Realistic or Modern ~ demonic attraction ~

[ungulatehoof]

Lucyfer

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​

Snow was falling, illuminated in the night by the street lamps outside, collecting in clumps on the cold grass. Seiria was shivering as she scurried up the wall, her claws digging into the familiar brick holds that had let her clamber up many times before, her demon tail trailing behind her.

When she reached her destination- a certain window on a certain floor- she peered her way in. She saw her, sleeping in bed. A small smile crossed Seiria's face as she gazed at her- Paige... what a beautiful sight. Mortals like her had this odd idea of angels- as beautiful saints. In actuality, angels were terrifying in their natural forms- so many eyes, blinding halos, several pairs of giant wings, multiple arms and legs, distorted faces. Paige was so much closer to the mortal's depiction of angelkind than the real thing, in Seiria's opinion. Seiria took a moment to admire her, but soon the cold reawakened her from her trance.

A demon is a force of the shadows. Easily, Seiria could materialize in the room. It was simply a matter of concentrating. Tonight was the night, Seiria thought- although it was dangerous to make oneself known to humankind when you were a demon, Seiria had so much to gain. If she played her cards right, if she only made herself known to this one human, she would be able to get away with it. She had to make her first move. She had to show Paige her adoration! Even if she was resistant to a demon at first, she would come around...

It was as quick as a snap- Seiria disappeared from outside the window and re-materialized in Paige's bedroom. She stood there and gazed at the sleeping Paige, silent. Slowly, she crept forward, anxiety forming in her body- this was the night, she reminded herself. It was time. First things first, she had to awaken Paige. Full of anxiety, she reached forward, and touched Paige's shoulder with her clawed hand, shaking her awake...

 

[Lucyfer]

Paige had returned late from her shift at the café, Fine Grind, the local hotspot for the students. It was winter, and many were in there for that final grind, the last push to prepare for final exams or final papers. The Fine Grind was the only café that was open 24 hours, both suiting the college student need to be caffeinated at all times, and the working hours available to them. Paige worked with many, and had picked up additional shifts so they could have more time to study.

It also meant she tended to come home exhausted, but the extra spending money for Christmas would be a boon. That and maybe a taser; much as she tried to tell herself that the strange shadows she saw and the figure she’d once caught on her bed were just hallucinations, she couldn’t help but remain stressed about it.

That night, however, she had collapsed into bed after showering off and dressing down into her pajamas, cozy fuzzy socks and fuzzy leggings, with an overlarge t-shirt draping her.

She expected to sleep until at least 11am.

That wouldn’t end up being the case. Something woke her long before 11am, and the hand did not at all feel like Lily’s – far from it, based on the press of a nail— ‘A claw!’ –into her shoulder.

She woke with a jolt, legs drawing up under the covers and body rising up. Her blue eyes opened onto the shadowy figure in her room, a room not illuminated nearly enough by the streetlights outside her window right then. She reached for the pillow behind herself and moved it in front, holding it as if it were a shield.

Well, in theory, it was better than nothing. At least that’s what her sleep-addled mind declared, as it tried to get a grip on the fact this figure had horns? A tail?

Tricks of the light, right? Or a very bad prank. “Who are you and what do you want?” Then, an addition, “I’ll scream. I have a roommate and I’ll scream.” Perhaps she should have reached for her phone instead of the pillow, so she could be prepared to dial the police herself; she couldn’t guarantee Lily would do so before rushing in.

 

[ungulatehoof]

"Don't scream," a feminine voice said almost threateningly, though it was more urgent than anything else. Seiria was struggling to contain both her anxiety and excitement, but hid both well in her voice. She wanted to appear confident and strong. That was part of demonic courting rituals, the initiator doing their best to appear powerful and aggressive. There, of course, was a chance Paige, a human, wouldn't reciprocate well to the demonic way of courtship, but Seiria did not know of any other alternative.

"To answer your questions, I am Seiria, Minor Demon of Hell. And I want- I'm going- to be your guardian and romantic partner, understand?!" She stood back, straightening up and trying to look as tall and sinister as a 5"7 demon could look. She worried silently for a moment if this was the right path to take- but she tried to brush the worry aside. Surely a meek, little human would easily surrender to a demon's romantic advances!

 

[Lucyfer]

Okay, so the tail and the horns weren’t imagined, if what Seiria said was true. She was a demon, of a literal hell, here on Earth and in her bedroom. For the moment, Paige didn’t scream. Her head tilted to the left side as she stared at what had to be a figment of her imagination.

Or perhaps she was dreaming.

Definitely dreaming.

Something about that possibility – certainty – made Paige laugh at the demon’s declaration, even if a reminder played at the back of her head that she’d had an awful lot of dreams about other women lately. She ought to consider that more, when she woke up. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to offend,” she said, when she realized that she was, in fact, laughing. “It’s just…I’m straight,” or she thought she was, but that was an evaluation best saved for waking hours, not while dreaming.

“And I’m dreaming,” she wanted to retain her own confidence in that, and so said it aloud, as she moved the pillow down a bit into her lap, resting her hands on it. “Still, dreaming or not, I have to decline your proposition, Seiria. I’m just not interested, and even if I were, I don’t have the time.”

Why was she making excuses when she wasn’t? “Besides, I thought the guardian thing was an angel task?” What had she done so wrong that Satan wanted to see her protected and loved by a demon? That seemed so…bizarre.

Of course that was the logic of dreams. Had to be.

 

[ungulatehoof]

"Straight...?" The demon seemed confused by this, and there was good reason for that. To demons, there was no question of gay or straight- only what particular being one happened to fall in love with.

Seiria, shaking off this confusion for a later time- surely it wasn't that important for now, right?- then grabbed Paige's hands rather forcefully, holding them tight. "No matter. You're not dreaming, Paige. I'm very real! Hell, Heaven, demons, angels, all are as real as Earth and humans like you. I will explain everything for you- including about guardian demons- and I will be your protector! It doesn't matter if you don't think you're interested now- you will see me as the powerful creature I am and be enamored!" Her wings unfolded for emphasis, spreading as wide as they would go.

Meanwhile, in the other room, Lily was starting to wake up from hearing the demon's raising voice. She blearily sat up, hair sticking to her face. Does Paige have a girl over? Lily thought with a bit of a bemused sleepy smirk. That's odd, I guess. She stopped for a moment, listening.

 

[Lucyfer]

Paige leaned back as her hands were taken. She didn’t attempt to pull them back just yet, but her gaze narrowed with the gesture all the same. Seiria promised to explain everything, insisting again that this was real. The grip certainly felt real, but as something of an avowed agnostic, it was a bit hard to believe.

More than a bit.

Even with the impressive wingspan.

It could make for a good story when she woke up, though. Assuming she remembered any of it. “Okay, Seiria…,” she said slowly, “Explain this to me, then. This protectorship, and the rest, and how long you think you’re going to be able to endure without my affection, so I know exactly how long I have to live before I’m killed in a jealous fit.” The way Seiria was talking, she thought it was only a matter of time.

Paige could only imagine that sort of talk coming from a violent stalker. Her imagination was really not being kind to her today, was it?

~***~

Nor would much else be all that generous.

A priest-in-training, Mikhail, had seen the shadow of the demon and realized what complex it must have gone into. The problem was, he wasn’t exactly sure which room in the apartment complex, which led to him wandering the halls and knocking on doors.

Needless to say, the people that woke up weren’t happy with the young man, especially given the oversized cross he wore, and the clerical attire. Many thought he was there to ‘save’ them – and so many doors were shut in his face once he started to ask about the ‘demon within’.

A few threatened to call the cops given he shouldn’t be knocking on doors at this hour.

Nonetheless, he eventually came to the door that unbeknownst to him did have the demon within, and he knocked on it all the same.

 

[ungulatehoof]

"Demons will protect and guard their loved ones to the death," Seiria said, her voice softening as she reached forward and touched Paige's cheek gently, her claws lightly resting against her skin though still bearing the threat of digging into it. "And do not worry, I would never kill you. Never. I'm going to just be near you and guard you and care for you- even if you don't want me to at first. You will." Seiria's eyes were full of hope and tenderness, now, albeit an intense kind of tenderness- her eyes wouldn't let go of Paige for an instant. She hoped that this would be easier than it looked- that Paige would surrender to her affection and accept it, if not now, then soon, within the coming days. After all, she was not going to leave Paige alone from here on out...

--

Lily was about to get up upon hearing the strange banter between Paige and her unknown guest in the other room. Very odd. She assumed it was some kind of roleplay-in-the-bedroom thing and was about to go back to bed, making a mental note to decide whether or not to tease Paige about it in the morning, when there was a knock on the door.

Who on Earth could that be at this hour? Lily thought. Either way, she got up, and called sleepily to the other room, "I'll get it!" She was not about to let the two lovers be interrupted- she had manners.

Lily stumbled through the hallways to the door and opened it. She was not expecting to see a man in clerical dress, with a giant cross that dominated his appearance. She sighed. Many a time had a Jehovah's Witness or some other Christian person of whatever type had come to their door, but definitely never at this time of night. "Oh, God, what is it? And why at this hour?"

 

[Lucyfer]

Paige wanted to note that plenty of humans would do the same for their loved ones. She’d certainly put her life on the line for her own family. Probably for a few strangers. However, she didn’t make that comment. She was certain it wouldn’t go over well.

There was also the pressure of claws on her face, under her eyes, that made the sensation of the gentle touch far from a caress. ‘Yeah, she’s going to kill me.’ But it was a dream. ‘And if it’s not?’ Humor her for a bit until she could call the cops? Assuming cops could do anything about a demon. And find a way to keep Lily safe.

The heat that projected from Seiria’s gaze was still enough to spark a flush to touch Paige’s face. “I—I don’t really have anything to be protected from, you know. I haven’t made any real enemies, I don’t think you’ll need to do all that much.”

She lifted her hand to try and brush aside the claws from her face, as she heard that someone had knocked. She wanted to get up and answer it, even turned so her legs touched the floor, but Lily called out.

She relaxed, a little. “And I really don’t want to hurt you, but I don’t think you’re going to get what you want from me. Why me, anyways?” Maybe it was something about a soul? She was a demon, “Are you really just here for a soul?”

~***~

Mikhail held his hands up in a gesture of surrender as the woman who answered the door was immediately exasperated. “I know, I know, I am terribly sorry for the intrusion at this late hour and I assure you, miss, that I would not be bothering anyone if it were not a matter of grave importance.”

He lowered his hands and let his gaze meet the young woman’s, assuming her another of the college-goers by her age. That, and the majority of those in this building, were that.

“My name is Mikhail, I am looking for a literal demon,” he added emphasis on the word. Perhaps he should have done that with some of the others he spoke with, “that I observed entering this building from outside. I am concerned that it may mean harm for someone in this residency. Have you noticed anything strange in your own apartment? Demons tend to prefer to linger in shadows or hide in them, until they can strike.”

That could mean the presence went entirely unnoticed, or that they had noticed some small thing as being off.

 

[ungulatehoof]

Seiria paused, stiffening up for a moment when she heard Lily call out. After a moment, she turned back to Paige. "Oh no, not a soul. I've been watching you from afar for a long time, Paige, and I couldn't help but fall in love with you," Seiria professed, her claws gently gracing Paige's chin. "I know this is a lot, but I care deeply for you and I want to take care of you. And you're going to like it, I promise." Seiria's hand departed from Paige's face, going back to Paige's hand.

--

Meanwhile, Lily stared at Mikhail for a second, very confused. She had sworn she had overheard Paige's partner referring to herself as a demon- could it be...? No, it had to be some really funny coincidence that a crazy religious dude looking for a demon just so happened to come to their door when Paige and her partner were doing some weird kinky demon roleplay in the bedroom. She'd laugh with Paige about it in the morning, certainly. It would be a funny story to tell at parties. "Uhhh, no," Lily said, slowly beginning to close the door. "Sorry, haven't seen any demons around here."