Work Text:
Coralie was slowly becoming accustomed to her new surroundings. Things were weird but she figured she was weird too, so she accepted things with a calmness that bordered on apathy. She had managed to become acquainted with a few of the other human students. They were lively, they were hilarious, and they were frequently getting involved in troublesome situations. It was exhausting to keep track of. However, she was used to being an introvert in a sea of extroverts. She needed time alone to recharge, and she had always been good at finding places to hide to avoid people. Her cringey high school history enhanced this ability (via acts of self preservation.)
She caught up remarkably quickly with her classes, in spite of starting the term late. Cora was surprised at how easily she returned to school after being out of a classroom for a few years. She thought it was hilarious that when this was over she would never be able to tell the people back home that she had returned to school. All of them were baffled that she'd thrown away the scholarships, many of them demanded she at least take part time classes at the local community college. Joke's on them.
Her bedroom was out when it came to hiding from her classmates. Human students came and went out of each other's rooms like they were common areas. Cora did not want to be the one person who kept her door locked. She was trying to make friends, possibly even keep them, not drive them away. There was already far too much crap under her bed to hide there, and the bathroom worked for only so long. This is why she was willing to wander aimlessly in a (possibly?) haunted house in the kingdom of hell. Where the princes of the seven deadly sins lived. As well as the leader of heaven's army. And various assorted improbable shadows, unexplained cold drafts, alarming smells, and creepy vibes that seemed to lurk in the darker corners of the sprawling home.
Generally nothing was off limits unless a door was locked, so it was completely normal for Cora to try a door she found in a less frequently used hallway. The whole place was a maze, a home from the human realm that had somehow become cursed and twisted, an unintended and unlikely place to have dorm rooms. The doorknob at least didn't feel particularly hot or cold or clammy, and the door yielded easily, without a sound.
Cora's breath released in an audible puff when she looked beyond the doorframe. Shimmering blue light danced on the walls and ceiling. The room held a sizable swimming pool, lit from an unknown source but nearly identical to any pool Cora had encountered in the human world. She didn't remember hearing about an indoor pool. She debated leaving, thinking she had accidentally wandered into a private space, but the stonework of the walls and blue shimmer of the water made it look like an underground grotto. It was too pretty to leave.
The room was silent except for the flow of water and Cora's soft footsteps. The blue light had an unknown source. It was the only illumination. The room was free from the sharp chlorine smell she noted at most pools. She knelt near the edge, touched the water surface, touched her lips. Saltwater. Cold, even though the room wasn't. Cora had a hard time suspending her tendency to try to rationalize everything. Warm room, freezing water, unknown light source? It was the Devildom. As long as it didn't kill her, it didn't need any further explanation. The room was remote, quiet, and beautiful. She circled the water once, then found a place to sit on the floor and lean against the stonework. She played on her DDD for a few minutes. The room was too relaxing. She woke up stiffly hours later from dreams of the sea.
She lost track of how many times she would slip away into that room. Apparently no one else knew about it. She could bring her homework and study materials and get done in record time without the usual distractions typical to the House of Lamentations. Sometimes she would play on her DDD, sometimes she would read a novel, and sometimes she would just lay back and stare at the reflections on the ceiling.
On this particular afternoon, Coralie brought an anthology of short stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald, having revisited The Great Gatsby and left wanting more. It was a Sunday afternoon. The reflections in the empty room seemed especially hypnotic. She tried to read. She dozed off and startled awake, unsure of how long she'd been out. Her brain felt foggy. Something felt off. The light didn't seem quite the same. Cora stood up groggily, trying to shake some of the sleep from her head.
There was a body laying at the bottom of the pool.
Cora shook her head very hard, closed her eyes, and felt an overwhelming wave of nausea hit her. She was dreaming.
There was a body laying at the bottom of the pool.
She felt like she was moving in slow motion, coming to the edge of the water and peering intently. She shouted. She splashed the surface of the water. It hit her face, cold and wet. She wasn't dreaming. The person laying at the bottom of the pool did not respond.
The water felt painful to her skin, burning instead of cold. How deep? Ten feet? Fifteen? She wasn't the strongest swimmer, but she figured she could push hard off the bottom to make it back to the surface in time to breathe. She hadn't accounted for jumping into a pool fully clothed with shoes, or the cold, or how in the world she thought she could pull up an unconscious adult sized body. The saltwater burned her eyes.
She wasn't completely sure what happened next. She was on the surface again, sputtering and spitting and sniffling salt water. She felt like she had been smacked. Hard. Her teeth started chattering.
Cora heard a growl. She froze, temporarily forgetting that in order to stay afloat one must stay moving in water, and unintentionally dunked herself again. She resurfaced, coughing and trying to wipe saltwater out of her eyes. Her contact lenses must have floated away. She was painfully aware of an intense fury directed at her. When she focused her eyes, her brain slowly processed what was happening.
The body from the bottom of the pool was now somehow on the surface of the water. It was very much not drowned. It also had a long, scaly tail and horns that were sharp and rough, almost coral-like in appearance.
Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck.
"What the hell is wrong with you, you stupid normie?!" The growl had words. Cora began to hyperventilate, still coughing on saltwater. Curl up to stay warm, keep her head above water, or get away from this angry demon? Her body couldn't decide.
Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck, I'm either drowning or getting eaten, but at least I won't be cold anymore?
"Omfg, you absolute noob MORON," the demon growled again. Cora felt the same sensation of being rocketed at an alarming speed, only this time through the air. He had tossed her onto the smooth stone floor at the edge of the pool like she weighed nothing, much like he had physically dragged her up from the bottom of the pool to the surface of the water. She landed with a damp smack and was relieved that she could now devote more of her energy to breathing and shivering.
The demon also got out of the water. His wet hair was dark purple, almost black, and his eyes were glowing an impossible amber color.
Impossible for the human world Coralie, don't forget where the fuck you are.
She skidded backwards until she hit the wall, dampening her bag and book. She pulled her legs against her chest and curled inward. Conserve body heat and be small. Super efficient.
"What the fuck are you doing in here?" the demon snarled. Coralie was shivering so hard that she could barely move. She felt like the cold had knocked the wind out of her. All she could do was stare at him like a complete idiot.
"You have GOT to be kidding me," he said. The horns and tail faded away. He came closer and grabbed Cora by the upper arms. His hands felt impossibly hot. "Get up, stupid." He hauled her to her feet. A drop of water fell off the tip of her nose and she sneezed.
"Jfc, let's go," he said in frustration, half steering, half pushing her toward an opening in the wall that she had not noticed before. It was too pitch dark. The floor felt like it sloped downwards but she was too stupefied to guess at what direction she was going as she was pushed and stumbled. There was a glow near the end that was the same color as the indoor pool, and then she was in a room bathed in blue light with aquarium glass making up a full wall and part of the ceiling.
"Sit," he said. She stared. Her brain was short circuiting. She had never been this cold. He shoved her into a computer chair. She dully noticed that the desk had three computer screens lined side by side and angled into a slight semi circle. She closed her eyes.
"Wake up, dumbass." Her head was engulfed in a towel and her head was rubbed hard, painfully. She made a protesting sound through clenched teeth. "Serves you right for being so fucking stupid. What kind of stupid human normie would jump into a pool when they don't know how to swim."
The head rubbing towel was wrapped around her upper body, and another was wrapped around her legs. For good measure, he rolled her up, towels and all, into a blanket. She looked like a damp, shivering burrito.
He pulled out his DDD and made a call. The shivering felt like it was jostling her brain, but she was slowly beginning to comprehend what was happening. This was Leviathan. She had been at his birthday party a few weeks ago. He was the prince of envy.
"Dude, can you just come to my room? It'll be easier to explain it to you in person." Levi rolled his eyes so hard it looked physically painful. She stared and shivered.
It felt like only a few moments had passed when she heard a door open. They had not knocked. "What in the world is so urgent that you can't tell me over the phone, Levi?" This one had blond hair. Satan. She had not been introduced to any of the demon brothers, but she had been to the party and had observed and listened both in class and in Lamentation.
Satan stopped dead when he saw Cora. "She fell into the pool, Satan. She seems like she's out of it, I figured you'd know what to do and not flip out." Cora closed her eyes. She was very sleepy.
"You didn't have the worst idea, Levi. We need to warm her up, that pool is way too cold for humans."
"That's pretty obvious," Leviathan scoffed.
"Oi!" Satan gave Cora a little shake and snapped his fingers in front of her face. Cora barely opened her eyes.
"Let's try the bathtub, Levi."
"Dammit, what a pain in the ass," Levi grumbled. Satan began untangling the blanket and towels from her as Levi resentfully removed manga, snacks, and waifu body pillows from the bathtub in the middle of the room. He turned on the water while Satan balanced Cora limply on the edge of the tub.
"Too hot, Levi, she'll be in even worse shape if we warm her up too fast." Satan adjusted the temperature and plunked Cora into the tub.
"If she's so weak, what the hell was she doing in my pool?"
"I thought you said she fell in."
Levi threw his hands up in the air dramatically, as if that explained everything.
"Here, help me get some of her clothes off, it isn't much, but it might help her warm up a little faster," Satan suggested. He started pulling off Cora's shoes. Levi blushed as he tried to unbutton her red oversized flannel shirt, while Cora weakly tried to fend him off. Satan didn't look up but heard the struggle. "You're just removing a layer of clothing, it's not like you're trying to deflower her," Satan offered. Cora's lower half was wearing thigh high ribbed stockings with short cutoff denim shorts. Satan felt his own face get a little warm as he peeled the wet stockings off.
"Shut up!" Levi snapped back, mortified.
"I don't have any flowers," Cora slurred, her eyes still closed. Satan laughed. He took over for Leviathan, but Cora still squirmed away.
"You are weaker than a half drowned kitten and you're not about to win this fight," Satan told her firmly. Cora covered her face with her hands. The heavy wet flannel plopped onto Levi's floor. The brothers were both flustered. Cora was wearing a black lace bra.
Satan scanned the room and noticed some empty energy drink bottles abandoned under Levi's desk. He brought two over and handed one to Levi. "Pour some water on her torso and head, the tub is filling too slowly."
"What a goddamn pain in the ass. Dumbass stupid human normie." Levi continued with a string of insults. Cora muttered something too low to understand.
Satan poked her shoulder. "What was that?"
"I'm not a freaking normie, you goddamn WEEB," Cora snapped. Satan laughed so hard he dropped his bottle. Levi intentionally poured water directly on her face and she spluttered, coughing and fully opening her eyes.
Satan intervened. "I think I still have some Earl Grey in the kitchen. Can you bring her some? Warm drinks help." Levi went, complaining as he left.
Cora's brain was slowly thawing out. Satan increased the heat of the water slightly. "Why am I half naked in a bathtub?" she asked Satan.
"Levi says you fell into his pool," Satan offered.
Cora considered this. "I thought he was drowning."
Satan laughed again as Levi returned with a mug of tea. "Say that again!" he told Cora.
Cora looked deadpan at Leviathan and said, "I thought you were drowning." Leviathan snorted. She looked between the brothers, failing to understand the joke.
Satan turned off the tap as Levi handed her the mug. "Levi is the Grand Admiral of Hell's Navy. He's as likely to drown as you are to fly."
Cora shook her head and stared at the mug. "Why were you laying at the bottom of the pool like you were dead then?"
"Because, dummy, I was taking a nap. How did you get in there?" Leviathan demanded.
"The door was unlocked. It was quiet. It didn't seem like anyone was there."
Satan was still shaking from silent laughter. "Levi, I really have to go."
"Wait," Cora demanded. "Normally I expect someone to take me out to dinner before I let then strip me half naked."
Satan found this student amusing. "Normally someone tells me their name before they ask me out to dinner."
This time, Cora blushed. "I'm Coralie St. Clair. I'm an exchange student here. And you're Satan. And you're Leviathan. I met you at your birthday party but you were too drunk to remember. You introduced me to Henry."
Satan stood up, shaking his head. "She's going to be fine, she just needs to warm up a little more," he tried to reassure Levi over his protests. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Coralie," Satan chuckled.
"Everyone just calls me Cora."
Leviathan glared at her and muttered angrily under his breath. He grabbed a discarded towel from the floor and used it to wipe off his chair.
"Thank you, Leviathan. I'm sorry I messed up your nap."
"Whatever, moron, you almost made me miss my raid."
Cora must have dozed off again, because she was violently shaken awake. The water had gotten cool but she was no longer cold. Leviathan was irritated.
"Get out of my tub and go change in the bathroom. I left you some things to change into. You can leave your wet clothes in there." He held out a towel.
Coralie wrapped herself and padded barefoot into the bathroom. She hadn't realized how uncomfortable her wet clothes were until she peeled them off, rubbing herself down with the towel. Her short hair was only slightly damp. She must have dozed in the tub for a while. There were some black sweatpants and an anime shirt left for her on the counter. It felt amazing to be dry.
She staggered out of the bathroom. She was exhausted. She saw the blanket she'd been burritoed in earlier, rolled herself into it and curled up on the floor.
"Don't you dare go to sleep in my room, normie!" Leviathan called from his desk. He was intent on some sort of game on the screens and didn't look her way.
"Weeb!" she countered, closing her eyes.
Leviathan swallowed the urge to mutter a litany of curse words. Cora was already asleep. When Leviathan checked later, he saw her bare toes sticking out from the blanket. Her toenails were glittery purple. He shook his head and found another blanket for her.
Leviathan had binged an alarming number of anime episodes when she finally stirred. "How long have I been asleep?" she asked, her voice thick and groggy.
"It's past midnight," Leviathan replied, swiveling his chair around.
Cora groaned. "Damn, Leviathan, I'm sorry. I really thought you were drowning, or dead," she staggered to her feet.
"Yeah, well, I'm still really pissed at you." Cora shuffled over to the aquarium wall, attracted by a shiny orange fish.
"Hey, Henry," Cora said softly. "We met at your dad's party. He doesn't remember it though." She touched the surface of the glass and Henry swam close.
"I'm not his dad, that's just stupid," Leviathan said. "I'm his friend." Cora nodded. She looked up.
"Is this…..are we underneath the pool?" Leviathan nodded.
"Sorry I passed out on your floor. I guess I should get back to my room. Thanks again, Leviathan."
"You can call me Levi."
"Are you sure? People say they call you that because it's too hard to pronounce your full name."
"C'mon, dummy. I'm still really pissed at you. You've overstayed your welcome." Cora chewed her lower lip nervously. "But Henry seems to like you, so I guess you can come back to see him, if you want."
Leviathan led her back through the passage to the pool room. Cora was relieved to see her bag and novel were relatively dry. She shouldered her bag, checked to make sure her DDD was still in its designated pocket and turned to say goodbye.
He looked uncomfortable. "Do you really like it in here? No one else uses this place."
"It's quiet, and the light is pretty. I like to come here when I get overwhelmed from being around too many people."
"Relatable. You can come here if you want, just don't go jumping in the pool again, noob."
Cora shook her head. "I don't plan on it." She moved toward the door. "Levi, thanks again. I'll see you around." Cora moved through the door and clicked it quietly shut behind her.