One More Night

by Midna127

Summary:

Down on his luck, a lonely otaku summons a demon in the hopes of fulfilling a simple request. The path to achieving it, however, ends up being far more complicated than either of them expected it to be.

Notes:

Happy 10th smut fic! I've had a few plot-heavy ones in mind for a while and decided that the milestone fic should be one of them.

Huge CW for this fic for suicidal thoughts, though I will give warnings for chapters that include them as well just in case.

Chapter 1: The Ritual

It took three attempts to draw a pentagram. The first one had points that were completely different sizes; the second one had an awkwardly drawn circle.

But the third was perfect, if not good enough. Candles he’d gotten from an occult business rested at each point of the pentagram as instructed by the paper he held in his hands, a series of instructions printed off the internet. As if a dinky city shop would give out that sort of information for free.

Basked in the ominous glow of the candlelight surrounding him, he knelt to get a better view of the paper. After adjusting his glasses, he took a deep breath and began to read aloud.

“Awaken, demon, from thy sleep, for I’ve an oath I wish to keep. My faith be under what thy preach, for your services I beseech. I understand the risk at hand for me to sanction for your brand.”

He shuffled his free hand across the wooden flooring in search of his desired tool. A cool plastic met his touch. He looked and realized he’d touched the marker that he’d drawn the pentagram with. What he really needed was right next to it, which he grabbed.

“To human realms should you scud, I… offer thee my mortal blood.” He looked at the kitchen knife in his hand with great fear as he set the paper down at the center of the circle. There was no turning back after this, as badly as he wanted it. It was his last chance to throw in the towel and call it a night. Maybe there was an old anime he’d forgotten to rewatch, or a model kit coming out soon that would look great with what was left of his collection.

But he’d already gone through his queue. He’d sold most of his belongings, and then donated that money to charity. They needed it more than he did. Even his boss had gotten a pink slip. It was already decided. He slit his palm and held back a scream as he pressed his bloodied hand against the paper. The man breathed heavily as he felt the sheet stick to his hand from sheer force alone.

Then his breaths picked up as the candles dimmed. He couldn’t hold it back anymore. Screaming, he leapt out of the circle and clutched onto his wounded hand desperately. It was a miracle that none of the candles tipped. Each remained almost stagnant, as if picking up a signal. Or maybe they were on their way out.

With a shaky sigh, he studied his hand as he cradled it. The bleeding didn’t look like it’d let up anytime soon. He laughed at himself with bitter irony. “Maybe there really is nobody out there after all.”

“I wouldn’t be too confident about that.”

Looking up, he nearly jumped at the sight of the figure that sat cross-legged inside the summoning circle. The candles were still low, giving the thing inside it even more of an otherworldly aura than he already had.

“You… you’re a-”

“Demon? It’s what you asked for, isn’t it?” he retorted. A snap echoed across the nearly empty room as the candles shone brighter than ever before, giving the human plenty of light to look at his guest: tan skin, long brown locks that wrapped around black, ram-like horns, and a body to put a porn star to shame. He was muscular, but not comically. His chest was pronounced, not sagging. And if that was what the top half of his body looked like, then the human was anxious to see what else was there. Though he could’ve, he felt it’d be rude to.

Instead he made a semblance of eye contact as he blushed. “Yeah, I did, didn’t I?”

“So what’s your business, then? I’m assuming pleasure since, well,” the demon said as he looked around the room. “Doesn’t look like much of a party in here. And you look like the honest type.”

“Party?”

“You’d be surprised how often we get summoned during ragers and the like. Totally doesn’t get annoying whenever it happens,” he said as he rolled his eyes. “Like they didn’t expect an incubus to pop out after doing the incubus thing.”

The human laughed out of sympathy. “I wouldn’t know what would happen at those parties anyways. It’s not like that at all, don’t worry.”

“I won’t. Now tell me, what’re you doing making a deal with a devil? What desire have you been holding onto that only I can deal with?”

There really was no turning back now.

“I want to lose my virginity. Uh, please.”

The incubus smiled. “Mm. Is that all you really want, though?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know what else I’d want.”

“People usually give me a laundry list of additional requests. It comes with the territory,” the demon continued as he started to count on his fingers. “Some want your usual additives like money or fame, while others want more… personal needs fulfilled.”

“But in the end, you get their souls no matter what they ask for,” the human said. “Right?”

“It’s rare that I’m able to get bartered into taking something else. Maybe you’ll make it into that slim margin,” he teased. He looked around the near-barren room curiously. “That robot figure does look intriguing.”

The human shook his head, his dyed grey bangs swishing to and fro. “No, I want to give you more than my soul.”

“More?” the creature repeated as he leaned forward with interest. “What do you mean?”

He took another deep breath and looked into the demon’s eyes with determination. “After this is over, I want you to kill me.”

And there it was. An uncomfortable silence washed over the room as the incubus processed those words with a look of bewilderment.

“I… what’s your name?” he finally asked.

“Hal. Hal Emmerich.”

“Look, Hal, I need you to elaborate. What do you mean ‘kill’?”

Hal sighed. “I’ve got nothing to live for, so give me the honor of at least not dying a virgin. Please.”

But the demon looked at him with hesitation. “Are you really sure you want this?”

“I made up my mind a long time ago. It’s all I’m asking from you,” Hal insisted. “I’ll let you do whatever you want to me before the time comes.”

The demon stammered, then sighed. “Well, I guess I’ve been asked to do worse.”

He rose and stepped out of the circle, avoiding the flames that had been surrounding him. Hal watched the creature grab his wounded hand to examine it. “Either way, I’m patching this up. I don’t think you’d want to deal with an infection.”

“I guess.”

He ran his thumb directly over Hal’s open wound and whispered something in a language Hal was entirely unfamiliar with. What it meant didn’t matter, though, as the gash sealed itself up and faded away. “There. Free of charge,” said the demon as he kissed Hal’s palm. Something about his lips alone sent shockwaves across the human’s body. It didn’t help that with him being so close, Hal was able to smell the sweet yet pungent odors that wafted his way. He felt inklings of lust forming inside himself. Hal really did summon an incubus if all of that was enough to turn him on.

“Thank you. What’s your name, by the way?” he asked as the incubus let go of his hand.

“My name? Uh… well, it’s…” said the demon before uttering something that Hal could never replicate. “Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it? Just call me whatever you want.”

Emmerich laughed as he scoured his brain that weren’t clouded with dirty thoughts. The more he stood by the creature, the harder it got. “I honestly don’t know what to say beyond ‘Dave.’”

But the demon laughed in earnest. “Alright, Dave it is. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we should finalize our deal: in exchange for losing your virginity, where I can do whatever I want to you, you wish to offer me your life in its entirety. Is that correct?”

Even with the weight of the situation rooting him down, it wasn’t enough to deter him. “Yes.”

“Alright.” Dave held out his hand. “We have a deal.”

Hal nodded. “Perfect.”

The two clutched onto each other’s hands tightly as they shook. A powerful force moved through the man’s body, as if his very soul was now ready to be plucked from him at any moment.

And it was. They just needed to work on something else first.

Dave pushed Hal against the wall and kissed his lips, to which Hal awkwardly reciprocated. The demon pulled his head back with a chuckle. “Never been kissed before?”

“Not really,” Hal muttered. Energy, like he’d never felt before, surged through him in a way that he was unsure how to react to. He wrapped his arms around Dave’s neck to try for a second smooch. And then a third. Then a fourth.

Each kiss seemed to give Hal more and more of that energy boost. His senses were going wild between that, the sudden intimacy, and that irresistible aroma that he couldn’t explain, other than that it was beyond enticing. Gasping for air, Hal moved his head down onto Dave’s pecs, where the scent only intensified. “What… is that?” he heaved. “The smell?”

“Pheromones. Naturally produced and supposedly tailored to my clients.” Dave explained casually. “Is it too much for you?”

“I dunno,” Hal replied weakly. “It all feels so good.”

“That’s the point of it,” he said wryly. “Let’s take this somewhere where we can get you more comfortable.”

Hal stumbled as he allowed the demon to lead him by the hand over to his bed, which wasn’t too far from the summoning circle. From his point of view, the whole thing would look as though he died in his sleep as long as the circle was taken care of. Much less painful that way.

His erection pressed painfully against his pajama pants as he got a better view of Dave’s lower half. Sure enough, the creature was entirely nude, and the lower half of his body was arguably more attractive than the top. Powerful thighs, strong legs, a voluptuous ass, and a perfectly-shaped cock were illuminated by the distant candlelit glow in the corner. Just the sight alone was enough to send shivers across Hal’s body, which were only accentuated as he took off his clothes. There wasn’t any point in wearing them now.

His cock sprung free as soon as he pulled his pants down, to which Dave whistled. “Didn’t know you’d be so well-hung.”

“Yeah, well, it hasn’t exactly gotten me anywhere,” he replied sheepishly. “But thanks. It’s honestly the only thing I’ve got going for me.”

Dave gave him another electrifying smooch. “We’ll see about that. Now, how do you want to do this? Top or bottom?”

“You’re the expert here. You’ve taken more virginities than me.”

The demon laughed heartily at the unintentionally hilarious response. “You sure, though?”

Hal blushed and nodded. “Whatever seals the deal the fastest.”

Sighing, Dave kissed Hal’s neck. “Okay. Get on your back.”

Emmerich fell back onto the bed, his pale skin reflecting the moonlight that peaked through his curtains. The lighting was much more generous towards Dave and all his glory. Not that Hal was against it, of course. If anything, it made him even hornier. He spread his legs as he watched the demon loom over him with bedroom eyes.

The aroma was stronger than ever.

“You look really cute like this, by the way,” Dave commented as he planted his hands at either side of Hal’s head. All Hal could do was whimper excitedly as his rational thoughts became scarce. “Just relax for me.”

Hal took a deep breath and loosened, allowing himself to indulge in the pheromones. He almost didn’t notice Dave sticking his cock inside of him.

Well, almost.

His body instinctually tensed up around the head as soon as it popped in. The demon grit his teeth and slammed his eyes shut at the tightness of it all. Hal whimpered an apology, though he wasn’t sure how much of it came out in a legible language. All he could focus on was how good it felt from just the tip alone. It wasn’t how he expected the night to go down, but it didn’t mean he was against it.

Eventually, the euphoria grew strong enough to sedate him and allowed Dave to move more dynamically. The incubus thrusted in and out of the man’s body at his own pace, making sure that Hal felt every aching inch. Hal’s cries of pleasure rang out in harmony with Dave’s grunts and the squeaking of the mattress as his hole was taken in. For once, it was his turn to be like this and not his neighbor’s.

A separate sensation grew inside him, though he wasn’t sure what it was or how to describe it other than that it, too, felt amazing. It was enough for him to cum, a feeling he would’ve been familiar with had it not been one of the best he’d ever experienced. His vision briefly flashed white as the equally white liquid spurted between their bodies.

“There we go. Just like that,” Dave huffed. As if with a newfound energy, his thrusts turned into slams as he plowed into the human beneath him. Hal’s mind and body alike were ablaze with a primal heat that he’d never felt before and allowed Dave to completely ravage him. His body shook and shuddered as he reached orgasm after orgasm, the white flashes becoming more intense with each one. Whatever correlation there was didn’t matter to Hal: he just wanted to be filled to the brim.

He screamed incomprehensibly as he wrapped his legs around Dave’s waist, locking them both into a deep mating press. Dave laughed as his pace became uneven. “That’s it. Take it. Gonna- nngh, finish inside you.”

Hal whimpered pathetically as he mentally prepared himself for the demon’s climax. (Un)fortunately, no amount of it would have accounted for the borderline tsunami of cum that burst into him. He pulled his head back and hollered into the night as he let himself get filled with Dave’s seed, sweat matting his entire body from the intensity of it all. The human hit another pathetic orgasm of his own, though the flash was arguably at its most intense. Part of him wanted to ask why that was the case, since he’d never experienced such a thing before.

Instead, an overwhelming exhaustion was drowning out not only his thoughts, but his vision. Hal saw and felt Dave lean forward and plant another kiss on his lips, though it wasn’t enough to snap him out of it. It wasn’t enough to stop the feeling of his body growing numb.

This was it. He was dying.

Hal whispered a husky “thank you” to his savior as his body sunk further into the old mattress. He allowed the feeling of release to take over as the world around him grew hazy, then fizzled out into darkness.

It wasn’t until he felt sunlight oozing through the window next to his bed that he realized something was off.

Chapter 2: Breakfast Breakdown

Notes:

No smut in this chapter, though there will be in the next one.

It was the same bedroom. He was in the same body that inhabited it. Even the sights and sounds of city life outside his window were identical.

But it couldn’t have been a dream. There was no other way to explain the demon that slept peacefully at Hal’s side, arms draped around his waist. It was tender yet incredibly confusing, if not disappointing. Hal slunk his nude body out of Dave’s grasp (or lack thereof) and grabbed his glasses that were left neatly for him at his bedside table. Like everything else, they were the real deal.

Hal cursed under his breath as he looked back at Dave with newly clear eyes. Part of him wanted to shake the incubus awake and demand an explanation, but his stomach growled before he could decide whether or not to do so. He ran a hand across his belly and found that it wasn’t as flat as it used to be. Not by much, but there was certainly a bulge from how much cum was still inside him, another thing he didn’t dream up. Yet even with the demonic spunk that sloshed in his body, Hal still managed to have an appetite. The whole ordeal was strange, to put it lightly.

After throwing on his discarded pajama pants from the night before, Hal went into the kitchen to see if there was any food left. He figured that the rest of his goods, as few as they were, would be better suited to the rats that would frequent the apartment. The human liked to think that at least one of them appreciated him. Surely his kindness would’ve meant something to them beyond free food.

He opened the pantry door expecting to make some toast with what bread he had left, only to be greeted with a bombardment of different foods. Perishables and nonperishables alike were stacked neatly across the shelves. Snacks, soups, breads, and more were waiting for him as if they had been the whole time.

“How did…?” Hal whispered in disbelief. He ran over to his refrigerator and opened the door. Sure enough, it was equally filled with different foods, as was the freezer below it. Milk, produce, ice cream, frozen pizzas, and other cold goods made his skin shudder as he looked at them in shock. Another question he absolutely had to ask Dave about.

In the meantime, he picked up a box of toaster waffles from the freezer and looked at it thoughtfully. Waffles sounded much better than toast. Not like he or anyone else would see a chain toast restaurant anytime soon. Hal opened the package and inserted two waffles into his toaster. As he waited for them to finish cooking, he grabbed a bottle of maple syrup he’d seen in the pantry and set it on the table, followed by two empty glasses and two sets of utensils.

By the time he’d grabbed the half gallon of milk from the refrigerator, the waffles popped back up. As if to coincide with it, Hal heard the familiar squeaks of his bed as Dave was, presumably, getting out of it. He hurriedly poured the glasses and set the milk back, then retrieved the waffles with a pair of tongs. Hal reached into the cupboard, grabbed two plates and set a waffle down on each one. The human turned to set the plates on the table when he saw Dave staring at him, partially-clothed. Like Hal, he’d gone for a shirtless look, instead opting for a pair of boxer shorts that made a somewhat decent effort to hide his cock. Attractive as he was, the sight still startled Hal.

“Is that for me?” he asked as he nodded at one of the plates.

Hal flushed with a newfound anger. “We need to talk.”

Without protest, Dave sat at the kitchen table and allowed his host to present him with breakfast. “Alright.”

“Alright?!” Hal echoed as he sat across from the demon. “I-I’m still alive! We had a deal, remember?!”

“I do.” Dave poured maple syrup onto his waffle as if they were merely discussing the weather.

“So why?!”

The demon looked at Hal with a tired patience. “It’s a bit more complicated than that.”

“I don’t see how it could be,” Hal muttered as he grabbed the bottle from Dave. Dave responded by grabbing Hal’s wrist. Not harshly, but enough to get the human’s attention.

“That’s because you don’t understand the magnitude of this whole thing,” he said as he lowered his arm. As the bottom of the bottle touched the table, he let go of Hal, who now looked at him with bewilderment and intrigue. “I don’t know where to start, but I promise it’ll make sense by the end.”

Hal pulled the bottle close to himself and poured it. “Explain away, then.”

“I imagine you’re aware of the whole soul bartering thing since you summoned me, but I’ll give you a rundown of how the system works. Say this waffle is your soul.” Dave then pointed to his waffle with his fork. “Like any other that gets sold to a demon, there’s no chance of it getting into Heaven, which also leaves Purgatory out of the question. That leaves you with Hell, my domain.”

“Makes sense,” Hal nodded as he took a forkful of his own syrup-covered waffle.

“There’s three ways we can deal with that once you get there. The first is just throwing you into damnation like everyone else, but nothing about you really fits that criteria.”

Hal stifled an ironic laugh. “What makes you so sure?”

“Because I saw your soul last night, right at the end of our deed. It’s why you passed out,” Dave stated. “You’re the rare type of person that even the cruelest of my kind tend to pity when they reach us. What’s there to torture you for? Letting us do our job?”

“I think some people would kill to torture their boss,” the human pointed out. “Not that I can attest to it, of course.”

Dave smiled. “Yeah, I know. But that just leaves two other options for you. Some people try to vie for eternal servitude as a way to get out of torture, but you said so yourself that you don’t want to live. Serving me for eternity doesn’t fall in line with what you’re asking from me.”

Hal blushed at the thought but agreed with him otherwise.

“So then we have the third option where I devour your soul, which I would’ve done last night.”

“But why didn’t you?” he asked.

The incubus cut a corner of the metaphorical soul and held it up to Hal, showcasing the burns beneath it. “Just because you’re not sinful doesn’t mean it’s without its blemishes. Depressed souls make for an equally depressing meal. But with the right additives,” he said as he dipped the piece into a puddle of excess syrup, “we can fix that.” Dave stuffed the waffle into his mouth and devoured it heartily. “Mm. I should get this brand more often.”

Hal looked around the kitchen nervously as an unfortunate image loomed over his head. “So… you’re going to feed me until I get fat and taste good?”

Dave shook his head as he swallowed. “Not unless you’re into it. What I meant was that we need to work on what’s marring you. Why you feel so strongly about this. I can help you, but this is your problem that you have to solve. Only you can work on your soul, so no asking for me to cure your depression. And considering that you said I can do whatever I want to you before you die, it’s completely legal for me to do this.”

“Oh.”

The explanation made sense. He figured that if he had to be useful in some way, he could at least make for a decent meal for the one who took his virginity. Hal sipped from his glass and set it down as he came to terms with his situation. “Alright. I guess it’s only fair I give you something good for giving me something good.” As the human looked down at his pajama pants, he clutched them tightly. “Really, really good.”

“Perfect. We can start after we eat,” said Dave before he dug into the rest of his waffle.

“Wait, like, right after?” Hal asked as he practically snapped his head back up.

“Yeah?” Dave replied with his mouth full. He swallowed. “I assumed you’d be down for that.”

Hal hesitated for a moment. “Yeah. I would.”

“So it’s settled. I’ll be in the living room when you’re ready,” the incubus said as he rose from his seat and walked away. Hal stammered a protest as he looked across the table at Dave’s plate, which was now empty. Even his glass had been drunken from. He looked at his own half-finished meal and sighed.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

Chapter 3: A Discussion

Notes:

Ya like thighs?

There was just enough room for the two to rest on the living room couch. Dave seemed rather comfortable on what was a relatively cheap piece of furniture, though Hal figured it was something the incubus had grown used to based on the nature of his very existence. Upon seeing Hal, Dave smiled and patted the spot next to him. All he could do was obey the silent command.

“So,” the demon started, “tell me a bit about yourself. Just basic stuff.”

“What does that have to do with working on my soul?” Hal asked as he looked at the shirtless demon questionably.

Dave rolled his eyes. “I’m going to have a hard time working with you if I don’t know that much about you.”

“Well, what do you know about me already?”

The incubus began to count on his fingers. “Up until last night, you were a virgin. You also graduated with high honors and a doctorate, which probably explains the virgin part.”

“How did you know about that?” Hal questioned as he shifted away from Dave suspiciously.

“You have your diploma plastered in your room?” he answered in a similar tone.

“Oh.”

Dave huffed through his nose to show he was just joking. “It’s still an impressive feat. But what’s a human like you doing in a place like this if that’s one of your crowning achievements?”

“I, uh…” Hal stammered as he looked around the living room sheepishly. The answer was staring all around them. Dave caught on and chuckled.

“Collectibles aren’t something to be ashamed of if they’re harmless. Looks like you’ve got a lot, though.”

Emmerich smiled sentimentally. “I used to have more, but I ended up selling them. I figured that they’d be better off with someone who deserved them more than me.”

“And the money?” Dave prompted.

“Gave it away to charity. I didn’t expect to be here this long.” He sighed. “Pretty stupid of me, right?”

Dave shook his head. “I’m surprised you didn’t give them away to a friend. Even under a false pretense would’ve made sense.”

Hal buried his head in his hands frustratedly. “But that’s the problem. I don’t have anyone to give them to outside of that clerk in that shop where I pawned them off, and it’s all my fault.”

A warm hand brushed against his back and sent shivers down his spine. “Nobody? Are you sure?” came Dave’s voice, quieter and softer than before.

“Of course I’m sure. I’ve known it the whole time I’ve lived here. My neighbors and landlord don’t give two shits about who lives in this apartment. To my boss and coworkers, I’m a replaceable asset who’s ironically only good at doing everyone else’s jobs for them while they sit back and watch. I’ve never gone on a date because nobody wants me around. And my family…”

His voice faded. Dave’s hand continued to rub against his back, pulling Emmerich closer inward. The soothing touch drew Hal out of his hands and against the demon’s chest. Even with the onslaught of pheromones that gave him flashes of dopamine, it wasn’t enough to stop the tears from falling. As he wept, Dave pulled him into a proper hug.

“That’s where we should start, then,” Dave stated, a stark contrast to his affectionate behavior. “What happened with your family?”

Hal shook his head against Dave’s pecs and whimpered. “It’s too much.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t make you say anything you don’t want to,” Dave assured. “You’ve already said a lot, but I just need to know one more thing, alright?”

The human whimpered again, signaling him to continue.

“I won’t ask you what happened. I just need to know who you’d like to make amends with more than anyone else.”

Without hesitation, a name was uttered against the demon’s flesh: Emma Emmerich.

He nodded slowly as he processed the name. “I’m guessing she’s a relative?”

“My step-sister. She was my first and only best friend. Two peas in a pod shut away from the rest of the world until I left her to rot inside of it.” He moved his face away from Dave’s chest to wipe his tears away when he noticed the imprint his glasses had left behind. Hal laughed pitifully. “Sorry. For that and the crying.”

“Trust me, you could’ve done so much worse,” Dave responded kindly. “I think I’ve got all the information I need. Now let me take care of what you need.”

With that, the incubus drew Hal back closer to him and kissed his lips. Hal gave an awkward kiss back, shuddering at his sudden burst of energy. “What I need?” he asked as he pulled back.

“I figured while you were asleep that you’d come to find that there’s more benefits to this relationship than you realized. And one of them is that I can be whatever you’d like. Do whatever you want done to you.” He snaked his hands down the back of Hal’s neck and across his torso. “There’s no way you were satisfied with just a missionary.”

“H-How do you figure?” Hal asked, his body shaking from the pleasant touch. Combined with the pheromones, he was aware of the irony of his situation.

Dave rolled his eyes. “You’re an anime fan who blows half his paycheck on merchandise. You’re definitely into weird shit.” His hands continued to move further down Emmerich’s body as he spoke.

“That’s a bit st-stereotypical, don’t you think? A lot of my favorites have little to no fanservice.”

“You also summoned an incubus as your personal hitman,” he pointed out as his hands wrapped around Hal’s ass, massaging his cheeks. “You’re two for two.”

Hal tried to stammer out a response, but it was no use. Dave was in the right ballpark with the first observation and the second was dead-on. There were plenty of incantations for various other demons, but this was the path he chose.

Then again, he may as well enjoy it if the demon already was.

“Alright, you got me,” Hal blushed. He moaned as Dave’s fingers kneaded into his admittedly flat ass. “Th…there’s some things I wouldn’t m-mind trying.”

“Go on. I’m all ears,” Dave chuckled.

The human grinned shyly. “It feels weird to ask, but can you squeeze me with your thighs? Nngh, like my head?”

“Wouldn’t be the weirdest thing someone’s asked me to do,” Dave replied as he moved his hands away from Hal’s derriere. “And I’m pretty sure it won’t be the weirdest you’ll ask of me.”

“Hilarious,” said Hal sarcastically as Dave moved him down to face the other way, the back of his head now comfortably resting atop the demon’s lap. “I’m not going to ask you to fuck a car or anything down the line.”

“Please don’t. That’s what the last guy made me did.”

Hal froze in spite of the heat that radiated between them. “Y-You’re joking, right?”

“Why would I joke about that?”

But before Hal could wrap his head around the thought of the incubus somehow having sex with a car for whatever ungodly reason, he felt soft, pillowy flesh wrap around his head. He couldn’t stop himself from blushing at how nicely they straddled the line between pliant and solid. And with the way Dave’s legs kept him locked there, it was safe to say that he wasn’t leaving anytime soon.

Or if he asked, though he doubted that would happen from how amazing it all felt.

“So? Is it everything you ever dreamed of?” Dave teased as he removed Hal’s glasses from his reddening face. Hal moaned comfortably amidst the ecstacy. The fact that his glasses were gone meant that the demon could squeeze harder around his skull and make him blush even harder.

“Th…ank you…” he coughed between huffs of the pheromones that wafted from his thighs.

Dave chuckled. “I’ve crushed my share of watermelons with these things, y’know. Little party trick I could show you sometime.” He flexed his thighs for a brief moment, disrupting Hal’s airflow.

The human wrapped his hands around the edge of Dave’s thighs and squeezed their toned muscles lustfully, making sure to rub as much succulent flesh as possible, even if they were constrained by fabric. Once Dave retracted a bit, Hal kissed the inner portions of his thighs passionately as he continued to rub at them. He didn’t care that the demon was still wearing pants- he was still so damn irresistible.

Hal’s face was squished between the thighs again mid-kiss, sandwiching him tightly between Dave’s soft, sexy legs. It practically drove him and the tent in his own pants crazy. Dave looked over at Hal’s erection and smirked.

“Yep. I definitely made the right call about you,” he teased as he released his grip. “Any other requests?”

Emmerich coughed in the hopes of catching his breath, then made a sound of protest. “Please… I need get lost in them again…” he begged wearily.

It didn’t take much convincing for the incubus to wrap his legs back around Hal’s head, tighter than ever before. His pure desperation was all the incentive Dave needed. The sounds of the outside world were almost completely muffled at this point. Hal couldn’t move anything that wasn’t his hands from how intensely his own lust pinned the rest of him down. All he could do was directly inhale the sweet, intoxicating aura the demon emitted while his head was constricted by muscular flesh.

He could feel precum spurting from his cock, though there was nothing he could really do to satisfy it. And at that point, it wasn’t like he needed any help. Hal was close enough as is.

“Fuck, you’re so cute,” Dave muttered. Hal’s face was practically on fire at that point. “No penetration, no jerking off, no nudity. Just my thighs are enough to get you this hot and bothered?”

A strangled, pathetic sound of agreement muffled its way across Dave’s legs.

“Well, if you really like it that much…”

He pressed his thighs further inwards. Had he moved them any closer or more intensely, Hal’s skull would have shattered. As is, it was enough to make him explode as he came inside his pajama pants. Like last night, it was one of the best orgasms he’d ever experienced. Hal felt the hot, sticky semen dash across skin and fabric alike as his vision flashed a bright whiteness before starting to fade away.

Was this it? Did the demon get too careless and accidentally give him a way out? Hal smiled weakly as the world around him grew further and further away from him, thankful to finally be free of himself.

Only for a pair of fingers to sharply pinch his nose. The human gasped sharply as he shot forward. His world had remained entirely intact. He was alive and well, though incredibly blushy and spent.

“Can’t let that happen yet,” Dave said firmly. “Your lust will do just fine, thank you.”

Panting, Hal fell backwards onto Dave’s chest exhaustedly. “It… wasn’t on purpose…” he rasped defensively.

“I know,” the demon replied. “Your reactions to it were proof enough. I’m just used to talking to myself, that’s all.”

“Oh.” Hal adjusted his position to face Dave directly. “You too, huh?”

“Yeah.” Dave lifted Hal’s chin and gave him a kiss, bringing back some of the energy he’d lost mere moments prior. “Go clean yourself off. If everything goes right, you’re going to have a busy day ahead of you.”

The aggressive coloring on Hal’s face began to fade from both the surge in oxygen and unease of the unknown. “Like what?”

But Dave simply smiled. “You’ll see.”

Notes:

Tempted to reference that one Sandy Cheeks art when it comes to that car as a joke, you know the one

Chapter 4: Mall Meetup

Notes:

No smut this chapter but a certain plot-heavy character is introduced.

TW for mentions of canon molestation/CSA on Emma's part

In truth, it took a few days for Dave’s plan to unfold.

Hal had just gotten out of the shower and into fresh clothing when he saw the incubus sitting on his bed with his personal laptop open. Dave had managed to find Emma’s Myspace account (and Hal’s password, somehow) in seemingly no time at all. To both of their shock, she lived about an hour away.

She’d also grown into somewhat of a celebrity, appealing to tens of thousands of netizens with her posts on programming tutorials, her latest obsessions, reviews, and role-played “takeovers” of her budgerigar, Otacon.

“It stands for ‘otaku convention!’” one of the posts clarified. Dave joked that it sounded like something Hal would say. Hal responded by punching his shoulder playfully.

But Hal was still anxious to click on the link to her email address, one created specifically for fan mail and requests. Even after he did, he’d reread and edit every word he’d typed on the screen. Dave eventually grew tired of Hal’s borderline paranoia and took over as typist and editor, allowing the human to express his thoughts at will. The two eventually compiled a simple yet thorough message titled "i’m sorry” and hit the send button.

“But what if she doesn’t respond? What if she blocks me?” Hal worried as the demon wrapped his body around him in a warm embrace.

“She’ll respond,” he affirmed. “You can’t assume the worst. It’s not healthy.”

Hal relaxed a bit amidst the heat that encompassed him. “I guess.”

 

XXX

 

After well over a day of waiting, a notification appeared:

I’m going to be at the Riverside Mall tomorrow afternoon. Meet me at the food court if you really want to talk. If you don’t show, don’t even bother reaching out again.

• Emma

“The Riverside Mall?” Dave asked after he read the message aloud. “How far is that?”

“About half an hour,” Hal replied in disbelief. “That’s the halfway point between where we live.”

Dave looked over at Hal, who was pacing around his bedroom, and smiled. “Told you that you can’t assume the worst.”

“Yeah, except for the whole ‘never reach out to me again’ part. What if I flub out there and she does that?”

“What did I just say?”

The demon leaned off to the side of the bed and grabbed Hal’s hand mid-step, forcing his attention. “You’ll be fine. Here, I got something for you.” With that, he reached into the pockets of his tight-fitting shorts and pulled out the object that drew Hal’s fascination as soon as he saw the outline of it: an amulet.

“A-Am I supposed to give this to her?” he asked.

“No. Buy her whatever she wants at the mall with what’s in your dresser drawer.”

Before Dave could continue, he watched Hal open the drawer in question to reveal not only his wallet- which was where he usually stored it- but a stack of cash next to it. “Where did you get this?”

“Well, if you ever want to see me work a pole…” Dave replied, his playful tone otherwise warding him away from the sight. There was undoubtedly more to it than what was being implied.

“Never mind,” the human blushed. “What’s the necklace for, though?”

Dave’s grin grew softer. “A good fashion statement, for one. It really brings out the color of your eyes.” He motioned Hal to come closer, which Hal obeyed. “And it’s a way for you to get ahold of me. Just hold onto the gem and say my name three times. Think of it like your speed dial, if you humans still use those.”

As he said this, he clasped the amulet around Hal’s neck and let it rest comfortably against Hal’s faded anime t-shirt. The orange gemstone gleamed amidst the otherwise gloomy bedroom. Hal looked down at the stone and smiled. “Thank you.”

He wrapped his arms around the demon’s neck and initiated a kiss, a move that managed to catch Dave off-guard. “You’re getting better at this, y’know,” Dave commented as they broke.

“I’d hope so,” Hal giggled as he felt the adrenaline rush. “I have the best teacher to thank for that.”

Dave planted a kiss of his own, though pulled away as quickly as he started. “Let’s hope that transitions over to anxiety techniques.”

 

XXX

 

It did not.

No matter how many cleansing breaths he took, Hal felt as though his life was at risk. One wrong move and his world would crumble down in its entirety. He used one hand to nervously drum his fingers across the table he sat at over in the food court, while the other to clutch onto the amulet protectively. Hal hadn’t seen Dave since their pseudo-therapy session the day before due to him having “personal obligations.” Part of Hal wanted to ask if said obligations had something to do with a pole, but the demon was already gone by the time he’d thought of that response. It wasn’t worth calling him over.

“Huh. So you actually showed,” a young girl spoke near him. Hal looked up from his anxious stupor and made eye contact with a face he hadn’t seen in well over a decade. Well, almost. Most of her childlike features were gone. Her matured violet eyes were set sternly as she took in sight of her older step-brother.

Hal, on the other hand, was a happy but nervous mess. “E.E.!” he exclaimed as he offered her a handshake.

“Please don’t call me that,” she mumbled. Emma sat in the seat across from him and set her maroon tote bag down, having no intention of touching him for the time being. Realizing this, Hal retracted his arm awkwardly.

“Emma, I… I’m so sorry. For everything. It’s my fault things ended up like this,” he said solemnly. “If I was more assertive, it wouldn’t have happened. You deserve better than what I gave you.”

“Gave me?” the girl scoffed bitterly. “That’s the thing, Hal. You didn’t give me anything. Mom moved with me to England, and it sucked. I managed to fit in even less there than I did here. She found someone new who said he loved me, and all he did was fucking assault me. Right when I was about to graduate, too. And at Oxford, all I did was continue to stand out in a bad way because of how much I stuck out from those elite European snotrags. None of that would’ve happened if you didn’t leave.”

A particular set of words repeated in his head relentlessly as he took the rest in. “Assault you?”

“It’s whatever, I’m not in contact with them anymore. I don’t know if I should even be in contact with you.” She pulled a tranluscent purple water bottle out of her bag and took a sip. “So what made you want to reach out? You want money or something?”

“No! What I said in my email is true! I wanted to get back in touch with you, I always did,” he insisted. “I just wasn’t sure when it’d be a good time for me to. That by the time I did, you’d still hate me or even completely forget about me.”

“Sometimes I wish I could,” Emma murmured. To what statement she had responded to, Hal wasn’t sure. The air around them hung stagnant despite the constant foot traffic around them.

He squeezed the pendant and took a deep breath. “I know me apologizing isn’t going to be enough to make it up to you no matter how many times I say it. It can’t bring Dad back to make him apologize or make up for the years we lost. But, please, just tell me what I can do to make up for that. I’d do anything.”

Emma looked at him skeptically behind her spectacles. He didn’t remember her having to wear any as a kid, though he did find it fascinating that the frames were similar to his own growing up. At last, she straightened her posture. “Alright. We can start with you paying for anything I get here today.”

“Done.”

The girl flinched. “Really? Huh. I was kind of expecting you to say you were really in debt or something.”

“I have enough, Emma.” He pulled out the stack Dave left him, which Hal took the liberty of placing inside a bank envelope, and placed it on the table. “Here. You can take it all if you’d like.”

She eyed the envelope curiously and opened it, revealing a thick set of big bills. Remembering that they were in public, she shoved it back in. “There’s gotta be at least a thousand dollars in here!” Emma whisper-yelled. “Jesus, Hal!”

“I-I’m not looking to bribe you or anything, as much as it looks like it,” Hal clarified. In truth, he hadn’t exactly counted how much was in there; his goal of connecting with her was the only thing on his mind. “But I really would do anything to be your brother again.”

Emma continued to look at the envelope as she weighed in his words. “I don’t think one trip to the mall’s going to be enough to do that.”

“I wasn’t expecting it to be. Whatever you want to do, wherever you want to do it, I’ll be there. I promise, I won’t leave you behind ever again.”

Almost a minute passed as they sat with their thoughts. Emma eventually broke through the silence with a sound of reluctant agreement. “You wanna get something to eat first? It’s kinda why I asked to meet here.”

“It’s why I didn’t eat anything before I came,” he smiled, happy to have gotten somewhere mutually positive with her.

“You can’t assume the worst. It’s not healthy,” Dave’s words echoed in his mind. Hal loosened his grip on his necklace and finally let it loose to dangle in front of his shirt. He’d chosen a simple green shirt and black dress pants, which matched pretty nicely with Emma’s tie-dyed t-shirt and ripped jeans. Complimentary, not coordinated.

She noticed the trinket and nodded towards it. “Since when did you start wearing jewelry?”

He looked down at it and blushed as his mind flooded with thoughts of the one who gave it to him. “It’s a long story.”

Then he tensed up as all of his anxiety came back to him. They never went over if it was remotely okay to mention Dave to Emma. And even then, what would he be?

Emma looked at him with concern. “You okay?”

Hal gulped. “I… see, it’s the story behind it.”

“Yeah?”

The man cleared his throat. There was no going back now.

Whatever came from this moment would be on him and him alone.

Notes:

Next chapter will be smut, Waltuh. You can pull out your dick next chapter, Waltuh.

Chapter 5: Personal Cheerleader

It was one of the best afternoons of Hal’s life.

After sharing a meal at one of the mall’s restaurants, they perused the rest of the building together. Even with the distance between them, it didn’t stop the duo from catching up on old things and creating new memories of their own. And, as Hal promised, everything was on his tab. He was surprised that she only got a modest amount of goods. The most expensive thing was a simulation game she’d been wanting to get into.

The rest were spent on books, a computer mouse, and some toys for Otacon. “He can be a little freak of nature with these things,” Emma said as she shook a container of colorful plastic balls. “Maybe I’ll bring him next time and show you.”

As terrified as Hal was of birds, he didn’t show it. Hell, he almost didn’t feel it. The implication of another hangout was enough to keep him smiling as he paid for the toys meant for a supposed little freak of nature that, in all honesty, was already one in his eyes either way.

But it eventually came time for them to part ways. The sun set behind them as Hal escorted Emma to her car. “Thanks for the help,” she told him.

“Thanks for doing this,” Hal replied. They placed Emma’s goods in the trunk and closed it shut. He smiled at the geeky stickers she’d placed on her rear window. The two really did have a lot in common after all these years.

Emma smiled as well, though there was still a bit of awkwardness as they stood there. “I, uh… I’ll email you later. Goodnight, Hal.”

Hal didn’t sense any mal intent in her. Neither of them were ever social butterflies. And in truth he was also a bit tired. “Goodnight, Emma,” he said before he walked away, a bag of his own purchases in hand.

Traffic was in a forgiving mood that evening, something he chalked up to being a sign of better things to come. Part of him couldn’t help but wonder if it correlated with his deal with Dave. As soon as the idea crossed his mind, his mood shifted entirely.

“How am I going to tell him?” Hal panicked aloud as he pulled into the parking lot. He shuffled through his keys as he ran up to his apartment as both a form of stimulation and desperation. His heart beat rapidly in his ears with each footstep until he reached his door. With a shaky breath, he inserted the key and opened the entrance. The human poked his head through the doorway to see if Dave was waiting for him there.

He wasn’t.

Relieved, Hal shut the door and locked it behind him. He kicked off his shoes as he took in the calming silence that contrasted with the high-energy of the outside world he’d just been in. Hal hummed a song he’d overheard while browsing books with his step-sister, the plastic bag swishing to his every move as he walked over to his bedroom.

“You’re a dime plus ninety-nine, and it’s a shame don’t even know what you’re worth,” he crooned quietly. “And it-”

Hal stopped as he saw who was waiting for him on the bed. Or, rather, what he was wearing. Dave looked outright embarrassed as he scooted off the bed and struck a pose.

“From my heart, I shoot you with my good luck beam,” he grumbled as his fingers imitated a gun. Dave mimed shooting a revolver with a corresponding “pow!”

It took everything in Hal not to break down then and there. “…what?”

Dave groaned as he lowered his arms. “It wasn’t my idea.”

The idea in question was a bright, tight-fitting cheerleader outfit. The red, skimpy uniform brought out some of Dave’s best features, like his broad chest and muscular legs, which wasn’t a sight Hal was complaining about. But to him, the most noticeable part of the whole getup was the fact that the borderline crop-top had “HAL” printed in white on the front that just barely hid the sight of budding nipples underneath the fabric.

“No, I like it! It looks good on you!” Hal insisted. “I just wasn’t expecting it.”

Dave placed a hand on his hips and tilted his head doubtfully. “Do you really think I look good?”

“I don’t see how I couldn’t,” he blushed.

As if to challenge his stance, the demon’s body began to crinkle and age. His hair turned a finely-tuned silver, including a mustache that sprouted on his face. Dave’s body and eyes became worn, his skin chapped. Before Hal knew it, he was staring at a seventy-year-old standing in the exact same outfit and pose as before. “Now?” Dave teased, his vocal chords strained from artificial aging.

But Hal simply nodded. “You’re the only grandpa I’d go for,” the man replied in an equally playful tone.

Within seconds, Dave’s body reverted to its previous appearance. “You’re adorable. A mess, but adorable,” he rolled his eyes. The incubus strutted over to Hal and cradled his face. “Looks like you’re in a good mood either way. I’m guessing it went well?”

“She said we’d meet again another time,” he grinned. “And it’s all thanks to you. Thank you, Dave.”

Dave clicked his tongue. “I’d say it was a group effort. I didn’t make her do anything. You should give yourself some credit.”

The two stood there like that for a bit. Hal’s face was perfectly squished by Dave’s warm, inviting hands. Eventually something gave, and Dave pulled him upwards into a mutual kiss. “Truth be told, I wore this to either cheer you up or cheer you on, depending on how things went down. Think I should show you one of my cheers, yeah?” he whispered as they pulled apart. It wasn’t until the end that he laced lust into his words, a feeling that spread between them.

“I’d love to see it,” Hal replied quietly.

“Great. I just need to check something first.”

With that, Dave detached from Hal and walked over to one of the walls. A rare, bare spot was met with the palms of his hands. Before Hal knew it, he was watching Dave casually crawl along the empty space and onto the ceiling. His jaw nearly detached itself from how low and fast it dropped. It stayed there as the demon patted down the surface as if it were the floor.

“Alright. We should be soundproofed from now on,” Dave said aloud, his face still concentrated on the spot.

“D-Dave?!” Hal stammered in disbelief. The incubus’ head swiveled around in a perfect 180, causing him to gag. “I’m starting to think I’m not the only mess around here…”

His head turned back around as he leapt down from the ceiling, landing perfectly on his feet in front of his client. “Sorry. I forgot that’s not exactly a thing you guys do.”

“Not even remotely, no,” Hal replied. “We’re good though, right? Nobody can hear us?”

“Right. Good thing, too. I’m going to give you the ride of your life,” said Dave as he held his hand out, thankfully not in a literal sense. Hal grabbed it and allowed the demon to lead him onto the bed. “Best you lie on your back for this one.”

“Okay.” Hal followed Dave’s suggestion and rested his head against a pillow. He’d started to grow accustomed to having to sleep with one now that he had Dave around. It was nice.

The incubus swayed his hips as he settled onto Hal’s splayed lap. His soft ass, barely covered by the fabric of his skirt, brushed deliberately against Hal’s cock. Even through his clothes, Hal knew that the touch was beyond anything he’d ever experienced. He whimpered with each little movement Dave made.

“I’m so proud of you,” Dave crooned seductively as his hands trailed across his barely covered chest. “You’re a step closer to salvaging your soul. You should feel proud, too.”

Hal whined. “Feel… good, too…”

Dave snickered. “We haven’t even started. Your biggest fan has a little something in store for you.” He swerved atop Hal’s dick a few more times before moving further down the human’s legs. Hal blushed harder as he felt Dave’s hands trail over from his chest to Hal's zipper.

“Am I going to need my glasses for this?” he asked curiously to which Dave smiled.

“If you don’t mind them getting a little crooked. Though, I admit it’s a cute look on you,” the demon said as he unzipped Hal’s pants. The waistband was lowered, followed by his boxers. His hardening dick bobbed up shyly, a sight that gave Dave a hunger in his eyes. “So cute.”

Without any lube (a practice Hal wasn’t even aware of at that point), Dave lowered himself onto Hal’s cock with ease. Both Dave and Hal exclaimed groans of pleasure as soon as they made contact.

“F-F-Fuck!” Hal stammered, his voice involuntarily going up a few octaves.

“We’re just getting started,” Dave chuckled. He held out his palm and blew into it, the air directly hitting Hal’s face. The air in question was a concentrated batch of pheromones that shot from his face to his genitalia. Hal shivered and moaned as his body pressed further against the bed, the tangy smell of musk taking over him.

With Hal’s sensitivity and libido now increasing, Dave took his time as he sunk further and further. He wrapped his hands around Hal’s wrists, pinning him down completely. Whatever wasn’t being held down was squirming in complete ecstasy. And it only continued to grow the closer Dave got to the hilt, though he chose to go at an agonizingly slow pace. Every passing second felt like forever.

By the time he finally reached the base, Hal was a complete mess. The two cried out, both from how the other felt to them. They huffed and growled breathily, sweat poring from them rapidly. “Ready?” Dave asked. Hal nodded and whimpered wordlessly.

Dave moved upward, then slammed his ass back down to the hilt of Hal’s cock. Hal screamed this time. “More…! Please!” he rasped weakly.

Smirking, Dave did it again. And again. And again. The incubus set a pace for himself as he worked Hal’s cock to its very limits. Whatever rational self in Hal that remained was thankful for the soundproofing- the combinations of his screaming, Dave’s groaning, and the claps of his asscheeks against Hal’s balls only made the already loud sounds of the mattress squeaking worse. But to the rest of Hal’s mind, it was a symphony he reveled in.

I just wanna be part of your- (sorry)

Even though he was a literal demon, Dave’s lovemaking was heaven manifest. Hal allowed him to take charge and use his body as he pleased. Even if it was ultimately his reward, Hal couldn’t help but fall back into being putty in Dave’s hands.

And he loved it.

Dave’s growling became more primal as his pace grew faster and faster. “You feel- gnngh, so fucking good! Ah!” he grunted. His thrusts became too much. The plush feeling of his ass, the tight warmth of its insides, and the speed at which Hal was getting it was building in him something fierce.

“Cumming…!” Hal stammered as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. His head slammed itself even further against the pillow as the last of his energy gave out. All of it culminated in an orgasm that managed to surpass all that came before it, pun unintended. For a moment, it felt as though he’d left reality in its entirety. As if he were ascending to a greater divine purpose despite there being no chance of him getting there at that point.

By the time he could feel his body again, Dave’s fingers were pinched against his nose firmly. The demon’s huffs and puffs in an attempt to catch his breath filled Hal’s ears as the buzzing surrounding him gradually faded. Even with his returning vision through crooked glasses, Hal could see the cum that now stained his perfectly nice shirt. As the last of the buzzing faded, Dave removed his grip from the bridge.

“How… how was it?” Dave panted as his arm lowered onto Hal’s mattress, matching the other one.

“Amazing,” Hal gasped. “You were amazing.”

“So were you,” Dave smiled. “And it looks like I was right.”

Hal tiredly tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“You’re cute when your glasses are like that,” the demon answered. He kissed Hal’s forehead and allowed the adrenaline to rush through him naturally. Hal breathed a sigh of relief as clarity hit him and reconnected him with his body.

Then he tensed, remembering what was on his mind before this all started. The issue that had been suppressed the moment Hal saw him in that damn outfit.

“Dave?” he asked quietly. The demon looked down at him curiously and silently prodded him to continue. “I need to talk to you about what happened.”

Notes:

I'm on the fence as to whether or not the next chapter will be smut tbh, guess you'll have to keep reading to find out oooooooooooooo

Chapter 6: Obligatory Shower Scene

Notes:

Light references to past abuse on Dave's part, and I mean extremely light, but still something to consider before reading

“Your… boyfriend?”

Already Hal felt a pit in his stomach, not helped by the fact that they were both getting undressed to take a shower. Nothing could hide his anxiety now.

“I didn’t know if I was allowed to tell her about you at all. It sorta slipped my mind while we were getting ready to do this,” he admitted. “And even then, I don’t think she’d believe me if I told her how we even met or why.”

To Hal’s surprise, Dave didn’t seem offended in the slightest for saying something so bold to her. If anything, he looked intrigued. “What’d she say?”

“She was a little shocked but said it made sense that’d someone like me would get with a guy,” Hal said.

“She’s not wrong.”

Hal shot Dave a playful glare and pursed his lips. “Hilarious.”

“But are we?” Dave asked as he kicked his crumpled skirt onto the floor.

“Are we what? Dating?” Hal asked. “I mean, I don’t know if that’s something you’d be comfortable with. It’s only been a few days.”

Dave gestured to Hal’s nude body that was dimly illuminated by the catches of sunset seeping through his bedroom blinds. “And what have we done during that time?”

“Touché. I just don’t want to rush you into something you wouldn’t be okay with. At the end of the day, I am going to die at your command, right?”

The incubus sighed, though Hal couldn’t tell if it was from frustration, exhaustion, or disappointment. “Do you like me?”

“Y-Yeah, of course I do,” Hal stated.

“And I like you.” Dave strolled over to Hal and wrapped his arms around the human’s waist. His hands rested carefully above his tailbone, never reaching anything below it. “So let’s do it, then. While we still have time.”

Even after everything they’d just done, Hal felt that he could never tire of his touch. He looked up into Dave’s eyes through fixed glasses and found a gaze that was as sincere as the fingertips that brushed against his skin. Part of him still felt that it was a responsibility he’d thrown onto a creature whose lifestyle couldn’t support it, something that Dave seemed to understand despite it being unspoken.

“I’m new at this, too. We can learn together,” he added gently.

Hal exhaled as his lips curled into a smile. “I’d really like that.”

And for a while, the two stood like that as they basked in each other’s company. It didn’t matter to them how close their most vulnerable parts were together at the moment. All they needed was to process the path they’d now chosen to forge together and seal it with a kiss.

 

XXX

 

One of their immediate firsts was showering together, rather than their original intent to do so separately.

“We could use it to baptize you to the dark side,” Dave teased as Hal placed the bath mat onto the floor in front of them. “Can’t be a demon’s date without one.”

“I’ll stick to chocolates and flowers, thanks,” Hal snarked back.

“Your loss.” Dave ruffled Hal’s hair while the human turned the water valve on. Soon a sturdy stream of water sprinkled onto the tile flooring of the shower, which was incentive enough to get them both to step inside. Hal closed the curtain behind them.

He looked at the array of washes, shampoos, and conditioners that Dave had supplied him after their initial encounter. “Is there anything here that’d work for you?”

“They all should. Here, let’s start with you.” With that, Dave grabbed a washcloth that hung from the curtain rod, drenched it in water, and lathered it with soap. Hal allowed him to gently caress his sensitive skin as Dave brushed it as much as he could. He heard the demon give a sympathetic laugh as Hal was turned around. At that point, his eyes were shut from trying not to let soap get into them.

“Bacne’s a bitch, isn’t it?” Dave asked as he scrubbed away at it.

The human made a noise of agreement. “I don’t think any amount of your magic could make it go away.”

“Guess you’ll just have to settle for this, then.” The creature finished rubbing away at his back and lowered a bit towards Hal’s ass, to which he was incredibly modest about. Soon his legs, and thus the entire backside of his body, were taken care of. Even with his front side left, Hal felt as though he had shed new skin.

That same feeling and the modesty that created it continued as Dave took care of his chest, stomach, dick, legs, and even feet. He wouldn’t stop until every last inch of his lover was taken care of. Once he was finished, Dave grabbed the other washcloth from the curtain and cleaned off the excess soap on Hal’s face. “You can open your eyes now.”

Hal obeyed and grabbed the new washcloth from Dave’s hand. “Do I, uh, scrub those as well?” he asked as he pointed up at the demon’s black, ram-like horns.

“Sure, if you want.” Dave literally shrunk himself down to his companion’s height with a light grin. “But it’d be easier if you didn’t have to stand on your toes the whole time.”

He was taken aback for a moment, then remembered the kind of creature he was dealing with. Emmerich had watched him shift into an elderly man moments prior. Even when he looked old and grey, the demon was still incredibly attractive to him.

Then he thought back to Dave’s greeting while in that outfit, and a particular quote struck him.

“That reminds me. You said earlier that the outfit wasn’t your idea, right?” Hal asked as he got started with Dave’s horns.

“Yeah?”

Though blurry, Hal could still see a hint of embarrassment in Dave’s eyes. It didn’t help Dave that they were now on equal footing. “You told someone about me, then? Who was it?”

The shower wasn’t an extreme temperature of either direction, yet Dave had grown red in the face. Hal could feel the heat that radiated from his face.

“…my mom.”

Hal froze. “Y-Your mom?”

“Yeah,” he reiterated stiffly.

“Oh.” The man looked at Dave’s overt blush but couldn’t help himself. “Did she say anything?”

Dave’s lips twitched as he struggled to find an answer. “She likes you. Even asked if she could meet you someday. I told her it was just a contract back when it was one, but she wouldn’t buy it.” After a few seconds, he added, “people don’t usually last this long when it comes to death wishes, y’know.”

“I wouldn’t mind meeting her at all!” Hal assured him. “A-And I’d like you to meet Emma, too. I mean, we have talked about each other to them.”

A brush of hot air exuded from Dave’s nose as if to expel the blush that faded from his face. “Fair enough.” He lowered his head back down to signal his eagerness to continue.

Hal felt relieved that the conversation didn’t shift to talking about his own parents. He hoped that such a thing wouldn’t come up for a long, long time, if ever. Perhaps by then he’d be long gone. As it were, Hal went back to cleansing his lover.

Lover. Hal replayed the word in his mind over and over again. The first time he really had someone he could say that about, they were drop-dead gorgeous. He loved the way the water pelted across Dave’s body, especially his more… ample aspects. In truth, Hal could watch those pectoral muscles for hours. But even then, Hal wouldn’t consider them the highlight.

It’d been less than a week and he’d grown incredibly fond of the demon. Hal had someone who really listened to and confided in him. Someone who went above and beyond to help restart his relationship with Emma. Hell, there was even an emergency amulet to use outside of it. The fact that Dave was fine with them being like this made him treasure that word all the more. He felt that he didn’t remotely deserve Dave.

Especially since he was selfishly eyeing his cock as he continued to clean the rest of Dave’s body. Somehow, even after everything that just happened, a bit of his libido decided to pull through. An expert on the subject, Dave was able to pick up on it rather quickly. “Want me to stay at this height? It’d be easier if I had the advantage.”

The man blushed. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s natural. You’re only human, after all.” The demon’s body shifted and reformed to how it was before. “But you’ve also been spoiling me with these feedings. I still need room to process.”

If Dave was red before, Hal was crimson. “Dave, I-”

“Don’t need to apologize. Besides, the only meal I really need right now is the one I’m going to make for the both of us after this.” He ruffled Hal’s hair again, though this time his fingers were stifled by the dense wetness of it. “You like spaghetti? It’s one of the few things I actually know how to make.”

“Yeah, of course. Thank you.” And, to ease his conscience, “I’m sorry.”

Hal was met with a kiss on his forehead. “Want me to give you some privacy? I can wait to finish-”

“No, it’s okay. I’m… thank you for letting me know.” He looked down at the washcloth quietly. “I’m guessing you’re used to people ignoring it.”

After a few seconds of silence, the demon placed his hand over Hal’s and guided it across the rest of his body in a shared effort to clean him. “Remember when I said my kind would pity you if they had you?”

“…yeah?” he replied, unsure of where the conversation was going.

“You’d be surprised how rare it is to get someone like you. An adorable sweetheart of a nerd who knows when to listen.”

Even as the embarrassment began to wash away, it was immediately replaced with a strong sense of shyness. He didn’t say anything as he processed what Dave said. As they finished the soles of his feet, the demon lightly pulled the washcloth out of Hal’s grasp and back onto the rod alongside the first one.

“It’s going to take a lot for you to get me to hate you, trust me. You haven’t given me any reason to, so don’t worry about it.” Dave smiled assuredly. “Now come on. Let me wash that hair of yours, yeah?”

“Y-Yeah,” Hal replied. “Please.”

As he felt the incubus’ fingers dig into his scalp (a borderline divine sensation), Hal thought of everything that’d just happened. Within less than 24 hours, he managed to get a start on repairing his bond with his step-sister, have someone ride on him like there was no tomorrow, somehow get that someone to agree to date him, and learn not only that his new boyfriend had a limit to his abilities, but a family that he inherited it from. A living, breathing one.

Oh, and the added spaghetti dinner bonus. Overall, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such a busy day.

Though he still felt bad for his leering, Hal didn’t let it consume him either. Instead, he let the anticipation of what was to come take the forefront of his mind as he felt his skull getting lovingly taken care of from behind him.

Taken care of by his lover. Hal could get used to that.

Notes:

Next chapter's going to properly introduce a character I'm so normal about, guys

Chapter 7: Mama Bear

Notes:

Trigger warning for implied child abuse! I don't want to get into graphic detail with these considering the fact that there's undoubtedly people who aren't reading for the plot.

While he’d heard many myths about demons, Hal never would’ve guessed that they had two stomachs.

The first was reserved solely for food. It was how, despite claims of otherwise being full, Dave was able to eat the spaghetti dinner he’d promised to make. Hal was given hope that, even if Dave claimed to be an otherwise terrible cook, he’d be able to partake in something that wasn’t a steady stream of microwaveable ramen.

As for the one Dave had referred to, it was meant for a somewhat abstract concept: energy. Being a demon of lust, Dave had been consistently feeding on Hal every time they’d do anything sexual. Dave explained this to him over dinner, though felt the need to elaborate further.

“So if you grow into a certain type, that’s what you rely on to survive. But even then, that’s not enough,” he said as he twirled a hearty amount of spaghetti with his fork.

“‘Grow into’?” asked Hal.

“Well, you didn’t pop out the womb looking like that, right?” Dave replied as he pointed his occupied fork at his new boyfriend. “Same thing with us. You guys aren’t the only ones that suffer through puberty.”

Hal sighed as he filtered through several unpleasant memories of his voice cracking at important moments. “That thing’s hell in itself.”

“Yeah, but then there’s the cases where it never happens. You just stay an imp forever.” Not wanting to drip any more marinera sauce on the table, the demon devoured the forkful of spaghetti. He swallowed and said, “must be easier that way. Then you only have two things to worry about eating.”

“There’s a third?”

Dave nodded. “What unites all demons, no matter what type, is that we feast on souls. Have to have one at least once a month or else we start losing it a bit.”

As he spoke, he seemed to get uncomfortable, aware of what the end goal of their relationship was. The grim reminder wasn’t lost on Hal. Though the human still wanted it, he couldn’t help but feel bad for feeling that way. Selfish, even.

So he felt a bit of relief when he awoke the next morning to Dave getting dressed and revealing that he had an old client to visit. Even with Hal being aware of his nature as an incubus, there was still a bit of weirdness to it.

“Uh... enjoy your soul?” Hal said awkwardly as he watched the creature finish his necktie.

“Thanks. Could take a while, depending on how things go.” He crawled his upper body over to Hal and gave him a kiss. “Need anything while I’m out?”

The human smiled and pulled his laptop off the nightstand from where he was sitting. “Maybe some Japanese candies?” he suggested, then cringed. “No, I’m only kidding, I don’t need anything. Good luck, Dave.”

Dave kissed him again and shuffled off the bed. “Thank you. Let me know if Emma said anything, alright?”

Before Hal could reply, his lover disappeared in a puff of smoke. Unsure as to whether he should wave or not, he gave a brief one to the empty space. Nothing waved back. He then turned to his laptop and opened his inbox. Sure enough, his most recent email was from Emma:

Hey,

I don’t really know how to start these things, but I just wanted to say that I had fun with you yesterday. It was nice. I’ve been playing that game you got me since then and Otacon’s somehow even more invested in it than I am. XD He loves to watch the monitor while I play. He says thank you for the toys.

“I’m sure he did,” Hal said warily as he looked at the photo attached to the message: Otacon staring down at the camera with a trademark Kubrick stare. Unnerved, he continued to read.

I’ve been thinking about meeting up again, but I don’t know when. Do you want to bring Dave next time? It’d be cool to meet the guy you talked so much about. Don’t worry, I’m not in it for him.. yet. Lmk when you’re available.

• Emma

Hal nearly felt his heart explode. “SHE WANTS TO MEET AGAIN!” he cried out to his soundproofed ceiling, happy that nobody could be a hypocrite in yelling at him for it. As badly as he wanted to respond then and there, though, Hal knew that he had to wait for Dave to come back, and there was no telling when that would happen.

He figured that it wouldn’t hurt to get some more shut-eye until then. “Should probably get some water first.” Adorned with an old t-shirt and pajama pants that trailed down to his toes, Hal walked tiredly out of his bedroom and approached the kitchen.

Then he screamed.

There in front of him stood a woman he’d never seen before. Even with a modest tan pantsuit, Hal could tell that she was a blonde bombshell just from the aura she radiated. Despite her horns, he didn’t think it to be pheromones. The woman turned around.

“Sorry, I didn’t expect you to be home,” she said calmly. “I honestly just wanted to drop by this cake and leave.” The demoness pointed to the large chocolate dessert that now sat at Hal’s kitchen table.

“Who are you?” was all he could say.

She chuckled. “I’ve gone by a lot of names: EVA, Tatyana, Suzetta, Lee. But one of the most important persons in our lives just calls me Mother. I’ll leave the name game up to you.”

Hal did a double take at what she’d implied. “Wait, are you… Dave’s mom?”

EVA flashed Hal a warm smile. “Mhm. It wouldn’t be fair to me not to give you a little something to welcome you into the family, now would it?”

“I-I don’t really know what to say,” he said modestly. “Thank you.”

“You’re as cute as he described you to be,” she cooed. “Want me to cut you a slice?”

He looked over at the built-in clock on his oven. It was 10:56.

“Do you want me to make lunch instead? It’s kind of early for just cake,” he offered.

The succubus followed his gaze over towards the oven. “Fair enough. We can save the cake for later.” She looked back at him appreciatively. “I’m not a picky eater. Whatever you got, I’ll take it.”

“Good,” he laughed shyly, “because I’m an even worse cook than your son.”

XXX

The two ended up eating from Hal’s stash of ramen, an otaku delicacy that EVA had never indulged in before. “Wouldn’t mind throwing this on if I’m in a hurry,” she admitted. “It’d be a nice shakeup from the CalorieMates.”

“I’m glad I could help with that.” Hal wiped his lips with a napkin, having just finished his container. “You can take some if you want. Dave’s got me pretty stacked over here.”

“Thank you. For that and what you’ve done for my boy.”

“What I’ve done?” Hal asked. “I don’t think I’ve done anything besides initiate this, to be honest.”

EVA shook her head and pulled out her wallet. The demoness pushed it across the kitchen table over to where Hal sat, a series of photos facing towards him. One displayed a portrait of EVA, a startling lookalike of Dave, and two toddlers- a blonde and a brunette- feuding in their laps. Their parents faced the viewer with smiles that screamed “we’re calmer than this.”

In the other was an updated group picture. Dave’s father and EVA barely changed in their appearances. The blonde had grown out his hair and boasted muscles that could put Dave’s own to shame. He was also shirtless, though Hal chalked it up to his genes. As for Dave, he seemed… distant. Not angry or anything, but not exactly grinning like his parents. Even the blonde had a little smile on his face, a stark contrast to the violent nature of his boyhood.

“He was a good kid,” EVA spoke. “Rarely started fights with his brother. Usually it was the other way around. It wasn’t until he grew into his nature as an adult that I started seeing that smile less and less.”

She flipped over one of the wallet’s tabs to reveal another picture, this one of Dave and his brother linked arm-in-arm in front of a swimming pool. Both looked sunburnt and soaked from a long afternoon of swimming. Despite that, the two were beaming at the camera with toothy smiles, with one of Dave’s being missing. They looked to be no older than seven.

Suddenly, EVA gasped and retracted her wallet. “I’m so sorry. I meant to show you a different one. My apologies.”

Hal looked up at her, confused. “Sorry for what?”

EVA looked down at the picture, suddenly full of melancholy. She appeared to choose her next words carefully as she asked, “did you tell him?”

“Tell him what?”

She looked at him hesitantly. “When Dave told me about you, I knew that your last name sounded familiar. Turns out, his father’s gone out and punished them a few times, so we had their case files in our office. So I looked to see if I was right and-” EVA glanced away for a moment. “I’m sorry.”

Oh.

The room suddenly felt a lot smaller. A high-pitched ringing wormed its way through his ears. He held onto it in the hopes of it taking him away.

Hal had no idea how to react, and it seemed that EVA didn’t either. She looked at him with great pity, studying the man he’d grown to become in spite of what happened to him as a boy. But it was clear in her eyes that, no matter what, he was now her son as well.

“Do you need a hug? Is that alright?” she offered.

Hal nodded wordlessly. He heard what she’d said, but it felt like he wasn’t even in the same room at that point. Regardless, he rose from his chair and the two embraced, which was enough to bring him back to Earth for a moment. And with that grounding of reality came the reality of his emotions. EVA rubbed his back gently and soothed him as he began to sob into her shoulder.

“Listen,” EVA whispered, “you’re safe now. You’re under our protection, not just Dave’s. Even if you break up, I’ll still be your Mama Bear. Just say the word and I’ll come running.”

Though comfortable, the human continued to cry as he pressed into her. “Thank you,” he whimpered between streams of tears. “Thank you, Mama Bear.” Upon realizing what he said, Hal looked up at her with reddened eyes. “Sorry, i-is that weird? Do you want me to just call you EVA?”

She chuckled amusedly. “If you feel safe enough to, please call me Mom.” EVA pulled him back into the hug for a brief moment. “Do you want me to say anything to him?”

“I… I don’t know,” Hal answered.

“Alright. Again, just say the word and I will.” She lightly pushed Hal off and away from her, still holding onto his biceps as she did. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for things to get so sour. I just wanted to thank you for making him feel the happiest he’s felt in a long time.”

“It was an accident, you didn’t mean to,” said Hal.

EVA slowly loosened her grasp until Hal’s arms hung by his side. “Still in the mood for some cake?”

Hal looked at the clock but couldn’t get a proper look at the time from how smudged his glasses became. “I think I need some right about now, yeah.”

The demoness smiled lightly. “Allow me to get you some, then.”

As she turned around to pick up the dessert off the counter where it was relocated, a set of footsteps were heard from the living room. “Hal?” Dave’s voice called out.

“Uh, in the kitchen!” came his response. Soon the demon entered the room, plastic bags in hand. He almost dropped them as soon as he saw who was grabbing a knife from the utensil drawer.

“Mother?”

EVA turned to him and smirked. “You say that like I can’t drop by and say hello to your boyfriend.”

“Because those usually come with horrible implications,” Dave cringed. Hal and EVA equally cringed, albeit for different reasons.

The ringing was back.

Trying to distract himself, Hal eyed the bags. “W-What did you get?”

“Oh.” Dave pulled out a heart-shaped box with kanji written on it and placed it on the kitchen table. “You said you preferred chocolates and flowers, so I got you both.”

Hal opened the packaging and found a series of flower-shaped chocolates inside, each one hand-made by a Japanese chocolatier. “Dave…” he said in awe.

As he marveled the creations, EVA walked over with a plate and set it in front of Dave. “Guess you’ll have to settle for my baking.”

“Thanks, Mother,” he said as he looked at his dessert appreciatively. EVA pinched his cheek in response. “Ow!”

“Hal, sweetie, are you still going to have one?” she asked. Emmerich nodded as he closed the lid on his gift.

“Thank you so much, Dave,” he grinned.

Dave took a stab at his cake with a fork and chuckled. “Of course. It’s what couples do, right?”

EVA handed Hal his plate and went back to get one of her own. “You two are so damn cute, I swear.”

“Thanks,” Hal said. But despite everything going on around him, he couldn’t help but linger on Dave’s comment. It’d stayed as a little echo, but now it was getting bigger. And louder. So much louder.

The ringing got louder.

He didn’t even notice his breathing changing until Dave placed a hand on his wrist, startling him. “You okay?” the demon asked.

Hal looked for EVA, who was standing next to him. The pity in her eyes was back. She subtly jutted her chin towards her son, silently asking Hal if wanted to go through with it now. It was all so sudden, so unprepared.

But he couldn’t think of any other options.

“Dave,” Hal said quietly, “there’s something you should probably know about me.”

Notes:

Save me EVA save me

Chapter 8: Boundaries

Notes:

Today (October 8th) is my birthday, so here's my gift- angst, fluff, and smut all rolled into one chapter!

Hal listened to the sounds of the city outside his window as he laid in bed. He’d tried to read one of his old manga volumes to distract himself, but to no avail. The man couldn’t get that morning’s events out of his head.

On loop, he could see the way Dave’s expression fell as Hal explained himself. Dave stammered to say something, only for his mother to silence him with a pained expression. Clearly whatever he was going to do was going to make things worse. That implication was more than enough to make Hal feel like shit.

Not even their reassurance could cheer him up. EVA gave him another hug before she left, reminding him that she would always be there for him should he need her. Hal thanked the motherly creature with a heavy sense of guilt. The fact that a succubus insisted on being a maternal figure to him despite knowing what happened was an irony far from lost on him.

As for Dave, he listened when Hal asked to be left alone. He assumed that Dave was off with his mother considering that there were plenty of things left unsaid at the table. Emmerich spent the rest of his day by himself in the hopes that he’d feel better.

It didn’t work.

Even now as he rested under his covers in his pajamas, Hal felt cold and empty. Part of him felt bad for pushing Dave away, which only added to the onslaught of conflicting emotions that left him practically comatose from it all. He needed something to make him feel anything but.

Hal rolled over and grabbed the amulet off his bedside table, holding it close to him as he did. He whispered the demon’s name three times as instructed. Sure enough, the incubus appeared, though now wearing just a pair of boxers. It seemed that he was getting ready to go to sleep as well.

“Hey,” said Hal softly.

“Hey,” Dave replied in a matching tone. “You okay?”

The man shook his head, unable to put his feelings into words. Not yet. Instead he moved himself to the other side of the bed and patted the now-vacant spot next to him. Dave wasted no time crawling underneath the covers. He wrapped his arms around Hal from behind and pulled him close.

“Does this feel good?” the incubus inquired with his head resting atop Hal’s shoulder.

“Mhm.” Hal let the warmth of Dave’s body wash over him as he relaxed into his touch. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

“What’s there to be sorry for? I’m not offended. You need your space.”

He sighed. “I don’t mean to be a burden. Or get your hopes down.”

Dave’s grip loosened for a moment. “Down?”

“You said I was the kind of person that demons would pity when I reach Hell. I belong down there for that act alone,” he insisted. “I’m the whole reason why Emma hadn’t spoken to me until now. Why my dad died.”

Even without looking at him, Hal could tell Dave was internalizing what he really wanted to say. Instead the demon muttered, “I still think you’d get that reception. You already have from my family.”

The two let the silence hang as the city noise continued outside. Then Hal gave a bitter, ironic laugh.

“Y’know, the last time I told someone about this, they high-fived me. Made a joke about how I ‘cucked my dad’ or whatever.” Hal’s sarcastic smile quickly faded back into obscurity. “But what’s the punchline? Why’d they laugh about it?” he asked emptily.

“Hal.”

The assertiveness of his tone forced the man’s attention, at least mentally. “Yeah?”

“None of that stuff matters to me. It doesn’t remotely change how I see you,” said the demon firmly. “You’re not the person you think you are, Hal.”

“Then who am I?”

Dave pulled him closer. “Someone worthy and deserving of love.”

It was admittedly not the answer he was looking for- a literal one. But something about those six little words were enough for him to be shaken to his core. Hal drew a shaky breath in the hopes of holding back his tears.

“You know I didn’t ask you out for the sake of appearances, right?” the demon continued. “I care about you, Hal.”

“But y- we’ve only known each other for a few days!” he pointed out weakly. He felt Dave’s thumb run across the span of his belly as if to soothe him.

“When you live forever, you learn pretty quickly not to care about that stuff. That means all of that attention goes straight to you.” Dave lifted his other hand and used it to gently move Hal’s face towards him. A stray tear trickled down Dave’s thumb as they looked at each other proper for the first time that evening.

Though limited in his range of movement, Hal adjusted himself as much as possible to accommodate for the demon moving closer to him. Their lips touched with that shy gentleness only love could provide. Dave pressed his forehead against Hal’s and whispered, “I won’t leave you unless you ask me to. I’m here. I promise.”

This earned a few more tears from the human, which Dave made sure to kiss every last one of. “If there’s anything you want me to do, I’ll do it. And if there’s anything that’s off-limits, you have to let me know, okay?”

Emmerich nodded as he removed his glasses. “’m sorry for being such a basket case.”

“Well, think of it this way: you’re my basket case.” Dave continued to rub his hand across Hal’s stomach affectionately as he spoke. “Does this feel good, by the way? Anyplace you don’t want me to touch?”

“I…” Hal stammered. He’d never really had the opportunity to talk about this with anyone before. Any attempt to, rare as they were, would be cut short by those “jokes.” How did people normally go about this? A doll?

No, he didn’t think using one of his figures would be good enough. It was best he tried to verbalize it.

“Please don’t cover my mouth. Ever.”

“Alright.”

The human turned back around and looked over at Dave’s hand, still resting on his belly. “I’m fine with this, but don’t touch my chest.”

“Anything beneath?” Dave asked as he rested his head on Hal’s shoulder. Hal blushed as a flurry of images flashed through his mind involving the two of them. Not a single one made him feel remotely scared or uncomfortable- far from it. If anything, he felt hot and tight.

Fuck.

“Please,” he whispered with an overtly bashful lust.

“…like, right now?”

“I know, it’s probably the worst time to, right?” Hal laughed with embarrassment. “N-Not if you don’t want to, of course. I’ve just been really stressed from everything, and-”

Dave kissed his neck affectionately. “Everybody has different ways of dealing with it. You’re okay. Besides, I’m supposed to help you, right?”

Hal grabbed onto Dave’s hand and lowered it down to his bulge. “I’d rather you not suck me off, but…”

“Understood.”

The demon took the lead and reached his hand down the elastic waistband of Hal’s pajama pants until it was wrapped around the base of his cock. Per usual, Emmerich felt more energized as soon as Dave touched him there, shuddering as the adrenaline coursed through him. Dave made a sound asking for approval, to which Hal nodded.

“I admit, I’m not exactly the Prince Charming type. More like the Beast than anything,” Dave said as his fingers glided comfortably across Hal’s shaft. “Sorry if my attempts at romance fall flat.”

Hal moaned as the demon pumped away at his growing erection. “Is this one of them?” he asked breathily.

“Yeah,” Dave replied, the awkwardness in his voice made clear despite Hal not even looking at him. Emmerich laughed.

“Then it’s working.”

Encouraged by his partner’s words, Dave’s grip tightened slightly as his speed and span increased. “You want both hands or just the one?”

“O-One, please,” he moaned. “That’s all I need.”

The slick, wet sounds of Hal’s sex filled his ear as Dave moved his head off of Hal’s shoulder. He smooched the back of his neck affectionately and created a trail of kisses from there down to the man’s shoulder blade. Emmerich reached his arm up towards Dave and pressed his hand against his cheek as though to guide him along. Hal shivered at the feeling of faint stubble that brushed onto the remnants of his uncovered skin. Even when covered by a t-shirt, they felt so damn good.

As did the hand job, which had only continued to pick up from there. Dave ran a teasing thumb across Hal’s twitching tip, nearly causing him to scream in response. “Too much?”

The human made a sound of disagreement. “More. Please.”

“Alright.”

Even with a lot of ground to cover, the demon was able to keep a steady rhythm going as he jacked his lover off. He could practically feel Hal’s heartbeat quicken as continued to kiss away at him from behind. A wet, sticky sensation hit his hand once he reached Hal’s tip around roughly the fifth time. He chuckled. “Close?”

“Mhm,” he whimpered.

Dave wrapped his hand tighter around Hal’s cock and stroked it rapidly. Emmerich lost any sense of self-control in that moment and began to cry out in pleasure, remembering that their apartment was now soundproof. He bucked his lower body frantically against the demon’s palm. The burning sensation of his building orgasm grew hotter and hotter until he couldn’t take it anymore.

Hal called out his lover’s given name into the night as he climaxed entirely against Dave’s hand. Dave, on the other hand, took his time to give Hal a few more kisses before letting go. Emmerich watched the demon slowly and carefully pull his hand out of Hal’s pants. His vision flickered a bit before he could get a good look at how much he’d let out. Another set of fingers pinched his nose, and he was suddenly sober.

He rested further onto the bed exhaustedly in an attempt to catch his breath. “Dave…”

“Yeah?” the demon asked as he was made to rest with him. They still held onto their positions, as spent and sweaty as they became in the process.

“I… I love you,” he panted.

Dave tilted Hal’s tired face towards him and kissed it warmly. “I love you, too.”

Hal smiled and kissed him back. “Did I tell you that Emma got back to me?”

Curiosity struck Dave’s eyes as he pulled himself off of Hal in order to sit up. “No. What’d she say?”

“That she wants to meet you sometime. I didn’t say anything to her yet since you were busy when I saw her message, but I’d love for you two to meet.” Hal turned himself around fully and looked up at his lover with blurred vision. “I mean, I’ve already met your mom.”

“I didn’t say I was against it,” Dave said. “Can you show me the email?”

The human sat himself up and scooted closer to Dave. “Could we shower first? Maybe discuss the email over some chocolates? I didn’t try any of them yet.”

“Huh? Why not?”

Hal smiled sentimentally as he rested his head on Dave’s shoulder. “It’s just not the same when you’re alone, y’know?”

Notes:

And then they ate the chocolates together because they're in loooooooooove ooooooooooooooooooooo

Chapter 9: Of Fashion and Feasts

Notes:

Got a simultaneous rape/death threat yesterday on top of my already looming existential dread, if you're wondering how I'm doing rn

“You don’t need to do anything. Just stay still,” Dave instructed as he set Hal in front of a mirror. He pulled up a body-sized one since the human didn’t have any. Hal watched as his partner joined at his side.

A few days had passed since EVA had visited and even more since the pair officially established their relationship. They were still taking baby steps in terms of where things were going and finding out how relationships actually functioned. But Dave had nothing but patience with Hal as he stumbled, and vice versa. The two recognized it was unconventional but liked it that way. And if all went well, their first date would happen to coincide with Hal introducing him to Emma.

Again, new and unconventional.

“These are just some ideas I’ve come up with. Not really a fashionista or anything, but I have to do this a lot for the job,” the demon prefaced. “Ready?”

Emmerich looked at his reflection anxiously. “This isn’t going to hurt, is it?”

“It shouldn’t,” Dave replied.

“I’m not hearing a ‘no’ here.”

Dave ignored him and snapped his fingers. Instantaneously, both of their outfits changed. Instead of a simple set of boxers, the incubus was now draped with an orange sweatshirt over a white shirt, grey pants, and white sneakers. As opposed to his pajamas, Hal stood in a simple white t-shirt and black pants, capped off by a comfortable pair of black shoes.

“Again, just ideas. You can say it sucks,” said Dave.

The human tugged on his short white sleeves as he looked at his own reflection. “I think it’s nice.”

“Alright. I’ll keep that in mind.” Dave snapped his fingers again. Now it was Dave who was wearing black-and-white formal wear, though now he donned a tie, and his shirt had longer sleeves. In contrast, Hal had a plain yellow shirt, though the rest of his lower body remained the same.

“I’m not great with couples’ costumes, especially on the less… revealing side,” the demon admitted after a moment of silence. “This was a bad idea.”

Hal looked at him in protest. “I like it. Nobody’s ever done anything like this for me before.” He grabbed Dave’s hand and held onto it gently. “I think we look great together.”

The two looked back at their reflections in a brief silence, really taking a moment to appreciate each other’s company. Emmerich watched as a little smile curved across the demon’s face.

“Where’s the meetup going to be, again?” he asked.

“Lakeside Amusement Park,” Hal replied. “We went to a nearby one a few times growing up, and it turns out there’s one just past where she lives.”

Dave smirked. “First Riverside, now Lakeside. You humans need to come up with better names.”

“At least I can pronounce them,” Hal jabbed lightheartedly. “What’s your name again?”

A series of nigh-unpronounceable syllables flowed effortlessly out of his mouth. Hal replayed them in his head repeatedly, desperately trying to connect them to either English or what little Japanese he understood.

And then he found it.

“What if I called you ‘Snake’ instead?” Hal asked.

The demon blinked. “…instead of Dave?”

“Yeah. I mean, it’s closer to your name than something I just blurted out,” he flustered.

“I like it,” the creature contemplated, “but I like Dave, too.”

“Really?” Hal asked, completely baffled at the response. He thought it over for a moment. “Then what if I just called you Snake as a nickname? Or is that too simple for you?” he added slyly.

Dave squeezed Hal’s hand. “Fine by me, Mouse.”

“You’re a real comedian.”

With his free hand, the newly crowned Snake snapped his fingers. A dark leather jacket covered Snake’s toned arms but was still left open to reveal a retro Robbie the Rabbit t-shirt underneath. Ripped jeans completed the look. Hal felt those in particular made Dave look cool, even if their fiscal sales proved otherwise.

As for Hal, he donned a jean jacket over a grey shirt depicting chibi versions of Robbie and his friends, as well as a pair of black leggings. He couldn’t help but stare at himself and Snake with a growing excitement. Brief images flashed in Hal’s mind of the three of them having a blast at Lakeside. Hal couldn’t help but pull himself closer to Snake and hug his arm.

“It’s perfect,” he grinned. “I love it.”

“Thanks, Mouse,” Snake teased.

“Why am I a mouse? I’m not that much shorter than you,” Hal pouted.

Snake chuckled. “You look like you were a cute little rodent in a previous life.”

“You’ve got weird ways of flirting,” Hal said as he stifled a grin.

The incubus hummed. “But you still love me.”

Hal looked back at the mirror and smiled with content at the sight of him draped over his lover’s arm. “I really do.”

 

XXX

 

In truth, the fashion montage was Snake’s idea. Hal’s wardrobe was, in the self-proclaimed “non-fashionista”’s eyes, lacking. He’d thrown in a compromise to at least sweeten the lowkey insult, and now it was Hal’s turn to have his way, even if he himself was embarrassed by it. As he watched Dave lay across his lap, Hal could practically feel his ears turn pink.

“There’s no shame in it, Hal. I’ve done this before,” Snake had assured him prior. Even now, his upwards glance reflected it. Hal smiled and waved his pair of chopsticks awkwardly, a stilted laugh punctuating his shame.

Nyotaimori (or, in this case, nantaimori) was a practice he’d seen in more niche manga and had caught his attention since then. So niche, in fact, that Hal figured people would think he was a weirdo for being into, to put it lightly. The only one who didn’t have that reaction was resting atop his legs, sushi lined up across his bare backside, patiently waiting for the feast to commence.

“This is fine, right? You sure I’m not making you uncomfortable?” Hal asked.

“Hal, if you don’t eat the sushi, I will,” Dave replied dryly.

“J-Just checking.” The human picked the roll resting on Snake’s tailbone and bit into it. Considering that the incubus practically pulled them out of thin air, it didn’t surprise Hal that it tasted amazing, which he relayed to his lover. “Thank you.”

Dave smirked playfully. “You know it’s considered rude to talk to the one you’re eating off of, right?”

“Can’t you make an exception if it’s us?” Hal replied as he finished his tuna. “Not like I have anyone else to talk to, anyway.” He aimed further down and snatched the roll that was on Snake’s left asscheek. Chills shot through Hal as he watched the supple flesh jiggle, now unburdened by the tiny piece of Japanese cuisine. Had he not been in the middle of eating, Hal would’ve thought his mouth was watering from that alone.

“See something you like?” Dave teased from Emmerich’s lap, snapping his attention back to the demon.

“Yeah, the food,” Hal denied quickly as he shoved the entire piece in his mouth.

Snake leered. “If you like it so much, why don’t you take the other one, then?”

The man looked back over to the roll that awaited him on Dave’s other cheek. He could feel his pants tightening and knew that the demon could feel it as well. With a face as red as a cherry, Hal moved a shaky hand toward the remaining piece.

Then the demon swiveled his hips, and it was over.

Hal shot up from his seat, completely knocking Snake off of him in the process. He then screamed several apologies as he pulled the incubus up off the carpet.

“I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! DID YOU HIT YOUR HEAD?!” Emmerich panicked.

“No, no you’re fine. I had it coming,” Dave groaned. “Took it too far.”

“What? No, it was hot!” Hal protested. “Really… really hot.”

They looked at the assortment of seafood that had undoubtedly failed the five second rule, then back up at each other.

“You wanna eat something else?” Dave prompted.

“I-I can’t tell if you’re trying to seduce me or ask a genuine question,” the human replied. His heartbeat pounded across what he felt was his entire body.

Snake rested back onto the couch, this time his back arched upwards facing Hal. “It can be both,” the demon reasoned as he performed a redux of the move that made Emmerich lose his shit.

The chopsticks fell to the ground.

“Fuck, you’re so hot,” Hal mumbled as he stumbled over to the couch. He could hear his partner trying to cover up a laugh while he undid his pants. Not that he was going to do much with what was underneath it; the pressure was suffocating.

With his glasses still on, Hal immediately faceplanted into the demonic derriere and greeted it with a flurry of kisses. Malleable flesh squished against his face no matter where he smooched. To contrast his selfish indulgence, Hal rubbed his hands against the outer parts of Snake’s ass appreciatively.

“You’re so damn cute,” Dave commented as Hal rose for air. “Pretty good for a first-timer, too.”

“Sorry,” Hal laughed bashfully. “I just… y’know?”

“Trust me, I know. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want it.”

Hal gave a quick sigh of relief before diving back between his cheeks. Snake’s pucker twitched as if to greet Hal, to which he gave it a lick. Dave groaned accordingly. “Shit.”

With that, his intensity increased. The man fervently licked and kissed all across his asshole as if it were the most valuable thing in the world. He continued to massage Dave’s cheeks with one hand, while with the other Hal instead began to jerk himself off. Snake wasn’t the only one who needed to be stimulated at that moment.

That didn’t stop the incubus from instinctually pressing himself further into Hal’s face, completely smushing his flesh against the otaku’s glasses in the process. Hal was too deep in his lustful haze to mind how the bridge of his frames pressed into his nose. All he did was tonguefuck his lover instead. The small, rational part of him that remained wondered how much of it was the pheromones influencing him, if at all. It wasn’t its fault that Dave was so damn sexy.

Precum beaded dollops against his rapid, desperate fist. As Hal moved back to catch his breath, he could tell it wouldn’t be long until he finished. “Dave…”

“If you wanna go for it, go for it,” the demon’s breath ragged as he lowered himself. “Fuck me.”

Not one to disappoint, Hal lined his erection up to the newly slicked anus and inserted it. It technically wasn’t his first time fucking Snake, but the snug sensation still felt new to him. “You’re so fucking tight,” he winced with pleasure.

The two fell into an awkward rhythm that slowly settled itself out the faster they went. Emmerich could feel the wind get knocked out of him every time Dave slammed his backside into him. His breaths, grunts, and moans became more and more unstable with every loud plap. In Hal’s libido-filled mind, he still found it in him to quietly thank the demon for the soundproofing.

It made it much easier for Hal to announce his incoming orgasm seconds before it happened. Skin slapped against skin as they pressed into each other as hard as they could. Hal felt as though he’d never be able to cum again given how much came out of him. More saliva drooled out of Hal’s mouth as he screamed, his head hanging back in total submission as the world around him flashed in and out.

Whether it be from that, the blood rush, or both, Hal felt everything around him begin to fade away as they always did. He was too weak to try to snap himself out of the encasing darkness and allowed Dave to do it for him. By the time Hal came to, Dave was sitting facing him with his legs crossed and fingers squeezing the bridge of his nose.

“How… how fast did you do that…?” the human asked weakly.

“It took longer than you think. You were out for a bit.” Snake pulled Hal close to his naked body and allowed him to rest there. The demon combed his fingers through Emmerich’s sweat-ladened bangs. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for things to get intense.”

“But short,” Hal pointed out through his thin breath. “’t’s good enough compromise.”

Dave made a noise of acknowledgement before kissing Hal’s forehead, renewing a bit of the nerd’s energy. “Still in the mood for sushi?”

Hal pressed his face into Snake’s chest in a futile attempt to hide his laughter. “With clothes this time.”

The demon smiled as he ruffled Emmerich’s hair some more. “I can live with that.”

Notes:

I'm so subtle about my hyperfixations guys

Chapter 10: Brighter Side of Lakeside

Notes:

Yesterday (12/20) was the 9th anniversary of my internet debut as Midna127 and I admittedly wanted to get this out during that time but couldn't.

Hal played with his jean jacket as he waited for Snake to bring out the surprise he was promised. The demon promised it wouldn’t take long and that they would have enough time to make it to the park, but Hal still stressed over it and quite literally everything that could go wrong.

‘What if we’re late and she thinks I stood her up? Or if I say something that upsets her? Or if the three of us end up in a tragic roller coaster incident that makes international headlines, and we all end up in the hospital and she goes “if I never met with you guys this wouldn’t have happened” and then she throws us out of the hospital window and-’

A loud rumble cut through the air, causing him to cover his ears instinctively. The noise got louder as the source approached him before stopping completely. Hal looked up and was taken aback at the sight of Dave sitting on a motorcycle, his chin resting atop one of his hands.

“Happy birthday,” said Snake.

“It’s not my-” Hal started, then stopped. “Oh. Uh, the bike?”

Dave shut off the motor and got off the seat. “My family’s fond of ‘em. Figured a guy like you could use one to help get around the city. And,” he added as he patted the now-empty seat, “it’s big enough for two.”

Hal eyed the motorcycle appreciatively. “It’s beautiful, but I think I need a license to drive it.”

“Done.”

“Wh- already?!” he asked as he looked at the demon in disbelief.

Snake reached into the pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out an ID card. “You’re all set to take the wheel.” He pressed the gift into Hal’s palm, to which the human looked at it in awe. It was undoubtedly the real deal, even if he had a feeling it was actually Dave posing as him in the picture. When Hal looked up to thank him, he saw a helmet own being presented to him. It didn’t occur to him until that moment that Snake wasn’t wearing one.

“Is this really for me?” Hal questioned.

The incubus ruffled his greyed hair. “For you, Mouse.”

“You’re not letting that go, are you?” said Emmerich as he took the helmet from Dave’s free hand.

“Not anytime soon. Here.” Dave moved both of his hands down to the human’s ears and covered them. A spell could be heard amidst the muffled noise, but there was no chance of Hal being able to decipher it anytime soon, nor did he understand what it was for even after it was finished, to which he asked for clarification.

“You’ll only hear the sounds that you’ll need to whenever you’re on the bike,” the demon explained. “I’m guessing that’s why you were covering your ears earlier.”

Hal looked back over at the motorcycle curiously. “It was, yeah. Those things are loud.” He turned over to the demon and smiled. “Thanks, Dave.”

Snake gave him an equally warm grin that turned into a wry smirk. “You’re welcome. Just try not to do anything while I’m driving. We’re going to be pressed up against each other for a while on the drive over.”

“Why wait?” Hal teased. He rose his hand, long enough to telegraph the move, and gave the demon’s ass a hearty smack.

That was a mistake.

Even if he were on the bike, he would’ve undoubtedly heard the ripple effects across the city. Several buildings shook on their foundations. Fire hydrants exploded. Pedestrians of all backgrounds began scrambling and screaming as different car alarms went off. And to make things worse, there were a few cracks forming across the pavement.

Horrified was an understatement in terms of his reaction. Hal covered his mouth, bug-eyed and in shock. Snake, however, looked unfazed.

“Not as bad as the last time that happened,” he admitted casually. “If it makes you feel any better. The city’s still standing, at least.”

Instead of relief, images from their failed nantaimori flashed across Hal’s vision. “I had my head between those…” he whispered, his breath taken away from the realization.

Dave glanced at Hal and cringed, realizing the vast difference of their perspectives on the incredibly bizarre moment. “Do… do you just want to teleport to the park? We’re not under CCTV, right?”

“I don’t think we are,” came Hal’s muffled voice. “Let’s just go.”

“Yeah,” he replied as he clutched the human’s hand, “that’s probably for the best.”

 

XXX

 

Moments later, the two inconspicuously appeared in a toilet stall. Hal fought the urge to comment on how that morning had “gone through the pisser,” mainly so that they wouldn’t get caught. That and it was too much of a dad joke for him to feel confident saying.

Dave, on the other hand, had no problem surveying the area so openly. “Nobody’s here,” he reported. Thankful that they didn’t have to hide in a bathroom stall any longer, the two emerged awkwardly. Hal hoped that it would stay empty for a while.

“I am so sorry I did that,” both of them said in unison, followed by a shared “what?”

“Snake, I literally rose my hand and slapped it. I’m the catalyst,” said Hal.

“Yeah, and I saw you going for it but didn’t do anything,” the demon pointed out. “Sorry.”

The two gazed into the mirrors in front of them and took in the muffled silence for a moment. Crowds, rides, and music could be heard from the world outside that small, isolated men’s bathroom. And somewhere in that lively amusement park, Emma could be waiting for the couple at any moment.

A revelation unfurled inside of Hal.

“Hey,” Emmerich said softly, grabbing Dave’s attention. “you weren’t assuming the worst when I went to do that, right?”

Dave blushed at his own words being used against him. “Oh, don’t even.”

Hal laughed and squeezed Snake’s hand. “No, I mean… now whatever happens here won’t be so bad in comparison. We don’t have to worry about it.”

The embarrassment on the incubus’ face faded as he looked over at his lover. “Well, that’s one way to look at it.” He lowered himself down and gave Hal a chaste kiss on the cheek, giving the human a burst of energy. “For luck. Just in case.”

Now it was Hal’s turn to blush. He let go for a moment to wash his hands (he wasn’t taking any chances with a public restroom) before returning to Dave’s solid grasp.

“Alright. I think I’m ready,” said Emmerich after he took a deep breath.

Dave trusted that he was and allowed the human to take the lead as they headed out of the bathroom. Bright sunlight beamed across the vibrant park grounds, bathing across its hundreds of visitors. Couples, families, and friend groups made up the bulk of park attendees, which helped the two blend in seamlessly. For all anyone knew, they were two human friends out to spend their day together.

The third human was found about a few minutes away from them, sitting patiently on one of the benches before spotting them.

“Hal!” Emma called out, seizing their attention. He noticed her and waved as he approached her, disguised demon in tow.

“Hey. Were you waiting long?” Hal asked apologetically.

Emma shook her head. “Nah, I just got here a few minutes ago.” She looked at Dave and smiled playfully. “And I’m guessing this is your boytoy?”

The otaku became as red as a tomato. In contrast, Snake simply smiled and said jokingly, “actually, it’s the other way around.” Hal blushed even harder.

“Not surprised,” Emma teased. Her step-brother could feel his face burning brighter than the sun.

“C-Can we talk about literally anything else right now?” he stammered.

Emma chuckled. “I’m just messing with you, Hal, I know it’s not like that.” She then held out her hand towards Dave. “Glad to finally meet you in-person, Dave.”

“Same here,” said Dave as he shook her hand. “I’ve read up on your blog. How’s Otacon doing?”

“Oh, he’s fine. Hal actually bought him some toys when we went shopping the other day, and now that’s all he ever wants to play with,” she relayed. “I can’t even program without him coming over and tapping them on my keyboard. Have you ever had a bird?”

“Nah. I’m more of a dog person myself, actually.”

The two quickly divulged into a long conversation about their experiences as pet owners: their ups, downs, and all the quirky things they’ve encountered along the way. Hal, on the other hand, had no such experience, nor the social skills to insert himself into the discussion. Instead he resorted to standing and watching as the two most important people in his life confided in each other.

‘At least she likes him,’ he thought, relieved.

He only hoped that things would go up from there.

Chapter 11: Then and Now

Notes:

My plans for the Lakeside chapter became so large that I split it into three parts, sorry-

He was an ungodly beast created to feast on the desires and insecurities of man.

Destruction, death, and discord were the price many were willing to pay if it meant getting to enlist his services. Human lives were nothing but pure entertainment and sustenance for him. His natural exudation of lust could spell the end of humanity if he used it right.

He was also the only one to want to ride the Mountain Coaster again.

“Can’t. I’m already feeling nauseous,” Emma groaned after Dave proposed returning to it.

“You okay?” Hal asked her, similarly shaken from the old roller coaster.

Emma pulled out a water bottle that he’d bought her earlier and drank from it. “I think so.”

“We can sit down if you need to,” Snake offered. “I’m getting kind of hungry anyways.”

The brunette girl hunched over and massaged her stomach for a moment. Instinctively, both Hal and Dave grabbed her arms and carried her over to the nearby women’s restroom. Emma’s adrenaline spiked as she took her cue to rush through the doors before it was too late.

Hal looked over at his lover to thank him for the help, only to immediately get cut off with the sounds of retching coming from the small building before them.

“Has she always been sensitive to rides?” the demon asked curiously.

“A little, yeah,” Hal admitted. “We’ve always been the type of people to admire the behind-the-scenes work on amusement park rides. It’s the only thing our bodies can consistently handle.”

“Ah, I get it,” Dave nodded. “I like it. That’s cute.”

The human blushed at the compliment. Not even Emma’s stomach troubles in the background could take that away from him. “You wanna sit over there while we wait? It’s kind of weird for two guys to be standing outside the women’s bathroom.”

Snake shrugged. The two walked over to one of the nearby benches and sat, slightly relieved that they were away from the crowd. However, it didn’t take long for Dave to stir.

“I’m going to grab something from that vendor over there,” he said as he gestured over to a park employee standing next to a resting cart. “You want anything?”

“No, thank you. Not right now.”

“Alright.” With that, Snake stood up and headed towards the employee. Hal watched quietly, though it didn’t take long for him to get wrapped up in his thoughts again.

The trio had been at the Lakeside Amusement Park for roughly an hour and a half at that point, and yet Hal felt closer to them than ever. Emma and Dave were also hitting things off really well, with most of their conversations being initiated on their own. Even with the Emmerichs both getting nausea from an old ride, the experience was nothing short of positive. At least Hal hoped so.

‘Didn’t something like this happen last time?’ he thought. The man scoured his brain of any specific childhood memories and stumbled across the last time they’d visited the park together.

 

XXX

 

Their parents were both caught up with work, so a family friend had offered to take them out for the day. They rode a coaster, probably a different one, when little Emma started feeling sick. Hal remembered rushing her towards the nearest women’s restroom. The chaperone must’ve been somewhere nearby but couldn’t go in, and neither could Hal. Despite that, Emma was insistent amidst her nausea.

“Emma, it’s okay. I’ll be right out here,” the teen assured his step-sister. “I can’t go in there, but I’m not going to leave you. I promise.”

She was always the stubborn type, especially when it came to her brother. The two were social outcasts, a fact that was much harder on Emma than it was for Hal. Emma looked at him anxiously with tear-laden eyes. He knew they didn’t have much time, so he threw out whatever he could think of to encourage the child.

“You have to be brave, alright? It’d make me happy if you were. And I’ll even get you something if you go in there right now.”

The last-second bribe was enough to convince her, at least to him. Emma darted into the bathroom and subsequently tossed her cookies behind closed doors. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Hal was happy that she didn’t do so to him. Selfishness be damned, the teen also hated to see her suffer.

Unlike him, she didn’t deserve it.

A hand touched his shoulder.

 

XXX

 

Hal jolted towards his assailant, only to find Dave holding a bag of popcorn.

“You okay?” the demon asked as he sat back next to him.

“Yeah, just… thinking about the last time I’ve been here, that’s all,” said Hal. “How’s the popcorn?”

“Pretty good, actually. I was going to get ice cream,” he admitted before moving the bag closer to Hal. “But that would’ve been harder to share in case you changed your mind.”

The Emmerich blushed and combed a strand of hair behind his reddening ears. “Thanks.” He grabbed a few kernels and popped them into his mouth. “I used to be able to catch these mid-air, y’know.”

“Who says you can’t now?” Dave asked, amused.

Hal rolled his eyes. “The universe, apparently. Look, I’ll show you.”

He grabbed another piece of popcorn and tossed it up in the air. Hal threw his neck back to follow its trail, only to miss the mark as the kernel hit his frames instead. Despite his altered perspective, he could still see Snake trying not to laugh out of the corner of his eye.

“Man, you suck,” came Emma’s voice. The man looked over to the source and saw his step-sister looking much more comfortable than she had before. Unlike the two of them, she wasn’t wearing any clothes that tied back to the Lakeside brand, instead opting for leggings, a grey jacket, and an orange shirt with kanji that Hal couldn’t translate even if he tried.

The only thing he knew for sure was the necklace that she was wearing- a red gemstone in the shape of a sun. It was the same one he gave her all those years ago when they last visited the park. He couldn’t help but smile at the realization.

“Yeah, it’s ‘cause I’m getting old,” he joked.

“Well, come on then, geezer. Let’s check out the games,” Emma teased. “If that’s fine with you, Dave.”

“Don’t need to ask for my permission if you’re looking for it,” said Dave as he stood up from the bench, half-eaten bag in hand. “You guys know this place better than I do, anyways.”

The step-siblings looked at each other. Hal couldn’t tell if this was his way of letting the two bond with each other directly or not, but he liked the mental image of being joint tour guides. It was clear from the look in her eyes that Emma felt the same.

“Yeah,” said Hal, “I guess we do.”

 

XXX

 

The trio were on their way to one of the booths when its assigned employee made a mad dash past them.

“OH MY GOD IT’S COMING! GET OUT OF THE WAY!” the employee screamed. “NONONONONO!” Before any of them could ask what he was referring to, the man had burst into the men’s bathroom at the speed of sound.

“Why does this place have so many bathrooms?” Emma asked aloud.

Dave shrugged. “May as well go while we wait.”

Had Hal not been looking at him, he wouldn’t have noticed the agenda that flashed in the incubus’ gaze. The vagueness worried him, but he knew now was not the time to ask questions.

“Alright. We’ll be here,” he said.

Snake glanced over at Hal and gave him a quick one-over before flashing a grin. “I won’t be long. Hopefully he won’t be, either.”

The Emmerichs watched as Dave moved away from the group and into the confines of the men’s bathroom. Even with the crowd around them, they couldn’t help but fall silent and awkward.

“If you’re waiting out here because of me, you don’t have to,” said Emma. “I can handle myself.”

Hal shook his head insistently. “I don’t have to go.”

“Oh.” Emma began to play with the zipper on her jacket. “I like him.”

“Who?”

“Dave. He’s kinda odd, but not in a bad way,” she smiled. “Wouldn’t go so far to steal him from you, though. Even if he is a hunk.”

He smirked. “Sorry, but I found him first.”

Emma drew out a dramatic sigh. “My life is full of pain. Suffering, even,” she joked.

Well, sort of, and they both knew it. Even then, Hal knew that she likely had no idea what he went through after abandoning her. But instead of another bout of silence, the two chose to laugh in earnest instead, allowing any tension to dissipate between them.

“Seriously, though, he’s pretty chill. You’re pretty lucky to have a guy like him,” Emma continued. “Met him through the internet, right?”

“Yeah,” he lied. “Why?”

She shrugged. “Maybe that’s how I’ll find someone. I mean, it’s how we found each other again. And you met him through it. I should give it a shot.”

“It’s worth a try,” Hal offered. “You’ll never know who you’ll find.”

Emma nodded then looked at the men’s restroom. “Like that employee, maybe. How long is he gonna be in there for?”

Part of Hal wanted to go into the building himself to see what was going on. He doubted that Snake was going to feed on that man considering his… situation, whatever it was. But considering that he wasn’t coming out either, clearly something was going on.

“Good question.”

Notes:

Next chapter properly introduces/heavily features my goat, following chapter is a return to form (aka smut)

Chapter 12: Play Ball

Notes:

*twirls hair with my finger* Hiii Johnnyyyyyyy

“IBS should stand for ‘it’s a bitch shitter,’” the man lamented quietly as he finished his business. It was his third trip that day.

Such is a day in the life of Johnny Sasaki. Though happily married to a wife with a job that could easily provide for the couple on its own, he felt that he had to do his part to help around the house. Thus he got a job as a games operator at the Lakeside Amusement Park. He had a feeling that had it not been for his work ethic, he would’ve been fired by now.

Johnny flushed the john behind him and opened the stall door, completely unaware of what was about to happen to him. The second he saw Snake sitting on the bathroom sink, he shrieked.

“WHERE THE HELL DID YOU COME FROM?!” the poor employee hollered.

“You just answered your own question,” the incubus said flatly. “I need you to do a favor for me.”

“A f-favor? What, like rigging a-”

Dave slunk off of the sink and landed in front of Johnny. “No. I need to borrow your body.”

“My- look, pal,” Johnny flustered, “I don’t know who you are, but I sure as hell know I’m a married man. To a woman.” He then lowered his voice. “Besides, I’m on the clock.”

Snake rolled his eyes and allowed his natural horns to grow along the sides of his head with a snap of his fingers. “Look, if you let me pilot your body for the rest of your shift, I’ll be doing all of your work while you get to kick back and relax. It’s free money.”

Having never seen a demon before, Johnny should have been freaking out. However, there was a far greater evil that he had to face, and it was something that needed to be addressed while he had the chance to.

“Will you do something about my… condition?” he asked as he glanced back over to the toilet stall.

“Uh,” Dave said awkwardly, “I can try-”

“Deal.”

 

XXX

 

It was almost ceremonious when that door finally opened. Neither Hal nor Emma were keeping track of the time but felt like they were waiting forever. Hal was so relieved that he almost didn’t question why Dave was still in the restroom.

“Kept you waiting, huh?” the employee asked the step-siblings. “Sorry about that. I’ll let you guys play for free for making you stay for that long.”

“Is that even allowed?” Emma asked the blonde.

The man thought it over for a minute, which gave Hal enough time to observe him. Johnny (according to his nametag) certainly had a more confident stance than he did before, and parts of his body seemed to be… fuller. Not comically buff, but certainly sporting a subtle build.

And Dave was somewhere in the middle between the two.

“Well, we shouldn’t pass it up if we’re offered it. Right?” Hal asked before he looked directly into Johnny’s eyes, watching them soften as the three made eye contact. “Johnny” did his best to hide a knowing smile.

Emma, on the other hand, was none the wiser. “I mean, if you’re sure we’re not violating an employee policy with this, then fine.”

“Well, if you two will follow me to the booth, we can get started,” said Johnny. With that, the step-siblings trailed after the Lakeside employee towards his assigned station: a ball toss game.

“I wonder if the games are still rigged. I remember not being allowed to play them because of it,” Hal commented quietly.

The girl cracked her knuckles. “We got the power of physics on our side. If anyone knows how to outsmart a carnie, it’s us.” Emma then pointed up towards a large plush of Neko-chan, a character that managed to escape the confines of Sutekina Sugoi Neko-chan into American pop culture. “I don’t know about you, but she’s who I’m going for.”

If either Johnny or Dave were listening in, they showed no signs of acknowledgement. The vessel clutched his hand around a set of plastic ping-pong balls and presented them to the Emmerichs. “I’d say the rules are similar to beer pong or cornhole, but you two don’t strike me as the partying type. Just throw the ball and try to land them in the cups in the center.” As he said this, Johnny pointed at the set of plastic solo cups on the table next to him with his other hand.

“Now, I’ll give you this round for free, but any after that’s gonna be five bucks. I can’t risk getting in trouble.” He paused and winced. “More trouble.”

He then handed the balls over to Hal, who accepted them with an air of uncertainty. Hal gave Emma half of his stock, rendering him with three little orange orbs.

“You guys can start whenever you’re ready,” Johnny concluded as he leaned his back against the counter.

Not wanting to risk anything with his sister, Hal stepped forward as volunteer. He grabbed one of the balls and shuffled it across his palm. Nothing about it was physically wrong; it was the standard build for such a thing. But he knew something about it felt off.

Hal carefully aimed towards one of the centermost cups, pulled his arm back a bit, and tossed the ball lightly. The three watched it bounce off several different cups before it finally landed in the exact spot he went for.

“We have a winner right off the bat!” Johnny announced as Hal looked at his result in disbelief. “Not quite the center spot, but it’s good enough for a medium prize!”

“Hell yeah!” cheered Emma. “That was awesome, Hal!”

Instead of celebrating, however, he looked at the next ball he placed in his hand before setting his sights on one of the cups further out. Definitely enough to warrant a smaller prize if he managed to get it in, but Hal wasn’t hoping to get a Robbie plush. He just wanted to prove his theory.

So he haphazardly threw the second ball towards the spot. Unlike before, it landed straight into the cup, bounced out, and landed in another medium cup.

“Another medium prize! If you get another, you’ll get upgraded to a large!” Johnny explained. Hal shot him a suspicious look, not even bothering to watch the cups as he threw the last ball with his weaker hand. He didn’t need to look to know why Emma gasped seconds later.

“Damnnnn, Hal! Why didn’t you play these things sooner?!”

The ball had landed into the centermost cup. The automatic guarantee for a large prize. Either Dave cursed the game, or the universe was being generous, and Hal doubted the universe ever really had any love for him to begin with.

Regardless, it was Emma’s turn now. “I definitely can’t beat your record, but I’ll try!”

The girl was much more deliberate in her approach the whole way through compared to her step-brother. With each try Emma was careful to mentally measure her distance, her strength, and even relative wind speed to get as close to the center as she could. Whether it was her insightful attempts or Dave’s magic, she was able to hit her targets.

“Geez, you guys are amazing!” Johnny cheered. “Pick any prize you want. You’ve both earned it.”

Hal shot him another suspicious look. “Any?”

“Yeah, you two won in your respective turns.” The employee seemed a bit tense at the potential rejection of such a reward. “That’s how it goes around here. You can pick whatever you want.”

“Mhm. Well, if that’s the case, we’ll get two Neko-chan plushes.”

Emma eyed her brother quizzically. “Wait, you like Neko-chan, too?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I’ve been meaning to get a good plush of her anyways,” he admitted. “Have you seen how bad those prices go for online?”

“I know, right? Ugh! It’s the worst!” she said. “I saw a cute one of her holding a mini teddy bear, and it went for a hundred dollars. A hundred dollars! That’s at least fifty too many!”

The employee watched them delve into deep conversation about their niche love for otaku goodies until his poor bowels couldn’t take it anymore. A loud growl interrupted their lively conversation. Johnny laughed nervously.

“Alright, uh, take the stuffed animals and- I gotta go, bye!”

Johnny thrusted the precious plushies at them before jumping out of the booth and making a mad dash past the Emmerichs back towards the bathroom. Thankfully for the duo, they managed to catch the plush toys before they fell to the ground.

“Oh, wow, she even has a Robbie t-shirt!” Emma noted as she inspected her prize. “These have to be part of some park collab. They came out looking really good.”

“Probably because they didn’t expect people to actually win them,” said Hal.

As soon as he said that, he felt a tug of guilt. Emma really had no idea what was going on this whole time, but he also doubted that she’d so much as believe him if he told the truth. Plus there was never really a conversation with Snake about revealing his identity to her either. The whole thing was starting to make his head spin with confusion and worry.

Suddenly his phone buzzed. Hal held his new prize underneath his armpit as he retrieved his device and flipped it open to read the message left to him from an unknown number:

here until shift ends have fun with emma

“Did Dave text you?” Emma asked. “Is he still in the bathroom?”

Hal repeated the text in his head, then closed his phone. “Uh, he said there was a family emergency.”

She covered her mouth in shock. “Oh my God.”

He did his best to hide how uncomfortable both the lie and its reaction made him. Not for his own sake, but for hers. At that moment, Hal figured that the truth would be revealed soon enough, so long as Dave was willing to talk when they got home.

So he put his phone away and turned to Emma with a smile. “Everything’s going to be fine. He told us we could stay here in the meantime, if you’d like.”

Emma hesitated. “Is he going to be okay?”

“Yeah, of course he is. Dave’s the kind of guy who looks after others,” he said with a reassured smile. “So that’s what he’s out doing.”

Hal watched the anxiety slightly fade across her face. “Alright,” she said. “Do you need a ride home after?”

“Me? Oh, uh, I’ll be fine,” he replied as he clutched the amulet in his other pocket. “You wanna go on the Ferris Wheel?”

Emma appeared to relax at the suggestion. “Sure. They better let us bring our Neko-chans or I’m suing.”

“For what?” he asked.

“I dunno, toy discrimination or something.” She smiled wryly and grabbed Hal by the hand. “So we going or what?”

Hal laughed. “Right, sorry. We can talk while we walk.”

And they did. The two made their way through the amusement park together, making sure to stop at every booth, ride, and shop that they set their sights on. They even found t-shirts for the Neko-chan collaboration, which they immediately bought upon discovery. Though Hal paid for most of their expenses, Emma would step up from time to time and insist on covering the tab.

As the Emmerichs frolicked and thrived that afternoon, Hal couldn’t help but feel like a child again: the time he really got to be one. And with his little sister by his side, there was nowhere either of them could go wrong.

Well, for now, at least.

Notes:

Next chapter will be smut, lock in

Chapter 13: Self-Love

Notes:

Got my phone stolen while my boyfriend was visiting last week, lost my Instagram account in the process, and now he's back home on the other side of the country, so I'm straight up not having a good time rn. To paraphrase oomf, I have the AO3 author curse.

Anyways here's that smut I promised.

Hal was the first to watch Johnny stagger out of the bathroom excitedly. Emma would have seen it, had it not been for her step-brother’s insistence that she left without him.

“You sure you don’t want me to drive you to the hospital? Or you could come to my place while you wait. I could introduce you to Otacon,” she offered. “He really likes you from what I’ve told him.”

He did his best to hide his fears of the budgerigar as he replied, “I can hitchhike if a taxi doesn’t work out. You don’t have to worry about us.”

The otaku had gotten another text from Dave during their escapades instructing him to elaborate a bit on the so-called ‘family emergency’ he’d concocted. After getting his approval, Hal relayed to Emma that Dave’s mother had suddenly collapsed and was currently in the ER.

From the way she looked at him, Hal felt that Emma took it as a sign of grief rather than rejection. She nodded and smiled at him with pity.

“Well, if you need anything, let me know.” Emma made her way over towards the park gates, then turned to look at her step-brother one last time. “And keep me updated! Don’t be a stranger!”

Hal watched as she integrated with the crowd of people leaving Lakeside. The park wasn’t going to close for another six hours, but he had a feeling that those families would rather have dinner at home than at a place where Robbie the Rabbit watched your every move. He chuckled at how great a horror concept it was.

He took those thoughts with him towards the same restroom where Dave had promised him via text that they’d meet after Johnny’s shift had finished. Thankfully, Hal didn’t even have to go inside to see the vessel stumble out the door with a big grin on his face.

“YES! I’M CURED! OH, THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE SINCE MY WEDDING!” Johnny cried out as he cartwheeled with joy. “FREEDOM AT LAST!”

Emmerich watched the park employee with a mix of happiness and cringe before stepping into the bathroom. He made sure that the door closed behind him on the way in.

The first thing Hal saw when he looked up was Dave sitting on the bathroom sink. “So how’d it go?”

“Great, actually,” he answered. Hal clutched his bag of goodies close to him, the Neko-chan plush poking its head out. He noticed Dave smiling at the sight of it. “How about your shift?”

“I can see why people call those kinds of service jobs ‘hell.’ Felt like something I’d see back home.” He bit his lip as his eyes darkened. “Plus there was the whole IBS thing I had to deal with.”

Hal placed a reassuring hand on Snake’s shoulder. “Well, it’s over now, right?”

“Yeah.”

Despite his one-word answer, it was clear that he wanted to say something more. Hal looked at the demon, silently prodding him to speak his mind. Dave scratched his wrist and sighed.

“I was wondering if you’d like to spend the night at my place.”

“Oh.” The man thought back to what had happened that morning and wondered if that had something to do with it, to which he asked Snake about it.

“Well… yeah, but I’ve also never gone out with a human before. I don’t know if you’d even like going there,” Dave explained. “It’s not exactly in a place people want to be.”

Hal squeezed Dave’s shoulder. “I’ll only go where you’d want me to. Besides, it’d be a nice change of pace from my apartment.”

After a moment of hesitation, Snake hummed as he picked up Hal’s hand and kissed it. “Alright. Let’s go.”

 

XXX

 

True to his word, Hal never went so far as the backyard. He couldn’t have even if he wanted to. It wasn’t every day that he got to be inside a demon’s house instead of his own apartment, after all.

Each room was abound with comfortable, luxurious furniture. Bookshelves full of texts spanning across time lined the walls. Whatever free space there was left on those walls were covered in tapestries and 80s rock posters alike. The whole space was climate-controlled, preventing the poor human from the heat of fire and brimstone just outside.

Instead his warmth came from Dave’s hand as he guided Hal through the house, winding him through each room as his excitement began to become more evident.

“I’d show you the den, but the dogs are asleep right now,” he noted. “They always are around this time, and they don’t exactly like when you wake them up early.”

“How many do you have?” Hal inquired as he admired the softness of the carpet beneath their feet.

“Seventeen, but only one of ‘em has two heads.”

Hal shot his attention towards his partner. “Only one?”

“Yeah, our dogs tend to have three,” Dave explained casually. “You guys have characters like Bonji and Snippy, we have Cerberus. Thought you knew about him.”

“I did! I just… didn’t think that’d actually be a thing,” Hal admitted. “That’s a lot of mouths to feed.”

Dave rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah, but it doesn’t take ‘em much to love someone. They’re some of the sweetest guys I know outside of yourself.”

Emmerich blushed. “Guess I’m like one of those dogs, then, huh?”

“I’ll throw some raw steak at you and see if that’s true, then,” Snake joked, to which Hal laughed. He felt Dave run his thumb across his fingers, sparking an idea he’d kept in the back of his mind since his time with Emma. And a regretful one at that.

“Hey… what’s it like to possess someone?”

Dave blinked a look of surprise. “Like being in your own body, but with someone squished up against you on the inside. Why?”

Hal stammered a bit. “It’s, uh- I don’t even know how to say this. Could you… uh…?”

“Possess you?” Dave finished curiously.

“Yeah,” he confirmed with a great shame. “It just looked really cool when you did it with that guy, and-”

“You don’t have to explain yourself. I’m not offended.” As he said this, Snake grasped onto Hal’s shoulders and looked him in the eye. “It feels weird at first, but you get used to it.”

The otaku pushed up his drooping glasses, giving him a clearer sight of Dave’s unyielding gaze. “Will it hurt?”

“Not at all. Just practice those anxiety techniques and the hard part will be over before you know it.”

Hal took in his words and exhaled as he closed his eyes. He knew that Dave would find out it was something he had a vague, erotic interest in, and was more scared about that than the possession itself. Part of him felt like a hypocrite for it and what exactly it entailed. Maybe now was a good time to-

He felt a strong blow to his stomach and nearly toppled over. His head swarmed with a loud buzzing noise as he felt his skin stretch and squeeze. Then Hal felt claustrophobic. Very claustrophobic. It was as if the sheer pressure was burning him alive. The man instinctually went to gasp for air but found that he was breathing just fine.

A hand trailed across his cheek- his hand, but not his hand. His fingers stretched out on someone else’s command and clenched a few times.

“It worked!” his voice cheered. “Hal, you alright?”

“Very… crushed…” Hal replied weakly. The burning began to grow.

Suddenly, he felt himself jostle a bit inside of his body as a force rubbed up against him- Dave.

“Sorry. Here, take the driver’s seat,” the demon offered. None of those words came from Hal’s body, which stood still and pliant. “I’ll let you take the reins for now.”

He didn’t need to test anything to see that the shift in control was passed over successfully. Now Hal could feel the intense burning sensation all over his mortal coil. He watched his slightly bulkier arms prickle with goosebumps and tried to stave it off with his own curiosity.

Emmerich attempted to walk towards the living room mirror when his body couldn’t take it anymore. He flung himself back against the wall as the agony concentrated on the place he knew was inevitable: his crotch. A mere palm against his covered cock was enough to send him moaning. The other hand slammed against the wall behind Hal to steady himself, fruitless as it was.

“Fffffuuuuccckkk…” Hal groaned as he picked up in speed. He’d never felt so pent-up in his entire life despite being in a relationship with a literal incubus. It was an otherworldly level of lust and desperation. Despite it all, it was his own hand going at it.

“You’re not exactly hard to read when I have access to your entire mind, y’know,” Snake’s voice teased inside him. “And since you’re thinking it, no, I didn’t do anything like this with Johnny. We both love our partners too much to do that.”

With a shudder, Hal unzipped his pants and yanked his stiffened manhood free. He didn’t need any sort of fantasy to get him going. By that point, he’d become nearly engulfed in the raw aura of the incubus his body now shared space with. Hal lacked the strength to hold back his cries of pleasure as his hand stroked across his aching shaft.

Just as his hand began to tire, Hal felt himself lose control as his other hand took its place. His body took a few steps forward, now having Dave’s strength to keep him standing. Still, the gasps and whimpers were all his own.

Eventually they reached the mirror, allowing them both to get a good look at Hal’s new body as Dave continued to rub. Like with Johnny, he’d gained a bit more muscle, though not to an obvious amount. The subtle, supple kind that, when noticed properly, made him look like a supermodel (even if he wasn’t sure if he felt like one).

A proud yet mischievous glint twinkled in his left eye, a further visual indication of Snake’s presence. Suddenly the body fell to its knees onto the soft carpet flooring. Hal wasn’t sure if the demon had done so on purpose, but he felt Dave’s pace quicken across his cock as they continued to watch in the mirror.

“Nngh… you were right…” Snake grunted in Hal’s voice as his palm integrated the dripping precum into the mix. “We look great together.”

Hearing his words literally echoed back to him only turned Hal on further, a feeling undoubtedly felt across his entire being. He took a moment to really look at his reflection for a moment and take in every last detail. For once, he could be vulnerable in such a way that was accepted with open arms. Hal was safe no matter what happened to him.

The smile that curved across his face belonged to them both.

He watched his free hand rise towards his chest in an instinct that wasn’t his own, then stop mid-air. “Right,” Dave noted in Hal’s voice, “you don’t want to be touched there. Sorry.”

Hal shook his head with such fervor that he temporarily regained control. “It’s okay. I trust you,” he breathed. “Touch away.”

He knew Snake was hesitating. Even if Hal couldn’t see it in the mirror, he could feel it. But his hand eventually moved on Dave’s accord underneath his shirt, up to his newfound pecs, and gently cupped one of them. Hal’s left eye flashed uncertainty for a moment. Snake ran his thumb against Hal’s hardened nipple.

And out came a moan of pure pleasure.

Ecstacy encompassed Hal as Dave continued to pleasure him. He loved the feeling of fullness that his altered body provided for them both. More pre made its way across his fingers, the tight pace around his dick growing sloppy as the two continued to chase their high. Both of them knew it wouldn’t last much longer.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” Hal’s voice croaked in between moans. “Don’t ever fucking forget that.”

Hal himself gasped as he felt himself getting close. “N-Not as beautiful as you!” he blurted. As cheesy as it was, the bliss of his incoming orgasm far outweighed the regret he felt for saying something so cringeworthy.

“Shit- NNGH!”

His back arched as their combined load hit the floor. It felt as though his body had released years of cum from how badly Dave’s lust had taken over him. So much so that, as soon as it finished, Hal’s body collapsed onto the floor. The ceiling above him was blurry even with his glasses on, but he also didn’t feel that familiar sensation of fading. It was a natural exhaustion that took over him this time, one made all the more egregious when he felt the demon’s presence leave his body. Soon Dave’s familiar face appeared in Hal’s bleary view.

“You okay?” the incubus asked as he ran a hand across Hal’s cheek.

Tired as he was, Emmerich still had the energy to lean into Dave’s touch. “Mhm.”

“Here, lemme help with that,” he whispered before kissing Hal directly on the lips. Then again. And again. He wouldn’t stop until the human had enough energy to properly get up, which Hal finally did.

“Snake?” the otaku asked quietly.

“Yeah?”

Hal smiled. “I didn’t panic.”

Dave smiled back in understanding. “I’m proud of you. But let me know if that changes, alright?”

“Right.” The human happily hugged Snake’s side, pleased with his own progress. It was that and something else that occupied his attention at that moment. “And Snake?”

“Mm?”

"...you have showers in Hell, right?"

Notes:

I was so looking forward to writing the "I think we look great together" callback ever since I wrote the line itself, you have no idea.

Chapter 14: Bedside Blues

For the first time since Hal ran away, he encountered an issue he'd been dreading: how to operate someone else's shower.

The technology itself was no different than a typical shower on Earth. It just happened to be one that he struggled to navigate, primarily with temperature regulation. One minute the otaku would be burning up, and the next he’d be blasted by a stream as cold as an Alaskan island when he’d go to change it. His shower was very awkward for something that was supposed to be relaxing.

After drying off, Hal wrapped his towel around his waist and put his fog-ladened glasses back on. It was his attempt at being modest in a place that didn't exactly warrant it. 

Thankfully for him, the bathroom was directly connected to Dave's bedroom, where he awaited Hal's return. The demon leaned shirtless against the wall and took a drag from his cigarette as he watched Hal walk into the room.

"How was it?" Snake asked.

"Well, whenever I wasn't getting hit with third-degree burns, it was nice." Hal then noticed a pile of clothes on the edge of the bed. "Are those mine?"

"I figured it would've been easier than just taking something from your place," he answered as he pressed the cigarette into a nearby ashtray. "But if you-"

Hal gasped as he held up a green shirt from the set. "These... these are soft!" he squealed. "Oh, they feel amazing! Are they really for me?"

"Why wouldn't they be?" Dave replied. He stepped away from the wall and unfolded the pajama pants so Emmerich could get a better look at them. "They're made of Vicuna fabric. Soft as they come."

"VICUNA?!" the human cried out in shock as he nearly dropped his gift. "Dave, I- I don't know what to say! Nobody's ever gotten me something so expensive! Thank you!"

The incubus smiled coyly and pointed to his own pants, which were identical to the pair he was holding. "You're welcome. I figured it'd be nice to be in matching clothes."

With fabric so luxurious, Emmerich wasted no time changing into them right then and there, not caring how much of it his partner saw. They’d just shared his body, which is as intimate as one can get. The quick change was much tamer by comparison.

Once he finished, Hal noticed that Snake had moved onto the bed. The demon sat underneath the covers alongside a plush ram whose horns resembled his own. Dave smiled and waved the ram’s arm at Hal, which prompted Emmerich to jump onto the bed to join them.

“What’s his name?” the human inquired as he crawled across the mattress.

“Belua. I’ve had him for forever,” Dave admitted. Hal settled himself next to Snake and reached over to shake Belua’s little arm.

“Nice to meet you, Belua,” Hal said playfully. “I don’t really have anything from home to introduce you to. Sorry.”

Dave looked at him with sincerity. “What do you want?”

“What, you mean right now? Like in general?”

Snake nodded. “From home, yeah. I basically brought you here with just the clothes on your back.”

“Oh.” Hal took a moment to think it over, then settled on just his laptop and charger. Once his wish was expressed, Dave snapped his fingers, and the device manifested before them.

“And I think you have someone to introduce Belua to after all,” Snake said. “Look over your side of the bed.”

Hal did so and realized he’d left a special someone out of the equation: his new Neko-chan plush. He pulled it out of his souvenir bag and up onto the bed apologetically. Even if Neko-chan always forgave others, Emmerich still felt remorse within him that could never be absolved.

He went to present the new plush to Dave and Belua when a phone rang on Dave’s nightstand. The incubus picked up his cellphone, opened it, and put it on loudspeaker with a smile.

“Hi Mother,” he greeted.

What followed was a bellowing rant of rage-induced syllables that vaguely resembled the word “snake.” The cellphone shook furiously, a sight that sent them both in shock.

“WHAT PART OF ‘DON’T DESTROY ANY CITIES UNLESS THE CLIENT WANTS IT’ DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND, YOUNG MAN?! YOUR FATHER AND I HAVE SPENT THE WHOLE AFTERNOON CLEANING UP AFTER YOUR MESS! EVEN YOUR BROTHERS HELPED WITH THE COVERUP! AND FOR WHAT?! BECAUSE I KNOW THAT’S NOT WHAT HAL WANTS!”

Despite being a demon who thrived on pure lust, the paleness Dave’s face exhibited was as human as anyone reacting to getting chewed out on such a level. Feeling wholly responsible for the situation, Hal leaned towards the speaker.

“Um, Miss EVA, ma’am, it’s Hal. I got too carried away teasing your son,” he pleaded over the line. “I… how do I say this? We were joking around, and I slapped his… uh…”

There was silence at EVA’s end. “…Hal?”

“Yeah, we’re on speakerphone,” Dave said weakly. “Mother-”

“EVA, I’m so sorry for the trouble I caused,” Hal butted in. “I genuinely didn’t expect it to happen, and I hope I can make up for taking up so much of you and your family’s time.”

Another bout of silence. Then a sigh.

“Sweetheart, you have no need to apologize. Things happen, but it’s over now,” she replied in a slightly more cheerful tone. “How are you liking my cake, by the way?”

Hal could’ve sworn he heard Snake snap his fingers somewhere underneath his pillow as two plates of chocolate cake slices appeared on the bed.

“I really like it,” he replied despite having never tried it before. “Thank you again for considering me.”

“Of course, Hal.” EVA cleared her throat. “Well, I’m going to bed soon, but call me if you need anything. I love you both so much.”

“Love you too,” Snake replied.

“Bye, Mama!” Hal waved despite EVA not being there to see it.

Dave closed the clamshell device and sighed. “Should’ve expected that to happen.”

Hal grabbed his plate and accompanying fork and drew them closer towards himself. “Sorry about that.”

“Didn’t we already have this talk?” Snake said dryly. He retrieved Hal’s plate and cut out a small piece with the fork. “Here. Allow me. You can use your laptop if you want.”

He was starting to know Emmerich all too well. Hal opened both his laptop and mouth as Dave fed him the first bit of cake. As he chewed and savored the taste, Hal took comfort in the fact that he technically didn’t lie about liking the dessert. It wasn’t until after he logged onto his email that it clicked with him.

“She made a Devil’s food cake, didn’t she?”

“Look at you being smart,” Snake teased. Hal took the next bite off the fork before returning his attention to his computer screen. He gasped.

“I got one from Emma!” Hal announced as he clicked on the message and read it aloud:

Hal,

Hope Dave’s mom is doing alright and that you guys are holding up. That really sucks. I’m sorry.

A new twinge of guilt hit him considering who they were just on the phone with.

Do you wanna do dinner at my place sometime? I feel really bad about what you guys must be going through. The last thing I’d want is for something like that to happen to my mom.

The twinge got worse. Hal felt himself leaving his body for a bit.

Lmk when you’re available so I can let Otacon know. He got so excited when I told him lol.

• Emma

Hal’s irrational fear of the bird ironically grounded him for a moment before blowing his anxiety out of proportion.

“Dave… Dave we can’t keep doing this to her.”

Snake lowered another forkful of cake. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I owe her that much, but not over email. We have to take up her offer,” Hal resolved. “We just have to figure out when.”

Not wanting to waste food, Dave ate the portion. “Alright. If you think that’s the best option here, I say we should go for it.”

Hal looked at Snake in surprise, then subsequent disappointment for having eaten part of his dessert. “Wait, you do?”

“I’ve never really been in a situation like this. Plus it’s your relationship with her here, not mine,” the incubus explained. “We should write the email tomorrow, though. It’s getting late.”

He muttered something in his ancient tongue, and suddenly the environment changed: the lights were out, the plates were gone, and the laptop was now on Hal’s nightstand. Dave tugged the human’s glasses off and kissed the bridge of his nose. “Worry about it in the morning, alright?” Snake whispered as he placed the spectacles on his side of the bed.

“Uh, Dave? You put my glasses on your nightstand,” Hal pointed out.

“Guess that means you’ll have to get all over me to get ‘em,” the demon teased. Emmerich rolled his bleary eyes and settled himself further underneath the covers. His body set snugly against Snake, while their respective plushies rested next to them. As the exhaustion from a long day began to fall over him, Hal couldn’t help but remember something he’d been meaning to ask Dave.

“What did you promise that theme park guy with in order to get him to let you possess him? He seemed pretty enthusiastic about it,” Emmerich recounted tiredly.

Hal felt Dave recoil in cringe. “Well…”

 

XXX

 

The bedroom door opened, giving way to a beautiful, muscular redhead. “Johnny, you better be…” she began before her voice trailed off. There, laying seductively on the master bed, was her husband.

“Meryl, my sweet,” Johnny crooned. “Normally I’d have dinner ready by now, but I’m so clumsy that I accidentally dropped all of my clothes and magically got rid of my IBS. Silly me!”

His nude figure took Meryl by complete surprise, as did his words. “I’m sorry, did you say you ‘magically got rid’ of your IBS?”

“Uh… long story. But I’m cured now, and I missed you soooo baaaaad at work,” Johnny continued.

She traced her eyes carefully across his exposed body. “You’re not lying so that I’ll peg you, right? Like last time?”

Johnny shook his head. “No, it’s real! I let a demon borrow my body for a bit and he granted my wish! Honest!” he insisted. With each passing word, his attempts at seduction came closer to a complete standstill.

“I-“ Meryl started, then sighed. “Alright. But if we get a repeat situation, we’re moving on from it entirely.”

“Yippee!” he cheered as he kicked his feet against the mattress. Tonight was truly the start of a new life of Johnny Sasaki.

Notes:

They could never make me hate you, Akiba.

Chapter 15: Safety Ensured

Notes:

Today (1/25/25) marks the one year anniversary of me writing NSFW content as a whole, which I started with and have primarily done work on Otasune! I figured it'd be appropriate to have some sort of commemoration chapter considering how much that fic significantly altered my AO3 experience from then on. So to everyone who's supported me throughout the past year, I want to thank you so much for it.

Hal wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he was surprised to see that Dave was already well awake by the time he was. The incubus looked down at him from his book and smiled.

“Good morning,” Dave greeted.

“Morning,” Hal moaned back. His eyes were still half-lidded as they tried to make out what his partner was reading. The text certainly wasn’t in English, but Hal was certain he would know if he had his glasses on.

If only they weren’t so far. If only the bed wasn’t too comfortable to get out of. If only Dave wasn’t like a living, breathing heating pad with his arm wrapped around Hal’s body, keeping the human close to his side. Emmerich exhaled through his nose and slunk deeper into the demon’s touch as he felt himself grow drowsy.

“It’s pretty late in the morning, you know,” Snake continued. “Almost time for lunch.”

“So wake me up when it’s lunch,” Hal rasped. His eyes were already shut by that point.

He felt Dave’s body shifting next to him, presumably putting the book away. “No, you have to wake up now. It’s not good to oversleep.”

“But I feel like a warm, toasty cinnamon bun,” he protested tiredly.

“Dammit, that is a good feeling,” Snake muttered. “I’ll just have to make you my lunch, then.”

Before Hal could process what he said, Dave wrapped his other arm around him and rolled himself on top of the human until Hal was on his back. He knelt himself around the sides of Hal’s legs and faced him directly. A flurry of kisses hit Hal’s face full-force, sending jolts of energy through him.

“Snake!” Hal squealed. “Sheesh, are you actually hungry?”

“It doesn’t have to be you. I just love seeing you flustered,” he replied breathlessly.

The human giggled and grabbed Dave by the horns, pulling him close until more than just their noses were touching. Hal was certainly awake enough to know what he was feeling. And Snake, for one, could definitely tell what was on his mind.

They kissed some more as Snake traced his hands across the fabric of Hal’s luxurious pajamas. His lower buttons magically came undone, exposing the man’s soft, pale belly.

“Not quite pudge, but you’ve definitely gained a bit of weight,” Dave observed.

“Uh… yeah, I guess,” Hal said awkwardly.

The demon chuckled. “It means you’re eating more. You were practically a stick when we met, y’know.” He placed a few kisses on the soft flesh to emphasize his point. “It’s good to see you be healthy.”

Hal felt a warmth wash over him as Snake moved his hand across the buttons on his pants. Like his shirt, they became undone and gave the incubus easy access to everything underneath it. He scooted himself backwards, bringing the man’s pants along with him. Down they went, gradually exposing everything from Emmerich’s manhood to his toes. His cock twitched at the sudden exposure.

Dave gave it a gentle touch and sighed. “Sorry, I just-”

“It’s in your nature. It’s okay,” Hal smiled softly. “Do whatever you need to do.”

“But I want you to be happy, not obligated,” Snake said. “Is there anything you want me to do? I’ll even stop.”

“Well…” the human began as he thought back to the night before. The fact that Hal was able to simultaneously explore a kink he felt was too strange even for Snake’s taste while conquering a long-instilled trauma was one of the most exhilarating experiences of his life. He relayed this to Dave, who took a moment to ponder his options.

“I know it’s a weird thing to ask, but you’re the expert here,” Hal added. “You’ve basically seen everything my brain has to offer.”

Dave drummed his fingers across Emmerich’s thighs, then snapped them in realization. “Mm. But you’re definitely going to be embarrassed by the method. I could tell by the way it hid snugly in the back of your mind.”

He didn’t like the sound of that, even though he knew it was something he was into. “W-What would I have to do?”

“Nothing much. Just listening to me. Maybe breathing something in.” Dave cusped Hal’s chin and pulled his face closer toward him. The incubus’ irises shifted from a crimson red to a soft shade of pink, then green, then blue, then finally back to red. “Or maybe just a little eye contact?”

Hal’s face turned redder than Snake’s eyes. “You saw that?” he whispered in embarrassment.

Dave laughed. “I’m not here to shame you, though I’m also not surprised you’d be into something so… unusual.”

The human averted eye contact entirely by squeezing his eyes shut. He felt his ears burn from how hard he was blushing. “I don’t think ‘embarrassment’ exactly describes it right now.”

A cool thumb ran across his cheek, drawing attention away from the heat. “Hal,” Snake said as he lowered his voice, “I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to. This is just to get you to relax, alright? You can tell me at any time to stop. Even right now.”

“I…” Hal started, then sighed. “I’m ashamed to admit that I want to try it, but I’m ready to.”

Emmerich still didn’t open his eyes, though this time he kept them shut as a way to mentally prepare himself for whatever was about to happen. There were plenty of variants that Hal would indulge in on occasion, but that was when it was just him alone inside his apartment with nothing but his right hand to keep him company.

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” the human stated.

“Alright. If you’re going to keep your eyes closed, then start practicing those anxiety techniques for me,” said Snake.

Hal wasn’t sure where he was going with this but followed the order anyways. He took a deep breath, held onto it, and exhaled. His body relaxed itself as he repeated the process several times over.

And then he felt it.

It was subtle at first, but Hal noticed a trail of mist brushing against his skin. Like gentle hands, it caressed his face and snaked its way towards his nostrils. He figured he knew what was coming next despite having no idea what was going on.

“Is it going to hurt?” he asked, his eyes still closed.

“Unless you’re into that, which I know you’re not,” Snake’s voice answered. “You ready?”

Hal nodded against what he was certain was still Dave’s hand. Soon he felt a pressurized yet sweet air seep through his nose and directly into his lungs. The entire trail left him feeling fuzzy and dizzy, but in a good way.

He wanted more.

As he continued to take in more of the intoxicating aroma, Hal felt more trails around his body. His skin tingled with delight as the mist worked its way through his ears and directly into the very confines of his brain. Everything grew hazier the more he allowed it to take over him. Even his body began to wobble a bit.

But the loss of balance came from the wave after wave of pure nirvana that caressed his very soul. The more he breathed, the more at peace Hal felt. His worries and anxieties dissipated alongside everything else. Even some of his thoughts began to vanish. For once, his mind was becoming clear rather than clogged with admittedly useless information in the grand scheme of things.

“You’re doing great,” Dave’s voice whispered in his ear. “Just keep taking deep breaths for me. You’re safe.”

Amidst the sea of comfort he found himself floating in, Hal could tell that the demon wasn’t actually next to him at all. In fact, he’d let go of Hal’s face before the voice spoke to him. The slim awareness he had of the outside world told him that the demon was waiting patiently by his legs.

And yet Hal felt himself being touched ever so intimately. His cheeks were adorned with gentle, affectionate kisses as hands gently squeezed his tummy and shoulders. Sweet whispers of affirmation from Dave overlapped as they were shared directly into Hal’s ears. They felt too distinct to be illusions. He felt his head grow lighter and lighter from that thought alone.

Eventually a hand brushed against his cock, sending another wave of pleasure across his body.

“Remember to speak up now,” one of Dave’s many voices crooned. A hand cradled Hal’s skull affectionately and drew him close to the disembodied figure. Another moved his head to face the other direction, seemingly disregarding the first one entirely. “Keep breathing. I’m here.”

Hal felt a wet vice wrap itself around the head of his dick and gasped. The voices went quiet for a moment as a brief glimpse of clarity hit him: he was laying on his back in Snake’s bed. The only person around was his partner in question, who had the tip of his dick in his mouth. He could feel the incubus hesitate to go any further. It was as though he was halting whatever powers he was using to make sure Hal could give him a sign.

Emmerich smiled appreciatively, his eyes still closed. “I’m ready.”

Suddenly he was lulled back into a state of blissful trance as the mist hit him all at once. At the same time, Hal felt the suction increase around his cock. It effortlessly bobbed its way up and down his shaft, sending him into a state of ecstasy. He cried out a moan, inadvertently opening himself up to more of that addictive substance.

“I’m so proud of you,” one of the Daves whispered to him. More hands rubbed and massaged across his body, down to his legs. The kisses became more relentless. Hal was absolutely surrounded.

And yet he felt as though he were floating. Not outright ascending like how their sex usually ended, but Hal had never felt so relaxed. So comfortable. So… safe. He sighed as he allowed himself to be kissed and touched by beings he wasn’t sure were there to begin with. His body was at their complete mercy, yet they treated it as though he were somebody important.

He liked that feeling.

As for his physical being, Emmerich knew that he was close. Compared to him, Dave was a professional, so it unsurprisingly didn’t take long to get a reaction. Still, Hal continued to ride the high he was being supplied until the very end, and the voices were there to egg him on.

“Cum whenever you’re ready.” “You’re doing so well.”  “Such a good boy.” “Fuck, you’re so cute.”

And then everything became white, and blindingly so.

Hal knew he felt good. Great. Perfect, even. But he’d become so disconnected from his body that he didn’t have much time to experience it. It was as if those hands that helped him were now dragging his soul off to be seized.

He wasn’t sure if he was ready.

And as usual, he suddenly snapped awake with his nose being pinched. The human opened his bleary eyes to find Snake panting over him with concern. A trail of cum trickled down the corner of his mouth.

“Hal…” he whispered.

“I’m okay,” Emmerich smiled weakly. “I don’t know if I’m entirely over it yet, but you were perfect.”

Dave nodded, his mind clearly still caught up somewhere else. “Backburner. Got it.” He paused, then leaned down and kissed Hal on the lips with no regard as to where his mouth had been. “I love you so much,” Snake whispered as he wrapped his arms around him.

“I-I love you too,” Hal replied. With Snake’s face hovering above him again, he was able to notice something about the incubus that he hadn’t before. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”

The demon wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and smiled. “I’ve never seen you more at peace.”

Chapter 16: Parental Intervention

Hal nearly fell back asleep in Dave’s arms. His touch was so warm and comforting that the human saw little reason to leave it. After all, they didn’t have any pressing issues to deal with that day. What was the hurt in a little more self-indulgence?

But eventually the high of their intimacy fizzled out. Snake looked down at his partner and ruffled the man’s hair affectionately.

“Alright, Mouse. Time to get up.”

Hal groaned reluctantly. “Alright. Sucks I gotta change out of these, though.”

“We’ll find something for you, don’t worry,” said Dave.

Once Hal got out of bed, Snake quickly grabbed him by the hand and led him towards a door leading to something that the otaku already figured that Snake would have: a walk-in closet.

The lights flickered on to reveal diverse rows of clothing: shirts and sweaters, pants and shorts, dresses and skirts, and plenty of suits hung from golden hangers. Jewelry boxes rested atop bureaus that Hal assumed to be for more intimate clothing choices. Shoes lined the ground, leaving a pathway that led to a series of mannequins displaying different outfits. One of them even showcased a red cheerleader uniform Emmerich was all-too familiar with.

“But you’re not a fashionista,” he said dryly, putting a hand to his hip.

“I take the artforms of disguise and seduction very seriously,” Dave stated. “It’s not just about how you act, y’know.”

As the incubus defended himself, Hal perused the closet and its many options. The sheer number of options was almost overwhelming, especially for someone who only wore the same few outfits every day.

“Do you have any pants that would match with the Neko-chan shirt I bought yesterday?” he asked.

Snake walked over to one of the bureaus and opened a drawer, revealing a series of sweatpants in a variety of colors. He pulled out a pair in red and held them up towards Hal.

“These would look good with a white shirt. Need anything else?” the demon asked as he eyed a jewelry tree draped in chains of silver and gold.

“No, thanks. I’ve got my amulet,” Hal smiled. “That’s all I need.”

“No socks or anything?”

Realizing he didn’t have any, the human laughed in embarrassment. “Okay, I guess I need those, too.”

David sauntered up to Hal and handed him the sweatpants, alongside a set of boxers and socks. “Change wherever you’d like. I don’t mind,” he said.

‘Of course you don’t, you see naked people all the time,’ Hal thought. He accepted the bundle and looked back towards the closet entrance.

“I’ll be in the bathroom. I need to cut the tags off the shirt, anyways,” said Hal.

“Alright. Don’t take too long,” Snake replied. “There’s a certain group I want you to meet.”

Emmerich vaguely recalled Dave saying something about being a dog owner and got excited at the thought of meeting them. So much so that he rushed out of the closet, into the bathroom, and changed as quickly as he could.

“He said most of them had three heads, right?” he asked himself as he parted with his beloved vicuna pajamas. “I wonder how their stomachs work. Maybe he’ll let me feed them!”

Hal’s mind flooded with wholesome imagery of him being surrounded by multi-headed dogs, each one varying in size and breed. Their many faces gave him ticklish kisses as they welcomed him as their new brother. Or, perhaps, a second father who was more than willing to take care of them.

“You okay in there?” came Snake’s voice from the other side of the door, followed by a knock. “I heard a high-pitched squeal.”

The sound was enough to jolt Hal back to reality, where he was standing shirtless in a semi-unfamiliar bathroom. His prized nightwear laid crumpled on the floor, a sight he knew would get Dave upset. Hal quickly placed them on top of the sink and slipped into his new t-shirt. Its tags scratched against his bare skin, causing him to recoil. To complete the look, he slipped the amulet around his neck.

“Yeah, I’m good!” Hal answered. “I can’t find the scissors, though!”

“They should be in the cabinet behind the mirror.”

Hal looked over at the mirror that hung over the bathroom sink and pressed his hand against it. Sure enough, it opened to reveal a cabinet filled with various shaving tools, dental products, and even a small comb- but no scissors.

“They’re not here!” Hal reported.

Soon the door opened. Snake stepped through, now dressed in a blue cable-knit polo shirt and tan knee-length shorts. He turned towards the mirror cabinet and shook his head.

“They should be there, I don’t know why they’re not,” he muttered.

“Do you think they could be in another cabinet somewhere?” Hal asked. “I can help look for them.”

“We can just use the pair in the kitchen, it’s fine,” said David. He gave the human’s outfit a quick look over and nodded. “You said you got a matching pair with Emma, right? Whose idea was that?”

Hal scoured his brain back to the day before. “I think it was hers.”

“See? That’s progress. I’m proud of you, Mouse,” Snake smiled as he ruffled Hal’s hair. The human leaned into his touch and smiled.

“Thanks, Snake.”

After smoothing out Hal’s grey locks, Dave used his hand to grab that of his lover’s. “Come on, then. Let’s get those tags off you,” Snake prompted.

The two made their way out of the bedroom and down a small, cozy corridor. Several framed photographs of what were mostly three-headed huskies adorned its crimson walls, a sight that made Hal grin. They were cuter than he imagined, albeit much less varied.

“I can’t wait to meet them,” the human admitted. “The dogs, I mean. They look-”

Then he felt the air shift around them, taking the words out of his mouth in the process. Something was off.

Hal could feel his emotions starting to flip inwards on themselves as he stopped walking. Suddenly he started to hate how Dave was essentially babying him for constantly holding his hand like that. That his home was still ultimately ruined by the demon’s body, leaving who knows how much damage in his wake.

And, most pressing of all, the fact that Hal was still alive. It made him want to sock Snake square in the jaw.

He felt Snake squeeze his hand, expelling some of the newly formed emotions. A wave of horror struck him upon his clarity. “Dave…” the human whispered.

“I know. Someone’s here,” he said quietly. “Just stay close and keep your head down.”

The human took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay.”

Hal held onto David’s hand tighter than he ever had before as they resumed their trek towards the kitchen. He heard the sound of a fridge open. Somehow, it was enough to reignite his thoughts from before. The human could physically feel himself stewing in hatred with each step he took, and he wasn’t sure how long it would take until he’d boil over.

Eventually the two reached the kitchen, where Hal heard what sounded like rocks being placed on a dining platter, though he knew better than to look up to check. Instead he watched a pair of boots turn around to face them both.

“I didn’t think you’d be here. Figured I’d feed the dogs for you,” said a voice similar to Dave’s, which greatly threw Hal off. Despite that, the air around them began to lighten, granting Hal some relief in the process.

Dave cleared his throat stiffly. “Father, I appreciate you coming out here to help.”

And then Hal froze in place entirely, revoking any and all peace he’d been granted. All he’d seen besides those combat boots were brief pictures that EVA had shown him of a man that Snake undoubtedly came from. If being in his presence was enough to stir such a reaction from him, Hal was terrified as to what the demon was fully capable of.

“And you must be Hal,” the patriarch continued. Emmerich tensed as he watched the boots shift towards him.

“Y-Yes, sir,” he stammered. “It’s n-nice to meet you.”

The room became quiet. Even though the demon’s aura had been depleted, Hal couldn’t help but feel even more on edge than before, though now he didn’t have to fight the urge to punch someone.

A light clicking noise was heard across from Hal, followed by an exhale. Soon a stream of heavy, hard tobacco hit the otaku’s senses. As badly as he wanted to, he fought the urge to cough out of pure fear.

“I’d like to speak with my son alone, if that’s alright,” the demon finally spoke.

“I’ll send him home, then,” said Dave. It was an answer that Hal didn’t expect to hear. The human grew fearful of the potential outcomes of their “talk,” and none of them were good. It felt cruel to leave him alone like that.

“I don’t mind waiting down here-”

“Hal.” The man in question felt his body being spun towards Snake, who then leaned in to whisper, “it’s okay. I’ll meet you back at the apartment. Got it?”

With his head still down, Emmerich managed to give a weak nod. He felt a kiss press against his forehead before the world beneath his feet spun. It was as though it was dissolving and reforming around Hal until he was standing on the familiar hardwood flooring of his living room. Hal quickly tugged onto his amulet and let out a shaky sigh.

“Please don’t let it be something I did,” he said anxiously.

“Did what, sweetheart?” asked a familiar voice, to which Hal screamed. Snapped out of his stupor, he looked at the living room couch and found EVA reading a manga volume, presumably from his own collection. She closed the book and turned over to him with a smile. “Sorry. I keep forgetting that humans tend to be on the private side.”

Instead of freaking out at the fact that EVA had essentially broken into his home for a second time, Hal staggered over to the couch in relief.

“No, it’s okay, I just… we spent the night together, and then your husband showed up to talk to Dave specifically. At least, I think he’s your husband.” Hal paused and glanced at her. “Right? I mean, he knew who I was.”

“It’s him. He decided to go there after I called last night. He thinks Dave’s become reckless since you two met.” EVA laughed and shook her head. “As if he hasn’t done the same thing himself.”

“Reckless?” Hal asked. “Like with the, um… ‘earthquake’?”

EVA rose from her spot on the couch. “Mostly. Come on, we can talk about it while we ride.”

Hal blinked. “Ride? Ride what?”

“You got a motorcycle, right? Somebody has to teach you how to use it,” said the matriarch.

“Oh. Thanks.” Hal glanced at the faint city sights from his window. Everything appeared to be normal, but there was still that hesitation in finding something horribly wrong. “Where would we practice, though?”

“Same place most human parents teach their children to ride a bike or drive- an abandoned parking lot,” EVA winked. “I’ll take us there whenever you’re ready.”

The human looked back down at his amulet and clutched it again. Fear still coursed through his veins, but Hal knew that he had to channel at least some of it into questions to ask EVA. He knew that the last thing she wanted was to see any of her children hurt, including himself. Hal really liked the thought of that.

He stood next to EVA and held onto her gloved hand. “I’m ready, Mama.”

EVA squealed and pulled him into a tight hug. “Ooh, I love it when you call me that!”

As she spoke, the world around them dissolved again. Hal wasn’t exactly sure what he was in for, but he knew he could trust the woman taking him there. He just hoped that, wherever Snake was, he would be okay as well.

Notes:

I LOVE FORESHADOWING WOOOOOOOO

Chapter 17: Don't Worry, Darling

Notes:

In which Hal should very much be worried, hint hint

Hal wasn’t sure how long they spent in that run-down parking lot, but he felt it was enough for him to know not how to fall off a motorbike. Had anyone else been there to train with him, he would have been covered in scars, bruises, and blood.

Instead he continued to drive around in circles as though the gas tank was infinite. Having already driven a few laps around EVA, Hal slowed his motorcycle until it reached a stopping point and put down the stand.

“How did I do this time?” he asked as he removed his helmet.

“I didn’t see you wobbling or head straight towards a tree, so you’re already improving,” EVA smiled.

Hal, on the other hand, was embarrassed from being reminded of his previous mistake. In his defense, the tree was right there in front of him. His nose would have been broken to bits had his mentor not interfered.

“Thanks,” said Hal. He shut off the engine and looked over at EVA. “Sorry if it’s rude to ask, but how did you get into motorcycles? Can’t you teleport?”

 “Sweetheart, I’ve been around long enough to see the wonders of human innovation take off in ways ours never could. These just so happened to win me over.” She gave him a coy smile. “Besides, it takes energy to teleport. Same as running.”

“Oh. That makes sense.”

Hal took a look around the parking lot in the hopes that David would appear. Considering that he had no idea how much time had passed, he was equally unsure as to whether Dave was still with his father or not.

‘Maybe he’s in the apartment,’ Emmerich thought. ‘Well, hopefully. I can’t even imagine what he’s going through right now. He’ll be fine, right?’

Sensing his continuous worries, EVA waved a hand in front of Hal’s eyes, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Are you alright?” she asked.

“Huh? Yeah, yeah I’m alright,” Hal said. “Just worried when I probably shouldn’t be.”

“Worrying just means you care about it, even if it’s a little too much.” EVA took a pause. “I know how it feels.”

“What do you mean? With your kids?”

EVA shook her head. “Mostly. I’m talking about my husband, though. That ended up being the catalyst for the rest of my life.”

“Catalyst?” Hal echoed.

She looked at him curiously. “Did Dave not tell you?”

“He didn’t tell me much about you guys, to be honest,” Hal admitted.

Despite him anticipating the opposite, the demoness didn’t look remotely offended by the comment. Instead she gave Hal a fond, nostalgic grin.

“My husband is a convert. A former human.”

Her words hit Hal like a ton of bricks.

‘That guy scared the crap out of me back there, and he used to be a human?! Him?!’ he thought. ‘I thought he was going to skin me alive! Or feed me to the dogs! Or both!’

But instead of saying any of that out loud, he let his apparent shock be enough to allow EVA to explain. Hal knew that there was no way to hide the way his eyes popped out of his skull.

“Back when it was easier to feast on humans, it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with John. He found out about my identity not long after our first meeting, but he kept coming back. Said he saw something in me. That man held genuine love for his fellow men and was loyal to his kingdom. At least, until they forced him to kill his mentor for reputation’s sake,” she explained, her voice growing more serious.

“That woman taught him everything he knew, yet that was how he was told to thank her. After it was said and done, John asked me to convert him. Humanity was something he didn’t want to be a part of if that was how he would be used by them.”

EVA’s tone became lighter and nostalgic as she continued.

“It took a lot of power and energy, but he was transformed into a demon of wrath. Punishing those he sees fit as revenge for all those who wronged him in his previous life. Over time, John became one of the most powerful and revered of our kind. And,” she blushed, “he fathered a few children along the way.”

Hal was practically- but not entirely- speechless.

“I… wow… I didn’t know you guys could even do something like that,” said Hal. “And that poor woman…”

“She’s fine. Far away from our neck of the woods, even if it means he can never see her again.” EVA then gave Hal a look of reassurance. “But it’s nothing you need to be worried about.”

Before Hal could get a word in on how he was actually more worried after that distressing comment, a familiar voice called out to them. Hal didn’t need to look to see who it was, but he did so anyway.

“DAVE!” he cried as he ran towards the demon, who scooped him up in a shaky hug.

“I was only gone for an hour. I’m fine,” said Snake. “Honestly, I should be the one worrying if you’re driving around on a motorcycle.”

“That’s literally the one you gave me,” Hal pointed out. Instead of thinking of a solid comeback, the incubus ruffled his lover’s hair and laughed. He then pulled the human back into a hug, an act that Hal did a much better job of hiding his feelings towards.

‘He’s not usually this clingy, right?’

Meanwhile, EVA watched on with pride. “He almost crashed into a tree earlier and fell off plenty of times, but he’s catching on quick.”

The Emmerich groaned into David’s chest. “Don’t remind me.”

She laughed, but in a way that comforted Hal. Like how a mother would laugh at their child’s antics. Something about that made him feel better. Still a little insecure, but better.

“Alright, I think that’s enough for today. I’m heading home,” said EVA. “You boys have fun, now. Call me if you need anything!”

Now it was Dave’s turn to be embarrassed. “Mother, I’m not an imp anymore! We’ll be fine!”

“Well, it still wouldn’t hurt to reach out to me,” she said. “I carried you and your brother in my womb for nine months. Fed you, bathed you. I didn’t even yell at you once when you blew up the house, you know.”

Hal felt the heat radiate off the demon’s body as his mortification escalated. “MOTHER, I’LL CALL YOU! JUST- DON’T BRING THAT UP IN FRONT OF HAL? PLEASE?”

The human pulled away from Dave. “No, go on. I wanna hear about this,” he teased. EVA laughed again in spite of her son’s humiliation with that same comfort from before.

In truth, Hal was still trying to process everything that had happened within the past few hours. He had gone from tackling his trauma to meeting his lover’s terrifying father out of nowhere, only then to learn that he used to be as human as Hal was. And given how close Dave was clinging onto him, Hal figured something happened while he was away.

Plus there was the fact that he wasn’t able to meet the dogs, but that was an entirely different issue.

Hal decided to put them on the backburner, as Dave would say, and instead squeezed his hand. “We should head out, too. There’s still that email to write,” he smiled.

“Shit. Forgot about that. Sorry,” said Snake.

“Email?” EVA asked.

Snake looked over from Hal to his mother. “He’s been talking to his step-sister again. Emma.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” she gasped. “She seems like such a sweet girl from what I’ve read on her file. Good luck!”

“Thanks, Mama!” said Hal. Not wanting to hold her up any longer, he added a quick, “have a good night!”

EVA made a quick “call me” signal before she vanished, a cloud of smoke being the only indication of her presence. It was then that Hal realized that he had an important question that he’d forgotten to ask sooner.

“Do you have enough energy to take the bike back with us?” Hal asked. “I honestly have no idea where we are right now.”

“Huh? Yeah, I can.” Snake paused for a moment, then sighed. “It was because she left to go feed.”

“Huh?”

“The time I ‘blew up the house,’ as if my twin hasn’t done that multiple times,” he explained with heavy embarrassment. “Threw a tantrum and refused to stop until she got back. I used to be a real momma’s boy back then.”

Hal made a noise of endearment. “At least you have a mom. And pinchable cheeks after all this time.” The man then squeezed his fingers onto David’s face, tugging gently at his flesh.

“Dammit, she’s rubbed off on you!” Snake said as he pulled away without quite letting go, to which Hal laughed.

“Sorry.” He caressed the side of Dave’s face and smiled. “Let’s go back.”

Without any further prodding, the parking lot around them shifted into the living room of Hal’s apartment. Emmerich looked over his shoulder towards the living room clock and was surprised to see that the motorcycle had made it inside the apartment with them. He almost wanted to test the durability of the seemingly cheap apartment flooring if it could manage to withstand something so heavy.

“Uh… David?” he asked. Snake followed his gaze with distant eyes and groaned.

“I got it, hold on.”

He snapped his fingers and forced the bike to disappear, presumably for it to reappear in the parking lot below. At least, Hal hoped it would. But his worries were preoccupied with Dave, who seemed to be winded.

“Snake? Are you okay?”

“Huh? Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” Despite his words, Snake gripped harder onto Hal’s body as his breathing grew shallow. Hal immediately moved down to the couch, forcing Dave to go down with him. Snake laid splayed across the cushions and jittered as though he were being electrocuted.

“I-I’ll go grab some water! Just stay right there!” Hal yelled as he scrambled into the kitchen. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew he had to be quick.

‘I have to call EVA,’ he thought as he rummaged through his collection of novelty cups he knew were too tacky to give away. Hal never thought he’d have to rely on one so heavily, but he settled for a large Sasakyu Ai collectable he won in a giveaway.

‘She’ll know what to do. Hopefully it’s not because of something I did do.’

Suddenly he felt something wrap around his torso. Hal looked down in shock and gasped at what had grabbed him. It was tentacle-like, dripping with a tar-like goo with the head of a snake. The sentient tendril hissed and pulled him across the tile floor, spilling more water from the glass by the second. By the time the glass became half-full, he was face-to-face with whom the tentacle was attached to.

Snake.

Hal watched him writhe as more black goop oozed out from his back and wrapped further still around the human. It was a mix of desperation and hunger, as though Dave was fighting between the two. He lifted the human off the ground and closer towards himself, his darkened eyes looking up in anguish.

“Call… help…”  Snake’s voice layered.

Notes:

Next chapter is smut but entirely consensual dw

Chapter 18: Plot-Relevant Tentacles

Notes:

Title's not clickbait btw

The dial tone rang once before EVA’s voice picked up on the other end.

“Hello?” she said.

“EVA! TENTACLES! BLACK GOOP EVERYWHERE! HELP!” Hal yelled into the phone in a much less eloquent greeting than her own.

The human heard a gasp in the background. “Put me on speaker,” EVA instructed.

Another tentacle wrapped around Hal’s right arm and yanked it harshly to which he let out a yelp. Thankfully his finger managed to press the speaker button, allowing EVA to reach out to her son in a way that Hal never could.

Her language switched to the familiar yet vague one of her people. It sounded as though she were instructing or lecturing him, though Hal wasn’t sure about what. A chorus of voices fired back defensively. The tendrils squeezed tighter around Hal, a move that elicited another cry. The sound, in turn, led to a more intense conversation that was enough to rile something new entirely.

“DAMMIT, LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER!” John’s voice boomed from the phone, which caused the device to tremble. Hal could feel the aura emanating from the demon’s voice alone, but his own fear prevented him from so much as catching a whiff of it.

The severity of his tone was enough to loosen Dave’s grip on his lover, even if only by a little. As if she could sense her son’s reaction, EVA continued in a calmer voice. She ended her speech with a question, to which Snake seemed to understand.

“Hal? Are you still there?” EVA asked.

“Yes, I am!” he replied.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. It won’t hurt, I promise, but he’s going to have to feed off your blood.”

Even with the absurdity and horror of his situation, Hal had to do a double-take. “My what?!”

“Blood’s the closest source to the soul. It’ll be enough to snap him out of it,” said John. “Plus, it’s pretty tasty.”

“Soul? Why can’t he just take mine?!” Hal asked.

There was a silence at their end, as though they were discussing it with a hand to the receiver. Hal looked down at David and the agony he was enduring. Screams broke out in the apartment as the incubus thrashed across the couch.

Suddenly Hal was jolted in the air as the tentacles began to match his fervor. Two more made their way around his ankles. Then a third around his neck.

Under any other circumstance, this would have been sensual to him. The fact that Hal managed to summon a demon that could do that for him yet never cashed in on such an obvious request surprised him. Images of their first encounter flashed in contrast to the distressed demon beneath him: the candlelit glow, the buzz from his first real kiss, the pleasure he was drowned in.

And the blood he’d offered to bring him there to begin with.

Hal eyed his left palm, which no longer bore the slit he gave himself that fateful night. It had been erased moments later, after all.

‘I’ve bled for him before,’ he thought. ‘I can do it again.’

“Dave!” he cried out. It was enough to grab the demon’s attention, or at least what Hal believed to be so. Given Snake’s glossy, pitch-black stare, it was hard to tell. “It’s okay! I’ll do whatever I can to help you get through this, even if it means…”

His voice trailed as he realized why they had been arguing so intensely. The reason why it took so long to reach a seemingly simple answer.

“…hurting me.”

The words sent a shock through Snake’s system and caused the inky tentacles to seize midair. Hal dangled just above him as the incubus gazed up at him. Only the sounds of his own labored breathing could be heard.

“Hal…” his voices spoke.

It was the last thing he said before Hal felt the sting of his skin being pierced all over. From his neck to his legs, tiny sets of needle-like teeth sank into his flesh. He screamed as he felt the blood from his body be drained, each tendril taking gulp after gulp of his lifeforce.

But then the pain faded. What should had been searing agony became a light tingle, then a full-on vibration. Like a toxin, the feeling spread across Hal, engulfing him in pleasure.

‘Of course there’s endorphins,’ he thought. Hal’s mind hadn’t quite been filled with lewd thoughts yet, but he knew it was inevitable. Between the chemicals and the fact that he was wrapped in tentacles, the only thing that truly kept him grounded was his concern for David’s safety.

As Hal’s head grew lighter, the life in Snake’s eyes grew stronger. The whites of his eyes returned as his appendages retracted. Hal was pulled closer towards his sobering lover until he was released from his binds altogether. He promptly collapsed on the floor, dropping his cell phone with him.

For a moment everything was dark, and comfortably so. Hal heard the echoes of his call being hung up and the patter of Dave’s feet against the floor. He felt a hand brush over each wound, accompanied by the bassy resonance of an ancient hymn.

Finally, he was pulled into an intense kiss, returning him to the world of light.

Dave was right next to him, lips firmly planted against his. Like the endorphins from before, Hal felt the magic flood his body the moment they made contact. The otaku pulled from his newfound strength and wrapped one of his arms around Snake’s neck, drawing him in even closer. They remained as such until Hal’s lungs grew on the verge of bursting.

He pulled back to catch his breath and saw David staring at him with a flurry of vulnerability. Still, nothing seemed to be out of place on his part.

“You’re okay! Oh, thank goodness!” said Hal.

“Yeah. Are- are you?”

“Yeah. Just feel a little weird,” he replied. “Did something happen while I was passed out?”

The demon shook his head. “No, I just… didn’t want to do that to you. But it should be enough to hold me over for a bit.”

“How long’s a bit?”

Snake looked over at Hal with a calmer, almost mischievous glint in his eyes. “Well, I can stave it off a bit longer if we try a little redux. Don’t think I didn’t notice what you were feeling.”

“Y-YOU WERE GOING CRAZY! I WAS FOCUSING ON THAT!” he screamed, thankful that his phone had been closed. The last thing he wanted to hear at that moment was John reacting to a human trying and failing to defend his half-mast during such an intense moment for his son.

“I’m just teasing. Not surprised that you liked them so much, though.”

“You’re acting way too casual for a guy who was just writhing in agony.”

Snake rolled his eyes. “Well, I have to get through this until I have something to hold me over. And considering how most of that blood was heading towards your corpora cavernosa, somebody’s got to take care of your needs as well.”

“My what?” Hal flinched. Dave gestured towards Hal’s pants in response. They, like everything else, carried no trace of Snake’s temporary transformation. His face, on the other hand, was covered in guilt and embarrassment.

“Dammit, I’m such a weirdo,” Hal groaned into his hands.

“Trust me, I’ve been around humans for centuries. You’re far from the worst,” Snake assured him. “If you really don’t want to, I can do it with someone else. I don’t mind.”

“Well…” Hal blushed. “Do you mind me saying I was honestly a little into it?”

“You’re acting way too casual for a guy who thought it was hot to see me writing in agony.”

Before Hal could explain that it was an entirely separate entity, a tentacle sprouted out from Snake’s back and wrapped itself around Hal’s waist as though to hold him. Startled, the human could only muster a stammer.

“I won’t bite,” said Dave.

Hal ran his hand across the dripping appendage and felt its gooey substance squish under his touch. It was foreign, but in a way that excited him.

“Alright. I kinda need to get out of these clothes fir-”

Dave snapped his fingers, leaving Hal stark naked. More tentacles appeared and wrapped around different parts of the now-nude human’s body; his arms, neck, and legs were all grasped onto as he was lifted into the air by several feet. And given their grip, the only way he’d be getting down was by asking.

Despite Hal’s airborne state, it gave Snake easier access to the otaku’s more intimate areas. Black goop speckled onto Emmerich’s skin as an appendage wrapped itself around his cock. The slick pressure that squeezed ever so gently against his manhood was exquisite.

He bit his lip in a failed attempt to hide his moans as the tentacle slid itself up and down his dick. His whimpers of pleasure rose above the wet squelching of his sentient bindings. Another brushed against the rim of his asshole as it massaged Hal’s asscheeks, which was enough to get him shivering.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” asked Snake.

“S-Surreal, but… good…” said Hal as his body continued to be caressed by his lover. The tentacle around his buttocks prodded against his anus before deciding to forego the foreplay. It slithered its way inside of Hal and began to thrust, its rhythm matching that of the tentacle around his penis.

As the rest of the tentacles continued to coil around him, the one draped around Hal’s neck crawled around his sensitive skin until it reached his lips. Knowing what he was in for, he opened his mouth invitationally.

“Didn’t even have to ask you,” Dave observed. The tentacle slipped past Hal’s lips and curled down his throat, eliciting a sweet, sticky flavor in its wake. Hal couldn’t put a finger on how to describe it other than that it tasted divine.

For a while, Hal was ravaged both inside and out. A mix of secretion and saliva dripped down onto the hardwood floor as he was thrusted into over and over again. The tentacle around his cock matched the pace of its contemporaries and made sure to cover every last inch with its warmth. Hal felt as though he was being encompassed by a wet, pulsating mass that he didn’t want to leave.

“So? Is this just like one of your Japanese animes?” Snake teased.

Hal was too lost in his fervor to bite the appendage in his mouth out of spite. Instead he moaned and squirmed as he was further thrown down the enthralls of ecstacy. He could have sworn that the two tentacles already inside him touched at some point, completely spearing him through.

Spurts of pre shot from his dick as the slick appendages increased their pace. Hal moaned as his balls not only tightened for an incoming climax, but from being squeezed by another tentacle. He’d lost track of how many had taken him over at that point- the only thing that mattered was that he was being stuffed to the brim.

Then he felt a furious pressure against his prostate. The pure, unadulterated bliss was enough to push Hal over the edge as he climaxed, his cum mixing with all the other fluids on the floor. His head swam in a whirlpool of faded comprehension as a white light washed over his vision. A low hum filled his ears as Hal slipped into a state of in-between.

The inevitable nose pinch came and woke him from his stupor. Hal sat in his lover’s lap, naked but clean, as though nothing happened. Dave threw his arms around Hal’s waist and pulled him close. His embrace felt more protective than it did affectionate, though. As though he were shielding Hal from something that could hurt him.

And then it finally hit him.

Blood’s the closest source to the soul.

“…how long has it been since you’ve eaten?” Hal asked.

“Eaten? I just-”

“On a soul, Snake. How long has it been?” he said, his voice growing tense. “Did you actually eat your client’s soul when you went to see them?”

His silence was enough of an answer.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve scheduled the meal with Emma sooner. Then that would’ve been enough, right? That way we’d all get what we want.”

“We?”

The question was enough for Snake to push Hal at arm’s length. Gently, but enough to where he could search Hal’s face for a trace of sarcasm or a joke that wasn’t there.

“That’s why you guys were fighting in another language. That’s why they didn’t respond to my question. So that I wouldn’t catch onto the fact that I could’ve saved you while fulfilling our contract at the same time,” Hal rose his voice. “Isn’t that what we agreed to? That I’d offer you my life?”

“And that I could do whatever I want to you before then?” Dave pointed out.

“LOOK WHERE THAT GOT YOU! YOU WERE ON THE VERGE OF BECOMING FERAL JUST NOW! WHY DO YOU KEEP-”

“HAL.”

The human flinched at the shout of his named and lowered his head as bitter tears formed in them. “I… I’m sorry. I’m just tired from everything right now, and I don’t want to see you hurt like that.”

Well, he wasn’t exactly lying. Selfish fantasies aside, Hal was terrified to see someone he loved in such a dire state, and he was tired. But he also knew that neither of them were going to get anywhere if they kept screaming, a sentiment Snake seemed to agree with.

“Look, Hal,” Dave said quietly. “You’re almost there, but it’s not your time yet.” He then held onto Hal’s hand and kissed it. “Let’s worry about it tomorrow, yeah?”

Hal nodded reluctantly and allowed the incubus to walk him over to his bedroom. His nude body was placed underneath the covers as David tucked him in. As much as he enjoyed the soft bedsheets against his bare skin, Hal couldn’t help but crane his head over his shoulder as he watched Snake walk towards the bathroom.

“I’ll be in here for a while. Call me if you need anything,” he said before he closed the door behind him.

Despite the reassurance, Hal felt none of it as he removed his glasses and eventually drifted off into an empty, dreamless slumber.

Notes:

Can you guys tell I wrote this solely because I thought it'd be character accurate and not because I'm into it? Many such cases!

Chapter 19: For You

Notes:

Mild TW for implied child abuse and blatant vomiting for this chapter

The first thing Hal noticed when he woke up wasn’t that he was in Dave’s arms, but the fact that he had clothes on again. His vicuna pajamas, no less. Between the luxury fabric and the soft, sleepy demon next to him, Hal felt a bit comforted despite what had happened the night before.

“G’morning,” Snake slurred into his ear.

“Morning,” said Hal. “You okay?”

The incubus hummed. “Why?”

“Well, me lashing out at you after you nearly lost yourself like that probably didn’t help you feel any better. Sorry,” Hal said quietly.

Dave pulled him closer inward. “You’re okay. It wasn’t exactly a fun moment for either of us, so I’ll make it up to you.”

“Huh?” Hal rolled over in his spot as best as he could until he faced the demon. “No, I’m doing something this time. Who knows what could’ve happened to you? Besides, you need to recover from all that.”

“And you sacrificed a lot of blood and lust last night, so I should be the one to compensate for that,” Snake insisted.

Hal sighed. “It’s too early to be fighting like this. Look, if it’ll make you feel better, we can both do something nice for each other. I’ll start by making you breakfast-”

“In bed?” Dave said. “Dammit, that was my idea, too. I can make some half-decent pancakes.”

“Well… there’s no law saying we can’t make them together, right?”

Snake gave him a warm, tired smile. “I guess not. I’ll just be in the bathroom real quick.”

“Gotcha,” Hal replied.

With that, the two decided to sacrifice the warm sanctuary of Hal’s bedroom covers in favor of getting ready to treat each other. Hal opened his dresser drawers and created what he knew to be a half-assed outfit. As much as he appreciated David’s sense of style, the last thing he wanted was to get a glob of pancake batter on something that likely costed hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. A vintage anime t-shirt he never outgrew from his awkward teen years worked just fine, holes and all.

True to his word, Snake was in the bathroom, which gave Hal a head start towards the kitchen. Not that it was a race, of course, but he wanted to at least get the ingredients ready for the both of them.

Hal pictured the two accidentally pouring too much flour into the mixing bowl, the blowback covering them both until they could barely see. The couple laughed and carried on with their business, eventually eating pancakes together back in that same bedroom. Maybe he’d use that opportunity as an excuse to get Snake to watch an episode of Sutekina Sugoi Neko-chan or Sasakyu Ai.

‘And then he’d start to watch anime on his own! I could introduce him to so many manga and quiz him every time he finishes a volume of one! Ooh, and then we’d build model kits together while discussing who Ren should’ve gone with in-’

The living room floor buzzed. Hal looked down at his feet and noticed that his cell phone was vibrating against the wooden surface not too far away. He walked over, picked up the device, and practically snapped it open when he saw who was calling.

“Emma, hey! Sorry that I…”

At first, all he heard was sobbing.

“Emma?”

“HAL! HAL, SHE’S DEAD!” she wept. “SOMEONE KILLED HER!”

He scratched his head with an awkward uncertainty. “Who, y-your bird?”

“MY MOM!”

A high-pitched ringing cut through every fiber of his being. The room around him grew dimmer and dimmer as he struggled to process those two words that had been packed between heavy heaves.

“My Un-Uncle Chris said he went over to return something to her, and she wouldn’t answer the door, and- and he used the spare key and her body-!”

Emma screamed, her voice raspy from what sounded like hours of mourning. The sound was enough to shatter his heart, but Hal waited in silence for her as she tried to compose herself.

“It was… she was strangled, and beaten, and there were tons of these snake-like bites on her body! And they performed the autopsy, and they said her skull was caved in and…” she mustered before breaking down again.

As for Hal, his body was completely hollow. Here was his only living family, nigh-inconsolable from her mother's unconventional yet brutal murder, trying to process how anyone could carry out such an attack on someone she still had enough love in her heart to hold onto.

And he knew that the culprit was walking into the living room right behind him.

“Text me your address. I’m on my way,” he said emptily before he closed the phone in his palm. The screen that flashed let him know that he had 16 missed calls, all from Emma. Hal felt the atmosphere shift with each approaching step until Snake was standing right next to him, fully-clothed and ready to cook.

“On your way where?” he asked, his voice ladened with concern. “Is everything okay?”

Hal’s breath grew shaky. “Don’t…”

“Don’t what? What happened?” Snake asked. He rested his hand on Hal’s shoulder. Hal quickly jolted away from the demon as though his shoulder were on fire.

“DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!”

Hal made a mad dash towards his keys over on a nearby table, but Dave was fast enough to catch up. “Hal, what’re you-”

“STOP! JUST- STOP! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!” he screamed. “SO DON’T ACT LIKE YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING! IT’S BULLSHIT, SNAKE! BULLSHIT!”

The demon’s happy façade faded into something more somber. “I thought this was what you would’ve wanted.”

“THIS?! MY SISTER’S CRYING TO ME ON THE PHONE, CALLING ME FOR THE PAST WHO KNOWS HOW LONG UNTIL I PICK UP SO I CAN BE THE ONE PERSON WHO COMFORTS HER!”

“I meant Julie getting her comeuppance! You know as well as I do the things she did. To you, to Emma, even your father.” Dave took a step closer to Hal, to which the human shied away.

He continued to look anywhere but at Snake. “So you could isolate me and do the same thing? To keep pleasing you until I die?”

David furiously shook his head. “I wanted to give you justice. So you could finally be free from her.” He held out his hand invitationally. “So you can have the life you deserve to live, Hal.”

Hal felt tears of his own sting across his eyes as the mental image of Emma at her absolute lowest hit him, and hard. His phone vibrated in his hand. He knew what he had to do. The man opened his apartment door and finally gave Dave some eye contact as he stepped out into the hallway.

“Stay the hell away from me. From her.”

He slammed the door behind him as he dashed down the hall and each individual flight of stairs that led him down to the lobby. The sights and sounds around Hal became nothing more than static. White noise. A shrinking world he needed to escape from more than anything.

Finally, Hal was out the front door and reached the parking lot. He ran across the pavement in a desperate search to remember where he’d parked his car. Only the landlord had right to a designated space- it was fair game for everyone else.

‘Clicker! I’ll use the clicker!’ he thought as he passed yet another row of failures.

But when he inspected his keys, he found that he had none.

“What?!”

Hal’s pace slowed drastically upon his revelation. He looked over to see if he had dropped it, only to find the motorcycle that Dave had gotten him several days prior. Desperate, he jammed the key into the ignition and turned it.

Sure enough, the bike roared to life, granting Hal a sliver of relief in an otherwise tumultuous time. He hopped on, knowing that he didn’t have a helmet on nor nearly enough skill to drive an hour away from home.

But it was still an hour away from the demon that destroyed everything for him.

Hal quickly checked his message from Emma to memorize her address. He pocketed his phone, revved the engine, and allowed muscle memory to take over as he sped out onto the street.

The wind blew his tears against his eyes, but he didn’t care. He needed to keep going. Hal bypassed cars, trucks, and trailers as streets turned into roads, then streets again. Every time he heard his sister’s cries, Hal went faster.

It was only when he reached the bridge that Hal fell into any issues. His bike teetered about, never falling but never quite staying upright either. Even though he was the only one traveling across it, the human knew he would’ve gotten into an accident. Hal did his best to pull over in case any traffic did come through.

And a part of him was thankful that he did so as he leaned over the side of the bridge and vomited. Chunks of bile plummeted into the river hundreds of feet above his unsteady body. Hal desperately clung onto the barrier and finally broke down into tears as the white noise returned with a vengeance.

“Forgive me, Emma,” he whispered as he collapsed onto his knees. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Chapter 20: Emma

Notes:

TW for implied/referenced CSA and sexual assault, though nothing ever gets graphic

The sound of tiny talons pattered across the tile floor as they approached Emma’s collapsed, crying form. The creature they belonged to, a green conifer, whistled and bobbed his head curiously. Emma looked across her shoulder towards her pet bird and flashed a weak smile.

“Hey, Otacon. Sorry if I woke you up,” she said in a vain attempt to appear normal. Emma held out her arm, prompting the bird to hop onto it. She rubbed her finger against his face. The bird leaned into it and chirped.

“Whatchu doin’?” he asked.

The brunette sniffled. “Well, my mom’s… dead. Murdered, undoubtedly.” She moved her hand towards her face and wiped it as dry as she could. “Whoever did that deserves to rot in Hell.”

Otacon went silent as though to process what she said. Once she was finished, Emma went back to petting her beloved bird.

“But Hal’s coming over! You finally get to meet him, buddy!” Emma said. Despite her positive tone, the hours of crying strained it of its power. She’d been left a hoarse, tired mess in the wake of her unexpected grief, a pain only slightly alleviated by spending quality time with her pet.

“Hal?” a voice suddenly spoke from another room.

Otacon’s voice.

Emma felt her inner core freeze. The grip around her arm felt tighter. She retracted her finger warily, eyes widened with fear. “O…Otacon…? But I heard-”

“Correctly.”

The bird-like creature shot towards the ceiling, its form shifting in mid-air. Feathers faded into tan skin, wings stretched long and thin, and claws became fully-formed human feet. By the time the figure landed on the ground, it revealed itself to be none other than Dave, horns and all. He looked up at Emma, who was preoccupied with pinching her arm.

“What?! This usually works in movies!” the girl panicked. Once she realized Dave was still in front of her, Emma screamed.

“Emma, calm down. I need to talk to you,” said Snake. “Hal doesn’t know I’m here, but-”

“Can you talk about how you got in here?! How- how you became a bird?!” she hyperventilated as she pointed at him.

Snake gritted his teeth. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to: I did it. I killed Julie.”

Emma backed herself up against the bare white wall behind her, her wide eyes visibly processing his words. She smiled and let out a weak laugh. “Yep. This is it. I’ve officially started to get side effects. You’re not real. None of this is. I’m probably out in a hospital somewhere right now.”

“Huh? No, I’m serious.” Dave lowered his head and allowed Emma to get a closer look at his black, ram-like horns. “Look, feel for yourself. They’re real. Everything about this is.”

The girl threw him a cautious look, then drew out a shaky hand as she reached towards his horns. Snake kept his head lowered, even when he felt Emma begin to pull at them. No matter how hard she yanked at them, they refused to budge.

“Hal summoned me because he had a death wish,” he continued. “That he wanted me to end his life after taking his virginity. His real virginity. But I didn’t want to hurt him, never mind kill him. So I asked him afterwards if there was anyone he wanted to reconcile with, and you were the only person he-”

“Wait, hold on, hold on. He was going to kill himself?” she asked. Emma winced and pressed her hand to the side of her head. “I don’t… what the hell’s going on? What does this have to do with my mom?”

Dave placed his hand over the one that remained on his horn and gently slid it off. “I’ll get some water. This is going to take a while.”

XXX

In truth, he only told her the skeleton of the grander story: the death wish, reaching out to her, his existence as a demon, and the blossoming of a romantic relationship between himself and Hal. But there was one aspect Emma still couldn’t wrap her head around, and it was one her guest wouldn’t elaborate on.

“You weren’t there when it happened. You only heard his side of the story,” she insisted. Emma shifted her spot in her chair, one of the only two that were in her kitchen. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had sat in the one David was in.

“Emma,” he sighed, “it’s not my place to say, but you have to believe me that there’s more to the story than what you think.”

“Then why did his dad try to kill me? How could Hal just… run away? After what he did?”

Snake took a sip from his glass of water. “It’s different when you’re in the moment. But even if he couldn’t take you with him, he still regrets that.”

“So much that he didn’t bother to reach out to me until a month ago?”

The incubus offered no response and instead chose to watch the ice cubes dance in his drink. It was her time to talk, a stage he knew he had to give to her. A small part of Emma appreciated that.

“I spent my whole life after that in turmoil. I’m still seeing a therapist over it, and I have the meds to prove it,” said Emma. “If he didn’t do any of that stuff, I’d be in a better place right now. I wouldn’t have to act like I have friends beyond my bird. And now when I think I finally have a connection with him again, this happens.”

Dave took another sip from his glass, a longer one this time. “Can I ask you something?”

“You just did, but sure,” she mumbled.

“When you told your mother about what happened when you were in high school, how did she react?”

His words were like knives. Emma’s body stung as she stared down at the table. It didn’t take long for it to feel that it was only her and the table, far away from her condo and the planet it inhabited, even as Snake’s words echoed in her mind.

No, they didn’t echo. They rang.

“…Emma?”

Her attention snapped back up toward the demon, who looked at her with concern. Even still, Emma felt her heartbeat throb across the confines of her skull.

“I didn’t mean to come across so bluntly,” he began. “I just-”

She let out a shaky sigh. Dave closed his mouth and watched her with a quiet worry.

“At the time… I thought she didn’t believe me. That she thought that her new boyfriend would never stoop so low to hurt someone like that.” As she spoke, her eyes welled up with a fresh set of tears.

“When I asked her what happened to Hal and why he wasn’t coming with us… she said he was the one who initiated what happened… the same thing she said to me when I…”

Everything caved. Emma pressed her head against the wooden table and began to sob. It wasn’t the noise that cut through her trance, but the weight of the truth. She felt years of confusion, questioning, and undue sorrow crumbling down her back as she wept into the old piece of furniture.

“I’M SO SORRY, HAL! I- I’M SO SORRYYYYYY!”

The woman shrieked a wail befitting of a banshee. She felt a hand press up against her back, followed by the sensation of a slow, circular motion against the fabric of her shirt. In spite of her anguish, Emma felt a brush of comfort as she continued to air out her grief.

“I’M- I’M SUCH AN IDIOT! HOW DIDN’T I SEE-?!”

“Don’t beat yourself over it. He’s already forgiven you,” Dave whispered. His hand continued to rub against her back in a way that grounded her amidst her cries. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

A loud knock came at the front door, which wasn’t too far from the kitchen.

“EMMA! EMMA, I’M HERE!” yelled Hal. He knocked a few more times to get his point across.

She looked up and did a double-take to make sure she heard things correctly. Considering what had just happened with Otacon, Emma figured that it was smart to be a bit skeptical. Once she was sure he was there, Emma looked over at David and blinked back her tears.

“Well?” she asked quietly.

“What?”

“You said Hal doesn’t know you’re here, right? Hide! Turn into my bird again! Do... I dunno, something!” she whispered.

The demon shook his head. “I think it’s time we’re all open with each other. At least, more than we were before.” He nodded towards the door. “He’ll be waiting for you either way.”

Emma looked over her shoulder in an attempt to hide her emotions and nodded. “Yeah. You’re right.”

With that, she stumbled out of her chair and towards the front door. Her fingers frantically twisted at the lock until she was able to open the door and face the person she needed to speak to now more than ever.

Hal stood there, the corners of his mouth encrusted with unknown debris. “Em-”

“DON’T LEAVE ME!” she hollered as her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, her emotions exploding like never before. Emma flung herself on top of her step-brother, nearly causing them to topple onto the concrete steps that led to her condo. “PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME! I’M SORRY!”

“Wh- Emma, I’m here. I’m right here,” Hal spoke as he hugged her back. His breath became shallow, a natural consequence of being thrown so off-guard.

Emma buried her face deep into his chest until her glasses pressed against her face. Whatever words came out of her mouth became nothing more than hysterical rambles. Hal ran his fingers across her back, hoping to soothe her.

“I’m right here,” he repeated in a softer tone. “I promise, I won’t leave you.”

She wanted to call him out right then and there, but Emma knew it wouldn’t take long for the right time to come. For a moment, she wanted to believe what he said, like everything before it, was true.

Chapter 21: Hal

Notes:

TW for implied CSA and mentions of suicide, probably the last instance of this happening in the fic

As much as it hurt, Hal didn’t mind the way Emma squeezed his hand as she brought him inside. Her grasp made him very much aware of his own pulse, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle.

What he did struggle with, however, was processing the sight of David sitting quietly in the kitchen. Once Hal noticed him, his expression fell.

“I thought I told you to leave her alone,” he said, his voice hollow.

Emma pulled his hand toward herself, a move that forced his attention onto her. “Hal, it’s okay. He told me.”

“…what?”

“About the murder, the whole demon thing. All of that,” Emma explained.

He noticed a crack in her voice as she spoke, yet his focus trailed back to the demon. Hal wasn’t sure how long Snake’s horns had been out, but he knew that his demeanor hadn’t changed. It was as somber as when they first made eye contact.

“I don’t know if what I’m saying is gonna make things any better,” Emma continued, “but he really cares about you… even though he has a really weird way of showing it.”

“Murder isn’t exactly something I’d call ‘weird,’” said Hal.

Emma shrugged. “Fair enough.”

“‘Fair enough?’ Weren’t you just crying a moment ago?!” Hal asked.

“Yeah. For you.”

Hal looked back over at Emma, whose eyes were evidently still red from before. The tears, however, appeared to be new as she held them back to the best of her ability.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Even without all that incubus stuff, you could’ve at least mentioned you were feeling like this,” Emma croaked. “And I’d listen to you! I’ve been there! I still am!”

“I don’t want to push my problems onto you. You don’t deserve that, not after everything else I’ve done for you,” said Hal.

“So you were just going to kill yourself one day out of the blue? After finally getting back in my life?!”

Hal struggled for an answer but failed to find one. She was right. Even with everything he’d set out to do, he didn’t once stop to think of that. All he could do was stammer, which gave Emma plenty of room to talk.

“I always imagined you coming back for me. No matter how old I got or where I was in life, I dreamt that you were on your way to visit. That we would hang out like how we used to, back when it was just us against the world, even if we couldn’t live together anymore,” she said. “I didn’t want to believe the things my mom said about you. Turns out, I shouldn’t have. You’re more human than she ever was.”

Emma looked down at the floor and sighed, her breath shakier than ever. “What I’m trying to say is that… I love you, Hal. You’ll always be my older brother and best friend, no matter what. So please… please keep living. Even if we can’t magically fix what happened, we’ll both make it through. We… we have to.”

Her body quivered uncontrollably as her calm tone deteriorated. “It doesn’t have to be for me, or Dave, or- or the amusement park, or Neko-chan, or video games, or a-anime, or anyone or anything. You… you can keep going just for yourself… so you can spend another day with birds and the wind and trees as- as the sun peaks through the clouds… a-and…”

For a moment, Hal choked. His face burned into a deep pink as years of repression fought their way out of his body. Hal sunk his head into his hands and let out a sob.

“I missed you too,” he spoke weakly. “You and I, we were always alone. I didn’t really have anyone in my life before I summoned Dave and told him about you. I just lived out as a phantom who I thought shouldn’t have been there. But I thought if I reached out to you any sooner, you would’ve hated me for-”

“I know, Hal,” she said quietly. “I… know now. She can’t hurt you anymore.”

He looked up at her with tear-stricken eyes. “Emma?”

The woman looked up and finally made eye contact with him. “Call me ‘E.E.’”

Her message wrapped around Hal like a weighted blanket, dispelling the negativity around him. He felt the room become brighter, fuller, and more colorful. Years of burdens left his body, forcing him to kneel on collapsed legs.

And he cried. Hal’s wails could be heard across the condominium, if not the whole complex, but he didn’t care. He was safe. He was home. He was forgiven.

The world didn’t feel so small anymore.

Emma sank to the floor, wrapped her arms around him, and joined him in his tears. Hal pulled her closer to him and squeezed her tightly.

“Hal,” she sniffled against his shoulder.

“I’m here. I won’t let you go,” he whimpered.

For a while, the two stayed like that: interlocked in a warm embrace as they allowed their emotions to get the best of them. Hal wasn’t sure how long it went on for, but once he looked back over at Snake, the demon remained the same.

The human reached out his hand invitationally, a gesture that David could not refuse. Snake walked over to the duo, who hadn’t stepped far from the entrance, got down to their level, and held them both in his arms. Hal sensed the pheromones that wafted over them and relaxed in spite of his tears.

Not a trace of aphrodisiac in the mix, yet he never felt more loved in his life.

“So, wait…” Emma said between bouts of hiccups. “If you made a death pact and sold your soul to a demon, does that mean you can’t undo it? B-Because I’ll-”

“You don’t need to do anything. You offered me your life, and I formally refuse it. I mean, I did for a while, but, legality,” said David. He trailed his fingers across the back of Hal’s hand. “Our contract is now null and void.”

Their fingers locked into a tight hold as their palms touched. A powerful, familiar force shot through Hal’s body from head to toe. Even with his former fate having been on his mind, it was the first time in a while Hal was truly aware of his soul.

And now it was free. He looked up at David and exchanged smiles of relief.

The sudden supernatural exchange was enough to rid Emma of her crying completely. She knelt, mouth agape, as she watched Hal squeeze his partner’s hand. Noticing her shock out of the corner of his eye, Hal turned to her and frowned.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“That… was so fucking cool…” she muttered.

Snake chuckled. “What, that? You were more impressed with that than the bird thing?”

“Yeah, well at least what you guys just did didn’t scare the crap out of me.”

“Bird thing?” said Hal.

“He shapeshifted into Otacon at first so he could talk to me. Scared the crap out of me.” Suddenly, the girl perked up. “Ooh! Wait! I can finally show him to you! One sec!”

Emma shuffled out of the hug cluster and made a mad dash toward her bedroom, leaving Snake and Hal by their lonesome. Realizing that they were still holding hands, Hal let go of his.

“We’re not done here, you know,” he spoke.

“I figured,” said Dave. “But I have to say I’m proud of you.”

Hal laughed. “Proud of what? Not crashing into anyone on the way here? Because I almost did.”

“For how far you’ve come,” Snake smiled. He pressed his palm against Hal’s cheek, to which the human leaned into it. “You’re stronger than you think, Hal.”

“Hal,” chirped a somewhat familiar voice. The man in question turned around and felt his body go from warm and joyous to cold and terrified within seconds. Fear encapsulated him, making him even more aware that he had a soul more than ever before.

Otacon flapped his wings. “Hal!” he repeated.

“Yeah, there he is! In the flesh!” said Emma. She had the green parrot perched on her forearm as she reentered the tiny foyer. “And that’s Dave right next to him. The one with the demon horns. Say ‘hello,’ Otacon!”

“Hello!” said the bird. David waved back, but Hal remained frozen in place. Even with the literal demon next to him, there was truly no creature more terrifying than the thing perched on his sister’s arm, a fact that Emma took notice of.

“Hal, he’s not going to bite or curse you or anything. He’s just a bird. Simple as that!” Emma assured him. She craned her head over to her pet and smiled. “Right, Otacon?”

Otacon opened his beak, only for a strange series of syllables to flow out of it. The trio watched him in a stunned silence as the room filled with what could only be described as a tale from a time too far gone to comprehend.

Well, for two of them, at least.

“How does he know all of that?” Snake asked Emma. “You wouldn’t happen to have a pact of your own, would you?”

“What?! No, I literally just found out demons existed today!” she said defensively. “Which probably means other stuff exists too, right? Like angels, fairies, and tiny aliens that live in galaxies far, far away?”

“My mom knows an angel, bu- look, I’m saying that your bird knows how to speak my native language, one that’s only been spoken by my kind since our conception. How would he know that if he’s not a demon in disguise?”

Otacon squawked another tangent, which David listened to very intently. Hal and Emma tried to as well, though without nearly the level of success that the incubus got. Snake nodded in understanding, then looked back over at Hal.

“He said he forgot.”

“You’re joking,” said Hal with a straight face.

Emma, on the other hand, was still visibly impressed with her pet. “You’re such a smart little baby!” she said as she stroked between his eyes. “You can translate for me if I ever meet another demon, right?”

“How about we do a family dinner so you can meet some more?” Hal blurted. Both Dave and Emma looked at him curiously.

“You mean like… inviting my family?” asked Snake. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea, but coordinating it’s going to be a pain in the ass.”

“Yeah, but we could make it a celebration! To Hal’s freedom!” Emma suggested. “Wait, no, that’s probably inappropriate. Uh… just a general family hangout, then? If I’ve been involved in your guys’ demon-related plans already, I may as well join in.”

David glanced at Hal. “It’s your call. Your party, your suggestion.”

Hal looked between Snake and Emma, doing his best to avoid making eye contact with Otacon in the process. “I’m not really the type of person who goes to parties, never mind plans them,” he said. “But it’s worth a shot, right?”

Otacon spoke again in the ancient tongue, to which Dave translated to be a “yes.”

A frazzled but quiet smile curled across Hal’s lips. “Let’s do it, then.”

Because he didn’t want to make Emma cry once more, he held back what he really wanted to say: that he couldn’t wait to start living again.

Notes:

Next two chapters will be smut, dw dw

Chapter 22: Coming and Going

Notes:

A second mgstwt drama has hit the Midna127 towers but I've got yaoi to write to help me deal with my sexual trauma so idrc about that right now

Anyways TW for very lightly implied CSA but it doesn't get in the way of the smut... hopefully

“Are you sure you don’t want us to stay the night? We’d be here in case anything comes up,” Hal said.

Emma shook her head. “I can handle myself just fine. Besides, if I need anything, I can just text you.”

Otacon trotted in circles across the living room floor. Like everyone else in the room, he’d been there for hours to bask in the comfort of his peers. Unfortunately for him, the bird wasn’t allowed to eat leftover pizza, which left him quite upset. His claws clacked against the tiles as he approached David, his newfound companion, in the hopes of venting his frustrations from that night.

“We’ll be back soon, I promise,” said Snake. “I’ll even try to get you some treats, if I can.”

“Hear that, Otacon?” Emma smiled as she looked at the bird in question. “Uncle Dave’s gonna spoil you even more than I do.”

As horrifying as the thought was to have the bird as his nephew, Hal smiled and laughed. He then glanced back at his sister, his grin growing soft. “Thanks, E.E. For everything.”

She smacked his arm playfully. “Don’t make me cry again, you jerk! Sheesh!” Emma teased.

“It’s not on purpose!” Hal laughed again. “You sure you’ll be alright, though?”

Emma watched on as Dave and Otacon were in the middle of their seemingly snack-centric conversation and sighed. “It’s gonna be rough, but I’ve already decided I’m not flying out for any services. My family’s already here with me.”

Hal nodded. “And it’s going to stay that way.”

Suddenly, Otacon leapt up in anger towards Snake. His body hovered in mid-air as his wings beat rapidly towards the demon. Otacon didn’t say a word- only screams. David, however, looked unimpressed.

“I told him I wasn’t going to turn into a bird again. I already freaked out one person with that trick already,” he explained to the siblings.

“Yeah, he throws tantrums sometimes,” Emma groaned as she approached her angry bird. “Come on, Otacon, they have to go home. He’ll do it some other time. I’ll even give you some fruit if you stop.”

“Please don’t eat him!” Hal added.

He liked to think that his plea got through to the parrot. The speed of Otacon’s flapping decreased as he lowered himself down towards Emma’s outstretched arm. She stroked the spot between his eyes and smiled.

“Yeah, you like your fruit, don’t you?” she cooed. Otacon let out a squawk typical of a parrot, as though he had never touched that ancient language. Hal tried not to think about that too much.

“I think it’s time we head out, yeah?” Snake said to Hal, to which the man nodded.

“Right.”

 

XXX

The two had decided to teleport directly to Hal’s apartment for the sake of convenience. His gifted motorcycle was somewhere in the complex parking lot, a long way’s down from Hal’s living room. As soon as they materialized into the empty living room, David let go of Hal’s hand and looked him in the eyes. “I failed you, Hal.”

“What?”

“I’ve been lying to you. I never planned to take your soul, not even after you’d reconcile with Emma,” said Snake. “The blemish thing is true, but devouring you was never my goal.”

‘Oh, we’re just going to jump into it then?’ Hal thought. He did his best to hide his surprise by crossing his arms.

“You said back at Emma’s that you’d been refusing my offer for a while. When did that start?” the otaku asked.

David averted his gaze despite being the one to initiate it. “As soon as you said it. The night you summoned me.”

Hal thought back to how reluctant the incubus seemed that evening. Until now, he figured it was because of his admittedly unconventional request. The human still wasn’t an expert on demonology yet, but Hal figured that humans don’t typically die the second after they mate with a sex demon. Considering everything else David had said and did, though, it didn’t surprise him.

“And that night in the shower. When I turned you down,” Dave continued. “Hal, I’m an incubus. We could feed for eternity and never grow tired. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to indulge me. Especially with what I know now.”

As he spoke, the demon lowered himself onto his knees and pressed his rear against the floor. Hal watched in a confused silence as Snake entered a meditative position.

“And for Julie. I should’ve said something instead of doing what I did, regardless of how I feel about her,” he spoke. Snake pressed his hands out in front of him and pressed his forehead against the wooden floorboards. “So I ask that you leave me at your mercy. Do whatever you want to me. I’ll accept it.”

The only sound that was heard for a while was the general ambience of the room. Hal stood frozen in place and took in the sight of Dave completely in submission. His pose looked no different than the deepest bow a Japanese person could give, and not once did the demon stir from that. Eventually Hal settled down into a crisscross position mere inches away from the demon. He ran a gentle hand through David’s hair and ruffled it. The human felt a slight jolt shoot through Snake’s body and smiled softly.

“You were my first experience. My first real one. It was beautiful, and it was terrifying, but it was mine,” said Hal. “You brought me out of my apartment and into the world it’s part of. I finally have a family again. And for the first time in who knows how long, I feel like a person. Because of you.”

Snake slowly rose his head. “Don’t discredit yourself. You did a lot of those things on your own volition.”

“Because you inspired and motivated me to,” answered Hal as he continued to stroke the demon’s hair. “I don’t know how long I’ll be battling these feelings for. I don’t think any of this outright cures them. But I want to thank you for being the catalyst for that. So thank you, Snake.”

“Hal…”

It was clear to Hal that the incubus was holding back his emotions by the way he cleared his throat. The sound was groggy, as though a supply of tears were being held hostage in there. He watched Snake as he rose into a position that matched Hal’s own, facing him directly once more.

“I love you,” said Dave.

Hal pressed his palms against Snake’s cheeks and pulled him close until they kissed. The soft wetness of his partner’s lips had never felt so good across his own. Despite his eyes being closed, he could tell that David was caught off guard by the gesture before settling into it. After all, he had plenty of generations to harness his skills, especially if it was for something as simple as a slow kiss. And Hal wanted to do more than just give him a smooch.

Eventually, the two pulled back so that Hal could gasp for air. His breathing wheezed as though he had been running a marathon. The sound was enough to get the demon to laugh. Hal rolled his eyes.

“I have to breathe, David,” he said. “Especially if you want me to go further than that.”

“How much further?”

The human crawled towards his partner until his legs were wrapped around Snake’s waist. He made sure to swivel his hips in a way that tried and failed to replicate how Dave had done it during one of their experiments. Hal looked down at David’s shirt shamefully.

“Probably not that far. You make it look so easy,” he blushed.

“You say that like you’re not one of the best partners I’ve ever had,” said Snake before he gave Hal another kiss. “Anything you want, I trust you with. Even the weird stuff.”

He rolled his hips up against Hal’s crotch, sending shockwaves across his body. Hal shivered and whimpered as he clung closer to David.

“You like that?” Dave purred. The man nodded, his eyes slammed shut. “You’re adorable.”

Snake pressed his fingers against his lover’s back and pulled him closer until all Hal could hear was the sound of hot breathing in his ears. The sounds of shallow inhales and sharp exhales reverberated against Hal’s skull as a pleasurable pressure applied itself graciously to his groin. Dave’s hips moved up and down so casually despite carrying well over a hundred pounds in his lap.

‘One of these days I’ll have to ask him if he works out or if he’s just built like that,’ Hal thought amidst his waning clarity. The rest of his mind was preoccupied with the rush of blood across his body: one to his cheeks, the other to his cock. It took everything in him not to become undone over something as simple as dry humping, but the way the incubus did it with ease made the struggle all the more difficult.

“Anything else besides this?” David asked as his rubbing continued.

“N-No, just this… nngh. Something simple to- to celebrate- fuck, you feel amazing,” he hissed.

Dave smirked. “Oh, you mean when I do this?”

With that, he picked up in intensity, as though he were trying to bypass the constraints of their pants so that their rods could meet. At the very least, their erections were visible. A puddle of precum formulated across the front of Hal’s jeans, enough to where they could both feel it. Hal was close, and embarrassingly so.

“Snake…” the otaku rasped between shaky breaths. He tried to say more, only to slur and stammer until his cock burst. The high he’d been riding slowly slipped out from under him as Hal collapsed against David’s shoulders. His breath was shallow, his back was shaky, and his mind was fuzzy from post-nut clarity.

But that was it. No fade to darkness, no disassociation from his body. Not even a pinch of his nose. The demon fell back onto the ground and allowed Hal to lay on top of him, still pulled into a hug. Even with the fresh cumstain between them, it was nothing short of soothing.

“You’re free now. There’s nothing I can do to reap your soul,” David spoke as he continued to rub across the man’s back. “Unless you want to make another deal, of course. Otherwise, my work here is done.”

Those words should have comforted him as everything else did, but Hal felt a cold pang in his chest. With unsteady arms, he pushed himself upwards until he hovered directly over the demon’s face.

“No, Snake, I… I was hoping you’d stay.”

“Huh?” he asked, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“I want to be with you. I don’t care if it means you’d be sleeping and making deals with other people. I’ll always be waiting for you back at home so you can have someone to rely on, just like I’ve relied on you. Even after everything that’s happening, I still love you. I’d do anything to give you the company you deserve. And besides,” said Hal, “I’m not exactly into being alone.”

Dave looked to the side and stifled a laugh. “You’re sweet, Hal, but that’s not what I meant. I was already planning on staying if you wanted me to.”

The otaku’s glasses slid down the bridge of his nose, enough to where the amusement on Snake’s face was a bit of a blur to him. As for David, he could see Hal’s embarrassment clear as day.

“Oh, uh… yay, then?” said Hal.

With a smile, Dave reached up to the fallen glasses and shifted them back into place. “We’ll make it work. You’re the brains between us, after all.”

“And that’s why I didn’t have any luck meeting anyone until I summoned you,” Hal said dryly. “Nobody goes for the nerd.”

David chuckled and gave him a kiss, allowing for a fresh set of energy to course through Hal’s body. “More for me, then.”

Hal lowered himself down onto Snake’s chest and allowed his heartbeat to carry him into a state of fulfilment. He didn’t need to say anything more. For the first time since he was a teenager, his life felt perfect.

Notes:

Next chapter will have straight people sex, which is worse than anything I will ever say on Twitter... probably

Chapter 23: On the Edge

Notes:

Another installment of writing things I've never experienced before. This time it's the touch of a (cis) woman!

*cries*

It wasn’t the first time either of them were covered in blood, but EVA thought it was a good look on him. Especially considering whose blood it was.

With shallow breaths, she watched as two imps dragged a nigh-recognizable body across the gravel and into a nearby facility. A hand pressed against the small of her back, drawing her attention back to her partner.

“You alright?” asked John. His look of concerned was complimented with smears of crimson, a look he dawned in the heat of the moment. Despite its barbaric nature, she couldn’t help but find it cute, which was enough to dispel some of her emotions.

“I need to sit down,” she breathed.

John continued to hold onto her as the two vanished in a cloud of smoke before rematerializing in their own bedroom, far from the literal hellscape they just came from. The brick walls of the suite were adorned with depictions of various scenes: battles from across history and assorted pin-ups were mixed with family portraits, including larger versions of the ones EVA kept in her wallet. Relieved, she collapsed onto the comfort of their maroon sheets.

“Come lay with me,” said EVA, to which John obliged. As soon as she felt the side of the bed indent under his sturdy weight, the succubus turned to admire him as he did her.

“Tired?” he asked.

EVA began to lazily stroke his cheek with her thumb. “Exhausted. But it was worth it.”

“I haven’t fed so much from you in such a long time,” John noted. “I don’t think you’ve ever tagged along on a mission before, either. At least since I was a human.”

“Well, whether you were hungry or not, I would’ve gone. I didn’t think she’d be down here on such short notice.” EVA slowed her pace and smiled. “It felt good to do that with you. How did it taste?”

“Outstanding. Like a king cobra.”

Having gotten the response she expected, EVA snorted. “Good.”

John drew his hand upwards and mimicked his wife’s gentle rubs. “So if I fed you now, would I be giving you that feeling?”

“You say that like I’ve eaten a snake that isn’t attached to someone,” she smirked. “I’m more of an instant ramen type of woman these days.”

Instead of letting him go on a tangent about the unexplored dietary wonders of the wild and how EVA was missing out, the demoness leaned close and kissed him. John quickly softened into it and allowed their victim’s blood to dance between their teeth, the tang to EVA’s sweet saliva.

“I think I can live with that,” he murmured as they pulled away to breathe. EVA felt his hot breath against her face and knew that she had to satiate her cravings.

“Mm. If you’re good, I’ll let you taste something even better,” she whispered as her hand traveled down toward the demon’s waistband. EVA could almost feel his heart race straight out of his chest.

It then came as no surprise that John helped her undress his lower half before lying back down on the bed. Faint, sticky remnants of their outing clung onto his bare legs, though EVA paid no mind to it.

Instead she leaned down towards her lover’s cock, which stood at half-mast. Though it was far from the largest or girthiest she’d encountered, it would always be EVA’s favorite. The succubus kissed the tip a few times and watched with a smile as John’s dick twitched with excitement from its newfound attention.

EVA kept her smile as she applied a gracious supply of saliva onto her bare palm. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

The woman’s hand slid across John’s length with nothing short of grace and ease. They both shuddered as the desire for pleasure began to overtake their inhibitions, giving room for EVA to grope and stroke his shaft as much as she desired. In turn, John didn’t hold back from his gasps.

“All this time, yet there’s still things about you that’ll never change,” EVA mused as her hand traveled across his length. The soft flesh pulsated in her grasp as her thumb caressed his tip. John let out a loud moan, which was soon followed by a grunt of desperation as she pulled her hand away.

“Please… EVA…” he whispered.

EVA looked down at her cupped hand and smirked. “Like I said, if you’re good, I’ll reward you. I can’t be doing the heavy lifting after already doing so much, right?”

She then hovered her slickened hand above the demon’s twitching cock, an act that made him groan in defeat.

“Yes, Mistress.”

John began to thrust his hips upward, allowing his needy dick to slide in and out of her grip. The mattress squeaked with each subsequent movement. Between that and his cries of pathetic pleasure, EVA could never grow tired of it.

“Good boy,” she crooned as John’s face became as red as the stains on it were.

His body trembled and his thrusts grew considerably shaky despite his strength. He looked up at her and garbled a wordless plea for mercy as precum dabbled across his tip and down his shaft, having mixed with EVA’s hearty supply of spit. John was nothing short of a hot, sticky mess, but only EVA could determine what that would lead to.

The succubus pressed her thumb firmly against his pisshole, feeling his flesh throbbing against her own as he yelled at the top of his lungs.

“You’re not going to cum, are you?” she cooed. As she spoke, EVA used her free hand to cup his balls for an added effect.

He bit his lip as hard as he could without breaking skin, a discipline reserved only for himself and his loved ones. John shook his head with such a strong fervor that EVA laughed from amusement rather than sexual sadism. Even with the dried blood, the man was just too damn cute.

“Alright then. Just hold still.”

She didn’t have to look at him to know that John was frantic in trying to get a good look at her as she unzipped and stepped out of her jumpsuit, revealing a pair of luxury black lingerie. It and her suit were a look she’d adopted several decades prior to seduce clients. And no matter how many times he’d seen her signature look since then, John never grew tired of it.

EVA kicked the bloodstained suit onto the floor before sliding her panties down to her ankles, then repeated the move with them. To John’s delight, he was able to get a better look of her womb tattoo: a hypnotic series of brushstrokes that revolved around a heart. Sensing his attention, EVA moved her hands down and copied the heart shape with her fingers before pulling them up towards her face. She tilted her head and smiled, which made him tremble with need.

“I told you to hold still,” she teased.

Despite that, she crawled onto the bed and squatted above John, her pussy mere inches from his quaking lips. His sharp breaths hit against it, sending a heatwave through her body.

“But I’ll let you indulge anyways.”

With that, she pressed her wet folds onto the demon’s eager tongue. EVA moaned as he made quick work of lapping at her lips and suckling on her clit. She grasped onto the sides of his head and began to grind against his very skull with her body.

“F-F-FUCK! OHHHHHH FUCK!”

Though she faced away from it, EVA knew that she didn’t have to touch his cock- he was going to finish hands-free. Instead she focused on how her partner’s facial hair prickled against her most sensitive spots, which was enough to drive her close to the edge as well. She couldn’t help the way he loved the taste of her juices on his tongue, but it definitely the experience so much more enjoyable.

“Cum- cum for me, baby,” she whimpered, as though his lovemaking had stolen her voice. “Let it a-all out for your- nngh, Mistress!”

He lightly tugged at her clit with his teeth. EVA craned her head towards the ceiling and screamed as she felt herself release her orgasm against her lover’s face. She could tell by the way his own screams were muffled, as well as the way her body felt rejuvenated, that John had also came.

EVA lifted herself off of her lover’s body, allowing him to breathe fresh air once again. After several starved breaths, John clutched onto her ankles with clammy hands. The demoness looked down at him, her face covered in sweat.

“How… how much time left until that dinner?” he asked.

She glanced up at the grandfather clock that stood near their bed and gasped. “Shit. Three minutes. He’s probably there by now.”

“We’ve got time.”

John rose one of his hands up towards her, to which she held onto. He muttered a series of words in the language of old until there was no trace of blood, sweat, or semen left on either of them. The succubus eyed him affectionately.

“I must’ve fed you well, huh?” EVA asked.

He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. “Julie can’t hurt him anymore. Or anyone else in that damn family. He’s just like you now- safe.”

EVA bit her lip and closed her eyes as if to shield herself from something that wasn’t there. She stayed quiet for a moment until her lips couldn’t stay sealed any longer.

“Are you scheduled to deal with Volgin anytime soon?” EVA said quietly.

“Why?”

She opened her eyes and smiled again. “I… think I like hurting people like that.”

The demon smirked. “Yeah. You’re pretty good.”

“Pretty… good…” EVA repeated. She squeezed his hand, then let go of it. “Two minutes, by the way. You better get dressed.”

“So should you,” said John. “You act like I’d walk in there naked.”

“No, just wearing the skin of an animal carcass.”

“Camouflage, EVA. You never know what you’ll deal with up there.” Despite his sincerity, John cracked a smile of his own.

“Like what? Your future son-in-law?” she giggled. “The poor boy’s scared of you as-is.”

John’s smile faltered. “Oh. Right.”

EVA squatted down next to him and lowered himself until she kissed his forehead. “Are you going to talk to him about it?”

“Alone. It shouldn’t be a group decision.” He scrunched his eyebrows. “Now are we getting ready?”

“I’m sorry I like talking to you. Sheesh.” EVA rolled her eyes.

The two rushed off the maroon-colored comforter and into their closet nearby. Like their discarded clothing, it now shared its own stains of blood and cum. But like with their clothes, it was a problem for later. They had more important things to tend to.

Notes:

New character in the next chapter btw, take a wild guess who it is

Also yes, both Huey and Strangelove are in Hell as well, idc if Huey's my pookie and Strangelove is my opp they both belong down there

Chapter 24: The Twin Paths

Notes:

We're almost done, gamers

“So, wait. If you guys can do that, what’s with the motorcycle?” Emma asked as she stepped across the floor of Snake’s bedroom.

Given that it was a special occasion, she opted to keep her hair down instead of in its usual ponytail. Her brown locks draped across her magenta blouse as she looked around the room with great intrigue.

“Blending in.” Dave replied. “And it’s way more fun.”

“That’s true, yeah,” said Emma. Her eyes locked onto the plush ram sitting on the demon’s bed. “And who’s this little guy?”

Snake’s face grew red. “Oh, that’s, uh…”

“Belua. Had him since forever, right?” Hal noted as he stepped out of Dave’s closet. Unlike his sister, Hal had nothing nice to wear back at home. No form of formality could be found among his collection of graphic tees and plainclothes. And since they were going to eat at his place, Hal saw no reason not to explore his lover’s closet once more. The result was a simple white sweater and red pants, but it was still better than anything he could’ve brought with him.

It was also a nice contrast to David’s outfit- a red polo shirt with white khakis. Hal knew the demon would be pleased with how they complemented each other, so it didn’t surprise him to see Snake react so warmly.

“Hal…” he spoke, his voice softer than the fabric that hugged Hal’s skin.

“I think this is the first time I’ve seen you in a decent outfit,” Emma teased. “It’s not like you to be aesthetically pleasing.”

Hal shot a playful glare at her. “I could say the same thing about your hairstyle.”

Emma ran her fingers across her bangs and smiled. “I haven’t worn it down since high school. It’s nice to have that back.”

“Oh. I’m sorry-”

The girl made a sound of protest as she waved her hands around. “You didn’t know. You’re good.” She then looked at Snake. “Could you fix his apologizing next? I went from radio silence to hearing it every time something bad happens.”

“I’m an incubus, not a therapist,” Dave spoke as he wrapped his arm around Hal’s shoulder. “My job is to make him-”

Emma’s groans and grunts grew wilder. “NOPE! TMI! TMI!”

“…I was going to say ‘happy.’”

“Oh. Good.” She lowered her arms and went back to playing with her hair. “Would it be weird for me to say I’m happy you guys met? Not just because of the whole me thing, but… I haven’t seen Hal this happy since we were kids.”

“I don’t think it’s weird at all,” Hal replied. He looked into his lover’s eyes and smiled. “I couldn’t imagine anything better.”

Immediately, his stomach growled, killing the mood that he was going for. Hal glanced away sheepishly. “Of course.”

“Well, my mother said she’d be here any minute with the food,” David noted as he moved his arm off of Hal.

“I’ll go check, then,” said Emma as she walked toward the hallway. “I think Hal’s outfit needs a ‘professional’ look-over.”

Hal looked down at himself. By the time he lifted his head up to ask Emma what was wrong with it, she was gone.

“Well, that’s one excuse,” Dave muttered.

“To leave us alone?”

“Yeah. I wanted to give you something.”

Snake reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a small bracelet that bore three charms: a white hare sandwiched between cherry blossoms. The silver glinted as he presented the trinket to Hal.

“I, uh… I went to Tottori earlier. Japan. Figured you’d like a romantic gesture of some kind, but I’m not sure I’m good with them yet. It’s the white hare of Inaba.”

Hal placed it around his wrist. “Snake, it’s beautiful,” he mused.

“You like it?”

“You’re acting like you’ve never given me gifts before. Of course I like it!” said Hal.

The incubus sauntered behind Hal and wrapped his arms around his stomach, pulling the human close. “Good.”

He then placed his lips against Hal’s neck and kissed it softly. Hal gasped at the soft, wet trail that Snake took as he slowly reached the base of his neck.

“H-Hungry too, huh?” Hal blushed.

“Nope. Just making it your turn to be embarrassed. It’s what Belua would’ve wanted,” Dave hummed before suckling against Hal’s skin.

The human moaned and shuddered as he felt the free space in his jeans begin to tighten. He leaned his head back against David’s shoulder and moaned.

‘Maybe…’ Hal thought as he felt the demon lower his hand toward his pressing bulge. ‘I can hold off my appetite for a bit longer…’

“HAL!” Emma shouted from the living room. “YOUR IN-LAWS ARE WAITING!”

Both men froze as though she were catching them in the act. Hal panted as he slumped out of Snake’s grasp, redder than ever.

“I think she’s way better at embarrassing me,” he joked, his voice rife with anxiety.

“Sorry, I got a little carried away,” Dave spoke at the same time, his tone on par with Hal’s.

The two stared at each other and laughed. It was clear they were both going to emerge a mess and would face inevitable embarrassment from it. Hal looked over at his lover and held out his hand.

“Let’s not keep them waiting, then,” he said.

Dave took his hand and wrapped his fingers around Hal’s. “Fine by me.”

XXX

To Hal’s relief, everyone in the living room was already having a nice conversation that didn’t involve what had just happened. He also managed to recognize three of the people there: Emma (of course), EVA (who opted for a black cocktail dress), and John (who still looked intimidating even with his spy-esque suit and tie combo).

It was the fourth and only other guest that threw him off. The stranger, like John, looked almost identical to Dave. For a moment, Hal thought Dave had put on a blonde wig and tan argyle sweater just to fuck with him some more.

“So he lives,” the twin hummed. EVA elbowed him in the ribs, to which he cringed away in pain.

“Save the feeding for someone who deserves it,” EVA warned, then turned to Hal with a smile. “Sorry. I don’t think you two have properly met yet.”

“‘Properly?’ Mother don’t tell me you showed him…” the blonde began, his voice trailing as he realized the vulnerable childhood a demon such as himself had been shown off so frugally. He lowered his head and sighed. “Never mind.”

The demon then craned his head toward Hal, his eyes dancing between serious and embarrassed. “Very well. Call me ‘Eli.’ That’s ‘E’ as in ‘eviscerate’, ‘l’ as in ‘liquidate’, and ‘i’ for ‘incinerate,’ which I’ll have no problem doing to anyone I see fit.”

“Because you have to wear a shirt?” David snarked.

Hal didn’t bother to ask what he meant by that. The sudden yet brutal fire in Eli’s glare was enough to keep him worried about everyone’s safety.

“W-Well, I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that!” Hal squeaked. “It’s nice to meet you in-person, Eli.”

“Hmph. Likewise.”

“Okay, now that we’re on a semblance of getting along, I’ll start cooking!” EVA said. She looked over at the Emmerichs and smiled. “You both like crêpes, right?”

Hal thought it over. “I don’t think I’ve ever had one before.”

“You’re definitely missing out. My old roommates were studying abroad from France, so I’d scope out the best places around campus to get some,” said Emma. “Of course, they didn’t actually go there with me, but at least I had fun.”

“Would you like to make some with me, then? I’d feel awful for not offering,” said EVA.

Emma shrugged. “Yeah, I’m down. Plus it’d be easier on your body.”

The demoness chuckled. “My body?”

“Because you were in the hospital recently.”

The room went dead silent. Hal felt his anxiety increase tenfold as the edges of EVA’s lips twitched.

“Who told you this?” she asked.

“Dave, while we were at Lakeside…” Emma’s voice trailed. She looked at the couple in shock. “Wait, you lied about that, too?!”

“Crap. I knew I forgot to tell you something,” Snake muttered. Hal wasn’t sure which woman it was directed toward, but the anger they both shared on their faces was impossible to ignore.

“I think Dave should join us in the kitchen to help cook, then. That way we can talk,” EVA smiled forcibly.

Emma flashed one of her own. “Yeah. Might wanna address all the stress I went through thinking about that.”

EVA walked up to Dave and grabbed onto his horn, earning a yelp from the startled incubus. “Come along, honey. We have food to prepare.”

“Mother! Let go!” the demon whined as EVA dragged him into his own kitchen, Emma following suit.

“Oho, this should be fun,” Eli smirked. He stood from his spot on the couch and nodded at his father. “Care to join?”

“If you feed on Emma, I’m going to do the same thing she just did tenfold.”

Hal was a second away from pissing his pants and then some. Eli, on the other hand, was visibly annoyed more than anything.

“Fine. Still makes for good entertainment.”

The blonde sauntered off into the kitchen, which was when Hal noticed that he couldn’t hear anything that was going on outside of the nearly empty living room.

“Are they even talking in there?” he wondered aloud.

“Yeah. Must’ve been something done to your hearing earlier,” John answered.

Unsure of what else to say, Hal mustered a weak sound of agreement before letting them both drown in an unbearable silence. There he stood, face to face with one of, if not the most powerful demons he’d ever encountered. Granted, he hadn’t met many, but Hal could sense it from John’s aura alone.

And the worst part was that he was Hal’s potential father-in-law. If anything happened to Snake, he’d be eliminated from every conceivable plane of existence. No pressure.

“So I hear your contract is now null and void,” John finally spoke, his hands folded in a meditative position. “But you’re still seeing my son.”

“A-And I’m really grateful I am! You and EVA raised the most amazing person I’ve ever met. I wouldn’t be where I am now without him!” Hal replied.

“Hmm. So you’re planning on keeping it long-term,” said John.

An uncomfortable chill shot across Hal’s body. “You c-could say that, yes. In case, for whatever reason, we break up, or he has to spend more time with a new client-”

“Or when you shuffle your mortal coil.”

The chill rooted into his feet and planted Hal where he stood, frozen by the dark response.

“I… well, I-I’d still be able to date him here, right?” he asked. “Is there a rule against that?”

“Even if there were, you’d still be labeled as a concubine. A slave. A soul that exists to service until it’s time to be consumed. No matter how good to you he is, it won’t last forever,” John explained. “At least if you remain a human.”

Hal couldn’t move, even as he felt his surroundings draw closer to him. “What do you mean? That I convert like you did?”

“I had my reasons, far different from yours,” he pointed out. “I was already a demon to begin with, human or otherwise, You’re heading down a path that’ll lead to heartbreak unless you switch gears.”

Hal was tempted to ask if the gears in the metaphor referred to the mode of transportation or were literal metal gears. An inappropriate sliver of humor amidst a bleak reality. Instead, he opted for a more reasonable question:

“If I do that… then what are the consequences?”

John stared him down for a moment. “Depending on what you convert into, you’d have to live off an expanded diet of souls and whatever related category you become, like lust or wrath. Even if you become an imp, you have to consume the very essence of human life monthly. You’ve already experienced the consequences secondhand.”

“I… I see…” Hal stammered.

“And unless she converts as well, you’ll far outlive your sister. Regardless of where she ends up, you won’t be seeing her for long in the grand scheme of things.”

All he could do was stand. As weak as his legs felt, as badly as his body and mind ached, Hal could only stand as his mind was collapsing in on itself. Even with his soul intact, Hal never felt hollower.

“But you don’t have to decide right now,” said John. “Just something to think about.”

EVA poked her head out of the kitchen door and smiled, more naturally this time. “The first batch is ready.”

“We’ll be right over,” John replied.

Hal heard the sliding door close, then looked into John’s uncovered eye for the first time. Considering his sheer power, Hal thought that a war far worse that Eli’s resided there. That there was something far worse than what Hal felt when they initially met.

But instead he was only met with pity.

“Does Dave know?” Hal asked quietly.

The eye looked away from him, the pain still intact. “He doesn’t want to believe it, even though he’s known it for centuries.”

Suddenly, Hal wasn’t hungry anymore.

Notes:

This isn't supposed to be a "liar revealed" kind of thing btw, it's just the start of the final arc yayyyyyyy

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 11 of there's no fucking way