((Who’s ever going to tell Astral that he’s the problem because he’s clearly not getting it))
So this is what the god did all day while pretending he was off crying and trying to be better. Emile still didn’t let any feelings show, knowing at the moment the only person he could worry about was Simon, not all of these other souls.
Astral really had been crying, he'd been crying so much. But with Emile there now… he didn't feel so much pressure to be good to everyone. He had a fail-safe, something to help Simon feel better, and he would take advantage of that for as long as he could. So, he'd let himself fall back on old habits, old coping mechanisms. His thumb soon found itself inside the human's mouth to keep them from screaming too loud as he toyed with them, pulling on limbs that had no stretch to them.
(Yeahhhhhhhh… good luck to whoever tries aha)
Emile was thoroughly disgusted with Astral. He was exactly the same as all of the other guys Simon had the misfortune of winding up with. Manipulators and abusers who were very set in their ways.
It just so happened Astral was also a god who now owned Simon's soul for the rest of eternity and could easily get tired of trying to play nice and do to the man what he was doing to the human in his hand currently. Which, for this one, was using his mouth to blow them up like a balloon until they popped.
Emile knew that was the part that had upset both him and Alec the most. That whatever happened to Simon for the rest of his life and after that was all up to Astral. Alec had raged about it for a solid week, and even Greg, who risked death by Alec’s hand on the daily, knew better than to bother him when he was in this state of mind. Alec had been keeping an eye on Simon since he was seven years old, and most definitely considered Simon to be his own son at this point.
It was too bad, really. Simon was a good person. It just so happened that this world took advantage of good people to birth superhumans, or demigods, or whatever this child was going to be. There was nothing anyone could do about it, too. Simon was Astral's now, and no matter what happened, it was all up to the god in the end. And that was never a good thing.
The god let out a breath, much more relaxed now that he'd had some fun. He started to clean up after himself, pieces his broken toys back together.
Emile was very much aware of this. And on some level, Simon was too, he’d just refused to accept it. He kept telling himself that he was going to be fine, and that he’d get that chance to get away from here and have a happy life.
Astral would let Simon live in his little, happy bubble of refusal until it needed to be popped. By the time it was, he would have his child- and then he could make sure Simon was always happy. Could make Simon love him. A smile crept its way slowly across his face at that.
He'd try Simon and the other being's way, but when it didn't work, he'd swoop in and save the day.
((Astral really had his chance at his redemption arc and said “nah I’m good” and yeeted the EXACT OPPOSITE DIRECTION))
Emile couldn’t help but shiver at the smile that had appeared on Astral’s face. He’d only be more disturbed if he could actually hear the god’s thoughts, hear what he was planning.
(YEAH BASICALLY)
(Horrible Astral is more fun than Nice Astral though-)
Astral slowly looked up at Emile, his smile still on his lips.
"Something wrong?" He asked, looking much, much to calm and pleased with himself. Something had switched that night, standing with Emile, and it had sealed Simon's doom.
And it was all Emile's fault.
((NOT FOR MEEEEEEEE))
Emile offered the god no response. Literally nothing, no movement, no sound, he didn’t even move his eyes from where he’d been staring.
((FUCK NOOOOOOOOOOOO))
(AWWWWWWW)
(I'll work on getting him back on track then lol)
Astral could wait. He would, too, arms folded on the back of the couch as he looked up at Emile. The only reason he wasn't one of the ones Astral had been cleaning up from his 'play' was that Astral still needed him for Simon.
"Don't like what you see?"
((Okieeeeeeeeeeeeee))
Emile could probably play that game for forever as well, essentially being a mother to a bunch of dead serial killers had its perks he supposed. But he knew he was supposed to be trying to behave so he just replied “it’s none of my business.”
"Oh, why not? It's my house, after all." Astral hummed some, looking up at Emile. He had calmed down, mostly, all his humans put back together and in their places. Now, his undivided attention was given to the visitor on the shelf.
“It doesn’t have anything to do with me.” He replied simply. His purpose here was to protect Simon. He couldn’t worry about anything else.
"Oh, come now, it most surely has something to do with you. Come on, tell me what's on your mind." Astral hummed some. He didn't grab the being to take him down from the shelf, not yet.
“Nothing’s on my mind.” He replied, his tone doing nothing to indicate otherwise.
"Liar. Everyone thinks something." Astral reached up then, picking Emile up and setting them on his palm.
“Does it even matter?” He questioned, his tone staying neutral as he spoke.
"Does to me. I'm bored, and you're pretty much the only one here I can talk to and learn something new." Astral hummed, leaning back in his seat.
“Sorry. Don’t have any profound thoughts to offer you at the moment.” He replied.
"Don't need anything profound." At this point, Astral was just trying to break through whatever barriers this being had up.
(Me, watching with popcorn: Astral you prick leave the poor boy alone-)
((Emile literally just trying to vibe:
Astral being like that sibling that goes “I’m not touching you” for hours on end))