Secrets {Rumpleteaser x M-jow}

[M-jow]

"Understood" Louis answered. Okay that made sense, but he had still wanted to make sure.

When the big demon came with two plats with cake, Louis teeths were watering. The big mucel guy still looked funny in that apron, but nothing god would surely come of laugh at it.

 

"I'm going to stay at your place right, any rules I should know? And when do they test me for powers?"

[Rumpleteaser]

'No shoes inside. There's a cupboard by the door to put them in. Make sure your socks are clean too. Wash your hands and face thoroughly as soon as you come in. There's sanitiser on the cupboard for you to use or you can go straight to the bathroom. Don't come into my house dirty, go straight for a shower if you need to. If I can smell you, you're too dirty. No food anywhere but the kitchen and dining room. No opening the basement door or going down there without me. My workroom is down there and I don't like anyone touching anything. No feet on the furniture. Don't move anything around. Don't interrupt me while I'm cleaning. Wash your hands before and after meals,' Vesper said, without even thinking about it. He didn't have to. He was very strict about those rules. With mysophobia, he needed everything to remain clean and was disgusted by things as simple as hand holding. He was able to hide it at work but when he got home things became more tense. He didn't like dirty things invading his personal space.

 

'I have mysophobia you see, fear of dirt and germs. I don't touch anyone, I don't use public restrooms and I don't use public transport. Normally I don't let anyone into my house either but that can't be helped, so you'll just have to be as clean as you can,' he explained. He took a little bottle of sanitiser out form his pocket and squeezed it on his hands. He rubbed his hands clean then looked at the spoon as if struggling with its existence. He hadn't brought his own spoon with him, which meant he had to use the one provided. In the end he put sanitiser on it too and polished it with the napkin.

 

'They'll test you when I book you in. It could be next week if the center has places, it could be the week after,' Vesper said. 'It will take the whole week then you'll be booked in for classes for the next four weeks. It might take longer for your powers to show up.'

[M-jow]

Louis tried to note all rules and he got the imported once, before his head started to hurt. It wasn’t because he was stupid or that vesper’s rules confused him, more than those things normally would. But After all that info he had learned in just a few hours, finally made his head pop with a headache.

He still acted though he was find and ignored the pain behind his ears as Vesper told him that he had an mysophobia for germs.

So, the guy had some flaws too, what did you know. Of course, it wasn’t a good that the guy suffered from such a thing, and Louis could already imagen what kind of state his house was in.

Wait, workroom in the basement? Was it some kind of office at home?

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll try my best to stay out of your personal space and keep myself clean” he answered as he watched the other clean his spoon.

He himself tried the cake too, he didn’t bother to clean the spoon like the other did. It looked clean and shiny enough to him.

Mmm… the cake was even more delicious, Louis didn’t eat cake often, he could have eaten them if he had wanted to, but had choose to make it a rare enjoyment instead doing to him being a model and all.

Louis made sure to swallow the piece hen his mouth before he spoke again.

“So, I properly got a week with nothing to do before the test, right? Anything you would recommend I could do?”

[Rumpleteaser]

'Thank you. I appreciate that,' he replied. He'd had a lot of stress over other wards before, ones that left their things lying around or didn't even take off their shoes when they came in. It really got to him and he reacted harshly to anyone who disrupted his sanctuary from the world of germs. There had been times when he'd chased wards out of the house and refused to go to work until he'd scrubbed his entire place clean. That was when his condition became worse and people started questioning what was wrong with him. He didn't want to get that anxious again.

 

'You have three days to yourself where I can't be with you. You can come with me to work or I can drop you off somewhere. I'll spend time with you over the weekend taking you out and getting you used to the city. After that you should be able to take care of yourself,' he said as he started to slice little bits off his cake with the side of his spoon. He looked up at Louis and considered him a moment.

 

'What do you normally like to do?' he asked before plopping a piece of cake in his mouth. He ate silently and kept his eyes down. It wasn't that he felt uncomfortable eating but he was beginning to fill his social quota for one day. He already felt the urge to retreat to his office where everything was orderly and clean. 'I also have some classic and memorable demon movies you can watch to get yourself used to our culture. You can watch those when I'm not around.'

[M-jow]

What he liked to do?" Well I guess I usally clean or go for a run when I arn't working" Louis answered pretty sure he shouldn't say that he would had call one of his cute boys for sex. That he really didn't need to share.

 

Movies, yeah he use to watch that too.

"Great, I did love to borrow them" Louis smile. It would definitely help alot to see just how demons down her were compared to what he was use to seeing above.

 

Louise finished his piece of cake, he had apparently been more hungry than he had thought, but after that cake his stomach seemed satisfied.

"How much more work do you got for today?" Louis asked curious. "I still got half a book left, so don’t worry about that" He smirked and emptied his coffee.

[Rumpleteaser]

'I don't want you doing any cleaning in my house,' Vesper said firmly, not looking up from his cake. Having other people clean in his house made him anxious because he always felt it was never the same as himself doing it. What normal people saw as clean and people with mysophobia were two totally different things. It was impossible to tell whether things just looked clean or whether they were up to standard. It meant Vesper would have to clean them again anyway.

 

'I can take you a few safe places you can run,' he said then sighed. It seemed there was a lot he would have to do before he went to bed tonight. He wouldn't be able to get into his workroom to enjoy his hobby of cogs and wheels. It was to be expected really, given that he was now a warden. His time would be taken up coaching Louis. It couldn't really be helped so there was no use getting upset about it. Vesper rarely got upset with anything, really. He just accepted things the way they were.

 

'I still have a lot of paperwork to fill out form another interrogation. I need to get your welcome pack too,' he said before finishing the rest of his cake. When he was done he pushed the plate back and washed his hands and face with sanitiser. He sat back a moment with his hands warming around his cup and looked up at the ceiling, not really thinking of anything. He wanted to get back to his office but would wait for Louis patiently. He finished off his coffee and wiped his lips on the back of his napkin.

 

'Let's go,' he announced as he stood up.

 

Vesper didn't go to the office directly. He wound through the halls of the building until he made it to what looked like a reception desk. With Louis by his side, he spoke quietly to the demon at the desk and waited for the file to be handed over. It had a lot of small books in it about all aspects of demon life, from how they got their electricity, to etiquette to maps and places of interest. There were also several instructional DVDs that he could play when he got back to Vesper's house. Vesper silently handed it over to Louis then led him back to the office.

 

'Ask me if you need anything. I'll be back shortly,' he said. He locked Louis in the office and was gone for an hour while he took care of the other ward. The ward's warden hadn't arrived yet but at least he'd been patched up after the interrogation. It seemed a shame to leave the young man all alone in a world full of demons so Vesper took him downstairs for a coffee too. He also got the other halfbreed's papers and welcome package organised before Vesper had finally exceeded the amount of socialising he could handle for one day. The other warden still hadn't turned up by that point and Vesper had been made to promise to return when he finished for the day.

 

'I'm sorry I took so long,' Vesper announced as he unlocked the office door and came in. He didn't take off his cloak. In fact, it seemed like he was holding it tighter to himself. Vesper sank into his office chair and turned it around so he was no longer facing Louis. There was no way he could send Louis anywhere but he needed some space to himself too. He raised his hands and gripped tightly to his horns for a few minutes. When he'd settled down he took a few breaths and turned back to face the desk. He looked at Louis for a long time, seeming uncomfortable to have someone in his office, but didn't complain. He just went back to his paperwork for the next few hours and said nothing. Occasionally he would look up to see if Louis was still there but for the most part he ignored him.

 

The last part of the day was completed by cleaning and sanitising the office. At one point Vesper ordered Louis to stand in the corner while he scrubbed the chair Louis had been sitting on too. He also had Louis hand over the law book so he could clean the covers.

 

'It's time to go, gather your things,' he ordered calmly. He took a messenger bag from the coat stand in the corner and packed away a few things in it that he would keep going on at home before ushering Louis out of the office. He lead him down to the reception area where there was a young man sitting looking through a similar welcome pack to what Louis had. He'd obviously been roughed up and his hair was a mess. He had the jitters too. He startled when Vesper came over and sat uncomfortably when Vesper sat down next to him. The young man looked pleadingly at Vesper as they spoke and grabbed Vesper's bare hands. The reaction was instantaneous. Vesper jerked back and stood up, holding his hands away from him as if he'd touched something feral. He immediately began scrubbing his hands with disinfectant.

 

'I'm not your warden. I'm not responsible for what happens to you from here on in,' Vesper said calmly.

'Please, Officer! I don't have anywhere to go!'

'All right, let me make a few phonecalls,' he said, trying not to show his frustration.

 

Vesper walked off and dialed his phone. He was on there for quite a while. He looked at the young man a few times and at Louis. In the end he had one hand on his horn while he gripped the phone. He then pointed at Louis, then at the seat next to the young man while continued to talk. He ended up walking off for a while before coming back. It hadn't gone well.

 

'There's been a mix-up. Your warden is coming tomorrow morning instead,' he announced.

'You can't leave me here overnight! There are demons here!' the desperate young man exclaimed.

'I'm a demon too,' he replied. 'In any case, you're coming with Louis and me tonight.'

'Thank you! Thank you!' he cried, reaching out his hands.

Vesper immediately withdrew.

'Don't touch me!' he snapped.

 

'I know I told you we'd be going out for dinner tonight but...' Vesper stopped and thought silently. 'Never mind. What do you like to eat?'

 

'Ah yes, Louis, this is Damian. He's in the same situation as you but has nobody to take care of him. I want you to keep him company and make sure he's comfortable. Come on, we're going,' he announced. He put his phone back in his messenger bag and his hands in his pockets. He lead the way and remained quite deliberately silent.

[M-jow]

“Understood, no cleaning, just stay clean” Louis smiled in responds

After they had got his welcome box, Louis use the remaining time locked up reading. He only just looked up at Vesper when he came back, seeing the guy face turned away from him and figured the man was still working, so he just kept on reading.

After the clean up around the office, he was finally told that the other was done for the day. Louis grabbed his welcome box as that really was the only thing he really had and followed the warden out.

 

As they walked Louis noticed Vespers eyes look at a person with the same welcome box as him, it surprised him when Vesper took a seat beside the guy and as the person looked up, Louis saw the guy’s dark red eyes other than that he looked somewhat normal. Younger than him and wearing a slightly dirty school uniform.

So, the guy had been left without a warden, fuck what a way to start in a new place, Louis felt bad for the kid.

As Vesper tried to figure out what happened to the others warden, Louis went over to the guy.

“Don’t worry about that guy, he just doesn’t like people touching, it has nothing to do with you personally.” Louis explained without telling too much about Vespers problem.

The kid’s scary eyes looked up at Louis, confused and afraid. “This place is so different, are you a demon too?”

Louis shrugged. “Apparently, my dad is a demon and they think I am too. I just got here today as well and haven’t seen much myself yet.”

Then Vesper told them that the kid would go home with them, ant though he knew he shouldn’t, it was rather fun seeing Vesper avoid the kids touch for the second time. Louis pulled his hand forward the kid instead as Vesper introduced them.

“Nice to meet you Damian.”

“You too” Damian smiled and followed them out.

“Dinner, well... how do you feel about eating at your home? To be honest I really don’t think Damian here, can take much more excitement for today.” Louis said, no need to mention that he too just wanted to go and sleep his headache off.

“Hey, don’t tread me like some kid! I’m a demon remember” Damian complained, but didn’t look mad at all.

[Rumpleteaser]

'I'm pleased you understand,' Vesper replied quietly. He was relieved he wouldn't have to go through the stress of having a messy ward again, at least this time. There were times when he wished he could avoid the responsibility of being a warden.

 

'I'd honestly rather eat at home,' he admitted, though didn't explain why. He'd had enough excitement for one day and felt the need to retreat to his sanctuary. There were also only a few places he felt comfortable eating at and Vesper really didn't feel like entertaining two wards at once. It would mean he would have to sit with them and keep up conversation for an hour while they ate. Really, he just wanted to sink into a comfy couch and stare at a screen until he fell asleep. He supposed he couldn't sleep on his own couch while he had guests. Damian would need to sleep somewhere.

 

'We need to get you both some clothes to change into before we head home though. Neither of you brought anything with you and I'm not letting you wear the same clothes twice without washing them,' he explained. 'Louis, while we walk could you tell Damian the house rules?'

 

Vesper lead them to a strange elevator with a large glass screen on the inside. He waited just long enough to wave them in before dialling all sorts of things on the screen. He then took out his identification card and held it up to the screen. The whole room hummed and glowed a soft, deep green.

 

'This is a teleportation room. You'll find these all through the city. Come closer and I'll show you how they work,' he said. He might as well get it over with. They would have to learn how to use it eventually and there was no time like the present. 'Each room has its own identification number, you can look it up by suburb or you can use the map to select where you want to go. When you've confirmed and locked in the location, you tap your identification card to the screen and it scans it. A screen will come up to dial the number of passengers and you hit the start button. Normally I'd use a personal portal but neither of you have bracelets yet. We can purchase those on the weekend.'

 

Vesper put away his identification card and pressed the start button. The green glow became brighter until there was a blinding flash. There was a sensation of weightlessness, much like being in a normal elevator but more intense. As the glow subsided they would realise they were in a slightly different room. It was much the same but there were small details that were different and the room was much fancier than the one in the office block. Vesper pressed the screen again to confirm and the door opened. As soon as he was outside he took out his little bottle of disinfectant and cleaned his hands.

 

'Now don't take too long. We're only getting two sets of clothes each and a set of night clothes. You both have have your start up payment to cover it,' he explained. 'Remember, don't stare and come back to me if you feel unsafe. Please hurry, I do wantt o get home soon.'

 

It was a pain they had to go out at all but it needed to be done. At least Vesper has taken them to a quieter area. It was a shopping mall that was decently priced, though it was rather small and not too much to choose from. Vesper had figured somewhere big would have been too stimulating and intimidating for the new demons.

[M-jow]

Please that Vesper was open for them eating home, Louis was relived and when he was asked to tell the other about Vesper's rules Louis nodded, he could do that much.

 

He explained the rules for Damian as the walk after Vesper to the portal. He stoped talking as he watch and listen to Vesper explained how it worked. When the machine started a weird feeling of flying sent a sick feeling though Louis, like he was spinning around and the headache didn't help at all. He too a big breathe as the door opened and the spinning was over, but the sickness was still there though not as bad.

 

Louis and Damian both listen before, the younger guy grabbed Louis arm to pull him alone.

"Come on Louis, we better hurry." Damian said and draged him alone, before Louis could ask Vesper where they would meet up.

"slow down, unless you wanna make a scene with me throwing up." Louis complain as he was pulled alone. Wow the guy was strong, still a bit short, but definitely strong.

"Sorry." Damian apologize and let go of Louis. "It's just that this is my first time in a mall, I didn't walk around in publick up above, cause of my looks, but down here there are wores freaks than me" the guy smiled.

Louis felt bad for the kid, he couldn’t image what it must had been like for such a guy in the normal human world. He had never been looked at as a freak himself before, but it was true what the kid had said, there were wores looking things out here.

They choose to try a store which looked to have just what they were looking for.

Damian almost emptied a entire shelf just to find some jeans, turned out that the kid got a tail too, but couldn't find the right size.

Louis's problem was that he couldn't find any pants in his size with out a tail hole in them, but soon he found some black jeans just his size with out any holes and a white clean shirt. Some sleepwear in a soft color of gray, before he helped Damian finish selecting his clothes.

[Rumpleteaser]

'Yes. The good thing about demons is that nobody is considered a freak no matter what traits they have,' Vesper replied. In terms of looks though, Vesper had been very lucky. He had a strong set of horns and he was quite an attractive specimen. He wasn't the strongest demon out there though, with a lean body rather than the muscle many demons prided themselves on. Vesper's main strength was his ability to handle take downs and use his opponent's strength against them. He may not have looked like it but he was very fast on his feet, faster than any human. It was his personality that didn't mesh with the speed though, he preferred to take things slowly. He actually didn't use any of his demonic powers unless it was completely necessary.

 

The young demon stood inside the door with his hands in his pockets, letting the other two enjoy their time out shopping. They seemed to get along, which was good. It would be nice to Louis to have a few half breed friends under his belt, especially when it came time to leave Vesper's care. With any luck they'd be in the same set of tests and classes, though he would no doubt meet more like him in the classes he took for the next four weeks.

 

'Are the two of you ready? Take them up to the scanners and I'll show you how to use them,' he instructed when he noticed Louis was finishing helping Damian. He explained how the self-service counters worked. They were much like ones humans had so it really wasn't that difficult. Damian seemed excited about them though, no doubt because he'd rarely been out shopping. The tricky part was a special silver barcode that stopped anything from being removed from the store. Once the clothing was paid for, each garment had to go under the scanner, which evaporated the barcode like quicksilver. When it was done, he waved them out of the store and turned to face both half demons.

 

'Okay, my house has no transportation rooms nearby so we're going to have to use my portal. I suppose it can't be helped,' he said, then sighed. He rubbed his hand over his neck uncomfortably then held out each of his hands. There was really little else he could do. 'Please hold my hands tight and keep a firm grip on your shopping. I'm going to bring you through a portal.'

 

Vesper held out his left wrist so he could show them a silicon-looking wristband with a single button on it. He pressed it and circled his hand around in front of him until a ring of fire appeared in front of the trio. As he continued to circle his hands around the ring became larger until all three of them could have fit together side by side. The inside of it rippled like water but it was reflective like silver or a mirror. It seemed to be made of moulten silver in the middle with a rim of fire.

 

'This personal portal works through an old form of fire magic. It's controlled through the wearer's thoughts. Normally it's built for one person at a time but I can control it well enough to hold the two of you as well. Please try to keep your minds as blank as possible and don't let go of either me or your personal effects. If you let go, there's no telling where the pieces might end up,' he explained. Vesper's hands twitched as they were touched but his grip was firm and resolute. He made no complaint about touching them but didn't look at his hands while he was in physical contact with them.

[M-jow]

Louis wasn't sure if Vesper really wanted them to take his hands, but as he saw Damian hold one hand and wasn't being push away, he guessed he could too. He careful held Vespers hand, knowing how much the guy must hated it.

 

This portal was drifferent, it looked somewhat a thing you saw on television. It was amazing, but all Louis could think was: 'Oh god not again' and closed his eyes waiting for the spinning to start.

"Chicken" Damian called out, but Louis focused only on holding on to his stuff and Vesper, while thinking on absolut nothing.

[Rumpleteaser]

Vesper kept his face blank as he felt two people touching him at once. He didn't swallow and he didn't pull away. he just gripped hard so the two wouldn't slip away from him and focused on keeping the portal under his control. He literally held their live sin his hands while doing this and it wasn't something people usually did with three people. He'd done it several times with one ward before but not two. The experience always left his gut clenching and a well of sickness build up in his throat, though that was from the anxiety of touching another person rather than the portal itself.

 

The experience was much like being drunk. If you've ever been a glass of water, you'd know what it feels like to be sucked up through a straw and swallowed. It was that same stretching and depositing feeling that the trio experienced as they made their way through the portal. On the other side Vesper held onto both the young men's hands until he was sure they could stand by themselves. He kept a tight grip for a few moments longer then recoiled his hands. He said nothing as he turned around and circled his hands around to close the portal. When he was done, he immediately took out his bottle of disinfectant and squeezed it liberally over his hands. He scrubbed every inch of his hands and up past his wrists before pouring more sanitiser on them. He'd cleaned his hands three times before he was ready to face the world again.

 

'Please take your shoes off and place them in the cupboard. Hurry,' he ordered. 'Wash your hands too.'

 

Vesper's house was a large, two story affair with an internal balcony that looked over the living spaces. It was wide and open plan. There was a lounge suite that looked large enough for two people to sleep on even without pulling out the bed and a large glass-like screen on the wall that looked just like a mirror when turned off. It had a fancy filigreed frame around it that glinted in the fluorescent lights. Below the strange glass was a sleek black cabinet with a vase on it, painted with cherry blossoms but with nothing in it. There were also two family photographs, one with Vesper as a tiny child and another with him as an adult. Beyond the living room was a divider screen made of silk and painted with a watercolour cherry blossom tree in full bloom. Vesper seemed to like cherry blossoms because there were some silk cherry blossom branches in large vases in the corners of the room. On the other side of the screen was the kitchen and dining room with a marble bench between them. There was absolutely nothing on the benchtops anywhere. Even the dining room table only had a bowl of fruit on it. Everything was perfectly clean. There was no dust and everything shined without a single smudge mark on it. The place even smelled fresh and clean! The air smelled like fresh apple blossoms.

 

The demon took off his shoes and socks then walked over to the front door to put his shoes away. He then hung up his messenger bag and coat on the coat rack on the other side of the door. He certainly felt more relaxed now that he was home. Vesper took a fresh pair of socks out of the cupboard, put them on and went to put his old ones in the laundry. Even the laundry was perfectly clean, though he did tend to go through a lot of clothes and antibacterial soaks.

 

'Louis, I'll show you to your room. Please feel free to make yourself comfortable while I shower. Damian, you'll be sleeping on the couch. It's comfortable enough, I sleep there myself when I don't have guests,' he said. He'd also get Damian some extra pillows and a blanket but Vesper really needed to shower before he did anything. It was always the first thing he did upon coming home. 'In the meantime, please treat this place as your home. There are movies in the cabinet and fruit on the table. You also have your instructional DVDs to watch. The toilet's down the hall and to the left. The bathroom and shower are to the right, please wash yourselves as soon as you get the chance. There are plenty of towels and bathing supplies in the bathroom and you have your new clothes to wear. There's also a balcony upstairs if you want to take a look outside. Is there anything else you need to know?'

 

Vesper waved Louis forward and led him upstairs to where the two bedrooms were. Each had their own lock that worked by magic, just like the light switches. Louis wouldn't be able to lock it until his powers were activated but Vesper wasn't the type to go in other people's bedrooms. In fact, he'd be avoiding the room altogether because other people's bedrooms were "unclean".

[M-jow]

Vesper's house looked stunning Louis admitted as he looked around the big space before the other waved him over and followed the guy upstairs. "It's a lovely place you got here" He said as they walked up, it was just one of those nice things to say it, but Louis meant the complement.

They stoped before what seemed to be a door, only that there wasn't any handle to open it with. "How dose it open?" Louis asked confused, was it like the door at Vespers office?

[Rumpleteaser]

Vesper nodded silently in thanks but didn't say anything until Louis asked about the door. He looked at Louis calmly then then door seemed to slide open by itself.

 

'Magic,' he replied. He supposed he ought to give a better explanation than that but. There were always a lot of explanations to go through with every ward and he'd be neglecting his duty to just leave Louis there. 'You'll find most appliances, doors and almost everything else are controlled through low level magic. Even half breeds can use them once their powers are activated. For now I'll leave it unlocked and you can slide it by hand. The only doors I lock are my bedroom, the basement and the front door. There's a universal controller downstairs for everything else. Just make sure you don't lose it like my last ward did.'

 

'Officer! Do you have a television?! How do I watch these DVDs?!' Damian shouted.

 

Vesper looked at Louis then back at the stairwell. He seemed reluctant to go down there but he didn't say anything about it. He just went down and crouched down to get what looked like a human tablet out of the cabinet under the strange mirror. He took the next ten minutes explaining that it was a universal controller and how it worked. He watched over Damian as the young man played with the mirror, which turned out to be a viewing screen, until he was satisfied the young half demon knew how it worked. He also showed him inside the cabinet, which had a selection of DVDs he could use, a DVD player that looked completely human and a black box that was something between a set top box and a computer.

 

'In future, don't shout out to me. Come find me. Also, my name is Vesper,' he said. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I need a shower. Make sure you have one too before you sit on the couch.'

'Why is that?' the young man asked.

'I don't like dirty bodies on my clean couch,' he replied.

'I'm not dirty!' he exclaimed. He seemed very young.

'You've just been taken off the streets, interrogated and beaten up. That's dirty to me,' he explained.

'Do you think everything is dirty?' the young man asked.

'Almost everything,' he sighed.

'Is that why you don't touch people?'

'Yes.' Vesper was getting irritated but he didn't show it.

'What would happen if someone did touch you?'

'I've already held your hand, haven't I? You saw me cleaning myself after.'

 

With that, Vesper retreated upstairs to finally have his shower. He locked his bedroom door behind him and immediately stripped off, throwing his clothes in the empty laundry hamper. He stood in the shower and tilted his head back, letting out a long, frustrated moan. With thoughts alone the shower burst into action at the perfect temperature, soaking the demon from top to bottom. Vesper stood like that for several minutes before sinking to his knees and resting his head against the side of the cubicle. He wrapped his arms around himself and let the cares of the day wash away. Once he finally felt like he could move again he began to scrub himself from head to toe, starting with his horns. He always worked methodically from top to bottom, the same way the water ran. Every shower was exactly the same and took well over thirty minutes of vigorous scrubbing to complete. His skin was bright pink by the end of it.

 

When Vesper was dry and dressed, he sat on the edge of his bed a little longer. He could hear another shower going and hoped both half-demons had gone through as instructed. Maybe that meant they wouldn't be too troublesome after all. He would have to go down eventually though because he needed to cook them all dinner. Just a few minutes longer. Vesper laid back and closed his eyes, listening to the soothing sound of someone else showering. They had everything they needed to entertain themselves for now. Vesper just needed to be alone a little longer.

 

When he was finally done retreating to his own space, Vesper went downstairs to the linen closet and took out extra pillows and a blanket for Damian. He put fresh covers on then and fluffed them out before finally making his appearance in the living room. He placed the things down on one side of the L-shaped lounge then looked at where Damian had his feet on the lounge.

 

'Feet off the lounge, please,' he commented in an almost threatening voice.

'Why? I'm going to be sleeping here, aren't I?'

'Yes,' he replied.

'Well how am I going to sleep without my feet on the lounge?'

'Listen. This is my house. I'm doing you a favour by keeping you here. Keep your feet of the couch,' he said, his voice raising slightly.

Damian must have realised he'd gone too far because he turned away and went back to his movie.

[M-jow]

Louis watch as the door slid open to a nice little room, he listened to Vesper explain how he would be able to open it himself and where he couldn't go, before the kid shouted from downstairs.

Vesper looked like someone whom really didn't wanted ti have to deal with the extra person in his house, but went down anyway.

 

Louis then use his time to get a look into his room, even though it was only temporary, he rather liked the view from the window above a small writingdesk, a closet, shelfs and a sizeable bed for even a big musle guy to fit in. He was putting his stuff away in the closet when Damian came in.

"Nice room, do you know how to cook?"

".... Why?" Louis asked not getting what the kid was up to.

"I'm starving here and I have never made a meal in my entire life, the guy is still in the bathroom washing germs off, I didn't dare to knock on the door to ask him." Damian explained as his stomach growled. "There you see a practical dying here" The kid cried.

"I don't think he would like we touched anything out there to be honest" Louis started, but Damian did listen much.

"Hey he told os to tread this like oure home right, well would you walk around starving at your own home? Come on you just might as well know that I'm not stopping until you help me here. Besides if you do it i think it might be okay than if it was me, I mean he is your warder after all."

 

Louis sighed deep before he agreed to make something if that would make him shut up complaining.

Damian nodded and when they got down he went back the movie he was watching, as Louis self looked out In the kitchen.

It looked kind of like a normal kitchen he knew, just i drifference design and all. He looked around remembering Vesper would be mad if he touched anything thing he wasn't suppost to and spotted some rubber gloves haning by some towels, he could use those right?

Deciding to do that he put them on before he opened the fridge looking thing. It surprised him seeing so many things inside he recognized, just in a lighter color, he could work with this. Louis found two pots to cook pasta and sauce in. He had before worked at an Italien restaurant and could make a decent meal.

 

He got startled when he heard Vesper's threatened voice from the livlig-room and almost dropped the wood spoon he was holding. Louis started to feel like a kid whom had done something he knew he shouldn't have, but there really wasn't any place to hid and he was a grown man, he shouldn't feel like hidding right. Louis had the food done but didn't know if he dared to walk in while Vesper already sound this mad.

[Rumpleteaser]

'What do you think you are doing?' Vesper said, spelling out every word slowly. Somehow it was more terrifying than if he'd raised his voice.

 

Vesper had come into the kitchen to cook dinner, only to see Louis there instead. It was unexpected and he was struggling to come to terms with it. He didn't know why Louis would suddenly start cooking dinner for them in a strange house. Wait... that meant he'd also gone through the cupboards and possibly the fridge too. What had he touched? Were his hands clean? Vesper repressed a shudder at the thought of dirty hands rummaging through his belongings. He knew it couldn't be helped though. Louis would need to cook his own meals eventually. Vesper couldn't be there every moment of every day.

 

'Please. Please tell me you washed your hands before putting on those dish washing gloves,' he said in and even tone. He wasn't going to yell... He wasn't... He wasn't. It wasn't as if the gloves were dirty. He always washed them too after use. In a way, it was better than bare, unwashed hands on his food. Vesper took a deep breath as he came to terms with what he was seeing. 'Please take the gloves off and wash your hands thoroughly. There's sanitiser in the cupboard under the sink.'

 

'Do you need me to chop anything? There's dargaal meat in the fridge. Do you know how to cook it?' he asked, starting to gather his calm again.

 

The demon used the sanitiser on his hands again before he took out a container containing a meat that was so dark red it was almost black. Everything in his fridge was in sealable containers, even the onions and a type of white, stringy cheese. Everything was organised according to type too, so there was no chance of cross-contamination. Vesper started to move around the kitchen silently, keeping out of Louis's way as he got this and that ready. He lined up two cutting board, one for meat and one for veges, then began slicing up a type of flat, orange mushroom that had a rich scent even before it was cooked. He diced up some tiny golden onions into fine slithers and fried to two veges together before setting them in a plate. In the same pan he added a little meat stock and fried off the diced, blackish meat until it was tender and juicy.

 

'I'm not judging your cooking but we need to eat more than pasta. These are just to go alongside your meal,' he explained as he started to rinse the pan, chopping boards and knives. He would do a big wash after they'd eaten. 'I'm not angry at you for cooking. It was just unexpected. You're here for at least six months so you might as well get comfortable.'

 

With that, Vesper silently took the two dishes he'd made over to the table. Damian practically came running over and looked reached out to get a better look at the steaming, hot food.

 

'Go wash your hands before you eat. I haven't finished setting the table,' Vesper ordered.

'Why do you have so many rules?' Damian asked.

'Why do you want to know?' Vesper asked mildly.

'You seem weird,' Damian commented.

That certainly made Vesper stop. He was the type who tried to his his disorder from the outside world.

'You're in the demon world now. You're going to see a lot of things that would be strange to you.'

'Yeah, but you're some sort of clean freak. Did something happen to you?'

'You're bold for someone I interrogated only a few hours ago,' Vesper said slowly.

'Yeah, but now you're responsible for me. You can't hit me any more.'

 

In an instant, Vesper had the young man by the back of the shirt and was dragging him along with all his strength. He couldn't hit the young man but he wasn't going to to tolerate being accused of being weird in his own home. The young man had to realise who was in charge and who was here as a guest. The door to Vesper's apartment slid open and he shoved the young man so hard he stumbled forward and landed against the opposite door. Vesper's door slid shut again and the demon turned to start scrubbing off his hands.

 

'Hey! Hey Officer! Let me in!' Damian cried out, banging on the door. 'This isn't funny.'

'No, it's not,' Vesper said quietly as he continued to scrub his hands. 'You can stay out there until you learn a few manners.'

'Let me in! I'm hungry!' he cried out, a slight whinge in his voice.

 

It took a lot of scrubbing for Vesper to settle down. He'd touched someone's body with both hands after all. When he was finished he came back over and took a deep breath. He didn't say anything, he just turned off the movie mirror and walked back over to the kitchen. He only got out two place mats and table settings rather than three and set everything neatly at the table. Hopefully Louis's paste and sauce would be done soon because he was hungry. He took the bowl of fruit off the table and took it over to the counter to make more space. For a moment he stared down at the fruit before looking up at Louis and smiling quietly. It wasn't creepy, more like someone trying not to show they were upset.

 

'It'll be just the two of us eating together tonight,' he announced. Damian could eat later.

[M-jow]

Louis's body got tense af he heard Vesper enter the kitchen and bit his lower before turning to face him, feeling terrified og terrible guilty. The guy’s hair was still damp from his bath, and though Louis saw that the men was angry he kind of looked hot with that look.

"I'm sorry I know I shouldn't touch anything, but Damian was being a big baby about being hungry and just wouldn't shut up" Louis explained, but even in his ears it sounded like a terrible reason.

 

He had washed his hands, but maybe not right before putting on the gloves, but he still nodded. "Thought it would be okay as long as i didn't touch anything with my bar hands"

Damgaard meat? Theo hadn't even heard of that kind of meat before, but meat was meat right and he did know how to cook meat. "I can if it like cooking any kind of meat" He nodded again, glad the demon did get too mad at him.

Theo washed his hands and let Vesper take over the cooking of vegetables or the stranger looking things, while he cut the meat.

 

As the food was ready Theo was washing his hands again when Damian came running. The kid really never seemed to get anything, but he hadn't image that Vesper would lock the guy outside. It all just seemed so weird and awkward that when Vesper came back alone, telling that it would just be the two of them. He couldn't help but to start laugthing.

"Sorry I did meant to laugh" Louis apologize, but he just couldn’t stop his laugthed for coming out. The look on the kids face had been prizeless. Louis laugh until his stomach hurted and his headache killing him.

Every thing from today coming back to hid him hard. Oh god he really wasn't going to wake up from this anytime soon. Maybe he was actually laying in coma right now and this was some place in his imagination.

[Rumpleteaser]

'It's fine. He's only here for the night,' Vesper sighed, talking more to himself than Louis. He only had to endure the other half demon's presence until tomorrow morning, then he would be rid of him. He wouldn't have the disturbance in his precious personal space, he wouldn't be responsible and he wouldn't have to think about him ever again.

 

'Thank you. Make sure you wash your hands before using anything in here,' he said evenly. He was relived to see Louis nod. It meant he could eat the food Louis had prepared. Vesper took out a large bowl for Louis to put the pasta in and slid it across to the young man.

 

Vesper stared as Louis started laughing. He couldn't see what could possibly be so funny. He didn't tense up but it certainly made him feel uncomfortable. He wasn't so self conscious to think Louis was laughing at him. It didn't seem like it. He didn't smile though and just went over to the table. He got out the sanitiser from his pocket again and quickly rubbed his hands over before waiting for Louis to join him. He wouldn't start eating until they were both at the table. He didn't want to seem rude by eating while Louis was still cooking.

 

'Do you normally cook at home?' Vesper asked, more to make conversation than anything. He supposed he ought to pay attention to his ward and entertain him a little longer rather than eating in silence.

[M-jow]

Louis sat down when his laugthed finally had calmed down. "Well I'm use to living by myself, and though I eat out lots of times, my mom taught me a few tricks" Louis smiled and tried not to think too much about his foster parents.

 

A loud knock banged on the window. Making Louis turn in his chair to look.

Damian was standing there looking rather pissed off, his mouth was moving but Louis couldn't hear anything though the glass.

Theo rolled his eyes as the kids red glance starred at him, it kind of reminded him of some kind of horror movie, only that he already knew that it was just a pissed off teen. "Are most newcomers like that? or is it just that guy" Did the kid honestly think that would make Vesper take pity on him.

[Rumpleteaser]

'That's good to hear. What do you like to cook?' he asked as he brought some of the food from his bowl and onto his plate. He started to cut the food into little pieces before putting a little bit of everything on his fork. He ate silently, looking down at his food for the most part. Occasionally he would look up to see if Louis was enjoying the food.

 

'How do you find the dargaal?' he asked. Some half-humans found it too strong a flavour when they first came to the demon world, similar to venison but juicy like beef. It had the flavour of the mushrooms and onions added to the gravy too.

 

'Ignore him. He can eat when we're finished,' Vesper said without looking over. 'Some are better behaved, others are worse. It's always a shock for new half-demons and you can never know how they're going to react. You're taking this incredibly well. I'm relieved to have you as my ward.'

 

'A lot of half-demons have been ostricised in the human world and end up in appalling conditions. They fall in with the wrong people and become very rough themselves. They're the hardest to deal with and take the longest to adjust to polite society. They have to go through further classes and training to curb their behaviour,' he explained between mouthfulls. He didn't eat with food in his mouth though. He just spoke one sentence at a time. 'Being a warden can be very stressful. We only have so many officers qualified to take wards and there are so many half-demons brought in each week. It takes extra training and it's very intensive, so you know you're getting the best care out there.'

 

'I feel bad Damian's warden didn't turn up today. He hasn't received the best introduction, especially with how uncooperative he was during the interrogation,' Vesper explained. 'I would like to help him but there is only so much I can cope with in my own home.'

[M-jow]

"Well there are only a few recipes I know of, things like pasta is one of them, others are mostly vegetable, but I'm not vegetarian." Louis explained, it was nice talking to the guy like normal people would.

"The meat tastes great, with the vegetables and all it dosen't over power the dish" He answered with a small grin. Louis loved drifferent kind of flavoured food, and was no picky eater, not even as a kid.

 

Louis turned back forwards the table and took another mouthful of food while he listen to Vesper. It was good to know that Louis wasn’t one of the bad once, coming here and all. Well, he was use to acting, so others would see just how messed up he really was inside, when things went bad.

 

"I'm don't have as much knowledge or experience as you or anyone down here, but from my view Damian it just acting like any normal teen in his age. He dose seem quite happy, even though he lookes kind of pissed off right now. I too fighted a lot with my parents at that age. I don't think that Damian have ever been told things like boundaries before so he is Challenging you to earn his respect."

 

"Why do demons even mate with humans? I get that the underworld can't keep a eye out for every demon so no once goes up there. But why make half breeds?" Louis asked, he had kind of wounded about that for some time now, and it wasn't like the demon stuck around to take care of the baby.

[Rumpleteaser]

'I'm glad it's to your liking,' Vesper replied simply. He picked up a little gobbit of meat with some pasta and plopped them into his mouth delicately. He listened quietly to Louis and nodded when he'd finished speaking.

 

'Are you comfortable using the kitchen when I'm not around? I work late often so I won't be able to cook for us,' he said. Louis would need the universal controller to use anything except the fridge, stove and oven. All the appliances worked through low level magic, the same as the doors, appliances, television mirror and the hot water systems. There was a lot to show Louis, even around the home, but that could come later.

 

'I see. That's frustrating,' Vesper replied slowly. He had no interest in playing that sort of game. 'I've never taken care of anyone as young as him. We always wait until halfbreeds are 18 before taking them from their parents, unless they are a danger to themselves or human society.'

 

Vesper looked over at Louis and contemplated his question. Was the half-demon thinking of his own family? Was he needing reassurance? Vesper knew a lot about Louis and his father but whether there was any love involved or why they had become an item was beyond him.

 

'That's a tricky question,' he said, still thinking of how to reply. 'I suppose it's the same as any couple. Why do a man and woman mate? Why do two men mate, or two women? Friendship, love and lust know no barriers. If a demon loves a human, they would want a child just the same as a demon-demon couple or a human-human couple. There are other reasons too for anyone to form a relationship with another person. Security, companionship or perhaps as a cover. Demons who assimilate into human life are harder to find.'

 

'I can't know for sure but when I see photographs of your mother and father together, they look like a happy couple. I am sure they loved each other and would have loved to bring you up as their son if circumstances allowed. From what I have read, I suspect you are a lovechild,' he explained. He didn't know if it would help but it was the best he could offer. There was still an investigation running into his father and now there was the possibility that his mother had been part demon too.'

[M-jow]

"I can use the kitchen yes, but as i said I'm not all that much of a cook. But maybe if you have a cooking book I wouldn't mind cooking if you are okay with me using the kitchen again" Louis answered looking at the other as he took another bite.

 

"A lovechild Huh... Sounds rather silly" Louis laughed, not wanting to show just how much it really effected him to hear that. Well they had looked happy on the photo Louis had in his room. And maybe Vesper was right, love knew no boundaries. But still... why had his father left his mother if they were that happy together? Had the investigators been close by? Why hadn't he come back? And what had happened to his mother?

There were so many things he couldn't understand, things even Vesper couldn’t help him with.

[Rumpleteaser]

'I'm okay with it so long as you wash your hands thoroughly before using anything,' Vesper answered. 'I don't have any cookbooks so I suppose we'll get one when we go shopping on the weekend.'

 

'Ah yes, is there anything in particular you want brought over from your old home? If you write a list I can send someone to collect a few of your things,' he said before eating a bit more of his food. He was almost finished his meal now and he really should let Damian in to eat his soon too. Hopefully the young man had gotten the message by now.

 

'It happens, even amongst humans. I'm sorry I can't tell you more for now. The investigation is still ongoing,' he said, a note of compassion in his voice. It was a hard position to be in, knowing one's parents left them at an orphanage. Vesper could symathise but he couldn't empathise because he'd never been in that position before. He'd just been around a lot of people who had similar and some very different stories about what had happened to their parents. Louis's case wasn't so horrible. He had two adoptive parents who'd cared for him continually from a very young age. Eventually he would be allowed access to go back and see them but not until the investigations were over.

[M-jow]

Louis nodded, he had already figured out that he needed to wash and it wasn't a problem.

 

Yeah I know, thanks though" he answered when vesper told him about the still ongoing investigation. If they ever found his parents he would clearly have a talk with his dad about all of this.

 

Louis thought hard on what things he wanted to have brought down, that was a hard one. "I'll write a list tonight, but it's properly not all that much, but what is gonna happen with my apartment? and my work?" Louis knew he had been booked for some more photos the next few months, and his contacts would surely be pissed as hell for him not showing up. But hell what could he do from down here? saying `Sorry man, but I'm held up in the underworld and can't make it. Turns out they think I'm a demon and I havde to stay here until they say so`

Haha, Yeah right.

 

"Can I put clothes on that list? I just noticed that weren't many pants in my size down in that shop without tail wholes in them"