The curse (part 4)

Demon x fem!reader || sfw

Waking up by a demon running around the room was a first.

He fucked you three times during the night, excusing himself saying he needed to make sure you were still in one piece and the curse didn’t affect you, too. But you knew better after the first time he did it. As much as you liked his head between your legs and the delicious way he fucked you dumb, you needed rest to be able to take down whatever wards were in place at the bookstore.

But still, you woke up in a foggy state, with a huge demon pacing up and down the room. It shouldn’t be comical, but the second you saw him nibbling at his claws, you broke down in the most hysterical laughter you ever let out. It felt so otherworldly and mundane at the same time, the way he was just… biting his nails.

He stared at you while you held your stomach with a hand and let your whole body radiate with laughter. “Are you done laughing at me?” He asked, a tiny smile playing on his lips.

“Why were you pacing?” You asked after your breathing came back to normal and your eyes weren’t teary with amusement anymore.

His words were like a bucket of ice water over you: “I’m worried. With each passing second you could be in danger because you’ve been here a lot more than any other creature apart from me. I’m just… getting anxious.” You walked up to him, wearing nothing but one of his over-sized shirts with holes cut on the back.

“Nothing will happen. See? I’m completely fine,” you told him as you approached and hugged his middle. He held your face between his too big hands as you sighed happily. His eyes softened looking down at you, but you could still see the hint of fear in the depths of his eyes.

He kissed your forehead and said nothing, staring into the distance as your bodies merged in an embrace that made your insides twist and turn with longing. You wanted to be able to do this outside. You wanted to make out with him in public, you wanted to bring him to your workplace Christmas dinner, you wanted to have him met your family, your friends…

He pulled back and grabbed your hand, directing you to the little kitchenette he had at the back of the bookstore. He didn’t have much, but it was enough to cook a few things. You wondered how he got the ingredients, but before you could ask he was telling you about food delivery. You nodded absently, sitting down on a stool as he moved around the kitchen. It was too small to walk around him, so you stared at his wings as he moved and prepared whatever.

“I’m getting you out of here today,” you announced as he passed you a mug with coffee and a hint of cream.

“We’ll try, little human. But if we don’t find a way out, you’re leaving. I don’t want you subjected to the curse, too, and we don’t know how can it affect you if you stay here for much longer,” his worry permeated his words and your heart constricted. Fuck, you were so in love with this demon.

“Deal,” you let out in a breath.

You didn’t want to leave, but you knew you should. You didn’t tell him, but last night you started to feel a pressure building in your chest. At first you thought it was anxiety, but it didn’t stop weighting you down to the point you could feel it making your body slow. You tried to play it cool, it was nothing, but the worry in his tone was getting to you. You didn’t know how the curse could affect you, and at this point you were pretty sure you were in danger if you stayed much longer.

You sat at the back of the store as he walked around, greeting customers and acting like he wasn’t keeping an eye on you the whole time. By mid afternoon, your body was almost lax, your strength just enough to maintain you in a sitting position. He stood behind your chair and before he could say anything you offered him an escape.

“Okay, let’s try this one,” you pointed at the runes on the book.

He nodded, his eyes unfocused as he looked down. “This is the last attempt. If it doesn’t work, you have to leave,” his voice left no room for argument, but you tried either way.

“But I’m fin…”

He cut you off. “No, you are not.” He took a deep breath, clearly trying to calm himself down, and continued: “Do you think I can’t feel your pain? I can smell it. I know you aren’t telling me everything, but I can feel it inside of me. I can feel how it’s weighting you down.” You stood speechless, not able to deny what he was saying. He sighed heavily. “After this you are leaving.”

You didn’t know what was best, but you tried either way. “But…”

“No buts. You’ll leave and return tomorrow.” His eyes were shining with that longing and pain you got to know over the days. A different kind of pain bloomed inside of you, mirroring his emotions as you thought about another day of him in the bookstore, trapped.

You stood up, planting your hands on his chest to feel him close. And then you let it out, the true concern that was eating you alive every second of the day. “But what if I can’t? What if one day outside of these walls I forget about it and never come back?” Your eyes were teary, and you had to blink fast to get the fog away.

He stared at you, eyes unblinking when he said: “Then so be it.”

“So be it?!” You tried not to sound too angry, but you failed. You were angry, you were infuriated. “You aren’t giving up on us. I won’t allow it.” You were desperate, your voice vehement as you stared at him. You wanted him to snap back, to argue, to deny your statement. But he said nothing, and you held back angry tears.

The muscles in his jaw ticked when he broke the silence: “Try the runes, little human.”

You were still angry, but you did as told. You grabbed the chalk and drew all kinds of runes around the door, it was supposed to create an empty magic space for him to pass. Your anger dissipated the second he tried to cross the door, and failed.

You saw the exact moment the barrier rose up and stopped him. It was like a physical force blocking his way and making everything around the front of the store feel electrified. He turned around with a tiny smile playing on his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

He looked heartbroken if you knew what to look for, and lucky (or unlucky) of you… you did. You saw it every time you left. And it didn’t matter that you could cross at any time, that you would remember him as soon as he touched you… The fact that he didn’t exist for you outside those walls was a weight that he carried on his own, and that drove you insane.

You were in love with a demon, and you couldn’t remember him half the time. It wasn’t okay, it wasn’t fair… But there was still a ray of hope on the horizon. Maybe you two got what you needed, maybe the curse lifted and just presented itself in a different manner.

“I’m going to walk through that door and I’m going to remember you,” you voiced out loud. You tried to manifest it with all your heart, with your whole soul… but there was a burning doubt inside your chest.

“Sure.” He didn’t sound sure at all, you could see the spark of hope leaving his eyes as he stared into the empty space of the door.

You kissed him one last time, lingering a bit more than necessary. And then you stepped through the threshold…

A/N: Sorry? (Not sorry.)