I slinked into the throne room, looking up at Andromeda. "You have a lot of nerve coming over here. It's almost admirable." she said, without even looking at me. "Look, I have some explaining to do." I said. "Damn right." she replied. I looked around. "Can we talk someplace private? It's like being in a fishbowl in here." she sighed. "Fine. Don't waste too much of my time though, I have some things to accomplish." She walked toward me and then passed right by me. Yeah, she was upset alright. I followed her, keeping my distance. "Into the conference room. Make it snappy." I doubted anything could be as 'snappy' as her voice. "Sit." I sat. "Now what is it?" I pondered what exactly I should say to her. She gets a bit scary when she's mad. "Well, you see...Kobelle kinda cursed me...and I need it undone." She didn't seem concerned. "Look she hates your guts." "I'm aware." she replied, looking away from me with her arms crossed. This broad is the captain of team petty. Jesus. "I need a favor." she chuckled. "When don't you? It's always something with you. You take, but you have this strong aversion to giving." "Look, I said what I said earlier because one way to get this curse lifted is to get her to fall in love with me. I'm still completely against relationships. You misunderstood." She softened a bit. "So what do you want with me?" "Date me. Just for a bit...make her jealous, let her steal me from you...then let me handle the rest." She stared at me bewildered. "Unreal, Arioch. You are so selfish. The ends always justify the means for you, don't they?" "It's either that, or I have to find a way to destroy her. Either way, until this whole thing gets resolved, I cannot fuck to save my life." She seemed surprised. "You...?" I nodded. She pursed her lips. "What do I get in exchange for my time?" "What do you want?" she gave me a look. "Okay, anything but that." I said. "How about you come spend the weekend with me?" she asked. "I also want you to ask me out properly...and in public." "Oh come on! You don't have to break my balls over this." she gave me a look. "If you want my help, do as I ask." I growled a bit. "Fine. Tell me what to do." "Be romantic. Ask me out by the fountain of blood...on one knee." I rolled my eyes. "You are a cruel businesswoman." I said. "Fine. Be there in one hour." I said, disappearing. I decided to go and find (y/n). I appeared in her apartment, finding her seated on the couch. "Get your fuck back yet?" she asked. "Not just yet." I replied, filling her in on all the details. "That sounds like something you'd come up with." she said. "Alright, tell me about asking a woman out." "Just be sweet and sincere. Put that rough exterior aside for a second." I gagged. "You can be sweet, Dark. Ask anyone who really knows you." "I'm nice when I feel like being nice." I replied. "I don't really feel like being nice." "Be nice to her, she's willing to help you...again." "Why'd you say it like that?" I asked. "Dark, come on. You've called on her for so many favors and she's always helped you out, and what do you do for her?" "Fuck her senseless. That's really all she wants." (Y/N) looked a bit deflated. "Alright, so she wants you to fuck her and you do, but come on, I'm sure she'd appreciate something else from time to time...you know, like you being super nice to her or something." "What are you getting at (y/n)?" I asked, growing a bit frustrated. "You owe her this." she replied. I hate the word owe...unless someone owes me. "Fine." I replied. "Just give me some advice." (Y/N) walked me through how she'd handle it and her ideas frankly disgusted me, but I accepted them. "Fine. I kiss her ass and make her feel good. Got it." "Quit being such a brute about it. You like her." "As a friend." I replied. "Liking her as a friend is still liking her. You're so insensitive sometimes..." I rolled my eyes. "Your human concepts of affection are stupid. According to humans if I like someone I have to be sappy about it. Fuck that." "No, you're just an ass sometimes." "Demons and humans are prone to disagreeing about what constitutes as being an ass, (y/n). I'm being a typical demon." She just shook her head. "Be nice." she said, pointing at me. "Trust me." I said. "I do, and sometimes I really wonder why." "If you can't trust a demon, who can you trust?" I asked, getting ready to disappear. "How about a being who doesn't have a track record of, oh you know, flat out murder, eating humans, and all that jazz?" I disappeared. She has no idea how hard it is for me to be nice to anyone right now. My livelihood is kinda on the line over someone getting their feelbads hurt. That's bullshit to say the very least. I scoped out the area until I saw Andromeda sitting around waiting on me. I approached her. "You didn't even bother to change?" she asked, looking me up and down. "This is what I always wear." I replied. "I know, I said be romantic. Dress like you...I dunno, care?" "This order just gets taller and taller." I said, snapping my fingers. "Is that better?" I asked, smoothing out my suit. "You clean up well." she remarked. "Okay, salt queen. Anything else?" "I don't like your attitude about this whole thing. I know it's not really real, but you're making this feel like a business transaction." "It is." I replied. She scowled deeply. "If you're gonna be corporate and cold about this whole thing, then count me out." I closed my eyes. "Alright...dear. I'll treat this differently." "That's more like it." I took a deep breath. Why am I anxious? That makes no sense... "Andromeda, I think you're beautiful, smart, sexy, and charming and I would be honored if you'd be my girlfriend." I said it loud enough that demons around us could hear, but not loud enough to make a scene. She blushed. "I have always wanted to hear you say that. Of course, I'll be your girlfriend." I saw Kobelle laughing shaking her head out of the corner of my eye. "You two." she said. "Us two?" Andromeda asked. "Have fun in your relationship...before too long you'll notice there's a certain thing he ain't so great at. It'll probably split you two up right quick." "She's only mad because she's jealous." Andromeda said. "Jealous? I could have him if I wanted him." Kobelle replied. "Prove it." Andromeda replied. "Go ahead and try to take him from me." "Why would I want to?" Andromeda laughed. "She can't split us up. Just another way she's inferior to me." She pulled on my arm and I followed her away from a now fuming Kobelle. "You know, you're a great actress." I said. "Actress? I was serious." My blood froze for a second. "What?" I asked. "I love you. What can I say?" Oh no. "Did you forget our agreement?" "Intentionally." she replied. "Andromeda, don't do this. You know it'll never work...this is only to get Kobelle to fall in love with me." She said nothing. "Andromeda?" "I know what you said, but is that really what you want?" "Yeah, duh." I replied. "Only to get the curse lifted, then she can fuck herself." "It'd just be shameful if someone went ahead and sabotaged your plans to have that curse lifted if you didn't want to do a few extra things ." "Are you double-crossing me?" I asked, breaking her grip on my arm. "No, Arioch. I'm threatening you with being double-crossed. I'll let her take you so you can get that curse lifted, then after that...you're mine. I've had you and had you escape on me far too many times. I need you." I stared at her for a long time. "You're joking, tell me you're joking." She just smiled. "Come on, baby. Let's get you settled into your new life." "Temporary new life." I said. "Is it really, though?" "Yes." I replied, firmly. "Sabotage, Ari." she sang. "You have some thinking to do." That was no lie. She led me to her chambers. "You like sleep, take a nap." Yeah, as if I could nap at a time like this. Regardless, I curled up on the bed, still a bit wide-eyed and shook about what she'd just said. "You're so adorable when you lay like that." And she's got a sinister and delusional side I never thought a demon like her could have. She's as sweet as candy, but damn...that evil streak runs deep. I wonder what she's going to do when Kobelle comes for me. Something tells me there's going to be a bloodbath of sorts, followed by a period of time where Andromeda and I wouldn't be friends.
