forum Hell of a Time :D // oxo // romance // open

Started July 15, 2020 by @PaperHats business

tune

There were a lot of things that Aaron should be doing right now. He hadn't prepped at all for tomorrow's semester exam, he'd left a herring and pumpkin pot pie cooking he should definitely be checking on and maybe he should think about apologising to Dan after how badly he insulted his religion the other day.
Cleaning out the back of his very old managers antique store was not on that list. He didn't have the time of day for extra labour on top of his three jobs, failing university experience and drunken Aunt. But what could Aaron say? He was a total sucker for someone in need and there was no way he was letting Mrs Faye sort all this heavy furniture out.
Still, he was almost regretting his overflowing generosity.
He wasn't used to being so nice, and frankly he'd been stuck in this cramped room for too long.
Aaron was beginning to look like more dust then human with thick cobwebs spluttered over the back of his brand new jacket. The dark room, smelling primarily of moss and old books, had proved more to be more than he could handle and his coughing fits, which he hadn't endured since a child, returned happily.

Despite his three hours of sorting, the room of boxes, shelves and indescribable, nameless objects didn't seem to falter. If it was possible, there seemed to be more then there had been when he started. Twice he had stepped out to grab Starbucks and sushi, the usual lunch, but nothing could relax him. Something about this room was calling to him, he just knew he had to come back and finish sorting. So, he worked at it, making five different piles to which he could barely remember their criteria.
Then he found it, an object he would later wish he never had, a round metal sphere with golden specks shining as he gently twirled it around in his hands. Half of Aaron was screeching at him to put it straight down, lock it away and run like it was no ones business. But the roaring, begging feeling called at him to press down on one of the small buttons barely visible to the eye.
So, naturally, he went with the stupid idea.

The metal ball fell from his hands and spun in one spot as soon as he pressed the first button. All on it's own. Through the golden pieces, a blinding light began to warm, shooting out a bright beacon from each one as the spinning accelerated.
"What the hell-"
He covered his eyes with his forearms, stumbling backwards and crashing down into cardboard boxes around him.

“Hey, kid, are you even listening?” a gruff voice growled, about as raspy as bricks in a blender. Zaelis was torn from his thoughts, looking back up to the source of that wretched voice.
“I need you to kill this guy, alright?” the demon asked, shoving a man forward. Zae watched as the gruff demon shot him a glare, his boot resting firmly on the man who had been thrown.
The demon’s horns were a neon blue, his eyes the same. He was very burly and stood miles above Zaelis, but the demon prince knew for a fact he could take him down.
“Gotcha,” Zae muttered, glancing over the prisoner on the floor. He couldn’t be bothered as he sputtered, begging for his life.
“I’ll hold you to that,” the blue demon grumbled. “Now get to work. I want him dead soon.”
Zaelis let out a fake pout. “Aaaaw, Rog, you won’t even let me have my fun?”
The blue demon, Rog, turned to leave, waving off Zae’s question.
Zaelis gave an unimpressed raise of his eyebrow to the prisoner.
“Alrighty. Yes. Killing you,” he began. “I wasn’t going to, because you look pretty cool for a human, but Rog will probably kill me if I don’t—“

Instantly, Zaelis was transported to a completely different place. He took a deep breath in as his lungs filled with the scent of old wood boards and dust. His eyes filled with a blinding light, and suddenly, he was standing in the middle of a room of clutter.
Eyes wide, the demon prince looked around, his arms out to keep his balance. His gaze soon rested on a boy what looked to be his age, and he flipped like a light switch. He curled up his tail, eyes flicking to be more sultry, and he gave a charming smile.
“Well hello,” he cooed. “Where the hell am I?”

The fractured lights from the sphere disappeared no sooner then it had started, and in it's place; a taller man appeared. Except, he didn't really look like a regular New Yorker, or any New Yorker for that matter. And honestly, Aaron had seen some pretty weird ones.
The man in front of him was a lot taller, but then again weren't they all? The guy was slashed all over like he had been tortured for years on end, it didn't match the contagious grin he wore or his piercing golden eyes. Yeah, Aaron was staring. Mostly out of jealous, but you know, also because a complete stranger had miraculously appeared in front of him. The reeked confidence from head to tail.
And suddenly Aaron realised the man before him had a tail. And horns.
"Who the hell are you?" The words stuttered out of him before he could stop himself.
Aaron did not, however, let the stranger reply. Holding up a hand, and pulling himself up from a nearby shelf. He took a deep breath and even offered a smile to the man, he had to hand it to himself, Aaron really wasn't an easy man to scare. Even when you did send phenomenally well-detailed, handsome cosplayers out to scare him.
"Look" He started again. "If Dan hired you to prank me back, tell him I'm mostly sorry and it probably won't happen again until next week"
He added that last part on to be nice, he already had plans to embarrass his workmate Dan at a party that Friday.

“Neither of those answered my question..” Z murmured, audibly confused. Yet he shook it off quickly, snapping back to his charming self.

“And I have no clue who Dan is, but tell him this is a pretty awesome prank. I’m gonna be dead any moment,” he said joyously. “Rog will find me and wring my neck like a wet towel. That is a damn good prank. I should have thought of random portals before this ‘Dan’ guy beat me to it.”
Zaelis glanced back over to the man, although his attention was elsewhere. He was preening his nails, eyes momentarily glancing back and forth.
“Curse you humans and your constantly developing minds,” he uttered, tail swaying. “I’ll get you back someday. Well… not if Rog kills me. But I doubt he could. He’s really… stupid, y’know?”

The demon seemed much too calm for the situation, his voice coming out as a soft flirtatious purr. In truth, he wasn’t worried at all. Although he was… well… barely clothed, not counting his greaves, and in a literal new plane of existence.
He didn’t really care, though. Despite being a little dusty, Zaelis was already having more fun here than he had been previously. He liked this small worried human.

Zae flicked his eyes back to the man and he took a step forward, tail still swaying behind him, elegantly complimenting his movements.
“And… who am I?” he repeated. “Well..”
He stopped inches away from the man’s face, his own twisted up into a grin.
“I am Zaelis. The Prince of the Nine Hell’s. Pleasure to meet you, mortal.”

"Mortal" Aaron repeated the word aloud, rolling his tongue over it and sneering at the sound
The situation was getting out of hand, his brain couldn't get past the man's very bare, muscled chest let alone keep up with this new level of weird that had quickly taken over a normal afternoon. He took a generous step back, breathing shakily from the sudden closeness of the man.
"You say that like you aren't one." He raised a brow and threw his hands to his hips, trying to take back some dominance.
It was hard thing to do with a guy like Zaelis standing in front of you.
"I love a joke as much as the next guy but 'prince of the nine hells' is a little unbelievable, don't you think?" Aaron said. "How much did Dan pay you? And who is Rog exactly? He can't be stupider than Dan, believe me"
Aaron was on a roll now, the questions bubbling wildly inside him, but no sooner then he came up with the next one, a thought dawned and echoed with finality inside his head. Clearing every other thought he had, the realisation was a scary one.
"Dan is too stupid to plan something like this" Aaron decided slowly. "So, who are you really?"

Zaelis leaned back upright, still lashing his tail. His expression changed right along with the rollercoaster of emotion Aaron had just been on. Zaelis kept his eyes locked on to the man’s’, trying not to get distracted by their alluring caramel pigment. In the underworld, Zaelis rarely saw any eye color that wasn’t extreme. In this case, the man’s eyes were… warm, to say the least. Something Z hadn’t encountered in a long time.

Shaking himself back to the present, Zaelis replied. “I already… told you? My name is Zaelis, Prince of Hell, yadda yadda…?”
He waved his hand in small circles as he spoke, a small attempt to somehow convey the information as “normal.”
“And I have no idea who Dan is, but if he didn’t come up with the portal prank, then Lordy, can I take the credit?”
Suddenly he paused, brow furrowing for a moment before realization struck his face. He turned around, spreading his arms out wide.

“Alright, Carcian! You got me! Funny trick!” he called quite loudly. “Hahaha, I know this isn’t actually earth! Just another one of your games! You can warp me back now!”

Zaelis waited a few moments, with no reply at all. He then glanced back over to Aaron.
“This is hell, right?” he asked, voice genuinely confused. “You are all pranking me, right?”
His eyes then narrowed, and he tilted his head.
“Who are you, kid? And why are you in hell? And why do you look so… human?”

If Aaron really was in hell, well, that explained a lot. The steadiness of Zaelis was convincing him more every second that the guy was genuinely confused, just like him. Oddly, he felt himself believing the guy was just as lost as him in this strange cupboard.
"That would be because I am human, I'd think" Aaron narrowed his eyes. "But you're not. I mean all of those names you just said, no one half-human would dare use a name like that in downtown, NYC."
He rubbed a hand over his forehead tiredly, he couldn't seem to catch a break. More than anything, his growing concern was that this could all be true. And that he'd have to apologise to his Aunt Hilda for claiming Hell didn't exist so it didn't mater whether or not he brought a boy to her son's Bat Mitzvah, because maybe it did. That and, maybe he really was in hell being tortured, which could explain literally everything about his life so far.
"My name is Aaron, Prince of chaos and apparently bad luck" He tried to toss some humour into the mix. "And unless we're counting this demonic city, we're not technically in hell"
If he didn't sprinkle sarcasm throughout this, he'd be sure to loose his mind, real or not, he needed a strong drink and his favoured coping mechanism real close about now.
Aaron had a bad habit of not letting other people speak while he was in the middle of thinking and it wasn't going to stop now, he wasn't sure if he even wanted to hear what that guy had to say.
"First things first though" He unzipped his jacket and held it out to the supposed demon. "No half-naked men on the street, not even handsome ones"

“Alright, then I am on earth,” he mumbled softly, taking the jacket with a clawed hand and holding it up. He slipped it on, slightly small for him, but he didn’t mind. It was warm— not like the wretched fires they had down in the Crater— but a kind of pleasant warmth that Zaelis found himself yearning for the second he experienced it.

It took a moment to realize what the man had said, but the second the words registered, Zaelis turned his gaze back to Aaron.
“Handsome, you say?” he asked jubilantly, eyes flickering up and down the other man. “Might I say… ditto. Might just have to have you half-naked along with me.”

With that, the demon let out a mischievous chuckle, his tail curling and uncurling again.
“I‘m only joking, my friend,” he mumbled, rolling up the jacket sleeves. He resisted the urge to add, unless you don’t want me to be. He knew he could come off… strong. And considering this human might be a little more innocent than the other lustful demons he was accustomed to, he wanted to tiptoe more carefully.
That was one thing he had learned from Carcian. Humans were fragile.

Glancing back over to Aaron, Zaelis continued.
“So… what now? Are you sending me back, or are we just going to… hang out in this weird mortal realm? Am I stuck here?” He paused for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. “Or.. do you even know how I got here in the first place?”

It took Aaron a good ten minutes to stop blushing. He was used to flirting, hell, he pissed people off with it 24/7, but somehow Zaelis was making him turn redder then the marks that danced up and down the demons skin. He tried not to show his wavered composure on his face, clearing his throat and trying to remember what he had just been asked.

"That jacket is definitely too tight" Yeah, that's where his mind was right now. He paused. "As for what to do, I mean, shouldn't I be asking you the questions? I picked up an old sphere thing, and boom, demon."
Aaron scrunched together his brows, trying to think and just barely stopping himself from pacing around the short storage area. He needed to know more about what he was dealing with, weren't demons supposed to be evil? Was he safe? And should he be having a mental breakdown because of how strange this new reality had become? Really, his brain had chalked it up to: Just another day in New York City, I guess. Still this had to be the strangest day yet, his mind and body ached, his pie was totally burnt by now and his Aunt was probably wondering where he was this late. Plus Zaelis had called him handsome and it really wasn't helping him clear his mind.

He stifled another violent cough and glanced around the room. "I don't know how to send you back, bringing you here wasn't my choice. Uh, no offence. But if we stay in here I might just get to hell before you do"
And with that, as if his lungs were trying to emphasis his point, more dust he had inhaled scratched painfully at his throat and he wheezed painfully.

“Okay, then we both have no clue what’s happening, then,” he murmured.
“Much to people’s common belief, us demons aren’t actually magic. It’s not like I can just whip up another portal to warp myself back. We rely on outward magic— like some kind of object or whatever. So… until we figure out how to get me back with this—,” he picked up the small golden orb, “— I’m stuck here.”

He turned the object around in his hand. Despite the gold plating, the thing looked incredibly old. He poked at it, trying to break it apart or do anything to have it work again. He looked over to Aaron exasperatedly.

“I know it wasn’t your choice to have me here, but I’d say it’s your fault regardless,” he muttered exasperatedly. “So I’m still gonna hold you to that, and make you send me back. Got it? In shot, I’m staying by your side until you fix this.”

With that, Zaelis tucked his tail into his pants— which didn’t seem so abnormal, considering it was thin— and pulled the jacket hood over his head. He then spread his arms out, smiling.

“Where too now, Aaron? Swear, I could get some mortal food right about now,” he said, adjusting the jacket. “How about a date?”

"What the hell do you do in your free time if you're not magic? Isn't hell boring then?" Aaron paused. "Don't answer that."
He wasn't sure he could take the answer. He supposed it was good Zaelis was open enough to share such a thing, did it mean he wasn't in too much danger from the man?

Still, Zaelis was right about one thing, it was probably (definitely) his fault. His curiosity had gotten the better of him, the odd sphere had acted as some sort of portal and that's all he understood so far. He watched Zaelis adjust the hoodie and tried to hide a grin, his horns were kind of cute. Wait. He did not just think that.
There was so many things wrong with Aaron, he stopped keeping a list a long time ago, but that was way too far down the rabbit hole. Even for him. He made an effort not to bang his head against the wall.
He could only hope he was somehow dreaming.

He shook his head, and rummaged around the room, the little light that flickered lazily from the ceiling wasn't helping his journey but he opened the door welcoming the outside sunlight to sweep in. The back of his mind was concerned about how Zaelis would react to a very busy city and the rest of his mind was concerned that he was concerned at all.
"If that thing brought you here, maybe it can send you back?" Aaron suggested. "But yeah, food sounds like the right choice. Just, please tell me you don't need souls to sustain you or something?"

“Why would I eat souls?” Zaelis asked, clearly appalled. “Those things are useless. Even for sustenance.”

He squinted as the new light entered the room, but stepped out as confidently as a model on a catwalk. He took a deep breath, eyes closed, filling his lungs with finally something other than dust.

“I normally eat… like… bones, or whatever?” he murmured casually, pursing his lips. “I’ve never really had mortal food. Though, I have heard you guys have something called… french.. fries? Is that it? I’ve always wanted to try one. Or multiple. They’re small, aren’t they?”

The whole time he spoke, Zaelis looked absent-mindedly around the shop. He was a little warm— as demon’s blood usually ran hotter than humans, thus the little clothing— but refused to unzip the jacket. Just for the sake of decency. Humans were different, he had learned, in his few minutes of being here.
He slipped the golden sphere into his pocket. He’d figure out that puzzle later. For now, he just really wanted to try those french things. Franch? Frinch? He didn’t know the proper name for them, but anything fried in grease and dusted with salt seemed delicious. He could already sense himself drooling.

“You comin’?” Zae asked Aaron, blinking back to him. “Actually, you should be the one leading the way. In that case, take me, kind man.”

Aaron was definitely smiling now, fear had long left him, maybe it was shock that let this slightly giddy, soft feeling take over him. He was holding back a chuckle at the eager demon who's mood had switched so quickly Aaron couldn't keep up. It was increasingly crazy how relaxed he felt, but he tried not to focus on it. Aaron was good at pretending horrifying, life altering things were that bad, wasn't he?
Aaron followed him out, stretching happily in the sun and feeling joints he didn't even realise he had y
"Man, do we have some serious educating to do. Practically everything in New York is deep fried." He told Zaelis with a grin. "Don't eat my bones, and yeah, I'll let you tag along"
He waved a hand over his shoulder, turning decidedly on the spot. The sun was setting, the buzz of the streets were beginning to unravel and he had confidence even Zaelis's weird apparel wouldn't get a second look this late. New York is fabulously weird.
Aaron knew just the place they could eat.

“So… where are we headed, huma— I mean, Aaron?” he asked, purposely catching himself. He had always heard that mortals called each other by their names, not their species. Which was odd, since demons addressed each other by whatever they wanted. All the way from “sugar,” to profanities not even Zaelis could think of saying.

The demon moved alongside Aaron with a sense of pride and authority, holding himself high and mighty. Maybe his natural radiating confidence is what made Carcian choose him to become next king.

Oh. Right. Hell. He wasn’t there anymore. Yes, in fact, Rog would probably be there, screaming threats to kill Zaelis for not doing his job. But the demon wasn’t worried at all— he still held a smile on his face. Rog wasn’t someone to be concerned about, at least not in his opinion.

_{(Gah sorry it’s short I’m a little busy right now but wanted to get something up for ya)}

Aaron got the hinting suspicion Zaelis was going to call him human, and therefore viewed him as a lesser species. Which he supposed must be true in a lot of senses. He wondered silently to himself how one even became a demon. He figured it might be insensitive to ask.
"Don't call me that if you want me to respond," He kept his pace steady with the all too comfortable demon. "It's Ace."
The demon seemed preoccupied inside his own thoughts and Aaron could only hope he had paid attention. He did really hate being called on by his real name. He could hear his Mothers voice every time the word was spoken.
Not the time to think about that, Ace.
He cleared his throat. "We're going to my second job, it's a club that should be open by now. French Fries guaranteed."
On the outside, the place he worked out seemed innocent enough, during the day the front was a sweet little coffee shop he often helped out in. The night however? Upstairs, a very popular club raged all night long that reeked alcohol and substances that weren't strictly legal. Aaron loved it there, well, he loved working there and getting to know the patrons, he'd never met such, incredibly nice and weird people. He'd never actually been there out of work hours, but he figured it was safer than taking Zaelis to a Macdonalds, nobody would blink twice at his appearance. Horns and all.
Aaron wondered if the demon had ever been to a gay club before.
Surely, there were some of those in hell.