanted to crack a joke but felt like it would be inappropriate.

The Ghouls formed circled around the circle and Y/n felt his nerves start to kick in. Was he actually ready for this? It was going to be horrible but it's worth it. Could he bare the pain?

Terzo kissed Y/n's hands, cutting his inner thoughts off.

"Last chance for you to back out." Terzo spoke quietly and Y/n could see the Ghouls nod like they're confirming what their leader said.

"I've come this far." Y/n shook his head. "It would be a shame to back out soon."

Terzo gave a proud smile.

"That's my boy." Terzo said before standing up straight and exiting the circle.

Y/n's hands fell into his lap as Terzo let them go. He watched as Terzo accepted a thick leather bound book from a Ghoul. It looked old and yellowed; as if it had been around for almost a century now and somehow is still in good condition.

Terzo started speaking what Y/n assumed was Italian as the Ghouls linked hands. His words sounded confident and strong. Y/n wished he took Italian instead of German in college. He didn't understand and was pretty sure that whatever he was saying would be cool as shit to hear.

As Y/n listened, the words suddenly shifted from a romantic language to something else. It sounded old and heavy on the tongue. It had sharp edges and a hiss to the words.

Before Y/n could gather any thoughts on the language, his body started to burn. He looked down at his hands to see that they looked sun burnt. The color moved up his arms and it felt like he was suddenly on fire.

Y/n let out a sharp cry as he leaned down towards the floor in a jerking manor. He pressed his palms to the ground and twisted his body slightly in the pain. 

It was the worst feeling he had ever felt. It felt like he was being dipped in acid and burned alive. He watched in horror as his red skin bubbled and dried out. His throat was on fire now and his organs felt like they were dissolving inside of him. He could feel tears rolling down his skin like alcohol on an open wound.

He wretched his eyes closed as a sob encompassed his whole body. It shook him to the core and he coughed suddenly. He cringed as he felt tar like bile coming from his stomach. He opened his eyes to see a dark red substance had come out of his mouth. It bubbled for a second before smoothing out in between his cracking hands.

That's when Y/n saw that his skin had started to peel and fall off. It exposed his skin looking like the ash smeared onto his forehead, but over his skin in a good layer. The more his skin came off, the more the air stung against his skin like needles being pressed all over his body. It felt like a large tattoo gun being dragged across his whole skin. He brought his hands up to claw at the clothing that was making his skin feel worse, easily shredding the thin fabric and pushing it into the stone with his palms. His fingers looked to be dipped in ink and he now had claws that scraped against the stone beneath him.

Y/n tried to blink away the tears that felt too thick to be normal before screwing them shut again. He felt another wave of nausea him him, leaving him heaving more of the dark red tar. His throat felt like sandpaper now and he just wanted his misery to end.

Thankfully, as he gasped for air after another retch, the air felt smoother and less like he was breathing in sand. His skin was starting to feel less like it was literally on fire and boiling. It felt more like someone had slathered aloe onto an old sunburn. Y/n started to shake as everything suddenly started to feel cold.

Hands cupped Y/n's face carefully. Y/n flinched back but didn't leave the gentle hold. Y/n opened his eyes to see that Terzo was kneeling in front of him and cupping his face. Terzo had that soft proud smile on his face.

"You did it." Terzo spoke softly before kissing Y/n's forehead. "You're okay now."

Y/n reached his hands up to grip Terzo's shoulders. He saw the grey and black had faded into just tinting his skin but the claws were still there. Terzo wiped the tears off of Y/n's face before turning and accepting a robe that one of the Ghouls offered him.

Terzo gently got Y/n into the robe before Terzo and the large Ghoul that offered the robe lifted Y/n to his feet. Y/n noticed as they got up that the candles were now out and there was a large mess of black and dark red goop all over the floor. It all looked burnt and smelled weird.

The two slowly directed Y/n up the stairs as the other Ghouls started to clean the mess up. The three were silent as they walked the hall for a minute. They turned into another door, which revealed a bathing room. There were in-floor bathtubs large enough to fit groups of people. Y/n idly wondered if that was just a glorified pool or spring.

Terzo and the Ghoul helped Y/n out of the robe and into one of the floor level tubs. Y/n could automatically see the black and dark red grime wash off of his skin from just the contact of water.

Y/n didn't have much energy, so Terzo and the Ghoul rolled up their sleeves and silently washed Y/n off. Y/n sat there staring into the distance, his mind painstakingly blank. He couldn't focus well and just focused on the hands trying to clean him.

Y/n let them dunk him into the water to clean his hair and face. It felt nice against his raw skin. 

"This is Aether, by the way." Terzo spoke softly suddenly. 

Y/n lifted his head to look up at the other Ghoul. He had taken his mask off to show a bed of brown curls and a strong jaw. He looked friendly in the adorable large jock way. His skin was a darker tan and had the same gray tint to it. Y/n had no idea how to describe it in his brain, but it looked good on him.

Aether's arms were the same as Y/n's where his fingers were dipped in black. Aether's black dipped reached mid forearm though and looked painted on. Y/n wondered how long he had been a Ghoul.

"Hello, Y/n." Aether's voice was low. "Your new name is Bonfire, but I like your human name."

Y/n didn't question the new name. He just nodded.

"It's nice to meet you. Aether is cool." Y/n watched as Aether smiled.

Terzo and Aether finished washing Y/n and pulled him out of the water. They helped him dry off and dress before showing him out of the bathroom.

Y/n had to admit. The towels were very nice and it was an experience to be cleaned by two dudes in the perfect bath. It was very nice and Y/n wouldn’t mind doing it again when he wasn’t recovering from literally dying and shedding his mortal form. But then again, would he have that opportunity again?

Y/n squinted his eyes as he was ushered down the hallway. It was brighter than before and the light was harsh on his eyes. It was almost like someone turned up the brightness suddenly on a phone screen without giving you an opportunity to adjust. Y/n glanced up to Aether to see he had put his mask back on and rolled his sleeves down. He must have seen Y/n looking up at him because Aether turned his head towards Y/n.

“Are the lights too bright?” Aether asked. This caught Terzo’s attention, as his head turned to look at the two.

“Kind of. It’s also cold as shit.” Y/n blinked at them and nodded.

“You’ll get your mask once we show you your room.” Terzo patted Y/n’s shoulder in a loving manner. 

The three exited the building and walked through the cool grass towards another building of the monastery. They entered without any distraction and Y/n could now see that the building was some type of dormitory. They had walked through the main room, which seemed normally lit if it wasn’t for the lack of lights. It had couches and TV’s spread across the room along with tables. There was a kitchen, which seemed to have people inside of it. The people grew quiet, even though they couldn’t see the three. There was a hallway that the three entered. This hallway held doors upon doors, obviously for the Ghouls, Sisters, and Brothers.

“This is the dormitory.” Terzo informed Y/n as they approached a set of doors that all held symbols on them. They were the elements and then a handful of symbols that Y/n didn’t recognize. “Each room belongs to a Brother or Sister of Sin. Then the marked doors belong to you Ghouls. I live in the parsonage next door, so if you ever need me you will know how to find me. Ghouls have free access to the parsonage.”

“You mentioned I do not have to always be here if I please.” Y/n asked as they stood in front of the door with the symbol for fire, which Y/n knew represented him.

“Ghouls can exist on other planes. That’s how Terzo can summon us.” Aether spoke up. “You’ll learn how to use what is given to you eventually.”

Y/n nodded and looked at the two expectantly. Terzo then motioned to the door and Y/n realized they were waiting for him to open the door.

Y/n mumbled an apology before grabbing onto the handle. The door made an unlocking noise and creaked open as he pushed it. The door opened to reveal a simple bedroom. It had a desk, dresser, a closet, a bed, and a bedside table. It was dark lit like the rest of the dormitory. It was homey and the bed looked like it was piled with thick blankets. It looked cute.

“Your personal items are already inside. The closet is bigger than you’d think so everything is in there.” Terzo put his hand on Y/n’s shoulder and patted it. “You may decorate it however you want. You can also have whoever you want in here.”

“Can anyone come in? I didn’t see an actual lock on the door.” Y/n wondered.

“The Olde One let an older Ghoul make doors that are linked to their owner. You and whoever you want to be able to open it can.” Terzo explained.

It sounded like unbelievable bullshit magic. But then again, he was just turned into a literal demonic being.

Terzo picked up something that was sitting on the table and Y/n realized it was one of the masks that the Ghouls wore. It was silver and looked like it was handmade. Terzo stepped forward and held it above Y/n’s head.

“With this mask, you’ll be able to conceal your Ghoulish form. It will help with the lights and perceiving the world.” Terzo gently put it onto Y/n’s head. Terzo kissed the mask’s forehead.

The second it was on and Y/n could see again, the world looked normal. He blinked and raised his hands up to his face. It was cool underneath his fingers and smooth. Terzo put his hands on Y/n’s shoulders and smiled.

“How does it fit?” Terzo asked.

“Like a glove.” Y/n smiled underneath the mask. He could see Aether shift behind them and Y/n could almost feel how pleased Aether was. It was an odd feeling and it made Y/n feel a bit more tired than before.

“You must be tired.” Terzo let go of Y/n’s shoulder and let Y/n walk into the room on his own accord.

“I feel exhausted.” Y/n nodded.

“Well,” Terzo smiled as Aether left the room and he took the door in his hand. “Goodnight, Bonfire.”

And with that, the door closed behind Terzo.

-

Apparently, Ghost had a cult following. Literally and metaphorically.

Y/n had quickly learned how to play a guitar and all of the songs he’d need to play. He was always good at picking up these types of things and so he just poured all of his waking hours learning the performances and new found powers he had. Outside of that, Y/n was being introduced to the Clergy and his introduction to the fans.

Apparently, people had noticed they were down a Ghoul at the last Ritual, which is what Y/n had learned were concerts and not literal rituals, and were asking about the missing Ghoul. His name was Dewdrop, but the fans called him Alpha. Some of the other Ghouls apparently had alternate names. But besides the point, Y/n was met with acceptance. They loved him as Bonfire. He was allowed to keep his phone, so he could see that people were eating him up whenever he showed up in the public eye finally. It was through small videos on social media of him with Aether or Cirrus. It made Y/n smile seeing people getting enjoyment from him simply existing.

Y/n laid across Aether’s lap with his feet falling into Cumulus’s lap. The Ghouls tended to be very touchy with each other. They explained it as some weird demon side effect. They always wanted to pile up and be touching someone. It also helped them connect since they had this weird way of understanding each other’s emotions without actually having to express them. That’s why Terzo always placed his hands on their backs and shoulders, it made them feel better. The Ghouls also explained that sometimes even Copia would put his hands on their shoulders.

They really liked it when the Cardinal was more friendly. Sometimes he was standoffish when the others were around.

Y/n yawned as he scrolled through his phone. Today was rather unexciting. They weren’t doing any Rituals for another month or two so the Clergy could work on music with Terzo. This left the Ghouls to their own devices.

“Hey, Bonfire.” Cumulus spoke up. Y/n looked up from his phone and at her. She was wearing her mask like the rest of them.

“Yeah?” Y/n yawned.

“Did you ever explain to your friend who you were at the concert with what happened?” Cumulus asked. Aether looked up from his Switch, seemingly interested.

“Not really. They weren’t the closest to me. After I made an announcement on social media that I was moving away they just wished me good luck.” Y/n shrugged. “I didn’t think it mattered.”

Y/n then realized that Cumulus was always slightly more devious compared to Cirrus. The two had been initiated at the same time during Papa II’s reign.

“Why?” Y/n narrowed his eyes at her.

“Oh… well…” Cumulus was obviously smiling and Y/n could feel glee coming off of her. “What if I maybe… have a picture of you without your mask? Maybe… with the others?”

“And what about the photo?” Y/n frowned and hoped she could feel his suspicion.

“What if I posted it on my old social media?” Cumulus laughed. “And someone commented about knowing you?”

Aether and Y/n stared at her with disbelief for a second.

The Ghouls had all added each other on their side social media and had kept up old appearances like they were just fans. They would tag each other and simply have fun. It was to interact with fans mainly, but it was still fun. It was also dangerous and it always made the Clergy upset with them but they got away with it. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone had posted a face of the member on their page since no one knew who they were. But this was a first.

“You twat.” Y/n sat up quickly, reaching to snatch her phone as Y/n’s phone buzzed.

Cumulus just laughed and moved farther away on the couch. Aether wrapped his arms around Y/n to keep him from getting to the Ghoulette and laughed as Y/n cursed at him.

“Give me your phone. Delete that!” Y/n swiped his claws at her, which made her laugh go higher pitched for a moment. Aether fully pulled Y/n up so his back was to Aether’s chest and thoroughly stuck.

“Nope! Deal with it!” Cumulus pushed Y/n’s legs the rest of the way off so she could crouch on the couch.

Y/n dramatically sighed and looked at his phone to see his friend spamming his original social media that he would update from time to time. They were sending him messages about being around the Ghouls and how they couldn’t believe it. He didn’t tell them and it was a crime. They didn’t even know he was a “Ghost Stan” now. Whatever that meant.

Y/n responded back that he had gotten into the band more after the concert and found a ton of people in his new city that really liked Ghost. Y/n stared at the screen before typing that he had simply met the Ghouls at some press event after the most recent concert. He cringed at not calling it a Ritual but he had to keep up the appearance.

He then got a correction of “it's called a ritual” before they started spamming him again. Y/n sighed again and leaned his head back onto Aether’s chest, promptly blocking the man from being able to see his game.

“Who upset Bonfire?” Sunshine asked as she came in, holding her mask in one hand and a cup of god knows what in the other.

“Cumulus did. She posted Bonfire on social media and his old friend found it and is spam messaging him.” Aether said in a monotone voice as he leaned his head down next to Y/n’s head.

Y/n ignored them and kept typing back and forth with the old friend. He felt irritated towards Cumulus, but he didn’t blame his friend for texting him. It was out of nowhere to be fair that he was posted casually talking to Ghouls.

There was a long whistle suddenly as Rain walked through the door looking at his phone.

“Woo there. Someone has created a storm on social media again.” Rain oozed with glee and waved his phone. “Are you trying to piss off the Clergy, Terzo, AND baby Bonfire in one go, Cumulus?”

“I’m trying to have fun and give people something to talk about.” Cumulus leaned her head back as Sunshine stood behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Papa and the Clergy can eat my dick if they get upset. They should thank me.”

“Just because you’re from Secondo doesn’t mean you’re safe from Terzo and the Clergy’s wrath.” Aether duly reminded her and in a dull voice.

“You’re from Primo, Aether. Shush.” Cumulus smacked Aether’s arm. Aether didn’t seem to care and Y/n felt him chuckle.

Y/n suddenly felt an odd feeling and the others looked up from what they were doing. One or two sighed and they one by one dissipated. Y/n closed his eyes and opened them again to be standing inside of the parsonage. It was the study that Terzo always seemed to be holed up in whenever Y/n went to find him.

Terzo sat leaned back in his chair, chin on his hand and staring at the Ghouls who all appeared in front of him. The Ghouls all shifted in place as he just stared at them. It felt almost uncomfortable and the room’s tension was high because of it. Terzo then sat up straight and sighed.

“Cumulus you can’t keep riling up the fans by posting pictures of your bandmates like that.” Terzo rubbed his eyes as he spoke. He then dropped his hand in his lap and stared at the Ghoulette.

“I’m sorry, Papa. You know it is great PR. They don’t know who I am or the others. It is safe.” Cumulus clasped her hands in front of her and looked at their leader. 

“Sister Imperator already sent me many messages about how I need to wrangle you all in.” Terzo gave them a deadpan look. “Stop being menaces on social media, okay? Yes?”

The Ghouls all nodded and Terzo nodded, motioning them to all leave. They all shuffled towards the door and glanced back at Terzo before leaving the office.

-

Y/n found himself, once again, curled up next to Terzo in a large bed.

The man had his arm around Y/n, loosely holding Y/n in his arms. The two were fully clothed and simply laying with their foreheads pressed together. Y/n was without his mask and Terzo only had the black circles around his eyes instead of the full makeup.

The two of them would do this often. Y/n wondered if it was because he was the only one of the Ghouls that Terzo could genuinely claim as his own. The others he had simply come into control of, passed down to him like the title of Papa. The others got to lay in a pile with him often, but not as much as Y/n got to lay one-on-one with Terzo. Y/n was Terzo’s favorite and the one thing he was able to genuinely call his own.

Sometimes, Y/n would be more than personal with the others along with Terzo. He loved those moments of intimacy and being able to get his energy out. But these moments he enjoyed more. He could simply drop his humanoid presence fully without the mask and bask in the enjoyment of being pressed against someone. He could simply relax.

Y/n opened his eyes to see Terzo looking down at him. Y/n smiled at Terzo and caught a glimpse of himself in Terzo’s eyes. His teeth were all sharp and his eyes were an abyss, his little pointed horns were black. Y/n that his form was loose, towards the end of his limbs he wasn’t fully solid unless touching Terzo. His spaded tail was laying fully out behind him. He felt free and like he could just be himself.

“Are you okay, Terzo?” Y/n asked the man in front of him. Y/n could feel something was wrong with the man. It was almost non-existent, but it was just there enough that he could taste the odd emotion on his tongue. It tasted like pool water after it rained.

“Sister Imperator is acting odd.” Terzo sighs and closes his eyes. “Copia is also acting off. He mentioned Papa Nihil coming back to the monastery. He hasn’t visited since you’ve been reborn a year ago.”

“Why would Papa Nihil be here? Is Primo and Secondo okay? Is it Sister Imperator?” Y/n frowned and lifted his hand to Terzo’s cheek. His hand became solid again and he was careful to not cut Terzo with his claws.

“They are fine. I don’t know why he would be coming back so suddenly unless the Clergy needed him, which we don’t at the moment. Even if we did, I would know.” Terzo brought a hand up to place it over Y/n’s. He picked up Y/n’s hand and brought it to his mouth to kiss it. “Everything will be okay though. I’m sure he is just coming to check up on us. He is an older man and has The Olde One keeping him alive. That can only last for a certain time though. The Olde One isn’t known for giving immortality to mortals for free.”

“You think he’s coming to see you and your brothers?” Y/n didn’t understand if he was saying that Nihil was going to die or not.

“Maybe. We never know. He could also be coming to just see Sister Imperator. They ARE madly in love.” Terzo opened his eyes again to look up at Y/n. “But I need you to promise me something, Y/n.”

“Whatever you need, Dante.” Y/n said it quietly. They only used their given names while alone. It made the interactions much more sweet.

“If you hear anything, please tell me automatically. I fear Sister Imperator sometimes. She has been going out of her way to do things to piss me off. Or just make my life in general harder.” Terzo looked infinitely tired now. “She’s always had something against me and my brothers since we were children.”

“Could it be her thing with Papa Nihil?” Y/n offered. “Everyone knows they’re a pair.”

“Maybe.” Terzo pulled Y/n closer and almost rolled on top of Y/n. “But it is time to sleep.”

Y/n smiled and accepted the comfort.

-

It wasn’t until a week later that Y/n understood Terzo’s fears.

The air in the monastery was thick and every Ghoul held anxiety. The Brothers and Sisters were all in their rooms, seemingly hiding from something. There were whispers of Cardinal Copia meeting Papa Nihil for the first time in the hallway earlier that day. A Sister stopped before she turned the corner and listened to the conversation between the two and Sister Imperator. Something about heirs and bloodlines. The Sister automatically ran back to the dormitory and told the rest what she had witnessed.

Y/n now stood in front of Papa Nihil with the other Ghouls. It made his stomach churn as the old man explained how proud he was and how Y/n being welcomed to the Clergy was a miracle. One of the things he was proud of Terzo’s short reign was. Those words rung in Y/n’s head like a church bell. Y/n wanted to run and check on Terzo, tell him what was going on. But Papa Nihil was standing in front of them all. 

“Today you all will be blessed to see some of the Ghouls of Olde. They have come to visit and do work that you all cannot do.” Nihil smiled at them and clasped his hands together and shook them slightly. “Bonfire, you have not met them but you will love them. They cannot wait to meet you after they’re done.”

“Papa Nihil, what are they doing?” Aether lifted a single hand as if he wanted to be called on. “If I may ask. They never come to this realm.”

“Ah…” Nihil’s mouth pressed into a straight line. “Just some official business.”

Y/n felt his whole body twitch. He hated the sound of that. He could feel something bad was happening. They could all feel it. The Ghouls of Olde’s emotions were distant and felt sickening. They felt like death and sadness. Y/n could feel his hands lose their solidity as he panicked. His eye sight kept wavering. Aether grabbed his hand to solidify it and calm him ever so slightly.

“Well, I must leave you all. I have to go find Sister Imperator and the Cardinal.” Nihil smiled again and waved before leaving.

The Cardinal. Why did he have to see the Cardinal and not Terzo?

Once Nihil was out of the door, Y/n turned to Aether.

“Let me go.” Y/n pleaded to Aether, looking up at his masked face.

Aether looked back down at him as the others watched them. The others seemed to understand that Y/n was panicking over something they didn’t know of.

“Okay.” Aether let Y/n go. “Be careful.”

It wasn’t a good bid, but a warning. They all knew that if they crossed Nihil they’d be in actual trouble. Y/n nodded and took a step back. He closed his eyes and focused.

For the first time, on his own bidding, Y/n used his power to appear in front of Terzo without being summoned. It took a lot out of him, but he felt his body shift slightly and the ground change underneath him. Y/n opened his eyes and went to speak, but stopped abruptly.

In front of him, Terzo and his two brothers were sitting in chairs. They all had their heads tilted to the side and their eyes closed. Y/n couldn’t feel them. Their faces were clean of makeup for once and their skin looked gray.

Y/n let out a scream as he moved to Tero. He ripped his mask off and dropped it to the ground haphazardly. He dropped to his knees next to Terzo and took the man’s head in his hands. Y/n felt tears come to his eyes as he felt Terzo’s cold skin.

“Terzo… Terzo please.” Y/n felt like his chest felt like there were pebbles inside of it, weighing him down as a sob came up his throat. He felt for a pulse and found none.

“No no no…” Y/n shook his head and lightly smacked a palm against Terzo’s face. “Dante, please.”

Y/n couldn’t see straight now. His eyesight was swimming as his body shook. It felt like he couldn’t think straight now. Terzo was dead and he assumed the other two were dead also. Whoever called them into this room had killed them somehow.

“Please don’t leave me.” Y/n cried and crouched up more to press his forehead to Terzo’s cold one.

Behind him Y/n could hear a gasp and shuffling. Y/n didn’t care. 

“Are they dead?” Someone asked. 

Y/n nodded as hands were placed on his own, taking his hands from Terzo’s face. Y/n assumed the other Ghouls could feel his heart break from across the Monastery. They were all inspecting the bodies now, trying to figure out and process what was in front of them.

One of them had picked up Y/n’s mask and was pulling him away now. They were putting his mask back onto him and he didn’t fight it. He couldn’t believe they had suddenly killed the Papas. It wasn’t right. They couldn’t do that.

“Y/n we have to leave them here. Papa Nihil can’t find out what we know. The Ghouls of Olde already know we’re here but they won’t tell on us.” Cirrus was in front of Y/n, trying to convince him to leave Terzo. Aether must be the one holding onto his shoulders.

“Why…?” Y/n asked Cirrus. 

She just shook her head and took his hands. The three of them ended up appearing in the realm that the Ghouls normally spent outside of the human realm. It took a few minutes, but all of the Ghouls collected in the realm. They all sat pressed against each other in a pseudo pile and cried over their lost leaders and friends.

Y/n knew that while he was the closest to Terzo, the others had been close to the other two Papas and had been around since each of them took over. Maybe one or two were there for longer. Y/n didn’t know for sure. But they all were grieving the loss of them. It hurt and they didn’t know why.

It didn’t take long for the Ghouls of Olde to appear. It was only four of them, but they all materialized in the dark room one by one. They were wearing masks that Y/n hadn’t recognized, but he understood who they were.

“We’re sorry.” The closest one said. He had a fire symbol on his shirt. “They made us do it.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that they’re gone, Dewdrop.” Mountain almost sneered. It was odd to hear Mountain speak in that way. He normally was quiet like Aether. 

“I understand your grief.” Another one spoke up. “We’re upset too.”

“What does The Olde One think about this?” Sunshine asked. She held onto Cumulus and had taken her mask off so she could press her face into the other Ghoulette’s arm.

“He isn’t… pleased. He doesn’t agree, but he is not in charge of the Clergy. Free will.” Another Olde Ghoul said. The final one nodded, as if he didn’t have anything to add.

Y/n hated that they were so nonchalant about the deaths. He was going to voice it, but they were being drawn by Papa Nihil. The Ghouls all looked at each other with the same sentiment of not wanting to go. Sunshine put her mask back on and they all answered the call.

Appearing in front of Papa Nihil, they all noticed that he was standing with Sister Imperator and Cardinal Copia. Copia looked like he wanted to be anywhere else and had the feeling of regret coming off of him. Y/n wondered if he knew about the killings or not.

Y/n glanced behind him and saw the Brothers and Sisters of Sin ann kneeling behind them. He could feel how uneasy they were. It made him feel sick to his stomach as he looked back at Nihil.

“Ghouls, Brothers, and Sisters.” Papa Nihil smiled at them and held out his hands slightly. “I would like to announce your new Papa.”

The Ghouls all shifted uncomfortably and Y/n could tell the Brothers and Sisters didn’t like the sudden announcement. The Ghouls all kneeled at the announcement.

“Here is your new Papa, Papa Emeritus IV.” Nihil motioned to Copia, who then stepped forward with a small smile.

“Hello, my flock.” Copia held his hands together in front of his chest. His eyes scanned across the group of Sisters and Brothers before moving across the Ghouls. His eyes then landed on Y/n and his somber smile grew slightly. “I am pleased to work with you.”

[stardustbarbarians]

Cirice

Chapter 2 (ch. 1)

A Daniel Wagner / fem!reader series

Summary: You wanna deal with The Devil? You gotta live with it when he sets you on fire.

Tags: Demon!Daniel, angst

A/N: No trigger warnings this time around! This is probably going to be one of the softer chapters I publish for this fic. Just a head's up, it gets darker from here on out. Title taken from Cirice by Ghost. Dedicated to the lovely @samkooszka <3. Please enjoy reading!

Words: 3.6 k

+++

It only occurred to you the next morning that you failed to ask the demon when Jake’s hand would be repaired. You had been sipping your coffee and looking out the kitchen window above your sink when it struck you, slamming your mug down on the counter in frustration. Your annoyance only increased when you realized that you had spilled coffee everywhere and you would be the one having to clean it up. With a huff, you flick the liquid off your hands and rinse them off, grabbing a paper towel and wiping up the spilled drink. 

Checking the time, you realized that you were late in picking up Jake for his physical therapy. While he technically could drive himself, he hadn’t wanted to since his accident. None of you or the boys had wanted to push him into driving, so all four of you took turns driving him. And while your turn had been yesterday, you were doing Sammy a favor by taking in Jake. Rosie had a vet appointment so you offered to take his turn. 

Rushing with throwing on some clothes and shoes, you grab your keys and a coat and jog out to your car. As the engine roared to life, you startled as the radio jumped alive with the sound of Mick Jagger’s singing. 

Just as every cop is a criminal

And all the sinners saints

As heads is tails

Just call me Lucifer

'Cause I'm in need of some restraint

You shook your head and punched the off button on the radio. Of course the song was Sympathy For The Devil because why wouldn’t it be after what you had done last night? Even though the song had ceased filtering through your car speakers, it caused you to think about what you’d done. There was someone out there - whom you may or may not know - that just had half of their soul removed from their body. If removing a soul all at once was enough to instantly kill, what would happen to someone who had half of it taken away? Would they get sick? Would they go into a coma? Oh god, was there now someone hospitalized because of you?? 

That was all that consumed your mind as you made the drive over to Jake’s. It seemed as though your anxiety was on a loop of itself, repeating the same concerns over and over again. It would’ve convinced yourself that you were a bad person if you hadn’t already believed yourself to be. But, recently you have been trying to better yourself. There was a reason you had been willing to sacrifice your soul to the devil for Jake’s dreams. 

When you pulled into Jake’s driveway, you didn’t even need to call him to let you know you arrived. He came bounding out of his house and right up to your car. You’d be lying if you said it didn’t startle you slightly see him so excited. It had been months since he had been anything close to genuinely happy, so your surprise was a pleasant one.

When he reached your car, he pulled on the handle and then knocked on the window when he couldn’t get in. Snapping back into yourself, you press the button and he immediately yanked it open. A blast of cold air sent chills over your body as Jake slid into the front seat, slamming it closed behind him. His eyes were bright as he beamed excitedly at you; reminiscent of a child on Christmas morning. 

“Good morning, Jakey. You look chipper,” you greet, pulling your jacket tighter around you after you shivered. 

“Y/N, you’ll never fucking believe it. Last night - just out of the goddamn blue - my hand started to feel better. I haven’t felt like this in months and I just decided to throw caution to the wind and pick up my guitar; I played Highway Tune and I felt no pain. Then I just said ‘fuck it’ and went for The Weight of Dreams… I played it perfectly! I-I don’t know what’s going on… but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the fucking mouth. It’s some kind of… of miracle.” Jake exposited, his left hand stretching and flexing as he spoke on its own volition. There was disbelief lacing his words, amazement in his eyes and smile. When he concluded, he looked down at his once broken hand and watched himself flex it. 

You could feel yourself deflate with relief, your posture becoming less rigid as he shared with you the good news. It was only until he smiled up at you that you realized you failed to react to him. Schooling your face, you tried your best to look surprised. “Jake, that’s incredible!” 

You saw his smile dim at your words. You had never been a great actress. 

“Y/N… did you-?” 

Your heart pounded as he gazed at you so deeply with those soft brown eyes of his. The last time he had gazed at you like that, there were a lot less clothes on either of you and both of you were sweating-

“Y’know what? I don’t want to know what you did. Just… thank you. Thank you so fucking much,” he gently grabbed your hand with his newly fixed one, “you gave me my dream back.” 

You didn’t realize you were crying until you felt a tear roll down your cheek. Smiling, you kissed his hand in yours, wiping away your tear with your free hand. “Anything for you, Jakey.” 

You weren’t expecting him to pull you into a hug, but you also weren’t gonna complain. It was a tight one, but it was his way of showing his appreciation. The longer you embraced, the more you wanted to cry. You had to pull away after a moment, the tears stinging your eyes. 

“Alright, we’re gonna be late for your physical therapy,” you remind him, a watery laugh escaping your lips. 

“Oh, shit!” he exclaimed before running back into the house. He emerged a moment later with his guitar case in hand and a huge smile on his face as he hoisted it up for you to see. You couldn’t help but laugh at him, fond of actions. 

You popped the trunk of the car for him, shivering once again as the mid-winter air filtered into your car. 

“I kinda need this,” he commented with a smile before closing the trunk. 

“Have you told the boys yet?” you asked, putting the car in reverse after he buckled into the seat. 

“Not yet. I wanted to surprise them tonight over dinner.” 

You nodded as you kept your eyes on the road, turning the radio back on. 

“You’re coming too, babe. Just try and keep it a secret until then, alright?” 

That brought a smile to your face. You had thought that you were going to be included, but you also weren’t going to just invite yourself. You were so glad that you would be there to see all of Jake’s brothers have not only their careers back but Jake himself. It was clear that - even from your minimal interaction today - that he was back to his normal self. For the rest of the day, you forgot about that soul you squandered away. With Jake back to his normal self, it seemed entirely worth it. You’d suffer any and all torment hell would bring to you just to keep him smiling like that. 

+++

You had spent the day with Jake after his physical therapy. Due to his “miraculous” recovery, that was his last appointment he ever had to go to. After that finished, you two went to the grocery store in order to get supplies for the meal you would serve later that night. It was while you were browsing the produce aisle that you sent out the details for tonight out in the groupchat. Each of the boys responded by the time you checked out, surprisingly. It would often take them hours to respond if you were lucky and a few days at the latest. It was quite infuriating, but you had gotten used to it over time. 

“They all said they’re coming,” you informed Jake, looking over to him as he looked back and forth between different cloves of garlic. 

“What about Mackenzi? Is she coming too?” You didn’t miss the hesitance in his voice as he asked after Danny’s girlfriend. While you hadn’t been friend’s with Danny for nearly as long as the Kiszkas had, you did know that he was at his happiest when he had spent a long period of time away from her. She wasn’t the most pleasant person to be around; she always acted like she was better than everyone around her and wasn’t friendly towards you in particular. 

You looked back at the groupchat to double check Daniel’s message. “He just said ‘cool, I’ll be there’. So, probably not.” 

Jake nodded, placing one of the garlic cloves in the cart before pushing it towards another section. You were sure you weren’t meant to hear it, but under his breath you swear you heard him say “thank god”. It seemed you weren’t the only one who wasn’t a fan of Mackenzi. 

+++

Despite not being the best in the kitchen, you tried to help Jake where you could. He was thankfully patient with you as you fumbled your way around, asking for help when you needed it. 

“Jake! What do I do after chopping up this… what was it called again?” you ask, embarrassed at how whiny you sounded. But, you were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of what you didn’t know that it made you nearly want to burst into tears at times. 

“That’s green onion,” Jake gently informed, chuckling as he wiped his hands off on some paper towel. You felt your stress slightly fall as he smiled at you, making his way towards where you stood at the counter. 

“Of course it’s called green onion. It’s green and smells like onions,” you lamented, setting your knife down and holding your head in your hands. They smelled like onions. 

With another fond laugh, Jake gently pulled you into his arms. You didn’t move your hands as he wrapped you in an embrace, but you did rest your head against his shoulder. He placed a tender kiss on your forehead; you could feel the smile on his lips. “You’re doing great, love.” 

You tried to ignore the way the close proximity and the pet name made your heart jump. With a sigh, you pulled away and took a deep breath in order to calm your stress. You opened your eyes to see him smiling at you. He tucked a hair behind your ear, the look in his eye changing to something more… lustful. 

“You look lovely,” he purred, his hand lingering on your jaw. 

“Jacob?” 

“Yes?” 

“Your garlic is burning,” you inform him, tipping your head to point at the skillet on the burner. 

Turning his head and sniffing the air, he ran towards the stove. “SHIT!”

Laughing fondly, you go back to your green onions to chop up a few of the pieces that were on the bigger side. However, you were interrupted by a knock on the door. Looking over at Jake struggling with his garlic, you set your knife down and went to answer the door. 

“Hey, y/n! I wasn’t expecting to find you here yet,” Sam exclaimed as you opened the door. He pulled you into a hug after taking his jacket off, the smell of cigarette smoke filling your nose as he did. 

“Is that Sam?” you heard Jake call out from the kitchen. 

“Yeah-”

“Sammy boy! Get in here! I need your help!” Jake cut you off, his voice loud as he shouted. 

You and Sam shared a long-suffering look before he slipped his shoes off and grabbed the wine he had set down on the floor to bring into the kitchen. “He seems better.” 

“You have no idea.” You absently run your thumb over the bandage you wrapped around the hand you cut open for the ritual. 

You two walked into the kitchen, the smell of food cooking making your mouth water. Noticing your presence, Jake looks over his shoulder and smiles at you. He silently motions for his brother to join him by the stove with a tip of his head. Sighing, Sam passes the wine he had in his hand off to you, asking if you would put it in the fridge. 

Just as you had put the wine away, another knock on the door resounded through the house. Not even bothering to wait for Jake to ask, you walked back towards the front door. This time, you opened it to see the last Kizska brother at the door. 

“It’s cold as balls out there!” Josh exclaimed, pushing past you and into the house. “Hi, y/n!” 

His smile was huge as it usually was, shaking his head to get the snow out of his curls. He shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack before pulling you into a tight hug. “Hello, Joshie.” 

“So… how’s Jake doing?” he asked as the two of you walked towards the kitchen. There was concern filling his eyes that he attempted to hide with a smile. He didn’t do a good job, however. You could tell how nervous he was. 

“Well, I’m not the one who should tell you. But there’s a surprise at the end of the night that Jake wants to share with you guys,” you answer as you round into the kitchen. 

Josh’s smile got brighter after you spoke, the worry draining out of it. Josh didn’t even bother walking over to greet his brothers, just jumping up to sit on one of the far counters. He reminded you of a bird, the way he perched and observed the world around him. 

“Hey,” Jake and Sam both absently greet their oldest brother, consumed with preparing the meal. Josh didn’t seem bothered by his luke-warm welcome. He was used to his brothers getting lost in their cuisine. 

The minutes passed as Sam and Jake cooked, the four of you all having a good time in the kitchen. While you enjoyed yourself, there was something in the back of your mind that told you something was off. Glancing at your phone, you realized that Danny was almost half an hour late. Your brow knit at the realization, concern flooding your veins. 

“Hey, Sam, do you know if Danny said he was gonna be late?” you ask, walking up closer so he could hear you over the music playing over the speakers. 

“Why do you guys always ask me about Danny, huh? It’s not like we’re attached at the hip,” he griped, chopping another bit of green onion. Loud and sharp chops! cut through the air as his irritation took over. 

All three of you gazed at the youngest Kiszka, all of you having the same look of disbelief and doubt on your faces. Sam turned around to see everyone shooting that look at him, his face turning slightly pink at the attention. He haughtily returned to chopping, refusing to look at you all. 

“He mentioned that he would be a little late.” Sam finally relented, knowing that he was, in fact, the first to be informed about Daniel’s whereabouts and any new information from Daniel. None of you pressed for more despite knowing there was more to that story than Sam was telling. So, you all let it go and continued on. 

Right as you and Josh finished setting the table, you heard a knock. Sharing a look with Josh, you made for the front door. When you became the goddamn doorman, you had no idea. 

“Danny! You made it! How-” you stopped yourself short as you saw how red and puffy Daniel’s eyes were. He gave you a weak smile, his eyes glittering as he stepped into the light of the vestibule. 

“Hey, y/n,” he greeted, his tone watery and breakable. Your chest ached immediately at the sight, fighting the urge to pull him into a tight embrace and never let him go. 

“Are you ok? What happened?” you asked, tucking a loose curl behind his ear. Danny flinched away from the touch, his hand coming up to push yours away. 

“I’m… I’m fine. I’d rather not talk about it right now.” And with that, he quickly walked over to the bathroom. You heard the door slam behind him, your brow becoming creased as your concern for him doubled. 

Quickly making your way into the kitchen, you grab Sam by the shoulder and drag him away from Jake, the bassist whining the entire time. 

“Sam, shut up for fuck’s sake! I need you to do me a favor-”

“Oh, you want me to do something nice for you after you manhandle me-” 

“Daniel is crying in the bathroom right now,” you gritted out, pulling Sam’s ear close to you to keep your tone quiet. 

Instantly, Sam’s expression changed. All of the color drained from his face as he looked at you with wide eyes. “He what?” 

“I need you to go check on him for me,” you requested, knowing that if Danny was willing to talk to anyone, it was Sammy. 

“Of course. I’ve got this,” he rushed, all but sprinting down the hall to the door that sequestered Daniel behind it. 

While Sam handled Danny, you kept the twins distracted so that they wouldn’t ask any questions. While you knew that this was a matter that you should’ve included them in, you didn’t want to worry them too much. You just hoped that Sammy would be able to comfort Danny in the way he needed to be. 

+++

Dinner had been served, but Daniel and Sam didn’t emerge from the bathroom until most of the contents of your plate were eaten. You and the twins had made normal conversation, but the entire time it had been weighed down by the obvious fact that there was something going on with Daniel that none of you could assist him with. When the pair finally came to join the dinner table, the air changed immediately. 

As Sam guided Danny to his chair, a reassuring arm wrapped around his shoulders, there was an unadulterated rage burning fiercely behind his eyes that was barely contained. Danny avoided all eye contact, his head hanging in order to hide his sorrow stained eyes. Right when the bassist sat down, you caught his eye, silently asking him if Danny was alright. Clenching his jaw, Sammy subtly shook his head no. 

Josh cleared his throat, taking a sip of wine before offering rhythm section to serve them their dinner. Sam glanced at Daniel briefly before accepting. You and Jake shared a look, worry written all over both of your faces. 

“Do you think now is a good time?” he whispered, leaning in towards your ear. 

You glanced between the other three boys. There was such an air of fragile sadness between all of them that it broke your heart. “They need the pick-me-up.”

Jake looked you deep in the eyes before nodding. He agreed, they needed a win that night for sure. He brushed his fingers over your shoulder gently and shot you a small smile before he got up from his chair. He went unnoticed by the other three as he traveled down the hall to grab one of his guitars. He returned a minute or two later with his case in one hand and an amp and chord in the other. Only when he set them all down onto the floor did he get noticed by the other three. 

All conversation (whatever small and tense talk there was that was going on) ceased as all eyes turned to the guitarist. It continued to remain quiet as you all watched him set up his equipment. Josh eventually caught your eye, sending a questioning look your way. All you did was smile and point back at Jake. 

“So, I know that this is not the ideal time,” Jake glanced quickly over at Daniel, “but I wanted to show you guys… Well, it’s better if I just let my guitar do all the talking.” 

Glancing at you momentarily, you give Jake a reassuring nod and a smile. With a shaky breath, Jacob closed his eyes and began strumming his guitar. At first he started slow, playing basic riffs and chords. However, when it became clear that he became lost in the music he was playing, he got braver and started to play like he had back before the accident. Even though you already knew that Jake was back to previous skill level, you still felt the surprise and disbelief fill your veins as he played so elaborately that it took your breath away. When he concluded playing that’s when you realized you were crying. 

Finally opening his eyes, Jake smiled nervously. He cleared his throat and set aside the guitar. “So… yeah… that’s what I wanted to show you.” 

“Jake…” Sam spoke, completely stunned as the reality of the situation hit him. 

The sound of a chair scraping against the floor and then falling on the floor preceded Josh pulling his twin into a bone crushing embrace. From the way his shoulders were shaking it seemed that he was crying. Jake, albeit stunned, wrapped his arms around Josh, his eyes closing as he accepted the hug. 

Sam was quick to follow, wrapping his arms around his brothers and resting his head atop Jake’s. There was a huge, beaming smile on his face as you noticed a tear slip out of one of his eyes. Danny was close behind, a watery but proud smile on his lips as he rested a hand on Jake’s shoulder. You remained in your seat, watching the moment unfold before you. 

It was worth it. Whatever terrible, horrible consequences that you certainly would have to face would be worth that moment. 

At least, that’s what you believed for the first few months. 

+++

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[sillyandquiteawkward]

I am a ghost band noob… I keep seeing them and I am quite interested… what is your recommendation of songs and or videos for a new listener?

hmmm id recommend cirice first bc i like the insidious vibes of the music video. its staple for the concerts to have a whole cirice section where hell have a personal one on one moment with a member of the audience, just like in the video. very haunting song. this one got me into ghost tbh.

recent catchy music video is spillways which is very good. copia is put in the microwave for 3 minutes on high and sings about your inner feelings bubbling over (thru the spillways)

and then also i have to plug my fav song jigolo har megiddo (literally manwhore of armageddon) which is just an entire song about funny sex euphemisms based off religious quotes. also this is the acoustic version of it and thats also very good (but i like the original better). ghost release more acoustic songs challenge.