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The door slammed. “This is all your fault!”
Caelum’s eyes narrowed, his arms crossed as Freelancer threw their bag down. “You haven’t even said what I’ve done. Your message was cryptic and weird and—”
“Huxley broke things off.”
The daemon faltered for a moment. “What?"
“He broke up with me, Caelum.” They brushed past him on the way to their kitchen, all but yanking their pantry open as they spoke. “We’re halfway through our date while I’m practically perched in his lap, trying to make a move, when he pushes my hand off and says we need to talk.” They forced out an exhale, “And what does he say? He says ‘I feel like there’s someone else. Because you keep hiding stuff from me.’ Oh! And the best part? He cites this mysterious ‘friend’ of mine. The one I’m always with. The one I’m always talking to and texting and calling and babysitting and—”
“I never told you to do those things!” Caelum argued from the living room, tail thrashing behind him. “You started doing all of that on your own cause we’re friends but you don’t like telling people about me. And I’m not a baby—”
The human scoffed. “Yet here you are, throwing a hissy fit like a child yet again.”
“Am not! You’re blaming me for something I didn’t even do! At least when I mess up, I own up to it. But you— You just run and point fingers at anyone but yourself.” His nails dug into his palms. “I hate that you were assigned to me.”
Freelancer barked a laugh, “And the pity party ensues—”
“Would you shut up for one second!” he screamed, his voice echoing in Freelancer’s mind simultaneously. “You are so selfish and self-centered and entitled and annoying! You act like life happened to you and that you’re sooooo deserving of better, but you don’t put in any actual effort where it matters. Do you wanna know a secret, Freelancer?” He spat their name like it was corrosive, stalking across the apartment towards them. “I didn’t have to do anything to ruin things with Huxley. Because you bored him. Did you really think someone as pathetic and— And insignificant as you was gonna keep his attention? At the rate you were going, you would’ve been lucky to be someone he wanted to entertain in bed—”
They slapped him, tears pricking the corners of their eyes. “You don’t get to talk to me like that—”
“Because it hurts to hear the truth for once? Oh, if only you knew what they all thought about you. How Damien wants you as the perfect humanborn pet project? Or maybe how Lasko wishes he could shut down your complaining by filling your mouth more often than not?”
“Stop it—”
“Why? I thought all I did was throw tantrums and pity parties. Wouldn’t this be the only thing I’m good for? I’m sure you’d be an expert in that department.”
Freelancer shoved him aside, “I’m leaving.” But Caelum grabbed their arm before they could get far. “Let go of me, Cae. Now.”
“No! We’re talking and you’re going to listen to me. I’m tired of letting you walk all over me just because you’re supposed to be in charge—”
They elbowed him in the face, grabbing their keys off the counter. “I am the one in charge here. And I’m not listening to this anymore.”
For a moment, the empathy daemon felt… hollow. Empty in a way he hadn’t felt this deeply outside of the demon realm. When separated from the cacophony, it was easy to feel the absence of what once was despite the presence of something new. But this felt emptier still.
Then volatile, red-hot magic flowed out of him and seized Freelancer’s core. It squeezed and clutched and tore, the screams and broken sobbing dismissed in the nothingness. They needed to pay for once. They need to understand they can’t just treat people like they’re nothing. It hurts them, it makes people sad, it ruins minds and lives and memories and they needed to get that.
When his magic retracted, Freelancer’s body fell limp against the floor. One eye laid half open as they remained splayed. Not conscious, but still breathing. Alive because Caelum allowed it.
Then, from behind him, he heard slow clapping.
“And here I thought my influence was for naught, Little One.”
Caelum turned as the other daemon uncloaked, stepping towards him with slow, quiet intensity. Regulus lifted the younger daemon’s chin, grinning. “You attacked your own charge.”
“I… I-I did.”
“And?” Regulus pressed, eyes never leaving Caelum’s gaze.
“...And it felt good. I liked making them listen to me. They needed to listen to me.” The younger daemon’s tail began to move behind him with an almost feverish delight. “You were right. They just don’t understand sometimes. But that’s why daemons are here for them. Because we can make them understand.”
“No matter how many times it takes,” the older daemon punctuated with a kiss. With him, Caelum felt like a new being. A being that chose to be this way rather than being instructed to become so. It made him hungry for more. And his appetite was far from done growing.