Worship

"We are, she's my best friend-- like, I've had friends before but nobody like her. But hey, chill, she'll be fine. She'll make a new best friend; hell, she still has Mary. Obviously I'm clinging to the hope she comes with me but-- hey, I can always sneak in a visit to her, it's all good," he promised with a tired smile, forcing himself not to think too much about what he was leaving behind, knowing he'd just end up going back on the decision. He wanted the throne and he was determined to keep that in mind, rather than focus on the comfortable life he had set up successfully for himself.

"Just go with Eli, it's not that hard of an option. You love him. Would you rather be forced to marry some girl down here and have kids you really don't want? Or would you rather be sipping cocktails on a beach, suntanning beside the man you love? It's not that difficult, brother."
 
"Well, it.. won't be immediately," he reminded, pursing his lips. "I planned on faking my own death so I can't just do that this minute, you know? That takes time. You know my father won't just accept me going up to him and saying I don't want to do this anymore, you know? I also certainly can't go up to him with you, especially with how you are right now. You're in a horrible state, Darius, not one to be going up to Lucifer. "

Deciding to take the drink from the other's hand, he took a sip - not enough to get him drunk but at least enough to cut the edge off a little. He felt like he was going to get ill from just how much his stomach was churning, he didn't want that feeling anymore. "You mean a lot to me, you know that? I guess - I don't express that well enough."
 
"Why? We have lots of brothers, you don't need to force yourself to like me, I'm content being disliked. Most people dislike me. Apart from women. Women love me," he continued to drunkenly slur, stumbling to his feet and blinking hard in an effort to clear the blurriness from his vision. Despite his drunkenness, he did appreciate the genuineness of his brother's words, his response being to lightly punch his arm in the effort to be playful and brotherly with him. "Hey, y'know I love you too, yeah? You aren't as bad as I always said you were. You're a spoilt brat but so am I; so is Dad. Apple doesn't fall far from the tree and all that."

He could linger in Hell for hours if he wanted, though at the back of his mind he was well aware that time worked differently. A few hours in Hell would be much more on Earth, and he had already been away from the latter for too long. He didn't want to go back if it meant upsetting Agnes by revealing his plans to leave, but he also couldn't just refuse to return and have her hate him anyway for abandoning her and their life together without an explanation.

It was nighttime when he returned to the apartment, thankful that everyone seemed to be asleep. Elijah went straight into his bedroom, even if the last thing he wanted was to sleep beside Benji. Darius, meanwhile, flopped onto the couch he had been allocated to share with Agnes, nudging the woman awake with a small, tipsy smile.

"...Did you miss me?" He whispered as he kicked his shoes off, laying down beside her with a loud yawn. "I mean, I wasn't gone for long, but still-- you rarely spend an hour without me. I bet you missed me~!"
 
"Jesus Christ, where the fuck have you been?" Agnes replied groggily, lifting the eye mask to take in Darius, a grimace growing on her lips. Scooting over a tad in the couch, she sat up only to grow angrier at the scent of alcohol on his breath, smelling it the minute she stirred. Rubbing her eyes, she fully sat up now and tugged at her shirt a bit.

"You're a proper ass, you know that? Here I am, thinkin' we'd spend the day relaxing at the beach, and all of a sudden you're whisked away. It was boring without you, mate," she huffed, trying to not sound as corny as she felt. Darius has easily taken Mary's place as her best friend, especially since Mary had Cameron and their relationship admittedly made her uncomfortable.

"Had fun in Hell, it looks. Well, I got a pretty good tan, I think. Just... warn me when you decide to fuck off for the whole day."
 
"There was a party; I met a succubus. I wasn't going to rush back when I was getting all busy with a chick now, was I? You'd do the same thing, Agnes-- but I'm back, relax. For now, anyway. I... can't promise I won't disappear again, but I'm telling you; this is me telling you that my brother is-- he's giving the throne up, said I could have it. I wasn't gonna say no to it, Agnes. It's my dream job," he began with the same tired smile as he inched up closer onto the couch, at least thankful for the courage the alcohol had given him. Without it, there was little chance he would be brave enough to actually tell her, fearing the reaction to the news too much.

"...I won't do it if you'll miss me too much, you know. I have other siblings who'd love to have the job. I was sort of hoping you'd come with me but-- I'm not dumb. Eli wouldn't move to be with the guy he loved; there's no chance you'll come, I get that. I just-- I really need to go and do this, Agnes. It's all I've wanted since I was, like, a kid."
 
"Are you kidding?!" She blurted, her brows raising in disbelief. Shaking her head, she folded her arms defiantly as she took in the demon. "Hell no. Fuck no. That's hardly fair! Nah, we were supposed to, like, spend the summer together doing fun shit. Now you get drunk and decide to just give up on our plans to go and rule Hell or whatever when I KNOW you'll hate it. You're not a boring person and this sounds super fucking boring."

Laying down, she didn't look away from Darius in her fury. "Ugh, Just... think about it. Like, sober up a bit and realize how dumb that is."
 
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"In what way does it sound boring? People are gonna fucking bow to me; it's a power rush. And I'll get a wife, obviously - probably someone drop-dead gorgeous. That ain't too bad. And... it's a lot of work, but there'll be parties and masquerade balls and it... really isn't as bad as you might think. I get my own hellhound too, that's epic. I always wanted one," he smiled, biting his lip hard in the effort to not get emotional about her clear disgust at the decision he had come to. Instead, he awkwardly adjusted the blanket on top of them and wrapped an arm around her, at least trying to get a few winks of sleep - and he couldn't really do that on the small couch without cuddling up to her.

"...I won't go if it's that big of a problem for you, Agnes-- You'll get your own life eventually, away from me. You'll get a girlfriend, maybe she'll be your wife. You'll find a house and a job and you'll age and... I'll be left behind regretting my decision not to take this fucking opportunity. I don't wanna regret this; you're all I have and when the time comes for you to move on and leave me behind, I'll have fucking nothing."
 
"Nothing?! Don't be a fucking dumbass. Do you honestly think I'm just going to abandon you just because I find a cute girl? If you think that, you're thick." She replied in disbelief as she leaned against the arm of the chair, shaking her head. "Look, whatever. You're my best friend, I don't want to lose you but if you think being the King of Hell will somehow make you happier than how you are now, go ahead. I can't make you do shit, yeah? I would... I would rather you stay here, mate."
 
"You will, though. You'll age and want to move out to somewhere in the suburbs with a cute girl - you won't want a demon crashing with you and ruining your idyllic existence. Nor will you have the energy or time to party like we do right now. It's just fact, Agnes. I-- I have waited my entire life for this. I can let another sibling take over, sure, but-- it'd kill me," he admitted as he silently watched her, able to see perfectly in the dark of the living room. He was caught between doing a favour for his brother, which would give him the life as King for potentially thousands of years, or stay with his best friend and have a mere few decades with her until she died, after which he had no idea what he would do. In terms of looking long-term, there really was only one option, but that option, unfortunately, cut him off from the one person he had in his life who genuinely liked him for him. And he realised quickly that he needed her in his life, however short that amount of time for him might be.

"Nah, I won't do it. I can't leave you with those losers, can I? Just promise I can always stick around with you, yeah? When you get married right through to when you're old and in some care home; I always wanna be with 'ya, mate. So yeah, fuck Hell. I have a ton of siblings, one of them will do it."
 
Letting out an unsubtle sigh of relief, Agnes leaned back on the couch and offered a smile. She was never one to think long term, preferring to enjoy herself in the present rather than worry about things so far into the future. To hear Darius mention their incredibly different lifespans was obnoxious but it at least cheered her up knowing that it didn't matter. After all, Agnes didn't see Darius as some malevolent demon but rather a friend and a roommmate.

"Can't you do some weird, like, demon magic to make another one of you? I don't know how that shit goes, Darius, and at this point I'm to afraid to ask," she teased, her spirits lifting before she got to her feet, taking the few steps it took to get a glass of water. "It's not my business what you do but it seems like you and your brother have some drama y'all need to sort out. As long as it doesn't involve me, I'm... trusting you to come up with something logical."
 
"He's faking his own death or somethin', I can't really remember what he said, it's already a blur to me," he drawled tiredly from the couch, an arm rested over his eyes to try and protect them from the sudden light from the nearby refrigerator, grumbling in discomfort when they stung sensitively nonetheless.

"It'll be fine. Some other sibling can take the role, as much as that'd fucking suck. But it's all cool. I'd rather be at some nightclub with you with a cocktail in my hand than sitting on a throne, being hated by my servants," he admitted honestly. Apollyon was a prospect that the entire kingdom had been excited about, being raised for the throne, while Darius had always been the unruly, rebellious, disrespectful brother - and he doubted opinions would change of him if he did take charge of the kingdom. In many ways, staying with Agnes who actually cared for him was the wisest option.

"...And hey, there's that girl from London I'm into, I can't run off and leave her disappointed that i haven't whisked her off on a date yet. I owe it to her to stick around-- she is gorgeous so I might as well stay here and see what happens. I also have to get you a girlfriend soon; it's sort of my job as your best friend to get you someone who's worthy of being on your arm, Agnes. I can't leave with that duty hanging over me, I'm not selfish~"
 
"Yes, well, you know more than anyone else that my standards for women are high. I can't have some ditzy bimbo with a few tattoos embarrassing me. I've established myself in the London scene. I can't have that ruined," she explained casually before returning to the couch, her eyes rolling. It was true that she had been given plenty of job opportunities from her prevelance in the goth community, one of which involved her being a tattoo apprentice. She took the offer without question though sill had to do her job of barista for a bit longer.

"I mean, Cameron knocked me down a bit but he makes Mary happy so ill give him a pass," she snorted as she adjusted the plugs in her ears. Flopping back onto the couch beside the other, she took in Darius with a smirk. "I shouldn't really trust you to be matchmaker. You might hook me up with some succubus or whatever."
 
"What's wrong with a succubus, exactly? All my experiences with women in Hell are with succubi; you shouldn't turn your nose up to them. But fine, I won't hook you up with one; though I do think you're making a mistake in discounting them so easily. Kayla's a succubus, and you two got on lovely," he remarked in a slur, a tipsy smile on his lips at the obvious lie. He didn't think it was genuine bickering from a place of hatred; watching them argue about clothes and aesthetic style had been amusing to him if nothing else.

"...She's cute, isn't she? Bit over-the-top with the pink aesthetic, but people could say the same about you with the black stuff," he pointed out as he tugged the duvet over himself, tossing his shirt and jeans to the side to get as comfortable as he could. "But fine, no demons. Find a boring human girl."
 
"Kayla? Psh, don't be daft. Sure, she's cute but that doesn't mean she isn't infuriating. The way she acted was so ridiculous, like some weird princess. Yeah, she's cute and definitely has a nice body but that doesn't mean we would click on personalities," she scoffed, though a soft blush did rise in the darkness. Waving Darius off dismissively, she took some of the duvet for herself to try and get back to sleep.

"Besides, I don't want her eating my soul or anything. I know I'm on my way to Hell but I don't want to do that just yet, you know? I'd prefer to keep it for a little while longer if I could," she added, closing her eyes wearily. "Not to mention I'll probably never see her again. She was there for you not me."
 
"I could call her back up here-- besides, she'll probably make an appearance to keep Elijah updated on what's happening down in Hell and when Apollyon has faked his death; she might be here more often than you think. Which must suck for you, seeing as you dislike her so much. She's prissy and annoying and I guess that's enough of a reason to discount her. Add in the fact she's a demon and-- yeah, you're right. It wouldn't work," he noted with a seemingly agreeing nod, though he knew better than to just agree and assume nothing would happen. He knew Agnes better than she perhaps thought he did - and the sight of the blush only confirmed to him that there was something there, even if that was only an attraction for the moment.

"She'll be here tomorrow, it's likely that she'll make an appearance to see if my opinion has changed on taking over. I can always just head to a cafe with her if you don't want to see her, Agnes. If she really irks you that much, I'll make sure she's not around, hm~?"
 
"Her being a demon has no affect on how I see her," she quickly replied with a roll of her eyes before sprawling out on the couch, yawning. "I mean, if that really mattered would I be all snuggled up to you on the couch? You're the son of the big man himself and Apollo only pisses me off now. I know there's that saying - you are what you eat - but I'm no pussy," she drawled, unashamedly laughing at her own joke.

"Lets just get to bed, yeah? I'm exhausted. For a vacation, this is pretty stressful." Agnes added before tugging on her black eye mask to block the soft moonlight pouring in.
 
Even though he much preferred to stay awake the entire night and talk, as he had done with her plenty of times when she was drunk, he was wise enough to let her get some rest and not prolong her exhaustion a second longer. Besides, he had a lot to go over and he didn't want his thoughts complicated by his best friend, however invaluable her input was. He knew he had to think things through objectively, and eventually, by morning, it had allowed him to come to a decision; a concrete, nonnegotiable one. Despite everything he had said and promised, the decision he had reached was that he had to take the throne. He already knew he was leaving behind a life he had enjoyed and felt himself in, but he had at least experienced it and could die happily in thousands of years knowing he had had a taste of it - he wouldn't ever be happy knowing he passed up the chance to be King, having dreamt about it the moment he was old enough to understand such things.

All he needed was to be patient and wait for his brother to fake his death, the idea that his father might have to come crawling to him, begging him to take the throne, being something he was prepared to wait for and enjoy every second of. Until then, he was happy to pretend the plans weren't formulating in his head, just to enjoy the last week or two of his time with Agnes without any bitterness.

"You feeling any better yet? Got enough beauty sleep? You could do with forty more winks, if that's the case--"

"...You're an awful friend if you think insulting her is funny," mumbled Cameron, observing the two from the small dining table, unable to hide both his disgust for Darius and the confusion he had for his and Agnes' friendship. All he wanted was to enjoy his coffee and breakfast with Mary, without any drama. Unfortunately, drama only ever seemed to follow Darius - that morning, for example, had been full of it, with Benji leaving in tears after being dumped. He saw it as out of the blue, without any explanation - Elijah, of course, knew it had to be done if he wanted a life with the person he actually loved. "Tell your friend she doesn't need to take his bullshit, Mary. I... don't think it's wise, fraternising with demons--"

"Tell your boyfriend he's an awful bore who doesn't understand that I'm only joking around with my best friend. She ain't gonna take offence; she calls me a lot worse. It's normal-- god, you're such a boring twat, Cameron. How Mary thinks you're the man of her dreams astounds me."
 
"Can you both stop bickering?" Mary countered with an exhausted sigh as she moved to sit at the table as well, her fingers pressed to her brow. She had tried to comfort Benji to the best of her ability, trying to clean up after her brother's stupidity. She had no idea about the deeper plan, having thought that Apollo was out of their lives for good and had gotten quite friendly with Benji in their short time of knowing one another. His and Elijah's relationship was healthy and that's all she wanted so to have to see her brother do something as stupid as to break that healthy relationship was more than frustrating to the point of giving her a headache.

"Ugh, what the hell is going on?" Agnes grumbled as she sat up from the couch, fiddling with her eye mask lazily before blinking the fuzzies from her eyes. "Jesus - seriously? I wanted to wake up to a nice breakfast with some cool people before heading back tot he beach and I get to deal with some dumbass shit?" She bitterly grumbled, running a hand through the tuft of bangs, exhaling. "Look, if shits going to be heavy than Darius and I are gonna head out and find a cute cafe or something. I don't want bad vibes right now."
 
"He dumped that nerdy boyfriend of his just so he can jump into bed with my brother again-- Apollo's coming back up here, Mary. Gonna fake his death down there and shack up somewhere with Elijah. Kinda sweet, really. Fucking annoying because it's creating drama, but overall sort of sweet," the demon remarked as he calmly dropped a few teaspoons into his own cup of coffee, deciding to offer a slight explanation, given how reluctant the only person directly involved in it all was about doing so. Having to dump someone who had been helping him through his rough patches was horrendous, especially when he realised he was going back to dating someone who had encouraged every vice of his, but Elijah was refusing to feel bad about it. If he had to choose -which, clearly, he had had to do- then Apollo would always come first, and he was finally making that decision.

"...You can't tell anyone, Mary. About Apollo. Demons could be anywhere and... it's important they all think he's died. We're going to move away. We, uh-- i'll visit, at least once a month or so. You can visit us too-- this is what I want, you know? I love him, I... can't be without him - and he's sacrificing a throne for me. That says a lot about how much he loves me, yeah?"
 
"It says a lot about how dumb you are!" Mary countered after a long pause of stunned silence, her eyes locking on her brother in horror. She had accepted the whole demon thing with Darius since he seemed to make Agnes happy but that didn't mean she wanted rock ever see Apollo or any other demon outside of her friend for that matter. Life had finally gotten normal; she had a boyfriend who was close to finishing his degree, a successful band that had gotten her quite a few gigs around the UK and a nice apartment fitted with all of her favorite plants and even a cat - a hairless one at that, someone she was proud to walk around the neighborhood in a cute sweater a friend had made for the cat. She had seen how happy Benji seemed to make him get here he was, willing to abandon everything for a whiny brat.

"You do realize what you're giving up, right? You finally have a stable job and a cute house by the ocean. You had a cute boyfriend who cared about you and you want to give that up for Apollo? The same guy w-who had you kill people for him? I thought you were smarter than that for Christ's sake!" She scolded, her often quiet tone only rising in frustration.
 
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