Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

"Why are you a demon, though? Demons are suppose to be bad, and act all bitter. Like, were you born this way, or were you human? I... I don't really understand how Hell really works. I'm a pretty bad priest, aren't I?" He laughed awkwardly, before taking a sip of juice absently. "If... If I go to Hell, what if I have my cross? Would I be okay? I dunno, but I imagine that's ecactly where I'm going to end up. I've gone against so many rules..."
 
"You want me to be honest, right? You'll end up in Hell, sure. Kissing me ain't exactly gaining you favours in Heaven, but that place is so overrated. Hell's really nice, I think. Aside from the constant screaming, burning and constant punishment... but if you end up there, I swear, I won't let 'em punish you for eternity for your sins~! I'll take care of you, alright? You ain't got anything to stress about," he grinned, setting the now empty plate aside and getting to his feet, deciding that sitting half-naked had lost its novelty the moment he began to shiver from the cold. Like Makai, the Georgia heat didn't feel all that warm compared to their homeland.

"Right, I ought t' go grab some of Makai's clothes, huh? I won't look dashing in 'em, so don't think I'm going to reappear looking like he does. They won't fit me properly. He's got muscles."​
 
"That... That isn't very reassuring, Azaiah." He replied quietly, before grabbing the plates and silverware to clean them up. "A-Aha, I mean... I guess I'm screwed, then? No chance of getting better? That's... Depressing. I mean, all I've done is for nothing, ain't it? That doesn't mean I'm not going to stop caring for my community, especially now!" He insisted, more to himself than anything as he washed the plates vigorously. "It'll be fine! E-Everything is fine."
 
"You wanted me to be honest, didn't you? I don't believe in just spewing out false hope, at least not unless the truth is real bad-- and like I said, this isn't a bad thing, really. It... really isn't that bad, despite the stuff you may think about it. Look, take it from the guy who was born and raised there: it's not perpetually awful. It has its good points. Lucifer throws a hell of a party, and they're always real ful to attend-- though I guess you wouldn't wanna come to the Devil's ball, would 'ya? Totally against everything you stand for, even if you have the hots for me, a demon," commented Azaiah with a slowly growing grin, getting up to lend his assistance at the sink. He may not have known how to cook that well, but he sure knew how to clean up, having memories of most of his childhood being told to clean and scrub.

"If it's any help, you ain't going to die for another fifty years or so, I don't know how long you humans live. So, relax, forget about your apparent fate and just live life or somethin'. I'll be right at your side, even if you end up being, like, 90 years on in a care home somewhere. I won't be wandering off at all. Got nowhere else to be, for a start."​
 
"I get why you'd want to be with me now. I mean, I'm conventionally attractive and whatnot. Why would you stay with me 'til I was old? I hardly imagine you wanting to kiss me if I'm some wrinkly old mess. I've seen Father Merriam, and he looks pretty awful - don't tell him I said that, of course! I mean..." he babbled out in return, while his scrubbing intensified.
 
"Why wouldn't I want to say with you? I'm not... jeez, I'm not that shallow a guy. We're mates, aren't we? Friends and all that. I'd happily kiss you now, and when you're real old, why not? I bet you'd still be a total cutie anyway, so it's not an issue in my book," he shrugged nonchalantly, not really thinking it as much a deal as the other apparently was. In his eyes, Ivan was a dear friend of his, and he didn't just go abandoning friends because they did something as inevitable as grow old. Granted, all the friends he had were demons who didn't particularly age, but that wasn't going to restrict him befriending someone who did - and Ivan was twice the friend to him as anyone else. Even Makai, who he often called his best friend, had abandoned him far too many times, as recently as a day ago now.

"Anyway, this is all depressing me. Can we forget about it? It's ages away," he promised, grabbing the human's shoulders and forcing him to turn his body towards him, using the stern approach to get some proximity in between them again, smiling triumphantly to himself when face-to-face with Ivan, properly. "...Can I get a kiss? You said we can kiss, that that won't be too much of an issue, so... now seems like a good moment~!"​
 
Stiffening briefly, he immediately grew bashful from their close proximity. After all, to be so sternly held, it was understandable. His hands awkwardly moved to carefully set on Azaiah's hips, wanting to enjoy every last bit of the close proximity.

"I, uh... I guess? I-I mean, how can you just casually start kissing? I mean, in all of the romance novels I read, it starts from something cute and romantic..."
 
"And cooking breakfast together isn't romantic? I'm not the best when it comes to romance stuff, I'll be honest. I've only dated Makai, and he's never been one to sweep me off my feet and be all lovey-dovey. I just assumed this was sort of cute. In my experience, it's right up there with the most romantic things I've done, which is kinda sad, I suppose," shrugged Azaiah, growing conscious that he was overstepping the line when spotting the other's awkwardness. He had assumed that they would at least be having the odd kiss here and there, but he in no way wanted to kiss him and make the other feel forced.

Though, he did stay right where he was, assuming the other's hands on his waist was the confirmation needed to reassure himself. "Considering we can't exactly go on a date or whatever, this is as cute as things are going to get, aren't they? You can't risk anyone knowing you have this huge crush on me, after all~"​
 
"D-Don't tease!" He whined, though did offer a light kiss to the demon's lips nonetheless. While he still was incredibly awkward, he was quick to adjust, and the idea of gently kissing who he saw as a boyfriend (despite never intending to admit it) was a leap. Once he pulled away, he carefully pressed his forehead to the other's
 
Smiling to himself both within the kiss and afterwards (the latter, specifically), the demon took a few seconds just to appreciate it. Despite what he may boast in moments of playfulness, he really wasn't a prolific kisser. He had only ever kiss Makai during his whole existence, and even then, he would have have to listen intently for Makai's advice, or wait for the larger man to lead the move first. Here, he was taking the initiative, being a little more confident in trying to create a kiss himself, and seeing it work out without any fuss, seeing it proceed so naturally, was a genuine source of pride for him. It made him feel a hell of a lot braver, anyway.

"You're adorable," he quipped under his breath, affectionately moving to scoop him up into a final kiss before deciding he had better leave it and not get carried away. "Right, I'll hurry up and get changed then, shall I? So we can go get a move on~"​
 
Holding onto that embrace for a moment, he - rather reluctantly - did step back as he rubbed his reddened cheeks with a smile. Much like the other, the kiss certainly did offer the priest both a boost of confidence, and a way to express his desires in a far more appropriate environment. With a soft sigh, he carefully waved the other to the guest room while deciding to remain back.

"I... I really don't want you to think I don't want this, Azaiah. I may not want anything further right now, I just hope you're okay with this, you know? I mean... L-Let's just get going!" He insisted, hoping to insert athat cheeriness back into the conversation.
 
"Huh? Oh don't be daft, I know that I'm pretty lucky just to be your friend. Anything more than that is... well, I'm grateful, really. We can be as slow and as secretive as you need us to be. I'll get a kiss when I can~ I'm a demon; you're a priest. It's not supposed to even be a thing, so sure, take this slow if you want~ I'll still be around, even if you decide you want to just be friends," promised Azaiah happily, the kisses having made a big difference. He was admittedly a little peeved beforehand about the situation, but it was amazing what a few tender kisses could do. A few of those a day, and sex wasn't going to be an issue, as far as he was aware. He wasn't Makai, who practically couldn't go a week without making love. Azaiah liked it, sure, but he could definitely cope without having sex-- and he would at least need to learn to if he was dedicating himself to Ivan, anyway.​
 
"J-Just get some clothes on, will you?" He insisted, hoping that the other leaving would give him some privacy to properly squeal and gush to himself. He was a lot like a teenage girl, in that sense, who was swooning after finally getting a kiss from the most popular school. Instead, though, it was a young man who had every opportunity to have gotten a boyfriend prior.
 
By the time he found some clothes of Makai's that fit him relatively well, considering the differences in the men's bodies, Azaiah only really stopped his excited chatter once eventually heading to the church. It was deeply wrong of him to even set foot in the church, with it being against everything he had been taught and was supposed to think, but he genuinely liked the feeling of being in there. He paid the religiousness no real focus or attention, ignoring the holy images in the stained glass and the Bibles sat on the pews. Instead, he would just soak up the general feeling of safety and warmth in the church, rather than what it symbolised as a place of worship.

While being in the church would usually have him blabber about how nice it was and how much he wanted to see it in its full glory when properly cleaned up, he was abnormally silent the second they entered, staring at the surprisingly dashing visitor who had been sat on the nearby pew, apparently waiting the presence of Ivan, if the religious robes he donned were anything to go by.

"Ah, you take your time-- what is going on, Ivan? Speak informally, I'm here as a friend, not as your Bishop, though work duties do come into it. The whole area has been going through some changes, I've seen, but the church is in such disarray... You're lucky the Cardinals haven't heard about this," said the Bishop as he straightened his collar quietly, charcoal-coloured eyes flickering to the handsome demon at the priest's side. "And this is...?"

"...Azaiah," said man responded, his frown deepening by the second, before abruptly -and incongruous to the situation- bursting into sarcastic laughter. "Shit, really? Is this happening? I can't deal with this, I'm just going to take a seat until this farcical scenario is over, yeah?"

"...He's charming, Ivan. He's a volunteer, is he? Or has he come to confession with you?" Continued the superior religious man, named Arden, who insufficiently hid the flickering smile on his lips. "Regardless, I'd like this place cleaned up. Until then, how about coffee? I've had a long drive, I could do with some caffeine."

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Unlike Azaiah, Ivan was surprisingly relieved to see the Bishop before him, going as far as to physically sigh. Not only was the man - hopefully - going to stick around and help clean up his church, it was also nice to see a man who was a follower of God, and one who cared about others as he did for his town.

"O-Oh, hello, Your Grace- I mean, Arden. Um... I wish we could have met up in better circumstances! The town has had some... issues, it seems, and the church must have gotten the full force. Since everyone has either locked themselves up, or ran off, I was sort of left to clean up properly. My brother-in-law stopped by, from California, and that's how I met Azaiah here. He's going to help me clean up the church, help with services, whatever he can. I wouldn't pay him much mind, really. Oh! C-Coffee! Sure, maybe the coffee maker is still intact? I mean, we could go and get some at the donut shop if that's not the case..." he banned on, before hurrying to run upstairs, where said coffee maker was last seen. With a rather vocal sound of relief, followed by the loud gurgling of the ancient coffee machine, Ivan was growing more and more hopeful by the minute
 
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Strolling after the priest with a final glance towards Azaiah, who had crashed out on the pew in flat-out refusal to acknowledge the religious man, Arden hovered in the doorway a few seconds before heading into the little room to lend a hand-- and mostly to seek out the biscuits to accompany the coffee. He was intent on chatting with the priest, and biscuits were always played a pivotal role.

"Are you sure your friend's got good intentions? He doesn't seem very welcoming," he spoke slowly after a period of silently setting out the mugs. "Not that I can judge without getting to know him, and I trust your judgement, I suppose. The church will be fine. It needs cleaning up, but so does the whole city from what I've seen. It's hardly your fault the church was attacked..."​
 
"I hope so," he replied, before offering a nervous chuckle. "He seems to want to help me, which is more than I can say for almost everyone else in my life. I trust Azaiah, you know? I mean, not only is he nice, he's also willing to help me with things I can't do, you know?"

As he babbled, he urgently poured the man a cup of coffee with a wide grin, his eyes sparkling in excitement to be face to face with the other. "L-Like I said, I really wish we met up over cheerier circumstances! Not every day do I get to talk with a Bishop!"
 
"I was planning to visit around now, regardless of circumstance. Though, admittedly, at least I get to witness how hard you're working when under all this pressure. It would be easy to give up, I imagine, but you at least show that you're dedicated, which is nice. Father Terrence in the church uptown recently quit and that place i in utter disarray-- it's worse than here, believe it or not. Compared to him, you're doing exceptionally well, though I suppose you have that... Azaiah man to help you out. If he's proved himself to be valuable, who am I to judge?" Smiled the man, greedily scooping up several biscuits before perching himself at the little table happily. Granted, he was a little suspicious of the relationship between the priest and Azaiah, having seen how close the two were when entering together, but he was doing his best to inwardly disprove his inklings. After all, Ivan took his job seriously - he wouldn't mess it all up, right?

"I met your sister recently, actually. I came into town yesterday, and she introduced herself, helped me to a hotel. I'd definitely like to meet her again, she has some valid ideas for the church, Ivan. How to raise money to get the infrastructure fixed," drawled Arden as his finger tapped lightly on the rim of the mug. "Is she around? I think we could use some of her ideas."​
 
"You met my sister? Oh. How unfortunate." He replied flatly, his tone dropping like a lead balloon as he took a seat as well. Call it petty, but Ivan was still beyond pissed about his sister's actions, especially after being looked down upon despite doing all he could to take care of her. He was salty, sure, but he thought it was totally justified.

"I'm surprised she even wants to help. Ever since I told her I wanted to be a priest, she's hounded me and made fun of me for it. I don't know why, of all times, she decided to be nice. I bet the ideas weren't even real, probably just joke ones. Tell me anyway, eh? I'll humor her for a second, or so. I mean, I can totally trust the same woman who refused to even step foot in the church."
 
"If they were joke ones, do you think I'd be unable to see through it? I'm a Bishop, not an idiot, Ivan. I thought they were simple ways of instilling some trust back into the community. Little things like sharing the workload. Volunteering to help your neighbours, and they repay you by taking on a job here. Then there are the more obvious ways of making money. Bake sales and the like, once the town's cleared up a little. I don't think they were bad suggestions, really, because you need to do something, Ivan. You can't clean up the place yourself, and helping the community seems to be your main motivation," he continued softly, a little awkwardly in many ways given Ivan's clearly demonstrated annoyance with his younger sister, who Arden had genuinely believed was rather sweet.

Interrupted suddenly by the physical intervention of Azaiah, Arden fell silent if only to see what the demon had to say. He had his suspicions, and the larger man's angry expression said more than he probably wanted to.

"Not that I want to be rude, but Ivan and I sorta have to clean up now. C'mon, Ivan. You can't sit around drinking coffee all day, you know?" He spoke quietly, offering the priest an urgent smile and a gesture to the exit. "Nothing will get done if you procrastinate like this."​
 
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