Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

  • So many newbies lately! Here is a very important PSA about one of our most vital content policies! Read it even if you are an ancient member!
"But you genuinely have a shot at redemption, right? I was never going to worm my way into the big man's good books, and I don't want to. It's against everything I was born knowing-- but I want you to be able to have the chance of going to Heaven, y'know? I'm a demon, I'm all for the fiery pits of Hell with endless torture, but... Heaven's gonna be pretty nice, right? And I'd rather you end up there than in Hell," he admitted after a moment of just letting Ivan do what he wanted. Eventually, he decided that, as desperate as he was to do this, after whining for months about waiting, it wasn't worth it. Ivan would definitely end up in Hell, there was no doubt about that, and if not having sex with him meant he stood just a small chance of going somewhere better, Azaiah was gladly going to ignore every urge and desire he had.

"...Besides, sex isn't everything, is it? What's wrong with a good kiss and cuddle?" He laughed, gently pushing himself up from his laid-out position to button his shirt back up. Kisses were bad enough, but he figured God wouldn't be as judgemental over them as he would about sex. "...I won't... I'm not going to screw your chances, alright? Regardless of what you say, I know you'd rather go to Heaven than Hell. Who the fuck would choose Hell willingly?"
 
Watching in confusion, Ivan immediately grew uncomfortable at how easy Azaiah was at pushing something they both had craved away. Fiddling with his own hands nervously, he looked away in embarrassment, especially to be physically pushed from their embrace.

"It isn't everything, b-but... I don't want to go to Hell, sure, but I don't care for forgiveness. I'm not a priest for a place in Heaven, I did it because I care for people. Are... Are you grossed out at the thought? I know I ain't the most handsome bloke, but... I wanted to be able to do stuff we aren't allowed to at home."
 
"Don't be fucking stupid, of course I want this. I've gone a whole year complaining about not being able to do this, it isn't easy to turn this down, idiot," he smiled, resting his hands behind his head as he opted to lay back down, even if he just wanted to get up and head to the balcony for fresh air, now the atmosphere had quickly turned awkward.

"I want you in Heaven, alright? I don't even care if that's not worth more than having sex with me. You can't end up in Hell, and I won't let you end up there if I can help it. I'm doing this for you-- you can't have both. You can't go to Heaven whilst also having had sex with me, it won't happen."
 
"Do you honestly think that, that's going to be the deciding factor? Whether or not I had sex with you! Not the fact that I'm dating you at all, nor the fact that I've already technically been? I'm... I'm already screwed, Azaiah. I'm not getting into Heaven, even if I did something saintly. That's okay, though! I mean... Laura is, obviously, a-and I don't want to be in Heaven if it means I can't be with you."

As he spoke, thanks to the alcohol, Ivan began to tear up. He wiped his eyes free of tears, but it wasn't fast enough to stop the sniffles and shudders that followed.
 
"Do you not realise that we're never going to be together in Hell? Don't you get that? I don't want to be the bastard who breaks it to you, but when you die, you're just going to be fucking tortured down there. I'm not going to be able to even see you, let alone continue a relationship. J-Jeez Ivan, did you really think everything would be normal once you died? Once you're gone, that's literally it for us. It's why, even if there's a tiny chance for you to be forgiven, I want to try and get you somewhere where you can at least be happy, f-fuck," he groaned, sitting back up against the headboard, already regretting having to break the news of the other's very possible future to him-- but it also wasn't right to just keep him in the dark about it. "...I mean, the way of combating all that is to, y'know, turn you, but I don't want that either. Maybe I'm selfish, but I'd rather you stay human."
 
Easily climbing off Azaiah's lap, Ivan instead chose to pull his legs to himself close, at least being able to hide his crying a tad with his legs. He had never been one to cry often, since he was meant to seem like the tough caretaker to Laura, but jnot even he could try and attempt to act mature, in this situation.

"That's... T-Thats really sweet, you know. It's sweet that you want me to be in Heaven, while you're stuck here, but - but I don't want that. I want to be with you, by your side, n-not alone in Heaven. That's what's going to happen - I'm going to be alone. I'm not going to be able to see Laura, or you, a-and you two are the only really important people in my life. I don't want to lose you two."
 
"Not being funny, but this is a real downer of a conversation. It's shit, to be quite frank, and I'd... I'd rather talk about fun stuff, not you dying and being left alone, because that'll happen wherever you end up, and it's really not nice to talk about-- so we're not talking about it. Wipe your eyes and fucking... this is a vacation, stop it," he sighed, reaching across for the nearby box of tissues, while trying to disguise just how suddenly angry he was-- though not at Ivan, really. Just at the whole situation - he was probably going to end up in Hell just because he fell in love and, apparently, that wasn't acceptable for a priest. It was bullshit, really, but he somehow managed to keep his lips shut.

"You have decades left, I don't know why you're worrying about it now. Do you just like making me sad~?"
 
Gratefully taking the tissue, he gave a mighty blow before wiping his arm on the sleeve of his completely contrasting Hawaiian shirt. Staring at the balcony, he only briefly glanced at Azaiah in embarrassment, and a small bit of fear, from his unsubtle annoyance. After all, he wasn't used to having the people he cared about getting this angry at him... even if the anger really wasn't directed at him at all.

"I mean, I dunno. I'm sorry, I just - I want to do normal things that couples do, that includes sex. I know it sounds cheesy, but I do think you're my soulmate, y'know? A-And, if I ever do something so intimate like that, I want it to be someone who I love deeply. I couldn't care less where I end up, because I'm focused on now. I want to be able to spend time on my vacation doing things that I want to do with you, without thinking about the consequences.
 
"I just don't think I could live knowing you missed the chance to end up somewhere... nice. That's all. If you were guaranteed to end up in Hell, no arguments made, I'd have had sex with you by now. Hell, I'd go out, bring back some more alcohol and get proper... what's that word Laura uses? Shitfaced? I'd just do everything I could that you've put off doing, but there's a small chance that you could get to Heaven, a-and... and who am I to ruin that? You can't live in the moment all the time, you gotta plan for the future and look towards it and--"

Abruptly stopping his ramblings, the demon quietly bit on his bottom lip. He stopped talking partly because it was just depressing him more, but mostly because, suddenly, he really didn't give a shit about Heaven or God. The likelihood was that Ivan was pretty much already doomed. His association with Makai had easily condemned him, so his relationship with Azaiah would have only pushed him further down God's 'good' list.

Once he came to that realisation, he did smile slowly to himself and gave the human a rather swift push back down on the bed, while making sure to carefully clamber over him. Like hell did he want the moment ruined because he got too heavy handed. "I mean, if you're already doomed, I guess it ain't a problem. Might as well sin as much as we want."
 
Clearly - and understandably - not expecting the sudden push, his immediate thought went to something being wrong with the demon. He had seen people collapse before, most of them being the elderly, but he was sure even demons could suddenly feel ill and collapse. It wasn't until he realized that he was being pinned to the lavish queen bed that his mind made the connection, only causing the priest's cheeks to grow beetroot in embarrassment.

"W-Wait, so... So you agree with me?" He confirmed slowly, while bashfully avoiding Azaiah's eyes. "So, we're going to do this? We're going to just say screw it to God? How... Shitty of a priest am I?" He teased, though couldn't help but slowly smile himself. Offering a side glance, he leaned up a tad to start off with a simple peck on the lips. He didn't want to just go gung-ho into something that he had never imagined he'd be doing two years prior, and his intimidation really hit the moment he realized that the other was actually on board.
 
"Yes, I agree with you-- but when you're down in Hell and we're both getting tortured, I'll be blaming you," he joked softly, returning the gentle kiss, being under the same belief as the other, even if, in comparison, he was a seasoned pro. He'd had sex plenty of times, and while it may have been a while since last time, he had decades of experience. Saying that, he wasn't prepared to rush into it - he had in the past, but it was much different now he was with someone he loved. He was happy to spend the time and patience making sure everything went perfectly, for him and especially for Ivan.

It at least explained why he was so exhausted come morning, and still fast asleep, snoring into his pillow, at ten o'clock-- but wasn't the whole point of vacationing being able to lie-in? Having spent the majority of the night building up to having sex, before actually doing it, it was perfectly understandable that the demon sleep longer than he usually did, sprawled out on the bed and taking up most the space, which really wasn't an issue. He would have shared it with Ivan, if not for Angel's intrusion into the hotel room ten minutes ago, the boy having decided to abandon the idea of lunch in favour for a nice breakfast.

The boy had set out the various pastries and sweet things on the balcony table, sitting himself down with Ivan, deciding that he'd just let his father sleep. It was probably easier that way, really. Stirring a good few teaspoons of sugar into his tea, Angel offered across a friendly grin to the human and, once crossing a leg across his thigh, took a mouthful of the cheesecake he'd bought for himself. It wasn't really a breakfast food, but hey, what did it matter?

Almost expectantly at this point, he was dressed as confidently as ever, in his gold-sequined bomber jacket, army boots and ripped jeans, although, thinking his father was against it, he'd opted not to wear any of his usual makeup. Regardless of what Azaiah thought, he did want a relationship, and he was prepared to make sacrifices.

"...I'm probably going to go home by midday, so I thought I'd bring breakfast instead of lunch," he explained as he brought the cup and saucer up to his mouth for a sip. "My mother visited me last night at the hotel I'm staying at and she wasn't particularly happy. I was rather emotional and I admit I cried a little, and she's very protective. I only just managed to stop her coming here to attack my father, but I wouldn't put it past her to storm in and give it a go anyway."
 
Dressed in nothing other than a pair of boxers he had rushed to put on, and one of Azaiah's shirts, it was an understatement to say he was as tired as the demon. Despite that, he wasn't the type to stiff out on someone, hence why he clung to the cup of tea tight, at least trying to stay awake for the conversation. Hell, Ivan mirrored that of an elderly man very well, usually going to bed at 10, at the latest. To stay up 'til nearly 3 in the morning with his boyfriend, he was definitely struggling. He stayed up, though, if only to keep from being rude.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't storm in, it would certainly have been awkward," he admitted, his cheeks rosy. He offered the other a soft smile, in far too good of a mood to be anything other than happy. "I had a talk with Azaiah, about the whole thing. It's not a matter of him not caring for you, Angel, he just... he never expected to have a kid. Do you know how many times I've brought up adopting a child of our own, and how many times he's flat-out said no? He wants you to succeed, he just doesn't want to really be involved. Besides, he did make the point of the fact that this is incredibly sudden. Why did you decide to pop in? I mean, we weren't expecting it, we were just expecting to have a pleasant vacation, alone.
 
"I didn't know where you were. I mean, the world's a big place, I can't search through it all. Makai came back home with his girlfriend and his kids and he began ranting yesterday that he knew you and Azaiah were here and... I dunno, I finally learnt where my Dad was. The opportunity to come see him was too good to turn down, and sure, I get that maybe I shouldn't have ruined your vacation, but he's my father. Nobody's bothered helping me try to find him before, they'd rather I forget about him-- he doesn't even want to be in my life, but he's a good guy. I don't care what my family say, I know he's a good man, and I'm hoping he realises that I'm far too fantastic to ignore," he teased quietly, hiding his sincere hurt behind laughs and smiles. He was quite happy to have an emotional breakdown in front of his mother, who also pretty much doubled as his best friend, but it was a completely different thing to cry in front of a complete stranger, however nice he thought Ivan was.

"Oh, if he doesn't want me, that's fine. I'm a grown man, I can survive without him. It'd hurt a lot if you do adopt a kid, though. Him being a father to that kid while simultaneously ignoring me would... it would suck. Saying that, I'd adore being a big brother. I haven't got any siblings, my mother said she wouldn't go through pregnancy again. Said it fucked up her figure," he snorted, resting his back against the chair and pushing the sunglasses he'd happily donned up onto his head once certain he wasn't going to tear up and cry. "...If he does decide to be in my life, I won't pester you and intrude on your family life. I won't even visit your home, I imagine you wouldn't want me inside your private space, me being the scary, evil demon that I am."
 
"I don't think you're a crazy, evil demon. Clearly, you aren't. Your mother literally knocked me and my sister out and dragged us to Hell, I'd hope you wouldn't do the same," he explained, while taking a slice of cheesecake greedily. "I mean, I would love to spend time with you, Angel. I mean, technically, you're Azaiah's son, so... I don't know if you'd celebrate Christian holidays, but I think it's perfectly fine to celebrate holidays with us! Join us for Christmas, Thanksgiving... It would be nice. It would feel like a proper family holiday, y'know? I think you're absolutely lovely, just givin' a bad hand. Trust me, I know how screwed a family can be."

Pursing his lips, he looked away once again in thought, "I know you're a demon, and I'm... sort of a priest, but that doesn't mean we can't be close. Azaiah is stubborn, you know that. Maybe if you showed up for Christmas and whatnot, he'd realize that you're important. You aren't some five year old, you're an adult."
 
"Christmas? The celebration of your Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ? Really? I mean... yeah, why not? It'd be fun, really. I'd get into some huge trouble back home with my Grandma, she'll kick my ass, but... yeah, I'm down for joining for you for Christmas I've always been a little oddball, doing things out of the ordinary. Nothing more strange than a demon fucking celebrating the birth of Jesus, hm?" Angel grinned as he fiddled with the many rings decorating his fingers, smiling at how each one seemed to perfectly catch the light. He wasn't going to get into how he acquired the rings, though - he figured that the priest really didn't want to hear about Angel having a few boyfriends on the go who tended to spoil him rotten. Hell, nobody really needed to know that, other than his mother, who seemed to enjoy gossiping with her son about it.

"So, you wouldn't mind if I sometimes visited your place? I swear, I'm not going to cause trouble like my uncle or my Mama or... or any other demon in my family you've met, I'm one of the good ones. Besides, I like it here-- on earth, I mean. I don't see why my family hate it so much. I like humans, I like the cultures here and the food and... I could totally live here, permanently. My Mama wouldn't allow it, though. I'm a grown, adult man and she babies me like I'm 10, it's ridiculous."
 
"I mean, Azaiah's pretty much forced here for the rest of his life, and he doesn't seem too bothered by it," the priest teased, while taking a glance at the time. "He celebrates all the holidays with me, of course. He helps out at Mass and events we hold at the church, and the elderly that often attend absolutely adore him. He's proof that a demon can be a good person, y'know? Plus, I mean... He loves me, and I'm the last thing a demon probably wants to fall in love with," he teased, before letting out a heavy yawn.

"I would love to keep in contact, just... Please promise us that you won't get Makai involved in this all. That's all we want, to be able to live our lives pleasantly, without unneeded drama from your uncle or mother. We just want to be able to relax, and enjoy our simple life back in Georgia until I die. Then we'll figure it out from there. Makai has Valerie and the kids. At this point, he's just trying to taunt us."
 
"Valerie's not so bad, she's really nice. She said my style was wicked cool or something, I really like her. She's good for Makai, I think. She seems to like him, and her kids are real cute," he shrugged, without being at all aware that his comments were only going to increase their hatred for Makai. While most of Angel's family knew about Laura (and several had obviously met her when sat at dinner that one time, or dragging her to Hell), Angel genuinely had no idea who the woman was. He was under the impression that the twins were Valerie's... and neither her nor Makai seemed to care to dispel that assumption.

"I can't control him, he's... he does what he wants. He's an asshole to me, by the way, so if I have to choose to defend you and my Dad, or my uncle, it's you guys all the way. He makes fun of me a lot, and he once broke my Mama's legs, so I don't have any respect or love for him, I promise you."
 
"Oh my - I know that demons heal quickly, right? That's t-terrible!" He blurted, the horror clearly written on his face as he clutched the tea cup tight in his hands. "Look, Angel, I-I'm so sorry. I know you aren't much of a fan of God, but you're always welcome to my church, and my home of cours - they're one in the same, to be honest. I'm so sorry. I can assure you that neither Azaiah nor I will break your legs, aha..."

Staring down at the cup of tea, he cleared his throat and cracked his back, groaning a tad in pain. "Hey, you can see me as an uncle if you want! I'm sort of one now, kind of, but... that status is probably tossed out the window at this point. Makai would probably never let me see the kids, which is unfortunate. They're cute, even if they're... a bit strange."
 
The horror and the injuries he'd sustained didn't really affect Angel at this point. He'd been born and raised in Hell and, with the sort of family he had, he'd definitely become accustomed to the violence that often took place, even among his own family members. He knew they loved him, in their own way, but it didn't stop Makai punching him now and then under the guise of being a 'fun uncle'.

"The twins are adorable, I love them a lot. I've only held them once, though. I didn't want them throwing up on my outfit, it was all white and gosh, I didn't want vomit stains on it. No thank you," he grinned, only quietening a little once hearing Azaiah groan and stir from sleep a little, but when he seemed to settle back down, Angel let out a relieved sigh. "He'll only tell me to fuck off, and I'm enjoying myself talking to you-- but like I said, my mother will end up coming for me soon so I ought to leave, I guess-- but I'll come visit. I'm sure your sleepy little town needs a guy like me to make things more exciting, hm~? Gosh, I bet they'll just love me."
 
"Rachel used to be a fashion designer for some elite celebrities - at least, she claims - so I'm sure she'd appreciate your, uh, interesting style," he reassured, that being the one thing he shared with Azaiah when it came to Angel, the boys outfit being very out there - and he had raised Laura. In the small town he lived in, he was used to wearing very typical, almost dad-like clothing. Meanwhile, Angel strutted around in flashy and unique outfits that he could only ever picture being on the cover of a Vogue magazine. It was a compliment, of course, but he certainly would never wear something as innovative as Angel's clothing.

Glancing over at Azaiah, he leaned in a bit closer to Angel to at least keep their voices hushed. "I can give you my number, if you ever need someone to talk to. I don't know if there are phones in Hell, but I think it would be better to communicate through that, rather than you plopping on the couch and have Azaiah babble up a storm about being angry," he explained quietly, before moving to sit up and straighten his back. Rummaging around the hotel, he thanked the complimentary notepad and pen set to the side and scribbled down his number quickly. "Don't let anyone else have this, alright? I don't want to get some intimidating phone call from your mother."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back