Crossed (BxB)

Chapter 11

Theo and Val didn't talk much after lunch. They sort of just hovered around the house ignoring one another like two shy roommates.

Theo took the time to go back to his room and study the books he had gotten. None of them seemed quite as mysterious as Heaven, Hell, and-, but they all presented valuable information.
 
One talked about principles that the demons lived by. It mentioned things like who they would marry based on "species"—though it never gave a clear definition of what that meant— as well as laws and rules that they lived by. Not to mention it said most demons casually killed others of their kind, which was no doubt the most scary part of it.

Another book talked mainly about demon emotions. How they were quick to anger and tended to be abusive in any kind of relationship. It said they were impatient and hard to teach.

The third and last book he got, which was also the longest, talked about demon anatomy and biology. Any physical aspect of a demon could the found in that book, head to toe.

What most intrigued Theo about it was the chapter about demons eyes. It was one of the longer chapters and yet Theo still found himself wanting more information.

The chapter said that you could tell a lot about a demon depending on the color of their eyes, almost like something out of a kids fairytale book.

Blue meant they were of some kind of ancient higher status.

Red meant they had particularly strong powers—like strength, speed, and agility.

Green meant they were "valuable", but once again the book gave no real meaning to that term. Theo just assumed it meant they had some kind of generational connection to higher ups or they had enhanced DNA.

Lastly, it said yellow meant they were humanly in their ways. It meant they had a cooler temper and were generally more moral.

No matter how hard Theo searched, however, he found nothing about pure black eyed demons.

The thought of Val being obscure even to other demons partially made Theo feel a bit better about being so kind to him. On the other hand, it made Theo worried beyond belief about what the demon was capable of.

Theo wasn't just worried about Val though.

He also began to wonder how someone in the church, the congregation that he had grown so close to, could possibly be a demon.

Everyone was so kind, and devoted, and caring beyond belief. Theo had known some of them since he moved to the small town in his early twenties. Many of the older members had watched him grow and improve in his sermons and worship.

But now these books were saying one of the members was a short tempered, ill-intentioned, murderous, demon.

The idea of it all made Theo's head spin. A migraine began to form and it wasn't long before Theo had put all the books away, hiding them where Val wouldn't find them, and was laying face down on his bed.

His mind went blank and he was in a sort of half-awake-half-asleep trance. His head pounded and his eyes ached whenever he opened them.

His stomach began to growl as dinner time came and went, but Theo remained still on his bed.

He was sure he had become used to the demon. He was sure the two could at least somewhat work together to sort out whatever it was that was going on.

Now, however, he was consumed by the absurdity of it all. He failed to wrap his head around what was going on.

Worst of all, he realized how helpless it all was. Neither him nor the demon knew why Val was on earth, or how to get him back to Hell. They didn't know who the alleged demon in the congregation was. And now, Theo was unraveling the truth about demons and picking out the lies he had been told.

And with all this he knew he was falling away from his Bible, and failing to do his best on his sermons. It was only a matter of time before the church members realized something was wrong, and the guilt was already eating away at Theo's conscious.

His mind could've went on forever with his concerns and fears and everything that seemed to be going wrong recently.

It all came to a stop, however, when a light knock came from his door.

He jolted up, forgetting for a split second that he wasn't the only one in his house.

The door creaked open and the demon peered in, observing the room for a moment before meeting Theo's eyes.

Theo was struck with a fear similar to the first few days he knew the demon. Now that he had a new knowledge of demons and had uncovered Val's lies, he couldn't help it.

"Do you have something I can use to take care of this" Val ran his fingers through his hair and it caught in multiple places now that it was beginning to tangle, his sharp nails looking at Theo threateningly. "I've been trying to just comb my fingers through it but that's not working anymore"

Theo paused for longer than he intended, and awkward silence falling over the room.

"I have a brush around here somewhere.. give me a minute" he spoke as casually as he could, lifting himself off his bed slowly.

"Thanks" the demon smiled only slightly, "I'll be in here whenever you find it"

And with that the demon left, closing the door behind him and leaving Theo alone with his thoughts.

He sighed, look a deep breath, and headed to the bathroom to look for a brush.

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I'm updating on Wednesdays now 🥳