Author's Note: Thank you so much to @amelia_talpa on Instagram for this amazing Vandel art! I especially adore his shoes in this fanart, he would one hundred percent wear them!
Also! I just posted my newest BL novel on here called Demons, Witches, and Toads so if you guys would like to read a fantasy romance about a young wizard, his sassy demon boyfriend (who also happens to be a cat-boy) and his pet toad named Mister. Pumpernickel, it would mean a lot if you guys would check it out!
Ridley
Warm water gently lapped against my skin as I sunk deeper into the large porcelain bathtub we both sat in. Vandel had decided we needed to properly bathe after the events of the last few hours and had managed to sneak me through the castle (a skill we had both gotten quite good at).
I sat with my back to Vandel in the water as he ran his hands through my hair, rubbing in some kind of shampoo that smelled strongly of lavender.
My skin felt warm and flushed and I couldn't tell if it was from the bath or from how intimately we were sitting.
I felt Vandel let out a small laugh beside my ear.
"Stop fidgeting," he murmured. "How am I supposed to properly wash your hair if you can't keep still?"
"I'm not fidgeting," I mumbled.
"Yes you are! You keep squirming like a kitten that doesn't want to get washed. Relax, a little scented shampoo won't kill you. In fact, you should be thanking me. Judging from your hair, Alterian beauty practices are waaaaaaaaaay less advanced than the demon kingdoms. Once this sets in, your curls are going to look fucking gorgeous! Seriously, people are going to see you and be like 'who the fuck is that literal GOD of a man' and then I'll be like, that's my hot piece of ass and he's mine so fuck off."
I smiled despite myself, trying to ignore the flush that had crept up to my ears.
"Ah, I see. So you only like me for my body."
"You know it, sweetheart! I've been ogling that six pack of yours for years." He kissed the back of my neck sending a small shiver up my spine.
"You did not just use the word ogling unironically."
"Ha, but I did. Whatcha going to do about it, pretty boy?"
"Oh, so you think I'm pretty?" I retorted, unable to keep the smile out of my voice.
"The prettiest." Vandel leaned over, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek before he suddenly dumped a bowl of water over my head.
"WHAT THE HECK?!?! I thought we were having a moment!" I turned to glare at him, wiping the water from my eyes.
Vandel let out a snort of laughter. "I need to wash the shampoo out!"
"You could have warned me first!"
Vandel shrugged. "Yeah, I could've but that would've taken the fun out of it."
"Gods, you're such a dick."
Vandel grinned, wrapping his arms around my waist beneath the water. "Yet you're the one sleeping with me."
"I suppose you've got me there, you absolute jerk." I let out a small sigh, sinking back against Vandel. I felt him rest his chin on my shoulder, pulling me closer. "So..." I said slowly, "what happens now?"
"Mnn, well I suppose we could fuck again if you really want to-"
"Vandel!" I exclaimed, my face going red. "That's not what meant. I mean what happens now...in our lives. I'm a known traitor to Alteria...I don't have a kingdom anymore."
I felt the cruel sting of tears at the words but I bit them back, determined to keep myself together the best I could.
"Actually," Vandel said, his tone suddenly growing serious, "I thought maybe you could stay here."
"What...in the bathroom?"
"No, you dumb shit! Like...here...in the demon kingdom."
"I don't know," I said slowly. "What if you got caught hiding me here? The risk seems too great."
"That's the thing," Vandel said. "You wouldn't be in hiding. You'd be actually living here...by my side."
I stared at him, wide-eyed. "But that's impossible."
"Actually," Vandel continued softly, "my mother came to visit me before I rescued you. She said if I brought you here she'd give you sanctuary. No demon would ever dare cross both my mother and I, so as long as you're under our protection you'd be safe."
"Why would your mother do that?"
"The only reason she does anything, self interest. Let's face it, Ridley...you're far from normal. I mean, what kind of human can just kill Bone Monsters? Obviously my mother is interested in your powers. Gods know I don't trust the woman, but I at least trust that she cares enough about her own plans to keep you alive. I know that's still a huge risk, but we'd at least get to be together, wouldn't we?" He offered me a small smile that set my heart a flutter.
"But still...by having me at your side won't your reputation be ruined? I couldn't do that to you..."
Vandel laughed softly. "Nah, I think I accidentally made it painfully obvious how deep my affections for one extremely stupid knight were when I went into a four day depression after you left. Not like my fellow demons hadn't already been speculating about my soft spot for humans for YEARS. Lord Lyell and Lord Varmeer are probably going to have a field day. But who gives a shit? I'm the bloody prince, I can do whatever...or whoever...I want."
I felt my entire face flush at that, and it most certainly wasn't from the warmth of the bath.
"I'm sorry," I said slowly.
"I already told you, you don't need to apologize for anything."
I hung my head, my wet curls falling into my eyes, obscuring my vision. "I should've listened to you instead of storming out. I know you so well...I should've known you must have had a reason to do what you did, and still I..."
I felt his hand gently brush away my curls and then I was looking once more at Vandel who's expression was so kind and sweet that it sent my heart racing.
"Ridley, we both did things we regret. There's no way for us to go back and change the past. The only thing we have control over is the present and potentially the future. So let's forget about all the shit that's happened and just be together." With that, Vandel leaned forward, gently catching my lips with his own. When he finally drew back from the kiss, he stared at me through lidded eyes. "So," he said slowly, "will you stay here...with me?"
I tensed, unable to ignore the mixture of nerves and a sharp prick of guilt within my chest.
How could I agree to stay here? I would be betraying everything I had once stood for, giving up on my kingdom and living with the enemy.
But then again...everything I had once stood for had been a lie.
I had already lost my kingdom.
I had lost everything. Everything except...
Vandel was still looking at me, his pitch black eyes never leaving mine.
"Ridley," he said softly. "Whatever you choose to do...do what makes you happy."
What would make me happy?
I had never considered that question once in my entire life.
But now with it presented before me I knew there was only one answer.
"Okay," I said slowly.
Vandel quirked a brow.
"Okay?"
"I'm...I'm going to stay here."
With those words, a massive smile spread across Vandel's face. The demon prince quickly caught himself, trying to force a more 'suave' expression over his features despite the fact that he clearly couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice.
"Really?!?!" he squeaked, then coughed attempting to deepen his voice. "I mean...really?"
I gave a small nod, still hardly able to comprehend what I had just agreed to.
Vandel suddenly grabbed my hands, lacing his fingers with mine. "I won't let you down." He gave my hands a little squeeze. "I promise with all my heart, I'll make you happy here."
My heart felt like it was about to burst.
Gods....how was it even possible to love someone as much as I loved Vandel?
Now finding I couldn't bite back my own smile, I opened my mouth to say something when suddenly the demon prince splashed water directly into my face.
"WHA...what the hell was that for!" I coughed, rubbing the water from my eyes yet again.
"I'm stopping you because you were about to say some over the top, cute mushy shit to me and I was going to get super flustered. I just want to seem like I'm the cool one for like...five minutes."
"You're saying I'm the cool one?" I asked, unable to hold back a grin.
"Oh Gods, you wish! Both of us are lame as fuck! Who the fuck falls for their worst enemy?"
"You're right, only complete idiots would."