Chapter Text
Drinking coffee was a peaceful relief from fighting demons in Da’at. The Nahobino picked up a cup and took a small sip, savoring the slightly bitter flavor of the beans. It was a slow business day in his parent’s coffee shop, so he decided to briefly indulge himself in a cup before he would have to go out tonight. Then he would be the Nahobino, slayer of the demon of the tower, warrior of Bethel, the figure that could rival Lucifer himself. For now, though, he was Kei Amemura, plain and simple. Kei was all he had to be. Staring into his coffee, the boy let out a small sigh of relief. In contrast to his life as the Nahobino, life as Kei was so simple and easy. All he had to do was get decent enough grades, work at the coffee shop, and sit in his silence for as long as he pleased.
“Hey, Kei?” The Nahobino could hear his father’s voice from the loft upstairs. “Could you help your new friend clean up here? He’s… uh….” Kei stifled a small laugh as his father began to stutter. “He’s not doing very well up here.” Swiftly and precisely, Kei took off his light brown apron that was stained with years of spilt coffee to come and help his friend. Neatly folding his apron on the counter next to his mug, Kei ran up the stairs to be met.
Next to a broken table was a distraught-looking Aogami holding a feather duster. “Young man, I fear I am not capable of this job.” Aogami’s comment elicited an exasperated sigh from Kei’s father. “The dust seems to have escaped elimination.” Wearing a maroon apron that the Nahobino sewed himself was the 6'8 giant Protofiend Aogami. On his face was a cocktail of confusion, shame, frustration, regret, guilt, and a million other emotions that Kei instinctively knew and yet failed to verbalize. Kei could always tell what was on his partner’s mind. After all, as a Nahobino, the two read each other’s minds unconsciously and without effort.
“Whatever, just,” Kei’s father turned to him with a stern look on his face. “Clean this mess up. Please? I’ll be doing our taxes in the office.” With that, Kei’s father walked down from the loft, entering the employees-only room before slamming the door behind him. Even though Kei had a pretty good idea of what happened- the two often shared a body, after all- he thought it would be good to confirm. A gentle smile decorated Kei’s face as he looked up to meet the anxious eyes of Aogami. “Used too much force again?”
Aogami pursed his lips, unable to make eye contact with the smaller boy. He held his arm behind his back as if trying to obscure the feather duster from view. “Well…” Kei smirked as Aogami hastily scrambled to formulate a sufficiently clear explanation for his misdemeanor. “You see, your father had instructed me to eliminate all of the dust on this table. Most times, I use as much force as I can when given such a task. So, as a result, I pressed the dusting device onto this table with immaculate pressure. Much to my surprise, the table broke in two. I was not expecting such a violent result.”
Unable to keep his laughter in any longer, Kei burst out in a fit of hysteric giggles. “Don’t worry Aogami, you’re new here. I’m sure all new employees mess up a bit. I mean,” Kei motioned to the stains that missed his apron and landed on his hands. “Look at all the times I’ve spilled coffee!” Kei attempted to put his arms around Aogami’s shoulder to comfort him. Much to his chagrin, Kei was minuscule compared to Aogami, leading the boy to barely be able to reach the Protofiend’s neck. In a silent act of pity, Aogami squatted down, bending his legs to lower himself to the level of the young boy. With a bright grin, Kei leaned over to hug the neck of his partner. “It happens to everyone. Don’t take it too seriously, okay?”
Noticeably relieved, Aogami stood back up as the boy detached himself from the Protofiend. A determined smile grew on his face much to Kei’s pleasure. Giving Kei an enthusiastic thumbs-up, Aogami looked down at the boy, yellow eyes piercing into him. “I promise to never fail at my cleaning tasks again.”
“Sounds good, Aogami. Now, can I make you some coffee?”
“That sounds lovely, young man.”
The two walked down the twee wooden staircase to the first floor as Kei moved to go behind the counter. Aogami paralleled his movements, moving to the front of the counter and grabbing a small bar stool to sit atop. As Kei reached under the counter for Aogami’s favorite coffee beans- Blue Mountain, of course- he silently hummed a small tune to himself. Fully taking in the quiet moment between him and his friend, the Nahobino smiled contentedly at the coffee siphon as he slowly observed the coffee-making process. His movements were elegant and gentle, yet they held a certain military precision to them. It was a dance he had rehearsed hundreds of times, twirling the beans into the siphon and finishing the cup with a proud bow.
“Many thanks.” Aogami smiled as he picked up the cup. “Ah, you made my favorite.”
“Of course I did!” Kei smiled, grabbing his apron off the counter and tucking it comfortably in a drawer behind him filled to the brim with similarly folded garments. “Young man, may I ask you a question?”
“Of course. Ask away!” With a gentle laugh, Kei crossed his arms on the counter, staring intently into Aogami’s eyes. Looking at the man in front of him made a warm gratitude well up inside of him. How lucky was he to have such an amazing friend, no, other half, to share a cup of coffee with.
Flustered, Aogami turned to the large window next to the door that let in the orange light of the setting sun. Kei cocked his head to the side- what could Aogami be so hesitant to ask about?
“This is, frankly, embarrassing, but I do not understand the art of dusting.” Despite the ridiculous question, distress plagued Aogami’s voice. “If the dust is swept off of the table, it will only move to the floor. Are more steps not needed to fully dispose of the dust?” Unable to find a satisfactory answer, the boy gave a light chuckle and turned to face the window.
“I guess so. I never thought of it that way.” With a warm smile, Kei turned to face his partner. “Thanks for enlightening me, Aogami.”
“It is only my duty, young man.” In spite of his words, obvious satisfaction flooded Aogami’s words- Kei could tell he was proud of teaching him something. Turning a shade more serious, Aogami looked down at his coffee and took another small sip. “I believe I must find a solution for this conundrum. After all, your parents were kind enough to hire me. This will be the least I can do to repay them.”
As Aogami sipped his coffee in silent determination to invent the ultimate dust-destroying machine, Kei pulled out his phone to check the time: 5:36. The boy turned serious. It was about time to leave. “Hey, Aogami.” Kei showed his phone (the lock screen being a picture of the two of them posing together) to the Protofiend, the time “5:36” in bold white letters. “Looks like we need to get going.”
“So it does.” Immediately, Aogami shot out of his seat, cracking his neck and knuckles before piercing Kei with his golden eyes. “Let us make haste.”
-
The first thing Kei noticed was the lighting of the Tokyo Medical Research lab. It had no windows. The only light source was the large terminal in the center of the room, the statue emitting cold white and blue lights that were absorbed into the black walls of the room. Kei frowned. He much preferred the oranges and yellows of his coffee shop. In contrast, Bethel seemed desolate, empty, impersonal. He quickly cut himself off- these thoughts weren’t befitting of the Nahobino of Bethel. He frowned, looking down at the floor. If Abdiel- Master Abdiel, he corrected- found him thinking like this, she would surely be disappointed. No matter how much the cold gazes of the angels and scientists brimmed with disdain, Kei needed to fulfil his obligation to his saviors.
“You’re just on time, Kei-kun.” Yuzuru Atsuta’s voice rang throughout the cold room as he walked down the stairs alongside Miyazu. “Koshimizu is waiting for us upstairs with Dazai. Apparently, he has an important mission for us.” Atsuta motioned Kei and Aogami upstairs, turning around and walking back up. Miyazu dutifully followed him, flashing a shy smile at the two before turning around and catching up to her brother. Nodding to Aogami, Kei began to follow the siblings. Frankly, a part of him was relieved to not have to be near the callous light of the terminal.
As the four agents of Bethel entered the room upstairs, Kei’s eyes widened. Why was Abdiel here? She stood properly, shoulders square, wings outstretched, and a hand on the hilt of her sword. Her words were harsh, proper, and demanding. Despite his attempts to ignore it, Kei felt his skin crawl. “Koshimizu, I’ll be in the Chiyoda Ward. You know what to do.” Abdiel gave a stern glance over to Kei and Aogami- the boy could tell that the angel wasn’t the happiest to be in the presence of a Nahobino. After a brief scowl towards Kei, Abdiel marched downstairs and quickly disappeared into the terminal with a flash of blinding light. The unfeeling light of the terminal seemed to suit her.
Lost in thought, Koshimizu held his chin and closed his eyes. After a second of silence, he opened his eyes and turned to the high schoolers. “Aogami, Amemura, Dazai. You will be joining the rest of the Bethel branches in fighting the forces of Chaos in Chiyoda. After the attack on Lahmu, Bethel has decided to launch an all-out attack on the demon lord Arioch and his soldiers.” He turned to Aogami, avoiding eye contact with Kei. “You will be joining them.”
“Wait, but Master Abdiel just said to hang back!” Dazai exclaimed with a consternated look on his face. Kei rolled his eyes. Quickly moving his gaze from one person to another, Dazai tried his best to rally any support. He failed. Everyone awkwardly avoided meeting the boy’s eyes. Kei opted to focus on examining the patterns on Aogami’s armor. Aogami cleared his throat in an attempt to break up the tension, still looking at the floor instead of Dazai. Yuzuru stayed silent save for an angry scoff which he quickly tried to play off. Desperately, Dazai pleaded, “Guys, c’mon! We should just follow orders and stay put. I mean, they probably know better than us, yeah?”
With an angry glance, Koshimizu turned to face Dazai. “Dazai, are you okay with leaving your home in the hands of random angels? This is our city, our country. We have a duty to protect it.” Meekly, Dazai sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “...Yeah, I guess.”
“Excellent.” Koshimizu turned towards Kei and Aogami. “You two will accompany Dazai in Chiyoda. Atsuta,” Cocking his head towards Yuzuru, his eyes slightly softened. “I have an important mission for you. You’ll be staying here with me after the other agents enter the terminal.” A mix of surprise and satisfaction flooded Atsuta’s face- the boy was terrible at hiding his emotions. Clearing his throat and standing up straighter, Atusta barked, “Yes sir! It would be my honor!”
Turning back to Dazai, Kei, and Aogami, Koshimizu limply motioned to the terminal. With an exasperated sigh, Dazai turned towards the stairs and began to limp down them. The boy’s posture was horrible compared to Yuzuru’s and Aogami’s. Kei’s posture was… okay at best. In his Nahobino form, however, Aogami’s formal precision took hold of him, causing his posture to be nothing less than immaculate. Kei smiled. Sure, being part of Bethel was… not ideal , but the warmth he felt when fused with Aogami made up for it.
The three slowly approached the glowing terminal. “Ugh, let’s get this over with.” Ignoring Dazai’s exasperation, Kei spun the terminal as a flash of light engulfed the three men.
-
“Young man, I’m sensing the presence of a powerful demon to our north. We should head there immediately.” Nodding, the Nahobino sprinted across the dusty gray dunes of Chiyoda. His glowing blue body provided a stark contrast to the dark atmosphere of the ruined city. He turned to look at the sky: Angels and demons were locked in fierce warfare. To his right, he noticed a Power being slain by some giant fire demon, dissolving the angel in a burst of light. “Hey, Aogami. Is that the demon you’re detecting?” Kei motioned towards the giant. “I don’t believe so. I’m sensing something vastly stronger in the direction we’re heading.” Vastly stronger? More powerful than the demon that could melt a choir of angels with a flick of its sword? Kei frowned, sweat dripping down his forehead- he couldn’t tell if it was because of fear or the blazing heat of the demon. Despite the fear welling up in his through, he was admittedly very curious about this demon Aogami spoke of.
Lost in thought, the Nahobino collided with a Succubus, knocking both parties over. With a scowl, the Succubus slowly got back up and assumed its position in the air. “Hey, what was that for?” It smirked, motioning the Nahobino forward with a giggle. “Am I that stunning, big boy?”
“I… uh…. er, I-” Kei was at a lot for words as he furiously blushed, unable to meet the demon’s enchanting eyes. She laughed, moving closer to the Nahobino. “Awww, someone’s flustered.” She reached out to brush his cheek- Kei’s eyes widened in embarrassment. “Do you really want me that badly?” she whispered. Kei pursed his lips.
“Uh, I’m not really…”
“No need to be shy. I mean, come on, let me show you a good time.”
“I, um, only like guys. Sorry.”
As if her honor was under attack, the Succubus recoiled with rage. “You strung me along!” The Nahobino rubbed the back of his neck, looking at the sandy ground beneath them. “I promise I didn’t mean to. I just-” Kei quickly leaped out of the way as he noticed a shard of ice form beneath him. “Bufula!” The Succubus yelled at him, summoning the ice forward and narrowly missing the boy’s chest.
“Please, we don’t need to fight. I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
“How dare you! First you insult me and then you run away?” Fire flickered in the demon’s eyes. It bawled its hands into fists, long nails drawing blood from its palm. “You’ll pay for your transgression in blood!”
“Aramasa!” With a flash of violence, the Nahobino sliced the Succubus in twain. With a shocked look of terror on its face, the demon dissipated into a cloud of red Magatsuhi.
With an embarrassed sigh, the Nahobino slid his hand down his forehead and proceeded to pick up an ice gem dropped by the Succubus. Dusting the sand off of it, he decided to store the stone away for later.
Continuing north, the Nahobino approached a giant dusty plain. Littered with ruined buildings and glowing treasure boxes, the plateau was a welcome break from the hills to his south. “Young man, I sense the presence of a powerful demon. I suggest we proceed with caution.” Nodding, the Nahobino walked forward, investigating the insides of a particularly large building. He slowly approached a vending machine, finding five small cans of soda that he stashed away for later. Gustave would surely appreciate the relics.
In a flash, a beam of energy pierced the vending machine in front of him. Jumping backward and materializing his sword, the Nahobino turned to face his assailant. The boy looked about his age if not a few years older. His hair was short and jet-black, wearing no shirt and dark gray biker shorts. The most striking thing about the boy was his tattoos. Decorating his entire body were black tattoos glowing with an aquamarine trim. They stretched from his fingers out to his shoulders, wrapping around his toned chest, moving down to his legs,and sinking into his old-fashioned sneakers. While all of the man’s tattoo work was impressing, the patterns on his chest entranced Kei. The Nahobino blushed- this man was incredibly fit. For longer than he’d like to admit, his gaze lingered on the tattoos on the demon’s chest, following them up and down the boy’s body. Finally breaking his reverie, Kei’s gaze moved down. His shoes looked worn down and much more outdated than the sleek models Kei had seen people in school wear.
“The Nahobino, yeah?”
The boy’s words failed to surprise Kei- the return of a Nahobino was common knowledge amongst the demons of Da’at. Nevertheless, Kei felt honored at the idea that this pretty demon boy knew who he was. Cautiously, Kei responded.
“Indeed.”
“And you’re an agent of Bethel, correct?”
Kei hated that term. ‘Agent of Bethel’. I mean, the boy wasn’t wrong. The Nahobino’s powers were used by Bethel. And yet, deep in the boy’s heart, he hated being called that. It felt wrong in a way Kei couldn’t articulate. However, he was not willing to disclose his mixedfeelings about Bethel to this assailant. For now, Kei thought, it would be better to present as loyal to God.
“That would be true.”
The demon boy scoffed. Rolling his eyes. Kei suppressed a smile. Maybe the two had more in common than he first thought. Standing up straight and making an X shape with his arms, anger filled the boy’s eyes. “Another pawn.” Outstretching his arm, the boy fired another energy blast at Kei. “Freikugel!” he screamed, eyes glowing yellow with power.
The Nahobino nimbly avoided the attack, twirling to the side and charging at the other boy. The demon jumped back before Kei’s energy sword could make contact with his torso. Putting his hands in the pockets of his biker shorts, the demon boy’s piercing yellow eyes cut into the Nahobino. “You can call me the Demifiend. I’m an agent of Lucifer sent here to destroy Bethel.”
The Demifiend? Where had he heard that name before? Searching his and Aogami’s memories, Kei stumbled upon an old interaction between Abidel and the Protofiend. That’s right- Abidel said that the Demifienf worked with Lucifer to kill the God of Law. Beneath layers of denial, the fact elicited some respect from Kei.
“You killed the God of Law.”
“You know more about me than I’d like.”
“Archangel Abdiel thinks you a threat.”
“Good.”
With that, the Demifiend charged the Nahobino, hand balled into a fist. With a loud “thud”, the Demifiend’s fist collided with Kei’s chest, knocking the boy backward. Unable to keep his footing, Kei stumbled back on the floor, clutching his torso. The Demifiend slowly sauntered towards him, towering over the boy. Anger flooded his eyes. “You have the power of a true god- the power to remake the world- and you use it to serve Bethel?” In a flash, the Demifiend’s foot slammed into the Nahobino’s face.
Wiping the blood from his nose, Kei looked up to the boy. “Listen, it’s not all my choice. I’m not Bethel’s largest supporter- I’m just working with them for the time being.”
“You’re a coward.”
In the Demifiend’s hand was a ball of electricity ready to be released at the Nahobino. Right before the Demifiend could kill him, Kei locked eyes with the boy. Anger was replaced with pity, and Kei silently begged the Demifiend to understand his situation. He was a monstrosity, a god that the angels of Bethel despised. He was forced into a role he never wanted. He was just a kid, lost and confused and unable what to do, trapped in an organization he disliked but unwilling to join with the forces of Chaos. In one look, the Nahobino tried to communicate all of that to the Demifiend.
The demon boy lowered his hand for a split second. “Take this!” Kei threw out the ice gem he picked up from the Succubus, creating a wall of ice between him and the other boy. Quickly, the Nahobino got onto his feet. With a shattering sound, the ice was completely broken, the Demifiend’s fist impaled into the wall. Locking eyes for a split second, the Nahobino could have sworn he saw pity and awe in the eyes of the boy. Unwilling to figure out if he was right or not, Kei ran out of the building, leaving the Demifiend behind him.
“Aogami, where’s the nearest leyline fount?” Panicked and desperate, the Nahobino sprinted in a random direction, clutching his chest as adrenaline coursed through his body.
“100 feet to your right, young man. It’s near that pile of rubble in front of you.”
Quickly, Kei swerved to the pile of ruined concrete, touched the leyline fount, and teleported out of Da’at.
-
The peacefulness of the coffee shop at night was not something to be undersold. While, during the afternoon, the shop was bustling, very few people came in at night. Aogami had gone back with Koshimizu to the medical lab, leaving only Kei in the cafe without the presence of the Nahobino there to disturb him. Peacefully smiling to himself, Kei made sure to thoroughly clean the coffee siphon every night. It was a simple pleasure of his to indulge in a little cleaning before he went home for the day. Drifting off into a reverie, the boy allowed himself to close his eyes and breathe in the clean air of the cafe.
With the ringing of the bells by the door, a lanky young man walked into the cafe. Kei audibly made a “hm?” sound, unable to repress his confusion and delight that someone would come into the cafe so late at night. Time moved differently in Da’at, meaning that only two hours had passed in Tokyo. It was 8 PM- after the dinner rush- when the store was most unoccupied. The boy looked around a year or two older than Kei, his stature a few inches taller than the 5’6 Kei. He had a gray hoodie on with blue lines trailing down his arms and an olive green hood. Below his hoodie he wore long sweat pants, covering his legs and encroaching onto his black and purple shoes. He had a small amount of expertly-applied black eyeliner on, emphasizing the shape of his eyes. What surprised Kei the most, however, were the black tattoos on the boy's face.
This boy was the Demifiend.
Shocked and unable to speak, the Nahobino’s eyes widened. Why was he here? Did he know that Kei worked at this coffee shop? How would he know that? Or could it be that the Demifiend was here by complete accident? Nervously tapping his fingers on the counter, Kei put down the towel used to clean the coffee siphon and grimaced. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. Why was he so nervous? Actually, no. He had a right to be nervous. This man killed God.
Sitting down on the stool in front of the Nahobino, the Demifiend looked up at the boy. The two made eye contact, and the world stood still. Kei could swear he could see a flash of recognition in the Demifiend’s face, but, if anything was there at all, it disappeared immediately. After the two stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, the Demifiend mumbled out a request.
“You serve black coffee, yeah?”
“Indeed.”
“How much does it cost?”
“250 yen.”
“Surprisingly cheap for such good coffee.”
“You’ve been here before?”
“Nah. I just read some reviews online. I’ve been looking for a new coffee shop as of late.”
The Nahobino elegantly mixed the beans into the siphon, performing his dance for the new customer. The boy had a strange charisma about him, some magnetic force that drew Kei in and demanded his attention. Maybe it was his strength, the fact that he pitied the Nahobino enough to spare him, or his toned chest and sleek eyeliner. Kei blushed. The man was beautiful in an ethereal way, almost unworldly with his tattoos and unimaginable power. The Demifiend was incredibly pretty, his hair framing his face like a model’s would.
Snapping himself out of his trance, the Nahobino slid the cup of coffee across the counter to the other boy. With a small smile, the Demifiend nodded, a token of his appreciation towards the barista. Closing his eyes, the boy took a sip of the coffee, looking confused as the liquid met his lips. Anxiety flooded Kei’s body. For some reason, he felt ashamed at the thought that the Demifiend would dislike his coffee.
“It’s amazing. Thank you.”
With a sigh of relief, Kei smiled and turned to face the boy. The Demifiend’s smile was… surprisingly pretty. It was slight, not obvious or beaming like Kei’s smile, and yet it filled Kei with warmth. For someone as intimidating as the Demifiend, he was surprisingly polite and charming.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Responded Kei, a small blush forming on his face. Without his consent, he blurted out, “Can I have your number?” The Demifiend chuckled, light and airy, and smirked at the boy. He was almost unrecognizable from the cold murder-machine that Kei saw in Da’at.
“Not even going to ask for my name first?”
Kei’s eyes widened as he prepared to apologize to the boy across from him, but the Demifiend interrupted him.
“It’s Naoki Kashima.” Naoki slowly took another sip of his coffee, staring down into the deep blackness of the drink. “And you are?”
“Kei Amemura.”
“Kei, huh?” The boy turned his glance from his coffee to Kei. “Cool name. I like it.”
Trying his best to disguise his blush, the Nahobino turned away from the Demifiend. How was this crazy hot demon guy taking an interest in him of all people? He was so cool and amazing and strong and pretty and yet Kei was the one who had the pleasure of talking to him. Kei had always been into those goth bad boys with a secret soft side- all of his crushes had been delinquents with all-black wardrobes. It looked like Naoki was no different.
“Hey, here’s the money. I gotta go home soon.” The Demifiend slid a 500 yen bill towards the boy. He smiled, or, at least the Nahobino thought he did. In reality, Naoki’s smiles were very subtle, hidden from the rest of the world, and reserved only for a few people.
“Thank you for the tip, Naoki-kun.”
“That wasn’t the real tip- that was just a little extra.”
Removing his left hand from his pocket, he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and a pen. Quickly, he began to write, an uncharacteristically soft smile on his face. “Here’s my number. Call me later, got it?”
He passed the note to Kei, a very happy recipient. Sliding the note into his pocket, Kei blushed, his entire face a bright red. “Will I see you tomorrow?” He was incredibly embarrassed to ask such an embarrassing question, but the Demifiend’s magnetism was too much for him to resist. A determined smirk materialized on Naoki’s face as he narrowed his eyes.
“Do you mean in here or in Da’at, Nahobino?”
Kei’s eyes widened. He was right- the Demifiend really did recognize him earlier. Stuttering and unable to make eye contact with Naoki, Kei pursed his lips- he’d been caught.
A light laugh filled the silence. Naoki grinned at the boy. “You really thought I wouldn’t recognize you? I mean, yeah, you’re in a cool tech suit, but you have the same voice and face.” The Nahobino cursed under his breath- why didn’t he think of that?
“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna kill you. Right now, at least.” The Demifiend stood up from the stool, walking to the door. “You’re forced by Bethel to be their weapon, yeah? Maybe…” The Demifiend’s eyes narrowed, the smile gone from his face. “Maybe you’re more than that. Maybe you deserve more than that.”
With a clatter of bells, Naoki was gone, and Kei was left mouth agape and cheeks bright red.