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Shu and Vox's bonding time isn't much an active collaboration between the two of them, as much as it is Vox prancing around and Shu being there to either listen or assist. That is simply their nature. To be able to command an audience is a skill that is needed for streamers like them, of course. But while Shu feels like a teacher trying to get his class engage with the lesson, Vox feels like a theater actor captivating audience. It's not simply skin tingling bass his voice is, every pore of his skin oozes charisma that even if he talks about FNAF all day and Shu will still be very much enraptured.
Though thankfully, today is a not FNAF discussion board day, it is apparently a baking experimenting kind of day and who is Shu to refuse good food?
The nervous energy around the demon has not only continued on for days but also amplified as the dreaded karaoke gets closer. He cannot blame him for that, as not even the sorcerer having done a karaoke stream twice has completely removed the jitters. He can't imagine the pressure Vox is in at the moment as this is his first time. Stress baking seems to be a new habit he is cultivating, and Shu and the rest of the boys will simply indulge him so, weight gain be damned. The seafood pot pie yesterday was definitely worth it.
(Knowing that the demon did it at his request, even with his aversion to most seafood, made Shu's body all tingly.)
Vox and Shu sit across each other on the kitchen island, chatting the time away before the timer rings.
"You've got an... interesting set list."
"Hey." Vox pouts, seeing the twitching corners of Shu's lips. "Not all of us are accomplished singers like you and Ike or can naturally carry a tune like Luca or Mysta."
The demon dramatically slumps on the counter top, putting his forehead on his crossed arms. "I have already been bracing myself for the humiliation, I might as well make it enjoyable to both myself and the kindred."
The sorcerer raises an elegant brow. "First of all! Your can carry a tune. It's simply a problem of not enough practice. Nobody could have anticipated for you to reach 522k in that so little time. But if I could record you singing City of Stars, I would." Shu sighs. "Also, second. Only yourself and the kindred? Not us, your dear friends?"
"So you say. X to doubt, as the younger ones say." The demon frowns for a moment before raising his head and tilting it, a coy smile curving his lips. "Oh, are we all, just friends?"
Shu shakes his head, fond. "Yeah, I'm not even gonna let you star-"
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP. Both of them startles into action.
"I got it!" Vox jumps up and grabs the oven mitts before sauntering to the oven.
"Huh." The demon ponders at the opened oven. "Why is the lights off-"
Vox smells the gas too late before the flame climbs and rushes towards him.
Shu freezes.
"I was wondering who was emitting such a powerful, malicious aura but it's a little kid." A sigh is heard, breaking the silence.
In the quaint prison cell room one Yamino Shu resides in, a well dressed, elegant man, no, demon, stands before him.
Shu feels his back bump against the wall as demon walks closer.
"D-did- Did they send- You to teach me?" The little one hugs his legs and would have buried his dirty face on skinned knees, if not for the hypnotic pull of those golden slitted eyes.
A gentle finger tilts the little's one face further up and an even gentler face smiles in amusement. "You and I both know that you have not the capacity to subdue me and make me your familiar. The opposite would be truer, really."
Shu freezes up at those words but the demons fingers simply move from the little one's chin to his cheek, a thumb caressing the prominent bones. "I may be a demon but I am a fair one. I will offer you the contract of being your familiar in exchange of honing those skills that might serve me in the future. I will be your companion till the time you have enough power to break the chains yourself, if you chose to bind yourself with me."
"Why... Why are you doing this..? What would you gain from this?"
The demon human as he bent and kneeled to his level. "Boredom. Haven't had time to play with humans for a while, perhaps."
Deft hands get a hold of Shu's smaller one and the demon leaves a light kiss on the back of his palm.
"Shu Yamino, I ask of you. Are you my master?"
It was a whiplash how fast the Hikarinos had overturned their attitudes on how they act towards him once Mr. Akuma walked out from his room while carrying him. Only a few words spoken and the servants, who usually wouldn't acknowledge him, were groveling at the demon's feet. The demon, without any ounce of shame, slides the door of the main dining room open, plopping both himself and the little one on the open seat. Some of members of family had their mouths open and probably scathing words come out but the demon's true aura suddenly a unleashed a pressure that made people freeze on where they sat.
"Since the servants of this house has foolishly chosen to not service my young master some food, pardon the two of us for temporarily dining here for this instance." Mr. Akuma drones one while keeping a pleasant countenance. He beckons a servant to bring him sake and stealing unused chopsticks to put some food for a stolen plate and placed it in front of Shu. "Oh goodness me, I have forgotten to introduce myself."
He stands up, posture perfect, as if he was royalty from birth. One arm across his abdomen and the other one playing with necklace wrapped around his throat. "I have many names for as long as I existed but for you." Shu can feel magic lace those words and taste the iron in his mouth. "I am Vox Akuma. A wandering demon duke at this young master's service. I am serving as this young master's familiar from now on. If you try to touch a hair on that cute little head of his, you will see what more I can do with this voice." Vox returns to sit beside Shu, serving himself sake while ignoring the others.
The masters of the house's faces are stiff but kept on a pleasant mask while the demon casually helps Shu with handling the chopsticks. Shu was never given the privilege to dine at the table with the main family, so being able to seat beside Mr. Akuma to the opposite head of the table is nerve wracking.
Though, only the two of them seems to be eating (or eating for Shu and drinking for Mr. Akuma), the rest being too fraught with tension to bother.
"Are you full?" Vox eyes darting on the empty plate before swirling his sake cup. He drinks the sake in one shot before settling the cup on the table and standing up. "We can go now then, little one."
Vox offers a hand to Shu and the latter hesitates for a moment, before taking it. The demon turns his stare to the head of the house. "You will leave the little one's study to me. Your heretical venture is nothing compared to a demon's knowledge after all." Vox smiles to the old man, sharp teeth glinting in the lantern light.
"You would know best to leave him alone for the most part, besides for missions as decreed by the Ministry. Lest the Emperor hears about the secrets this particular family of Onmyoji have been keeping from him away, hm~?"
Life after Mr. Akuma came into his life, has settled into a routine. As much as one can establish as routine around the randomness of Yokai activity, Shu revises in his mind.
On a usual day where Shu has not been assigned a mission, Mr. Akuma spends the morning to teach him the theoretical knowledge of Onmyodo. If Shu is gonna be honest, it is boring and is barely of help on his work but as someone who used to be kept ignorant, he treasures all this knowledge that is being given to him. It probably helps that Mr. Akuma's voice is so soothing, the words wash over him like a cascading waterfall.
The afternoon class is what Shu looks forward everyday. With his physical condition being bad from years of malnutrition and starvation, Mr. Akuma was so fussy with his meal times, he'd force him to stomach something even when he did not feel like eating. When he was somewhat better, Mr. Akuma has drilled him on the different use and application of shikigamis and the fine control of his magic.
From months to a year since the demon started training him, the demon deemed him fit to start on physical conditioning and while he can look at it now fondly, his younger self did he hate it at those months. So much so that he lost his temper one time and lashed out with a shikigami aimed at the demon's head. The demon casually pulls a katana out of thin air and slashes it to halves.
A bone chilling grin warps that beautifully terrible face. "Is that a sign you're ready to spar now, little one? I'll indulge you one time."
Can Shu even call it a spar, it mostly feels like a one sided beating till his reflexes started getting honed after years and the bastard actually take his time out of the day to teach him weapons mastery or even hand-to-hand combat if he feels like it.
Shu groans as he lies on the dust covered backyard. "I'm a sorcerer, why do I even need to know about hand-to-hand combat???"
"Adaptability is tantamount to survivability, little one." The demon dusts off his hakama and picks up the carefully folded haori on the ground, hanging it around his shoulders. "You have been getting stronger, while Hikarino-" That grin never fails to make Shu shiver. "Shu has certainly been gaining reputation for his accurate divination but also using his 'divine power' to cleanse this land of the terrorizing Yokai. While the protection of a full body garment protect your respective identities and it can be argued that you two look alike enough as relatives, I wonder how long it will take for some to simply stumble on your 'cleansing' ceremonies and discover the truth. Do you simply want to live in the shadows your life? Do you even think that if you want to do so, the Hikarinos will let you, little one?"
Mr. Akuma holds out a hand to help him up but Shu pulls it instead, flips the demon on his back and straddling his hips. A victorious smile curves Shu's lips, he knows that the demon let him manhandle him but being able to execute the maneuver smoothly is a win in itself.
Then he remembers their position and Shu's face goes hot.
"Or maybe not so little anymore..." The demon's voice sounding wistful and teasing at once, Vox looks at Shu indulgently, very at ease on lying at the dusty grounds. "It's easy for me to lose track of the human passage of time but-" A pale hand tucks the stray hairs blocking Shu's face behind an ear.
The demon grins and wiggles his hips. "You're at that age aren't you~"
Vox, of course, blocks the punch aimed at the demon's nether regions but Shu stomps away to the sound of the demon's guffaws, blushing.
It's not that Shu doesn't know that he's running out of time. Vox, as far as he knows, is immortal but Shu isn't. The Hikarinos had tolerated his presence as long as it helps cements the Hikarino heir's position in the Ministry as a powerful Onmyoji but sooner or later, they would want to get rid of the loose ends that threaten that position. Vox's blackmail is the only reason they let him live comfortably after all. Vox had given him all the tools to break out of this role the Hikarinos forced on him and that the Hikarinos might be able to something to break out the stalemate between the demon and the family but he can't help but hesitate.
All Shu had known for his life is survival. To be able to see another day. To be able to experience as much enjoyment life could give him until the cursed child either succumbs to the monsters or his own curse. Vox giving him the opportunity of a lifetime excites him but also scares him.
Does he have the right to be more than the lot life has given him? Isn't it enough simply live like this and deal with things when it happens? Vox warns him of being complacent and urges him to be active but... While Shu can deal with rampaging Yokai any day, humans on the other hand, he can't. He does not have political clout to be able to shield himself from the Hikarinos and live in the light. He can maybe run away and deal with those they will sent to kill him but-
He, a human weapon honed to destroys monsters, never wanted to have human blood on his hands. He maybe a monster but he will never prey on humans as he promised to himself.
The demon is sitting cross-legged in front of a tree, eyes closed and wholly at peace. A stray leaf falls on his hair and Shu struggles with the urge to comb through the soft locks and see them shine in a soft red glint when the limited moonlight hits in the right angle.
When he first met the demon, he would never knew it would be possible to hold such fondness for one. Perhaps Vox is an exception-
(He is and will always be a bastard, no need to remind him. He's very much well aware. Shu will not be as extensively aware of his buttons if not for this demon, his demon, so intent on making his zen facade crack. But this demon has given him care (and love?) where no human one will and for that, Shu will willingly sell his heart and soul for this demon. It does not matter if it's an illusion in the end. He has, is, and will be happy. It is a price he's willing to give, everything he can offer of himself.)
-but he can't be hold to a standard. His life is far from a normal citizens' after all.
He gives in to his urges and breaks away from the point where he was standing vigil for their target this night.
Light steps resonate throughout the forest, Shu stops in front of the demon and observes the feigned rise and fall of his chest. Demons have no need for breathing, Shu doesn't and can't know if Vox ever learned to those habits from staying with him to help keep the facade of a human. Or if perhaps, he'd always been prone to boredom and has so called 'played' with other humans till it stopped being entertaining.
The sorcerer removes the mask obscuring his face drinks in the sight of a 'sleeping' demon's face. A bandaged hand cups the ever smooth skin, brushing away the hair that always somehow cover a golden eye and grazing his lips lightly on the exposed forehead.
If Shu can forgive Vox for avoiding his feelings then perhaps the demon can forgive himself for this one kiss.
When you get comfortable, you get complacent. When you get complacent...
- A fact: the common devil's trap seal employed my onmyouji is not powerful enough to cage a demon of Vox's status
- Another fact: besides making using of brute force or augmenting yourself to make you stronger, gradually weakening an enemy with stacking curses is a valid strategy to take down a Yokai
- Most important fact: among the Emperor's treasures, a holy sword that has wounded a demon king is rumored to be among them
On their way home from their latest mission, they get ambushed by the Hikarino's warriors and a few onmyojis including Hikarino Shu. Vox rips his necklace and screams but the enemies seems to have covered their ears.
- An error: Vox has disregarded the devil's trap engraved on the ground, thinking himself immune as usual
- Another error: with the overwhelming numbers, while Shu can keep evading the killing blows, he has to tank some of the lesser lethal ones and feel himself weaken second by second
- Most important error: Shu, in the overwhelming fatigue and pain from the stacking blows and curses, fails to see Hikarino coming at him with a holy sword
From the moment the sword breaks through Vox's chest from the back, he lost all hope of coming out of this alive. All his focus zero in the knot on Vox's forehead, half horrified and half in awe of the first time he'd seen Vox in pain. He can vaguely hear the sounds of footsteps getting softer as if they were running away. He can smell the acrid scent of smoke invading his nose. The sorcerer's hands grasp on Vox's shoulders, intent on steadying him, but Shu's knees buckle from the weight.
The demon coughs, blood spraying on the ground. The sorcerer's eyes widen when he sees the blood spray glow at the same time as the array did. "
Yeah." Vox's eyes were manic with glee. "You look at the corpses of the onmyoji around us and its pretty damn suspicious that there's no speck or spray of blood. But it's common sense isn't it? There's magic in blood. It gets stronger the more of our blood is spilled, and the more blood is spilled, the weaker all of those trapped get. I don't want to give it more." The heat is starting to be unbearable as the flames slowly encroach upon them.
The demon, in a sudden burst of strength pins the sorcerer down, straddling his waist. "Shut up and stay still for me, don't you? Open wide. Try not to choke on it, my dear." Vox cut his wrist on the sword protruding, letting the flow of blood drop to Shu's mouth. "Demon blood is a pretty potent poison for humans, as you've learned. But you're no ordinary human are you? The worst curses I've taught you, it only blackened the digits of your hands. A superficial rot but they're still functional, just numb. Quite amazing when it would've killed a lesser being." The demon says in a melodic voice. It was harder and harder to breath as there's more smoke, it practically dies the green of the forest to a darker shade.
"It will be painful and I would love to say it's only for a bit but it depends on you. Your body will feel like its burning inside as demon magic is naturally corrosive to humans. Once you get used to it, your magical capacity should regenerate and expand. Hopefully, it will make you sturdy enough to not die from the burns or smoke inhalation. Would be a shame if we both die here. One of us has to get back against those fuckers. Hmmm." The demon awkwardly reaches for the sword in his backs and pulls, one hand steadying him on the ground and another hand preventing him from retching more blood. Shu, not able to voice his words out, only looks at Vox in pain, pleading.
A dull thud emits from the ground as Vox drops the sword. Bloody hands cupped the sorcerer's face as Vox smashes their mouths together and forces the blood inside his mouth to Shu's. "Eugh. Would like to say that's a good taste but far too metallic for me."
Vox and Shu stare at each other, one steely and resolute and the other utterly terrified. Then Vox smiles and let the fatigue show on his face, slowly sinking down and stretching until he's half laying flat on his front and head turned towards the other. "Okay, 'm done." The demon's words started to get slurred. "You. Can speak. Sorry for shutting you."
"Vox!" Shu gasps. Desperate but weakened arms try hold on the others waist tightly. "You can't! I can't-"
The sorcerer wanted to plead more but the fog in his brain keeps getting stronger and it becomes harder to string words.
"Immortal. Doesn't mean no dying." The demon's voice keeps getting fainter, the weight on him keeps getting lighter and the silhouette is fading bit by bit. He doesn't know if it's Vox dying or if it's his consciousness fading. "True immortal. Coming back from-"
Vox shuts his eyes and sighs. "See you. Be happy-" The demon breaks apart into particles of lights for moment before disappearing.
And Shu.
A pain in his chest.
Then black consumes his vision.
Shu, unfortunately, wakes up. He opens his eyes to grey skies and rain, brain uncomprehending. Turning his head to the right, he sees a lone golden tassel earring, marred by the muddy waters running down the forest floor. The sorcerer sits up suddenly, puts his face on his palms and screams.
The fog in his brain become clearer. Some time has passed on. He does not know how long and does not care. Time is a meaningless construct.
Shu raises his head and scans his vicinity. The sun is shining. The forest is almost burned to the ground. There are muddied corpses surrounding. A sword that killed his demon is beside him A familiar black haori with patterns of red and white camellia is on his lap. His body feels strong and mostly painless if not for the simmering burn under his skin. A burn that was almost comforting for him. It was reminiscent of that foreign hard liquor, Vox tricked Shu into drinking. How his gagging and sputtering seemed to elicit a fit of almost undignified laughter for what seemed like hours. How-
How this is the only he had of him (living) left. Not that the earring and the haori are much of a memento. The Hikarinos probably thrown out all his things-
The Hikarinos.
Shu stood up suddenly, eyes snapping to the sword on the ground. The sorcerer picked it up from the ground and flawlessly moved through some katas before ending with a horizontal slash, an image of Hikarino's neck in his mind's eye. He stops himself before he slides the sword on a non-existent sheath. But what is the use? Killing all of them won't bring Vox back. And much as he hates, hAtes, haTeHAteshateHAtEHatEs- them so fucking much.
It won't change anything.
For everyone.
BuT tHoSe LiKe HiM-
Child sacrifices and demonic/dark arts as a stop gap to that fading divinity running in the clan's veins.
Vox has once said to him that he shouldn't burn himself to keep others warm but-
He would let himself be the kindling to a cleansing fire that wipe out those underserving ingrates.
"Shu!" The sorcerer blinks back to the present time. Cognizant violet eyes connect with anxious golden ones, it doesn't take much to fix Shu's face into a Buddha-like smile: serene and unaffected. Not that he feels that way. But there is a certain comfort in feeling your face slide perfectly with your usual mask. Something about your face growing with your mask or however that quote goes. Just fake till you make it right?
Shu's eyes snaps to his lap where his' and Vox's hand are intertwined. In one blink and the next, he could have sworn there was blood staining them. The demon, incorrectly assuming what the flash of emotions of his face meant, tries to untangle their hands but Shu won't budge this time. He can definitely rival the demon on arm strength just this once and he wants the handholding.
"Shu!" The older man repeats. He looks at him in an expression with a mixture of surprise, contriteness and relief. Eyes tracing where their hands are joined, the demon leaves light kisses on the younger man's knuckles. "I'm so sorry. I'm the one who kept on insisting to use this ancient oven instead of replacing it. if everyone else were the unfortunate victim of the gas leak, we might be stuck at a hospital right now."
Vox untangles the sorcerer's hands from his and grabs his wrists instead, leading Shu's hands cup his cheeks. "I am... I'm so sorry. My stupidity led you to being triggered to. Despite..." The demon eyes hones on the scar tissue on his bare arms and looks away in shame.
To say that his arrival in this timeline was traumatic was an understatement. Not for him but for the unfortunate Nijisanji staff who found him as a human bonfire of cursed fire. (Those people in the Hikarino estate are unfortunate as well. Not that he cared. Maybe for the unfortunate people who were there for their livelihood and not for loyalty. But his hands are forever stained and he will just live a good life to atone.)
Combining magical healing and modern medical practices, has certainly sped things up but burn care in general is a long, tedious process. The urge to scold Vox is strong but he let himself drown in the love and fondness he feels instead. This is the same demon that helped him bathe, moisturize his skin and help him fit the pressure garments back when he still needed them. His soft-hearted demon, really. It makes him wonder what was going in his head, thinking this unfamiliar burned up sorcerer has no problem letting himself be naked and vulnerable in front of such a nefarious being.
Shu steals a peck from his demon's lips and slides his arms around his waist, comfortably setting his chin on the crook of the other's shoulder. "I am fine. It's not that I'm scared of fire myself." The sorcerer closes his eyes and thinks of burning forest and what he lost then. "I was never scared for myself, but the things I lost with it. I don't think my heart would take it if I saw one of you be engulfed in fire like that." The sorcerer chuckles weakly.
Vox hugs back and rubs his cheeks against Shu. "New oven, fire alarm and water sprinklers, please remind later Shubert. My to do list keeps on getting longer." The demon lets go of him, gives him a once over then smiles. Fast hands grab the tray and throws the baked goods on the food waste bin before the sorcerer can stop him.
"Vox! That was perfectly good pastry-"
"Eh." Vox shrugs. "You don't even know how long the oven went out. It could be even raw in the middle for fucks sake. Anyways, I've been cooped up inside too long, want to accompany me on window shopping for appliances then eating on a restaurant?" He winks at him as he leans his weight on Shu's side.
Shu rolls his eyes at obvious segue but whatever. Vox had been camping inside for days for his karaoke. He wouldn't mind walking around for some fresh air. As much as fresh air you can get from city but we can't be picky.