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MC's glazed eyes scanned the dim hallway as their near limp body was guided forward. A few moments ago they'd barely escaped a brush with death with an unintentional fall, their only knowledge of how they'd seemingly come away with their life the fierce tug which had pulled them out of the line of a rogue spell. Their ears pounded from echoing sounds of destruction that had filled the council room as they had their first encounter with any of the mysterious brothers in their true demon forms, blood running cold every time they slowly forced a blink to see the merciless eyes of their once jovial quiz opponent seared into their retinas. As they found themselves faced with a familiar door they realised they had come a long way from that battlefield raging within the walls of RAD, they were back at the House of Lamentation. Home, they supposed. The door clicked, their eyes catching the brief glint of light reflecting off a pair of silver rings as their blurry vision assumed the presence of a hand on the doorknob. Being pulled forward once more the comforting hue of their bedroom grounded them a little more, their limbs retracting on themselves in a comfort seeking response as they were helped onto their plush bed.
"Woah now, don't move that ankle of yours!" A voice far too loud and upbeat for their current emotional state made them flinch, yet they knew this voice was someone safe. It was Mammon, their guardian in this perilous world. Obeying on instinct they left their legs outstretched, hugging their torso as their vision began to clear up enough to spy the reddened skin around their left ankle. Evidently they'd injured it, yet they failed to recall feeling the pain of turning over on it. Unable to muster the energy to look they instead listened in on the rustling across the room, eyes locked at their feet then catching the gentle sink of the mattress as another body pressed its weight into the bedding.
"You really did a number on this thing ya know?" Mammon sighed, taking their injured foot into his lap to begin tying a bandage around their ankle. They wanted to thank him for the kind gesture but words were a distant memory at this point. "Still in shock huh? We're home dontcha worry, an' besides it's just Levi being Levi."
Their vision flickered like a glitching screen before going dark, a jolt of anxiety like a strike of lightning coursing through their whole body. 'it's just', 'it's not that bad', 'you're being dramatic', 'why are you always making everything about you', 'you're so manipulative'. The echoes of their past joined in chorus with this seemingly innocuous line, a choir of abusers behind someone they wanted so badly to be able to trust.
"You humans are so clumsy, haha..." The light-hearted joke tried pitifully to cut the tense silence, yet another misfortunate stab to the wounded heart of MC. 'you're', 'it's always you', 'everything is your fault', 'you're the problem', 'why are you like this'. The ensemble roared louder, forcing a shaking inhale to rattle their fragile form. They'd been so numb to the emotion until now, the dissociative cloud beginning to evaporate. Always an internaliser, not one to let their inner traumas leak out into the public view the loss of this defence mechanism was another strike of fear that they'd have to contend with. Trying desperately to draw back their breathing, not make a sound, they only saw it become more frantic.
"Hey are you alrig-" Mammon's sentence caught in his throat as he raised his eyeline up to meet a pair of glassy eyes seconds from spilling over, heart sinking at the tragic display of the young human on the brink of panic as they clutched their fists to their chest defensively, "W-woah it's okay! Uh did I make it hurt? I can be gentler! Or was it somethin' I said, I didn't mean to upset ya MC..." It was his turn to be frantic, mind racing to find a solution to their current state. "Do ya wanna watch a movie? We could watch more TSL! Wait that's a bit reminiscent of all that chaos earlier... Uh, I can make ya something to eat would that help? O-or we coul-" His desperate attempts were a brief sparkle in the darkness for MC's chasm of despair, a sign he was to be trusted; that he wanted to help.
That he was safety.
He averted eye contact to think of a continuation to his rambling plan, unaware as MC pulled their shaky body onto their knees. With the sound of a muffled sob they launched themselves unceremoniously towards him, burying their face in the collar of his soft leather jacket as their arms formed a vice grip around his neck.
"M-MC-!" He choked out in surprise, instinctively wrapping his arms around their torso to steady himself from falling backwards. Not that they could tell, but his cheeks were beginning to heat up from the unexpected contact. Heaving through another heavy sob they tried to steady their breathing to make just one request.
"Don't...Talk. J-just hold me." They croaked, voice a near whisper. He heard their wish loud and clear however, taking his own deep breath in recognition. Untangling his folded legs and sitting back comfortably he then slowly pulled them closer, hiding them away from the world with his larger frame.
He'd stay there as long as they needed, an eternity is mere seconds to a demon, but every moment was precious for a human.
He had to make every single one count.
Hours passed, and yet comforting silence still remained in the sanctuary of their room. When the other brothers evidently returned home, banging around and stirring up noise he'd cover their ears to block out the triggers; when footsteps approached the hallway he wasted no time casting a spell to seal the door shut. No one would see them like this but him, he was their guardian, they were the heathens who broke his human.
He mumbled in surprise as MC began to slowly retract from him. Returning their arms to being cradled against their chest they kept their eyes averted but welcomed being still wrapped in his embrace.
"Sorry, I might have ruined your jacket there." They spoke softly, an air of laughter just lingering in their tone.
"My jacket is the least of your concerns." He reassured them, gently lifting a tear-soaked strand of hair from their face and tucking it behind their ear. For the first time in forever it felt like they gave a small smile in response, returning to latching onto him.
"I want to lie down..." They mumbled against his chest, receiving an acknowledging pat to their head.
"Alright, come over here then." He attempted to reorient them both so they could rest against the comfy pillows at the head of the bed, however they resorted to making themselves at home on him instead.
"D-dontcha think the bed is comfier than me?" He suggested, "Not that I mind! Ya just got absolute luxury in 'ere!" He caught his tone before the floodgates could open again, tightening his grasp on them to confirm he meant his words.
"Mammon... Safe." They muttered into his shirt, arms tangling around his torso as they settled into their new comfort position.
"Mammon safe." He whispered back, smiling at their sweet sentiment.
"I was so scared." They uttered quietly, catching Mammon's attention immediately.
"Demons can be scary, ya were pretty brave for facin' up to him like that." He replied, combing their hair comfortingly.
"Heh I'm not brave, that was fear paralysis..." They chuckled to themselves, "I- I've been there before, someone baring down on me, as I stand there defenceless." Their voice clarity was returning as their mind fog began to clear, their instinct to hide away the feelings replaced instead with a need to divulge.
"Don't tell me you've been threatened while I wasn't watchin' ya?! Who's the bastard who touched you, I'll have his head-" His bravado did bring a smile to their face raw from sobbing, and they coughed a few times to let out a weak laugh.
"Not a chance, you're the best guardian I could ask for." They reassured him, the compliment usually something that'd spur forth a cocky display yet it was a bittersweet sentiment. They trusted him so much, yet how good of a protector was he really if he let them go through what they had today? He shook the thought away, not the time. "When I was younger, a lot of people abused their power over me. Just kinda put me back in that headspace of a frightened child, every time someone has hurt me since I go right back there. No matter how old I get, each repeat stings just as bad as the first."
Taking a moment to process their sensitive reveal of childhood mistreatment, he reflected momentarily on his own childhood. Backed into a corner, being stalked from above by that imposing seraphim.
"You're untrainable, you'll never amount to anything as an angel."
"You'll never be good enough, Mammon."
Another thought to shake off, one which had left him with too many sleepless nights to even begin unpacking at this time. And yet something about their mutual pain made this recount sting less.
They were safe, too.
"If ya don't mind me askin', did people ever dismiss your experiences?" He asked, curious if his own experience of being told to 'suck it up' was equally shared.
"Heh yeah... It was always 'my fault', how I was 'overreacting', how I brought it upon myself 'being like that'. Or how it 'wasn't that bad', how I should just 'let it go'. I only gave them more ammunition against me, my urge to be heard countered with accusations of narcissism, how I made 'everything about me'. Branded a manipulator for daring to be honest I closed myself off from everyone..." They recalled, taking a deep breath to maintain their composure.
"If I made you feel dismissed earlier, or like it was your fault, I'm sorry." He mustered the courage to respond, realising the final nail in the coffin his previous failed attempts to lighten the mood had been, "You shouldn't have had to face that, any of it. But especially not what happened today, I should have protected you."
Sitting up they met his eyes, a mesmerising swirl of gold in a sea of tranquil blue that washed away all their fear. Cupping his cheeks to keep his focus on them they smiled, "You did protect me, I'm alive because you pulled me out of there, brought me back here, patched me up. I'm alive because you listened, no one has ever listened before."
"If there is only one who will listen I am them, you're safe with me." He returned the smile, keeping firm grasp to steady them, "Be careful not to roll onto that ankle okay? I can't have ya getting hurt again on my watch."
"I'm okay, it doesn't hurt." They reassured him, "Thank you for taking care of it, of me I should say."
"It's nothing, you're the toughest person I know." He chuckled, pressing his lips to their forehead tenderly, "If you think you need me, I'll be your watchful shadow until the end of time."
It's me, no one will ever hurt you again.