Demon AU [PRP]

The forest surrounding his village was dark at night, unlike the streets lit by streetlamps in the village. Here there were only tall, creaking trees and moonlight. There were no people out this late, the elders always warned of monsters that came and snatched up little children, possessed adults... Vincent didn't care. It'd been a particularly bad week, his father coming home drunk for the third time in a row, threatening to throw Vincent out on the streets for good if he didn't start carrying his own weight. The child didn't know what else he could do! He cooked and cleaned, he didn't what he was told... his teacher at school scolded him often for messing around and fighting, but he tried! When his father had slumped over and started snoring, Vincent had crawled out of his hiding place under the kitchen table and ran off. He'd rather be picked up by monsters than be there when his father woke up hung over.

His eyes were red and swollen from rubbing away tears; more threatened to fall as he sat down and pushed himself up against a tall, thick tree. Knees pulled to his chest, Vincent wrapped his arms around himself to keep warm- it was a lot colder than he thought it would be. The river nearby filled the air with a rushing sound and the tree leaves rustling above made the forest anything but quiet. There were creaks and groans and odd noises Vincent had never heard before, the boy almost regretted running off instead of tucking himself into bed. Almost. There wasn't anything in the forest that would be scarier than his father, even if the noises were awful. He'd run too far to just turn around now, his legs were sore and tired... the blond thought, maybe he'd sneak back in in the morning. Maybe someone would see him and take him in, or maybe he'd father would get arrested and someone would adopt Vincent... the thoughts were the only thing that distracted him when he was so upset.

It wasn't too often that someone was brave enough to wander through the woods so late at night. Though bravery was just a far kinder way of saying stupidity, and whomever had decided to traverse the wood was indeed quite idiotic.

Or rather...just a child.

The demon peered intently at the young boy through the bushes and smiling a slow, fang filled smile. Well now, wasn't this shaping up to be his lucky night? "It's a bit late to be wandering the woods alone, wouldn't you agree?" He asked coyly, shifting until he was peering at the child from around a large oak tree. He cocked his head slightly, his dark hair spilling carelessly over his shoulder, as he made a show of looking around the clearing. "Where are your parents, little boy?" He knew no one was with the child...but it was good to know if someone would come after him.

The sound of a voice startled Vincent enough he jolted, pressing himself to the tree as hard he could. Looking up at the tall figure before him, Vincent's eyes went wide. Had he... had he fallen asleep? Was he dreaming? There was no way this man was real... He stayed silent, mouth hanging open dumbly as he stared the dark haired man-- monster in the eyes. He felt a chill run through him, the monster's eyes seemed so... cold.

"I... m-my father is at home," he murmured quietly, still not quite having his wits about him. "I don't have a mother..." She'd left before he ever knew who she was, no one talked about her. Vincent had decided she never existed and he had just been given to his father for something bad he'd done in a past time. "...I'm Vincent." He gave his name without much thought. If this was a dream, nothing bad would happen. Wasn't it good manners to give your name first, anyway..? Vincent thought briefly that his teacher had once spoken about that in a lesson he'd barely listened to.

His smile widened as the boy, Vincent, crowded back against the tree opposite him. Such pretty green eyes...so full of wonder and fear. "Vincent~" He sighed wistfully, his eyes half lidded and taking on a far away look. "Little boys shouldn't play in the woods alone. Care to tell me what brings you so deep in the woods at this hour?" He asked lightly as stepped from behind the tree to creep a little closer; taking care to appear as nonthreatening as possible. He had thought that the closer he got to the boy the less intense his eyes would become...but that didn't seem to be the case. If anything, they got brighter and he could see every shade of green.

"Such good manners you have." When he was just outside of an arms length away, he knelt before the child to peer up at him through his lashes. "My name is Andreas." He gave a slight bow of his head in greeting, the rings in his horns jingling softly. "

Vincent tensed when the man started moving towards him. But then he noticed... he was completely naked. Surely he was freezing cold... Vincent would happily give him something of his father's if he asked for clothes. He was shivering enough himself, and he had clothes! Somehow, him being nude made Vincent feel a bit more at ease. He couldn't be hiding anything dangerous in pockets or anything. When the man knelt, Vincent shifted forward and sit on his knees.

"My father got drunk again, he got mad at me and I ran away," he said quietly, sniffing his nose to stop it from running. "A...Andre?" Vincent asked with furrowed brows. It was a nice name, so he must be a nice person... and he had horns! Vincent had seen pictures on books, drawn in ink, horns just like these. In person, they were much more detailed, black rungs twisting around the curved horns. He wanted to reach out and touch them. "C-can I touch your horns..?" he asked, a hand already half outstretched.

Andreas resisted the urge to reach forward and touch. It wouldn't do to prod and explore and bite and tear...no! He needed this boy for far more important things than sating his own curiosity. But oh...it'd be so easy to simply take him. He opened up so easily...so beautifully. Those green, green eyes curiously taking him in...

"Adults can be so cruel." He sighed, giving in and reaching across to run his fingers through dirty, though surprisingly soft, blonde locks. "Who could be angry with such a sweet boy?" He asked, though it was more rhetorical than anything else. The boy's little slip up made him smile, his nose crinkling just slightly in amusement. "Hmm, close enough, pet." Though he didn't take very well to being called nicknames, Andre...wasn't such a bad name to have. Like a more modern version of his given name. A small hand coming towards him roused him from his musings. "Of course you may." He chuckled as he took a hold of the boy's wrist and guided Vincent's fingers to his left horn.

Andre wasn't mean at all. He was nice, the calm way he spoke made Vincent's tummy feel light and happy. Even though his eyes looked all wrong, and he was naked, and he had horns... no one spoke so nicely to him. His teacher scolded, his father yelled, other adults were never kind. Andre understood, adults were mean. But Andre wasn't.

A small smile crossed Vincent's face, glancing from Andre's eyes to his horns. His hand was a bit cold, though Vincent hardly noticed it; he was cold enough already, and much too excited by getting to touch Andre's horns to pay it mind. He trailed a finger across the horn, feeling the little ridges, then reaching the decorative cuffs near the middle. He gasped quietly as he admired the pretty things, they looked so rich... "Andre, sir, um... how can you have these, but not own any clothes? Are you poor, sir?" He asked curiously, keeping one hand on Andre's horn but looking him in the eyes with a tilted head.

"No," Andre laughed lightly as he tilted his head into the boy's touch. "I'm not poor." How did one explain the nuances of demon culture without scaring a child off? "Where I come from I am a Marquess." He hummed lightly as curious fingers trailed over his horns, his posture relaxing ever so slightly. Normally the only being that he allowed close enough to touch his horns was his younger brother...and sadly he wasn't quite too keen on physical contact. "I do not have to wear clothes if I wish it and nobody cares. In fact, many people forgo clothing where I am from." He said simply, hoping that would be enough of an answer for Vincent.

"Do you often come to the woods by yourself, Vincent?" He asked after a moment of silence. If the boy did have a habit of wandering where he really shouldn't, he would have to take some precautions. It wouldn't do to have some other demon or spirit thinking that they could put their grubby hands on Vincent.

"A... a marks? That's a funny thing to be," Vincent said, but still grinned. He really liked Andre already. "Oh... where I'm from you get in trouble for not wearing clothes. It's dumb, I wanna be like you," he said, patting the base of Andre's horn and the cuff around it. The blonde pulled his hand back as he yawned widely, covering his mouth with both his hands. He wanted to be like Andre, but he didn't want to be cold. Right now he was cold and tired, so maybe he would see about going naked some other time.

"Sometimes I come out with the hunters, but they make me go back... they say I'm not supposed to come out here. I do anyway," he added quickly, not wanting Andre to think he listened to jerk adults that told him what to do. "This is the far-est I've gone. Are you... going to get me in trouble..?" The boy asked cautiously, tilting his head down and looking up at Andre with a guilty expression. "Father will get mad if I'm in trouble..."

"That's why I don't go into town, people would cause a fuss." Andre murmured as he pulled the boy into his arms and close to his chest. Despite the cold that clung to Vincent's skin, he could feel the warmth that only humans had. "It's not often that someone says that they want to be like me." He commented dryly and cradled the boy tightly against him as he stood. "You're so warm, Vincent." He sighed happily as he started back towards the town the blonde must have come from.

Sometimes...he wished he could feel that warmth all the time. Not just when he stole it from unsuspecting humans, he wanted to feel it seep into his bones. Wanted it for his own...but all in due time; if things went well with the boy.

"You certainly are brave, to come out here all on your own." So naive. "Though I'm sure they mean to keep you safe." He ducked and weaved through the trees until he could start to see the lights of the village through the folliage. "But I'll make sure no harm befalls you." He said softly, burying his nose into the child's fair hair before setting him down. "And you're secret is safe with me." He brought a finger up to his lips and smiled mischievously. "Come visit me again, pet. Whenever you please." He took up a small hand and pressed his lips to the inside of the others wrist. Through his lowered lashes he watched as a small, dark, spiralling mark bloomed on the tanned skin. "Keep that a secret and we can talk whenever you'd like." He hummed before nudging the boy towards the village.

Vincent welcomed Andre pulling him in closer. He instinctively wrapped his arms around the man, hiding hide face in his neck for a moment to try to warm his nose. "People are mean," he said quietly, wishing he could stay right here forever. If someone else saw them, surely they'd think Andre was going to abduct him... Vincent didn't care; he felt safe and like he'd made a friend. Andre wouldn't hurt him. Even if he did take him away, Vincent was positive it'd be to somewhere nicer. The blonde let himself relax against Andre, sighing softly as he saw the lights of the town approaching him.

Vincent gave Andre a sleepy grin when he set him down. No one had ever called him brave before, it was better than being called stupid or lazy or worthless. Watching Andre curiously, Vincent looked at his wrist slowly then back to Andre. Pet? What an odd nickname... it was nice, though. "I won't tell 'nybody, not even my father or my teacher," he said eagerly, voice hushed. With the nudge, he glanced down at his wrist once more, then started to head back into his home. After only a step, he halted and turned back to Andre. He quickly wrapped his arms around Andre's neck again, pulling him into a hug. "I promise, I'll be back as soon as I can! Don't forget 'bout me, okay?" With one last smile, Vincent turned and headed back into his village.

Andre tensed as he was pulled into a hug, his eyes widening in surprise. He quickly relaxed though as he hugged the other close, enjoying the warmth while he still could. "I won't forget you, Vincent. There's no need to fret." He skimmed his lips along the boy's hairline before pressing a swift kiss to his forehead. "Hurry along now." He returned the smile and gave a slight wave as Vincent started back towards the village.

Without looking away from the boy's disappearing form he called out, "I know you're there. Why are you hiding, Zacharie?" There was rustling off to his left and he turned his head just to see his little brother emerge from the bushes. "Didn't seem like you'd want to be disturbed." The younger demon said simply, blowing his long bangs from out of his eyes. Andre regarded his brother fondly before turning to take him into his arms, despite the grumbled protests. "I promised you a lesson tonight, did I not?" He asked, tilting Zacharie's head back and cradling the weight of his head in his hands. "You did, and I'm holding you to your promise, Andreas." The smaller of the two huffed, though took his brother's hand when it was offered all the same. "I would never break a promise to you, petit." Andre grinned as he started to lead them back into the depths of the woods. Zacharie trailed along behind, though his gaze was turned to where the little boy had gone off in, an uncertain frown on his face.

Vincent hadn't spoken a word of Andre to anyone after he returned home. He was giddy the whole next day, excited to wait until the night to sneak off and look for Andre again. It was only natural that he get forced to help the old ladies down the street with laundry, and by the time he was done his fingers were pruned and he was too tired to do anything more than trudge home and go to bed.

But they did meet again, and again, and quite frequently from that day forward. Vincent wasn't sure what the mark Andre left on his wrist was, but he didn't care ask anyone in town, and didn't want Andre to think him stupid if he asked. He, he admired it silently when he was alone. It was like a gift.

Even as Vincent grew older, he never stopped coming to visit Andre. Sometimes it was harder for him to sneak out, especially now that he was nearing the age of manhood. Even if none of the girls in the village were interested, he had more duties, he was kept busier. He'd even taken on an apprenticeship once his basic schooling was complete. It took up a lot of his time, but today was special. Bundled up in a coat, Vincent left the village just before the sun had set completely. "Forgot to check all the rabbit traps," he'd told the old man that lived near the gate. He had a reputation for misbehaving, but he'd never been forbidden from going out into the forest. And on his birthday, he was glad for that. He had another few years before he was officially a man in the eyes of the village, and then it'd be even harder to go visit Andre.

Vincent briefly wondered how Andre would respond to Vincent asking to live with him. As the blonde wandered out far enough, he settled in leaning against a tree and waited, arms crossed to keep himself warm. He hoped Andre hadn't forgotten his birthday.

Andre had been told on countless occasions that he had the patience of a saint. Though it was normally said with a sneer or spat out as some sort of curse; he had always considered it one of his finer traits. All good things came in time and those who couldn't wait would miss out.

He had waited and watched as Vincent grew from a small, shy boy seeking attention into the cusps of adulthood. He had savored every new and exciting moment as if they were the greatest of delicacies. Taking pleasure in teaching the boy all that he knew of the forest, and the world, around them. Though it wasn't as easy as he made it out to be. Patient he was but selfless he was not. Each day it seemed to grow harder and harder to not simply devour the boy whole.

But today was a rather special day for his darling human.

"Couldn't you have shown up a little later?" Andre complained around a big, jaw popping yawn from his perch on the branch above Vincent's head. "You know I prefer meeting at night." He clasped his hands together over the branch and resting his cheek on them. Despite his complaining he gave the blonde an indulgent smile before he all but rolled off of the branch to fall in a crouch before the human. "Hello, Vincent."

Vincent glanced up as soon as he heard Andre's voice, breath catching in his throat as he broke into a wide grin. "Andre!" he chirped, rubbing his own arms for a moment then reaching out and taking Andre's hands in his own. "I'm sorry, I know you don' like it when the sun's out... s'hard to get out later, plus it's freezing!" He said, hoping to warm Andre's hands in his own. The black haired demon always tended to feel chilled, so the blonde felt a need to try to warm him up whenever he could. "How've you been? That brother of yours stayin' out of trouble? Anything fun goin' on in the demon world? M'guessing it isn't so cold over there, seeing as you haven't frozen your d..."

Normally Vincent had at least ten questions for Andre whenever he saw him, he just go so excited he ended up asking them all at once. But today he cut himself off, realizing what he was about to say, and glancing downwards. No, Andre's bits certainly hadn't frozen off. But Vincent did feel a tinge of heat in his cheeks now, and he looked away, flustered.

"...R-really, it'd probably be better if you wore something...winter and all..." Vincent mumbled, his explanation hollow. He would rather lie than tell Andre he was embarrassed.

"Hmmn, I don't feel particularly cold." Andre hummed as he laced their fingers together and gave a gentle squeeze, enjoying the warmth all the same. He settled cross legged across from Vincent and prepared himself for the barrage of questions that were guaranteed to start....now. The demon smiled as the blonde started prattling as if on cue.

"I've been well, nothing of great interest to report. Zacharie is also well, he's been busy with his studies." Though he was proud of his baby brother's interest in magic he admitted to feeling a bit abandoned. He rarely saw Zacharie anymore. "I doubt my idea of fun is anything that you'd be particularly interested in...but no. But nothing fun has been going on, just other demons squabbling over land and such. The weather surrounding my land is what you would consider tepid so no," He eyed Vincent in amusement, fully aware of where the sudden bout of embarrassment had come from. "My dick is not frozen." He grinned and chuckled deeply as he stretched his legs out in front of him and to either side of Vincent. "You know I prefer to be bare...but if it's bothering you...?" He cocked his head slightly and looked over at the other with wide eyes full of faux innocence.

"G-glad to hear everything is good on your front..." Vincent mumbled, face reddening further as Andre stretched his legs out. There was no way he wasn't doing that on purpose! Vincent shot Andre a glare and pout, then took interest in the sky above them. It was a plain, boring grey. Very interesting. "It's not bothering-" Vincent voice cracked, he coughed loudly in hopes of Andre not hearing it-- "It's not bothering me, I-I, um... it's just, I... i-it's not appropriate, right? Adults aren't s'posed to be naked around each other unless they're married and living together, and we're, um, I'm..." trailing off, Vincent looked down and into Andre's light eyes, giving him a pleading look.

"I'm going to be an adult soon, s-so I figured I should start acting like an adult should..." he prayed it was a less obvious lie. Andre was particularly good at telling when he was lying and that put a pt of worry in Vincent's stomach. He'd never tell Andre he enjoyed Andre's naked presence more than the presence of any of the village girls, dressed or not.

That, made Andre frown. "Don't say such things." He said softly, shifting so he could kneel directly in front of the teenager. "What happened to the sweet boy that wanted to run around the woods naked with me because 'Clothes were dumb'?" He asked, bracing himself with his hands on Vincent's knees so he could lean forward. He peered intently into the others eyes before giving a sigh. "I don't think that is what's bothering you, but as it is your birthday I suppose I can give in to such a simple request."

Without moving, a black, sheer, long, cloak settled around his shoulders and he reached up to clasp it around his neck. "Is that better?" He asked, drawing it fully around his body before leaning heavily against the blonde. So early in the evening even such a simple gesture made him tired. While the material was light and hardly counted as an article of clothing he couldn't help but find it odd...it'd been quite some time since he'd bothered with clothing.

"I'm an a-adult, so I can't do little kid things anymore..." Vincent mumbled, but looked away with guilt. He felt bad for lying to Andre, but he just couldn't tell him the truth. He didn't want Andre to think less of him for his...impure thoughts.

The cloak Andre had made was hardly enough to be called clothes. Vincent could see right through it and he felt himself blush when he let his eyes travel too far south again. Biting his lip and forcing himself to stare instead at Andre's horns, he wrapped his arms around Andre and sighed. "Y...yeah, loads. You're not too tired, right? I don't want anything coming after you..." Vincent hadn't had many encounters with demons other than Andre. The rare few that came after him, Andre had soon taken care of. Vincent knew they were attracted to himself, all that 'being mortal' and all, but he feared Andre could get hurt if he wasn't in a state to fight. Unconsciously, Vincent pulled Andre in for a tighter hold.

"I'll be fine." Andre reassured as he buried his face into the others neck, taking care not to jab Vincent with his horns. "You forget, I am a Marquess. That's a form of royalty...not many beings dare to mess with royalty." He hummed as he all but crawled up into the blonde's lap. He wouldn't let his tiredness get in the way. "Is there anything in particular that you'd like to do? It is your birthday and I said that the evening was yours to plan."

He relaxed comfortably against Vincent's warmth, his eyes sliding closed as he listened to the others breaths and heartbeat. He could even faintly hear the blood rushing through his veins while he was so close. It was a comforting sound as well as being a bit tempting. "I could teach you more about the stars, I could tell you stories of the wars between the demons and angels, I could summon a great beast for you to play with...whatever you desire."

Vincent was glad for his recent growth spurt. He was hoping he'd get taller, taller than Andre, so he could hold him better. Even though his cheeks were still pink, he relaxed against the tree and closed his eyes. One hand rubbed circles into Andre's back, the other kept him close. It was nice like this.

"I s'pose that's true, but one of 'em might get cocky... I'll give 'em a punch to the snout if somethin' comes out," he said protectively, giving Andre a squeeze. Probably wouldn't do much to punch a demon, but he'd sure try.

"About that. I... I've been thinking," Vincent started, biting his lip. Andre gave him nearly everything he wanted. He wouldn't turn this down, would he..? "I... I want to leave. Leave the village and go with you. Can't I come live with you, Andre? I don't want to be married off to some girl, I like you. Not them. Can I have that?"

Andre froze completely at the boy's question, his eyes widening in surprise. "Oh...my dear, sweet Vincent." He drew back to frown at the blonde, his hands coming up to rest on the others shoulders. "I can't." He hated to admit that there were things that he was not capable of doing. "Remember how I told you that there were laws that demons had to obey in order to prevent another war?" He looked down to the little space that was between them, his eyebrows furrowed. "That is one of them. In the eyes of the angels you are not yet old enough to give the consent I need to take you with me." He sighed wearily and reached up to cup Vincent's cheeks in both hands. "I would take you with me if I could, you must believe that."

He looked away from the others face, unwilling to see the disappointment written clearly on his face.

"There...is a way that you could come with me though, if only for a short period of time." He said slowly, running his thumbs over the others cheeks.

The second Andre spoke Vincent knew Andre wasn't going to take him. Shoulder drooped, Vincent looked to the side to avoid Andre's gaze. "I know, you told me about all that... but I hate it there, can't they make an exception..?" he pleaded, swallowing a lump in his throat, eyes watery. He had a hard time holding tears back when Andre cupped his face, looking up at him and feeling ashamed. He was an adult, he shouldn't cry...

Whatever Andre had to say wouldn't make him feel better. He'd decided that already, but he listened anyway, an upset pout on his face. "What do you mean...?" he asked, confused and still feeling upset. "I want to go with you now... no one would care if I was gone, really..."

"Do not cry, petit." Andre said softly before pressing a kiss to the blonde's forehead. If there was one thing he could not handle was crying. Not even from Zacharie (which was saying something because Zacharie was always the exception to every rule). "Only the King has the power to grant access and...it's very doubtful that he would be willing to do so." While he had good standing with the King it was very unlikely that he'd be willing to break a law just to bring Vincent to the demon realm.

"You are so strong and brave." He crooned, rubbing his thumbs beneath Vincent's eyes as if wiping away tears. "Living in that awful village all of these years...I've never met a stronger human." He gently petted the others hair and anything else that he thought would sooth the boy. He hoped that what he would suggest would keep the other content enough that he wouldn't give up entirely. "...If you were to give me permission, I could bring you with me while you sleep." It wasn't much, but it was the most that he could do without bringing the wrath of the angels upon him.