one-shot collection [multi-fandom]

Demons || Ben Hargreeves

When the days are cold
And the cards all fold

It was just supposed to be another Christmas with your family.

And the saints we see
Are all made of gold

The decorations had been hung, the fire was roaring, and dinner was roasting in the oven.

When your dreams all fail
And the ones we hail

Your mother had just turned on the radio for the annual carols.

Are the worst of all
And the blood's run stale

The knock on the door changed it all.

I want to hide the truth
I want to shelter you

A boy of no more than five years old. You'd seen him once, with six other children and an old man with a monocle.

But with the beast inside
There's nowhere we can hide

That's when your life changed, for the better.

No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed

Once a week the young boy would sneak out from his extravagant home that felt oh so empty, and come visit you, sneaking through the back door where the two of you would simply sit and talk until you fell asleep.

This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come

For years this went on, your parents never mentioning the beaten up and bruised boy who would occasionally stay for breakfast.

When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes

Then one day everything changed.

It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide

You snuck over to his house, and saw the monster in action.

Don't get too close
It's dark inside

You'd seen the umbrella academy once before, on TV, they'd saved a bank.

It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide

You'd never think that it was the heroes, the children, that needed saving.

When the curtain's call
Is the last of all

You didn't say anything the next time he came over, no matter how much you wanted to save him, but he knew something was different anyway.

When the lights fade out
All the sinners crawl

He stopped coming.

So they dug your grave
And the masquerade

At age 15 you didn't know why he stopped coming, until you heard the whispers at school.

Will come calling out
At the mess you made

The invincible kids weren't so invincible.

Don't want to let you down
But I am hell bound

You snuck over once more, only something was different.

Though this is all for you
Don't want to hide the truth

A bronzed statue stood in the courtyard, shaped to the shadow of your heart.

No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed

"May the darkness within you find peace in the light."

This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come

The rage and the hurt built up inside you finally burst as you collapsed at the foot of the statue, the words upon the plaque burned into your memory.

When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes

Glancing up to the overcast sky above, your eyes met bronze, and it felt like another stab through the chest.

It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide

He never wanted to be a hero, he never wanted to be a monster, and yet that's all they seemed to remember him as.

Don't get too close
It's dark inside

When the sun had finally set you snuck back home, vowing to never forget the boy who liked lemon juice and sugar on his blueberry waffles.

It's where my demons hide

It's where my demons hide

He was more than a kid in a mask to you, he was the boy who held your hand through your first heartbreak.

They say it's what you make
I say it's up to fate

No one would know that he would be your second.

It's woven in my soul
I need to let you go

When there was a knock on your back door late at night the following week, you felt like a fool.

Your eyes, they shine so bright
I want to save their light

Your heart was racing and your breath was short.

I can't escape this now
Unless you show me how

He was dead.

When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes

Dead men don't knock.

It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide

The shadowy silhouette through the frosted glass door made you pause.

Don't get too close
It's dark inside

Taking a deep breath, you opened the door to reveal a willowy boy who looked like he had never heard of sleep in his life.

It's where my demons hide

"My brother sent me. Maybe we could be friends?"

It's where my demons hide