Chapter Text
Up till now, life had been nothing more than a humdrum routine, a mundane day to day, an eternal limbo. Was I to stay and rot away with the planet I'd meant to unleash wrath upon? Or was I to leave and seek escape someplace else? Perhaps to a nice deserted field, one where I could attempt to rid my essence of its mortal shell. Though as much joy as the idea of an unsupervised ritual brings me, as a demon of some reverence, stooping down to the level of humans was gauche- I'd even say unheard of- so I stayed put, and I didn't beg. I did not do things in a desperate attempt for my home. I did not plead for hell to come retrieve me. I did what any self respecting demon would have done, so I waited.
And waited.
And continued waiting. One or two hundred years fled by me in barely a blink of an eye. It didn't feel long, my time in hell had been much longer compared to the time I spent down here. Around the hundred year mark I decided to explore out, not too far in the event that hell did come back. In the meantime. I revelled in the torment I inflicted on the townsfolk, leaving pennies in their mouths as they slept, creaking open doors and windows just enough for winter's air to drift in. I'd even make the occasional earthly discoveries: big machineries, sweet treats, hammering doorbells.
Today, I had dug a decent dwelling to reside within, the floors were dusty and the walls grew cracked with sprouts but it proved itself a worthy shelter.
Though I'd notice a presence, barely there but definitely present. Lingering. They never loomed closely, just far enough to be out of reach. I won't seek them out either, there is no point in participating in trivial matters such as this.
-click-
Abaddon snapped his head upwards, looking directly into the source of the sound. The thick foliage allowing no more than a muddied shadow to peak through its leaves. A presence inched itself in the direction of the demon's ditch, its footsteps faint. "Announce yourself!"
A taller slihouette surfaced out the woods, its movements slow, almost hesitant but not cautious. Abaddon looked down at the firm roots that grew within the dense soil, it'd be a tedious feat to pull them out but the chances of him winning without a weapon was slim.
"Come on.." Abaddon grunted, tugging persistently on splintering tree roots. It's bark finally giving way by the fifth pull—snapping off at the base— the stick wasn't long but it had to do. Abaddon wanted to scoff at the silliness of it all, he could practically feel the dry rot embedded in the piece of wood. Not to mention the fact that the only thing standing between him and getting kidnapped by yet another human was a Stick.
Oh. A man.
Could he even see Abaddon? Honestly, from the pep in his step to the naive grin on his face, Abaddon had no idea why he even paid this man any mind in the first place. Was This the person who had been plaguing him with their presence for weeks? It was almost humouring.
Abaddon simply watched as the man slowly walked up to him. Awaiting the usual 'hero' act humans liked to play into. If he'd known he would be treated like he was helpless for the next three-hundred years Abaddon would've possessed an adult instead.
"Whoa!—Hey bud!" The man reached his hand out. Not a drop of malice in his tone. He came only in what he wore, with no possessions in sight except the clothes that slung over his back. Abaddon scanned the man down briefly, he wore a naive smile, one that would remind you of soft waves by a dock. He didn't seem to be a threat. Abaddon sighed, Who was he to turn him down? Reluctantly he accepted the gesture, placing his hand in the man's.
"What are you doing all by yourself little guy?" The man cooed, to which he was met with a cringed look on the boy's face. Abaddon didn't respond, his pride didn't allow it— back in hell he would've blown him up by now, but now he could barely get a word in before the aws and oos started flooding through.
"Do not call me that, you will address me only by Abbadon or face the glory that is the Cobra King." Abaddont spat, meeting the man's eyes.
"Whoa! Those are some big words for a kid. Someone's been doing his homework!" He smiled, winking playfully at the end of his sentence. "C'mon, let's get you out of here." The stranger grunted, pulling Abaddon out of the ditch; gently dusting off dirt that powdered the child's clothes.
"Andd..there , nice and shiny!" He spoke, before pausing to await a response and to no one's surprise he didn't get one."Soo.. Abaddon.. what a fancy name. I'm just called Nathan, which is kinda cool if you really think about it.. I mean all names are made up anyways so who's to say what's cool and what's not?"
"Yes." Abaddon stated bluntly, holding his gaze on Nathan. He didn't say much else really, leaving the sound of wind and muffled shuffles from shoes to fill the gap between them.
"ahem— alright! Let's get you inside bud." Nathan exclaimed, pulling the boy towards an old looking hotel—one that Abaddon wasn't unfamiliar with— "..so, are you hungry? thirsty? Probably thirsty, let's get you a cup of cocoa; getting kinda breezy out, don't you think?"
"Yes."
"That's the spirit,Abaddon!" Nathan snapped his fingers, a proud expression painting his face.
"Alright, here we are! Isn't she a beaute?" Nathan blurted, patting the hotel buttress. Abaddon raised a brow at the odd man, he was.. intriguing to say the least.
With that, Nathan swung open the massive hotel doors, it's rusty hinges squeaking loudly as The Undervale welcomed the two in.
"There's some chairs you can sit on, Abaddon. I'll get you a drink, just wait there for me, okay?"
"Alright." Abbadon nodded, watching as the man hurried off into a small room not too far from the hotel lobby. The demon looked up at high plush chairs, perplexed, it's velvet cushions and glossy details pulling him in— it'd be perfect for a nest— though the question was, how exactly was he supposed to sit on it? Throughout his many years in this wasteland he had never been offered a chair before. He examined the throne once more, curiously lifting up the dense cushion; Interesting. Abaddon pushed the cushion up until it fully lifted to, exposing a hard wooden base, he hiked a leg up onto the seat and climbed on cautiously. Once he was up there it really wasn't much of a big deal, he didn't understand why people sat on these things All the time.. it was overrated if you asked him— but, when in Rome.—Abaddon sat still, waiting, the chair cushion weighing heavy on his back and head.
Soon enough Nathan came back, with much more than just a cup of 'joe'.
"Alright! I got some..stuff!" Nathan sat down, still hugging onto a blanket and a few pillows with his one free hand. "Careful it's hot." he spoke before placing the mug along with a coaster beneath it, onto the boy's hands.
"Is it?" Abaddon exclaimed, a gleam passing through his eyes; highlighting the almost supernatural blue in his iris. Abaddon quickly accepted the cup, the coaster that was originally supposed to shield his hands from the hot mug was quickly thrown to the side in the process. Nathan observed quietly from the side, perhaps for a little longer than he should have. Abaddon glanced over, momentarily forgetting about his mug, before quickly averting his gaze. Instinctively looking towards the hearth.
"It will suffice." He muttered, a little less blunt than before, cupping the warm water closer to his body.
"Well, there's more where that came from bud!"
"Hm." The demon nodded, a pleasant expression crossing his face—a welcomed change— Nathan made sure to keep his eyes on something else this time, skimming through the hotel with his eyes, the lobby, the cosy atmosphere, the stairs that trailed off softly to the side. "She's great isn't she." The man remarked, basking in the mellow warmth emitting from the fireplace, the smell of wood clinging softly to the air.
Abaddon looked at him intrigued, looking up in thought for awhile, "The, hotel?"
"Yea." Nathan responded, the smile on his face seeping into his voice, a raw sound, almost bittersweet. The way he delivered it felt like a shelved memory that's just been pulled from the lonely corners of a library.
Abaddon debated saying something in response. He felt no need to pry but he'd learnt from experience that conversation was .. appreciated amongst Man— a sign of appreciation, connection. He looked down at the swirling chocolate in his hands, it was pleasant..After all a worthy offering deserved reward.
"I.. understand."
Nathan grinned in response —it seems the reward was well received— before leaning in a little closer, a playful tone trailing on his every word.
".. wanna hear a secret..?" Abaddon nodded in response, shuffling towards the edge of his seat to hear the proposed 'secret', tilting his body just a smudge closer towards him.
"The hotel that you are currently sitting in was .." Pause for dramatic effect "Free."
Abaddon felt a little confused, he failed to see how it was a big deal but he humoured the sentiment, muttering a short "I see."
"You get it bud! I remember the day I got her like it was yesterday..it was just another weekend. I was on my way back home when I bumped into a nice hooded man. We chatted for awhile and next thing you know he brought me into a dark mm.. endearing, van. Then he pulled out a game, a quick game of cards, I thought, why not? I could go for a spin, no harm in that.. and before I knew it he's shaking my hand and slips me a contract." Nathan spoke, narrating every line with like it was an epic, clutching onto the blanket on the floor with so much suspense you would've thought they were over a campfire telling tall tales through the howling night. "Now, at the time I didn't actually know what i was signing but he seemed like a great guy so I didn't want to doubt him..I wonder how he's doing now." Nathan looked up at the ceiling, reminiscing the memory of the stranger in the hood.
"That..is.. Thrilling." Abaddon remarked through squinted eyes, to be honest, he'd lived through events that were much more interesting compared to Nathan's simple little story but he suppose he enjoyed the small nature of it all. It was, very human.
After that not many words were exchanged, a couple nods here a quiet chuckle there. The atmosphere was..comfortable. Abaddon examined the many furniture that adorned the place from the biggest shelves to the smallest trinkets, glancing through the never-ending rooms that lined the upper hotel walls. He'd had run-ins with the Undervale before but none of his visits felt even a smidge close to this. If they were maybe he could've discovered the glorious pit of flames earlier on during his stay on Earth, he couldn't keep his eyes off of it, honestly, he found himself gravitating towards the thing based off senses alone.
The glowing embers and charring logs really did make for a fine landscape. It reminded him much of his home, his crooked castle, the heaps of basalt that painted the floors, he missed it — though, he did not find pleasure in reminiscing on what was, it didn't do him good to be sentimental, if anything it was an affront to everything he stood for as a demon— and thankfully he didn't have to.
"Abaddon?" A singular word, enough to bring him back to is senses—his sensitivity to surroundings Was of great deal to him, he believed it was a good quality, a respectable trait. One that every King should have.
"Yes."
"Do you want me to heat that up for you?" Nathan asked, pointing at the mug in the boy's hands, now cold in the creaky building—the thumping heaters weren't doing much to help during the dry winter draught, much less keep his beverage warm— Abaddon gave a quick nod, "Your service is appreciated, Nathan."