Work Text:
Asmodeus was certain of a few things in the chaos of the Demon world. 1. That he was soulmates with Iruma… and Clara, he guessed. 2. That he was undeniably, unequivocally Iruma’s, his right hand, his best friend, his soulmate. 3. Strange beyond belief, Iruma was a human.
Humans were a nebulous and dreamy fairytale, one in their songs and storytelling but just that; it was fictitious. At least, that was what he thought before he met his soul mate. Simply parts of demon folklore to express their greatness and their greed, and something to scare little ones into sleeping at night.
Initially, he had thought his Iruma-sama was peculiar and strong, as Asmodeus found himself so easily defeated despite his friend being small the first day they met. But as he learned Iruma-sama’s little quirks and oddities, the more and more he became certain Iruma was not a demon. At least, not biologically.
In his eyes, Iruma, human or not, was still an exquisite demon. He ate like a demon, worked harder than any demon, and despite his anxious, kind personality, he was greedier than any demon. It could not have mattered less to Azz what Iruma’s biological origin was.
That isn’t to say it didn’t throw him through a loop, at first. And still, he had his doubts. How was Iruma-sama able to have his evil cycle? He was more or less certain Iruma-sama could’ve been supplanting his magic through his ring if humans didn’t have innate magic. That is what texts he could find suggested.
It’d explain how Iruma-sama didn’t have wings. Or horns.
The only way that Iruma-sama being human mattered was that Asmodeus was worried . Humans, from what he could gather, weren’t all that strong, and what if some uppity sort found out and tried to eat him? Or worse. What if demon technology couldn't heal severe human wounds? What if something were poisonous to humans, something that Azz couldn't protect him from? What if he got sick? What if his diet was lacking from demon food, unbalanced for his wellbeing? These were all pressing issues that would often haunt Azz's sleepless nights.
Of course, he couldn’t imagine Iruma-sama being unable to hold his own since he always tried so hard, but in the worst case scenario that some fiend set up his precious Iruma-sama? Obviously, they would only succeed if it was some sort of foul scheme, and he and that obnoxious Clara weren’t around. But as Iruma-sama climbed ranks, he was almost sure it was more of a matter of time rather than a worrying possibility that some related issue would arise. After all, Iruma-sama would be Demon King, sooner than later with his growth. That was a self-evident, unshakeable truth the pink haired demon knew with clarity and without doubt.
If his best friend chose to do something else, Asmodeus would happily take it in stride and obviously remain his right hand and most ardent supporter, and yet... the visions that graced him on occasion were just as vivid and incredible and real as the first moment they met, and the moment Iruma-sama taught him the word soulmate. And if his soul mate so happened to be human, what did that matter?
Still, it wasn’t something Iruma-sama had felt necessary to tell them, and so he’d quietly support his soulmate, waiting for Iruma-sama to find it prudent to tell him and Clara. Azz was certain Clara didn’t know anything about Iruma being human, but he was just as sure Clara wouldn’t care.
They loved Iruma-sama, and the rest, the smaller details didn’t matter so much. He knew the pesky Valac would always agree with him as such, that was a fact.
Furthermore, what bothered the young demon about Iruma-sama being human wasn’t in his words or doubts, it was in his actions.
The ability to dodge any attack on instinct was something the strongest demons accumulated through battle, so their legends say. But Iruma-sama, so normally kind and nervous and mild, what endless battles did he face to be like that? The way he cried on his celebration day, the way he was still getting used to relying on others, on him , despite being soulmates, despite being his first friend (he was begrudgingly okay with sharing Iruma-sama with Clara, but he was the first friend, that much he insisted) suggested… something.
Was the human world that bad? Did Iruma-sama even come from the human world? Was that why Iruma-sama was so nervous, so anxious sometimes?
He wasn’t sure how Iruma-sama got caught up with demons, or Sullivan-sama, but there was a certain hell reserved for whoever failed him, hurt him, and treated him insignificantly. Azz was ready to unleash his full fury on the culprit whenever, even if Iruma-sama said he was happy now. Whether that meant Iruma-sama’s parents, or even Sullivan-sama, although he doubted the principal was capable of treating Iruma-sama poorly. Not with the love he and Opera-san had for Iruma-sama, not with the way they said his name, cared for him, or with the love in their eyes as they watched him grow.
No, certainly, whatever hurt Iruma-sama seemed to be in the past, and his soulmates were hellbent on keeping it that way. No matter what Azz needed to give up, he was happy to sacrifice whatever it meant, get whatever blood on his hands and sink his fangs into whatever he needed to, so long as it protected his loved one’s smile.
That much was his pride, and his promise.