jigokulogs | closed 🐸 july catch-all

( The first time he spots Megumi, Shealtiel stares for quite some time. It's probably what brings on the explanation from Yuuji, his staring, but that grumpy expression isn't what's bothering the angel at all. It's the familiarity of him in person. Sure, his ember profile had been one thing, but seeing him walking around like that was... a painful reminder of what he'd left behind.

He'd tried to shake it, and for a good part of the night, the fun and silliness of just movies and Yuuji in general distracted him. But by the time it was late enough to want to get some much needed sleep, so many things wouldn't leave his mind. Do you really think he'd be waiting? He's probably moved on. But he wouldn't... would he?

Taking advantage of Yuuji stepping away for whatever reason, Shealtiel makes his way to the bedroom. He's surprised, somehow, by the fact that the beds are shoved together like this, but with Megumi seeming to be properly on his own side, it doesn't seem much of a problem. He steals Yuuji's side without another thought on it, quickly falling asleep even with his thoughts. The overtime's been getting to him.

Nightmares revisit similar thoughts all the same. An old church, his younger self and that horrible, disgusting wing of his... The realization that if it had been gone, he would never had had to deal with any of his suffering. The desire to rip it clean off leading to him reaching out and grabbing on firmly, yanking even as his child self screams that it hurts.

In reality, Shealtiel's hands are gripping onto something more solid than he expected. Something warm, a little firm— he inhales shakily, and reality seeps in more. Someone is holding him, and it's almost nice until the panic sets in. It's not Luci. It's a human. A human, a human— )

Stop touching me!

( The words ring out from memory more than in the moment, but he moves all the same. A violent punch right at Megumi's gut, and then a pull back that has him stumbling off the bed and backed against the wall, his scarred left hand held in front of his chest in case he needs to pull out his weapon.

But he's realizing slowly where he is again, in between panicked breathing that shows a flash of fangs that weren't there before. Right, he'd stayed the night somewhere else... And stolen a bed. )

[ Megumi's dreams tend to vary. Sometimes, they take a bittersweet quality, and he's in his family home once again, helping his sister with the dishes as that tall, annoying white-haired man chatters behind him. Sometimes, he's by himself in that run down apartment again, stomach growling as he scavenges for whatever food might remain in the fridge, waiting for that person to return even if he knows it's unlikely they will. Sometimes - and these are the ones he does enjoy - his mind is a little kinder to him, treating him to a momentary ideal world, where he's surrounded by his loved ones and a multitude of animals. With how settled he's been feeling in Hell, he's been having those good dreams more and more ...

He was having one such dream, a nonsensical one where he's making onigiri for a pack of wolves, when he's swiftly and with little warning socked right in the gut, and that jolts him awake immediately, causing him to roll off the edge of the bed and onto the floor.

Immediately, he's on high alert. It's not unheard of for Yuuji to get a little too rambunctious in his dreams, but he can sense a presence that's very much inhuman, and before he checks who it is, he's clasping his fingers together, summoning Totality from the shadows. ]

Why are you in my room?! [ And where's Yuuji! In his groggy state still, it doesn't catch up to him yet that the angel is a guest. ]

( A canine? Shealtiel flexes his fingers and a circle of blue appears in front of his chest. In one quick motion, he pulls a spear from the center of that circle, holding it to his side in his left hand. Prismatic sparkles fall from where the spear has formed, and the summoning circle vanishes as Shealtiel stands defensively.

His eyes make him look like a wild animal backed into a corner. Terrified, but ready to lash out at anyone who gets too close. )

I was asleep until you grabbed at me.

( There's really no reason to be this aggressive when he was the one bed stealing, but it's an automatic reaction for him. He can't help the way the rage builds up, the way he feels like his skin is itching and burning, like he was going to be cut again.

His fingers grip tighter at the spear. )

What is that thing? ( Totality, he means, eyes narrowing. It feels strange. While his own angelic aura is sparkly, bright, holy, this thing feels... dark, somehow? But not necessarily evil, all the same. And that's enough to make him feel a connection much like the ones he feels with demons. Why. Why, he doesn't want to deal with thinking about that right now, why. )

[ Totality, just like Megumi's own aura, will indeed feel dark and looming, much like an abyss, but with little true malice - not for this situation, anyway. The wolf-like creature mimic its owners emotions, hairs standing on edge, ready to strike. But where Megumi's eyes are piercing cold, Totality has a ravenous look to it, teeth bared and snarling. ]

I don't have to tell you that.

[ As for why he had grabbed the angel, the most obvious answer would be that it's because he was in their bed, and he had mistaken him for his usual companion. That, he doesn't say, because it's rather awkward to admit.

Speaking of said companion ... ]

Where's Yuuji? [ Adrenaline is still on a high, and he's quick to assume the worst case scenario even if there's a part of him that tells him he's overreacting. It's hard not to overreact in some form, when you wake up to find a non-human being in your room bearing a heavenly spear. ]

...Probably the couch, since I took his bed.

( It's alright. He gets the implication enough, and he wishes if that was the case that Yuuji would have woken him up. Somehow the pushed together beds wasn't enough of a hint? Maybe this was a friendship thing?

Shealtiel's eyes are just as piercing, though he's distracted by just about everything. His own thoughts, the way his skin is burning, the way Megumi looks too much like a certain demon prince, the strange feel of his aura (is he really human?), the strange lacking of the warmth that had been wrapped around him for a small moment...

He tries to shove all of it back down, though his knuckles are white from how he's holding his spear. )

[ Yuuji is weird and thinks cuddling between friends is normal ... Extroverts are a different specific u_u ]

[ Megumi looks away for a brief moment, sensing the small apartment for his friend. True enough, he can feel the boy's presence in the living room outside, his aura much easier to sense now that he's regained his cursed technique. The reassurance that his friend is safe is enough to put Megumi at ease, the adrenaline waning off now as he returns to his usual, quiet and muted demeanor. By now he's come to the realisation that the person he was seconds from engaging in combat with is the guest from last night, and someone he's spoken to briefly on the network. He almost reported Shealtiel for harassment on that day, so perhaps they are just fated for misunderstandings.

Megumi eases up, the tension visibly leaving his body. The wolf around him does the same, hiding away its sharp teeth and crouching lower, looking much more like a domesticated animal than a rabid beast ready to tear through flesh. ]

That idiot ... Why did he let this happen ... [ With Shealtiel stealing the bed, the risk of some unfortunate cuddling was present? Yet, Megumi seems to take no responsibility for his own role in wrapping his arms around the angel, almost like he's choosing not to acknowledge it. There's a sigh now. ]

It's fine. There's no reason for us to fight. [ Unless Shealtiel WANTS to fight? ]

...

( It takes Shealtiel a little longer than Megumi and the wolf, but after a moment, he releases the spear and it fades away in a sparkling of prismatic shards. His hand drops uselessly back to his sides, and there's something heavier in his expression as he stares at Megumi.

But words are harder to come by. )

...Punching you was a reflex.

( That's kind of like an apology. )

[ Divine Dog gets dismissed as well, disintegrating into black tar and converging into Megumi's shadow. There's still some tension between them, but that isn't too surprising given that they were this close to stabbing or mauling each other. Strangely, there does seem to be more tension n Shealtiel's end, though.

He's not going to think about how it's likely because Megumi was holding him before. ]

Was climbing into my bed a reflex too?

I don't know, is cuddling up to whoever's next to you in the night a reflex for you? No one warned me about that.

( Two can play at that game! Still, despite his flat delivery, and despite the way he still looks incredibly stiff and tense, Shealtiel has relaxed a little knowing he's not going to have to fight. That nightmare sure was a distraction, though.

And here he is, in clothes borrowed from Yuuji... He crosses his arms after a moment, leaning against the wall where he's standing. )

...I won't stay here too long, so you don't have to worry.

[ There is a reason for the cuddling, but he decides that it's best he does not share it, lest the conversation become any more grating than it already is. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he rubs his temple for a few seconds. ]

I'm smacking him for this ... [ The 'him', in question, should be fairly easy to guess. Megumi eases up soon enough, returning to his usual calm and sullen self soon after. It was just a mistake, so he'll be mature about the situation. ]

Don't feel like you have to leave ... [ He is still a guest, even if they've got off on a strange foot now. ] I'm going to get started on breakfast. Do you want to stay for it?

You're offering that even after I punched you?

( Though it was a reflex, he still has to wonder about that. Everyone he's been meeting lately is so weird. From that demon, to everyone in this place... It's making him so confused.

Here he is, in someone else's clothes, in someone else's home, intruding... But he doesn't really want to leave, either. It'll get too quiet. )

If you really don't mind, I'd like that.

[ There's a slight pause at that, like he's deciding if he wants to respond to that first question or not. He knows the reason he was punched in the gut, and if the roles were flipped, he would like do the same. The petty part of Megumi does think it's Shealtiel's fault for crawling into his bed to begin with, though.

... It's best to drop the conversation so they don't have to think about it. ]

It's fine. Barely hurt.

[ It hurt more than he would like, actually.

Now that he's woken up more, he's also noting that that is actually his shirt with the doggy print that Shealtiel is wearing (and it's big, so it's probably quite oversized). He decides not to acknowledge that either. They should just move on to breakfast. ]

I'm going to make what I usually make. If you don't like it, don't eat it. [ A bit cranky this morning, isn't he ...

Megumi will make his way to the bathroom to wash up after, and then start heading out into the living room. ]

Edited (his name is hard to spell) 2022-07-29 23:37 (UTC)

...

( He doubts there's any food he'd dislike, but he guesses he'll see what it is. Of course he's not going to eat if he doesn't want to, but... He sure ate a ton of snacks last night, and he's still hungry. Always hungry.

That's never really left him.

He takes his time coming out of the room, using a bit of freedom to splash water in his face and calm himself down. By the time he moves out towards where Megumi is, he has a lemon candy sucker in his mouth, the stick poking out, and is still in the borrowed, large clothing.

He doesn't say anything, but he does glance around like he's looking for Yuuji... And then tries to peer at what Megumi is up to, almost like a curious child. )

[ Yuuji will be on the living room couch, sprawled out like he has no care for the world, the definition and sculpture of his abdominal muscles and thigh laid out for all to see with the way he's sleeping soundly with his stomach exposed and his shorts hiked up the leg. i just godmodded yuuji and there is nothing mina can do about it

When Megumi steps out to see him, his shoulder slumps down, like his batteries are draining even further. ]

Can he not ... We have a guest. [ Sorry you had to see this, Shealtiel. Like clockwork, Megumi moves to action, pulling the boy's shirt down and sprucing up his pants so the scene isn't so ... immodest. He starts to look around for where Yuuji had kicked the throw blanket to, also. ]

( He's going to pretend he didn't just see a flash of godmodded beautiful abs just now. Helpfully, he passes over the throw blanket he's already picked up off of the floor to Megumi. Here, tuck in your boyfriend or whatever. )

Ahem.

( Yeah, everything is casual and he saw nothing!! Anyway. )

I guess he sleeps fine even without the bed.

[ Despite how suspicious the morning has been to date, they are not ... boyfriends. Just normal friends. Yes. Megumi accepts the throw blanket wordlessly, the 'thanks' implied in a quick nod. He then throws it over the sleeping boy and starts tucking him in with consideration not unlike a parent. ]

He can sleep anywhere. Even hard concrete--

[ Megumi glances up at Shealtiel now. He's about to continue what he was doing before they got distracted by Yuuji, but he notices then ... the hint of nervous energy coming from the angel, like a bashfulness, almost. ]

You -- [ There's an awkward pause, as Megumi trails off.

He was totally staring, wasn't he? ]

I know someone like that, too.

( Despite the pointed staring, Shealtiel feigns innocence, busy holding onto his lemon candy when he speaks, his other arm folded behind his back. He's thinking of Luci, though, sprawled out in that same exact way no matter how often he ends up on the floor...

Kind of impressive.

Before the staring gets to be too much, he slides away to peer at his clothes that he'd tried to lay out to dry. They're... still a little damp, somehow, and not exactly in the best of ways. But he'll wash them later. )

So... What exactly do you make for breakfast?

[ The change in topic is welcome at least. Any shift from an awkward mood is one Megumi welcomes. With Yuuji settled, he can get started on the meal preparation. ]

If I'm by myself just fruit or toast is fine. But he needs energy during the day and doesn't always wake up early enough to organize himself for food.

[ Yuuji has a much more dangerous role than Megumi does here in Hell, being an Enma officer. Since he can't be there with the other boy constantly, his concern for him is expressed in other ways. Megumi moves to the kitchen now, putting some rice in the rice cooker. ]

Do you take fish?

So... you normally cook for him?

( Is this a normal friend thing... He's learning new things every day. Shifting the candy in his mouth, he folds both arms behind his back now, standing straight and awkward to one side, not really wanting to make himself any more comfortable than this. )

I can eat anything. ( ...Is he drooling already? Yes, he is. )

We take turns. But he's much better than me.

[ It just comes with being roommates, essentially. Though he asserted before that he doesn't care about whether Shealtiel will enjoy the food or not, he does actually want him to enjoy it (especially since he looks ... hungry already?). Megumi gets started on the grilled salmon, cutting and boiling some vegetables to make miso soup. He's making a quick and healthy Japanese-style breakfast with rice, grilled salmon and soup.

So, the air between is still a bit awkward given that they both appear to have quiet personalities. Eventually, he decides he should probably fill it with some attempt at light conversation. ]

Do you ... do any cooking?

He doesn't seem like the type.

( But that's interesting to know... He wants Yuuji food now. Quietly waiting off to the side like he is, Shealtiel fidgets occasionally with his hands. )

I don't, but angels don't normally like human food. I got used to it, is all. We usually eat souls.

( And, since he's had to explain this a few times lately, he follows up quickly: )

We don't kill humans to get the souls ourselves, either. It's only if we're taking them from demons or a human dies naturally.

[ The mention that they eat souls is immediately alarming, but Shealtiel does follow up with that clarification. Megumi can't sense any malicious intent in him. It's still a concerning thing to hear, however, and there's an immediate tension in the room that follows after the angel reveals that. Megumi's dealt with spirits that torture and devour people in the worst ways, after all. It's only natural for him to be on guard when dealing with a supernatural being that admits to eating souls. ]

But that soul's going to suffer anyway, isn't it? They can't pass on like that.

[ If that's true, he wonders how the angel feels about it, even if it sounds like he doesn't have a choice. As he does with any new person he meets, he wants to judge their character. ]

They don't suffer. It doesn't interrupt anything.

( Shealtiel can sense the tension, but he replies measured and calm. He's never had to deal with human concern at this level, but it does make sense, he supposes. They're not taught everything the same as he knows it. )

It's a normal process. ( He finally shifts to sit somewhere. Out of Megumi's way, out of Yuuji's... )

It's only a demon killing someone and taking their soul that you should worry about. Filthy demons will try to cheat the system like that.

[Megumi's usually quite good at picking up on lies, and it doesn't feel like Shealtiel is lying. Things work differently in different worlds. It might be the normal process for your soul to go into the belly of an angel after all. If the angel wanted to steal their souls, he had ample opportunity to do it anyway, and yet here they were still.

The tension seems to ease, and he can focus instead on cooking the salmon and egg. ]

So ... you fight these demons?

...Yes. Angels kill demons.

( Notice that specifically, Shealtiel has never said "I kill demons." Because he has never successfully killed a demon. It's a problem when you relate to them too much... A problem he was trying to work on before showing up here. )

And demons kill angels. We're sent out on missions for certain targets as lower choir angels if there's been reports of demon activity in the human realm, or anything like that.

You're pretty accepting of all of that for a human. Most of them these days don't believe demons are even real. Does it have to do with that creature you summoned?

closed 🐸 july catch-all

BATTLE also some minor cw of child suffering here sorry

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sorry my tag was fine after all srokymjpsorkmyj

squishes your face

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