Worship

"So why am I getting grief honest with 'ya? Would you prefer I be sickeningly sweet too?" Countered the demon as he grabbed a champagne class from the wandering waiter, sipping at it in delight. Proper demonic alcohol was one of the only things he missed from his home, the alcohol on Earth being far too weak to make any impact. Just one sip already made him realise he'd end up getting tipsy if the whole thing was downed, and however unwise it might be, he missed getting drunk and having proper fun.

"He's not drinking anymore, he's boring now," he drawled as he reached for the second glass, tipsily smiling as he finished the first with ease. "Elijah's the perfect little Christian, it's boring. Let him stay for the party, yeah? At least he'll have a little fun down here. Then we'll, like, go and you won't need to worry about me fucking with you again-- I'm not planning a return after this, promise. We'll be gone in an hour, tops."

"...I'm hardly going to start drinking again, that smells like it'd knock me out after a single sip. It's ridiculously strong," muttered the human as he grimaced at the alcohol, shifting his weight from foot to foot awkwardly. "I... don't want to stay, this is awkward and... you hate me right now, so staying isn't going to help anyone-- I'm sure your father would kill me if he knew I was here, so-- so I just want to go home, maybe organise that for me in the next five seconds, please?"
 
"You'd be dead by the end of one glass," Apollyon replied, deciding to pick up his own glass as the demon bowed. "Your alcohol level would shoot out the roof. Remember how it took two bottles of wine to get me even a little drunk? That's because demons have an incredible tolerance to human alcohol. It has to be strong to actually cause any effect. It doesn't taste as nice, unfortunately. We don't use grapes, there's a unique berry grown here. It's quite pretty, glows in the dark and everything."

"... did bring with me frighten you so much that you went to support the garbage in Heaven?" He scoffed, his eyes returning to the cross around the other's neck."They're horrible people. You think our kind is pretentious? Those elite bastards won't even give us the time of day yet we have to sort out everyone they don't seem 'worthy.' Just because they're all opulent and wear a disgusting amount of diamond white doesnt mean shit." He explained bitterly.
 
"I was thinking more about getting there rather than ending up here where you could torture me for centuries, Apollo. I doubt I'd get forgiven for, you know, literally sleeping with their enemy, but I thought it was worth a go if it meant avoiding ending up down here with the person I dumped being in charge of my suffering, you know? I was trying to be smart. Besides, it... helped me, Apollo. People at the church were great; they are great. They help with my alcohol recovery, they're always there when I need them, I... it's good for me," he grimaced, hating the fact he was feeling guilty about something that was such a positive force in his life. His religion was important to him nowadays and he hardly enjoyed feeling bad about it.

"...Would you rather I be drunk most days, punching people who so much as looked at me? Is that how you'd prefer me to live my life? I... loved what we had, Apollo, but you were hardly a good influence on me most of the time - you all but encouraged me to be a thug," he pointed out with a sudden burst of bravery, his arms folding over his chest as he adopted a defensive stance. "I... don't want to bicker and argue. I like my religion, it helps me, and I won't be made to feel bad about it. We're not together; we're not friends, right? It's none of your business, really."
 
"I'm a demon, Apollo. I'm supposed to be some devious bad person, right? Someone who thrives off of discourse? That's what your church promotes; that we're some horrible species. Wouldn't that make sense? Are you really surprised that I didn't help you with your 'alcoholism'," he replied, grimacing. "I can't tell you what to do. Actually, I definitely can tell you what to do, since I'm a demon and you're a human. If I wanted to do some mind control I could. I never did, nor did I ever force you to do anything nor withhold information like those Heaven lovers." He continued, taking another sip.

"I wouldn't personally torture you, I hope you know that. We have a system to who gets tortured by who. As King, I only torture the worst of the worst and you're hardly the worst person in the world. Sure, you're infuriating but I'm not going to put you alongside the likes of Hitler."
 
"...Is there really nothing I can drink down here? Because I fucking need a drink to cope with all of this; this is mad," he grunted with a desperate glance around, only now taking into account the fact Apollo and Darius were in their demon forms; at least, semi-demonic forms. He had been far too nervous to fully appreciate how intimidating the two appeared, though he still noted the brief, fleeting attraction he felt for Apollo at seeing him in the form he had always claimed to love and appreciate. This was the main reason he didn't want to see Apollo again. He had gotten his life together and actually had the 'normal' lifestyle he wanted, and yet, he always feared that seeing Apollo again would ruin all of that because he would instantly feel some rush of love for him.

To have that fear confirmed didn't satisfy him much. It only complicated matters and consolidated the guilt already starting to eat away at him.

"...You look good in a crown. I mean, not that there was any doubt, but... I didn't think this would all happen this quickly for you, it's... pretty... I mean, I guess this is... amazing? I'm proud, not that you need to hear that or want to, but I... am. I guess."
 
"I agree, this all went too fast," he replied quietly, taking off the crown to take it in, reviewing the ancient crown with pursed lips. It has been brought down generations so to hold onto something so old was intimidating. Pursing his lips, he couldn't hide the soft pink rising to his cheeks.

"Your pride isn't necessary but... thank you," he murmured before neatly setting the crown back atop his head. It felt heavy, both literally and metaphorically, but he kept his mouth shut as he took another small sip.

"It feels awful, to hear you praising me like this. It doesn't feel right. You don't need to pretend that it matters, I'm not going to hurt you, Elijah. That being said, I know you always wanted to see my full form - well, my standard form."
 
Darius' main objective had been to cause drama for his own amusement, but he didn't find himself getting too mad at the spark that seemed to have reignited between the two, if the identical blushes were anything to go by. In all honesty, the sight didn't irk him whatsoever, instead finding a smile discreetly pulling at his lips as he identified the slightly flirtatious tone in Eli's voice, whether the human knew it was there or not. He could stay put and be a third wheel or, with a surprising amount of consideration he could leave the two alone to talk without his lingering presence - which was precisely what he did do, heading off to try and enjoy himself now he was here.

Elijah barely noticed his disappearance, being too focused on Apollo to acknowledge anything else. Even his fear had disappeared at this point, because he didn't think or feel any reason to fear Apollo, despite everything that had gone on.

"You know I've always liked the glimpses I've seen of the real you-- not the time you had me, like, a hundred foot in the air, that shit was terrifying," he began, fully away of the hyperbole as evidenced by the wide smile. "I mean, it wasn't great, being yelled at when you could have crushed me in half, so... I had a few nightmares about that, for sure."
 
"Y-Yes, well, i... I lost my temper, I shouldn't have done that," he replied quietly as he absently fiddled his hands, his own hint of a smile growing. He didn't know why he was still giving Elijah the time of day. He knew he shouldn't, he knew it would only lead to be heartbroken later but he was genuine when he said the human was his soulmate, even if he technically didn't have a soul.

"... I can bring you back, if you want to go," he reminded, unable to hold back the sadness in his voice. "I know this is all terrifying for you. I mean, it's terrifying for me and I'm not a human, you know?"
 
"It, uh... it's pretty terrifying-- but it's fine, I can stay a little while. You're... King now, so if you don't want me dead, I'm sure nobody here can really hurt me, which is... comforting," he murmured brokenly, having hesitated for several seconds before admitting the other's role. It felt strange to say aloud, unable to really come to terms with the fact he had once dated someone who was now the King of Hell. He didn't find it as terrifying as he did when he arrived, though, even smiling to himself the more he really took everything in.

"How about you show me something cool while I'm here, yeah? I mean, I'll be back one day when I'm dead, I'm probably not getting into Heaven, but... while I'm here and not being tortured for my sins, it'd be great to see something," he admitted as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "You've always been into art, I'm sure there are some portraits of your family or something. I bet you have a portrait of yourself around here somewhere, being the egotist that you are~"
 
Looking around cautiously, a smile grew at the idea. He was supposed to simply sit on his throne and look pretty so to be standing amongst the crowd in general was a big no-no. To escape the large ballroom all together was unheard of, though he easily pulled Elijah along to sneak out of the ballroom, down the long hallway that was littered with small, mindless demons that hurried from the kitchen to the guests. Carefully maneuvering around them, he peered out the large windows to see the river of lava that surrounded the castle with large hellhounds guarding it, though 'guarding' was a loose term since one of them was sleeping soundly. Rolling his eyes at the sight, he hurried quickly and took a left to the main living room where paintings of generations of demons lined the walls, Apollyon's freshly painted portrait resting beside his father's.

"How does it look?" He asked, peering up at the portrait with a small grimace. He wasn't a huge fan but he distinctly remembered just how upset the artist got when he would whine or move during his portrait. "I think it's a bit ridiculous, I hardly look as tough as my father. I took more of my mother's appearance, I suppose."
 
"No, it's great; very majestic, you know? I like it, it's beautiful," he declared as he stepped forward to examine the portrait for himself, his smile widening at how surreal it was, the idea that Apollo was actually in charge now still failing to sink in properly. He didn't understand why he felt as giddy as he did about it, only able to distinguish that feeling as immense pride. He could communicate that but feared Apollo would only cal him a liar or, worse, get angry at him for expressing how proud he was when he had no real right to be. However, he couldn't exactly keep the emotions at bay, turning back to face the other with his cheeks a bright pink.

"It's amazing; you're actually amazing, Apollo-- Apollyon, whatever your name is. I... haven't got my head around that yet, but still, I... I didn't doubt you could pull all of this off without me, I'm not surprised. But I'm proud, obviously. I just-- I wish I hadn't... ended things as badly as I did. I'm sorry, I... really am."
 
"Apology accepted, I guess," he replied as he stared up at it as well, his arms folded. With a tired sigh, he let his eyes land on Elijah instead, watching his fascination. Despite being a powerful demon, he held the same fascination towards Earth as Elijah seemed to for Hell and he'd be lying if he said he didn't think the sight was sort of cute. The other always seemed to portray himself as some tough bad boy so to see him with almost childlike fascination was interesting. He then locked said black eyes onto the golden cross.

"I know you're a reformed God lover but I do suggest you put the cross away, in your pocket. I saw the others looking at you suspiciously anyway but I don't think they saw the cross. I'm sure I don't have to explain how offensive that is to others. I mean, it doesn't bother me much. Well, I mean... it does but I'm not going to get upset. The older demons are incredibly stuck up, though, I'm sure they'd try to kill you just seeing that. I wouldn't let them but.. it's just better to be safe than sorry."
 
"...I'm not into it for the religion, not really. It was just a place to go to meet people and they seemed to like me. It was hard not to keep going to church after that. Besides, if I really did think a few prayers and a cross would get me into Heaven, I'm deluded. I was dating you, we were going to get married. I think I burned every bridge with God, Apollo. It's... trash, right?" He commented as he removed the necklace, stuffing it into his pocket obediently. He had done so without hesitation which was only a reminder to him of the power and influence Apollo had; he would quite happily do whatever he asked of him, even abandoning the religion he had supposedly grown fond of again. Rather than grow angry about it, he found himself laughing under his breath.

"I, uh... I won't do any religious shit again, promise. It's not... as important to me as I thought, so... if I'm destined to come down here, I might as well try and stay on your good side. Not worth me pissing you off anymore than I already have," he grinned with a playful nudge, his eyes drifting back up to the portrait. "I've missed you; a lot. More than I realised, I guess. I... Benji's nice; he's sweet, but he's not you, Apollo. This isn't me, the fucking loser who spends all day fussing about the house, that's not me, I... guess I... no, I do. I miss you. I... I don't know what else there is to say without embarrassing myself, I just... I love you and I... it'll never work, I know that, but I can't leave without telling you I... made a mistake and I wish I could take it back."
 
"You're just sweet-talking me, Eli. You're happy and in a healthy relationship with Benji, right?" He reminded, deciding to take a seat on the antique lounging couch sat across from the paintings. It was meant for guests to admire both the beauty that is the royals but also the craftsmanship of the portraits themselves. Apollyon had become disenchanted by them but it was always amusing to see guests gasp at the beautiful accuracy, much like how Elijah was doing.

"It's... disappointing. I was so ready to be able to have you by my side, you know? I know you think otherwise but I tried to be with someone else. Even the most handsome demon is nothing compared to you, both romantically and physically if I'm being honest. I'm jealous, you know? I'm jealous to hear that you have a cute little home with some equally cute guy, got some healthy friends and all. I would like nothing more than to just bring you back to me but I... I know you would be unhappy. That's why you left in the first place, right? Because you were unhappy?"
 
"I wasn't unhappy with you; I didn't like what you were doing, the whole cult thing. I didn't want to be involved with anything demonic; I wanted the cute home with you, Apollo. You couldn't do that, so we... split up, however awful the break up was. I... I love you, I wanted to do everything with you. We can't be together - you're down here, I need to stay up there with my sister. That's the problem, Apollo; it was never you specifically. I've only ever loved you," he continued as he pressed in a tad closer, close enough to be able to wrap his arms around him if he chose to. He didn't, of course, but a large part of him just wanted to tug the other into his arms and kiss him; a thought that both pleased and horrified him, given he was happily settled down with Benji.

Fortunately, Darius interrupted the potential for an intimate moment, the now incredibly drunk demon stumbling into the room with an intoxicated smile, flopping onto a chair as his eyes blearily took in the royal portraits with a disgusted snort.

"Where's my fucking portrait, then? I'm Dad's eldest kid, I... I deserve one of these," he grunted with a broad gesture, blinking hard to clear his vision. "...Have you two, like, fucked yet? 'Cos I've been gone ten minutes and that's surely long enough, isn't it? If you haven't taken advantage of my absence and enjoyed each other, not my problem. I want to go home now; Agnes is probably worried sick about me. She cares a-a lot 'bout me, it's cute-- I can handle waiting another ten minutes if you guys wanted to go and sleep together, make it quick though, yeah? I wanna get back before it's dark."
 
"Y-You're disgusting," Apollyon blurted at his brother's crude words, his beetroot cheeks at least giving some credence to his secret desire to do just that; make out passionately with his former fiance for the last time. Taking in his brother, he was horrified to see just how drunk he had actually gotten. He wasn't surprised but that didn't mean he enjoyed the sight. Shaking his head in disapproval, he did look out at the sky to see that the deep red it often was, was slowly turning to a soft purple.

"I would be lying if I said I wouldn't enjoy just one last time with you," he admitted with a quiet chuckle, blocking out Darius to instead take in Elijah fully. "I mean, t-that... that is, if you would be okay. I don't know how your little boyfriend would feel if he ever found out but it's my big day, I should be able to be a bit selfish, right?"
 
"He's hardly going to find out, unless your brother decides to tell him-- but I... it's worth the risk. I, uh... I'd just regret it if I said no to you right now," he admitted with a slow nod, taking in Darius' slumped out stature in similar disgust. The demon being drunk was possibly going to cause problems if he had loose lips and chose to blurt everything out as soon as they got home, but as he said, he did think this was worth the risk. He didn't want to regret it, which he inevitably would if he declined.

It didn't take long for him to act into pulling Apollyon close and pressing a kiss against his lips, realising instantly that he had made the right decision when feeling the same spark that had occurred during their very first meeting. He still believed that they couldn't be together, that they lived two different lifestyles, but he wasn't going to pretend that Apollyon wasn't the person he was meant to be with; he was his soulmate and the kiss just reminded him of that.

"...I... don't want to go, I can't leave you again," he grimaced, his forehead rested against his as he tried to think clearly. "I can't just piss off back to my home and... and pretend you don't exist, I can't do that, Apollo."
 
"Then what are you going to do?" He replied in a whisper, his hands absently wrapping around the human's shoulders as he took in Elijah's face critically. "I... want you to break up with this Benji fellow, yes, but... but I also want to make sure you're happy, Eli. I care about you, probably more than a demon should for any human, but I can't help that. I love you. If living with that human is what's good for you, i... shouldn't be that selfish. Besides, you love your sister, right?" He confirmed.

He wasn't trying to push Elijah away. In fact, it was quite the opposite; he wanted to make sure there wasn't even the slightest hesitation. It was taking a big leap, having a human with the King of Hell so he wasn't going to make something so big and public just for him to leave again and leave him heartbroken, now in front of millions of demons.
 
"I love her more than anything, I need to be in her life, but I... need to be in yours, too. I can't just disappear and never see you again, Apollo. That's-- I can't do that," he grimaced, though the other's words had clearly impacted him a little. He knew the reason they had broken up and he still maintained that he had a point in doing so; their lives were so different and he couldn't just move down to Hell now he had set up a lifestyle he was clearly more in favour of. He had everything he wanted there beside Apollo, and the demon was hardly likely to abandon his duties for him, he had made that abundantly clear.

"Just... let's have one night together and then we can move on, I guess. I don't want to, I... want nothing more than to be with you, I just-- we can't, it... won't work. I won't be happy here, I'll... miss Mary too much. And Cameron too, he's a good friend now, and-- and I have so many friends, real friends, so--"

"Hey! Hey, you! You get away from him!" Squealed Kayla, the demon scurrying over, the sound of her admittedly ridiculously high heels being the only sound as she hurried through the grand double doors. She had realised quickly who Elijah was and she knew she was the reason he was down in Hell, which meant that she had possibly upset Apollyon and that scared her. She adored him, thought of him as a cousin even, but that didn't mean her life was safe if she had made a mistake as big as she thought this one was. Nervously avoiding Apollyon's eyes, she bit anxiously on her fingernail (inevitably painted a fluorescent pink) as she tried to compose herself to avoid embarrassment.

"I... didn't know this was... the Elijah, I... I didn't, I swear. Your brother said he wouldn't come if this human didn't, and I was desperate and annoyed-- some horrid girl was insulting my dress sense, I wasn't exactly in the right frame of mind, I was so angry and I wasn't thinking straight-- should I have him taken to the cells?" She inquired in an effort to win back his approval, her lips pouting childishly. "...Are we still friends?"
 
Unable to stop from rolling his eyes, Apollyon pulled away from their close embrace to take in Kayla, the smaller demon's desperation only irking him more. It was the same reason he hated quite a few other demons but he had to handle Kayla's moments due to their near familial relationship. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he decided to offer a smile.

""You aren't throwing him into the cells, okay?" He replied with a deep sigh, shaking his head. "Just... please don't let my father know this is happening, okay? I just want to spend time with Elijah, I don't need you to be so panicked. Relax, go enjoy yourself at the ball," he ordered, though did let a smile grow. "I mean, you need to relax from being so upset from a human. Have a drink, yeah?"
 
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