Work Text:
The package sat atop his kitchen counter, silently taunting him while he hunted through the various drawers for a pair of scissors or a knife to use to cut open the many layers of clear, glossy tape keeping it sealed. Triumphantly, he brandished a small steak knife and immediately sliced it open, using a measure of care cutting open the top flaps of the box before discarding the knife. How long had he been waiting for this to arrive? Well, him and the other members of Luxiem. Five packages had to go all over the world, after all.
But now, it was finally here: his new costume. After he pulled away the tissue paper covering, he removed the garment bag that was on top covering a shoe box and three very different sized cases. His heart was beginning to thump loudly in his ears, a broad grin gracing his visage as he excitedly contemplated where to begin his inspection.
No, he knew what to look at first. His hand reached for the longest and thinnest of the cases, and used it to move the box aside a little before setting it down. His fingers deftly flicked open the latches and there it was, a replica of his sword–sans flames and eternally razor-sharpened blade–and pretty much however else it manifested itself when he summoned it, of course. It seemed his drawing for this particular incarnation of it had been more than sufficient to work with.
Picking it up, however, only drove home that this was very much a fake. The weight distribution was all off, and even if it had been balanced, it wasn’t even made of metal. Just a durable plastic painted with metal-like coatings that would definitely wear away over time. However, it would do the trick to wear at his side, and that was what mattered. He wasn’t about to brandish weapons on stream anyway.
Setting that aside, he closed the sword back up and moved on to opening the rest of the cases and before he knew it, his entire kitchen was filled with various costume pieces as well as his own discarded clothing. Bit of packaging and boxes spilled into the next room as well–all of which he managed to mainly dodge and not trip over too many times. Instructions on how to wear his new outfit had been included, but he didn’t need them. Slipping into the kimono and everything else had been like second nature to him. A part of him had worried if he’d forgotten; it had been centuries since he last wore anything like it. He proved himself wrong, though! Everything fit as it should’ve.
Rather smugly, he strode off to have a look at himself in the bathroom, the last of his costume’s kit in his hand. Wisely, he didn’t put the geta on and kept those in the box they came in. He knew he’d be better off only wearing when he had to show his feet. He didn’t trust himself not to cause himself grievous harm trying to walk around in those, at least not yet.
Once in the bathroom, he deposited the wig box and the one containing his horns and ear extensions. He slipped a headband over his head, pushing his hair out of the way as he followed the instructions on how to apply both the pointed ear prosthetics and the horns. Admittedly, it felt weird having horns without actually feeling anything through them, but the concept of having phantom horn syndrome gave him a small giggle.
“Not bad, not bad!” he said to himself as he looked himself over. There was still a bit of makeup to apply to his forehead and to his right eye, but he wanted to try the wig on first.
Carefully, he took it and the foam head it came with out of the box, setting it on the bathroom counter. A couple of his skincare bottles fell over, but he quickly righted those, made sure they didn’t leak anywhere, then set about putting the wig on.
He wished he thought to ask for a wig cap, but ah well, next time. That said, it did fit rather nicely even with his hair simply tucked underneath.
“Oh…” he breathed reverently. He leaned in closer to his reflection and felt awash in memories. It’d been so long since those days…
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and for a moment, he was back there. A tranquil breeze blew in the air, lazily rustling his clothing and long hair. The cherry blossoms fell like gentle rain upon the ground. Children’s laughter rang into the air from another part of the village surrounding his castle amongst the din of his clan at work and ignoring the fact that the demonic lord keeping them safe had gone off into the surrounding forests yet again. They ignored how he always came back alone and a little…different. Perhaps a little taller, more muscular or fuller than before–or the horns sprouting out of his head were longer and fangs more prominent than before.
His head turned to and fro, and the name of each person he saw around him popped into his mind–names and faces he’ll never forget–and he smiled at them.
Suddenly, their voices grew discernable enough for him to make out a single word:
“Milord!”
And his eyes snapped open, a gasp tearing out of his lungs as he gripped the edge of the bathroom sink. An audible crack snapped him fully back to reality and upon realizing what he’d done to the sink, he quickly let it go, his hand instead shooting to his chest to quiet his rapidly beating heart. Something hot and wet burned in the corners of his eyes.
He hadn’t meant to channel them. He tried his damnedest not to hear them as much as possible, but that memory… Hastily, he wiped the tears away and took a moment to center himself again.
“Yes, this is perfect,” he said aloud. He met his own eyes and nodded at his reflection. There was more gold looking back at him every day. Soon, he’d have to…no, he was doing alright. It wasn’t yet time. He still had much to prepare: this appearance, the video about his arrival into this world, the movie… So much to do!
He knew at any time, he could stop his plans. This appearance of his was going to surprise many of his kindred. They knew he was a demon, but how many of them truly believed…? Humans these days had to have the truth shoved at them–and even then, many chose not to believe what was in front of their own face! But he trusted his kindred. They were smarter than that. And this costume, this…facsimile of what he used to wear in a different age, was only preparing them for more in the near future. He had to take this step. He could go on fabricating the false glimpse into his past as the lord of a clan for only so long.
Some days, he desperately wished it had all been true. That the moments of peace and serenity he felt just then were all there was to that time long ago. If only.
He’d lied to himself for so long, but he couldn’t bear lying to them much longer. If all went to plan, they’d learn. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how much it’d destroy, he had to do it. His beloved kindred deserved to know the truth. They all deserved that.
But for now…he could still pretend. He’d gotten awfully good at it.
Drawing the mark on his forehead and right eye, however…not so much. He’d need a little more practice, but there was time before he and the others revealed their new costumes to the world. Nonetheless, he allowed the excitement to seep back in. He truly did look awfully handsome with the costume on–and he knew what that’d do to his kindred as well.
Taking one last glance in the mirror, he threw on a smile for himself then left to find his phone so he could show off to the other Luxiem boys. He couldn’t wait to hear their reactions.