The Way of The Tide

angelic

*King*

It was a good day of work. I had gotten my first 5 contracts for the Boss, and honestly... life was looking up. Without all those old memories, though I'm not sure what they were, I've become happier and feel... so much more alive. Wheezy became the best friend any man could ask for! Boss and I were getting pretty close! Mr. Harper is probably the first man to ever show interest in me! The list goes on and on. As I sat in my room listening to music, I realized I was practically living a fairytale. The whole world and more was given to me on a silver platter and all it cost me was my soul!? I smiled sweetly. I'd never trade this life for anything else. Nothing else mattered now that I was happy. No more baking! No more cleaning up after people... who were those people I cleaned after? I shook my head at the memory as I smiled again. None of it mattered anyway! The whole world was right again! I had kept my suit on and headed out to the casino floor to see the Boss and my other coworkers laughing and playing some poker. I sat next to the Boss and watched, noticing something with Chips. The damn dice again. I used my magic to make him lose. He was shocked and looked to me.

"It's not polite to cheat Chips." He flushed a red and everyone laughed at him, it was all in good fun. No one was betting money. Just pure fun. Boss dealt me in, and I pulled some of my classic moves, and no one really noticed. See it's not about bringing in die or extra cards. It's all about the wrists and slight of hand. Plus some magic, but I can't let my eyes be obvious, so I don't use my demon magic, but the same magic I've always used. The Boss kept an eye on me, I kept calling out small minor cheating strategies people were using while no one could really work out mines.

"I knew it! Cards up the sleeve!" The Boss said it so I smiled and pulled up my sleeves, shook my coat a bit. He was shocked to see nothing in my coat. "But how!?" He seemed frustrated, making me laugh as we played. Eventually I won and everyone smiled to me sweetly. It was a fun night. "You're rather good at cheating King." The Boss laughed again, making me smile.

"Oh please, you can't prove anything, you're just jealous you lost!" I laughed with him. He smiled to me.

"Oh really?" He smiled to me. "How about you and I make a bet? If you win in a game against me, I'll  hm..." I chimed in.

"You'll take me out to a nice dinner." I smirked evilly. "What do you get if you win Boss?" I put my hands on my hips, challenging him. He took a minute to think.

"If I win... you make my breakfasts for a week!" I smiled a bit when he said that.

"Liked my cooking that much?" I smiled sweetly.

"Absolutely!" We shook hands, and got down to playing.

*Wheezy*

I watched as the two played some poker. King wasn't using any form of magic I guess. We all sat around and intently watched the two men place cards and move chips. It was really quiet, other than an occasional insult.

"Oh c'mon Boss, you make it to easy." King spoke with a cocky grin as he set down some cards. The Boss groaned as he moved some chips over to King.

"Damn you King." The Boss sighed and they kept playing. It was pretty close, but by the end of it all, King had won without any cheating. Now it was pretty in your face that King could cheat, but you could never prove it. No one knew exactly how he did it, but this time King wasn't winning everytime, some points he lost, and not on purpose. King won fair and square. "How in the hell..." The Boss was completely confused and baffled but he and King... laughed. I smiled as the two teased one another, and smiled sweetly. Boss had never been so happy in so long.

*King*
The Boss and I were pretty close now. Was he pretty scary? A bit yeah, but... when I looked over to this tall fuzzball laughing with a drink in his hand... I couldn't help but want to be by his side. Why did I bet going to dinner with him? Why did I want to? I wasn't sure myself. To be fair I've never set foot in a restaurant. Since we were done gambling for the night, everyone began drifting off to their rooms. I sat at the bar and drank my drink silently. I looked around me. The casino was just the best home I could ask for. The Boss came over.

"What are you doing over here, King?" He sat with me getting a drink for himself.

"Oh, I'm just thinking again." He laughed as I spoke.

"Just what could be going through, My King's head?" I smiled at the sincere concern he showed.

"Just... I'm so thankful for the new life I have." I spoke with sincerity and he looked to me with a confused look. "I mean... I went from being some baker in an abusive home to a Casino manager with a group of friends who are actually really amazing." I smiled to myself. "It's a life that anyone would appreciate. I never deserved your help, and yes I may have paid for it with my soul, but you gave me so much more than I ever deserved. So much more than I could ever ask for. So much more than any man could need." I looked to the Boss who had the most baffled look on his face. "Thank you Devil. You've given me more than I could ever want." I got up and waved goodbye to get some rest in bed.

*Devil*

I sat there with a drink in hand... as he walked away like an absolute angel. The way he just glided out of the room with a royal elegance that followed his name well. I sighed helplessly. Yes, I knew these feelings were going to brew the minute I met him. He was so grateful for any kindness people gave to him, and always expressed his gratitude outwardly, but what I loved about this man was the way he could go from being a sweetheart to snapping on you in a second. I watched as he walked away and King saw a game between Pachinko and Chips, he immediately became cross with Chips for cheating in a game of Go Fish. Oddly enough, King enjoyed Pachinko's company, and I understood why. The two were the quietest and smallest of the bunch. King stood at a solid 5 feet and 6 inches. Pachinko was just an inch shorter. After Chips admitted he was cheating, King smiled to Pachinko and ran off to his room. 

How can someone so angelic have ever been abused?

I got up and walked past King's room as I headed to my office. His door was open as he quietly hummed while taking his makup.

I've never seen him without makeup...

I peeked in but he saw me and used his magic to shut the door in my face. "It's not polite to spy on people Boss!" I laughed a bit at his annoyance.

"Sorry, My King." I smiled it off and went to my office to sit down. Everything about him was so interesting. He was kind regardless of what people have done to him... how could anyone dislike a man such as he? I smiled as I sat at my desk and looked to the Ace of Hearts card on my desk that was his soul. 

The Ace of Hearts was a card that meant things such as marriage, love, and emotions. A card that was overwhelming in love and prosperity. A card that was so focused on family and the home. King fit that description well. He came into my office, in some purple pajamas, and... without his makeup he had the sweetest little lavender freckles over his cheek bones. He yawned a bit as if he had just awoken from a nap.

"I nearly forgot Boss... here." King handed me several soul contracts. He nearly fell asleep on me. I led King to my bed, and he laid down, falling right asleep, the red curtains falling around him to drape over the bed to block out any light. I sat at my desk and silently worked, silently glancing at the beautiful man beside me. He didn't snore, didn't look awkward, he was perfect like an angel. Call me crazy... but he was the most exquisite man I had ever met. What an absolute angel... I heard a loud knock at my door, and it caused King to stir. I panicked a bit and sped to the door. 

"what?" I spoke quietly but sternly to only see Wheezy.

"Sir, sorry, King just told me to ask if you got the contracts?" I looked to the angel in my bed and back to Wheezy.

"Yes I did, please knock softly next time." Before he could respond, I closed the door and went back to my desk next to my King.