Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

"I don't look anything like him, what are you talking about? Really? He's all tanned and in shape and tall. I'm not. I'm lanky and awkward and I'm incredibly pale. I'm from Hell, the hottest place in existence, and I'm sickly pale. It's really irritating. My family are all tanned and gorgeous, and then there's me," shrugged Angel, resting back in amusement as his father reluctantly groaned and pushed himself to his feet, readying himself to get into the pool just to stop his boyfriend's whining.

"I should tan, though. I should go to the gym and try and get in shape, too. I really want to be attractive. I want the whole thing, you know? Some... what's it called? I read about it in a magazine-- Botox, that's it. Some Botox, maybe. I'm so not against that plastic surgery you humans go mad for. I'd love it," he continued, poking at his own forehead once snapping open his little handheld mirror, and frowning at non-existent wrinkles he somehow could see. "And my lips are pretty thin, that's annoying as fuck..."
 
"You're a demon, can't you change your appearance just casually?" He asked, before cracking his back with a groan. "Hey, don't worry! I live in Georgia, and I can't seem to get a tan myself. Your father and I are, like, complete opposites, but I still love him."

Once finishing his sunscreen, he immediately grabbed Azaiah by the hips and tugged him into a passionate kiss. He couldn't care less if the other guests grimaced or winced, to be able to happily flirt with his boyfriend was freeing. He was sick of being someone who sacrificed himself for others, including his sister. Pulling away with a drunken giggle, he playfully pushed the demon into the pool.
 
As nice as it was to see his father happy (despite it also being pretty awkward), Angel didn't really join in on the relaxation or the happiness. Instead, he sat back against the chair, too wrapped up in his own thoughts to really just let loose and be his typically confident self. He was confident, sure, but he also, like any person, had his moments of insecurity, and one major insecurity of his was the fact he couldn't really do a lot of things his family could do, like altering his appearance at the drop of a hat. He could mask his demonic appearance, sure, but that was it. He had to manually dye his hair and wear contacts if he wanted different coloured eyes for the day. Granted, most demons didn't go around changing their birth appearance that often, so it was hardly a major thing he was missing out on, but they had the option available to them to change. Angel didn't.

"...I'd rather change myself and do it the way humans would, it'll be easier to do that and settle into the human way of things," he murmured, preferring to do that than admit the truth. "I change myself all the time. I mean, I look fucking different without makeup, so that's changing myself in a way, right?"
 
Standing triumphant once seeing the larger man splashed into the water, he turned to Angel with a grin. With his hands on his hips, he offered a casual shrug before holding his hand out carefully.

"Look, I think you're incredibly handsome. I ain't tryin' to build up your confidence, I'm being honest. Look, you can change yourself however you like, it's your body. I mean, my sister has probably pierced every part of her body by now, and her hair has been every color of the rainbow. Don't fret, okay?"
 
"Of course you are, you're my son, right? Jeez, it's not that big of a deal. I thought you were Mr. Confident? You ain't got any reason to be insecure," smiled Azaiah in his own effort to be a supportive father. He might not have the practise of it, but some things came natural, and his instinct just as a decent person was to cheer the other up with a compliment and a smile. It may not work particularly well, but the sincere effort was clearly there. "I ain't against you wearing makeup, that's totally fine-- it's impressive, actually, how good you are at it. You're just as attractive without it, too, so however you look, you ain't got a reason to worry."

Smiling to himself at the noticeable twang in his father's accent, Angel nodded along to the compliments without really taking them in and believing them. Instead, he sipped away at his cocktail with frequent glances into the little mirror, just to make sure everything was on point. Some cute guy could come along at any moment, and while the chances of attracting someone in this city were low, he still wanted to look his best.

"I'll get a job to pay rent and stuff. I've been used to living like royalty, but I'm not afraid of a little work. Maybe at a bar, somewhere fun. I could dress up and become a local celebrity, that'd be hilarious~ I imagine I'd give your whole neighbourhood heart attacks if I strolled around the town dressed up, huh? I'd probably get a shit load of abuse, too."
 
"Like I said, my sister ain't no nun, she's got her own weird style. I mean, heck, she's been laughed at and teased at, but I always stood up for her, and the town eventually left her alone. I can do the same for you," He reassured, before taking his time to slip into the pool, being teasingly careful.

"I'm sure you don't want to take a dip, what with the make up. The water is nice," he cooed, before sinking a tad just to keep the water at his neck. "I'm sure you're chilly here."
 
"I'm just going to go to your place, now. I can't stay here, I'm just getting sad," laughed Angel as he pushed himself to his feet and gathered up the suitcase he'd brought with him. He didn't really know why he was so depressed all of a sudden, given it was directly contradictory to his usual personality, but he was definitely heavy-hearted at the moment. He didn't want to blame the couple, but seeing them so loving and feeling like a third-wheel wasn't particularly helpful. "I'll see you both when you get home. I'll get to know your sister, she sounds like fun."

"...Are you sure?" Murmured Azaiah quietly, resting his arms on the side of the pool with a brief show of guilt. He wanted to have a private vacation with his boyfriend, but seeing his son suddenly upset and ready to leave wasn't nice to witness-- but his efforts of at least slowing Angel down didn't really work once the younger demon simply forced a smile and wandered out within five seconds of making that decision. Resting back into the water in a mixture of confusion and the guilt, he attempted to shrug it off and turn his attention back onto Ivan. "...Well, that was fun, huh? I'm sure he'll be fine with Laura. They'll probably get on like a house on fire."
 
"You think so?" He whispered, his own concern unsubtle as he watched Angel walk off. "I hope so. They both seem so... stubborn? Is that the proper word? They both seem so stubborn, I'm sort of afraid that they'll outdo one another, and knowing our luck, the whole town' be leveled as a result.

As he drawled, he absently linked his arms around Azaiah's neck, if only to keep him up in the water. "Look, he'll be fine... I hope. He has my number, after all."
 
"I've been a jerk, but he is still my son, you know? I don't want to fuck up more than I already have-- I love your sister, she's great and she's my family too, but I'm not going to be happy with her if she upsets Angel. Though, if he upsets her, I'll tell him off. I'll do the whole Dad thing and shout and get really mad," he smirked with his elbows rested behind him on the side of the pool, unable to really play the serious role he had intended to for the comment. Instead, he rolled his eyes in ridicule of the very idea of him telling his son off. Angel was a grown man, after all.

"Look, the town will be fine. If Makai shows up, Angel's there, right? And I'm sure it'll be just as we left it when we get back."
 
"I disagree completely. No offense, honey, but Angel doesn't seem to have much confidence. Let's be honest, Makai is definitely manipulative. Who knows what'll happen? If I'm going to be honest, though, I don't really care. I mean, I hope everyone is okay, but I've spent my entire life caring about other people. I just want to be able to relax and focus on me. How selfish is that?" He cooed, while offering careful pecks along the other's jawline.

"I'm going to have to say, like, fifty Hail Mary's when I get home. That's okay, though, yeah? Let it all hang out, let loose - whatever else people say these days. That's what I'm gonna do, be cool. Chill.":
 
"Do you realise how weird it is to hear you speak like your sister? All those 'let loose' and 'chill' comments? I mean, I agree completely; I'm all for letting loose. If you weren't so committed to your job and to Macon, I'd happily just whisk you off to live somewhere hot and quiet, where we can have a cocktail by a pool everyday. I'd manipulate a tonne of people to get us a nice house with a nice view," he purred, deliberately turning on the husky tone to his voice, just to try and get the flirtatious, relaxed atmosphere back, combining that with a subtle tug on his boyfriend's hips. "If you weren't so darn committed, we could do this sort of thing every day with no obligations, doesn't that sound nice~? You're going to Hell, right? Wouldn't it be fun to just throw caution to the wind~?"
 
"There's nothing I'd rather do, but... I can't just let everyone in Macon down. Plus, now that Laura and Angel are both living with us, how am I supposed to support our family?" He murmured into the demon's neck, while still affectionately running his fingers through Azaiah's hair. "Trust me, if I could find a way to have a nice and stable income, have a way to make sure Laura and Angel are safe, and find a priest who'd take care of my friends, I'd love nothing more than spend my days, like... married."

Pulling away a tad, he couldn't help but smile wide at the thought, To have an official, stable and happy family, living by the sea with a nice and proper house was his dream ever since he was a child. He knew it couldn't happen without some heavy manipulation, but he was slowly not giving a single fuck.
 
"They're adults, and you have a priest and a nun in charge right now. Besides, there's such a thing as technology that'll keep us in contact with them. Why do you need to sacrifice your enjoyment for others all the time? Why can't we move to Spain or Italy permanently? You're not ageless, Ivan. I'd rather move out here now while you're young, while we can do stuff, rather than when you're, like, 80, and can't go a lot," he began while adjusting his sunglasses. What began as a bit of flirtatious joking had quickly become a serious conversation. He wanted to be in Angel's life, and he knew Ivan wanted that with Laura, but they could visit them every weekend if need be - they didn't have to live in the same house, did they?

"...Like I said, you're far too committed to actually do that, but wouldn't it be nice? Waking up late, sipping cocktails in the sun, going out in the evening for dinner without worrying about holding hands and kissing in public. I think it'd be lovely, really."
 
"It's the money, Azaiah. How am I supposed to afford moving to a different country and live such a luxurious life? I... I-I mean, I'm barely affording a three bed, one bath house. You've never worked before, and I've always been a priest, you know?" He whispered, while shifting his eyes towards the other guests, suddenly aware of their staring. Even if they couldn't speak English, he knew that they were probably curious about their sudden turn of emotions.

"If I could afford it, I would pack my bags and leave immediately. Somewhere tropical and nice, somewhere where we could be alone... That's too much to ask for from me, though." He sighed, before pressing his head to the other's chest with pursed lips.
 
"There are ways of getting the money we'd need, but you and I would both be uncomfortable with it, won't we? So... So yeah, we'll do it the old-fashioned way, yeah? We'll save up money and maybe one day manage to get ourselves a small little holiday home. It might not be anywhere abroad, but it'll be ours, won't it? I'll have to get a job and help out at church less, but it'll be worth it," he admitted, grinning brightly at his boyfriend and despite having easily pulled him in closer in another typically loving embrace, he was inwardly trying to relax himself about the promise of getting a job. He wasn't the most confident guy in the world when it came to situations he wasn't used to, and trying to get a job would definitely be alien to him. He had to give it a try, though - he felt bad that he wasn't financially helping around the house, regardless of what Ivan said to dispel that guilt.
 
"... What would you do?" He whispered, while pressing his nose to the other's. "What would you do to get that for us? Azaiah, I... I want that. I want our dream home, and as long as it doesn't mean hurting people, I think we should do it. I want to live somewhere, as close to paradise as possible, while I'm still old enough to enjoy it! Even if it's something as simple as this, y'know? Enjoying a few drinks poolside amongst a bunch of strangers. I want to be able to relax, a-and act my age for fuck's sake!"

With flushed cheeks, he did sink further into the water once realizing his voice was the loudest in the pool. Shyly looking away, he let go of Azaiah's shoulders and moved to climb out of the pool.
 
"Why would I hurt people? I mean... I couldn't do that. It'd just be me, you know, using my super cool demon powers to convince someone to give us a house without paying, you know? It wouldn't be that bad. Unless you have a million dollars in the bank, it's something we have to do to get a nice house in a nice area," he reminded casually, his smile growing wide the moment he realised that Ivan, incredibly, wasn't against the idea of doing something that drastic. They weren't really doing anything that bad. If he was any other demon, they would probably torture and kill to get their way. All Azaiah was really doing was convincing someone. Sure, it wasn't brilliant, but he could do a hell of a lot worse.

"We'll do that, right? Honestly, this is... we can get married and adopt that kid in a few years, like you wanted. I'm sure everyone's going to miss us at Macon, but jeez, we also need to live our own lives, don't we? And I don't want to do anything else besides this," he babbled, reaching quickly to grab Ivan by the waist to stop him from leaving the water, shooting a few hard glares towards the people who decided to be bastards and stare at them. "Ignore them, would 'ya? We're on holiday, Ivan. Enjoy yourself~"
 
He didn't protest the sudden grip, and instead reveled in it. Wiping away a few tears, he eventually smiled, if only to lighten the mood. Wiping his nose on his arm shamelessly, he eventually moved to carefully kiss Azaiah and returned his arms around the demon's neck.

"Hey, let's head back to the room. These people are starting to freak me out," he admitted, while letting a hand carefully trail up Azaiah's neck, to the properly trimmed hair. "We should head out on the town, you and I, I got one of those disposable cameras, we should take some proper pics."
 
"I don't photograph well," he admitted whilst reluctantly climbing from the pool. If he could, he would have stayed in there for a good hour or so more, drinking down a few more cocktails, but even he was growing irritated by the glares and unsubtle whispers he could, unfortunately, understand. As much as he wanted to confront them about their prejudices, he knew deep down that it would achieve nothing but putting a dent in their enjoyment of the vacation, so he maturely wandered back into the hotel with his towel rested around his shoulders.

"We could go out there. I have a nice t-shirt and some khaki shorts that need wearing-- and I suppose you need some pics of those buildings, don't you?"
 
"What do you mean, you don't photograph well? You're the most handsome man I know, bar me of course." He teased, before moving to entwine their fingers together. After all, he wanted to keep the vibe as positive as possible, even if that meant ignoring his sudden upset.

"You'd look way better in a Hawaiian shirt than I do," he insisted, while offering shy smiles to the passing staff. "I got this nice shirt that Laura gave me a few years back, but I've never been able to wear it. She sort of gave me stuff for Father's Day too, is that weird? I mean, I think I deserve it. I pretty much raised her, after all. I think I deserve a coffee mug each year."
 
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