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"Ooh~!" The brunette exclaimed as soon as the blindfold was removed. Her eyes darted around the unfamiliar room, taking in the makings of what seemed to be a living room. The wrathful demon let out a smooth chuckle in regard to her expressions.
Satan opened his mouth to speak, but then decided to keep quiet just for a little while, how entranced she seemed to be not going unnoticed.
"It appears to be a medieval Victorian setup of sorts, how intriguing." He mused just as she turned to look at him, meeting his emerald gaze.
"Grimm for your rambunctious thoughts?" He quipped, recognizing the exuberant expression that decorated her features.
"It really feels like we've delved into another lifetime." Eveline responded, painted lips parting in slight awe.
The blonde demon let out an amused chuckle. "You really weren't t joking when you said you haven't been to an escape room before."
"And why'd you think I was joking, hm?~" She queried, raising a playful eyebrow.
"Don't misunderstand me." He replied lightheartedly, well aware of her playful antics. "I just thought it was a bit unbelievable to the notion of you not having immersed yourself in such an experience before.” He reasoned. “...Considering your little adventure streak of sorts." He hid a sly grin behind the back of his hand as he added the last bit.
"It’s not an adventure streak!” The human woman huffed with a pout, earning yet another chuckle from the Avatar.
“Besides, you know I have not been to one before, as a matter of fact. Although I ha-" Before the brunette could finish, a loud buzzer sounded across the room.
Aquamarine orbs met jade ones, both pairs glimmering with excitement.
It was no secret that the beloved blonde demon had a love for mysteries. And now, there was someone who wholeheartedly, and genuinely shared that interest with him? Oh, someone was after his own heart.
At the start, they had been given explicit instructions not to start until the buzzer was given.
"I'll start from the sofa, you start from that wooden bookcase?" The caramel beauty perked up as the beginning buzzer quieted, gait suddenly more serious.
The Avatar gave her a nod. "Splitting up is wise, especially if we plan on beating the previous time record."
"That's our plan, my partner-in-crime~"
“Partner-in-crime?” Satan asked, almost sputtering at the mere addition of ‘my.’ “I wasn’t aware we were committing any crimes.”
The brunette let out a tinkering giggle.
“Very funny~” She replied sarcastically, despite giggling just a few moments before.
“Oh, I know.”
And, thus began the pair’s exciting misadventures around the house.
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(Several rooms later...~)
“Hey. Found anything yet?” Satan asked after a few moments.
Eveline turned around with a shake of her head. “Nope. I’ve checked the bed entirely, gone through this vanity and the nightstand on either side, but nothing seemed to pop out. What about you?”
“There were no items of particular interest here, either.” He responded, furrowing his eyebrows.
“We would’ve found at least something by now.” She let out a puzzled sigh. They had practically breezed through the living room, dining room, a study and the kitchen with both of their intellects combined.
“There’s got to be something we’re missing. Sometimes, the clue is in plain sight.”
Satan nodded. “But the question is, where?”
“I’m going to try the vanity again. Maybe I missed something there-” She announced, making her way over to the piece of furniture when suddenly, the Avatar made her stop.
“Did you hear that?” Satan queried, to which the brunette only gave him a puzzled look as for stopping her in her tracks. He then stepped forward, and knelt down while gesturing for her to do the same. Bringing his hand forward, the blonde rapped in sharp successions on the wooden tiled floor.
Just when the caramel beauty parted her lips to ask what he was doing, the resonating knocks then sounded rather different. Realization dawned on her, letting out a gasp. “That floorboard’s hollow!”
“Indeed, it is. Let’s see what happens to be underneath it.” The demon then carefully pried the tile from the floor, revealing a book with a maroon cover.
“Aha! Looks like you have a knack for this, Detective~”
A slight tinge of pink dusted his cheeks as he chuckled, getting up from the floor. “It’s nothing of note.” Satan finally responded, holding out a hand towards the woman with just a bit of hesitance.
Oblivious to his hesitance, the brunette happily placed her hand in his, allowing him to pull her up to his feet. A wave of relief washed over the demon as he steadied her, before flipping open the small notebook.
“There’s only a few pages in the notebook.” A honeyed voice suddenly spoke. He was now hyper aware of her warm breath that grazed his ear, the familiar fragrance of cherry blossoms tickling his senses..
Emerald orbs flitted sideways to see her curiously peeking over his shoulder, like a child was trying to peek inside a gift bag that was held by their mother.
“So impatient. I would’ve shown you in a moment, Evie.” He replied amusedly.
“And that’s another moment wasted into not solving the escape room! Now, quick, what does it say?!”
A rare, genuine smile ghosted over his lips before speaking. He always found himself admiring her adventurous spirit and openness to partaking in new things. That was a part of why he found himself entranced to every little thing about her, something that seemed like it would never see the light of day.
“All pages are blank, except on one page. There's a riddle, which I’m assuming it leads to some sort of clue.”
“What is black when it’s clean, and white when it’s dirty?” The Avatar read the riddle aloud.
“Some sort of black garment?” She blurted out before biting her lip, going quiet in thought.
“You’d think the riddle would be more specific as to look for.” He responded after a moment.
Surprise flickered in her ocean orbs. “How did you-”
“-know?~” He finished with a sly grin.
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?” The brunette huffed, pursing her lips painted a classic French red.
“It’d spoil the fun, after all~”
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“You know, my favorite part was those black light lamps.” She chimed, Mediterranean blue eyes ever so radiant with glee as she recalled their time in the escape room just before.
After solving all the intricate puzzles, the demon and the brunette decided to get a little treat at Cafe Lament before going back to the House of Lamentation. Now, they were leisurely strolling across the cobblestone paths of the Devildom, lit warmly with street lamps.
“That little addition really was brilliant.” He responded with a nod before stifling a chuckle with the back of his hand.
“What’s so funny, hm?~” She raised an eyebrow.
“You still have a bit of salted caramel on your face.” He replied,
“Huh..?! Where?” Eve began to wipe her face to no avail.
“Aish, not there. It’s more to the right.”
“Here?”
“A bit downward. Here, just let me-” He reached out, tilting her head up before brushing his thumb just above her upper lip.
Ocean orbs widened ever so slightly as the pad of his thumb wiped off the caramel on her face, heartbeat growing erratic ever so slightly.
“There.” He said, letting his touch linger for a few moments as his gaze fell upon her features, awashed with warm light from the lamp they were standing above.
Time seemed to stop for just a mere minute as her gaze met his. Cool, calculated, and just a bit of warmth that seemed to lace his eyes whenever she saw him.
“T-Thanks.” The brunette said with a slight stutter.
Before Satan could reply, a familiar ringtone interrupted them, pulling them both out of their trance. If the blonde wasn’t busy trying to get ahold of himself, he would’ve noticed the prominent blush that stained the brunette’s cheeks as she answered her phone.
He stepped forward slightly, giving her a bit of space to answer to be respectful, quietly waiting for her.
Now, what he didn’t expect was for her to squeal in excitement and to throw her arms around him in just a few moments.
He quickly wrapped an arm around her waist as she tipped and almost lost her balance.
“We got the highest time score on the escape room!” She exclaimed without a beat of hesitance.
Jade orbs widened with disbelief. His pulse began to quicken just a bit. His heart fluttered.
Time seemed to come to a standstill once more as the Fourth-born looked down, meeting a pair of ocean orbs brimming with glee.
His gaze then trailed down to her lips, shaped like a perfect rose, barely aware of the fact that she was speaking.
The warmth of her body innocently pressed against him, the mirthful sparkle in her eyes that seemed to enchant him every time, the resounding warmth that creeped up on him when she was around, it all felt... indescribable.
For all of what his worldly knowledge was worth, he had no idea to describe the feelings that enveloped him in that moment.
And yet, the brunette remained oblivious to his feelings. All while having a glorious amount of affections for said demon.
‘I should probably listen to what she’s saying.’ He thought just as he could’ve sworn his name being called out.
Just as he turned his attention back to the brunette, he was met with a puzzled expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“I should be asking you that. You completely zoned out there.” She replied, the slight crease of a worried frown on her face as she finally looked up to meet his eyes.
It was only then when she realized just how close in proximity they were.
“Nothing’s wrong.” The softness in his tone only made the brunette fall even more. Despite the character the Avatar chose to withhold with everyone, there was a hidden part of him. A part which was capable of being caring, affectionate, and truly sweet.
For the several months they’ve gotten to know each other, she’s chipped piece by piece off his usual demeanor, revealing the parts of him that he chose to keep hidden away.
“Then, why were you staring at me?” She asked, gulping softly as the blush that tinted her cheeks darkened. Her voice was far more mellow than before, as if locked in a trance. Emerald eyes seemed to be almost magnetic in nature, the human not being able to tear her own away.
The demon parted his lips, an excuse on the tip of his tongue but halted for a moment. He swallowed, the excuse disappearing with it.
“...Have I ever told you just how beautiful you are?” His voice came out, barely above a whisper.
And that was the little nudge she needed. Her lips tentatively pressed up against his before she could realize what she was doing.
Once it hit her that she was actually kissing him, she pulled away. The brunette stuttered for a response, mortified at what she’d done. “I-I’m sorry, I really don’t know what came over me, I-”
The demon leaned in, meeting her lips for a tender, sweet kiss.
“...Remind me to do that the next time you won’t shut up.”
Beautiful smiles broke out on both their faces as they pulled away, gently resting their foreheads against each other. His hand came up to her cheek, gently cupping it as their heartbeats raced as one.
“We should’ve done that a lot sooner, huh?” She said after a while, with a soft giggle.
The blush that stained her cheeks was now a beautiful red, the demon sporting a coral blush of his own.
“We really should have.”