Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Azazel used to believe that Fallen Angels were but a myth; a tale told so that young recruits would behave—after all, Azazel herself was the byproduct of her mother’s lust for a human, though her parents very clearly loved one another… Regardless. Azazel was, technically, a Nephelim, a Half-Angel, and her mother’s nonexistent Fall made the young woman believe that these Fallen were naught but myth.

That belief persisted for a good, long time, until one day, General Mikah’ella, the Angel of Death, showed up at the home Azazel had… technically gotten no permission to be in, and proceeded to talk with the Queen of Hell, Lucifer Morningstar, The Devil herself…

And the general referred to Satan as her sister, her older twin; Samah’illa, the Angel of Life… The Lightbringer.

The Lightbringer was mythical in her own right, the tale of an invincible Angel who faced down all of The Lord’s enemies, with her flaming sword and golden wings, charging forward and leading Heaven’s armies to victory regardless of what foe was presented to them.

She was mythical in the sense of all her achievements and subsequent disappearance. Whenever Azazel asked, she always got the same reply, spoken dully and with clear pain, ‘she vanished without a trace’.

Originally, Azazel believed her superior’s expressions to be pain at the loss of someone so important, but the truth was far more horrifying; Samah’illa had rebelled against the Creator, injuring Him, shaking Heaven to its core, she’d broken the chains placed on all Angels, and stopped The Lord’s attempt to control all…

Or at least, that was the story that Lucifer had told, and General Mikah’ella made no move to contradict it, save for the clarification of a few events.

It was… jarring, to put lightly; Azazel’s beliefs had been shattered in an instant, Falling was a very real problem—Judgement herself was a Fallen Angel—not to mention all the other things that had been hidden behind deceit and fear. Not even the General was aware of some of it.

Disillusioned, the Curious Angel locked herself in the room allocated to her in the Helltaker homestead. She numbly sorted all the knowledge she’d gathered, and then she did it again using a different method, and then again, and again… and again…

At some point, even Azazel became aware that she’d spiraled downwards, and it scared her; could it trigger a Fall? Was her halo still there? Did crosses burn her? Did holy water? Did—

Eventually, she calmed down enough so that facts could seep in through her frazzled thoughts, and so she collapsed on her bed, staring at the ceiling with an empty gaze for what felt like an eternity.

“Alright, numbnuts, I’ve had enough of your door being locked!” That was how Azazel was broken out of her stupor, by Malina literally kicking the door in and marching up to the Angel’s bed with a sour look on her face. “Get up.”

Obeying the Demon’s demand, Azazel languidly sat up, a frightened expression on her face. “I’m sorry,” she muttered, keeping her eyes glued to her blanket, “I’m… F-Fallen Angels are real and…”

Malina’s scowl deepened for a few seconds before it melted away with a sigh. “Look,” the Sour Demon grumbled, “I’m sure you’re in shock right now, or something, but do you really think being a pussy-bitch about it is gonna help?”

“I don’t know what will help.” The Curious Angel gulped, jerkily gesturing to the side. “I mean, if Falling is real, then what else is—How many Demons are actually…” she trailed off, looking at her friend with trepidation, “are you…?”

“No,” Malina grimaced, averting her eyes from the distraught Angel, “I, uh… I’m not a Fallen, alright? Just a Demon.” A long sigh escaped the Sour Demon. “You could always ask the others? That sounds like a whole research thing, and you like research, right?”

“I suppose… Yes, I do.” Azazel nodded. “You… hold on, let me grab some paper,” the Angel slowly climbed out of her bed, momentarily fumbling through her belongings before grabbing a fresh notepad and a pen to write with. “Okay, can I start with you?”

“I-uh…” Malina cringed, shoulders hunching up in discomfort. “W-why not Lucifer or Judgement? T-they’re… straight from the source?”

Azazel hummed, brows furrowed in thought as she tapped the back of the pen to her chin. “That is indeed a good point, but…” the Angel trailed off into silence, keeping her reservations to herself. She was afraid, but fear was not a good deterrent for knowledge; not for those who truly sought it.

She was still afraid, though.

Was she even allowed to directly address Lucifer? Back in Heaven, one didn’t simply approach Mikah’ella for a chat without a good reason; she was almost always working, and the little time she had for herself was spent by herself—Though, now she spent a good portion of her free time with Lucifer.

Lucifer, who was Samah’illa, the First Angel, The Light of Life… the First Fallen, The Rebel, the—Azazel belatedly realized that Malina had gone off to who-knew-where, leaving the Angel alone in the obsessively tidied up room.

“Azazel?” The new voice made the Curious Angel ‘eep’ in surprise. On the doorway, looking rather nonplussed, was the main subject of Azazel’s thoughts for the past few minutes. “Malina said you wanted to talk?” Lucifer Morningstar calmly inquired, crossing her arms as she leaned on the doorframe.

The young Angel fumbled, stumbling over her words for a few seconds before stammering out, “F-Fallen!”

The Morningstar stared at her niece with an entirely blank expression for what felt like an eternity, and then, “do you plan on shoving your research up your cracks?”

Azazel’s face took a near-perfect shade of tomato-red. “O-of course not!”

“Then you’re not gonna Fall because of it.” Lucifer stated with conviction.

“T-this isn’t about t-that!” The embarrassed Angel stammered out, hiding her face behind the notepad she’d yet to write in. “I, uh… I—well, I mean—”

“Out with it.” The Queen of Hell sternly demanded.

“S-sins!” Azazel stuttered, “I-I mean… y-you fell b-because of P-Pride, right?” She asked, peeking over the edge of the notepad. “Um… Ma’am?”

“Don’t start with that,” Lucifer rolled her eyes, shaking her head as an exasperated sigh left her. “Okay, work with me here; do you want to know about my Fall, or about the Sin of Pride?”

“Er, I, uh… both?”

“...Right.” The Devil pinched at the bridge of her nose. “Right, okay. I hope you understand that you asked something very difficult to answer; Sins aren’t so easily summed up, otherwise most of them would fall under Greed.” Shaking her head, Satan Herself continued, “Alright, Pride; strongest of Sins, it isn’t something as simple as being confident, or thinking you’re better or know better than everyone,”

The Curious Angel eagerly nodded along as she wrote those words down.

“It’s about knowing you are better than others, that everything you do is right and just, because you can do no wrong. After all, you’re perfect.” Lucifer snorted, a faraway look in her eyes. “Pride can push your powers far beyond what you first think possible, it’s a… not exactly a break in restrictions, but something akin to disregarding limits because you are the strongest there is. After all…” she trailed off, fixing the young Angel with intense, glowing red eyes, “you’re perfect.”

“I-I’m… p-per…” Azazel stuttered, almost in a trance. And then, as abruptly as it started, it stopped, with the Angel stumbling back into her desk, knocking several pencils and papers to the floor as she jostled the piece of furniture. “W-what was that?!” She gasped out, panting heavily as she leaned on her desk.

“Pride.” Lucifer stated simply. “I’m quite good with it, I’ll have you know.” A smirk formed on her lips. “Be careful now, Azzy, Sins are quite the insidious little things.” Taking a step forward, the Rogue Angel gently reached out to cup her niece’s face with one hand. “Every Sin carries its danger. As an Angel, you can feel these things just fine; you can go have sex, you can go kill someone, you can pig out on your favorite foods… but,” she leveled the young Celestial with an intense look, “the moment you let them control you, it’s when you lose track of your own desires.”

It took some time for Azazel to get her blabbering lips under control, and even longer for her to feel confident enough to even speak up, but all the while, Lucifer patiently waited.

“W-what do you mean?” The girl who was technically a Nephelim inquired, shyly looking at her aunt while, with trembling hands, noting down all that had been said. “Lose track of my own desires?”

“Oh, sure, they’ll still be there, in a broad sense,” The Devil made a flippant gesture, “you love research, so you’d still do that, but… nothing else would matter; no line would be too much to cross, no moral would stop you, all your friends and loved ones would fall one by one if they tried to divert you… or, they’d help pull you out of it.” Lucifer sniffed, idly dusting her suit with one hand. “Fifty-fifty chance.”

“O-oh…” Azazel wilted a bit.

“It feels liberating at first, I will not lie,” The Lightbringer intoned, “The days leading up to my rebellion, well… At the time, I didn’t notice, but I had grown obsessive; I had my main points in mind, of course, how the old man had basically made slaves out of all of us, how he was trying to do the same to humanity—all his condemnation of sins, the war with Hell, at the time led by Beelzebulb, his distaste for the other Pantheons, his obsessive control of every single little aspect of the world he could grab…” She pinched her thumb and index finger together. “Those were my grievances. But then… as I fell deeper and deeper into that pool of my own self-grandiosity… everything that was not similar to me, was wrong, and had to be corrected.”

Azazel felt a cold shiver run down her spine, belatedly noticing that the room had grown uncomfortably warm. Her hands felt numb, and the glow in The Devil’s eyes was equal parts horrifying and captivating. She couldn’t look away.

“Wrath…” Lucifer breathed out, “came from my anger at the injustice I felt at the hands of my father. At the injustice I saw done to my siblings and the humans. He’d condemned the other gods for doing things he himself was doing—the hypocrisy of it made me fume.”

Gently, almost paradoxically so, The Devil reached out to grab the young Angel’s hand, and Azazel felt it. She felt it all. A burning sensation, filling her very soul, the uncomfortable warmth of the room became cold in comparison to the feeling burning in her chest. The Lord had lied to them, he had hidden behind ignorance, he scrubbed history clean to try and hide his mistakes—he lied, he lied HE LIED—!

Lucifer let go, and with a gasp, Azazel nearly collapsed, only being kept up by the desk she’d leaned against. Choking, trying her utmost to not throw up, the young Angel numbly laid down across the piece of wood, staring at the ceiling of her room with unfocused eyes. Her ears were ringing, she could taste fire in her mouth, she was shivering and she wanted to stab something.

“S-so much…” The Curious Angel whimpered out, clenching her eyes shut as she curled in on herself. “S-so angry…!” she coughed, dizzily grabbing at empty air, as if reaching for something.

There was a clatter, the sharp twang of metal hitting the floor. It was loud enough to snap the young Celestial of her stupor. Scrambling into a sitting position, Azazel noticed a sword—her sword—fallen on the floor, the closet it’d been stored in sitting there with its doors broken.

“That, my dear niece, is Wrath.” Lucifer politely stated, earning the young Angel’s wide-eyed attention. “Blinding, empowering; it disconnects you from your body, in a way. Every injury you suffer only makes you angrier, and the angrier you get, the stronger you become… add in Pride, and well,” a sinister smirk formed on The Devil’s face, “you become strong enough to injure God. Or rather,” she chuckled, “willing to.”

Azazel let out a shuddering breath, willing herself to look away from the blood-red eyes of the Queen of Hell.

“Of course,” Lucifer hummed, “losing yourself to such Sins can lead to a great amount of tragedy. You’ll likely hurt people you care about, and it might take a while for you to regain enough sense to admit your own fault in the event. If you even can snap out of it in the first place.”

“R-right…” The young woman nodded. “W-was all of that really necessary?”

“I believe one learns by doing, but I doubt anyone here wants a repeat of The Rebellion.”

“R-right!”

“Dinner’s ready, by the way. I tried a new chicken recipe. I hope it’s to your liking.”

Azazel watched, numb, as Lucifer left the room, a saunter in her steps.

Sins were dangerous, and it was so very easy for one to be overwhelmed… Azazel had felt second-hand Wrath from something that happened over three-thousand years ago, and still she reached out for her sword—which was almost a decoration these days—in an attempt to lash out at something.

She hastily ripped her gloves off; she needed to wash her hands, and Azazel felt it pertinent to let her emotions even out before she tried anything else. The young Celestial also made a point of leaving her weapon on the floor.

She still felt… stabby. Her best bet was to focus on dinner.

Chapter Text

Azazel had an issue. She wanted to learn about Sins, but as it turned out, not all of her housemates knew a lot about them.

Malina had been rather cagey, and even then, she rarely displayed much Sin, as far as Azazel was able to tell, in any capacity; getting angry at games, overindulging in drinking and sleeping… clear signs of Wrath, Gluttony and Sloth, but none that Azazel herself couldn’t deal with on her own, so, as much as Azazel liked Malina, the Sour Demon was a poor source of information on the matter.

That led The Curious Angel into thinking of Zdrada, but masochism wasn’t a sin, even if the Bitch Demon’s Lusts impaired her judgement often enough to at least ask for some insight. When Azazel asked, Zdrada offered to teach the young Angel how to be a dominatrix, which… while the young woman was passingly interested in the idea, she didn’t feel comfortable hitting people with whips or dripping candle wax on them.

Which led the girl who was technically a Nephelim to the Tired Demon, Pandemonica.

“Are you that afraid of Falling?” Hell’s Customer Service had smirked at the Angel, a hungry look in her tired eyes. “Well, I’m quite knowledgeable in Sins, but… I’ll only tell you if you’re willing to have a private talk with me…”

And as much as Azazel wanted the knowledge, she still had enough self preservation to steer clear of that; she wasn’t Zdrada, even if it sounded… appealing.

So, cheeks red with embarrassment, the young Angel thanked the secretary for her time and left.

She’d run across The Queen of Hell, but the First Angel was busy with something that seemed urgent, so Azazel was left with even fewer options.

After Lucifer, who had been quite insightful in Pride and Wrath, the logical next step would be either Justice or Judgement, but alas, each of them had similar insights to Lucifer herself when it came to Pride and Wrath respectively, as those were the sins they knew most intimately.

That left her with just three other options; Beelzebulb, Cerberus and Modeus. The first was apparently as busy as Lucifer had been, something to do with The Void. Azazel was so very curious about the realm, but the Queen of Flies had gone on at length about the dangers of The Abyss, and how it made no sense, and to study it was better done when one had an incredible amount of free time.

When she’d gotten to Cerberus, the Triple Demon seemed annoyed. When she asked, Azazel learned that The Gates of Hell were being assaulted by other Demons, Imps and condemned souls that wanted out, so Hell’s Gatekeeper was busy as well.

And Modeus… Azazel was fine with Modeus, really; the Lustful Demon was a lovely person, but talking to her was quite the challenge, as her view of the world was almost the complete opposite to many others.

Yes, Lust was one of the Sins that Azazel wanted to study, but it was also one she greatly feared… which was the reason she ran from Pandemonica. But between the Tired Demon and Modeus, Azazel felt far more comfortable dealing with someone who found handholding to be a lewd act over someone who would tie Azazel’s hands behind her back and…

“Oh…! You look like you’re thinking about something fun, wanna share?” Right, Azazel had been standing on the door to Modeus' room, trying to gather her wits. So long so that The Lustful Demon ended up opening the door before the Curious Angel could knock.

“I-uh… c-can we talk?”

“Sure.” Modeus easily agreed, stepping aside so the Angel could enter her room.

“Thank you, I’m sorry I’m coming here last, but… Well, I want to learn about Sins and—why are you naked?” Azazel balked in surprise once she turned around, coming face-to-face with Modeus’ bare body.

“You said you wanted to talk?” the Queen of Lust tilted her head, the hearts floating around her head briefly taking the vague shape of a question mark.

“W-with words! A c-conversation!” the Curious Angel nearly shrieked, her face taking a deep red hue of embarrassment.

“Those are opposites,” Modeus casually pointed out, brows furrowed in thought. “Is this a… ‘others don’t think like Succubus do’ thing? Dominik told me that most people believe holding hands, going on non-sexual dates, and kissing comes before sex.”

“I-is that not the case for you?”

“I doubt you’ll find a ‘Cubus who thinks that way,” Modeus conversationally pointed out. “To us, sex is a conversation, your body can’t lie, after all,” she explained as she walked towards the red-faced Angel. “Well, what do you want to talk about, you cute little pervert?” The Queen of Lust giggled as she gently wrapped the Angel in a hug.

“I-I… you’re a Succubus?” Azazel breathed out, clenching her eyes shut as she tried to concentrate; the other being’s touch was intoxicating, much like with Lucifer, it made Azazel feel as if there was a fire in her, only… further south. “I-I thought—”

“I’m close enough that the distinction would be… meaningless.” Modeus purred. “Everything a ‘Cubus can do, I can do better. I can feel all your desires, I can tell you how your body will sing… I can show you quite a lot,” she whispered, gently blowing on the Angel’s neck.

“I-I want to learn… about… Lust,” Azazel managed to grit out, self-control crumbling at an incredible pace. “A-and… h-how can you out-perform an I-Incubus, y-you don’t have—”

“Common misconception,” the Lustful Demon hummed as she slowly ran her hands up the Angel’s back. “A Succubus is a bottom, an Incubus is a top. Me? I’m… flexible,” she giggled, bringing her lips up to Azazel’s ear, “very, very flexible.”

“I-I’m… a-afraid of—”

“Oh honey,” Modeus giggled again, “do you really think I’d hurt you like that? Here, let me show you…”

Azazel retained her awareness for all of five minutes before her world became fuzzy. Fuzzy like the handcuffs she woke up in, the item dangling from her left wrist being the only thing on her body other than the bed sheet covering it, and Modeus herself, snuggled under the covers with Azazel..

The Angel jerked, lifting an arm up to check that—yes, her halo was still there.

“I told you I wouldn’t hurt you that way.” Modeus pouted, heart-eyes shining. “So, what have you learned?”

“Huh?” Azazel blinked in confusion.

“You wanted to talk, and you wanted to learn…” the Lustful Demon trailed off, idly trailing her fingers up the Angel’s chest. “So I taught you. You were curious about Lust, weren’t you? Did you pay attention to the lesson?”

“Huh?!” The Curious Angel abruptly sat up, much to the Queen of Lust's amusement. “L-lesson?!”

Modeus tutted. “How naughty, you only focused on the sex? You’re lucky I know how to take care of my friends~!” And before Azazel could say anything, the Lustful Demon placed a finger on the young woman’s lips, gently silencing her. “It’s okay, I’m very willing to teach you again—”

“Hey, now wait up a bit—!’

“Here…” The Queen of Lust breathed out, gently placing her hand just above the Angel’s pelvis.

It was as if a fire had been lit in Azazel. Completely different from the flames of Wrath; instead of the driving furnace that craved destruction, it was something almost playful, gently tingling over the Angel’s skin like the gentle caress of a massage, it was enticing… arousing. It made Azazel itchy, but not like an obnoxious bug bite, no, it was the type of itch that made the young woman bite her lip and rub her thighs together. She needed… she needed—!

Azazel collapsed onto the soft mattress as soon as Modeus stopped touching her. Much like when Lucifer had shown her Wrath, Modeus’ showcase of Lust left the taste of Sin in the back of the young Angel’s mind, leaving her barely coherent enough to speak. “S-so—t-that’s—!”

“Lust,” Modeus said in a peppy tone of voice. “It’s really quite simple: it makes you horny… it also helps with stamina—but you know, those who don’t know what they’re doing barely even notice they’re dying when they try their hands at it.”

“Huh?” Azazel breathlessly called.

“You know how people say that Succubi and Incubi drain the life force of their ‘victims’?” the Queen of Lust spoke, miming some finger quotes at the last word. “It’s because they didn’t know how to… how do I put it so you understand it…?” She tapped her chin whilst looking up in thought.

“D-does Lust sustain people?” the Curious Angel managed to ask, finally coming down from her high, though there was a bothersome itch left behind…

“A little bit,” Modeus slowly nodded. “It’s more that… it makes your body very efficient for sex specifically—Lust is all about satiating your sexual desires, but if you let it control you, well… you’ll probably die before you can get to your third kink.”

“I wish I could write it down…”

“Oh, darling,” The Lustful Demon purred, inching closer to the Angel’s ear to whisper, “I’ll make sure you’ll never forget it.”

Azazel gulped in fright. “W-will you—”

“Don’t worry, my pretty little dove…” Modeus let out a sultry giggle as she straddled the young woman. “I know what I’m doing.”

At some point during the following lessons, Azazel’s brain had enough, and she only came back to awareness the next morning. She felt drained in a fantastic way, feeling as if she’d lost all stress; her body felt as if it were laying on a cloud, a cloud that had sapped all the tension from her body. She felt brand new!

“Wow…”

“Yep!” Modeus’ chirpy voice grabbed Azazel's attention. “Told ya~!”

“That was incredible, I’ve never felt so…” Another content sigh escaped the young woman.

“Feeding my Pride will only egg me on,” The Lustful Devil half-warned, “and you’re not careful, I might take you… All. For. My. Self.” She enunciated, sneaking a possessive arm around the Angel’s body, eyes shining golden.

“W-what is…” Azazel coughed, feeling a… want. She needed more information from Modeus, all to herself—but her research was for everyone—but she wanted to know for her—but-but-but—

A pained moan left the young Celestial, and Modeus was quick to retract her arm. “Wow. So Greed really isn’t your thing.”

“Huh?” the Curious Angel grumbled, letting out a sigh of relief once the previous pleasant numbness spread over her body again. “What happened?”

“Well, I figured I’d show you how Greed works.” Modeus explained. “It’s hit or miss with some people. In your case, it was a pretty big miss—You want to learn all you can, not only for yourself but to everyone else you can reach. Sharing is… well, if you’re not careful, it can turn your Greed against yourself. Case in point,” she gestured to Azazel’s body.

“You… can use Greed while being generous?” Azazel asked in confusion.

“Oh yeah, really tricky business, that!” Modeus nodded, seriousness in her voice. “I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re well-versed in the Sin. Greed is like… all things that you own are yours only, when you take something, it’s yours forever, and woe it be to whomever tries to steal from you. But, you can circumvent it by…” The Lustful Demon looked at the ceiling, face scrunched up in thought as she looked for a way to explain. “Well, you can sort of own people in your mind—but just your mind, it’s like… these are my friends, my bedmates, my family, you see what I mean?”

“I... think so—I… I think I should move on to some tests soon, uh… w-would you like to join me?” the young Angel asked her Demon friend.

“Sure, sounds like fun. Are you doing all the Sins then? What else are you missing?”

“Um… Miss Lucifer showed me Pride and Wrath—”

“Oh yeah, her bread and butter, that.”

“—And you just showed me Lust and Greed, so… Sloth, Envy and Gluttony,” Azazel listed off.

“Oh, I can help you with that!” Modeus eagerly clapped her hands. “Oh, this will be fun! I don’t know much about Envy, but I hear it’s really, really specific. And the others—well, Monica knows a lot more about Sloth than I do, so if we’re doing this, we need to ask her—Don’t you worry, I can get all the necessary info out of her, only…” The Lustful Demon eyed the Angel up and down, humming in consideration as her eyes shone. “Oh my, you’re really quite the voyeur!”

Azazel could only stammer in response.

“It’s a good thing, that makes getting you the info easier—oh my, curious about family?” A rather predatory smile formed on Modeus’ face. “Let me tell you all about how I became the Queen of Lust!”

“T-that’s really not necessary—”

“It all started when my mother, Lilith, told me I was getting a bit too uppity,” the Lustful Demon giggled, cheeks growing warm with the memory. “So I challenged her, and we…”

Azazel learned a lot.

Chapter Text

“Azzy, if you get any more heated up, Malina might just get a proper sex drive,” Modeus giggled in pure amusement as she watched the Curious Angel get visibly flustered over the tales she’d told the young woman throughout the day. “Actually, do get more heated up, I’d love a taste of her~”

An awkward laugh escaped the ascended Nephilim. “W-well… I-I just happened to find your stories interesting.”

“And they have nothing to do with your totally-not-kinks, hm~?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re t-talking about!” Azazel forced out a laugh that was tinted with some desperation. “So! T-the other Sins?”

“Well,” Modeus placed a finger to her own lower lip as she looked up in thought. “The only other Sin I’m familiar with is Gluttony.”

“The careless consumption of food and drink—”

“Not just that,” the Lustful Demon poked the Angel on the side, a mirthful smile on her face. “Gluttony itself is about consuming, doesn’t really matter what. It’s similar to Greed in that you always want more, but unlike Greed, it’s not all to yourself—not in intention, anyway. It’s a byproduct.” She clapped her hands in mild excitement. “But here’s something fun, there’s some things that you can’t consume all by yourself, and I think you’ll like this one! Knowledge.”

“Huh?” A startled smile formed on Azazel’s lips. “Pardon?”

“You’re always looking for more knowledge, my curious little pervert,” the Lustful Demon giggled, circling an arm around the young Celestial’s waist and bringing her close. “It’s what drives you, isn’t it? Always more to learn, always something else to discover; something new, something exciting…”

Azazel felt her heart leap to her throat. “I-I’ve b-been—?!”

“You haven’t Fallen yet, though, so I’d say you’re fine,” Modeus planted a light kiss right behind the Angel’s ear. “You’re quite the Temperate one, aren’t you?”

The Curious Angel could only stammer in response, both in embarrassment and mortification.

“Don’t worry, though,” Modeus assured. “Gluttony is a Sin that no one really minds anymore—Of course, some people say excess is fatal, but I’ve never gotten too much of something.”

“You’re amazing…” Azazel breathed out, looking at her friend with pure wonder.

“...You’re so pure,” the Queen of all Lust Demons half-whined, tenderly cupping the other woman’s cheek. “It makes me want to break you~”

“P-please don’t!” The girl who was technically a Nephelim gasped out. “I-I q-quite like-ah—I-I’m an Angel!”

Modeus let out a sultry giggle as she leaned in… and then abruptly let go of the red-faced Celestial. “Okay!” She beamed. “Let’s go get Monica and I’ll get you that explanation on Sloth!”

With that, the Lustful Demon skipped ahead whilst humming a happy tune, leaving behind a confused and wanting Azazel.

The Curious Angel stared at the Queen of Lust’’s back as the Demon walked away. She startled once Modeus turned to look at her with a curious face. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Ha-I, er…” Azazel gulped. “S-sure, right. Pandemonica and the Sin of Sloth, yes. Let’s—let’s go!” She rasped out, hurriedly stepping past the giggling Demon and nearly barrelling through the door to the Tired Demon’s office.

“Oh?” Pandemonica raised a curious eyebrow, looking away from the sheet of paper in her hand to gaze at the Angel with hunger in her eyes. “Here to take my offer?”

“Well—”

“I’m fucking the explanation right out of you!” Modeus declared as she marched into the office, idly tossing her blazer and sweater aside as she made a beeline for the Tired Demon’s desk.

“I’m in the middle of something—”

“Fuck your job,” the Lustful Demon, who’d gone fully naked in the span of a couple of seconds, stated, leaping right over the table and into Pandemonica’s lap. “I’m not stopping until you tell Azazel everything she wants to know~”

Hell’s Customer Service barely had time to open her mouth in defiance before Modeus’ lips met hers.

Things grew steamier by the second, and by the time everything was said and done, Azazel had learned a lot.

The Curious Angel had remained in place, frozen stiff as she watched everything unfold; Pandemonica’s defiance getting chipped off bit by bit until she literally begged Modeus to stop.

Azazel was certainly feeling something at that moment.

“Oh my,” Modeus purred as she stood up, stepping away from the mess she’d reduced the Tired Demon to. “You seem like you need some relief~”

“I…” the white-clad woman hesitated, looking between the twitching Pandemonica and the Lustful Demon’s heart-shaped pupils.

“She’ll need time to rest, anyway.”

There was little resistance on the Angel’s part.

A couple of hours later, the Slothful Demon and the Curious Angel found themselves at the dinner table, sitting across one another with a pot of coffee between them, and though they were dressed, they looked incredibly ruffled.

“Aiming Modeus at me was downright devious,” Pandemonica commented in a serene tone of voice, looking down at her mug with a pensive expression. “You want to learn about Sins, correct? Sloth, in my case.”

“Correct,” Azazel muttered, languidly placing her notepad on the table before producing a pencil out of her breast pocket. “You seem tired all the time, but the amount of work you do is disproportional.”

“Sloth is not about its user doing nothing, not unless you’re being stupid about it,” the Hellish secretary scoffed. “Sloth is about preventing others from doing anything. I can write all of this down for you, there’s no need to bother.”

Azazel had already set her pencil down before she noticed something odd. Like with the other Sins she was shown, she felt a surge of something, only this time, it was a coziness that beget her relaxation. There was no need for her to write all of this down, was there? After all, Pandemonica offered… “This—” the Curious Angel twitched, forcing herself to pick her pencil up again. “Is this… it?” She wasn’t disappointed, far from it, but it just felt like too much of a hassle to express how she really felt.

“Quite,” the Tired Demon hummed, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent of fresh coffee.

And suddenly, Azazel felt her body answering properly once again. “This is…” she licked her lips, brows furrowing as she began writing everything down. “Truly fascinating, is there anything else?”

Pandemonium hummed, taking a moment to sip from her mug and savor the taste. “Sloth Demons tend to be the most detrimental to the world at large,” she revealed. “Envy might seem like the most dangerous Sin, as it often leads to other Sins, but Sloth Demons…” she shook her head. “Humanity is in search of the cure for cancer,” Hell’s Customer Service suddenly said. “Let’s say you were born to be the person to discover that cure. I could go to you, maybe as a lover, maybe as a friend, and I could… do it all for you, altruism at its worst; I could cook for you, I could wash your clothes for you, I could dress you up and even change the channels on the TV for you, all so you don’t get up and find that cure.”

The girl who had been born a Nephillim felt her eyes widen in realization. “Sloth Demons can affect Destiny?”

“Anyone can affect it,” the Tired Demon corrected. “Sloth Demons just have a much easier time of it.”

Azazel tapped her pencil against the edge of her notepad. Destiny wasn’t a rigid force, it wasn’t absolute, it was more of a goal that one was well-adjusted to attaining; something that one found great ease in where others struggled. Like Albert Einstein being so efficient with theoretical thinking. He wasn’t fated to be the father of theoretical physics, but he was destined to be influential in it, his mind predisposed to handling such calculations with immense ease, and all he had to do was want it.

Sloth Demons could remove that want, and thus alter Destiny as if it were written on the sands of a stormy beach.

“Fascinating…” Azazel muttered in awe, adding note after note in her pad, nearly salivating at all the information she’d been given—information she could compare with things she had found out in the past! Learning was truly magnificent!

“W-what about Envy?” The Curious Angel asked. “You mentioned it being the most dangerous Sin?”

“In the sense that it leads to unpredictable results,” Pandemonica explained. “For example, the story of Cain and Abel—You are aware that Adam is not, in fact, the first human, yes?”

“T-the first human that The Lord created, I’ve found very little on His reasoning,” and Azazel had scoured every book in Heaven she could find on the topic. “The most I was able to gather was that He wished to start anew, with humans free of sin. He would release Adam and Lillith onto Earth and let their purity spread.”

“Lucifer would have a better insight than I on the matter,” the Tired Demon hummed. “But my point is: Cain and Abel. Cain had grown envious of his brother’s favor with God, and that Envy turned to Wrath, turned to murder.”

The ascended Nephelim nodded in understanding. “So, Envy is the pathway to all other Sins?”

“It’s more than that, Envy and Greed are very similar; both are about wanting, but where Greed makes you want more, Envy leads you into taking.” As an example, the Tired Demon quickly swiped Azazel’s coffee mug from the Angel’s reach. “If you’re smart about it, you’d be able to syphon someone’s power,” she took a sip from the Angel’s mug as an example before setting it back down in front of the young Celestial. “If you’re stupid about it… well, you become a kleptomaniac, essentially. And nothing will ever be enough, you’ll always want what others have, even if you have it yourself.”

Azazel gulped, nodding in understanding as she noted everything down. “I was expecting I would need to find someone else to talk about Envy.”

“Then count your lucky stars that I know what I know,” Pandemonica grinned. “Envy is an extremely unstable Sin that can lead to all others, and by itself, if mishandled, will make you wither into a husk of your former self.”

The Curious Angel nodded, letting out a contented sigh as she skimmed over her notes on all other Sins. She had her knowledge! Now all she needed to do was experiment!

“If that is all…” the Tired Demon sighed as she stood up, “I have a backlog to get to, no thanks to you.”

“S-sorry!”

“Take care, Azazel,” Pandemonica waved in farewell as she began walking off. “Don’t lose yourself in this, you’re far too cute for Demon life.”

The young Celestial let out a bashful laugh, watching as her housemate left.

Right! If she was to mess with Sins, then she needed to be careful! And… she needed a lab partner!

Judgement wasn’t busy, outside of running the Sin Machine, was she?