Chapter Text
Curse that stupid priest, and all who came after.
Curse this infinitely worthless vessel.
Curse everything on this Earth to the damnation of the raging inferno he once called home.
The fire and brimstone felt so impossibly far away, especially in this colder time of year. How he longed for it. The embrace of warmth only hellfire itself could provide.
Why had Hell not come for him yet? Surely they would have noticed that he, Abaddon, High Prince of the Dark Realm, Gatekeeper of-!
“Hey, Bud!”
He looked up to see a face, one filled with an almost obnoxious positivity. It made him sick.
“Do you… want to come out of that hole?”
….He would actually. He'd been stuck in here for about 2 months. Curse this body's pitifully short legs.
“Yes. I would.”
The mortal looked at him blankly, as if they had not been the one to offer assistance to begin with, “Then come out! Or is it too high-?”
“Obviously it is too high!” How could one be so stupid as to not see that?!
“Okay! Let me go get a step ladder, I'll be right back-”
“Wait! You are breathing, why can't you just-” The words died on his tongue, he was not going to ask some mortal to pick him up! The indignity! He was all powerful and all knowing and he refused to be treated as anything lesser.
The mortal turned and crouched down, he felt patronised. He was not a child, regardless of his humiliating appearance.
They reached a hand towards him, “Are you not-?” They jumped back with the contact, “Oh, you're alive.” They sighed with relief before a sudden realisation crossed their face, “Oh gosh, you're alive!”
As they frantically grabbed him and hoisted him out, he couldn't understand why they would ever mistake him for a ghost. It was almost insulting.
As they brushed the dirt and dust from his clothes, they began apologising, “I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have assumed, but when most of the people you've interacted with are ghosts you just start assuming, y’know?”
“I suppose.”
“Let’s head back to the hotel, get you something to eat.” They took his hand in theirs, heading out of the forest, “Do you know where your parents are? Or a way to contact them?”
“I assume you are referring to this vessel's parents, in which I cannot tell you of the exact fate of the mother, but she is probably deceased by now.” He shrugged, ignoring the mortal's misplaced concern, “And as for the father, I am certain of his demise as I personally had a hand in it.”
The mortal paused, “You… What do you mean by vessel?”
“This!” Gesturing to the body turned prison, “This is the vessel. The body.” Must he explain everything?! Seriously!
They crouched down again, having to hold back his desperation to choke the life from this disrespectful human as they asked, “What are you, exactly?”
“I am Abaddon. High Prince of the Dark Realm, Gatekeeper of the fifth ring of the Sunless City, King of shrimp.” His voice began to rise in a crescendo of despair and doom with each word, “Sixed Armed Nightmare of dreams, Monarch of bones, Cobra King, Tangler of yarn and thread, Destroyer of-!” He stopped, turning to look at the now strangely intrigued man, “Are you seriously going to just let me continue indefinitely?”
“Well, I didn't want to interrupt.”
“I was expecting you to.”
“Oh. My bad.” They shuffled awkwardly, “Did you want to try again or-?”
“No, the moment's ruined now.” He groaned, any further theatrics would be a wasted effort.
“Well, Abaddon, my name is Nathan.” He really couldn't care less about this mortal's name, “And I'm going to guess you're some kind of demon?”
“Some kind of-?! Did you not hear me list all my titles?! I am royalty of the Underworld! How dare you refer to me as just ‘some kind’! Never have I ever been so disrespected!” The forest fell silent for a moment as he glared at this 'Nathaniel' and his stupid moustache, eventually reluctantly sighing, “But yes, I am a demon.”
“And this… vessel is someone you possessed?”
“Yes.”
‘Nathan’ looked him over, humming slightly, “From the 1700s?”
“Very observant of you.”
“Is there something stopping you from leaving or-?”
He felt a tether somewhere deep inside snap, the ignorance and utter cluelessness ‘Nathaniel’ was showing had reached past his limit, “No! I enjoy being confined in this pathetic weak body, stuck in this awful place instead of tormenting countless souls as I reign over the underworld! OF COURSE THERE'S SOMETHING STOPPING ME!”
“Hey, hey, calm down, it's okay! We'll figure something out-!”
He felt a hand on his shoulder, quickly shoving it away, “You seriously thought for a moment, I enjoy being run out of every town with torches and pitchforks?! That I like feeling so infinitely small and powerless?!-” He stopped, feeling something wet run down his cheek as Nathan's face morphed from concern to pity, making him want nothing more than to tear it off entirely.
“Do you want a hug?” Nathan held his arms out towards him in some bizarre display he'd never seen from a mortal.
“A hug?..” He stepped back hesitantly, unsure of his intentions.
“A hug, y’know when someone wraps their arms around you and comforts you?” Nathan's face changed again, from pity to sorrow.
“What is... comfort? I don't believe I've ever experienced this-!” Cut off as he was pulled into Nathan's arms, wrapping around him tightly but not constricting. It… felt…
Nice.
Why did he want to stay here? Why did he feel safe? What was he feeling?! He hated it but couldn't bear the thought of it leaving.
For a moment, he could almost convince himself he was home.