Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Close to six ago, Meulin Leijon had been in an accident that resulted in the lost of use of her hearing. Becoming deaf so suddenly was really hard for the young Leijon despite being able to pick up sign language quickly. She missed the sounds of music, the voices of her family and friends, even the simple sounds of the pitter-patter of rain or the wind in the trees. After living and trying to cope with her sudden loss of hearing, she finally decided to go through with this crazy idea she had been given by a friend.

That idea, was to summon a demon to help her with her hearing.

The idea of summoning a demon wasn't the first thing Meulin would have thought to do, but after passing by an old bookshop and seeing the ancient tome, she couldn't help it. She was desperate to cure her deafness, plus there was an odd draw towards the book she couldn't explain, as if it was calling out to her.

Walking into the shop, keeping her eyes diverted from the shop owner, she went and examined the tome that sat waiting, like a beast about ready to strike. Before she could talk herself out of it, she grabbed the book, walked over to the counter and purchased it. The book thrummed softly in her hands, as if it had it’s own power and abilities.

That night, she followed the directions and painted a summoning circle. After doing her best to speak the words she sliced her palm to let her blood slide onto the circle, partly thinking that she was wasting her time. After waiting a moment, she was about ready to walk away and leave the circle, knowing that this was a ridiculous idea. To her surprise, the room started to fill with a deep purple smoke a figure forming and slowly solidifying from a ghost impression to a physical form. It had worked, it had actually worked.

Standing in the circle, Kurloz stood at around 6’5 and towered over the female in front of him who probably only just graced the height of 5’6. Bowing down to her, his voice coming out like a deep purr he asked, looking at her with glowing purple eyes. He spoke, both out loud and into her mind, knowing that the echoing usually freaked out humans as they weren’t used to it. “How may I serve you Ms. Leijon.”

Giving a bit of a startled look, Meulin tilted her head to the side as she heard his voice in her mind, not having heard sounds now for nearly 2 years. It was both magical and frightening, the way his voice seemed to ring in her head as if it was bouncing off the walls of her mind. Coughing softly, she squared her shoulders and drew herself up to her full height. “I wish to be able to hear again.”

Kurloz smiled softly as he pondered her request. It was simple enough and therefore wouldn’t require that much sacrifice on her part. In all honesty, all he needed to do was simply repair the parts of her that had been broken, a simple flick of the wrist. He could almost do it for free, but that was not how these things worked, no, he had to take to give and give to take. His smile grew as he came up with an idea, remembering the sweet, untainted taste of blood when she had summoned him. He had his price and when he named it, she agreed with his terms.

“I will give you your hearing back in exchange for the tainting of your blood young Leijon.” When she gave him a confused look he sighed with a bit of exasperation and gave her a pointed look. “Your virginity is what I require in exchange for your ability to hear again. You shall lose something to gain another back. If you do not wish to agree to these terms then my business her is concluded.”

“No, give me a moment to think will you?” Her pale cheeks were dusted with a bright blush at this point with what he was suggesting. It was true that she had never laid down in bed with another so that made her blood pure apparently. After a moment, she nodded, he wasn’t trying to ask for her soul or anything, just a construct of the mind and society.

That night... the mere thought of what he did made her blush madly and shiver, and also a bit dirty since he had used her body. She did get her hearing restored, so perhaps she can live with it. The first week went by rather nicely, her hearing back and her life finally looking back up again.

Everything was looking up and while yes she did have a demon help her in exchange for her virginity, it seems like it was worth it.... Until certain symptoms started to show up. Strange dreams, morning sickness, odd cravings, and a missed period made her worry... A certain test proved her fears.

Meulin was pregnant with a demon's child.

This wasn't supposed to happen! For days after the discovery, Meulin was basically in a panic. What could she do? Terminate the pregnancy? Keep the child and hope for the best? There wasn't a handbook on raising demon babies, and what if it killed her? However... knowing that an actual life is growing inside her trigger something maternal, making it hard to even think of getting rid of the innocent baby inside her womb. After some time thinking hard about this decision... Meulin decides to keep the child despite the father's origins. Convincing her friends and family she had a one night stand with a man she met at a club seemed to work, and they were very supportive thankfully.

However, it did have it's drawbacks. Throughout the pregnancy, she discovered that going near anything considered 'holy' like churches or graveyards, she would feel a sharp pain from her abdomen. Her sudden recovery and faint demonic energy that generated from her womb also caught the attention of a certain group of people. Of course if there were Demons, there would be Demon Hunters out to rid the world of the corrupted beings. They let it pass though and just set themselves to observe for now.

~~A little over 9 months later~~

After a pregnancy that never seemed to end, Meulin gave birth to a son that looked almost like the spitting image of his father, just minus the main physical demon traits like horns. She was handed the child after they cleaned him up slightly, and right away she was struck with the purple eyes. The same ones of the demon, the one that had captured her attention, that made this possible. There was a ghost of a smile right before the child started crying some, whining to be held by his mother.

She knew there would be difficulties with raising the child, a boy who had one foot on earth and the other in Hell. Meulin wanted to tell Kurloz, but since he was a demon, she had no way of telling how he would react. And, if by some crazy odds, he managed to not kill the child, there was no way she could imagine herself living with an actual, fully fledged demon.

Chapter Text

Being born on Earth, Gamzee's only physical demonic trait was the purple eyes he inherited. Even so he was happy and a total mama's boy. One heck of handful for sure, but Meulin still cared and loved him like any good mother would their child.

He grew over the years and seemed to sprout up like a weed, growing from a little baby that she could hold with one arm, to needing both just to keep him up. As he grew in size, so did his energy, which only seemed to become more and more over the time.

When it was finally his time to go to school, he couldn’t contain his excitement for being able to meet other kids. Unfortunately, on his first day, he got into a bit of, a skirmish, with one of the other kids. Gamzee had said that he didn’t belong in a class for babies because he was a big boy, which was true, he stood above all of them. But when another kid tried to tell him that he was being dumb and they got into a fight. From that day forth, he was labeled as a problem child for all of his teachers knew that he was quick to anger and often went to extreme lengths to deal with it.

That night, Meulin had to consider contacting his father, summoning the demon again to figure out what to do with their son. But no matter how much she wanted to, how much she needed the help, she couldn’t bring herself to beg for the help. The summoning circle remained under the area rug that she had gotten, not able to find a way to get rid of it. At times, it seemed to mock her, seemed to be a reminder that she brought this on herself. It never mattered though, as she only wanted to be the best mother for her child now that she could.

Soon enough, it was nearing Gamzee’s 6th birthday, and Meulin had the perfect plan for where she could go and take him. The circus was coming into town and she was going to take her little boy to it for his birthday because he loved clowns more than anything. That saturday, she and Gamzee head out early in the morning, to get to the circus to see all of the different stalls, not knowing that a certain demon was also perusing the spectacle as this one was famed and known, not just in this world.

Kurloz was wandering the stalls, looking at different merchandise and watching different acts. While a lot of the performers had changed since he was a kid, the basic idea was the same, including the little teenage roadies who pick-pocketed different people. He chuckled when one tried and he grabbed at the kid’s hand, making him literally jump out of his skin. Where there had been nothing in their grip, there was now a solid gold coin and the boy looked up at him in wonder. Shooing the kid away, he turned around and took in a deep breath of the sweat and grime of the area.

Having shed his demonic form for one more readily accepted by the world, Kurloz stood at about 6’3. He looked like the perfect businessman, in a nice suit that never seemed to get a speck of dirt on it no matter whom he brushed against. The only feature he couldn’t get rid of was his eyes, which were a dark purple against the white of his skin and eyes. Looking around, he was about to head off to the tent to see the performance when a very soft smell of sulfur hit his nostrils.
Growling, he backed away into the crowd, searching for the source of who it was, not needing to deal with a fight with another demon in front of a big group of humans. It took a few moments, but he eventually found the smell…. On a little boy begging his mother for some cotton candy, tugging on the sleeve of her shirt, small voice whining. “Please mama?? Can I have candy??”

The mother shook her head, smiling slightly at her child, trying to console him in his sadness. It wasn’t too hard as a firebreather came by, spewing a stream of flames that would make a dragon jealous. Soon enough, Gamzee was pulling on his mother’s shirt, trying to follow after the man who was eating fire.

Gamzee ended up losing his mother in the crowd in his excitement to be able to get closer to the performer. Kurloz took this opportunity to get in closer to the boy, to see if he was actually a demon or not. Children weren’t able to be demons because the only way demons were made was if the soul was corrupted, and it had only happened once in all of recorded history. Kurloz watched on, keeping the boy in his sight and Meulin noticed.

Seeing the strange man watching her son set the mother on edge and she tried to force her way through the crowd, but with the sheer amount of people around, it was impossible. Kurloz walked away part way through the performance, gently pushing out to Gamzee to feel the boy’s mind. When he was met by the resistance of a child’s brain, he compelled him to travel off when the performance was over with.

Kurloz waited, listening to the sounds of the crowd and finally hearing their laughter and applause as the performer finished. Meulin was relieved and started to push herself through, but before she could get to Gamzee, he was running off again, right in the direction Kurloz had sent him to. The boy ran into him with surprising speed and strength and Kurloz grabbed him to make sure that they didn’t fall. That’s when he saw the eyes, or rather, his eyes, staring back at him.

Thousands of thoughts ran through his mind as he looked into the child’s eyes, but he couldn’t be sure, not yet. Hearing Meulin coming, he gave the boy a pat on his back, pushing some of his own demonic energy into the child. “Get away from my son!!” She screamed as she rounded the corner to see that it was only Gamzee. Running forward and practically skidding on her knees to check him over, she didn’t see any change with him and the boy didn’t seem any different.

“Gamzee, you know better than this, come on, we can’t stay here, I don’t feel comfortable.” Before Gamzee could start protesting, Meulin picked him up, ignoring his whines of wanting to stay at the carnival and watch the performance. She glanced around, eyes passing over Kurloz who had made himself invisible to her eye, a look of curiosity on his face. Gamzee smiled at the spot where Kurloz was and waved much to Meulin’s fears.

She practically burned rubber as she ran them out of there, not wanting her son to attract any attention or anything. Meulin knew he was special, but not quite how special he was… as well as she herself. Kurloz watched as they left, making a note to check back in on the child in a few months to see if anything had happened. If what he believed was true was what had actually happened, there were going to be some massive changes in the boy.

Before anything else could happen, Kurloz transported himself to Hell, the sound of a clock striking to alert his servants of his arrival. Aranea was in quickly, seeing the flames envelop him as he dropped his human facade to show the true demon he was. Rolling his shoulders he stepped out of the ring of ashes that had made up the skin and clothes he had hidden himself in.

He was an impressive 6’6 in his true form, someone who radiated the power of the second highest Prince of Hell. His shoulders were held high, back straight, showing the dark purple skin of his blood, black bones that were etched over his skin like tattoos. “Good evening sir, how was the trip that you took?” Kurloz smiled a little wickedly, showing pointed white teeth below purple eyes that pulsed with his heartrate. “Better than you could ever imagine Aranea.”

Chapter Text

The last few months had turned into a time of worry and fear for Meulin. Her son started growing horns that tried to poke out from beneath his hair and make themselves known. Those were hidden easily for now, she just threw a beanie on him, only letting him take it off when they were home. The sharpening teeth and hardening nails that could scratch through tree bark with ease were a bit harder. Many nights she took a bit of sandpaper to his nails, trying to get them to remain flatter and rounder, but it was always a losing battle.

Meulin’s little boy was showing his demonic heritage, and she knew that they couldn’t hide it forever.

No one knew of Gamzee’s origins still, so she couldn’t talk to someone to get their advice. She just struggled to give him the most normal life she could with everything that was happening, and for a first time mother with a half demon child, she was doing quite well. She managed to get him little toys every now and then, took him out to the movies, helped him with schoolwork, minus the horns, teeth and clawlike nails, Gamzee was a normal happy boy.

Today was just another Saturday, although Meulin had taken them to a mall for her to get him some new clothes since he seemed to grow like a weed, and also, the park was a great place for the boy to run off some steam. Her gaze shifted around to everyone that passed or so much as looked at her son, a vigilant lioness protecting her cub and ready to protect him should anyone try to hurt him.These troubles floated around her head as she watches her boy running off his excessive energy, playing with all the other kids.

She looked around, not really noticing anything out of the ordinary, though a man caught her eye as he sat and sipped his coffee, seeming to be looking around trying to find someone. The man looked tall, even while sitting, like a giant among men, messy hair was pulled back into a ponytail to keep it out of his face. There was an air about him that exuded a man used to giving orders, she automatically assumed that he was some sort of business man, possibly even a CEO of a company. His clothes, which consisted of a white button down, dark purple vest, black pants and dress shoes, definitely fit the bill of someone who was in charge.

Kurloz felt eyes on him and looked over, catching sight of Meulin who had looked away before she could be caught staring. He smiled slightly, knowing that if he found her here, that her child wouldn’t be too far away. Looking into the playground, he saw a boy that looked almost too big for the baby fat that still clung to his face. His eyes narrowed, focusing in on the boy, he saw the claws, a glint of a fang, the purple eyes, and a dark energy clinging to the boy. His suspicions had been confirmed, he grinned even wider and felt himself swell up with pride. He, Kurloz Makara, Second Highest Demon Prince, had sired a son with a human female, and he would be the next emperor.

He stood, catching the attention of Meulin again, though she tried not to show it. God he was tall, and… oddly familiar. She watched out of the corner of her eyes as he walked over to the trash and then seemed to be heading in her direction. Her breathing caught in her throat and she didn’t know what was happening, why was he coming over, did he notice her staring and want to confront her on it?

Before she could think more on what she was going to say, he was there and sat down next to her, relaxing into the uncomfortable cushion. There was a soft scent of smoke that clung to his clothes, but not cigarette smoke, no, like, a bonfire, as if he had just come from a boy scouts camping trip. Her jaw moved, but she couldn’t make it work, and it caused him to chuckle deeply. At that sound, she gasped and found her voice. “Kurloz?!” Her voice was like a soft yell which caused the people around them to look over.

“What are you doing here?” She asked in a whisper, regaining her composure from the shock of seeing him after so many years. “I’m allowed to come back to the mortal world and explore, watch the changings of humanity, right? You only had control of me that night, while I was in the circle.” Meulin blushed brightly, thoughts of that night always caused her to feel a mixture of feelings. “Well I know I don’t have control over you now, but why are you here? As in here, in this mall, same time as me?” Her voice was kept purposefully measured, worry filling her as she waited for her worst fears to come true. She wasn’t going to go down without a fight, her hand had slipped into her purse, gripping a bottle of pepper spray.

“Hey now, no need to get violent, I just wanted to meet the kid. After all.” He said with a bit of a knowing smile, having already come to the conclusion. “I am half of the reason that he is here and existing in this world.” Meulin’s face whitened still, hand tightening around the bottle, both looking over as Gamzee played tag, smiling and playing oblivious to his mother’s discomfort less than 20 feet away.

Suddenly though, Gamzee practically seemed to appear in his mother’s as he ran over and jumped into them, distracting her and making her drop the pepper spray as she scrambled to keep hold of him. “Mama! Can we get ice cream today? Please?” Asked the boy, his lips pursing as he gave her his signature puppy dog eyes that Meulin had grown immune to over the years. Before she could respond, he looked over at Kurloz, two sets of dark purple eyes meeting and locking together.

Gamzee patted Meulin’s shoulder, eyes filled with wonder and amazement. “Mama! He has the same eyes that I do!! Who is he? Who is he Mama? Why does he have my eyes?” Kurloz couldn’t help but chuckle again as the boys slew of questions bombarded his mother. “I am someone your mother knew a while back ago child, we fell apart after a while. But me and her need to talk now, something has happened that is rare and arrangements need to be made.”

Gamzee’s eyebrows pulled together and he pursed his lips, the longwinded man in front of him confusing him. Meulin’s grip had tightened on her son at the mention of rare and arrangements. “You aren’t taking him.” She whispered as soon as Gamzee became stuck in his thoughts, trying to figure out what he meant. “Meulin, I do not need to only take the boy. I…” He looked around, biting his lip, they needed more privacy. “Is there a place we have that we can talk without others being able to overhear? Some secrets are best kept within the minds of few.”

She bit her lip before nodding. “My place. I still live in the same place the first time we met.” She said, speaking in code just like he was. Standing up, she had to tell Gamzee that they couldn’t get ice cream today, but instead, he could stay up late tonight and watch a movie. Though the boy wasn’t happy about not getting ice cream, getting to watch a movie and stay up late was more than enough to satisfy him.

They all stood together for a moment before walking out, while he could teleport himself there, doing it around so many people was dangerous for secrecy’s sake. As they walked, he started to feel another demonic presence nearby and it caused him to scour the surrounding crowd to find to source.of it. Before he could though, suddenly the demon was in front of Meulin, almost seeming to appear out of nowhere.

"Hey there Meu, been a vwhile since I seen you." he purrs with his wavy accent,oblivious to the demon that had just made himself fade into the background of the other’s mind. Meulin frowns along with her child, who also shown annoyance to the man that kept trying to talk with his mother. "Yes it has, but now me and Gamzee need to go," she says, trying to walk by him, but Cronus once again steps in front of her. "Come on nowv kitten, vwhy the rush?" he smirks down at her.

Kurloz suddenly decided to make himself very well known as he put himself between Meulin, Gamzee and Cronus, a protective nature surging through him. He needed to protect what was his and not let them get hurt by the demon prince who felt that he owned Hell because he was son of Emperor Dualscar. This would be fun, he had always been looking for an opportunity to humiliate the pompous prince and put him in his place, and well, what time was better than the present.

“The only rush here right now is you getting the fuck out of here Cronus.” He stood over the other demon, having about an inch of height on him, something he had always loved. The whites of his eyes glowed a bright purple, Cronus’s mirroring as he got caught in the demon’s gaze. Kurloz had the ability to control minds when he wanted to, the only one outside of his reach of power being the Emperor.

With a smirk, he watched as Cronus’s sneer fade to a blank face and without wasting any time, he grabbed Meulin’s arm, leaving the demon behind. “Fucking excuse for a demon, doesn’t even deserve to be an incubus.” Reaching the outside of the mall, he had her lead them to the car. “We need to get back to your place now, Cronus has never liked me and well, I’ve just majorly pissed him off.” She nodded, unlocking the car door and not protesting when Kurloz climbed in the car with them.

Though Meulin didn’t like having to take Kurloz with them, she knew that it provided more safety to keep him close than to have him far away at this point. The drive to her home was rather uneventful for which both Meulin and Kurloz were grateful for. Upon getting to the house, Kurloz stood in the doorway, confusing Meulin for a moment. “Oh, uh. Come in and make yourself at home Kurloz.” He nodded and walked through, looking around to see that it hadn’t changed much.

Moving towards the couch, he was about to walk over the carpet when he noticed the summoning circle was still under said carpet, a soft growl coming from his chest. Meulin noticed this, holding Gamzee close before he squirmed out of her arms, grabbing a little goat plush and then running to his room. The goat plush made him smile, each demon ‘family and/or bloodline’ had patron animals that affected the way their horns curved or, if they were able to ascend, how their bodies looked.

“It really has been quite a while now hasn’t it Meulin?” He said with a bit of an awkward smile, trying to figure out how to talk this out, despite planning on this for months now, the actual encounter was a lot different. Meulin nodded, sensing his nervousness with a bit of a small smile, it was good to know that she wasn’t the only one feeling uncomfortable in all of this. “It’s been 6 years Kurloz. Why’re you here now?”

He bit his lip, tapping his foot on the floor as he tried to figure things out and how to say them. Finally, he decided to start at the beginning, with how most demons created. “Ok, so, I know you’ve heard stories about how demons work and are created, but I promise most of them are bullshit and not real. This will be hard to understand, maybe, but demons are usually created through the total corruption of a human soul, or by making certain types of deals. We have an Emperor who is supposed to be in charge of the realm and keeping things together for us all. But, there is only one way to become an Emperor, and that’s by finding a Queen, who is someone who can have a child through, natural means. Like our child.”

There was a brief pause and Meulin suddenly got very protective of Gamzee. “If you just think you can march in here and tell me that you’re going to take Gamzee away from me you better think again Kurloz, I would die before letting you take h-” “Hey! I’m not going to take him away, just give me a second to explain it all, alright?” She grumbled but motioned as if to give him permission to speak.

He pauses for a moment, waiting to see if she would interject again before realizing that she wouldn’t. "Can't you see it Meulin? If I bring you and Gamzee to Hell, I will ascend to the throne and become Emperor. It's perfect, the Ampora's need to be knocked down, they have been in power for too long." His eyes are glowing brightly, not the whites though, the irises, showing his excitement at the prospect of being able to be in charge, of becoming Emperor.

The young Leijon bit her lip, having to take a second to process it all before understanding what had happened. Just by her getting pregnant, she had caused a power shift within his realm that could turn it all on it’s head if played out in the right way. Her thoughts then went to the idea of if he planned this, but if he had known, he would have shown up sooner, right?

"Let's say I said yes and let you bring us to Hell, what would happen to me and Gamzee then?" she questions him. She wanted to think that things would be alright, that Kurloz would care for them like a family, but what if he tosses her and their son aside once he got his power? His kind were known for evil acts after all. Motherly protectiveness grew within her, not wanting any harm to happen to her son even if she is currently facing a very powerful prince. Unfortunately, she only thought of the bad possibilities before Kurloz could explain further. Now she needs to soothed down or else she'll refuse the trip to Hell with their son completely. She's also worried on if his attempt to become Emperor fails and the Amporas still remain, leaving her and her son to the wolves basically. That scares her more since she knows these demons will kill Gamzee to be rid of Kurloz's line for good before focusing on her.

Kurloz shook his head. “You insult me by comparing my actions to that of the Ampora. If I am to bring you to Hell, you will be treated with the dignity you deserve, and given everything you and Gamzee need. But your boy isn’t safe here, his demonic heritage is already becoming stronger and must have dragged the attention of different parties who would wish to end him.” He looked her in the eyes. “He will be safer when he is around me and I am able to protect him better rather than leaving him here and vulnerable.”

Almost as if on some sort of cue, there was a crash from Gamzee’s room. Both parents were up on their feet, a growl from Kurloz’s chest and a worried shriek from Meulin’s. Gamzee ran out, clutching his goat plush tightly and practically bowling Meulin over as he ran into her arms. She picked him up and pulled him away. “What’s wrong Gam? What happened?” His eyes were full of panic as he looked towards the door, pointing just as a figure made himself visible.

Kurloz growled as the horns of the Ampora showed in the shadows. The demon had dropped the pretense of carrying a humanesque form and was walking towards them like he owned the place. He's covered in violet scales and adorn with fins over his ears. Shark teeth and lighting horns grew on his head. His eyes pitch black like a shark on the hunt. His clothing is still the greaser getup he usually donned, but the demonic additions clearly made him look dangerous.

“So, this is vwhere you’vwe been hiding huh Meu?” She held Gamzee closer, eyes holding a fire that only a mother can hope to match. “Leave us alone Cronus!” But he wasn’t even paying attention to her, eyes focused one Kurloz as if he was the only person there. “You havwe a lot of nevwre humiliating me like that, Kurloz. Mind controlling and getting near /my/ prey!" Kurloz growled back softly, placing himself in between Gamzee and Meulin and the snarling Prince, readying himself for a fight.

Chapter Text

Kurloz’s growl filled the apartment, seeming to come from everywhere in the room and yet nowhere at the same time. He dropped his own human disguise, readying himself for the inevitable fight that was coming. He grew a few inches, standing now at an imposing 6’6 that even the other Prince couldn’t hope to match. The skin that covered his body melted away, almost as if it was being boiled off it his body, dispersing into ashes before it even hit the ground. What was left in it’s wake was dark purple, looking almost black, his clothes faded into a masquerade ball suit, to match his time of origin.

While all of this would be impressive enough, his teeth also sharpened into fangs, which he bared at Cronus, eyes losing their whites and turning black as his field of vision narrowed. His skin also had black outlines of bones on his body, almost like a tattoo, but, instead of being stoic, they reflected the inside of his body, showing if he broke a bone. His horns grew from his head, standing straight up from his skull and curling softly to a deadly point that nearly touched the ceiling.

“I am not the one that has unearned nerve Cronus.” He said in a voice that was deep and smooth, even more so than before. “Never have I had the audacity to claim someone as mine when they are not. I have too much respect for myself and others to pull shit like that.” His lips pulled up into a feral smile as Cronus looked like his eyes were going to bug out of his head in anger.

The violet demon spluttered in anger, but before he could say anything, Kurloz continued, loving this chance to mess with the demon who was too big for his britches. “Seeing you in such distress is highly amusing to me, especially since I am the cause of it, but don’t think you scare me Ampora. You are nothing more than a spineless bitch that hides behind the skirts of Daddy Dualscar, expecting him to clean up your mess. But, in this world, we are the minority, and no one will come to you aid.”

Cronus had turned an even deeper shade of purple during this time, anger contorting his features as he could barely fathom how this lowly Prince would dare talk to the Emperor’s son in such a manner. Meulin and Gamzee had both backed away, fearful of getting in the way of the dueling demons as it could easily be deadly for them. Unfortunately, Cronus noticed the small movement in the corner of his eye, settling his sight on the small boy in her arms who tried to hide in her arms.

Holy shit… Of course.

It suddenly clicked for the Prince. The reason the boy looked so familiar, the horns on both of their heads. His eyes turned to Meulin who glared back at him even though she was shaking in fear from the demon. One thing was for sure, she would make a strong Queen if she was even willing to fight a demon Prince while only being a mere mortal.

Cronus growled, turning back to Kurloz as his initial shock faded away, being replaced with an even stronger anger than before. “You bastard…. You took avway my birthright and found yourself a fuckin Queen?! You stole my right as Dualscar’s son and successor!!” His fists swung in what can only be describe as the world’s most deadly temper tantrum as furniture was broken with ease, glass shattering as the tv was smashed and falling to the floor with soft twinkling sounds. “You’re going to die for this Kurloz, and I’m going to take her for myself!”

Before Kurloz can react, Cronus lunged at him which he was able to meet in the air, sending them both back tumbling the direction he had come from. Meulin took the opportunity to get out of the way, noticing a dark mist that clung to Cronus and reached out in beckoning tendrils. One actually reached out and brushed her cheek which made her yelp and jump back, having felt her skin burn and she huddled over Gamzee, making sure to protect him from the burning mist.

Where their feet touched the ground, burn marks were left, scorched from the fire that boiled both of their bloods and made them fight. Dodging a punch from Cronus, Kurloz returns it, managing to connect with the other demons jaw. Cronus quickly pushes him away and fixes his jaw back into place, it having fallen out of it's socket from the force.

In that second that he gets while Cronus is distracted, Kurloz turns to Meulin and yells out to her. "GET OUT OF H-!!" Before he can finish what he's saying, Cronus had pounced onto his back wrapping an arm around his neck, intent on choking him. Kurloz’s eyes bugged in his head as he put his hands around the demon’s arm to keep him from crushing his windpipe. The clawed feet of the other demon starting ripping into his back, tearing off skin, dark purple blood welling to the surface.

He yells out in pain falling backwards and dislodging to other demon, having knocked the breath out of him. Without a moment's hesitation he straddled the other demon, pinning him to the ground before starting to use his claws, ripping at the Prince's clothes and eventually scaly skin, as his blood spurts out and hit Kurloz in the face, he winces, feeling it burn and eat through his skin.

Meulin watched in horror as Kurloz was injured because of trying to get her and Gamzee out of there. She saw the blood as it welled up on his back and dripped to the floor, sizzling and popping as it made contact. Now knowing what else to do, she hid Gamzee, keeping him from witnessing the brutal fight between the two demons, wondering if this was normal or not.

Cronus knocked Kurloz off of himself with a punch that left him hearing a ringing in his ears. When Kurloz is knocked to the side, Cronus lunged at Meulin, trying to take the moment to get her away despite the blood pouring from him. Unfortunately, the rug slipped, causing him to stumble and for a part of the circle to be exposed. Kurloz saw the circle and quickly made a plan.

Getting himself up before Cronus was fully there, blood pouring in rivers off his skin, he readied himself. A cough sent the other demon to look at him. Violet eyes met purple and he growled. When Cronus lunged at Kurloz, he grabbed the demon by his jacket and threw him to the side with a small yell of pain.

Cronus slammed into an invisible barrier and slid to the ground, a light glowing from the circle as his blood seeped in and activated it. Meulin’s eyes widened, not having realized that a circle could be used without performing summoning rituals. Kurloz sat, waiting to make sure that it held against the Prince before turning his back again.

When the demon recovered, he threw himself at Kurloz, trying to take advantage of the demon’s obvious exhaustion. Instead, he slammed into a similar barrier, feeling his scales get singed and he pulled back with a scream. He howls out in frustration, the infrastructure of the building shaking with the noise, as Kurloz fell to his knees coughing up blood. Cronus scratches at the barrier and screams out insults at all three of them before Kurloz fixes a glare on him, mind controlling him to shut up, the part of his brain that controls his vocal chords shuts down, leaving him running his mouth, but nothing comes out.

With a last small smirk Kurloz says softly. "You aren't even worthy of a succubus Cronus." Shuddering, his shoulders hunch forward, showing that the scratches on his back are deep, going from the middle of his back, all the way down to mid thigh, his clothes left in tatters. He tries to stand up, looking over to find Gamzee and Meulin. The blood that had spattered onto his face ate all the way to the bone, leaving part of his mandible exposed, showing thick wicked fangs. He before takes a step barely make it halfway before falling back into a kneeling position groaning softly. "Fuck..." He needs to find Meulin and Gamzee, get them out of there and to Hell, where they'll be safe.