It's A Wonderful Afterlife (Sequel to 'A New Life')

Chapter 13: Vive La Révolution

Remus woke up and went to school as usual on a Friday morning, meeting up with Cortney and taking his lessons. He said his goodbyes to Cortney and went out of the school gates, only to notice Charles' car sitting beside their school in the field's car park. He was sceptical, unsure whether it was Charles's car, but as he was about to step into the field he needed to pass through, the horn sounded, startling Remus. He shook his head and walked over to the car, opening the door and taking a seat next to a laughing Charles in the passenger seat.

"I despise you. Are you aware of that?"

"Think of it as a form of retaliation. Adam, bless his heart, is still traumatised." Charles laughed as he drove back to his house.

"How come you're picking me up in the first place?"

"I was sent by Beej. Also, when we go home, you should take a short shower." Remus didn't question what Charles stated. He took a ten-minute shower, dried his hair, and dressed smartly. He was dressed in mid-blue denim trousers and a light blue marl t-shirt, which the demon had purchased for him when they first met. Betelgeuse appeared out of nowhere from the Neitherworld, giving a short greeting to everyone before entering his and Remus's chamber, tossing his briefcase down and rummaging for more human-looking clothing. He searched and discovered four t-shirts: one light grey, one dark grey, one black, and one burgundy and white. He walked to the next drawer down and selected a couple pairs of jeans, including one in black, one in deep blue denim, and one in grey. It wasn't the warmest of days, so he thought picking out a jacket would be a novel idea. One was the usual striped one he previously wore, and the other was a blue and red checked one with a grey hoodie. He attempted to put them together in a way that looked clever, but no matter what he did, he couldn't come up with a truly nice combination that worked well together. Before going inside Delia's chamber, Betelgeuse snuck out of the room, checking around to make sure Remus wasn't there. He knocked and waited for Delia to open the door gently.

"Hey, Mom!". Delia's grin faded when she noticed Betelgeuse's worried expression and the cowboy hat he wore materialising on his head as soon as she opened the door, just in case.

"Hello, Beej." He walked in, and as he passed Delia, the life coach removed his cowboy hat, showing a combination of gold and light grey hair. Before he started weeping, Betelgeuse sought to grab his hat back and conceal his hair, which was starting to develop strands of bright pink. "Hey. Hey! What triggered this?" Delia spoke softly and soothingly, and despite his perplexity, the demon complied with his mother's request to lie on her bed. He lay face down on the bed, crying and sobbing, while Delia sat next him, massaging his back in an attempt to calm him down. She sat on the demon's lower back, untucking his shirt and softly kneading his shoulders, eventually quieting the demon's loud sobs. She jumped off of him once he fell silent and dragged him into a hug. As he curled up into a tight ball, placing his head on her lap and throwing his arms around her midriff, Delia stroked his hair with her fingertips. She had to rouse him awake, no matter how cute he looked curled up in his tiny ball. She used her hand to open the demon's eye and shine the light into it, causing him to awaken. The demon groaned and rose from his bed.

"So, what was the big deal?" Delia inquired politely.

"I don't believe I'll be able to do it tonight. I can't even get dressed correctly, let alone take a child out." His hair had become a combination of medium purple, cobalt blue, and gold, as the demon stated.

"Well, I'm not going to give you the solution, but I can offer you some assistance." Delia murmured and followed Betelgeuse to his bedroom.

She took a close look at his clothing choices. "Wonderful choice. Match a jacket and a shirt," she said. He chose a deep grey shirt with a blue and red striped jacket before putting the black shirt under his striped jacket and returning the light grey shirt to the drawer reserved for his shirts. "Okay. Now add a pair of jeans to the mix. The demon paused for a moment, gazing between each pair of jeans before returning to the clothes he had previously paired. He opted to combine the black jeans with the first outfit and the deep blue denim with the second after a minute of utter stillness. His face brightened up as he looked proud of himself, the chubbiness in his cheeks seeming particularly pinchable. "Beej, you did an excellent job" Delia praised him. In the mirror, he examined himself and the clothes he was wearing. As he glanced at his mother, who also smiled, the demon grinned. "Beej, you're looking fantastic," she said, and the demon grinned broadly, his hair a combination of fiery orange and carrot colours. He took a couple squirts from the bottle of sauvage on his son's bedside table and was ready to go. He glanced to his mother for comfort and encouragement before heading downstairs. By smiling and nodding, she gave him a boost of confidence. He followed Delia down the stairs and into the room where Remus was engrossed in a conversation with Lydia. He moved up behind Remus with a sneer and crimson and wine red hair.