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"You're going to come, right?" Vurb asked. His large, round puppy eyes stared at Skeppy hopefully.
"It's not fair that you're equipped with literal puppy eyes," Skeppy complained as he tried to avoid looking at the pug. He could feel his friend's stare burning into the side of his head, and he sighed. "Okay," he said, "okay, fine. I'll be there."
"Yes!" Vurb cheered, stubby little tail wagging excitedly behind him.
Mega signed something too fast for Skeppy to catch. But Vurb seemed to as he somehow became even more excited.
"You're right, Mega!" Vurb laughed. "We might finally meet Skeppy's partner!"
Skeppy felt his stomach lurch.
Ah, right. He had told his friends he was seeing someone to avoid their attempts to set him up with strangers a while ago. He appreciated they were worried about him but he did not trust their taste in potential partners, and really Skeppy was content being by himself.
"Well, I haven't even asked them yet," Skeppy pointed out.
Vurb waved a hand dismissively. "It'll be the perfect opportunity to meet us. You've got to get them to come."
Mega smirked behind his scarf and signed, "unless you were lying about having someone."
Skeppy glared at the teenager.
"He probably felt embarrassed being a lonely loser so lied to seem cooler," Mega added, rubbing salt into the wound.
He tried to remember Mega was a close friend and he loved him, and that strangling teenagers, no matter how infuriating they could be, was morally wrong.
Through gritted teeth, he said, "fine. I'll make sure to bring them with me."
Mega's smirk widened. Vurb bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly. Skeppy wanted to throw himself down the nearest flight of stairs.
Back home, away from his friends, Skeppy thought about how he was going to get a date for the party. His best bet was to find someone outside of Invaded to ensure his friends wouldn't already know them but given it was already short notice he wasn't sure he would have time to go scouting a fake date somewhere else.
He groaned. Why did things have to be so complicated?
"Stupid Mega," he grumbled.
He knew the kid had mentioned it on purpose to try and trip him up. While his other friends had been mostly convinced by his fake partner story, Skeppy had seen the calculating glint in Mega's eyes and instantly known he hadn't fooled him. It was annoying but it was even more frustrating that Mega was right.
"Where the hell am I going get a date in time?" he wondered.
Then a book on his shelf caught his eye.
It was one he had 'borrowed' from his friend Zelk. As much as the deer loved his book collection, it was almost laughably easy for Skeppy to pinch books that caught his interest and return them at a later date with the other none the wiser. This book had originally intrigued him because its relation to the Nether. It claimed to be able to forge a link between their worlds. While Skeppy wasn't entirely sure that was possible after the portals had all been torn down, he had been curious enough about the possibility to snatch the book when Zelk's attention had been stolen by Vurb's shenanigans.
An idea took root in his brain as he stared at the book.
"This is a terrible idea," he said as he picked it up. "This is probably my worst idea yet."
He flicked through the pages until he stumbled on something that sounded like what he was looking for. His brown eyes skimmed over the words, and then paused at 'Summoning'.
"Am I really going to do this?" he wondered aloud. Then Mega's smug face flashed before his eyes. "Yes, I am," he decided firmly.
He raced around his home for the necessary items. It was surprisingly simple. Then he went about setting everything up the way it instructed in the book.
Once everything was ready, he stood staring at the passage in the book that would allow him to summon a nether demon. He took a deep, steadying breath. Then he began to read.
The floor started to shake. It caused the walls to tremble, rattling his furniture and causing trinkets to smash to the ground. A strong, strange wind whipped around the room, throwing his books around. Skeppy was barely able to remain standing as he continued to chant out the necessary words. Smoke started to fill his room, making it hard to breath, and the smell of fire started to overpower everything uncomfortably.
Then with a booming clap of thunder everything stilled.
"Did... did it work?" Skeppy breathed, unsure. He waved a hand to dispel some of the smoke in his face.
Then, as the smoke started to disperse, he noticed the creature stood before him. It was incredibly tall; dwarfing Skeppy at what he guessed was probably nine foot. They had dark, midnight skin and bright, glowing white eyes. Curving up from their dark, fluffy hair were two sharp looking horns. And behind them was... probably the cutest tail the human had ever seen. They were a strange juxtaposition of terrifying and adorable, and Skeppy wasn't sure whether to run far away or step closer.
He remained frozen in place.
The creature looked around with an irritated expression. Then it's bottomless white eyes zeroed in on him, and it tilted it's head as though studying him. It's piercing gaze was uncomfortable. "Why have you summoned me, master?" They asked with a voice that was surprisingly soft but filled with power.
Bashful, Skeppy rubbed the back of his neck and awkwardly mumbled, "well, I sort of need a date."
It's face immediately shifted to pleasantly surprised. A happy little chirp issued from it as it's tail started to wag adorably. "O-oh!"
As large and lethal as the demon looked, there was something incredibly sweet about them. Skeppy felt his heart stutter a little.
Clearing his throat, Skeppy thrust his hand out for the shake that would seal the deal. "It's totally up to you," he assured, "but if you're willing I'm in need of a date."
A dark, clawed hand gently took hold of his own and shook carefully. Both of them felt power sizzle through them at the contact.
"My name is Bad," the demon introduced itself. "I will be happy to help you with this request. It's rare to be called upon for something fun."
"What do you normally get called upon for?" Skeppy asked. He looked up at Bad with deep, brown eyes full of nothing but curiosity.
"I'm a demon," Bad replied, deadpan. He gestured to himself and the obvious power held in his being.
Furrowing his brows, Skeppy muttered, "that doesn't answer my question at all."
Bad blinked. He stared intently at the little human before him.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Skeppy complained. "I was asking a simple question!"
Slowly, Bad said, "I'm a creature made to incite fear. I'm from one of the most dangerous places in the universe." He again gestured to himself, with particular emphasis on his clawed hands and sharp fangs, and pointed out, "I was made to destroy."
"But you seem more like an overgrown puppy than anything dangerous," Skeppy teased.
Bad blinked owlishly down at him in surprise. His eyes were contemplative as he studied Skeppy close.
"Oh, shit, I never introduced myself! I'm Skeppy," he suddenly said, again thrusting his hand out to shake.
"Language," Bad admonished as he once again took the offered hand. His grip was careful; mindful of his own superior strength. "It's nice to meet you though."
Skeppy grinned.
"Can I get some more information about this date of ours?" Bad asked.
Reluctantly, Skeppy pulled his hand back so he could wander over to one of his shelves. Most of his things had been tossed about from the ritual but he managed to locate one of his scrapbooks.
"Okay, so, we may want to sit down for this," Skeppy said as he got himself situated on his couch, "I've got some explaining to do."
Bad settled himself next to Skeppy. It was a little comical seeing the large demon try and get comfortable on his small, crappy little couch. Without meaning to, Skeppy snickered and Bad huffed out a low growl of annoyance. But the demon eventually found a position that was deemed comfortable enough and turned his attention to him fully.
He held the scrapbook in between them so they could both see its contents.
"Right, these are my friends the idots," he started, gesturing to a group photo they had taken a few months back during a camping trip Skeppy shuddered to think about. "They all decided suddenly that I was too miserable being alone," Skeppy scoffed, "so they decided to try and set me up with random people. Problem is: their taste sucks."
Bad chuckled. "Let me guess," he said, "you lied about having someone to get them off your back."
"Bingo!" Skeppy replied. They shared an amused smile. "And it was going great until Spifey decided to throw a party and this one," here he pointed to his pug friend Vurb, "decided I absolutely had to go with my partner."
"The partner you don't have."
Bad's voice was a mixture of amused and exasperated; he sounded as though he found the situation laughably ridiculous. Which, to be fair, it was. Things would probably have been much easier if he had just told them beforehand.
Skeppy nodded absently. "Anyways," he continued, wanting to move swiftly along, "most of my friends will be pretty easy to convince." He pointed to a picture of his beaver friend Spifey and deer friend Zelk arguing over a clearly upside down map. "But Vurb," he pointed to a picture of the pug chasing his own stubby tail, "will be difficult. He's the most excited for my relationship and also the most experienced."
"Him?" Bad asked. He leaned in closer to get a better look at the picture before looking at Skeppy with a disbelieving expression.
Skeppy giggled. "Somehow, yes."
"Okay, what else is there to know?" Bad asked.
Finally, Skeppy pointed to a picture of Mega adjusting his scarf with one hand while the other flipped the camera off. "This is Mega," Skeppy said with a sigh, "he is both incredibly smart and an absolute brat. He will absolutely want to prove I'm faking."
Bad reached out and brushed some of Skeppy's fluffy hair away from his face. "I'm sure we can manage to be convincing," he murmured softly, clawed hand gently cupping the human's face.
Skeppy's face heated up. He swallowed past the sudden dryness in his throat.
Feeling suddenly embarrassed, he tried to change the subject. "Uhm, so... I've never met a Nether demon before," Skeppy said conversationally.
"It's very rare for us to be called to the surface in recent decades," Bad said as he pulled away. He settled his hands in his lap where he played with his tail.
Absently, Skeppy lifted a hand to his cheek. The demon's touch had been warm and comforting, and he felt strangely bereft now that it was gone. Which was strange given they had known each other a grand total of an hour. He stared up at the demon, red-faced and wide-eyed, and felt his stomach get all fluttery. He wasn't listening to the explanation he was being given; he was too spaced out just watching the demon talk and feeling their voice wash over him.
Bad chuckled and Skeppy blinked back into focus. "You haven't heard a word I said."
Flustered again, Skeppy stood up and avoided eye contact. "I was listening," he lied as he busied himself with cleaning the mess his home had become. "I was definitely listening. Very interesting stuff."
"Uh huh. Sure."
"I was!"
"Oh, no, I believe you," Bad replied sounding like he absolutely did not believe him.
Skeppy huffed.
Taking pity on him, Bad stood and started to help with organising the mess.
They shared small smiles. They worked around each other easily, and sneaked glances when the other wasn't watching.
It was strange how seamlessly Bad fit into his life.
He had somehow settled into Skeppy's life like he had always been there. It was nice though. There was always someone there for him; Bad was there with a smile when he got home, Bad was there with open arms when he felt down, Bad was there to take care of him the day he got sick, and Bad was there for him when he needed someone to talk to. They had just somehow clicked, and their friendship was a comfort fo them both.
There was more than one moment Skeppy caught himself staring at the demon with soft eyes and thinking... he would be content having him stay. But then he would have to remind himself that Bad was only there to fulfill a contract. He was only here to play the part of his fake date at the upcoming party, and there was no way a creature as amazing as Bad would feel anything for him besides obligation.
Even if sometimes the way the demon looked at him fondly or touched him with care caused Skeppy's traitor heart to thump rapidly and wonder impossible what ifs.
"It's not even that funny," Bad whined. He scowled down at the human with furrowed brows. "Stop laughing!"
In response Skeppy laughed harder.
"S'geppy! Stop!"
Wiping tears from his own eyes, Skeppy managed to compose himself. His stomach ached from laughing so much. "It was pretty funny," he said with a bright grin.
Bad opened his mouth, looking ready to protest, but promptly snapped it shut. He huffed. "Okay," he conceded, the tiniest of smiles forming on his face, "maybe it was a little funny."
Smoke.
Bad's head shot up immediately at the scent.
Concerned, he raced into the tiny kitchen and found the oven overflowing with thick, black smoke. Skeppy was coughing as he tried to wave it away. Pulling the human from the room, he then went about making sure all the windows were open and the tray in the oven with their charred dinner was disposed of.
He walked back into the living room to find Skeppy staring sheepishly up at him.
"You are banned from the kitchen," Bad declared.
"What? No fair!" Skeppy protested.
"You nearly hurt yourself and burned the house down," Bad pointed out. He moved closer and cupped Skeppy's face in his large palms. "It's not the first time," he reminded gently, "so maybe it would be safer for me to handle the food while in here."
Mutely, Skeppy nodded, staring up at him wide-eyed.
Bad patted him on the head, enjoying the feel of his fluffy black hair, and said with a laugh, "good human."
That got Skeppy to start talking again. With an outraged huff, the diamond man retaliated with his own quips. The two argued playfully for a long time that day.
Like an overgrown cat, Bad was curled around Skeppy and purring quietly as he dozed off. It had been a surprise to learn the demon could purr but a pleasant one. The quiet rumbles had helped him fall asleep on more than one occasion since Bad had started staying with him.
"I just realised we never got you clothes for the party," Skeppy commented absently while he flicked through the book he was reading. "It's in like three days so we should probably do that."
Bad yawned, sharp fangs on full display, and lazily blinked his eyes open.
"Three days is plenty of time," he replied.
He pressed his face into Skeppys neck; his warm puffs of breath causing the human to giggle.
"Stop squirming," Bad complained, "I'm trying to sleep."
"Then stop tickling me!" Skeppy protested, still giggling. He felt a smile press against the sensitive skin of his neck. He giggled harder. "Bad! I'm trying to read!"
Bad made an irritated grumbling noise but it was easy to tell he wasn't actually upset. If the smile hidden in Skeppy's skin wasn't a strong enough indicator the repeated thump of his tail wagging against the couch was.
Skeppy tried to wriggle free but Bad tightened his grip. Not enough to hurt. Never enough to hurt. The demon had been incredibly careful about making sure he didn't use more force than necessary. But it was enough that no matter how much Skeppy moved he could not get free.
Eventually, tired from his wriggling and squirming, Skeppy went limp. "Fine," he sighed, "you win. I'm stuck as your pillow for all eternity it seems."
Bad chuckled.
He nuzzled at Skeppy's temple. "An eternity isn't long enough," he murmured quietly.
Heart kicking into overdrive, Skeppy turned to meet Bad's bottomless white eyes. There was something about the way he looked at him; with fondness and affection, and so much softness it made Skeppy feel like melting.
Nobody had ever looked at him like that before.
He turned away and coughed pointedly. "Anyway, I was thinking we could go outfit shopping tomorrow if you're up for it," he said as a way to change the subject.
He felt Bad's eyes bore into him but the demon said nothing in reply.
"Skeppy, I want to leave already," Bad complained with a pout.
It was kind of funny seeing the large, towering demon curl in on himself with such a childish expression. There was no way of looking at Bad and thinking anything but 'adorable'.
They had only been out for a few hours. There had been a few places they had needed to look to find something suitable that would fit a creature of Bad's size.
Skeppy rolled his eyes. "We're almost done," he assured, "then we can head back, have some food, and-"
"Cuddle?" Bad interrupted hopefully.
Blushing, Skeppy nodded. "Sure. Yeah, whatever you want."
Bad hummed happily, tail swishing behind him. "Yay!" he cheered.
God, he was unfairly cute. Skeppy found himself unable to look away.
"You look nervous," Bad observed.
He was currently cooking in the kitchen while Skeppy sat on one of the counters and watched. His eyes were on his work but he was still paying close attention to the human.
"I am," Skeppy admitted.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Bad asked. "I've been told I'm a good listener."
"The party is tomorrow. I'm just nervous about everyone's reactions and whether we'll actually pull it off."
Bad nodded in understanding. "I see."
"We're going to... we're going to have to be convincing," Skeppy said.
Bad walked over to him and stood between his legs. Given the demon's impressive height, even though Skeppy was sat on the high countertop he still had to look up at Bad.
"I'm sure we can manage," Bad said, reaching out to brush his fluffy hair from his forehead. He leaned down and brushed a gentle kiss to the skin there. "It will be okay, S'geppy. Don't worry."
Frozen, Skeppy was only able to blink up at the demon in shock. He could feel his face heating up from the gesture and he felt butterflies invading his stomach.
Bad smiled.
Dazed, Skeppy slowly smiled back.
And then Bad was stepping away to return his attention to their meal.
"What will you do when this is over?" Skeppy questioned curiously. He was stretched out across the couch while Bad was perusing the bookshelf.
Pausing to think, Bad placed the book he had been contemplating back on the shelf. He looked deep in thought for a while. Then, with a small shrug, he answered, "I'll hope that I get to go home."
Frowning, Skeppy stood and walked over to him. "What do you mean?" He asked. "Of course you'll go home. That's how the contract works."
Bad smiled. It was different than all the others he had shared with him previously. There was something melancholic about this one that set Skeppy's nerves on edge.
"Bad?" Skeppy questioned with a wobble to his voice.
Instead of answering the demon suddenly grabbed him around the middle and lifted him in the air. He chuckled at Skeppys surprised shriek.
"Enough of depressing conversations!" Bad said. "There's much more fun things to be thinking of!"
As much as Skeppy wanted to pry, he noted the desperate look in Bad's eyes and allowed the change. He hoped that if it was important the demon would trust him enough to tell him.
With a yawn, Skeppy rolled over and pressed closer to the furnace-like-demon sleeping curled around him. There was only one bed in Skeppy's home so the two had been sharing since Bad's arrival, and honestly they were some of the best night's sleeps Skeppy had ever had. He was cosy and content, and he smiled sleepily at the feel of arms pulling him close.
A deep, rumbling purr vibrated through Bad's body.
Slowly, Skeppy blinked his eyes open and immediately felt flustered. His heart beat a staccato rhythm against his ribs. Beating so hard he was sure the demon could feel it. His throat felt dry and his chest felt tight.
It was with a startling amount of fear that he realised... he never wanted this moment to end.
Skeppy wanted this moment to be trapped in time forever; the two of them in their own little sanctuary.
He was... he was genuinely falling in love with Bad. With the demon he had contracted to pretend to like him in front of his friends. That made an involuntary whimper slip past his lips, and he pressed his fist to his mouth to desperately hold back anymore noises. There was no way it could work between them, and that thought was probably the most depressing he had ever had.
"S'geppy?" Bad murmured. His voice was thick with sleep and concern. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Skeppy nodded. He wasn't capable of answering verbally right then.
"Are you sure?" Bad pressed gently.
Skeppy nodded again, and then buried his face into the demon's chest.
Soothingly, Bad petted his hair and stroked his back. His tail curled around Skeppy's waist and held him tight. "It's okay, S'Geppy," Bad whispered, "I'm here with you. I'm here."
Later, after Skeppy had composed himself and pushed away from the comforting embrace with an embarassed expression, they had pulled themselves from the bed and started to get ready for the party. There was a strangely tense atmosphere surrounding them both. But neither commented on it.
"Well, this is it," Skeppy breathed and clutched Bad's hand tight. He stared up at the venue with a nervous expression.
Bad squeezed their hands gently. "We'll be fine," he assured softly. "But," he said, catching Skeppy's attention immediately, "I need to use the restroom. I'll catch up to you in a little bit."
Reluctantly, they released their hold on each other and separated.
"Skeppy! My man, you actually came!" Vurb cheered the second he caught sight of him. He bounded over with Zelk in tow.
"I told you I would," he said with a grin.
Beside Vurb, Zelk snorted. "That's not stopped you from sleeping through things before," he teased. He easily dodged Skeppy's playful punch.
"That was one time!"
"Well, you also told us something else about this party," Vurb reminded. His large, round eyes stared at him expectantly.
Rolling his eyes, Skeppy said, "you are insufferable. Yes, I brought my boyfriend."
"Then where is he?" Zelk probed.
"Right here!" chimed Bad from behind Skeppy.
The other two startled but Skeppy just smiled. He had gotten used to Bad's apparent ability to move near silently, and appear with no warning. While Vurb and Zelk craned their heads up to look at Bad, Skeppy stepped back into Bad's waiting embrace.
"This is my boyfriend, Bad," he introduced with a smug tone at their obvious surprise. "Bad, this is Vurb and Zelk."
"Nice to meet you both," Bad said politely.
"You never told us your boyfriend was so fucking cool!" Vurb cried. He looked at Skeppy with eyes full of mock-betrayal.
"Language!" Bad admonished reflexively, tail whipping behind him. He leaned down and hid his face in Skeppy's dark, fluffy hair. "But thank you," he murmured.
The three of them laughed at the display, and Bad buried his face further into Skeppys hair.
"Well, it's nice to meet you too, Bad," Zelk said after he had stopped laughing. He both looked and sounded a little dazed. "I promised to help Spifey with some stuff so I'm heading off. Come find me later though!"
Then Zelk disappeared into the crowd.
"We should probably go greet everyone," Skeppy said.
Vurb nodded. "I know Mega is going to want to see you."
Rolling his eyes, Skeppy grumbled, "the brat always wants to see me and never for good reasons."
Chuckling lightly, Vurb added, "he was certain you were going to find another excuse to hide your partner away from us."
Bad lifted his head and laughed. He looked down at Skeppy with eyes filled with fond amusement. "Did you want to keep me all to yourself?" he teased.
Flushing, Skeppy stammered through his reply. "N-no, I, w-well, I mean..." he cut himself off at the other's laughter. He crossed his arms with a huff.
At seeing the human's cute pout, Bad cupped his face in his clawed hands carefully and tipped his face up. "You don't have to worry about that," he whispered, "I'm already all yours." Then he dipped down enough to place a quick peck to Skeppys nose.
They stared into each other's eyes; deep, earthy brown colliding with ethereal, bright white.
"You two need to get a room," Vurb teased.
They blinked, and looked over to find the pug watching them with amusement.
Coughing into his fist awkwardly, Skeppy stepped away slightly. "Sorry," he apologised.
"Don't worry, man," Vurb laughed, slapping a hand on his shoulder and squeezing, "I'm glad you found someone that looks at you like that."
Then Vurb was heading off into the crowd in search of trouble.
Skeppy watched him go with a scrunched brow.
He knew that Bad looked at him with fondness. Because the demon liked his company. But it was not anything more than that. It would be a bad idea to get his hopes up.
A large, gentle hand on his lower back startled him from his thoughts. He looked up at Bad who was watching him with a small smile.
"I think that went well," the demon pointed out. "Ready for some more tests?"
Skeppy always did like a challenge. With a determined grin, he nodded and said, "let's do it!"
They had been cornered by Mega not too long after that. His wide eyes upon meeting Bad was probably going to keep Skeppy laughing for the next year. They had slipped into an easy conversation after introductions were made. During the conversation, both Skeppy and Bad had played up their fake relationship more so than before to seem convincing to the mute.
The teenager's eyes were intense as he scrutinised the two.
"What?" Skeppy asked as he leaned against Bad.
Mega shrugged. He admitted with careful movements of his hand, "I was pretty sure you were lying about having a partner. And while I'm not fully convinced..." he paused, eyes crinkling to signify he was smiling behind his signature scarf, before he continued to sign, "the way you two look at each other is too genuine to not be real feelings."
Skeppy paused. That was the second person to mention that today.
Before he could think on it deeper, he felt Bad's tail wrap around his waist and tug him closer. He looked up at the demon who smiled brightly back at him.
"You're going to hurt yourself thinking that hard," he teased playfully.
Skeppy elbowed him in retaliation. "Shut up! I'll have you know I am incredibly smart," he grumbled.
Bad pressed a kiss to his cheek which immediately flushed red. "I know you are," Bad whispered. Skeppy turned his head to face him and their noses brushed. He could feel warm puffs of breath on his lips as Bad continued, "I'm sorry. I was just teasing."
Skeppy barely processed the words. He was too busy wondering what being kissed by Bad would feel like.
Then Bad was pulling away and straightening up. He turned to Mega with a chuckle.
"Sorry, sorry," he apologised, looking sheepish.
Mega, with a pretend expression of disgust, was signing that they should get a room. His eyes were playful and warm though, and for anyone that knew him well enough it was obvious he was happy for them. Which made Skeppy's chest feel tight.
He smiled and laughed like he was expected, and then leaned into Bad's embrace like the embarassed boyfriend role he was playing. He hid his face there as his thoughts took over.
It was clear his friends were certain of his relationship with Bad being authentic. He appreciated their genuine support and acceptance. But it was a little hard to swallow the fact... it would never actually be real. This was all fake. It was a contract. A contract that once done Bad would be gone.
Just like the demon wanted. He had said earlier about wanting to return home once everything was over. Even if Skeppy had wanted to mention his feelings to Bad and see where things could go he did not want to be selfish and keep him from going back.
"Come on, Skeppy! Let's go dance!"
Snapped once again from his spiralling thoughts, Skeppy looked up at Bad's beaming face and knew he couldn't deny him anything. He laughed. Then he gripped Bad's clawed hand in his own and led him to the dance floor.
The two had kept the act up incredibly well throughout the entirety of the night. Their couple's charade was executed so perfectly that nobody suspected they were acting.
Then again Skeppy wasn't acting.
There was no need for him to pretend to love Bad because he genuinely did. He loved Bad. It was clear in his eyes when he looked at him, and in his voice when he talked to or about him, and in the way he seemed to subconsciously seek him out.
After the night was over, the two of them made their way back to Skeppys house. The moment they walked through the door there was a rumbling around them as the ground and walls began to shake. Surprised, Skeppy looked up at Bad who was staring at him with sad eyes.
"Bad?" he whispered.
"It's time," Bad said. There was an air of melancholy surrounding the demon.
As flames started to wrap their way up the demon's body and smoke started to fill the room, Skeppy felt his eyes well with tears. There was an ache in his chest and a lump in his throat. They looked at each other with sad understanding that this was probably the last time they would be together.
"Bad," Skeppy croaked.
He reached out for him but Bad quickly stepped away. He lifted a hand covered in dancing flames with an upset whine.
"Sorry," he murmured, sounding equally as choked up as Skeppy. "Sorry, S'geppy, I'm sorry." He curled in on himself slightly, tail wrapped tight around his own leg. "I'm going to miss you so much!"
Skeppy sobbed. "Bad! Bad, I have to tell you something!" He looked at Bad desperately who stared back at him with eyes full of hope.
Skeppy opened his mouth to tell him. Speak the truth. But with a booming clap of thunder -
Bad was gone.
Skeppy collapsed to the ground and sobbed. He stared at the place his demon had been and wept and wept and wept.
For the next few days, Skeppy was despondent.
His head and heart were an absolute mess. Nothing worked to cheer him up. Especially nothing at home. Everything there reminded him of his demon which he had lost.
It was clear his friends were worried. They looked at him with uncertain eyes and whispered between each other when they thought he could not hear.
Eventually, having had enough of the man's depressed mood, Spifey decided to cut to the chase.
"Okay, look... has this mood got something to do with Bad?" the beaver asked bluntly.
Skeppy startled. With a heavy heart, he nodded, not trusting himself to speak just yet.
"What happened between you two? You were so clearly happy together at the party," he said.
Skeppy shrugged. "He had to go away," he muttered weakly.
Spifey frowned. "So... you're just missing him. It's not anything like you broke up." He chuckled, seemingly relieved. "I'm glad. I was so sure two people that in love couldn't just break up out of nowhere."
Skeppy looked at him with glossy, brown eyes. "What?" he croaked.
Slapping a comforting hand down on his shoulder, Spifey said, "look, man, just send him a letter or like, I don't know, tell him how much you missed him when he gets back." He squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. "Let him know when he gets home how you felt. Communication is key to relationships!"
Skeppy furrowed his brows.
Home. Bad had said he hoped to be able to go home. But he had looked sad at the time as though he wasn't sure it was a possibility.
With the tiniest spark of hope in his chest, Skeppy pushed himself up and dashed away. He heard Spifey's confused, slightly frantic calls of his name but didn't slow down. He had a theory to test.
He worked lightning quick for set everything up. And then, without a second thought, he started to read the familiar words, a tinge of desperation laced into the words.
The moment his floors started to shake and the walls started to tremble he felt a smile bloom across his face. Even as that same strong, strange wind started to whip around the room and started to throw his things around Skeppy smiled. He braced himself against the wind and continued to chant. As smoke started to fill the room, making it a little harder to breathe, Skeppy laughed, feeling relief at the familiar burning scent.
Then with a booming clap of thunder everything stilled. Except Skeppy's thundering heart.
"Bad? Bad, are you there?!" he called immediately. He stepped through the thick smoke before it had even started to disperse. The hope in chest started to dwindle.
Then a familiar voice whispered with disbelief, "Skeppy."
The smoke cleared enough for Skeppy to make out the beautifully familiar shape of Bad. He looked a mixture of surprised and delighted, and Skeppy's heart panged.
Skeppy raced forward and jumped. Automatically, the demon caught him in his embrace, and the two held tight to one another.
"I missed you so much!" Skeppy said, face tucked beneath Bad's chin. A rumbling purr vibrated through him at the words. "I really, really missed you!"
"I missed you too," Bad murmured through his purring. He stroked his clawed hands carefully over the human's back. "I'm so glad to be back."
Skeppy pulled back, eyes watery, and said haltingly, "I wanted to ask you to stay but I didn't want to be selfish. You said you wanted to go home so..."
Bad's eyes softened. "I meant I wanted to come back to you," he confessed, "because, Skeppy, I've never felt more at home than when I'm with you."
Skeppy sobbed, tears leaking from his eyes.
Bad wiped at the tears gently. He smiled.
"I love you," Skeppy confessed. He reached out and placed his own hand on the demon's cheek. "I love you so much, Bad," he continued, voice wobbly with emotion but still resolute, "and I wanted to tell you so badly but I was also so scared. But I'm not scared anymore because I know being without you hurts way more."
"I love you too," Bad replied softly. "So much, Skeppy."
They leaned in at the same time and their lips met in a loving kiss. They poured all their emotions into it; the warmth and affection they had for each other, the amount they had missed each other, and all the love in their hearts. It was a little messy from their tears and the fact Skeppy started smiling into it, but to them it was absolutely perfect.
There was a spark of power between them and then it was gone, and they pulled away with matching smiles.
"Welcome home, Bad," Skeppy whispered. He wrapped his arms around the demon's neck and hugged him tight.
Bad pressed nuzzled his face into the human's hair, inhaling the familiar scent. His tail swished behind him happily. "It's good to be home."