don't be kind to it

[There's something...interesting, about the magic and the soul of the person Subaru can sense reaching into the demon realm. It's not for him, he knows that much. It's for Rei, possibly one of his "cute children" calling out to him, but the gap is enough for Subaru to make it through, and he's curious. This human has a delicious, sparkling soul. Rei shouldn't hoard all the nice things to himself, anyway.

The room Subaru's summoned to stinks of incense, feels tingling over his skin from magic. And there stands the human who summoned him--or not him, but Rei, details. He's younger than Subaru expected, but before he can get a much better look, a spell slip is being tossed his way. He holds his hand up as if to catch it, but engulfs it in blue flame instead. it takes a minute, but it's burnt up, leaving Subaru shaking his hand.]

Ouch--that one stung a little.

[He doesn't listen to what the human told him, and steps right up to the wards around the other, pressing a finger against the barrier. Could he break it, could he not? It's not easy to say.]

Hi. What do you want with me?

[any lingering hope he has of seeing Rei or something relatively manageable appear in the summoning circle dies when Subaru burns his ward away like it's nothing. his eyes dart nervously over the demon's form, making a mental checklist of his physical features and running them against his internal list of high ranking entities to come up with some vague notion of what he was dealing with.

except now he's talking to him, and Natsume's attention is split.]

I didn't give you permission to speak.

[he draws himself as much as he can, lacing his voice with poisonous derision when he replies.]

I have nothing to say to an uninvited interloper. Stay there while I decide what curse is most fitting to saddle you with for your foolish impudence.

Hm~m, we don't have a contract, so I don't think I need your permission for anything.

[Subaru smiles a little at the other's imperious act. He'd be more irritated if the human couldn't back it up, but his magic is strong enough to bring Subaru into the human world, and keep him on the other side of the wards. At least for now.]

The demon you were trying to summon isn't coming, so...if you need something done, I can do that for you.

[For the usual price demons ask for, of course.]

Edited 2018-08-30 09:23 (UTC)

Would you send a duck to do an eagle's job? No, I'm banishing you, as soon as I ...

[... retrieve the scroll for high level banishment. if this was some low-grade demon, Natsume could perform the required ritual with his eyes closed, having long since mastered most basic techniques. this demon, however, is on the same level as Rei, and requires a much more complex series of incantations to fully protect himself from any demonic shenanigans.

his eyes dart over to the side of the room where he left his notes and research material. he hadn't planned on needing to use any of them after initiating the summoning— he had nothing to fear from Rei, even if he very upset at the demon lord at the moment. a little more so now that he had allowed a stranger to intercept Natsume's ritual to call on him.]

After you tell me your name. [he needed to figure out a way to dismiss the demon, and fast. the longer he was here the more time he had to push against Natsume's boundaries, and if he really was comparable in power to Rei, it wouldn't be difficult for him to break them. Natsume might end up having to make a contract with him just for his own safety, but even that came with some awkward requirements to fulfill.]

You know I'm not a duck.

[His voice is lilting, but there's nothing joking in the way he's staring back at the other through the wards. If that human has enough magic to summon Rei, then he has to be knowledgeable enough to be aware that weaker demons cannot make it through portals made to call stronger ones.]

And my name is Akehoshi Subaru

[He gives it without any hesitation, unconcerned. There's a lot a mystic could do with a demon's name, so it's likely not reassuring at all that Subaru would just hand it over.

His whole hand is pressed against the wards now, and he leans a little closer to them, like someone peering at a cute animal in a pet shop window.]

What's yours?

[oh, Natsume's well aware, he's just staunchly choosing not to acknowledge it. while Subaru is obviously in the same league as Rei, ability wasn't Natsume's main concern in the summoning. he wanted Rei because Rei is Rei— this wasn't intended to be an undertaking of serious magical business, Natsume just wanted to be able to pin one of his recently elusive nii-san down and get a straight answer out of them. he isn't prepared to deal with whatever this situation has quickly turned into.]

Sakasaki.

[family name only for the strange and likely dangerous demon. Akehoshi, that sounds familiar, but he can't place exactly where. he crosses his arms in front of his chest, trying to appear as threatening and standoffish as possible, knowing that it will make little difference if Subaru is truly as powerful as the stipulations in his summoning required.

he needs to get to the banishment scroll, which requires leaving his protective circle. basically suicide with an untethered demon already pushing at his wards boundaries. he needs some way to securely contain him, just for a few more seconds, while he makes a dash for it.]

You're aware that you are not the one I was attempt to call upon, are you not? [it's small talk, essentially, something to make it seem like he's still in control of the situation, squaring his shoulders as he speaks to try and appear as confident as he can.]

Aw, but I gave you my full name.

[He taps on the wards, a little more forcefully than before, but not nearly enough to break them. Chiding. As though Subaru doesn't know how unwise it'd be for a human to give up their full, real name to a demon.

Subaru smiles at the way the other is trying to be so defiant. There's something cute about it.]

And I know you weren't calling on me. You were calling on Rei. But he's not around, and I liked what I sensed from you, so I came instead.

—he's not?

[Natsume blinks, his eyes widening.]

Where is he, then? Do you know him? Is he all right?

[his interest is clearly caught, yellow gaze fixed intently on Subaru now as he leans forward slightly. not far enough to put him out of safe bounds, of course, though he may be cutting it a little closer than is necessarily safe.]

I know him.

[Subaru doesn't need to be a demon to sense that kind of desire, the desperation. Hm, Rei always had a soft spot for humans, so maybe it isn't surprising this one is attached--not like Subaru could say anything, since he's the same. They're all so interesting, he likes them.]

Any more information than that, and I want something in return. Tell me your name.

[it's tempting, and there is a part of Natsume that just wants to blurt it out immediately, but he knows better. despite his coddled upbringing, he still knows better than to appear too eager in front of a demon with an unknown agenda.]

How am I to know you're telling the truth? Rei-n— Sakuma Rei is a name burned into the memory of all demons. You wouldn't be the first to lie about a connection to him.

[Natsume's expression stays trained into emotionless mask, hoping to cover for the slip of tongue his nerves almost caused. it's dangerous to give too much of his situation away this early on, he tells himself, not pausing to consider how much he's already revealed by his reactions already.]

Because I like humans the same way he does. He told me about the ones he took care of, in general. I don't think he'd say that to just anyone!

[Of course "the same way" also extends to liking to feed on their desires in, ah, certain ways, but the other should know that if he also knows Rei.]

Were you one? You kind of smell like him. He really shouldn't keep all the good things for himself.

[Subaru's right— Rei can't go around advertising his fondness for humans, being a demon lord who's supposed to be working toward subjugating them and all. it still doesn't tell Natsume who Subaru is, or whether or not he can trust him, but he doesn't have anything else to go on right now.]

... Natsume. My name is Sakasaki Natsume.

Now tell me where he is.

Natsume.

[Subaru speaks the name with a particular cadence that makes it feel like flames might be licking over the word, like he's savoring it somehow, but it's gone the next moment when he answers Natsume's question.]

As far as I know, he got contracted. I don't know the human's real name. Rei always called him by a weird nickname--the emperor, if that means anything to you. It didn't to me.

—what?!

[the distress in Natsume's voice, in his entire body is clear the second the word 'emperor' leaves Subaru's mouth. he looks like he's been sucker punched, and has to take a step forward to steady himself— not out of the circle, but the edge of his foot does smudge one of the barrier lines. just barely, the gap so small that a lesser demon might miss it, yet large enough to give someone observant enough to catch it an easy opening inside.]

You're lying. That's impossible!

[he can feel his face burning red, and knows how ridiculous he must look, nearly shouting at a powerful demon for simply answering his question. Natsume tries to calm himself down, inhaling sharply through his nose as his thoughts race around his head. he needs to stay focused in the present, find some way to get out of this situation without winding up dead or worse, but his mind keeps running back to the same thing;

Eichi has Rei, and everything is royally fucked.]

Why would I lie? You gave me what I wanted. And, hm, I don't really have a reason to lie for Rei?

[Who other demons contract to doesn't really matter to other demons. It only matters to other humans, and besides that, Rei didn't seem too concerned about it, last time Subaru saw.

Natsume being so distressed about it is curious, though. Subaru kind of wants to know more about it, but all of those questions can be saved until later. Because his hand is pressed against the ward, he can feel when it weakens, and if he doesn't take this opportunity, who knows when the next one will come?]

Natsume. [His eyes alight, power filling them as his voice turns heated again.] Are you sad? Do you want to feel better? Let me in, and I can help.

[He leans more of his weight against the barrier, pushing through the sting the magic sends tingling through him, until a hairline crack appears in it, starting from where Natsume's foot has smudged the line.]

[Natsume doesn't know where Rei is or what he's thinking, as he hasn't seen him for a year. he hasn't seen any of his brothers for a year, not after the final confrontation with Eichi, when Rei had spirited him away from the scene of the fight and told him to 'be good' before disappearing without a trace. he's been upset and alone and stuck interacting with humans for months and all he wanted was to finally speak to Rei and ask him why none of them wanted him anymore but—

none of that matters, when he hears Subaru voice. his deafened shreds of self-preservation are yelling at him that something's wrong, that he's in danger while he stays here and needs to get out immediately, adding another heavy burden of stress onto his already frazzled nerves. it's counter-productive, really, because it only makes Subaru's words all the more tempting.]

No ... I ...

[he steps back, clumsily, further smudging the line in his carefully drawn circle. his head droops as he tries to focus, still managing to resist Subaru's call with a level of tenacity usually only seen in magicians three times his age. unfortunate that it won't do him any good.]

I don't need you.

[Natsume is really strong to be able to resist a demon of Subaru's caliber that has his name. That just makes him a better prize, as far as Subaru's concerned.]

You don't? Are you sure?

[The cracks spread, spiderwebbing, and finally a bit breaks off, not large enough for Subaru to reach through yet, but large enough he can taste Natsume's magic better. Large enough his voice can get through, without any magic to muffle it.]

You don't need to need anything. But do you want it? I can make you feel so much better. Natsume.

[Subaru's unhindered voice nearly makes Natsume sway on his feet, the walls of his magical wards shaking and splintering as his will to keep them upright gradually fades away.]

I want ...

[his eyes narrow, as if he were just sleepy, instead of just firmly under the thrall of a powerful demon. Natsume's voice remains sullen and haughty as he speaks, running on autopilot, his mind still grappling to realize that he's not acting entirely of his own accord.]

I want not to be alone.

You won't be.

[The wards break enough for Subaru to get a hand through, to grip the edges and rip open a bigger gap in the protections. It falls away easily, now that Natsume's giving in.]

You'll have me. I won't abandon you. Come closer.

[So Subaru could touch him, taste his magic, know it so he could undo all the wards completely.]

[Natsume's vaguely aware of what's going on, watching placidly as Subaru's clawed hands physically tear his barrier apart. he's in danger, he knows, that Subaru is dangerous and probably going to kill, but then again— every word he speaks seems to push that alarm further and further away in Natsume's mind, a ship quickly fading over the edge of the horizon.

he takes a step forward as instructed, drawn to the edge of the now broken circle by steady pull of Subaru's words, before pausing again.]

Promise me. [it's quiet, barely above a whisper, as if he's embarrassed to speak it.]

[Natsume's not aware of it, not in his current state, but if Subaru had been intent on killing him, asking for a promise might be his only chance at saving himself. With so much magic already around them, those words would create a rudimentary contract bond, enough that if Subaru says yes, he probably wouldn't be able to kill Natsume unless the other's magic was weak. Which it's obviously not. Anyone else, and they'd already be completely enthralled.

But, Subaru hadn't been intending to kill Natsume in the first place, and he doesn't mind a contract. Not with someone with a soul like Natsume's.]

I promise.

[He can almost reach, almost get a hand on Natsume, and could rip another chunk off the barrier to make room for it, but..he's curious. Will Natsume come to him?]

[Subaru doesn't have to wait long for an answer. Natsume hesitates after he gives his word, but not for long. Natsume's desire is unconcealed, loneliness and frustration drawn to the surface after months of him trying to shove the feelings down and ignore them.

he moves slowly, like he's slipping through water, reaching out to offer his hand to Subaru. the barriers shatter around them as wards are dismissed, magic shaking and sparkling in the air around them, thousands of tiny stars falling to the ground.]

[Poor Natsume. Subaru can taste his loneliness, tinged on his desire and magic, like it has suffused through all of him.

Now that the barrier is completely gone, though, Subaru reaches out, eager, curls his hand around the back of Natsume's neck, claws pressed along the side of it, right over his pulse--

But all Subaru does is use the leverage to pull Natsume forward, against him, so it's easier for Subaru to take a kiss, drink down some of that magic and a tiny sliver of Natsume's soul to sustain him in the human world. Both are sweet, as good as Subaru expected, and his eyes are burning with the same blue fire that now surrounds them in little dancing wil-o-wisps, Subaru's own wards put up to make sure they aren't interrupted.]

[if the hand on his neck is a gentle nudge, the kiss is a torrent of cold water, ungently shaking Natsume out of his dreamlike state and bringing the world around him back into crystal clarity.

he can feel his magic being drained away, along with a tiny part of himself, a fragment of light humming in his throat before Subaru swallows it down, sealing the contract between them. Natsume knows, academically, how a bond between a human and a demon is supposed to work, a sort of tethering magic that chains one's will to another, but this— doesn't feel anything like that.

every beat of his heart hammers in his ears and feels warm, too warm, the air all around him stifling and thick, making Natsume so dizzy he almost needs to twist a hand into Subaru's robe to steady himself. the demon is unrelenting and Natsume lets him press their lips together much longer than he really should, blaming his slow reaction time on the shock and magic now buzzing through his veins.]

What— what did you do?!

[Natsume's flushed and out of breath by the time he finally manages to break away, leaning back far enough to abruptly end the kiss, while still hanging onto Subaru. it's not like he can get go of him now— he'd definitely fall over, and that would just be more embarrassing.]

Nothing bad.

[Subaru kisses Natsume's jaw, nuzzling there, like a pet asking for attention.]

Didn't they tell you the best way to give a demon energy is? I'm just making it feel really, really good this time. I told you I'd make you feel better, right? You don't have to think about anything for a while.

[He strokes his hands down Natsume's sides before gripping his hips to keep him in place. Not like he could run away with Subaru's wards up, but, he doesn't want Natsume to be too far apart from him.]

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