For the final time, (Y/n) finished the Latin chant and looked up at the demon standing in the circle. He had his hands in his hoodie pockets, white eyelights lazily resting on the girl in front of him. His dark navy sweater almost seemed to twinkle like the stars in the night sky—though with a name like Outer, she had to wonder whether that was actually just a coincidence. His hoodie was blue and yellow with fluff along the hood and bottom trim that reminded her of clouds and white fluffy pom-poms hanging from the hoodie strings. His basketball shorts were blue with yellow stripes going up the sides, matching the stripes across his hoodie, and on his feet were fluffy cloud slippers.
"Sup kiddo," Outer said, a relaxed smile on his teeth. He rested his hands more comfortably in his pockets, his warm ensemble not seeming to make him too uncomfortable despite the warmth of the house. But then she recalled Dream's comment about him being a skeleton so he couldn't feel the burning pain of the holy water, so she concluded the demon probably couldn't feel the heat.
Outer spotted the two demons talking to each other and his browbones rose. "I didn't expect to see them here." His eyelights returned to (Y/n). "What's the occasion?" She explained the same thing she'd told the others, quickly recounting everything that had led them to this point as the demon listened quietly. When she finally finished, he released a tired sigh. "I'm not much of a hard worker, and I don't do well in social settings."
(Y/n) immediately felt bad for summoning him, frowning as she spoke. "Dream specifically requested you. But if you're really not willing to help, I can send you back." She didn't want to hold him here against his will—both because it was a dick move and because there was likely someone else they could summon that was willing to help instead. Keeping him here would just create animosity they didn't need.
"It's not that, kid." He shifted uncomfortably, shyly looking down at his slippers as he thought. "I just don't think I'm the guy you're looking for." She couldn't tell if he was simply being humble or he actually looked down on himself. She didn't know much about him, but if Dream thought he was worth summoning, then she had to assume he was more proficient than he was portraying.
"Well, I won't force you to stay." She offered a small smile, and he studied her for a moment.
"You're a good kid, human. Can't remember the last time I saw one give a demon a choice in the matter." His eyelights almost appeared haunted for a moment but they cleared as he met her gaze, his teeth in a soft grin that made him appear friendly in an ironically down to earth way.
"So would you like me to send you back?" She already decided she liked him so she was willing to put in the extra effort for his benefit, and as he was only a Renegade, they weren't missing out on a ton of strength to lose him. She could explain it to Dream later, sure her Guardian would understand.
"If it's not too much trouble." He leaned back on his heels, smile awkward. "I'm sorry I wasted your time." She didn't need to see his soul to know it was pure, and her heart went out to him at his clear discomfort with the situation he'd created.
(Y/n) stepped toward the edge of the circle before freezing stiff. "Oh, you're going to hate me..."
Outer frowned. "What's up?"
"I used up the last of my available magic summoning you so I can't send you back until I recharge." Her tone was apologetic but all he did was chuckle softly.
"That's alright, kiddo." He took in the living room around them before smiling a little more easily. "It wouldn't hurt to enjoy easy living for a little bit. I'm on break, after all." He winked, and (Y/n) let out a quiet laugh.
"Demons have jobs?" she asked as she stepped closer to him, holding up her hand against the circle.
He placed his hand against hers and shrugged. "It's a full-time job making sure nobody stabs you in the back." His tone was light, but her expression turned sympathetic.
"Well, if you end up changing your mind or just want to stay in the human world a little longer, let me know. This is kind of a battle ground, but it's still more peaceful than back home." And with him tied to a soul contract, she could trust him not to hurt her or her other demons—not that she got the vibe he would in the first place. He seemed rather laid-back and lazy, and if he wasn't big on fighting like he said, she highly doubted he'd have the energy to hurt her anyway.
Outer considered her words, his eyelights taking in her soul mirroring his predictably white one. The way he was studying it almost made it seem like he could see something that she couldn't, and whatever he saw made his smile a little more genuine. "That's kind of you, human."
She recited the soul contract to him, and once he agreed, she stepped aside so he could leave the circle. His hand returned to his pocket as he looked around. "If you end up needing help while I'm here, I'll help ya. Just give me a holler." Somehow she didn't think that had to do with the contract he agreed to but simply because he was a good demon. All of them were good demons in different ways, and with each new one she summoned, she grew more comfortable with accepting them at face value. Even Error—a demon with a dark soul—seemed good somehow, and part of her had to wonder if maybe she was just seeing what she wanted to see.
Outer walked over to the couch and plopped down on it, closing his sockets. (Y/n) wondered for a moment if he was actually sleeping before deciding he was probably just resting his eyes. Demons didn't sleep—they didn't need to, and it was dangerous to do back home—but it did provide a boost to their magic and health. The problem mostly lied in their ability to feel safe enough to sleep, something (Y/n) wasn't sure they'd be able to achieve considering their home life as well as the situation she summoned them into. Again she wondered if she was a bad person by bringing them here. Even if they were willing to help, that made her no different than Waylon.
"Outer does not wish to help?" Dream asked, making the girl jump at his sudden appearance behind her.
"He said he wasn't the guy for the job," she said, glancing up at him. His chest was nearly against her back as he held his hands behind his back, his posture customarily straight. "I'm going to send him back once I have the magic for it."
He frowned at the news. "I will speak with him. Hopefully he will reconsider."
"Is he actually powerful?"
He glanced down at her, his head nearly directly above hers so she was looking straight up at him. "Of course. All demons are."
"But he doesn't think he's powerful enough for this." Her frown made him pause for a moment.
"He is." His eyelights bounced up to Outer before returning to her. "He simply lacks confidence in his abilities." The poor cinnamon roll. He chuckled. "Cinnamon roll?"
Her cheeks warmed as she nervously looked away. "He just seems so sweet and innocent." Similar to Dream in a way, but whereas Outer lacked confidence, Dream knew what he was capable of. Dream could be sweet or badass depending on what he needed to be in that moment.
"I suppose in a sense you are correct, then." Dream looked back at Outer with a soft smile. "A cinnamon roll. Heh."
"[Dream?]"
"[Yes, bellator?]" (Y/n) tried to ignore the affection in his mental tone but it still made her heart warm. He glanced down at her sudden change in mood, and she quickly looked away as if that would prevent him from feeling her emotions.
"[Are we cool after...?]" Her thoughts drifted to their spat and he let out a silent sigh.
"[I still wish you had considered how your words were coming across before you said them.]" She knew now how she came across was aggressive, but in the moment she didn't consider that how she said it would lead him to take it so poorly. Hindsight being 20/20, all she could do now was smile apologetically as she turned to face him, her chest brushing against his due to his closeness.
"[I'm sorry. It wasn't intentional.]"
"[I know, bellator. Your heart is in the right place.]" His smile was warm, and she couldn't help but mirror it. It made the skin around her eyes crinkle, and it had to be the first time he'd seen her smile quite so genuinely. His sockets widened before his cheekbones dusted gold. "[Beautiful...]" Her eyes widened as he quickly masked his thoughts, clearing his throat to resume acting composed. "[If there is nothing else you wish to discuss about the topic, I am willing to put this in the past so we can attend to more pressing matters.]"
"[I like that idea.]" A pause. "[But I feel like we should talk about the whole soul fucking thing.]" Her smile turned mildly mischievous, and he let out another more playful sigh.
"[We did not truly soul bond, summoner.]"
"[You said you'd 'show me' what a real soul bond is~]" Her teasing was unexpected, but he didn't mind. The tension between them finally relieving was making him more relaxed as well, and it felt good to joke around with his summoner like this. They might be in a life or death situation and their communication needed work, but they were still bound in a way that made their bond almost intimate. He hardly considered himself a funny demon but their chemistry almost came naturally, like they were made for each other—after all, he wasn't nearly this laid-back with anyone else and he never had been. Around the others he was kingly and composed at all times, acting exactly like the Demon King they knew him to be, but around (Y/n) he almost seemed to loosen up like he didn't have to be strong 24/7 around her, and he wasn't sure if that was just because he opened up to her or if it was something else entirely.
"[You wish to mate with me?]" Dream mentally asked, raising a browbone as her cheeks turned cherry red. (Y/n) stayed in flustered silence for a moment as he let out a quiet chuckle, leaning down so he was inches away from her face. Her bravado further evaporated at his closeness, not expecting him to suddenly flirt back.
"[Do you?]" she replied after a long moment. He didn't answer, his smile remaining mysterious, and (Y/n) smirked, leaning an inch closer to him so he felt her breath against his teeth. "[You want to say no but you can't because that would be a lie.]" Her eyes flickered down to his teeth. "[So you do want to fuck me, don't you?]"
He sputtered, nervously looking away as his composure wavered. "[Mating is not a casual affair, summoner. For me to find a partner to mate with is to claim them as my soulmate.]" She recalled him mentioning that he was from an old age of demons that didn't take such things as sex lightly, and a mate to him was a lifelong partner—similar to a marriage partner, (Y/n) supposed, but with a much lower divorce rate. There was something beautiful in that, and as much as she liked teasing him, she would never push him to do anything with her that would violate such a boundary.
"[Well I hope you find yourself a worthy Queen.]" She smiled warmly up at him, and again he simply admired her for a moment. She really was beautiful like this, and for one silly moment, he felt the urge to lean forward and kiss her. It was a good thing he mentally blocked her from his thoughts, as the sheer unfiltered thought would've been most embarrassing for her to hear. But it was true all the same.
"[Thank you.]" His soft grin made her eyes flicker down to his teeth for just long enough that he noticed. She wondered what it would be like to kiss a skeleton. "[I believe I should go speak to Outer.]" He almost looked flustered as he pulled away from the girl, dipping his head in a farewell before walking over to the resting Renegade demon.
Voices from the kitchen pulled her attention, and (Y/n) walked over to see what was going on. Swap was holding some kitchen utensils in his hands as Error poured over his notes, silently glaring at Slash as he loudly talked with Swap. Error spotted the girl and dramatically gestured to the two chatterboxes as if asking for help removing them so he could think, and she walked over to see what the two were doing.
"Hello again, human!" Swap said brightly, stars in his eyes as he greeted her. "I am trying to make my magnificent tacos but you do not have what I need." There were bowls and utensils scattered across the kitchen counter but no ingredients to go with them.
(Y/n) ran a hand through her hair awkwardly. "Yeah, um, I usually eat out."
"If you need to go get some stuff, I can go with you!" Slash offered, his hands crossed at the wrist over his blade as it stood straight up, the deadly end in the wooden floor with his wrists resting on the butt of the handle. "I'm really eager to see other humans."
"Sorry Slash, but demons aren't exactly normalized in society." She sent him a brief apologetic look. Not many people knew about demons and those that did kept it a secret from the rest of the world.
"I have a human form," he said casually, and she froze.
"What??" She wasn't aware demons could do that, even if their magical abilities differed with each individual. He smiled brightly, swishing his sword around in his hands before making it disappear, then blipped out of existence for a second like he was teleporting back into the same spot. And when he came back, he was human. His eyelights changed to green and yellow irises, and he had tanned skin with short light blonde hair, ruffled like a young boy's hair would be. He didn't look a day over 25, and (Y/n) stared at him unabashedly for a long moment.
Slash's smile turned nervous and he shifted his weight as he rubbed the back of his head. "So, uh, can I join you now?"
"Can either of you do that?" (Y/n) asked, glancing at Error and Swap.
Swap shook his head while Error rolled his eyelights. "Of course not. Why would I want to look like a human?" the glitchy demon asked sassily.
"I bet I'd look adorable as a human!" Swap exclaimed, his eyelights shining with the possibilities. Error scoffed at that but didn't make a comment, instead focusing on his plans. Swap was probably right—at least if Slash's human design was anything to go off of. Slash was rather cute as a human.
"Sure Slash, you can come with." Slash's eyes twinkled happily as (Y/n) glanced at Error. "Do you think we'll be safe if we leave for an hour?" It would be smart to stock up on food anyway, especially to heal the demons should they get into a fight, and (Y/n)'s introverted heart could use some distance from the overcrowded house. She was doing pretty good all things considered, but one on one time with Slash would be leagues better than being around all 6 demons.
"As long as you can avoid detection, you will be safer than us," Error replied boredly. "Just do your best to avoid being followed." At her blank stare, he rolled his eyelights. "Just keep a socket out for anyone that looks suspicious. Slash can teleport you out of danger, and your mental link with Dream will allow us to know if anything is happening. If something happens, drop the barrier around the house so we can teleport to you."
"But you can't teleport to places you haven't been," she said, her eyebrows knit together in confusion.
"Dream should be able to teleport to you if you can create a mental picture of your surroundings for him and he can lock onto your positive emotions." He smirked at her obvious astonishment of his genius.
"You're amazing," she breathed, and he chuckled cockily.
"I know."
"Is that why you summoned him?" Slash gaped at her, finally understanding why Error was a part of their team.
Error pinned him with a glare. "I'm only here because I offer something invaluable, Renegade." It certainly wasn't because they got along with him, hence Slash's confusion why Error was on their side to begin with. Slash nodded slowly, shifting away from the glitchy demon to hover closer to (Y/n) so as not to piss Error off.
"I've created a list for you, human!" Swap grabbed a piece of paper off the kitchen table to present to (Y/n) and she checked through it. Predictably, it contained all ingredients for tacos. "Once you return, I will prepare a magnificent meal for us!" A homecooked meal? She hadn't had one of those in a long time.
"I look forward to it." Her lips formed a half-smile. "[Can Swap actually cook?]"
"[Yes. His tacos are particularly tasty,]" Dream replied back in her mind. "[However, they might be a bit much for a human...]" It made her all the more interested to try them, so she brushed his caution to the side as she faced Slash.
"You ready to go?"