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demonsplendor · 2 months

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A&A pt 7

GN Human reader x m demon (x m demon)

Word count: 12.1k

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It’s lunchtime on Saturday. It’s lunchtime on a Saturday. You’ve been here now for such a length of time, you’ve gone back to your apartment just once or twice to gather up more clothes and to completely clean out your fridge before unplugging it. Just short of calling to turn off your electricity or ending your lease entirely, you make sure your thermostat is turned off and nothing is connected to the outlets. Just in case. You only hold onto your apartment just in case. You’re not really sure just in case of what, but the demons support both: you staying here for a seemingly indefinite amount of time, and holding onto a location of your own that you could always have if you start to feel too overwhelmed. But it’s now been a little over a month, and you have hardly a thought towards your apartment.

You have still been texting your neighbor, now friend, Francis to check in on him and his dog, (your other friend), Lady. You’ve met up a couple of times to go to a store, to grab a drink, and to go to the dog park. You feel like your cup runs full, feeling utterly at rock bottom a couple of months ago. If you think hard enough about it, you can remember that you actually felt rock bottom for longer than that. But now, you had your human friend, your dog friend, and your two beloved demon friends.

It was the latter that really transformed your life.

Job searches were always difficult but seemingly even more so when there’s a confluence of not much being available and also not knowing what exactly you want to do. As much as you enjoyed being given the opportunity to stay somewhere with someone, you adamantly did not want to sit around and do nothing. You also needed to be mindful of the cost of continuing to rent an apartment that you didn’t actually stay in, something that ultimately didn’t ruin you since you ate and did all activities over here, but still. You took up Asteroth’s idea of becoming a tutor. You’ve only been at it for a couple of weeks, but he was not wrong about how it might instill something within you. You were ready to accept that any interest you had as a teenager into young adulthood would lay dormant and dead forever, after you crashed out of graduate school. An adult that pursued a professional career shortly after, and crashed out of that… You would have thought that nothing felt possible. You also felt in some way like you didn’t deserve to try. Yet, interacting with your first student two weeks ago in a library, a high school freshman who had a difficult time with calculating mass, density, and volume relit the otherwise smothered flame.

Your newest student that you’d be seeing next week was a freshman in college and though you maintain a sizable chunk of knowledge that was innately built upon the basics, you still wanted to review the materials ahead of time to make sure you were prepared. Your old notes are one of the things you unearthed from your apartment the last time, the several years old spread of papers on the principles and calculations for free energy, heat transfer, and entropy scattered all across the dining table.

The demons liked, or at least claimed to, hearing you explain things. It helped you to practice out loud anyways. Although their shared body was turned away from you now, the expressive mouth that existed only within the abdomen pips up, “Spontaneity… Like how flies can come from mud?” The demon that you adored, Asteroth, corrects him in the familiar comfortable tone that only just nears exasperation, “That isn’t real, Argonaut.” “Sure, maybe not here, but there is credence to it elsewhere.”

He still hasn’t eaten or drank something outright in front of you but Asteroth had continued to get more comfortable with consuming things himself in alternate arrangements. Such as drinking from his coffee cup now that he was faced towards the stove and away from you, which he did instead of a response. The concealed mouth grows frustrated, irritated that his own beloved and fellow demon would not back him up, “Like the shadow.” Everyone stiffens and grows still, suddenly chilly. It had been so long since you'd given the shadow a thought, even the calendar page that had a strange scribble just days before the event was now crumpled in a landfill somewhere.

It had also been a very long time since you felt any true feeling of strangeness or unsettlement but you feel it in full swing now, your ears ringing without Asteroth even looking at you. “Is that… Is that how it is–or, what… what do you mean by that?”

He doesn’t even look at you but Asteroth immediately tries to shut down the topic, “Don’t listen to him.” You’ve heard them bicker but never really disagree or have an upset towards each other but Argonaut snaps, “Stop silencing me!”

The large demon immediately turns off the burner and removes the pan from the stove.

“I’m sorry Argonaut.” “I know this isn’t a good conversation piece… and I’m sorry for bringing it up. But I’m not wrong. You can’t keep being dismissive in an effort to make it as though nothing was ever said!”

Concealing his upset and dismay is not one of Asteroth’s strong suits, who audibly groans a frustrated noise.

“You’re right,” and still yet without turning around, he shakily says to you, “he is right. About… the shadow.”

Argonaut thrived on questions but normally you asked them to him privately, in the mornings while Asteroth was still asleep, since the latter abhorred them. He was sensitive, quick to upset, and fearful of what might happen if you knew about the unspeakable. Luckily he’s started to open up more and more about himself which used to be another seemingly forbidden topic, but he still wanted to keep you at an arm’s length when it came to anything regarding demons, their origin, or anything of the sort.

You were always bubbling to the brim with questions.

You had them now but kept quiet, feeling like maybe you shouldn’t be in the room right now. You’ve never seen Argonaut explode before or express such a magnitude of frustration, the feeling it instilled took precedence over any lingering curiosity about the topic at hand.

He himself attempts to break the tension, “I’m sorry, both of you. I didn’t mean to make everything a standstill, I just got so irritated all at once. I don’t have much practical knowledge, not the real kind of theory craftsmanship that the two of you have. Asteroth has his computers and you are basically an alchemist. I like hearing about it, I really do, but I can only relate to so much. I may have had a greater social sense with humans than Asteroth ever had, but ultimately I only know what we’ve ever been.”

You can see Asteroth feeding his hand underneath his shirt to touch and reassure the toothy demon, the one who was his very own abdomen. To apologize for making him feel small and nonexistent. “I’m sorry for dismissing you. The shadow–” “I know,” Argonaut hushes him suddenly, “I know, I know… My feelings got hurt. Rare instance of suddenly and acutely aware of being a part of someone else. But it’s also oversight about the same thing. I know that ultimately it is the walking that must bear the brunt of terrors, of course you’d be hushed about it all.”

Asteroth makes a gravelly kind of noise, affectionate and despondent. You can see him leaning into himself and you know that he is frantic and desperate to comfort the one beneath. If you had felt like you shouldn’t be in here just a bit earlier, you really felt it now. The tips of your ears burning, the awkward uncertainty of “stay” or “leave”, you just try to quietly gather your papers into a stack. He still does not turn around but tries his own hand at reigning in the situation, straightening up and uncovering his hand to turn on the burner again, grabbing the pan to reset.

He says quietly, plainly, but still encouragingly, “You like plants…”

Argonaut does not respond but you trepidatiously attempt to volley, “Is Argonaut why you started to take care of plants?” “Yes.”

The unusually crestfallen mouth finally responds, seeming to perk back to life, “I always liked plants but was not good at them myself. I was lucky to know many botanists and farmers. I thought that maybe it would do Asteroth some good to surround himself with something living. To learn and to nurture.”

You look over at the counter, the more-than-half-dead plant you had brought over, reinvigorated by Asteroth, was now rich in many large leaves. Carefully and considerately he hemmed and hawed over the plant but gave it space too, warning you that someone can stifle a plant just as easily as they could neglect it, and the results spoke for themselves.

Asteroth breaks your attention by sliding a plate in front of you, a piece of salmon from the oven, a jammy fried egg, and two pieces of toast. You touch his arm in thanks, looking up to see if you could read anything but his haunted expression proves to be an effective mask today. Both pieces of toast were not intended for you, not to say you couldn’t get an additional if so desired, but it’s routine now that you give Argonaut something.

He shifts a little closer to you so that you can lift up his shirt, face to face with the slightly smiling demon. “Toast?” you ask. His smile warms considerably and grows along with it, “Yes please.”

You don’t immediately part after he’s done eating, cupping the side of his mouth and running your thumb in a smoothing action. He can tell what you’re thinking, nuzzling into your hand, “Ahh. I’m okay.” “Are you sure?” “Yes, it just happens sometimes… you know?” You certainly knew about your own upsets, Asteroth’s too, but you felt really sobered by what transpired. You knew he was more than just a happy face but to finally see for yourself how the overly joyed and mischievous Argonaut was not always lackadaisical, that he too could be preyed upon by slight and reflection.

You didn’t want to linger too long on the moment for Asteroth’s sake, awkwardly sitting there while keeping his shirt half raised. You inched your fingers across his side towards his back to successfully prompt him to move forward so that you could wrap your arms around him so that you could hug Argonaut, pressing his face against the side of your. In unison they make a rumbled noise, Asteroth dropping his arm onto your back to rub your shoulder in response. When you finally sit back up, a sort of mindless thought spills out, “I know we’re eating now but tonight… Do you two want to get burgers? Would you want… to come with me?” You knew that Asteroth had been in a car before, he told you that much when he was in yours at the very beginning of all of this, but he had been hesitant to the point of refusal in the idea of a car ride. “Sometime… but not today…” He would always say. He was prepared to say the same thing, “I don’t think-”

But predictably, Argonaut grins wide and wolfish, “PLEASE!”

Maybe it was really unfair of you to put Asteroth in this situation, but you hadn’t necessarily meant to. You just always found yourself suggesting the most inappropriate, selfish, yet kind of a good idea during moments like these where you feel so awkward and unsure of what to say. He just about concedes, “I’ll… think about it…”

Your expression now matches Argonaut’s, two tail-wagging dogs excited by the promise of a shared car ride. Asteroth makes another uncertain, frustrated sound but smooths his hand across your cheek before a resigned sigh. You turn your head to kiss his palm and let his shirt drop over Argonaut. “Thank you for making lunch, Asteroth.” “You’re welcome,” he still insisted on, “just put your plate in the sink afterwards,” but he knew that you wouldn’t.

He grabs two plates for him and Argonaut while they make quiet conversation about different kinds of breads, seemingly already past the disagreement they just had moments prior. They part to eat in his office while you make short work of piercing the jammy egg to run over a section of the salmon and forking onto your toast. You still felt a little awkward by how the afternoon was going so far, but by god did you relish this meal. Afterwards, you get up to wash your plate. You’ve been washing at least your own dishes, theirs too if you were sneaky and quick enough, along with whatever dishes were generated during cooking.

Asteroth had told you that they ate quickly, something you thought was only said out of politeness, but you’ve since seen yourself that he wasn’t joking. Still, you looked over your notes to give them some time to themselves before getting up to knock on the door frame of his office. You could see that the plates were empty and stacked already before he beckons you to come in, pausing a video he and Argonaut were watching.

“That was really good, thank you for that.” You were gesturing to take his plates for him but when he said, “You’re welcome,” he didn’t hand them to you.

Instead he swivels around, an action that always made you laugh to see. He could be mischievous and playful in his own right, but it was being in this room specifically that made him seem boyish.

“Hey,” he drives your point home by pointing at you in the same way that you’d sometimes do to him, with a snap, “I have an idea of my own.” “What is it?” “Would you ever consider… a computer?” “What do you mean? I have a laptop.” “No, no, no. Not a glorified word processor. A computer.”

Well, okay then. …You can do video conferencing on it too…

But the slight aside, you didn’t understand what he was getting at and had a blank expression that matched.

“We could play games.”

You liked the abundance of emphasis he was using but you really didn’t know where this was coming from. “I don’t… play games?” “You said that you haven’t ever tried playing games on a computer before.” “I’ve never had a “computer” before.” “Exactly!”

Asteroth shot out of his chair with such speed and force you just about flinched, his ability to be suddenly lumbering was staggering.

He gestured at some of the gaps that were not preoccupied by his own two desks, “Look, there is so much room! We can very easily put another computer in here,”

You can feel your face crinkling,

“I will get it for you,”

Your face outright crumples more,

“It will not put me out at all, and if you end up absolutely hating it, I can easily convert it into a dedicated system for some project. What do you think?” You feel yourself floundering, touched by his extremely rare bout of enthusiasm yet somehow disappointed in yourself for really not grasping the concept.

“...Games? On the computer?” “Come on! I know that even if you’ve never done it before, you too are a product of internet. You’ve been on forums, you still go to your daily sites, we talk about memes.”

That you did…

It wasn’t anything you put thought into anymore, but it was still a mystery how he sounded so succinct and precise at times. His sweet, twisted, gnarled, frozen face never moved and his voice came out sort of scratchy and strained. Yet, he could use a variety of tones that seemed to be replicated the same way as a songbird might be able to mimic a jackhammer. The contrast of this, and the internet happenings that the two of you communicated about, made any jokes, headlines, and “memes” all the more comical. It really stood out to you early on that he made any kind of reference at all, used emojis, but very quickly you understood that his interest was no different than your own.

“Look, I… I can go outside sometimes with you. I know that I haven’t yet… but I admit to you: I can. I would also like to show you, when it’s colder out, something even more gregarious. In the meantime though, this could be a shared activity that is not tv, talking, or touching.”

You feel your vision drifting to the side of yourself at that last bit. “I like doing all of those!!” He is desperate to keep your attention, gesturing wildly to bring you back. It makes you laugh and with an eye-roll you look back at him.

“There are so many kinds that we can try. Please just try…! We can do ones that are just me and you. We can try ones that are competitive–purely casually!!--against other people. We could try ones that… that actively socialize with other people.” This is what makes your head cock in consideration. When you first saw that he had both a work computer and a non-work computer, he had alluded that online games were predominately how he socialized outside of work. He hadn’t really played so many games, none that you would imagine used the kind of air-control looking headsets, now that you were here but you take in his pleading. He wanted to socialize outside of you, with you.

“Ah!! I think, it looks like, that you’re understanding me! That’s great! Like, for example, maybe friend Francis…? Might play games? I could finally meet him!” This started to haunt you a little bit. Not in any disparaging way against Asteroth, but it made your stomach and chest feel really odd. If Francis were to meet Asteroth–actually meet him in the flesh–would he truly react so poorly? It made you feel sick to think about. You were not a social butterfly in the slightest, but you still had daily interactions. Outside of work, and even that was remote, the only two individuals he saw in person were you and Argonaut. He was bored, lonely, and wanted company in the only way that he felt, and maybe accurately so, was available to him.

“I… don’t want to disappoint you… I haven’t played games, so I’m definitely going to be bad. We will lose…” “Not every game is win or lose in that kind of sense. It doesn’t matter if you’re bad! Also, do you not think there are all kinds of people everywhere who are trying a game for the first time? Much less how that might be their first time playing a game ever, just like you?” You’ve never considered yourself to be someone that would play video games but how could you deny him? “I would… be open to considering this.” “Excellent! I already know just the rig!”

“Rig?” He sounds equal parts excited and exasperated, “Computer!”

You feel discouraged but he scoops you into his arms, squeezing so largely.

“I think that you’ll have a lot of fun… I’ll make sure of it!”

You nuzzle into his chest, trusting him fully and entirely but you didn’t really have any faith in yourself. You feel increasingly unwell while you can feel him genuinely abuzz with excitement. “I will be in charge of the computer, I can help select all ancillary things too, but I know that you like to go outside and drive around for your errands. You could look for a desk and a chair, we could then order it online and you could pick up or have dropped off. Or! However you see fit!”

“Asteroth…”

“No! No…” he wiggles his hand in between your body and his to lift up your chin with his finger to predictably see your eyes welling up like fishbowls. “Do not cry, my sweetest friend… I just want to share an activity with you. You do not need to read into it any more or less than that, ok?”

You both know that this is futile, that whatever you’re feeling will take time to resolve, but you do your best to nod and look like you mean it.

He tsks before chuckling, pulling you in again, “Maybe you’d even like to try your hand at programming!”

“Uh…”

“Or learn, I don’t know, video editing?”

It makes you sincerely laugh, the idea sounding absolutely preposterous.

Asteroth is pleased by this, rubbing into your back, “I bet you’re secretly a musician, we could get you a web presence. Get some web clout.”

“Ooooookay, Asteroth.”

You pull away from him smirking and pat his chest, “These are spiraling into delusions of grandeur.”

He has an equally playful edge when he objects, “No they’re not! These are all entirely possible!”

You roll your eyes but before you can collect their plates for real this time he interjects, “I will… ride in the car with you later.”

Together you and Argonaut from below exclaim, “Really?!”

“Yes. Really. But it needs to be at night time, okay?”

You can hardly contain yourself, nearly tripping over yourself to walk over to your desk but he stops you.

“Haha! No need to fuss with these, I’ll wash them okay?”

“If you say so… I’m just really excited!”

He now borders on sounding sardonic, “About the computer right?”

…

Later in the evening you finally make your preparations to leave the house.

Your preparations only involve making sure you have your keys, phone, wallet, but Asteroth’s are understandably a bit more involved. He hems and haws in a mirror, adjusting a hat, a scarf, and sunglasses. “This is all a lot easier to pull off when it’s cold out… I stand out nearly as much as I would if I hadn’t worn anything at all.”

You lean your head onto his arm and remark dreamily through the reflection, “I think you look very handsome.” “Because I’m concealed…”

You snap to, turning your head to immediately disagree but he cuts you off, chuckling.

He is still facing the mirror, “I’m sorry, I know that’s not what you meant. I’m just nervous. But seeing you react so strongly against what I said, from this angle, was kind of comical and also felt nice.”

Only now does he turn his head towards you in return. It’s strange that normally his face follows you regardless of where he’s looking, like a painting with uncanny eyes, but when concealed you can only see him facing whichever true direction he’s facing. “I’ll keep you safe, Asteroth. It’ll be okay…”

You truly believed that it would be okay but you’d be lying if you didn’t feel some measure of uncertainty yourself. You were able to chalk it up to how you hadn’t tried this yet, how adamantly disagreeable and fearful Asteroth was about it. Was it fair though to insist? “I think it’ll do you some good to get out of the house for a little bit.” Were you only saying this for your own comfort? You can see his chest heave in one great sigh, Argonaut piping up from below, “You’re right, it will do him good.”

“Nobody will pay any mind on the road. We are getting fast food… they have to see so many people all at once every day that we will just be another obnoxious blip in the day.” “Well when you put it like that…”

Ahh, maybe you should call it all off and free him of this, just go and pick them up instead.

He can see your face start to stitch into indecision and draws you into a hug, “Let’s go now, before I lose my nerve entirely.”

On the way out he pulls out a pair of nice leather gloves to put on before leaving out the door. It stands out to you that they’re rather worn, these have been used just more than once or twice. You lock the door without sharing this observation, and the two of you walk to your car. “Could I… sit in the back seat?” You had secretly hoped to get to hold his hand during the car ride but you would not object to whatever he decided would contribute most to any fleeting comfort he could hold onto.

“Of course.”

You can’t help it but there’s a small lilt to your voice, if not for a minor disappointment, then for a little confusion.

“The passenger seat is in the line of view of the window, I want to avoid that. I think it feels a little more stealthy while on the road itself too.”

That made sense, “You’re right! Let me move up the seat then so you have more room.”

When you both finally get into the car within your respective spaces, you’re a little startled when you see him in your rearview mirror. Though concealed, he is still discernibly large, space-commanding, and looks a bit broodish. When you twist around though, your arm cartoonishly stretched to prop unnaturally on your headrest, you immediately crack into a slightly deranged smile. You are now suddenly a chaperone, carting around your nervous, but still very brave, companion. Completely from another world, and yet entirely out of his element here in your (admittedly; begrudgingly,) modest and unimpressive car.

He was now entirely in your domain: the realm of quick eatery.

Not very often does he react to you in any peculiar way, but he stiffens when he sees you and very visibly reels back into his seat.

He is very much not joking when he tells you, “You look… oddly powerful right now. Unnervingly bold.”

“I told you I didn’t know how to cook.” “What the hell could you possibly mean by that right now?” “You’re in the presence of a fast food professional.”

He is so stunned into silence that it makes you laugh, untethered and wild. Argonaut had intended to remain radio silent during this outing to help Asteroth feel absolutely certain that there wasn’t the slightest giveaway but he can’t help but to laugh now. You’re catapulted back to reality, grounded and fully serious about your objective when Asteroth quietly says with utmost admiration, “You are my knight, I trust you entirely.”

There is no hitch in leaving his house, exiting his neighborhood, feeding onto the road. You’re pleased to peek into the rearview mirror and see him slowly get comfortable, his posture less stiff and severe, and allowing himself to actually look outside of the window.

You’re also pleased, if not a little offended, when he takes a pot shot at you when he sees you turning into the parking lot, “I thought I was “in the presence of a fast food professional "."

“Huh?!” “This place isn’t the best fast food burger.” You pull into a parking spot before whipping around, “No, but it’s the closest. I thought that’s what you wanted.”

“Mm,” he faces you and looks boyish again, the same way that he only manages to while in his swiveling computer chair, “I’ll concede that that is what I originally wanted… buuut… if we’re already out and about, then why not…?”

“Haha!”

Asteroth was enjoying the car ride!

“My guy… you got it!”

This topic came up a lot, it was like your shared white whale except that it was entirely in reach at a moment’s notice if wanted. The comparison of burger styles… the type of patty, how many if multiple, what sort of toppings. You always offered to get them but he also refused this, just as much as he refused the car rides. Asteroth only wanted to get burgers when he was ready to finally agree to go along with you.

You drive some additional distance, pulling up to what you could only describe as the cream of the crop of fast food burgers. At least, by your standards. And given by what you and Asteroth have compared, you were hopeful they’d be by his too. Although you were by no means a digital philistine, you were nowhere near as quick as Asteroth who had pulled up a menu on his phone to scan over before you even drove into the line. He suggests some things, and you’ll order them, but you order for yourself some things that you think he and Argonaut will really like.

The line is sort of long but Asteroth seems calm and pacified, not antsy by the increased amount of time he is among swaths of people.

You peek into the rearview, “Have you ever dipped fries in a malt?” “Uhh no. That sounds a little dreadful.” “What?! It’s absolutely not! You’ll need to try it.” “Hmm… if you say so…”

It’s finally nearing your turn, you start to preemptively roll down the window while inching forward but quickly turn your head back, “Wait, no drink?” “Oh no thank you. I can’t use straws.” Just drink from the cup? Maybe? …Right?

You won’t argue with him but he offers up something about himself, “I do not have lips.”

The car brakes hard while you exclaim, “What?”

Simultaneously the backlit speaker rattles to life, the employee saying through it, “Sorry, I didn’t say anything yet. Welcome, what can I get you for you this evening?” “No, no I’m sorry, I wasn’t meaning that to you, I was just– ahh. Just a moment please.” “Sure, just let me know when you’re ready.”

You shake your head and grip the steering wheel, realizing your mind is stretched a few too many directions. Luckily it doesn’t discourage Asteroth, surprisingly even, who quietly chuckles while he faces out his window.

After gathering yourself, you finally order your list of spoils for a total of $60.80.

“Please pull up to the second window.” “Thank you!” You temporarily roll up your window, prepared for the final standstill.

The car jostles a little bit and you look into the rearview to see Asteroth wiggling around. “What’s wrong?” You see that he’s trying to rustle around for his wallet but he is too squished into his seat to do so easily, “Let me pay for this.” “No way, it’s my treat.” He makes such a petulantly frustrated noise that makes you laugh and turn to look at him incredulously. “Don’t growl at me.”

Instead of an argument or apology or any sort of real response at all he yawns hugely. “Asteroth!” You whisper it, hushed, but with an attention-getting tone. “Hahaha! I’m sorry. I feel… cozy? I feel nice.”

You reach over to put your hand on his knee, immensely relieved to hear that. “I’m really glad that you came with me.” “I am too… I guess it is as you said, as both of you said, it must do some good…”

The line moves along and you complete the mission of paying and securing two bags of goods, along with a malt and a soda.

When you fuss with unwrapping a straw to poke through the lid of your soda while driving out of the parking lot, Asteroth brings up what he said again, “You seemed surprised earlier. By what I said, how I do not have lips.”

You take a sip while glancing at the rearview, you can see that he’s looking in it too.

“I… I don’t know. I guess so?”

“You cannot tell?”

You need to focus on driving, you don’t want to stumble into saying the wrong thing, but he doesn’t stop looking into the rearview–this much you could feel even if you weren’t looking.

“I… I can see what I see, right? But… you know that I also see almost like this mirage. Even when I’m really close up to you, I have a hard time telling if what I’m seeing is your actual face, or if I’m only seeing the phantom of it.” “Phantom…”

You grip the wheel, you did exactly what you wanted to be careful of avoiding. “Asteroth, I’m sorry.” “It’s okay, I’m not upset. I think it is… an accurate description. Can you see my mouth moving when I talk?”

Upon hearing this, you whip your head around to look at him. Outside of sometimes, maybe, seeing the side of his jaw flexing slightly… you pointedly thought his mouth didn’t move. It sort of seemed like he was somehow speaking without his mouth entirely. He laughs dryly, “Ha-ha. Trick question... It doesn’t.”

You say nothing but look back at the road, glancing again at the rearview. He doesn’t stare so hard back, and eventually doesn’t look at all. Asteroth turns his head to prop against the window. It’s unclear to you if the car ride feels comfortable or stuffy, if you said the wrong thing and if you should attempt to say anything at all. You just awkwardly take to intermittently sipping your drink. “Hey,” he creaks back to life, “could we take the road up here? That’s coming up? I’ve always been curious about it.” “Have you?” “Yes, there’s something about it that almost calls to me.”

You’re dying to ask him how he could possibly know about any road at all. How does he know about “this” road, if he’d been near it, how he’d been near it, what exactly he’s meaning… but you hold your tongue.

“I’m sorry if I’ve made it awkward. I’m still having fun with you.” “It’s okay Asteroth, I’m sorry if I’ve made it awkward.”

“No, you haven’t. I just haven’t really shared much with you, have I? Or more like, it’s clear you have your own observations but I’ve succeeded at forming a wall that prevents you from asking… Haven’t I?” “You’re not a bug in a jar, Asteroth. It’s okay to not want to be poked and prodded. Asked invasive and rude questions.” “Your curiosity is not invasive and rude… I wish I was more like Argonaut though. It is admirable how open he is about everything.”

The light that you’re currently stilled out feels like it’s been red for eternity. This road is quiet, a rolling stretch ahead, and clearly low traffic. The intersection is the kind where there are absolutely no cars utilizing the street perpendicular to you, but you don’t want to risk running the red.

“You can’t really ask him questions like that either, can you? You know that he’s never seen me before.” “What?”

Asteroth does not sound contemptuous or in any other bad spirit but it still feels so strange. He’s not looking at you and yet you feel the sort of hum that raps against your skull before slowly drilling in beneath it, making you feel clammy and dizzy.

“You talk to him in the mornings, don’t you? While I’m still asleep.”

This damn intersection and light… it felt punishing how you were still at a standstill for no discernible reason at all. You were still the only car.

“I’m not upset with you…”

You finally turn around but he continues to stare out the window, clutching his arms onto his stomach. “I want you to talk to Argonaut, to have your own relationship with him. He doesn’t give himself enough credit but I think he’s incredibly brilliant and kind. I don’t want to make him feel irrelevant or small, I can just get so scared. You though,” when he turns his head towards your direction you feel the hair on the back of your neck standing up. It was such a bygone sensation that you can’t help but reach your hand back to get a second confirmation when you feel the electrified baby hairs.

Why?

You had the same sensation when you first saw his face, but he was entirely concealed. “You give him back something that I didn’t even consider he’d need. You give him back curiosity. With you, Argonaut can make sense of a lot of abstractions that otherwise he must keep hidden inside of himself.”

You feel short of breath, nauseated. This is all just tumbling out of Asteroth in such an uncharacteristic way. Completely untethered, frantic. There’s room for you to respond, but after glancing back to see that the light is still red, all you can get out is a wavered, “How did you know I talk to him?” He nearly seems like himself, “I started to wonder what was happening with him, because he would end up falling asleep sooner in the day. Sometimes sleeping for a longer amount of time, too.”

“Oh.” Asteroth confides in you almost playfully, “Also… I asked him about it a couple days ago and he confirmed.”

“What? Then why did you ask me?” It’s as though he doesn’t hear you, “I want you to keep being curious. I want to be more curious too. I think that I am… That I could be more outwardly at times.” “Asteroth…”

You see him suddenly crumple up, keeping one arm along his stomach, leaning his head against his other hand. “Asteroth, are you okay?” “I feel so strange… I’m sorry. I’ve ruined this all.”

It’s almost a guarantee at this point that the light will not change. Your car will be the last one to ever bump along towards this intersection, to the point where the road will eventually gather the same sort of heavy layer of sediment and dust that a dresser in an abandoned attic would. For the foreseeable future, this is where the three of you will live.

You put the car in park and unbuckle your seatbelt to stretch across the console to reach your arms onto Asteroth’s legs. He remains folded, leaning into you and grabbing at you in return. You can’t see anything past his disguise but you can hear him softly crying.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me…” “It’s okay, you’re okay Asteroth. I promise that you’re okay.”

“I am being so strange towards you.”

“It’s okay, you’re allowed to react to feelings.” “But I don’t understand what I’m feeling. I don’t want to ruin everything.” You hush him, attempting to remove one of his gloves. He objects at first but you try to reassure him, “Nobody is here,” with success. When you interlock your fingers together and feel his skin against yours you can hear his chest make the rumbled sound that it often did. You smile when you kiss against the top of his hand before turning it over, when he makes a soft and slightly charged, “Mmmph..” “There’s my guy… it’s okay.”

He nods but immediately shakes his head and grows crestfallen again when you ask him, “Where’s Argonaut?” “Sleeping…”

That was definitely unusual given the time of night and what escalated emotions Asteroth was experiencing.

You kiss his hand one final time before he puts his glove back on, sniffling as he did, “Um, this light… Is this normal? To stay red for this long?” “No. This is definitely not normal.” “Is it entirely forbidden to move forward before it turns green?”

His choice of words, “forbidden”, makes you crack a slight smile that doesn’t travel too far when he grips your arms.

“No, it’s not forbidden. It’s not advisable, but there hasn’t been a single car either, I think it would be safe to go forward. I’m going to do that, okay? I’m going to get you home and you’ll feel better. Okay, Asteroth?”

He runs his hands up your arms to squeeze your shoulders before you return to your seat entirely. “I feel so out of my depth. Other than me… or maybe it is me–do you feel anything strange?”

You manage to stop yourself from leering towards the rearview mirror, you don’t want him to shoulder anything when it’s clear he’s experiencing something out of the ordinary. But now that you think about it, why hadn’t you just turned around? Even if you felt like you shouldn’t run the red light–which–why didn’t you do that sooner? You’ve done it before in less dire situations. Sometimes in broad daylight too. “I don’t know. I don’t think in the same way, but yes kind of.”

You put your car into drive and if only for the performative nature of it, you buckle your seatbelt and look both ways before cautiously rolling forward. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary about it until you heard your now mostly melted soda rattle as though it were full of ice and see the clock display go back thirty minutes. “What the fuck?” You say it in unison with Asteroth, who swore very sparingly.

“Did you see that too?” You’re audibly shaken when you ask. It’s Argonaut who answers, yawning out, “See what?”

You look up into the rearview mirror and see Asteroth immediately looking down at himself, “Argonaut!”

“What did I miss?” You keep driving without the confidence or clue if you should be but your fight or flight is in full force. You let yourself move your hand closest to everything to pick up the malt: the cup was previously coated in condensation but now dry. You touch the bag to feel furnace-level temperatures, basically identical to how you first received them, instead of the tepid and limp bundle that you were expecting. “Asteroth…” “I’m not sure, but it’s okay. Keep driving, we will be okay.” You’re relieved by the reversal, that Asteroth comforts you now, but it also lends to more alarm. The way he sits up straight and vigilant, how he seems ready to move at a moment’s notice even though the whole entire hang-up up until this road was how he must stay out of view. How he doesn’t let you know what he’s thinking.

Argonaut is also left unanswered but he remains quiet as you continue down the road without anything else remarkable happening. If anything it was a pretty road for what you could see in the night time, it was rolling and lined with trees on one side and pastures on the other. There is one house that sticks out to you where you can see a horse standing on the edge of the grass near the road instead of within the confines of the fenced-in area a few meters away. It just about blended into the nighttime with its dark and absorbing coat, the silhouette sharp and lithe looking.

You can see Asteroth pressing hard into the window at the same time as you are remarking, “Strange horse.”

The two of you sigh audibly in relief when you finally exit the road and drive onto the familial light-rich city streets that were close to the demons’ home.

“How are you holding up back there, big guy?”

The most personable part of his response is the snorting sound he makes. Otherwise, he answers coolly, “I’m fine.”

You nod and look up to see him looking at you again through the rearview mirror when he returns, “How do you feel?” You regard him for a little bit, unable to get a good sense of things.

“I’m okay too,” said equally neutral and with a shrug.

Another wave of relief crashes over everyone in your car as you pull into 208 Pepperjack, the shift in energy palpable.

Asteroth is already clambering out of the car but offers on the way out, “Let me carry something in.”

He opens the passenger seat to grab the two bags before walking to unlock the door while you carry your two drinks.

Another audible noise is shared between the two of you when the door is shut, locked, and the light turned on. Everything is set down and immediately your bodies are linked together in a reassuring hug. “I am so sorry, again, for earlier. I don’t know what got into me.”

“It’s okay, I’m just glad that you feel better now.”

“I did have fun being in the car… I just wish I didn’t suggest that road.”

“You didn’t know…” Neither of you did and you were all too eager to pretend like it hadn’t happened at all. “Do you think that you would still go on a car ride again?” He squeezes you, “Yes. I will go on more car rides with you.” The evening had not gone smoothly but this elated you to hear, immediately beaming up at him. You slowly reach your arms up to touch near the accessories that concealed him, “...May I?”

He stiffens but agrees, “Okay…” You start with removing his hat, then his sunglasses, and end on unwrapping his scarf, placing the items on the counter next to you. When you run your fingers along his jaw afterwards he yawns and sets his hands onto yours, “That does feel better, thank you.”

“Hungry?” Though his face seems to not move, you can feel Asteroth nodding against your hands while Arnoaut languishes from beneath, “Yes!”

You move one of your hands to his stomach without much thought with Asteroth doing the same and in unison telling the unusually quiet demon, “I’m sorry Argonaut.” You can feel him stretch into a wide smile that was warm and content. “It’s okay. I understand that something strange has transpired but eating will make us all feel better.”

Even though you were inside and now removed from it, something strange had happened, hadn’t it?

You suggest while the large demon’s face was still in your outreached hand, “Do you want to eat while watching tv? I can sit on the ground at the coffee table and you could sit at the couch. Sort of next to me but still behind me. I won’t look.”

Asteroth was oddly agreeable today and still seemed a little off-kilter, “Hmm… I guess we could try that…”

This would be the nearest that you’ve been while eating. The first ever agreed upon arrangement of you being in the living room while he was in the kitchen had been the only way you’ve tried so far.

Not wanting him to change his mind, you break away to gather the bags, your malt, and wander out of the kitchen and into the living room with Asteroth following suit. You situate the items while he finds something on tv. It’s a little disturbing how hot everything feels even though there definitely was a huge swath of time that just came and went that would have otherwise made them cold.

He sees you poking the foil cautiously, “It feels weird that they’re still warm, right?” “A little… but I think we should try to think positively about it.”

“I think that you’re right…”

You hand them two of theirs and unpeel the packaging from yours. It is too strange to ignore that they were still hot but… it was really good. Asteroth gives Argonaut his in one go, but by the sounds of the near-constant crinkling you believe that he must be taking bites out of his own.

Asteroth had expressed interest in yours after you ordered, it had both onion rings and bacon on it. He inquires even now, “How is it?” You don’t look behind or off to the side, you just cover your mouth while confirming, “Really good,” and stretching your hand with the parcel in offer, “want a bite?”

“Hmmm…” “I won’t look.”

“Ok… I’ll try.”

You stay true to your word and do not look but smile to yourself as you hear the crinkling after he takes it from you and an emphatic, “Mmm. A little too much, but it is good.”

The burger reappears in your field of view and you’re surprised that your heart feels aflutter by seeing a bite taken out. Argonaut stirs, murmuring to the point of a whine, “I want to try…”

Asteroth says softly, “You’ll eat it all.” You wouldn’t mind, “That’d be okay.” And finally, Argonaut, “I’m capable of taking bites too.”

“Could I try, Asteroth?” You continue to look away while the large red demon agrees to the idea and sets his own burger down. You turn around to stretch over his lap and lift up his shirt to the eagerly awaiting demon who guides you, “Just near my face, okay? Not in it.”

You’re not entirely sure that you understand but you angle an untouched edge near him and are pleasantly surprised by how true to his word, he manages to cautiously take a single bite that pulls an onion ring out with it. “I like that it has a lot going on. Crunchy.”

A sliver remains small enough to take one more bite before popping the rest into your mouth and you quickly look up at Asteroth when you hear his chest rumble. He seems surprised too, touching his hand to it. “I’m not sure why that gave me such a feeling.” “Because all three of us tried it?” “Yes, but also that you were not put off by us.”

You rub this side of his leg in long, brisk movements, “I like eating with you.” “I do too.”

“Here, now you must try french fry dipped in malt.” Asteroth nearly reels but chuckles while he does, “If you say so…”

The three of you make thorough work of the remaining food, sharing amongst yourselves in a similar manner to the first burger, with only one of your items getting put up in the fridge afterwards since none of you had room to finish it. After many yawns and half heartedly watching tv, you all retire to have the heaviest sleep of your life.

You wake up groggy very early the next morning and leave the bed without seeing if Argonaut was awake so that he could sleep in with Asteroth. You use the bathroom in the hallway to brush your teeth and splash water on your face before shuffling into the kitchen. There, you heard a rasp at the door. The noise stops and you wonder if you were just hearing things but as you begin to open the cupboard you hear it again.

It was soft sounding, like a brush, but had some force to it. You glance out the bottom of the blinds on the door’s window but cannot see anything. You cautiously open the door to be met with a dark four-legged figure, a number of hands tall, boldly large while still lithe.

You’re stunned, “A horse?!”

Its nostrils flare as it exhales hard and then, utterly to your surprise, it talks. The voice was icy and distant, as though you were hearing something through the stillness of a snow-filled night.

“It’s about time someone answered.”

It pays you no mind and presses its broad nose into your side, causing you to move over enough to leave it some space to try to squeeze through you and the door. Seeing its feet begin to clack onto the kitchen floor…! “No, no, no! What are you doing! You can’t come in here!”

It nudges you again to move further away as all 4 legs are now within the kitchen. You feel yourself paling, finding just enough to scream out, “Asteroth!”

With equal urgency, you hear your demon’s thudsome heavy footsteps sprinting to where you were.

“Damn you! I knew it!”

You’re confused by what Asteroth means.

He sounds frantic and furious yet seems to be frozen in place. Your head feels so wrong when you try to make sense of what’s going on, a dreamy haze mixed with wringing. The unwelcomed equine takes to nosing the door close before turning around and whinnying, sounding like a pipe organ as it does.

Asteroth is motionlessly barking at you, “Get away from it. Come here to me now,” but it’s as though you can’t hear him.

Your head and ears feel numb.

“I like humans, I wouldn’t hurt one.”

What are you missing here? Why is everything moving so slowly? Why is nobody reacting or asking what you think is up there as the biggest question.

“Horse… talking…”

Asteroth sounds detached and venomous when he responds with, “That is not a horse. That is a demon.”

“Demon…?”

He stares hard at the horse–demon–and grows visibly upset. “I knew it. I knew when I saw you last night!”

You look back at the being standing in the middle of the kitchen and realize that although it was quite dark last night, this was the horse you saw standing strangely to the edge of the road. “You wore a disguise, the sort that a human would… but I could still see your eyes. You are like me.”

“No-”

“But I wonder why you did not just transform?”

Transform? You look over at Asteroth who is now visibly shaken, stunned into his own silence. “Oh. You can’t transform? You must be really strong then,”

Your head tilts, the familiar feeling of curiosity taking root. Like a well-honed needle, it punctures all the way through the strangeness of this situation. Asteroth can see the wheels turning in your head, he angrily pleads to the demon, “Stop. Don’t say anything more.” “Oh…”

It swivels its head in your direction and up close you can see how its eyes are not entirely horse-like.

“He doesn’t tell you much, does he? He thinks he’s protecting you but it’s actually quite harmful to leave you so ill-informed.” It’s as though you’re half asleep or some other sort of daze, you feel how your head could roll back at any moment. You blearily stare at this beast and ask with a thick shellac of confusion, “Asteroth?”

It whinnies again, sounding like bagpipes through a wind tunnel.

“How easily his name careens out of you!”

“What do you mean?” You struggle to turn your head towards Asteroth who seems to be in a similar sort of stupor that you are. You convince yourself that you can see his expression give way to another. What was once and always had been frozen, ghoulish, now looks distraught and begging. His voice breaks in a way that matches, “Please… Please stop.”

“Ugh! You react so strongly to me, I don’t react the same to you.”

It feels like the two demons in front of you are speaking a whole other language. You can understand the words but you can’t comprehend the conversation that they’re having. The false equine awkwardly kneels onto the ground, folding its legs underneath itself and suddenly all of the pressure out of your head clears.

It seems to yawn, sending out with it, “You certainly look the part though…” Asteroth’s mind must have cleared too for what seemed like an invisible barrier holding him back was now cleared and he began to charge forward. You knew that while you were in the shadow, he had overtaken some awful beast, but you didn’t actually see it. Since then, you’ve only ever seen him move quickly to see if you were okay or unintentionally display his strength by picking you up with ease from the couch.

Something made you want to stop him. Something propels you to step in between your demon and the unwelcome guest.

Asteroth freezes, “What are you doing?” “What are you doing? What are you going to do…”

“This is not your friend.” You feel the pseudo horse press its nose into your leg while talking to Asteroth, “I could be. That’s why I came here.”

Your demon visibly looks as though he’s about to blow, “Absolutely not-”

It wasn’t your intention to disregard him, but the sound that rolls out of him in response to you turning around and kneeling down to the horse was full of anger and betrayal.

“What is happening? Did you really walk all the way over here?” “No. I teleported some,” it looks over your shoulder back towards Asteroth, “surely that’s something that you can do…?”

He doesn’t react until you turn around to look at him, in which he starts to stir. You turn your attention back, cautiously putting your hand on its nose. Though there is an unnerving uncanniness to the beast, it feels soft and the fur familiar.

“You feel like a real horse.” “I basically am a real horse. I’ve been in this form for so long, I am unable to be anything else.” “Did you choose this one?”

“Sort of… Do you understand that when I say I am like him I don’t mean just as a demon? I am of the horror too.”

The horror.

You continue to idly stroke the beast’s snout as you mull over what it says.

“Prior to this, I looked horrifying myself. I can still inflict strange sensations even if I don’t mean to. Like what just happened here or what I assume must have happened last night?”

“Last night… it was as though a chunk of time had elapsed–no–it did elapse! By the clock it did, at least, but then it seemingly returned.”

It pushes into your hand, “At the light?” “At the light!”

Asteroth finally speaks up, “You need to leave.” “Asteroth…”

“I’ll say it again, it is not your friend.” You feel terrible hearing him talk like this. Maybe this demon was not your friend but it didn’t seem to be harmful. However, if the horse’s feelings were hurt, they didn’t seem terribly injured.

They stretched with a yawn and lied down on the ground entirely nonplussed, “I will but I used all of my energy getting here. I need to rest first.”

“No! You need to get out now!” “Asteroth!”

You feel a sort of flare towards him that you’ve never felt before, nearly howling out his name. It takes him by surprise too and it causes him to stagger backwards. Your volley is unrelenting, standing up and marching towards him as you do.

“How cruel and inhospitable can you be? I don’t know anything… I’ll give you that. But it-they-he… she…?”

The controversial guest in question does not clarify, staying silent to the point of perhaps even being asleep during your pause.

Well, no matter for now, “...hasn’t done anything. Are all demons so bad? You can’t let this one rest for a while? They even said they didn’t mean to…”

Asteroth regards you while clearly feeling a vile sort of ichor, his voice strained and as though it were through clenched teeth. How was that possible?

“You don’t know anything and it’s like that for a reason. Demons can and will take advantage of you. Demons can and will take advantage of me. It doesn’t matter if it says it “didn’t mean to”. The effect is still there and could still be taken advantage of at any moment. Especially if we let our guard down and just let it stay in here.”

You feel too ashamed to even look him in the eye when you mumble, “You have an effect even though you don’t mean to…”

This hurts him more than you had been prepared for. His voice is hoarse and disgusted, “That’s not fair.” No, it wasn’t. It wasn’t fair to use that against him, but you really didn’t feel like he was being fair either.

The standstill was successful though and you used the opportunity to sheepishly grab a bowl and fill it with water. You kept your eye on Asteroth the entire time to make sure he didn’t bolt over to the beast, but he was so obviously upset with you that he kept his vision focused on you uninterrupted. The ringing was nauseating and you worried you’d wobble and drop the bowl of water. You feel a surge of challenge and walk back the bowl but feel your body start to seize.

“Asteroth…”

“Shit…” He turns his head away entirely from you with a sharp inhale. You can see his body start to bubble and heave, “I’m sorry…”

You make it back to the creature splayed on the ground and crouch down to set the bowl of water down in front of it. Brushing the top of its head again and seeing their eyes open in response, “Hey, here’s some water… if you’re thirsty.” “I am…! I am. Thank you.”

It straightens up and shakes its head before it begins to drink the water in one go. “Would you like more?” “Not yet. Demons can get stomach aches from too much water too. Did you know that?” “Mm… I’m not sure I knew that about water. I did know about that happening with too much alcohol though.”

The beast chuckles.

It is as strange as when it speaks, stranger than the discordant laughter of your two demons, but it’s still clearly lighthearted and pleasant. Could it really be tricking you? You didn’t paint yourself as that much of a bleeding heart, but it probably would be easy to pull the wool over your eyes. Yet, there was a sense of familiarity and kindness that compelled you to make sure it was at least comfortable until it left.

“Need to be careful with alcohol, that’s for sure…”

You run your hand through its course mane and it leans into your arm while looking past you, “I’m sorry that I’ve bothered you. Both of you. I’m sorry that you felt the unusual effects, it seems like they impacted you strongly. I’m sorry that I came here unannounced. I really do mean it when I say I like humans. I live with a human too.”

“What?”

You’re surprised to hear your voice in unison with Asteroth’s, glancing over your shoulder to look over at him. You turn back upon hearing this third, new demon.

“Yes! Yes I do! You could meet him too. Your secret is safe, I haven’t told him about you. But he would be nice to you too, I promise. He is older and has extremely poor eyesight. That would be good for you, no offense–you really don’t look that awful–but I know the feeling.”

…You’re not certain if this is the most tactful or successful way for them to be ingratiating themselves to the hostile Asteroth, who seems to share the same sentiment with an exhausted noise.

“He’s a ranch hand, a ranch owner. Horses!” The spirit seems to be rekindling within, it whinnies again and this time comes out less uncanny.

“He knows I’m a demon, he helped me when I was down. I was a horse then too, but I was still able to slip in and out of it. He saw me–me–and he was not dissuaded. I imagine the same way as you are not dissuaded,” nuzzling into your arm again and this time meeting his eyes with yours.

“That’s why I went to him when I was in trouble. He handles the horses kindly, I thought that maybe he’d be safe. He was, he is, but I was in a bad state. My abilities were rampant, he could tell immediately that something was strange. But he was not dissuaded! My transformation broke, he really, truly saw me, and still he patched me up. He was young and had his sight. I always intended to stay a horse, out of any beast to turn into, I’ve always liked this one… it feels right. I started to live with him and among his horses and ever since, no matter how exhausted or hurt, even if I were to try: my form never breaks.”

“Does he still feel the bad sensation when he’s around you?” It’s Asteroth, now crouched behind you. You don’t dare to look but you can hear him have nearly bated breath.

“Sometimes… but it’s gotten easier over time. If I sit, for some reason, just like this, it seems to dampen. There are some pleasant side effects too, well… you can decide. The road is quiet, there seems to be a natural hesitation to drive past our house.”

You nearly purse your lips, not sure if you felt amused or smug.

This one over here felt the opposite. A magnetic pull towards it…

You keep this to yourself but ask something else, “Do the horses feel your effect?” “No! They trust me, I keep them safe!”

They nearly launch off of the ground, you try to hush it and gently brush along the neck.

It softens considerably, “You seem to have interacted with horses before.” “Yes,” beyond yourself, you say it so fondly and can feel a smile creep onto your face. “My grandparents had horses when I was a little kid. I’d stay at their house during summers. I got to ride them but I took care of them too.”

“You could ride them now too! I can introduce you! They will run with me but it’s not the same. My friend, he is too old to ride them as often as he’d like too.”

You feel so unbelievably endeared towards this creature, demon, being, and found it so difficult to imagine that it was anything false.

“Could I ask you your name?”

You feel Asteroth stiffen behind you, the beast before you straightening up. “About that… it is odd that you just say his name so easily! I can tell you, but typically… that isn’t done.” “What do you mean?” “For one, names are powerful. To give you a name is to give you something that could be used against. I don’t think you would do something bad, I’ll even give him the benefit of the doubt, but secondly… even if you were to know, it’s strange that you say his without any issue!”

“Issue?” You feel Asteroth’s hand materialize to your side and placed against your leg.

“You say my name without there being a frog in your throat.”

Again with a conversation happening around you, with only non-answers provided.

The horse continues, “The name is… a demonic manifestation. You are a human. The same as you have all kinds of gut feelings to keep you out of danger, there seems to be a natural sort of safeguard. The name is powerful and could be used against us, sure, but it can easily be used against you too. With the name, you can summon.” …Summon? You feel Asteroth desperately pawing at your side, shifting uncomfortably.

“Your friend is upset by this. I know he doesn’t want you to know anything. I still think that’s a terrible idea, but I only tell you this one thing because it does stand out. Some people can say the names with ease, just generally not. My human friend still has trouble, the “frog” so to speak with my name. My name is Samigin, but he calls me “Troy”, “Odysseus”, “Odd”, and other similar ironic things. Do you get it? Like the Trojan horse!”

“Samigin…”

“Oh!” What was once a puddle on the ground was now suddenly on all fours, clacking hooves about. It was enough to startle you, leaning backwards into Asteroth who felt like was poised to react if needed.

The defense was not necessarily warranted, the demon leaning down to press its long nose into your cheek. “Say it again!” “Samigin?” “Ah!”

You’re drawn to wrap your arms around its neck and it pulls you up before pressing its chest into your shoulder and draping its neck over. You can feel their body reverberating and nearly buzzing in excitement. “How sweet it sounds! No frog at all… Could you say it again? One more time?” Laughter washes over you as you think you might be feeling some of the strange effects by this demon. It is unlike earlier, and certainly unlike the previous evening, where you feel confused and alarmed.

Here now, you feel a headrush and giddiness.

You pull the creature into a hug and say their name again, this time more formally, “It’s nice to meet you Samigin.”

Samigin exhales with much force, the excitement still palpable, but they do not shake or buck further.

You turn your head and are surprised to find Asteroth trying to gingerly place his hand on the creature’s nose, seeming uncertain as he does. “...Like this?”

You confirm, “Yes, just like that. Gently.”

The large brown eyes, not quite horse, certainly not human, something otherworldly entirely, looking up at your demon with an expression you can’t quite place. “Your turn.” “What?” “My name!”

“Oh… Okay… I’m sorry that I was hostile towards you, Samigin.” You can’t help but chuckle when the demon lets out a nicker, pleased by the cordial interaction. “You… know my name too.” “I do, but it’s too hard for me to say.”

This causes your head to perk up as you see Asteroth suddenly turn crestfallen.

Samigin nudges into you and says quietly, “Too strong.”

Too strong?

You were worried that this would sour Asteroth immediately or scare him away but he tries to offer a meek compromise, “You could just call me Aster…”

“Oh! That is an idea!” It lifts its massive head from your shoulder to press firmly against Asteroth’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Aster. I’m sorry for barging into your home.”

It’s too hard for you to tell, but you feel like you can see Asteroth softening towards them and maybe feeling endeared in his own way.

You feel Samigin’s massive body begin to shift in order to move away, “I’m feeling better now, I will take my leave. I do mean it, you know where I live. You can come over and meet my friend, and meet my horse friends too.”

“Maybe…”

Your demon doesn’t yet seem convinced about the idea and you find yourself sharing a disappointed expression with this one newly met. “But–”

Your ears perk up,

“You know where I live too. You may… come over again…”

“That’s wonderful news! Thank you Aster! Thank you kind human! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

In such a rush, Samigin rears up and neighs.

The previous sounds had all started to sound less and less unnatural but you were not expecting the massive gesture and much less the sound. Neighing is already a remarkably loud and boisterous sound but here you felt the reminder that this was not a normal horse, for this rang out like a train whistle. You clutch at your head and feel Asteroth reach over to brace you as in one thunderous boom, the visitor was gone.

The experience leaves you blinking and a little dizzy in the aftershock, “What was that?” “They basically quick-traveled home.” You remember the line of questioning that Samigin had for him earlier and turn around to look at Asteroth. “Can you do that?” Your demon immediately takes to the stance and expression that you’re so familiar with, uncomfortably shifting while blatantly looking down at the floor instead of at you.

Unlike previous times where he would remain entirely silent, he very quietly confirms, “I can.”

Even if you didn’t agree with Asteroth’s hostility towards Samigin, you understand why he was so hard pressed to make him stop providing observations. You already had boundless curiosity but now you had entirely new directions and information to go off of. Your mind was spinning with all new questions but you knew that now at least was not the time. “Hey,”

You cautiously touch his arm and grab his hand when he doesn’t shake you away.

“I’m sorry for getting so angry at you, and for saying what I said.”

“It surprised me when you stood in between us and laid into me,” you feel your face folding, “but it was admirable. I mean what I said about how we need to be cautious. I’m scared of something bad happening, I’m scared of you falling prey and that it would be because of me introducing you to all of this. But in this situation… I think that you were right. I think that Samigin is harmless.”

Argonaut whispers, “Perhaps even a friend.”

“Argonaut!”

You had almost entirely forgotten about Argonaut, who had been silent during the whole encounter.

“He can’t be known,” it feels like Asteroth is warning you.

“Never?”

His body tenses but Argonaut softly agrees, “I trust Asteroth entirely. It’s okay, I don’t need to meet everyone.”

It makes you feel suddenly so sad to think about and utterly confused. You thought that everyone was in agreement that this demon was kind, friend-like.

Asteroth grabs your hand and says firmly, with a tint of implorement, “It isn’t safe.”

“I won’t go against you on this, I’ll keep Argonaut safe too.”

His chest rumbles and he sighs relief while wrapping his arms firmly around you.

“Asteroth…”

You can feel Argonaut’s mouth from underneath Asteroth’s shirt pressing against you. Your demon bounces into familiar laughter and as much as you liked the unique interaction this morning, you love this arrangement.

“I know, I know, Arg. Are you two hungry? Do you want breakfast?”

#Exophilia #monster x human #demon boyfriend #demon x human #demon x reader #teratophillia #monster boyfriend #original writing #demon #terato #Poly fic #human reader #A&A

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