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yournecessaryevil · 7 months

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☠️ His Darkness Divine ☠️

•Part Two•

💀CHRIS MOTIONLESS X READER SERIES💀

After your chance encounter the previous night with a demon from one of the oldest ruling classes of the Underground, you've been given a lot to think about. But you're not the only one...

• fluff; language; mentions of death/violence; TW (mention of Ghost, [male presenting])

"Little mouse..."

Dark eyes stared into your soul, a smile playing at the edges of that mouth, that sweet, sinful mouth of his, that lower lip lined with three little silver rings. You wondered for a minute what it would feel like to kiss him, to have those rings pressed against your own bottom lip.

The faint whisper of his laugh echoed in the space between you, his breath cool against your skin as he leaned down to place the softest of kisses along your right shoulder.

"Penny for your thoughts, little mouse?"

Again, those eyes seemed to look directly into your soul, and you could feel the heat spreading across your cheeks as you stared back at him, quite unable to escape from his gaze.

"I... I was wondering... w-what it would be like to... to kiss you..."

God, you hated the way your voice trembled for him like this. And yet-

Another hushed, answering laugh fell from those lips, as he ducked his head down to kiss your bare shoulder again.

"Mm. Are you really sure you'd like to find out... Y/N?"

The minute he said your name, those eyes found yours again, and he leaned towards you, ever so slowly, that faint smile lingering at the edge of his mouth once more...

Closer, closer still-

You suddenly awoke with a start, your hand curling into a tight fist around the empty bedsheets next to you. Your heart thundered within your chest, the staccato beats every bit as scattered and careless as your thoughts.

Speaking of which...

You could still see him so clearly in the forefront of your mind, ever present since the minute you two had met last night. You hadn't been able to get him out of your head, hadn't stopped hearing his dulcet tones in the back of your mind, not for a second.

There had been something so utterly compelling about him, something that had left a heavily lingering impression upon you. And it wasn't just him, no. His comrades of sorts had made quite the impression too, each of them enshrouded by their own sense of mystery.

What was it about him...?

You had felt the way everything seemed to change the minute you'd decided to trust him, to put your hand within his, to let him lead you to safety. It was like the very air itself had rippled, like time had ceased to exist for those few minutes.

He had felt it too, you know he had.

All of them had, really.

A brief memory flitted through your mind then, of the way the one they called Ghost had looked at you, the expression of mixed hostility and curiosity in his dark eyes. He had been the only one out of all of them to be rather tense and harsh, that night.

You recalled the way he'd been almost anxious, insistent, demanding that their leader just abandon you in those woodlands.

But he had refused.

"Cerulli..."

The last name flashed through to the forefront of your mind, returning with it the fresh memories of this morning's dream.

Once more, you felt the heat rushing to your cheeks as you recalled the way his mouth had almost met yours, those rings nearly touching your own bottom lip-

The soft kisses he had left along your right shoulder-

If you pictured it long enough, you could almost feel the lingering weight of his mouth against your skin. But it, along with last night, seemed nothing more than an illusion.

Heaving a ragged sigh, you pulled yourself from the bed, reluctant to start your day and leave those ever so pleasant dreams and memories behind...

"Burying ourselves away in here again, are we?"

The amused voice of his brother made Christopher look up from the book he'd been reading.

Although, 'reading' was a bit of a far cry.

Sure, he'd had the book open before him, but the words had begun to all blur together into meaningless black lines on a page, the more he'd let his thoughts wander.

His little mouse...

Fuck, he hadn't been able to get her out of his head all night, nor all that following morning. She was all he could think about, from the second he'd locked eyes with her in those woods.

"You've been remembering her too, I take it?"

Richard's voice cut through his thoughts a second time, and Christopher found himself nodding in agreement.

"I rather liked her, you know. She seemed to have a good head about her, yes?"

There was a note of amusement in Richard's voice, as he stood there in the entryway to Christopher's study, leaning casually against the doorframe.

"Sola's not happy."

Christopher approached the subject with some reluctance, his words feeling very weighted as he said them.

Although, judging from Richard's answering scoff, he had taken a step in the right direction.

"You picked up on that too, then. He's not going to like it, but I suppose he'll have to get over it. I mean," his brother began, taking a few casual steps into the room, his attention wandering before finally coming to rest upon Christopher, "it's no longer his decision to make.

"Not that it was his decision to make in the beginning, anyhow. That was entirely up to you. But now that you've made your decision, he cannot have a say in it. You said it yourself last night, he doesn't get to make the calls here. You do."

"How can I make any sort of decision when he's already stacked the cards against my little mouse?" Christopher countered.

"I know-"

"He's so determined that Y/N is going to end up just like Lilith was when I was done with her: a shell," Christopher interrupted.

"I know. But perhaps Balz was right when he said none of us know for sure what is going to happen with her. I mean, yes, you know as well as I do that the minute she's introduced to our world, to what we are, all hell will break loose, whether literally or figuratively.

"But it also means that you'll never leave her side. I saw the way you watched her last night, we all did. This is different than Lilith, this is... this is more. Don't be so quick to give in to Sola's side, brother. Something tells me you know what you're doing," Richard insisted.

"And if you're wrong, and she d- if something happens to her?" Christopher argued.

One of his brother's brows lifted in response, a faint smile ghosting across his features.

"When am I ever wrong? Be honest."

Christopher's answering reply came as a sigh.

"Almost never."

"Exactly," came his brother's amused response, as he took a seat in one of the dark red velvet upholstered chairs in front of the desk. He leaned back in his seat, bringing one of his legs up to rest crossed atop his knee, his eyes thoughtful as they gazed upon Christopher.

Richard's eyes were a soft blue today, much as they always were when the younger demon was in a relaxed frame of mind. They grew to be more of a crimson or ink color when he was tense or emotionally volatile, an occasion of which was rare for the young demon.

"Something about you has changed now."

Christopher automatically tensed, earning a soft laugh from his brother.

"Relax, I didn't mean it in a malicious way. It's rather nice, actually. You're far less... dismal... than you used to be," his brother laughed.

"Dismal?" Christopher scoffed.

His brother shot him an answering grin, giving a mere shrug of the shoulders.

"Ryan's words, not mine. Although," Richard said, leaning forward in his seat, his grin widening, "Balz said you've become less... how did he put it? 'Mopey zoo lion'...? Be thankful Ryan was a bit more generous with his choice of words."

That earned him an eye roll from the older demon, his mouth opening to fire back a response, when there was a sudden tapping on the doorframe of the study.

Both men looked up to see their brother, the man in question, standing there.

Balz shot both of them a grin at the mention of his name, one eye closing in a wink. "Tell me I'm wrong," he greeted the two of them with a shrug.

"Oh, by the way. Sola sends his regards," he added, his smile faltering for a moment.

Almost instantly, the previous amicable mood began to dissipate like fog on a sunny day.

"I'm sure he does indeed send his fucking regards," Christopher muttered darkly, his gaze dropping to focus once more on the book that lay open in front of him.

Richard scoffed, his bottom lip curling out in a sneer of distaste, the two black rings sitting at the corner of his lip shining in the faint light filtering in through the window curtains.

"Yes, do give him our regards in turn," he retorted, the blue of his irises darkening a little.

"He's just irritated, I presume. He thinks you're out to corrupt her soul or something, I dunno," Balz cut in.

Christopher let out a derisive laugh, the sound void of any humor.

"Why should he be irritated, you'd think that prospect would bring him some form of pleasure," he remarked.

"Mm, no. Not really. He thinks this girl of yours is going to end up meeting the same demise as Lilith," his brother countered.

There it was again, the mention of that name-!

"Fucking- what is his fascination with Lilith all of a sudden?? Why the fuck should he care so much now? He never showed any interest before?" Christopher snapped, exasperated.

"Oh, he cared very much for her. Almost too much than what was good for him. But you never knew that, did you?" Balz answered softly.

At that, Christopher's head snapped up.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, his tone suddenly cautious.

The nervous glance his brother exchanged with Richard did very little to appease the older demon's own nerves, and one of his hands curled into a tense fist atop the desk.

"Er, he never told you? What him and Lilith-? Ohh, I don't know if I should tell you," Balz said, wincing a little.

"Spill," came Christopher's hissed reply.

Balz exchanged another wary glance with Richard before clearing his throat, taking a nervous half-step into the room.

"He, uh... him and Lilith. They were, um. They had a sort of... arrangement," he began.

Christopher's jaw clenched as he stared his brother down, silently daring him to continue.

"What kind of arrangement?" he growled.

"They were sharing a bed together," Balz answered flatly.

"Or, rather, he was fucking her," he quickly amended, wincing again.

No. Fucking- no.

Not her, not his Lilith, his-

There was a moment's silence before Christopher suddenly slammed both palms down flat on the desk, his eyes darkening along with his mood as he abruptly stood up from his chair, nearly knocking it over in his rage.

"Brother, you can't-" Richard began, but upon seeing the stormy expression on the older demon's face, he grew quiet.

Balz shot the younger demon a questioning look before hurrying to move out of Christopher's way, watching the older demon storm past him, out into the hall.

Heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway, accompanied a few brief moments later by the sound of the front door slamming shut.

"He's- oh, fuck. Do you think we ought to stop him??" Richard began, panic setting in, his blue eyes widening a little.

This was answered by a shake of the head, a frown resting upon Balz's lips.

"No. Let him be. I think maybe at this point, it's very well deserved, whatever Sola has coming to him. He should've told Christopher the minute those two got involved with each other. She wasn't his to steal. No, let him go," he spoke quietly.

Indeed, Lilith hadn't been Sola's to claim, and yet-

He'd done it anyway.

And in the end, he had ultimately been the downfall of her soul, not Christopher.

But Christopher wasn't ready to hear about that part, not yet. Not right now...

Whatever happened now between Sola and his brother, it was out of Balz's hands. That was between the two of them...

An irritated frown crossed over Ghost's features as he paced back and forth in the front room of the house, phone held up to one ear.

"Look, I don't care how long it takes, make sure it gets done-" his words were suddenly cut off as the sound of a slamming door caught his attention.

"I'll have to get back to you later!" he growled, ending the call and setting aside the phone as he stormed out of the room and into the foyer, ready to tear whoever it was who dared disturb his peace a new one.

He stopped short upon seeing his brother standing there, the older demon's eyes narrowed with a fury unlike any he'd seen in a long while.

"Well. Hello to you too, mind telling me what the fuck your problem is?" Ghost retorted, one corner of his mouth lifting in a sneer.

Christopher's hands curled into tight fists at his sides, his jaw clenching as he stood there.

"You tell me, you fucking traitor!" he spat.

His brother's eyes narrowed in irritation upon hearing the remark, as he half-turned away. "If you're here to be an asshole, you can fucking leave," he answered coldly.

"One word: Lilith," Christopher growled.

Ghost froze in his tracks at the name, his whole demeanor changing in an instant. "What of her?" he asked nonchalantly, his tone almost dismissive.

"You fucked her. Didn't you?" Christopher said darkly.

A moment's silence seemed to drag out between the two of them, until finally, finally, Ghost turned around to face his brother.

"Who the hell told you?" were the only words to leave his mouth.

So that was it then.

No remorse, no apology, nothing.

A full-blooded, cold fucking confession.

It was all Christopher needed to hear.

With a snarl, he launched himself at his brother, knocking the younger demon to the ground, the sound of something cracking on impact against marble flooring clearly audible in the room.

"The fuck is your problem-" Ghost began, his words cut off as Christopher landed a harsh hit to the side of the demon's jaw.

"You're my fucking problem!" he snarled, getting in a few more hits and avoiding plenty of his own from his brother.

Blood spattered against the immaculately clean floors as Christopher got in another hit to the corner of Ghost's mouth, splitting the younger demon's bottom lip.

"Fuck you!" his brother spat, fingertips digging into the older demon's shoulders as he tried to regain his bearings.

"Fuck me-?" Christopher muttered darkly, throwing another punch towards his brother's face. "You just couldn't let me fucking have her, could you??" he shouted, his fury nearly blinding him for a moment, as he threw hits left and right.

And then in the midst of it all, Ghost got in one good hit of his own, hard enough to unbalance the older demon for the briefest of moments.

A few scattered moments was all Ghost needed; he drew back his fist, before bringing it forward as hard as he could to the side of Christopher's face, drawing blood on impact.

"Maybe if you had taken better... care... of her-" his fist connected with his brother's face, once more, twice more, "then I wouldn't have felt the need to sleep with her!"

"Fuck you, I gave her everything!" Christopher hissed, spitting aside a mouthful of blood on the marble flooring.

"Right, just like you plan on giving your little Y/N everything!" Ghost fired back, his eyes narrowing.

Christopher's heart lurched at the sudden mention of Y/N's name.

He couldn't have her too, he wouldn't-!!

Using all his strength, Christopher fought back, delivering one last brutal, unforgiving punch to his brother's face, taking some secret satisfaction in hearing the sound of bones snapping beneath his hand.

"Don't you fucking touch her!" he roared, his anger rolling in heavy waves down his spine as he wrapped one hand around his brother's throat, squeezing hard.

Ghost stared defiantly back up at Christopher, his eyes reflecting the older demon's fury back at himself.

"Get the fuck... out of my house... before I send someone... to slit your little mouse's throat...!" the younger demon choked out.

With a loud hiss, Christopher finally relented, releasing his grip on his brother's throat and standing up, but not without delivering one last kick to Ghost's ribs.

Again, there was some satisfaction to be taken in hearing the bones snap beneath the weight of the damage sustained, a cruel snarl forming at the edges of Christopher's mouth as he glared down at his brother.

"If you so much as fucking touch her, even once-" he threatened, his words getting cut off by his brother's answering hiss.

"Get. Out," the younger demon spat darkly, his eyes as heartless and black as his soul. He sat up, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Whether it was his own or his brother's, he didn't know, and he didn't care. This entire social visit had taken a rather sour turn, in his eyes.

Christopher shot his brother one last dark look, before pointing a finger at him. "Leave her alone. I swear to the fucking gods. You touch her, and I won't be so merciful with you next time!" he hissed, before turning and storming out of the house.

Fuck, every part of him ached at the moment, none more so than his heart, or what was left of it by now.

He needed to see Y/N, he needed his little mouse.

Just one more time, that was it...

A long, ragged sigh slipped from between your lips as you allowed yourself to sink down onto the couch of your small, one-bedroom apartment.

Every part of your body ached with the strain of today's work day, and all you wanted, all you needed, was just a moment of peace and quiet.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The tapping on the door unearthed a loud groan from you as you forced yourself to get up from the couch, shuffling over to the door and getting ready to grouch at whoever it was that had disturbed your brief second of relaxation.

But as you looked through the peephole, you were completely unprepared for what lay on the other side.

Or rather, who.

It was him.

Holy fuck, it was him.

Christopher Cerulli.

He was almost looking rather bloodied up at the moment, but nonetheless, it was him.

You flung aside the chain and hurried to undo the deadbolt, throwing open the door in your haste, revealing the tall, dark-haired man from last night.

Only now could you see just how much of a literal mess he was, blood staining the front of his shirt and leaking from the corner of his mouth and from multiple cuts along his face, which was sporting more than its fair share of gradually darkening bruises.

"What the fuck happened??" you asked, panic beginning to set in.

His trembling, breathless reply was instant.

"P-please, little mouse. May I come in?"

🎃 TAGLIST: @synthetic-wasp-570 @motionlessomens @annateagan @nixwolfe @veroxbarnes @rickyolsonmiw23 @wh0rrorxx @bangoversequence @tearfallpixie

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yournecessaryevil · 9 months

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☠️ His Darkness Divine ☠️

•Part One•

💀CHRIS MOTIONLESS X READER SERIES💀

He's a demon from one of the oldest ruling classes of the Underground. You're the one human he was never meant to fall for, to become involved with. When your paths cross, will things be doomed from the very beginning? Or will it perhaps be a tale for the ages...?

• fluff; TW dark themes (mentions of death and violence/blood); language; TW (features Ghost [male presenting])

Something was up.

He could feel it, deep within bones and tendons and nerve endings that were centuries old.

Something felt slightly off about tonight.

He couldn't place it yet, couldn't quite grasp just what exactly it was.

Of course, everything appeared calm and cool on the outside, the moonlight filtering in through the shadowed treeline, casting silver streaks here and there along the wooded path.

Being mid-October, there was a slight chill to the air that night, lingering amidst an otherwise rather forgiving breeze whispering amongst the leaves above.

And yet... something felt amiss.

He couldn't help but find a sort of amusement within it all, really. Here he was, the eldest of his brothers, born and bred from one of the finest ruling families of demons inhabiting the Underground.

And yet something had him feeling all too uneasy, a feeling he wasn't used to very often.

"Knock it off!"

The hissed warning startled Christopher out of his present thoughts, capturing his attention and sending a hot streak of irritation coursing through him.

Couldn't at least one of his brothers find it in themselves to behave for once??

"Both of you," he began, causing the two youngest of his brothers, Richard and Vinny, to turn their attention towards him.

One of them opened his mouth to protest, but upon seeing the dark look in his brother's eyes, he promptly closed it.

"I don't care who or what started it. Both of you, behave yourselves," Chris spoke coolly, his tone implying there were no further altercations to be had.

"Acting like fucking children," one of his other brothers muttered, shaking his head.

"Pfft, like you're any better, Sola!" came the immediate retort from Vinny. The man in question, Sola, or rather, as he was more commonly known, 'Ghost', scowled at the younger demon.

"Better behaved than you, at least. Know your fucking place," he answered, his tone cold and hard as flint.

Snap.

The sound echoed through the woodlands, silencing any further conversation amongst the group.

"All of you, quiet. Now," Christopher ordered.

The six of them stood silent, watching and waiting, ever patient yet ever ready, too.

And then he caught it.

Christopher was the first of his brothers to notice the scent playing along the breeze.

It was faint at first, but rapidly becoming stronger, almost like the source itself was growing ever nearer.

A quiet whisper from Richard then, "You smell that too, right?"

Softly spoken agreements were made before the sound of footsteps could be heard. And then he saw her, they all did.

"Is that-?"

"Are they human?"

There was quiet disorder amongst his brothers, followed by someone swearing under their breath.

"Aw, fuck."

Christopher held up a hand to silence his brothers before taking a cautious step forward, his attention fixated on the girl.

She was indeed human, he could tell from her scent. And she hadn't yet spotted Christopher and his brothers- oh, no.

At that exact moment, she happened to look up, and her footsteps faltered, the poor girl freezing in her tracks.

How had one of his brothers so tactfully put it, only a few moments ago?

"Aw, fuck", indeed...

It had been a mistake to cut through this particular section of woodlands at this hour. You had thought it might save time to get you home, but now you were starting to regret your decision.

What little moonlight there was offered no help, only a few streaks here and there lighting your way ahead of you. One could easily get lost in these woods.

"One had easily gotten lost."

The errant thought made you smile, despite the rather unfortunate circumstances.

You glanced back behind you; there was a long way to go if you turned back now, surely you were only a mile or two from home...?

Turning back around, something made you suddenly freeze in place. Or rather, someone.

Six someones, to be exact.

You stood there as if paralyzed, your gaze fixed on the tallest of the figures, his eyes locked on yours in a silent stare-down.

And yet there was something oddly gentle about the way he looked at you, a touch of concern and what might have been pity, hidden in those dark eyes.

He took a step towards you, raising one gloved hand in a sign of peace, or perhaps merely a greeting.

"You shouldn't be out in these woods. This is no place for small, pure creatures like yourself."

His voice had a velvet smooth timbre to it, as easily soothing as it was intriguing. But the way he'd spoken, something about it was odd, it was very... elegant. Almost too elegant.

Still... there was something about him.

There was something equally as enticing about the others, too. All six of them, the tallest one included, seemed paler than normal. Then again, perhaps it was just the moonlight playing tricks with your eyesight.

The whole lot of them were clothed to the nines in head-to-toe black, each of them taking their own distinctive approach to it, their eyes lined in dark kohl of the same soulless shade.

Something about the whole group was slightly off-putting, and you weren't sure you liked the touch of hostility you could detect in the eyes of one of them. He was standing to the far right of the group, but he had easily caught your attention.

Where most of the others had hair nearly as dark as the clothing they wore, this one... his was a split dye, equal parts black as ink and pale as the moonlight filtering down from above.

He stood there staring at you with a poorly concealed look of irritation in his features, that aforementioned hostility displayed in those dark eyes.

"Cerulli, leave it. Let's go," he spoke up. His voice was as cold and callous as you imagined it to be, his eyes shifting to narrow at the tallest member of the group, the one you'd spotted first.

The one he called Cerulli held up a hand, silencing him, his gaze still fixed on you.

"It would appear we've gotten lost, no?"

There was amusement in his voice as he spoke directly to you, one thin, dark eyebrow raising slightly.

You found yourself nodding, unable to look away from the man's gentle eyes as he shook his head at you.

"Perhaps you would be better off out of these woods? It's not safe, darkness lurks within these shadows," he spoke again, his tone soft.

Only then were you able to find your voice, just barely.

"Should you be out here? Any of you, I mean? If it's not safe?" you asked.

You swore one corner of the man's mouth lifted in a brief smile before it vanished, as he took a step towards you, then another, until he was standing in front of you.

"Our safety should be of no concern to you. I'm quite sure we'll be alright. You, however," he reached out with one gloved hand as he spoke, lightly brushing the backs of his fingertips along your cheek, "your safety is of far more importance. Please, return home."

With that, he withdrew his hand, leaving behind a tingling feeling of emptiness, a sort of odd loneliness, where he touched you. You swallowed nervously, trying to find your voice again, and when you spoke, your words tripped over each other.

"I'm tr- I'm trying," you whispered.

He paused a moment, his eyes holding yours captive as he regarded you thoughtfully. And then he extended a hand out towards you, a silent offer of help.

The brief nagging thought that there might be possible danger lurking ahead slipped into your mind, but it was gone in an instant as you slowly placed your hand in his.

He might be your only way out of these woods, you hadn't seen any other sign of human life out here for miles.

The minute you placed your hand in his, there was an almost imperceptible shift in the air itself, you could feel it. He could feel it too, you knew he could.

The way his breath hitched in his throat for a moment, his steps faltering as he led you towards the others, the way his grip on your hand tightened briefly.

"Are... are you alright?" you whispered.

His eyes shifted to meet yours, a brief look of frenzied panic showing in their dark depths for a fraction of a second, before it was gone. He slowly nodded, leading you past the others without a word, though his expression remained uneasy.

You could hear the others following silently behind, although you thought you heard one of them mutter a swear word under their breath.

None of you spoke for the next few minutes, the only sound that of the leaves protesting beneath heavy footsteps, intermingled with the many woodland creatures hiding in the shadows.

And then a soft voice broke through the quiet of the night, from one of the people following behind you and the one they called Cerulli.

"I know that look, Christopher. It's happened, hasn't it?"

Ah, so that was his name, then.

Christopher Cerulli.

You had to admit, it did have a rather nice ring to it, a sort of old-world feel about it, every bit as elegant as the bearer of the name.

The man beside you shot a brief glance over his shoulder, an unreadable expression in his dark eyes. "We'll discuss this later, Richard," he answered, his tone closing off any further conversation.

A deep sigh came from someone in the group, followed by some unintelligible, hastily muttered words from someone else.

The tension within the entirety of the group was as palpable as ever, though. You could feel it, could feel it in the way Christopher held tightly to your hand, could feel it in the way the others were trying earnestly not to reveal anything of importance in front of you.

And then all too soon, it began to dissipate, as the seven of you reached the edge of the treeline. You could see the outskirts of town from here, could hear the cars creeping along on the streets, the sounds of people going about their evening.

Christopher stopped short at the edge of the woods, though his hand remained firmly clasped around yours for a moment. You looked up at him, silently pleading with him with wide eyes to look back at you, but he wouldn't meet your gaze.

"This-- this is where I leave you," he spoke quietly, his words unsteady and holding a note of disappointment within them. Though his voice trembled, the words themselves spoke volumes. Was it perhaps that he wasn't quite ready to let you go just yet? Was that it?

His words almost an echo of your thoughts, the one they called Richard suddenly spoke up, his tone soft.

"Christopher... this is where we leave her. She needs to return home."

"Where she goes, you cannot follow," the one with the split-dyed hair spoke in agreement.

"Ghost is right, you cannot go with her. This is where she leaves, and we stay," Richard said quietly, his gaze shifting to rest on you.

There was something so patient, so gentle, about the way he watched you. It was reminiscent of the way Christopher had looked at you earlier that night, when you had first seen him.

"I... I don't-" Christopher began, his words cutting off as he finally, finally met your gaze. But now there was such sadness there, so sudden and unexplainable. For a moment, it looked as though his very heart must be breaking on the inside, though it was unclear to you why exactly that would be.

You swallowed hard, slowly nodding as you stared up at him. "I know. Um, th-thank you. You know, for- for helping me back there," you told him, your voice barely above a murmur.

You gave his black-gloved hand a gentle squeeze, before letting your hand slip from his as you stood on the tips of your toes, leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"I'll never forget your kindness..."

Taking a step back from him, you cast a look around at the others, some of them meeting your eyes and giving you a brief nod of acknowledgement. The one they called Ghost gave you a mere sideways glance before his eyes shifted to rest on Christopher.

The tall man in question wouldn't look away, his dark eyes fixed on you as you turned and began to slowly head towards the outskirts of town. You could feel him watching you as you walked, and when he suddenly spoke up, you stopped in your tracks, turning around to face him.

"Please get home safe, little mouse."

You offered him a patient smile, answering with a simple, "Y/N. Call me Y/N."

"Y/N..." he repeated softly.

The way he said your name, the way he seemed to indulge in each syllable, every letter, the way it fell effortlessly from his tongue...

You had no idea who he really was, but you knew one thing: you were going to miss him.

Whoever he was, you would miss him.

There was something unexplainable about him, something that made you feel safe, a feeling so rarely expressed when amongst complete strangers.

But him... he was different.

You weren't sure how, or why. But you knew without it having to be explained, you were safe, at least with him.

You gave him one last smile, waving farewell to him and his comrades, before turning and heading towards town.

Whoever he was, you wished nothing but the best for him tonight...

"Something has changed now, hasn't it?"

Richard was quiet, thoughtful, as he spoke directly to Christopher. His brother continued to watch the human girl retreat towards the edges of town, refusing to look away for even a second.

Upon not receiving a response, Richard continued on.

"It's her, isn't it? Something has shifted-" he began, only to be interrupted by one of his other brothers.

"If things have shifted, you know they'll all find out about it," Balz cut in.

There was a heavy sigh from Ghost, causing them all to turn their attention towards the older demon.

"Nothing has shifted, nothing has changed. He is to leave her alone. They don't need to find out about this. Any of it," he said, irritated.

"You do not get to make that call for me. And Richard is right. Something has changed," Christopher's voice was cold, defiant.

"Is it her?" his brother asked him, eliciting a nod from the eldest demon.

"I cannot- I... there's something about her. It's unclear what exactly yet, but it is her," he answered quietly.

"No. No. This is exactly what happened the last time, and we all remember how that ended! This is just like you and Lil-" Ghost started, but his brother cut him off midsentence.

"Don't. Don't you dare say her name, absolutely fucking not. That was in the past, this is now. This is different, she is different," he said harshly, turning to glare at the younger demon.

His brother opened his mouth in protest, but Christopher cut him off again with a shake of his head. "She. Is. Different," he repeated.

"Sola. Let it go, man. Things have already been set in motion," Vinny spoke up softly, his tone hesitant.

"I mean, I do think it might be worth mentioning, Balz did make a fair point. If you decide to go down this path, they will hear about it. Maybe not from any of us, but word will reach them in the Underground," Richard pointed out.

"What exactly are you saying?" Christopher began, a warning in his tone.

"He's saying you need to be careful. While it's evident you care about this girl, you need to tread lightly. She is human, we are not. Are you sure that's something you want to put her through? Just... be careful," Ryan cut in.

"We just don't want a repeat of what happened with Lilith," Richard said softly. Christopher knew deep down that his brothers were right, he knew it as well as they did. The last person he had allowed himself to become enamored with had grown weak, corrupted, the more days she'd spent around him.

Eventually, it had become too much for her, and her light had dimmed, flickered out until there was nothing left of who she was, who she used to be. He could still see her face sometimes if he tried hard enough, could memorize every detail of her, down to the soul within.

She had shined so brightly for him, had given him so much, she had been his everything. And he had corrupted all of it, corrupted her, dirtied up her soul, polluted it with his own darkness, quite without meaning to.

Lilith had been the one constant in his life, and he had taken that away from her.

Just like he would take it away from this girl, Y/N, his little mouse...

What if his brothers were right? What if he wasn't meant to involve himself so closely with her?

Then again... what if they were wrong?

If he could somehow overturn the balance of things, could alter whatever plans had been set into motion, maybe if he was careful enough--

Maybe there would be no bloodshed this time, no souls snuffed out, torn asunder, gone--

"Christopher."

Richard's voice cut through his thoughts like a knife, dragging him back from old wounds and into the present.

"Look, brother. Whatever you decide, you need to be absolutely certain you see it to the end. If she is what you choose... you need to guard her closely."

"Fuck that, he's going to drag her down with him, just like he did with Lilith! And then we'll all be fucked," Ghost cut in with a hiss.

"We don't know that!" Balz argued, his tone sharp, taking them all by surprise.

Out of the six of them, Balz was normally the most carefree, his demeanor fairly easygoing, content, perhaps even a bit careless.

It was rather unlike him to snap at one of his brothers like this, regardless of the circumstances. He took a hesitant step towards Christopher, arching a brow at him.

"Do you honestly feel she's ready for all of this? Us, our world, what we are, all of it-- are you absolutely, without a fucking doubt, sure that she's ready to face all of that?" he asked.

"Let me ask you something," he continued. "Let me ask you this, and be honest with me, with all of us. You care about this girl, yeah? Something has changed, we know that now, we get it. But deep down, where it fucking counts-- are you really ready to lie down and take the fall for her like that?

"Because you know the minute you involve yourself with her, the minute you let her into our world, let her be a part of you, her name is gonna end up on their list."

"Her name will end up on our side's list as well," Richard quietly chimed in.

Balz nodded in agreement, casting a questioning look at his eldest brother. "Exactly. You ready to subject her to that?" he finished softly.

"I have no choice," Christopher answered, his voice barely rising above a whisper.

"There is no longer any foreseeable future where you see yourself without her, is there?" Richard asked him.

His brother's reply came in an instant.

"You already know the answer to that."

A ghost of a smile slipped across Richard's features before it vanished. "I do, yes. But I need to hear you say it, we all do."

There was a moment's silence before Christopher answered again, his tone somber.

"No. There is no foreseeable future without her in it."

There was a hiss of disgust from Ghost that went ignored, before Balz spoke up.

"Then it's decided. Christopher, I hope you know what the fuck you're doing. And... should things take a rather unfortunate turn, I'll be the first one in line to say I told you so?" he said with a faint grin.

Christopher's answering half-smile was visible for a mere slip of a moment before it was gone. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Balz," he said quietly.

"So... does this mean she's coming back? We're gonna see more of her, then?" Vinny's tone was hesitant, as he shot a brief look around at his brothers.

There were several nods and murmurs of assent, before Christopher spoke up.

"She... I... this is going to take time. For her, for me, all of us," he told his brothers.

"We understand. Just-- like I said earlier, be careful. She's too young to have her soul taken from her like that. Just make sure this is what you really want," Ryan said.

Christopher's answer was softly spoken, but every single one of his brothers heard it.

"She is what I really want."

It was true. What he had felt earlier that night, when he'd offered her his hand as a sign of help, a sign of reassurance, that everything would be okay--

And she'd willingly placed her small hand within his own-

The spark he had felt, the sheer panic, and hope, and just that sudden sense of belonging, of home-

He'd known in an instant.

There was something about her that would change him, change his brothers.

There was something about her that would change the very course of time as he knew it, something that would rip through the fabric of whatever previous plans had been woven and laid to rest.

Tonight had not been without purpose.

Maybe she was his purpose...

Either way, he was going to find out.

Even if it killed him.

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