Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mark was an… interesting child to say the least. And who could blame him, growing up in a highly Christian small town in the middle of nowhere does that to a young and impressionable kid. So in retrospect, becoming a demonologist doesn’t seem all that far fetched, especially for someone with a hatred of demons as big as Mark’s was. However, his family was… less than supportive. The thought of their son going to college far away was hard enough, now knowing that he also WANTED to get into a highly dangerous profession was uhm… not easy to accept. There was lots of screaming, hitting, death threats, that conversation was like hell for him. Still, Mark managed to escape the confines of the town and got straight to work on his studies. Somehow.

However, Mark didn’t anticipate how strange the class would be. Sorry, classes. Yep, apparently he had multiple demonology courses to take in the same classroom. Something, in the back of his mind, nagged at him for taking demonology and not just mathematics or something easy for him. But this was his calling, a chance to finally fight demons head on and keep them in the shadows!

Enter Professor Strange, the demonology professor who promptly summoned Alcor the freaking Dreambender when demonstrating how to properly do a summons. How!? How did this twink of a professor know Alcor on such an intimate level that he could just summon him on a whim and have Alcor be okay with it? What?

Needless to say Mark was stunned.

Ethics was run by Professor Adams, someone who seemed way too stubborn to teach ethics, Mark thought. Though he did give credit where credit was due, and she did seem well experienced in understanding ethics and such. She talked about her experiences going to this school, about her time with Alcor and a student she thought was a demon named Tyrone. She refused to answer any questions anyone asked about Tyrone, unfortunately.

The rest of the teachers weren’t all that notable, except that, for whatever reason, Alcor ran loopholes? At first Mark was skeptical, but quickly found that Alcor was the best possible fit for teaching loopholes. After all it was a demon, obviously Alcor knew what he was doing. And over time these odd teachers faded into normalcy. Oh yeah, our loophole teacher is Alcor the Dreambender, why wouldn't it be?

Mark didn’t care all too much about having company or making friends. He just sort of let the first year of college fly by without much issue. He found that he worked better alone anyways. Though he did find that it was steadily getting harder and harder to be so distant with everyone. He wanted someone to talk to, and quickly.

But what could he do? It wasn't like he could make friends all that easily, his weird yellow eyes scared a lot of people off. And the ones who did wanna talk to him either had a crush on him or he had already pushed them away. Mark felt himself growing more and more desperate, his hands twitching and itching for a new opportunity to talk to someone. Eventually it ate him up inside, and he left class early that day with a suspicious look from Alcor.

Preparing the summoning was actually easier done than thought. No really, he thought it would be more dangerous. The circle was quite easy to draw compared to most summoning circles, apparently most binding wouldn’t hold this particular demon, but that was a lot more common these days so Mark didn’t exactly care. He used one that could hold for a few minutes just in case, which would give him enough time to activate the emergency Alcor summoning circle he had in the corner. His alibi? Well, he was just practicing on what he thought was a low level demon! Better safe than sorry, right? Oddly, the sacrifice was the easiest thing on the list. Just a single star shaped cookie, really? He could get those at the store for like a buck! Sooner rather than later, Mark finished the circle. It was clean, the chalk being a mix of different colors since he had no white professional summoning chalk on hand. Where could you even get stuff like that anymore? Sidewalk chalk would have to do.

As expected, the summoning chant was in a dead language. All he had to do was write it down on a scrap of paper and he was good. The ink was a little smudged and the paper itself was a bit crinkled, but he could still easily make out the words.

Though, he was startled by what he saw next. A demon who doesn’t like scripts? That’s interesting in all honesty, at least to Mark.

What kind of demon likes unorganized and time wasting summons?

…After a moment of consideration, he could name a few.

Mark grabbed the piece of paper he had hastily scribbled the incantation onto. It seemed to be in some sort of ancient language, one Mark didn’t understand. He took a deep breath as he double checked that it was perfect. He stepped towards the summoning circle, and for a moment he hesitated. Maybe this isn't what he wanted, maybe he could just make it through college without a friend or figure out how to make one or something other than this. But he had gone this far... he had to commit.

“Kusuka endaweni ophumo kuyo, ngivuse futhi ukuze ukhvlise izifiso zami zobumnyama.” Mark uttered, and for a moment it was all silent. There was no movement, only the flicker of the cookie scented candles. Seriously, what is it with this demon and cookies? The tranquility of the room made him think that maybe he had pronounced something wrong. So he started to smudge the binding circle away, taking the lack of response as a sign to give up.

Suddenly the circle started to glow, its outlines becoming a white before transitioning into a vibrant shade of green. From the circle a beam of light shot out of it, the colors shifting ominously. Mark’s stomach twisted into knots. There was no going back, was there? Mark grasped the nearest piece of chalk and hastily redrew the smudged symbols onto the concrete. From the beam a faint figure appeared, black in a sea of vibrant green. Glowing particles of yellows and blues escaped the beam as the arrival winded down to an end.

Mark opened his previously shielded eyes, watching as whatever it was floated within the confines of the summoning circle. Mark was able to pick out a few defining features of the demon. The classic horns, wings, tail. But the demon was oddly short, wore baggy clothes and had… fluffy hair? The more Mark observed the figure take shape, he was suddenly hit with the realization.

…Was this demon a child?

Chapter Text

Mark didn’t know what to make of the situation. He watched as the demon stretched momentarily as if it had awoken from a nap. Oh god did Mark wake the demon up from a nap? He hoped not, that wouldn’t be good. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

“Uhm, excuse me?” Mark called out. He tried to remain calm and collected, or at least appear like it. The demon immediately looked directly at him, green pupils sparking to life as exclamation points in its pitch black eyes. The demon floated to Mark’s level, the pupils disappearing the second it arrived.

“Oh hello!” The demon said with a twisted smile. Wow, this kid has… very sharp teeth. “You’re the summoner, right? You don’t seem like a cultist though…” The demon floated around Mark curiously, observing every trait. His dark brown skin, buzz cut, electric yellow eyes… The demon paused. “Woah, cool eyes!” It exclaimed. The green pupils returned into its eyes, now in the shapes of stars. But only for a moment before they dispersed and eventually disappeared, leaving the voids of his eyes blank and empty.

“Woah woah woah. How old are you?” Mark asked. He leaned in, interested to hear the response. The demon paused, floating away and counting on its fingers. Eventually it came up with a number.

“Uhm, about 7, why?” The demon asked. Mark was stunned. This demon, who was classified as an unsafe summon… was a child? A second grader no less! Mark was shocked, his brain overwhelmed with questions. Eventually he got around to actually saying one.

“What’s your name, demon?” Mark asked. He was beginning to have an unfamiliar feeling enveloping his chest and thoughts. It felt warm, but also painful. A sort of bittersweet feeling, except more pitiful. The demon seemed excited to share its name, and showed no hesitation in doing so.

“My name is Amon, pleasure to meet you!” It exclaimed. Mark took a deep breath. Okay, this thing was at least classy enough to give itself a pronounceable name. He felt his view of the demon kid change. Maybe it wasn’t too late for him?

“Well, Amon, I’m Mark.” Mark stated. He had an internal facepalm. Did he learn nothing from the year of being a demonologist student? You don’t give your name to a demon! But this… thing was barely above a sprite, right? This entire thing was fairly cheap to do.

“That’s a cool name!” Amon said with a smile. Either this is a grade A suck up or the demon was being genuine. Mark assumed such a young demon wasn’t worried about making himself look good for a summoner. Besides, usually sprites are these tiny little edge lords with super deep voices. At least those are the only ones Mark had seen being summoned in class.

“It really isn’t.” Mark protested. Amon didn’t care, he was too busy eating the offered cookie. Mark couldn’t help but find that endearing. Amon’s just a little guy, how could he hurt a fly? Despite the fact that there was a 3’2'' demon in the middle of his basement eating a cheap cookie he got at Wellcart, Mark was surprisingly calm. He approached Amon calmly and wiped a bit of the binding circle away. Amon was visibly surprised.

“Woah, really? You’re trusting me outside the circle?” Amon asked, sounding dumbfounded at the thought. Mark chuckled lightly.

“Well yeah, you seem trustworthy enough.” Mark answered casually. Almost immediately Amon left the circle. Instead of total chaos though, he was busy shaking jars of dried herbs. Mark rushed over and carefully removed the jar from Amon’s grasp. “Don’t shake that, okay?” Mark noticed he was talking uncharacteristically soft, as if speaking too loudly would scare Amon. Mark wondered briefly if that was a possibility before he had to remove another jar from Amon’s clutches.

“Amon! Don’t shake any jars!”

Chapter Text

It’s safe to say Mark got attached to Amon very quickly. Oddly enough, Amon didn’t need a deal to stick around. If anything he’d need a deal to have to leave. He somehow found the place much more interesting than the thousands of other places on earth he could be. Maybe it was the simplicity of Mark’s house that made the demon so attached to the space. It got to the point where Mark was concerned Amon had never even been inside a house before. Not that the idea wasn’t possible, more like Mark was just overly concerned. So when Mark had to go to class the next morning, he was nervous as to what Amon would do unsupervised. It would be a tough decision, but Mark ultimately decided to take Amon with him. A few minutes of walking later and boom, they were at the demonology district.

Mark approached the building and stopped himself. He turned to Amon and sighed. “Look, I can’t bring you into class with me. Just wait out here, okay?” Mark explained calmly, despite being extremely nervous. Amon nodded, though he seemed sad. Letting out a sigh of relief, Mark walked into class. Amon quickly got bored, so he wandered off. Naturally he was drawn to the vending machines, which housed cookies and other fun snackies for Amon to get his little hands on. He pressed the buttons in a seemingly random order, but nothing came out. He continued to do this until he got bored.

Alcor was barely paying attention to Thomas’s lesson, more interested in making sarcastic comments or mocking Thomas when he made a mistake. So far so good, or so Alcor assumed. As an eerie silence cast over when Thomas asked the fabled “any questions,” Alcor tensed. There was a demon somewhere around the school. Swiftly he teleported out of the classroom, roaming the halls and scanning for anything suspicious. He almost missed it in fact, if it wasn’t for the light thumps against the bottom of the vending machine. Alcor glanced over and was befuddled to see a humanoid low level demon pressing its hands against the glass of the vending machine. Alcor found this quite amusing, almost offering to open the vending machine for it or to buy it a snack. He shook his head, coming back to his senses. He had a job to do!

Alcor grabbed the back of the young sprite’s sweater and teleported back inside the class, hiding the small demon behind his back. Once Alcor was back all eyes were on him as he revealed the confused sprite. “WHO DIDN’T CLEAN UP THEIR SUMMONING CIRCLE!?” Alcor yelled, leaving the students stunned. Muffled murmurs traveled throughout the classroom, trying to figure out who did it. After a few minutes with no conclusion (though Alcor noticed Mark’s stoic expression faltering for a moment or two), Alcor continued. He pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “Do you have any idea what you’ve just done? Even a low level demon can mess up your life!” He scolded the class, genuine concern tightly knitting his furrowed eyebrows together. “You’re lucky it was only a sprite too!”

Thomas just stood there, confused and a little mad that someone didn’t clean up after themselves. He walked over to Alcor and placed a patient hand on his shoulder. “Ty, don’t you think this is a little… much? After all, it’s only a sprite.” Thomas pointed out. A lot of students nodded and murmurs of agreement spread like wildfire throughout the classroom, until Alcor gave Thomas a look that shut everyone up.

“Thomas. My dude bro. Do you NOT remember what happened with Brad? Who knows how many people’s souls this fu-”

“Ty, language.”

“...this S̨̑̿̒͑͂͘P͐͗ͬ̍͞R̒̎ͫ̊̋I̡̍͌̀ͮ̆͟҉T̢̎͒̃ͯͬ̐͟E͑̓͂̅̔̔ͧͥ̅͢ has taken! We need to be careful, Thomas!” Alcor finished, almost seething with annoyance. He turned his attention to the floor, summoning a piece of chalk and drawing a cobbled together bubble binding circle. Alcor dropped Amon into the circle, and was surprised to see him not do much. Alcor hesitated a moment before patting the top of the binding bubble. Thomas turned his attention to the class.

“Alcor is right, everyone. You’re lucky this is a low level sprite and not a demon as powerful as, I dunno, Satan himself!” Thomas scolded firmly. Alcor noticed the sprite lift its head up a little when Satan was mentioned. He shook it off, assuming it must’ve been something else. Though that little thought nagged at the back of his mind. “Is anyone going to take responsibility for this?” Thomas asked. There was silence. Irritating, pointless silence. Thomas took a deep breath, deciding it was not worth it to yell. He checked the time, it was almost time for the end of class. “Since no one’s going to take responsibility for this, the summoning exam will be pushed forward a few days.”

Irritation would be an understatement. Eruptions of yelling, arguing and overall chaos were displayed in response to Thomas’s decision. Alcor snapped his fingers, making everyone immediately fall silent. He had put charmed duct tape over all the students' mouths. “Enough. These are natural consequences for your actions. You are dismissed.” Alcor said firmly. As the students left the room, the duct tape disappeared once they left the room. He seemed proud of his quick thinking skills until he noticed Thomas glaring at him.

“Alcor, you do know that gagging people with duct tape is illegal, right?” Thomas asked, sounding skeptical of Alcor’s methods. Alcor only shook his head, making a little mouth with his hand to mock his friend. Thomas scowled, and Alcor laughed.

“Oh don’t worry about it! Besides, we need to…” Alcor took a second look at the low level demon lying on its stomach in the binding circle. He couldn’t help but notice it looked tired. “...banish the sprite.” Alcor finished, making brief contact with those eyes it had, all black with no whites. Alcor shivered.

“Tyrone, it honestly looks more like a low level demon, other than a sprite.” Thomas mentioned, walking over to the small binding circle. It looked like Thomas was a father, checking in on his kid in the time out pen. Alcor joined Thomas in observing the small thing. He got out his cane, first popping the binding bubble and then nudging the demon. It stirred. Thomas jumped back a little while Alcor started the summoning circle. After a while of preparations Alcor finished.

“Alright Tom, hand that little nuisance here and let’s get this over with.” Alcor said calmly. After a moment of silence Alcor looked over at Thomas, who was rocking the small child. “Thomas. Hand over the demon. Now. ” Alcor stated firmly, staring at Thomas. Thomas returned the gaze with a pleading look. Alcor pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “Thomas, don’t wuss out on this. Just… hand me the child.” Alcor reached for the small demon before it got pulled away by Thomas.

“I can’t do it! Look at him, he’s basically harmless! He’s like a stray puppy! Would you kick out a puppy!?” Thomas argued, holding the small demon up like a doll. Alcor rolled his eyes before staring at Thomas with a “say sike right now” look. Alcor raised an eyebrow.

“Look Thomas, I know your paternal instinct goes deep, but this is a little much, even for you. Like, this is a demon we’re dealing with.” Alcor attempted to reason, much to Thomas’s dismissal. Alcor groaned loudly like a bored teen.

“He’s just a little guy! Look, let’s make a bet of some sort. If this little dude causes any harm to us, our friends or our students then he’s getting kicked out. For now though he stays with us until we figure out who his parents are. Deal?” Thomas proposed, sticking out one of his hands for a handshake. Alcor couldn’t help but giggle. He gladly shook Thomas’s hand, feeling the spark of a freshly sealed deal bolt through his veins.

Surely this would be easy. There’s no way this kid stays for more than a week tops.

Chapter Text

Alcor was... unsettled, to say the least of it. He could've sworn everything would turn out in his favor. He didn't know where he went wrong. Did he forget a timeline? Not consider all the options? He didn't know, and it was safe to say the small demon was getting on his nerves.

For one the pitiful excuse of a demon couldn't even read. Thomas mentioned multiple times about taking it to an eye doctor, but Alcor said that would be a waste of time and money. He didn't quite understand why Thomas liked the thing, but he decided it would be something he would have to deal with.

Though, recently he was freaking out. Amon, that stupid little demon he found by the vending machine, had learned how to knit. At the moment he was only knitting sweaters, one for essentially every situation ever. The style was distinct, and Alcor knew it was scarily similar. Oversized sweaters with turtlenecks and fun designs... Stars he wished it were fake. Alcor tried with all his might to just brush it off as coincidence, but he couldn't ignore it. Especially since the little guy was walking around with one on every single day.

Alcor couldn't handle it anymore. Why was it this kid of all kids? He tried to distract himself with summons and deals, the occasional soul steal. But it always returned back to the little pr- ...idiot. He found himself worrying his head off until it suddenly clicked. Why was he so worried? That demon isn't Mizar's reincarnation! Mizar is safe and sound, this kid was just... finding interests. Yeah, that's it.

Alcor walked back into the classroom, looking through boring old summons. Why couldn't they put the children in danger? It was always so much more fun to do that. "UUUGH, why do we always gotta do the safe summons?" Alcor complained, rolling his eyes and groaning. This was such a chore, and it was too easy to just scare the poor low level demons into submission.

"Because, Alcor, we can't let the students die. We'll get sued and we don't have a lawyer." Thomas answered, occasionally patting Amon on the head as he looked through files. The small demon was on his tip toes, trying to catch a glance at the papers the others were looking at. Thomas had to shut him down with head pats to make sure the little guy didn't decide to summon one of the demons.

"I could be a lawyer! I haven't done that one yet! Man, that would be fun! Do you think I would win my first case?" Alcor replied with a smile, entertained by the thought. He never fancied himself a law executive, but there's a first time for everything.

"I am not letting you become our lawyer."

"Thomas, PLEAAASSEEE?" Alcor plead, on his hands and knees like a little kid begging for candy. At his core that was all he really was, but he didn't like to think about that all too hard.

"No, and that's final. If we're lucky we'll never need a lawyer." Thomas said in an end of discussion tone. Alcor groaned, mumbling something along the lines of "You're no fun" under his breath. Thomas replied with a half hearted "mhm" and everyone moved on with their days.

Amon somehow managed to climb on top of one of the desks in the lecture hall. He took off his sweater and tied it around his waist. He then spread out his wings and jumped off of the desk. Thomas heard a faint thud from the back of the lecture hall and saw Amon repeatedly climbing onto desks and jumping off of them while flapping his wings. Thomas's eyes widened, what on earth was the kid doing?

"Amon! What are you doing!?" Thomas yelled, his voice laced with concern. Amon jumped off of the desk once again, scrambling up onto it again like the floor would give out.

"Let the kid have fun, Thomas." Alcor replied, giving a reassuring thumbs up to Amon, who promptly jumped off of the desk once more. Alcor snickered as he watched the smaller demon climb back onto the desk with such determination you'd think he was saving someone.

"Alcor!" Thomas yelled back, clearly triggered by his friend's laid back attitude towards this.

"Thomas, he's a demon. There's no stopping the pure curiosity of a young demon. He's like a little puppy," Alcor vaguely gestured to Amon, who kept throwing himself off of the desk. "he's not gonna stop until he succeeds in... whatever he's doing. Besides, it's not like he's going to get-"

Alcor was cut off by a sickening snap noise followed by an ear piercing scream. Thomas and Alcor froze as they heard the comfort being pulled away from them. Thomas rushed over to the source of the sound and his heart sank into his stomach and dragged into his shoes. Amon's arm was bending the other direction harshly, tears pouring out of his black eyes as his green pupils kept violently darting around and changing shape. He was barely even breathing as he staggered and sobbed in such a violent manner you'd think he'd witnessed a massacre. Alcor joined Thomas's side and immediately covered his mouth.

"What do we even do...? It's- It's not like any normal hospital will take him! He's a demon!" Thomas worried, very concerned for the wellbeing of the small demon that was sobbing its eyes out on the floor. Alcor took a step forward and kneeled down next to Amon. In one swift motion he grabbed Amon's broken arm and snapped it back into place. It wasn't all that soon that Amon started sobbing louder.

"Thomas, could you get me the painkillers please?" Alcor asked in an unnervingly calm voice. Thomas, being too scared to argue, ran to the medical cabinet. He sifted through bandages and medical tape, panic fueling his every breath as he ran back to Alcor. He handed over a lot of medical supplies, which made Alcor sigh.

Alcor carefully handed a few painkillers to the sobbing child. "Here, take these. It'll make it feel better." He said softly, trying not to cause an outburst. Who knows how unstable this little thing is? Amon hesitantly took the painkillers and put them in his mouth, chewing them before swallowing. Alcor wanted to strangle the child, but refrained. Swiftly, he snapped the arm back into place and wrapped a cast around the arm. He let out a long sigh, at least it was over, right?

"You'll have to wear that for a few weeks. Also, don't chew the painkillers, they're meant to be swallowed." Alcor stated simply. He covered his face briefly with his hands. What about this kid triggered Thomas into being all protective? Alcor could see it, in a way. After all that soul of his seemed so vaguely familiar, maybe a reincarnation of one of his old, forgotten friends? He didn't know, but he got the feeling that he had a long time to figure it out.

Chapter Text

Things had been going good, surprisingly.

Amon had a sling for his arm, Thomas was getting work done, the students were even behaving.

But Alcor couldn't just pretend like Amon wasn't so familiar. He had to figure it out.

So, while the poor boy was sleeping, he snuck towards him and decided to inspect every essence of his being to find out what was going on.

It was all very... typical. Though one thing stuck out to him, that Amon was a reincarnation of someone who wanted to be reincarnated into a demon. Curious, Alcor inspected who it was. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened, if he had a heart it would've stopped.

"Acacia..." Alcor muttered breathlessly. His guilt was returning in waves of horror and sadness. The demon he was bullying was one of his precious nibblings...

Thomas was making his morning tea (because he's british and he SUCKS) when he heard Alcor burst into the room. When he looker over his eyes were met with a sobbing demon, snot dripping down his face and looking like a kicked puppy.

"Oh my stars Alcor, what's wrong?" Thomas asked. In response Alcor threw himself against his friend, wrapping his arms in a tight hug and digging his claws into his shirt. Internally, the only thing Thomas was thinking was "Please don't make the walls bleed please don't make the walls bleed please don't make the walls bleed".

"M- My nibbling..." Alcor choaked, his tears running all the way down Thomas's white shirt. Thomas hoped the demon tears wouldn't stain, this was a new shirt too. Thomas shook his head violently, he had bigger problems to worry about than his shirt getting ruined. His bestie Alcor was sobbing and needed comfort.

"What about them?" Thomas asked, curiosity lacing his voice. He could already see the cracks in the walls start to turn a reddish hue. Oh stars oh no he must be really upset. Thomas moved Alcor so that they were both sitting on the couch. Immediately Alcor started leaning in harder and sobbing louder.

"Amon used to be my nibbling and I bullied him and he doesn't deserve to be bullied he's just a little guy and I was so mean to him and I̠ͯ ̿̚ͅW͕̣͙͋ͦA̘̪̦̟S̓ͭ͐ ͐̋͒G̼̓̓O̫̭̙̽́̏̄N̺̜͖͕̒NÃ͓ Bͮͭ̄͆A̻̲̯ͤN̟͓̜̹̹I͓͚̜̯ͤ͒͊͗̔ȘͫHͨͯ̓̋ͤ ̗̭͓̋̀͐ͪH̺̀̀ͬȈ͌M̞ͪ̌̇ ̩T̏̅̀H̘̝̼̝̓ͅO̳̫̘̹͋̓̏̚̚M̀A̫̤͎̠̯̍ͥ͒ͧS͒̓ͦ̈͗..." Alcor sobbed, his eyes leaking the golden tears Thomas had only seen once. Thomas tightened the hug, watching as the walls began to bleed. This was... not good, and he didn't know what to do...

"Hey, hey, it'll be okay. You know how Amon is, I'm sure he barely even noticed." Thomas said with a smile, trying to be reassuring. Alcor looked up, his eyes big and wattery.

"I NOTICED." Alcor yelled, sounding distraught. He went back to crying into Thomas, seeking any form of comfort he could. The walls began to bleed more, somehow. Thomas didn't even know how that was possible. He sighed, patting Alcor on the head to try and give his demonic friend some comfort.

Alcor stopped crying when he heart faint footsteps. They were light, like a panther's footfalls. He eventually locked eyes with Amon, who was still very sleepy. Thomas couldn't even process how quickly Alcor lunged at the small demon and started smothering him in affection.

"ACACIA I AM SO SORRYI PROMISE I'LL BE BETTER PLEASE DON'T BE MAD AT ME I DIDN'T KNOW..." Alcor sobbed into Amon's hair. Amon himself was worlds away from understanding this. He hesitantly hugged the other demon back, looking at Thomas with pure confusion. Thomas shrugged back, he didn't entirely understand this either.

Alcor, meanwhile, was already planning on how he was going to make up for being a really bad caretaker to him. He really wanted Amon to forgive him but he didn't know how. He kept sobbing as the walls kept bleeding.

"Hey, hey, calm down, you're making the walls bleed." Amon pointed out nervously. Alcor shifted his position so that he was more or less snuggling the small demon. Amon was confused, Thomas was just standing off to the side and Alcor was a guilt ridden mess.

Thomas sighed, standing up. He looked over at the two struggling to stay calm and let out a soft laugh. He moved back to sipping his tea (because he's british and British people AREN'T REAL) while keeping an eye on the two. He didn't 100% trust Alcor with Amon, especially with how tight the former was hugging it. Thomas paused for a brief moment. Why did he refer to Amon as it...? He shook his head dismissively, deciding it must've been a one off thing.

"Alrighty you two, chill out. Alcor, we gotta go visit my parents today remember?" Thomas pointed out, his voice even and unphased. Alcor perked up a little and nodded.

"Oh yeah... can we reschedule? I wanna hang out with Acacia..." Alcor replied, giving Thomas the puppy dog eyes. Thomas shook his head and rubbed his forehead. "We'll look like jerks if we cancel at the last minute." Thomas explained calmly. He took a sip of his coffee and watched the gears turn inside Alcor's head.

"Can we bring Lamb with us?" Alcor asked, his eyes still wide and teary. Thomas noticed the walls were no longer bleeding. Alcor stood up, carrying Amon like a stuffed animal. Thomas paused before nodding.

"Sure, I don't see a problem." Thomas answered. He went back to the water that was reboiling. He stared at it as if there weren't two demons standing off to the side. "Either of you two want a cuppa?" Thomas asked simply, purely trying to be polite. Alcor glanced at Amon and had to stifle a snicker.

"Why did he-" Amon began before getting his mouth covered by Alcor's hand.

"Nah, we're good." Alcor replied as he set Amon on the floor. He stretched, his form reverting to the one people know as "Tyrone". He opened his eye to look at Amon, who was starstruck.

"How did you do that?" Amon asked breathlessly, his green pupils in the shape of stars. Alcor looked at him and chuckled.

"You'll learn, trust me." Alcor assured kindly. Thomas finished his tea, setting the mug down in the sink. He looked at Alcor, who was gently tucking Amon's wings under his sweater.

"Alright, let's go."

Thomas nervously knocked on the door. Alcor was right behind, going over the necessities of basic human etiquette. Thomas watched the door open.

"Tommie!" Theo exclaimed from the other side of the door. He gave his son a hug with a large smile on his face. He turned to Alcor and the two exchanged a handshake. "Tyrone, pleasure to see you again." He said calmly. Then Theo noticed the child nervously gripping Alcor's pant leg.

"Is this your kid? You never told us you-" Theo began before getting harshly cut off by Alcor.

"He's mine, actually." Alcor said calmly. He looked down at Amon and smiled softly. "Amon, give him a proper hello." He nudged Amon lightly, who just buried his face into Alcor's leg. "You know what I mean. Trust me, he doesn't bite."

Amon eventually looked at Theo nervously. "...hi." He mumbled while looking away. Theo's eyes widened, though not out of shock. He scooped Amon up with a smile.

"Hey there little guy! Wanna help me make some donuts? They're really tasty!" Theo began with a warm look on his face. Amon was shaken up from being scooped up like he weighed nothing. Which he felt Theo start to inspect the cause of. The inspection gave away his bony figure. It's a miracle he didn't notice the wings. "THOMAS! You need to feeding him better. The poor thing is almost skin and bone!"

"In our defense we found him like that! And we only got him like a week ago!" Alcor replied, sounding offended that someone would dare assume he wasn't feeding his child. He paused, a little taken aback by his own response. He guessed he really did have a child now, huh. Well, it's decided. Amon would never be going back to his birth parents.

"Oh. Well my point still stands." Theo said finally. He walked in the house with Amon in his arms. The mental image made Alcor sick. "Hun, come look! We have another grandchild!"

Jolanda (who names their child that? What were they on??? Dipnip?) arrived from the kitchen with flower covering her apron. She noticed the small child in her husband's arms and her face lit up. She walked over to him and messed with the child's face. "Oh he's so cute. Look at those eyes! Like a little baby puppy!" She cooed, leaving Amon very confused. Alcor took his child back, placing him on the ground.

"Hands off the merchandise!" Alcor said harshly. He internally laughed at what he said. Stars, he sounded just like his grunkle when he said that. Sometimes Stan just falls out of his mouth...

Thomas elbowed Alcor in the side with a glare. "Sorry about him, he's a little tense. You'd be surprised how chaotic my students are when I bring him in." He said calmly. Theo and Jolanda nodded softly. Theo looked back at Amon with that same smile.

"You still up for helping me bake?" Theo said cheerfully. Amon nodded, though he didn't know what baking was. He followed Theo into the kitchen with wide eyes that never faltered. Alcor smiled at the sight, and Thomas shook his head a little.

"Yeah!" Amon cheered happily, a smile spreading on his face. Theo's joy was contagious, and Amon had caught the sickness. The two of them laughed at nothing as Thomas and Alcor entered the house.

"It looks like they're getting along great." Thomas said softly. He watched with a faint smile as Theo started to teach Amon the basics of cooking and such. Alcor felt his blood boil with jealousy, but he tried to tame it. He felt like it should be him that was teaching Amon these things, not Theo.

"Mhm. It's great." Alcor mumbled to mask his irritation. He let out a long sigh and balled his hand into a tight fist. "Just... great."

Chapter Text

Alcor couldn't help biting off the rage that burned his tongue. It was surreal in a way, to care so much about a fellow demon. But Amon's different. He used to be Acacia, human. He's kind, smart, clumsy, compassionate... though impulsive and violent. Alcor hated that he hated this.

He was muttering under his breath in a dead language when he noticed voices. Oh great, another useless interaction. He decided it would be more convinient to tune it out rather than listen in. He might be a demon, but he has standards.

Amon, meanwhile, was helping out in the kitchen like a good little boy. He was kneading some dough like a cat, something Theo jokingly commented on. He was very focused, though he was trying his best to not let his pupils show. His eyes are weird enough as is.

"Alrighty bud, can you read off the next step of the recipe for me?" Theo asked kindly, taking a moment to glance at Amon's determined little face. Amon looked up, made direct and somewhat threatening eye contact and nodded. He grabbed the box and squinted at the directions. Theo didn't like using box recipes, but this was for icing and he'd rather use the powder than curse in front of a 7 year old. Thomas would kill him if he made Tyrone's son curse like a bloody sailor.

"Uhm, it's all blurry." Amon said quietly, his voice laced with nervousness. Theo paused and looked over at Amon with curiosity.

"Oh, is the ink smudged? Hold on, let me see if I can make out the words." Theo replied, gently taking the box out of Amon's little hands. Upon further inspection, the steps were perfectly legible. Theo paused before looking over at Amon with concern. "Buddy, the words are crystal clear to me."

"They are?" Amon asked, his voice confused. He narrowed his eyes, staring at the dough he was kneading earlier. He could've sworn there was a summoning circle made by his knuckles.

"Is everything blurry to you?" Theo asked, nerves spreading through his body like it was a foreign disease. He watched Amon's body language very carefully, keeping watch for any nervous tics.

"Yeah? Is that not normal?" Amon answered. He couldn't help the pit growing in his stomach. His nervousness only grew once he saw Theo's face go blank. "Hello?" He said worriedly. Theo took in a nice, calm breath and walked over to Thomas. He then grabbed Thomas's arm and dragged him into the living room.

"THOMAS! You didn't tell me your kid had cataracts!" Theo whispered angrily. Thomas startled and stared at his father with confusion and anger.

"What do you mean? I didn't know he had vision problems!" Thomas argued back. His father pulled back, scoffing in an offended manner.

"DON'T YOU PULL THAT TONE WITH ME YOUNG MAN! I OUGHTA-" Theo and Thomas proceeded to argue for the next 10 minutes. At some point Jolanda started making tea, and by the time it was done Amon, Alcor and Jolanda were having a pleasant little chat. Eventually the boys noticed that they were missing out on tea time and quickly joined in.

"Oh you boys." Alcor teased with a shit eating grin. Thomas scowled, but now was not the time to argue like an old married couple. The conversation continued like normal, and eventually Jolanda noticed that Amon was wearing a pink bracelet.

"Oh, is pink your favorite color dear? It-" Jolanda started before catching a glare from Theo and shutting up. Thomas paused, his eyes narrowing. "Mother, what were you about to say?" Thomas asked, his voice slightly irritated. Jolanda swallowed a small lump in her throat. "Just drop it Tommie, it isn't important now."

Thomas felt like he was swallowing hot iron made of anger. He didn't know why, but he felt the comment his mother was about to make would've made Alcor blow his top. He tried his best to move past it, knowing that his mother was a little... stuck in her ways. He knew he shouldn't think much of it, but it just... annoyed him to such an extent sometimes.

Alcor talked with Jolanda for a while, happily chatting about the tea and such, when he glanced over to where Amon was. Or rather, where he should be. Suddenly there was an Amon-shaped hole in Alcor's heart and he didn't know why. He gently put down his tea cup in the gayest way possible and stood up. "Excuse me, I gotta find my kid." Alcor announced before calmly walking out of the room.

Alcor then proceeded to panic. He started looking around frantically, his entire body language growing more monstrous the more he looked. It was only when he was lifting up the fridge when he realized he was about to blow his cover. So he set down the fridge and took a sip of water. He wiped his mouth, taking a deep breath to stabilize himself. He carefully climbed the steps to reach upstairs to continue his search. He almost missed the sniffles coming from the bathroom.

Alcor paused, looking over at the door. It was cracked open, and he could pick out a faint glow. Hesitantly, he entered the bathroom and immediately noticed the sweater cast aside onto the floor. Alcor could easily pick out a few holes in the back of the fabric. A shiver crawled down his spine as he moved forward. He turned a small corner and there was the child he was looking for.

Amon was sitting on the floor, his knees pulled up to his chest. His arms rested on his knees and his head was hovering a little above his arms. His wings were like shields, guarding his sides like forgotten walls protecting an ancient treasure. His tail was curled around his ankles and his face just spelled sadness. Alcor's heart sank, and then he paused. Amon's eyes were softly glowing, a beautiful green as his pupils were thick outlines of ovals. Alcor sat down next to Amon, gently smiling down at his kid.

"Are you alright? Why are you so upset?" Alcor asked softly, wiping away one of Amon's tears. Alcor had no time to respond before he was being leaned on. The look on Amon's face was almost comical, if not given context for the situation.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this..." Amon muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. Alcor paused, not understanding what Amon meant for a second. He then sighed, brushing away a stray strand of hair. He glanced away, not able to meet Amon's gaze. Alcor nervously glanced around. He looked back at Amon and sighed.

"Hey, look... if you can't do this anymore, we can leave anytime." Alcor said softly, his hands shaking. He tried to comfort the small demon but that just seemed to make things worse

"No! I don't wanna be rude!" Amon replied, his panic evident. He looked away and sighed. "It's not because of... whatever the heck is wrong with me either. I just... I really miss Mark." He admitted under his breath, looking away. He felt bad admitting it, but Alcor was just plain shocked.

"The demonology kid? You know him?" Alcor asked, his tone laced in confusion. He was interested, even more so by this odd connection. He fidgeted with the fabric on his pants as he heard Amon's answer.

"Yeah? How did you think I got all the way over here? Mark was the one who summoned me." Amon explained blankly. Alcor had to suppress a hiss. He would give a stern talking to to Mark when they went back to class on Monday. Standing up, Alcor scooped Amon into his arms. It felt weird to him, cradling a child so close. But he ignored it and walked downstairs.

"I found him! He's awfully tired, so I might just drop him off at home." Alcor stated in a tone that did not allow argument. Thomas nodded, standing up as well and joining Alcor's side.

"If you're leaving, I should probably join you. Stars knows what you'll do while your impulse control is asleep." Thomas added with a nod. Alcor laughed, briefly jostling Amon around. Alcor was suddenly reminded he was carrying a child around and not a weighted stuffed animal. It was hard to differentiate, especially since Amon only weighed the amount a house cat did.

"Bold of you to assume its not the other way around." Alcor winked and started on his way. He made it to the door before Theo gently pulled Alcor aside. There was a small moment of silence before Theo spoke.

"Listen, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but your son has cataracts. You need to get him glasses." Theo spoke calmly. He then leaned in, lowering his voice down to a whisper. "I don't think he's human either. If anything pops up, anything at all, feel free to tell me." Theo pulled away and got back to work on more sweet treats.

Thomas and Alcor waved their goodbyes and smiled happily as they left. Alcor placed Amon down gently, grabbing the child's hand and leading him along towards the car. To his surprise, Amon seemed so happy. He let out a satisfied sigh, at least one of them felt fulfilled.

"Today was amazing, Alcor!" Amon beamed, smiling happily. Alcor felt his dark heart soften and ache at the same time. Without even thinking, he smiled back down at Amon. Poor kid, he has no idea what's gonna happen to him, does he? No matter, Alcor was there now. He could protect again, protect the one thing he wanted to do for so many lifetimes.

"Please..." Alcor began softly. The way their hands clasped around one another felt too good to be true. The combination of young, warm skin and Alcor's own cold, inhuman skin felt like heaven. He never wanted to let go, to risk the idea of Acacia leaving him ever again. He couldn't get them back after Amon. Loosing him would mean losing Acacia forever. He couldn't have that. He wouldn't have that. His grip on Amon's little hand tightened slightly.

"...call me Dipper."

Chapter Text

Mark panicked, shuffling through hours of notes on lined paper. The pencil lines dug grooves through the notebooks, the sketches he had drawn of the summoning circle were burned into his head. He eventually let out an annoyed groan, throwing the notebook at the wall. He was so mad and worried and all these emotions built up into so much aggression. He hated Alcor so much right now, how dare he take his brother away for the weekend!? Who knows what that...that sick psychopath is doing to Amon right now!

But, luckily, today was Monday. School day. Today he could sneak Amon out of class and back home. Where he belonged. Mark's face bore a snarl as he buttoned up his white shirt. He hated that he had to do this, but he already had a plan. Summon Alcor and bind him with chains for two minutes. Two minutes is more than enough time to lure Amon out of the classroom and back home. He would have to be sneaky about this though, otherwise he could get expelled.

Mark knew what he was doing.

He knew he could handle this.

He had a plan.

He would get his brother back.

No matter what.

Time: 2:30 PM.

Mark anxiously tapped the table. It was almost time for when the summons would activate. He fidgeted, and somehow he could tell Alcor could tell what his plan was. This had to be perfect. The bell rang, and students started gathering their stuff. To seem unsuspecting he did the same. Alcor teleported off.

Mark stood up, walking over to Amon's general area. He pulled out a single cookie, a lofthouse one. He had spent hours last night perfecting the recipe. Without having to look at Mark, Amon walked over and took the cookie. Mark smiled warmly. He scooped Amon up in one arm and walked back over to his desk to gather his things. Almost time to go. Mark put on his backpack, moving Amon to sit in both of his arms. He walked over to the door, he was so close...!

" Mark. " Alcor said firmly. Mark froze, his entire body tensing up. He was caught. Fuck. "We need to have a chat." Alcor snapped, and a puff of smoke covered Mark's vision. When he could see again, he was sitting on the other side of Alcor's desk. He realized Amon was no longer in his arms. Brief panic ensued, as he glanced around to try and locate the small child. A wave of relief overflowed his body as he laid eyes once more on Amon, sitting right next to the desk with eyes of longing. Mark could tell Amon missed him too.

"So, tell me what you thought that binding an omniscient demon and trying to kidnap one of the last shreds of his sanity was going to accomplish." Alcor said simply. He didn't sound mad, and that was the most terrifying. Mark swallowed a lump in his throat and stiffened his facial expressions.

"He's my brother. It's my job to protect him. So sorry if it's not rational to try and get him back after not being able to check up on him for days." Mark replied in a blank tone. Alcor raised an eyebrow, pausing to consider this. Mark felt Amon try and scurry onto him, only to get put back down onto the floor by Alcor. Mark couldn't begin to describe how much he wanted to kick that demon's teeth in.

"Well, he just so happens to be a reincarnation of someone very close to me. Therefore you will not be getting him back." Alcor stated, gently pulling Amon over to him. Mark was just about fuming at this. How dare he take away his brother!? The one he swore to protect no matter what no less. His hands balled into brief fists that he quickly discarded, once he noticed Alcor was keeping an eye on him.

Mark took in a shaky breath. "It seems that we do not see eye to eye on this, Alcor. I am not going to give this up anytime soon, because I love and care about him nearly as much as you do." He replied calmly. Alcor was almost stunned by the stark contrast in the way Mark was staring at him and the way he spoke.

"Right, you have to care. How about we compromise? You take Amon home for this weekend, and if he has a bad time he lives with me. Though I doubt you would want him to stay there. What would your parents think about you housing a demon in their house?" Alcor offered with a smirk. For a moment there was silence. It went on for a little too long for his liking. Mark looked at him with a confused face. 

"...I don't live with my parents. They're back in the remains of California." Mark corrected slowly. Alcor was reasonably shocked. He knew for a fact Mark was barely 18, but most teenagers are still living with their parents at that age!

"Do you even have a job? How are you supporting yourself?" Alcor asked, hiding the shock in his voice. He continued to unconsciously lead Amon away from Mark, though for much different reasons than earlier.

"I do, actually. Makes decent money." Mark answered off handedly. He looked directly at Amon and suppressed a groan. "Now can I have my brother back? I'd prefer to sleep at night knowing he isn't freaking out." He kept his eyes on Amon's small movements. Deep within his soul, he could tell the demon was bored out of his little skull. Mark shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, I'd rather he stayed with me. He's just too young to be all alone. Or rather, without the supervision of an adult." Alcor replied with an even tone. He breathed slowly, trying not to show any signs of weakness. He couldn't afford to lose Acacia, he just got her back. Or would it be him now... Alcor didn't even know anymore, reincarnation is confusing even for him.

Mark slowly stood up, adjusted the buttons on his shirt, and gently grasped Amon's hand. He pulled him over and continued. "Now if you'll excuse me, I should really go back home. After all, someone has to eat the cookies I've prepared." As Mark heard the last word leave his mouth, he saw Amon's face light up. Mark smirked. There was no way Alcor would refuse a face like Amon's. And, without missing a beat, Mark left the classroom.

-

He really over prepared for this.

To Mark's surprise, Amon spent most of his days napping, coloring or reading. It was always a strange sight, or so Mark assumed, to watch his little brother color inside the lines exclusively. He saw how Amon would pick up a color and use it until he didn't need it anymore. Only then would he put it down and go back to work.

Mark also learned the hard way not to play music too loud. One time he was just listening to music with his speakers and completely didn't notice Amon covering his ears because of how loud it was to him. So, noise canceling headphones became an investment Mark wasn't prepared to make.

Okay, sure. He wasn't the best caretaker. Sure he messed up on things like understanding what kids need. And maybe he doesn't quite understand how certain textures or sounds could trigger such a violent reaction. But goddammit he made good cookies and Amon was constantly snacking on them. Mark also learned that demons have very specific tastes when it comes to dinners, especially if they're not the ones cooking.

This, of course, almost cost him his house. But who cares about that? Amon could summon his own food, there was nothing to be worried about! So, Mark let Amon do his thing to a reasonable standard. He remembered when Amon's tail got tied into a knot right before class. Needless to say, Mark called in for a family emergency. Which it was, his brother was losing circulation! Though, he kept getting check ups by Alcor after class, and he knew that he knew that things weren't going according to plan. But, when does that ever happen with Amon?

He's a demon who loves cookies, mac n cheese and sleeping. It's safe to say that nothing could go wrong.

Chapter Text

"Are you sure this is right?" one of the summoners asked nervously. With trembling hands they held the severed hand, blood dripping from the wound onto the floor. The leader groaned, rolling his eyes. The rest of the summoners followed suit, some even mocking their fellow members. The leader stuck his hand into the air, stifling the laughter.

“Of course this is right. Why else would we be doing this?" The leader spoke confidently as they approached the circle. They raised their hands and the summoners approached. He put his hand in the center, and the leader cleared his throat. "Egazini elimnyama nasemiphefumulweni engafanele, woza kithi idemoni elimsulwa lokukhanya, elizelwe ngegazi labawileyo bakho." The leader uttered darkly, a feeling of burning infecting their tongue. The summoning circle flickered before shooting a beam into the sky. The light around it danced inside the beautiful ray, and for a moment the summoners forgot their plan to admire the spectacle.

The light closed in on itself, and from the black hole that grew from the lack formed Amon. He stared with piercing eyes as he stared down each individual cultist. After a few moments, he heard a faint click. Part of the floor rose, revealing binding runes. "NOW!" Yelled the leader, and all at once the cultists moved the runes into place. The binding circle glowed violently with blue energy.

From each rune, a sturdy blue chain burst from the stone, glowing so strongly it almost hurt to look at. Before Amon could move, the chains attacked, shackling him tightly. Searing hot pain shot through his body, forcing out a scream from his lungs. The shackles bound his wings and tail to the edges of the circle, and the rest of his body was entangled with the burning chains. His neck, wrists and ankles were all bound next, forcing him to the floor.

Amon struggled as best he could against the chains, but he just couldn't. He heard the footsteps of the leader grow ever closer, and eventually stop at his head. "Look at it men, a beautiful little demon for us to use. All it needs..." The leader reached into their robe and pulled out a needle filled with a glowing white liquid. "...is a little motivation." They finished with a psychotic smirk.

Amon's eyes widened when he saw the liquid. All at once he forgot his position in this world, in this situation. A feeling of false calm lulled his thoughts away as violence claimed his thoughts. His eyes burned green as his hands began to grow sore. He balled his hands into fists before letting them spread out again, giving his claws room to jut out from his fingers. His teeth sharpened an unnatural amount as he began to pull at the chains. In the moment, it was easy to break the chains as he stood to his full height.

It was without hesitation. Amon dove, pinning the leader to the floor and firmly grasping their hair. He pulled, ripping the head clean off and listening to it snap and pull. The blood poured and spilled onto the floor, the scent only fueling his anger as he pounced on the next. He sank his teeth into their neck, pulling and ripping out their vocal chords. Without thinking he ate them, letting them tear through the soft tissue as he opened up the wound down to their chest. The taste of the blood and the feel of the tissue against his teeth felt so good, so satisfying. It fulfilled an instinct he had no idea he possessed.

Amon's wings unfurled, using them as leverage as he continued his rampage. The way their blood pooled on the floor as they screamed. He almost enjoyed it, the feeling of his claws ripping through their flesh like it was playdough. It got to the point where, once killed, he played with them like dolls. He threw them against the wall, ripped off their limbs, smeared symbols on their bodies with their blood... he was like a kid in a candy store, destroying these people. He grabbed one, ripping off the back of their shirt and carving letters and symbols into their flesh. The blood began to spill as his claws tore through their back like it was butter, and their screams grew agitating, so he turned them around. For a split second he stared, giving them a fleeting feeling of hope before grabbing their tongue and ripping it out. He even took out their teeth, tossing them aside for who knows what.

Over and over the screams grew tiring, annoying and grating to his ears. Amon pounced on the last one, smiling cruely as he ripped open their stomach and letting their organs pour onto the floor. The taste of their flesh, the blood, the noises-

Amon paused, his claws deep into their shoulders. What... was happening? He looked down and yelped, shoving himself off of the dead summoner. He looked around hopelessly, his eyes wide and fearful. What had gotten into him? Tears stung his eyes as the taste of iron infected his mouth. His wings felt heavier on his back, he found them hard to move now. He covered his eyes with his hands, letting tears pour into his palms and onto the floor. He didn't dare let himself make a noise, the thought irked his very being. He was so scared and he didn't know what to do or where he even was. He stared at the stone floor, his wings wrapping around his body protectively as he wept.

---

Alcor was in class, muttering in a dead language as he took notes. Not on the class, no. He knew all this stuff. He was more focused on figuring out where Amon was. Alcor hadn't seen the little guy since breakfast, he left for a nap and never came back. The thought worried Alcor, and he found himself panicking internally. He felt a small tingle crawl up his spine. He could tell... Oh no. Amon was in clear amounts of distress. Alcor didn't think twice about teleporting over to where Amon was.

The second he arrived, Alcor noticed the stench. It smelled horrid, like... rotting... oh no. No no no no no. The room was covered in blood and bodies, all tossed around and broken like old toys. Alcor moved to inspect one. Odd symbols he didn't recognize were carved all over it's body, the skin on its face ripped off. The blood was still trickling out of some of the bodies. This just happened. In the distance, Alcor heard soft cries. His heart froze, and immediately he ran after the noise. His footsteps made no noise as he did so, trying to only focus on what was in front of him.

Alcor paused briefly, his wings wrapping around his body. Amon was sitting there, tears draining his eyes. His hands and clothes were covered in blood, and his eyes were wide in terror. Alcor tried to ignore that Amon's wings were slightly bigger, and instead kneeled down to comfort his kid. "Amon..." Alcor mumbled, gently pulling Amon into a nice hug. Looking back at the carnage, he felt a growing sense of pride. He didn't even have to tell Amon to kill cultists, he just did! His kid was a cult destroyer! Though, he wished it would've started out different.

Alcor scooped Amon into a carry, gently moving his wings out of the way so he could see if he was hurt. There were marks where the chains had been, the skin still raw around his flesh. Alcor nodded proudly, so they did deserve it after all. "Hey hey, it's okay, it's alright baby. I'm not mad, no one's mad at you." He whispered, pulling Amon close to his chest. The sobs just kept coming, and he knew that Amon must be so uncomfortable in these blood soaked clothes. Alcor adjusted Amon without another word, and put on a soft smile. "How about we go back home and change into some comfy clothes, okay?" He proposed quietly, already walking off. Amon nodded, sniffling as he tried to dry his face.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Alcor sighed as he put Amon to bed. He wished that he could sleep with him, but he had some explaining to do. So with a heavy, heavy heart he approached the ones he called his friends. Maria was packing up Uno, but she brought out some red wine and kept the snacks out. Alcor couldn’t think of one sane person who’d let Maria drink. Eduardo and Brad were talking, and Thomas raised his eyebrow at Alcor. The demon promptly cleared his throat.

“Alright, let’s hear it.” Brad stretched and gave Alcor a similar look. A pressuring feeling overwhelmed his senses for a moment, feeling all their eyes on him. He cleared his throat again, this time to regain his composure.

“Okay, so… How do I explain this… I sorta, uh…” Alcor trailed off looking off to the side and tugging at his shirt collar. Maria rolled her eyes at the stalling.

“Alcor, just spit it out! Whatever way you made him we’re not gonna judge you for! Other demons do weirder.”

“Well, I sorta kidnapped him…” Alcor poked his fingers together like a little kid who got in trouble. Maria glanced at Brad, who groaned and handed her a 20. She pocketed it before addressing Alcor.

“...Is that it? I thought you like… reanimated some kid’s corpse or something.” Maria opened her wallet to check on her cash. She closed it shortly after and shoved it into her pocket.

“Okay, that’s low even for me and you know it.” Alcor scolded. He walked over to the phone, fiddling with it for a second. “...You guys want pizza?” He glanced over to the others, trying to gauge their reaction. They all nodded, murmuring various variations of “sure” and “that sounds good” under their breath. Alcor turned to the phone and dialed the pizza place. He noticed Brad and Maria beginning to pull out the wine and held his breath. “Here’s to hoping Amon doesn’t wake up…” He thought to himself as he waited for someone to pick up the phone.

Amon found himself at the familiar sight of a broken city. He began the walk, noticing how there were bus tickets all over the place. He gently grabbed one of the tickets, but to his horror the paper changed into bloodied skin. He yelped and threw it away, his tail slipping between his legs. His eyes darted around to try and find somewhere to hide, and when he looked at each building, they were constructed of flesh and beating hearts. Their eyes stared at him as he ran, the stone under his talons beginning to grow squishy and leathery. Eyes rained from the sky as he tried to find somewhere to hide.

“W͇̥ͫ̆H̻Y̘̯ ̝̞ͯͬ̔ͬ͐D̳̠̗͆̔̓̔̊I͍̪̐͒ͅD͍̫̩͎̈́̎͂ͣ͐ ̯͎͐̐Y͓͕̻͉̔̑̉ͫͥO̼̘͊U͕͍̮͋ ̼͎͚̗̝D͈̦͇̻̪ͮͦO̮͚̪͖ ͖̣I͑T̠͎͈͒ͧ̋ͭ?͔̼̠ͥ̌” A voice screeched from the sky. Amon covered his ears and cowered as it screamed again. Over and over and over again it screamed those forsaken words as his lungs failed him. He opened his eyes and found himself floating in space, the blood still on his hands. It was quiet, a single light in front of him. His nerves fired, and his hands burned. He screamed but no noise escaped his mouth, he cried but no tears left his eyes. Eventually, his voice slipped back to him, and he held onto it tight as he could.

“ DIPPER!!!! ”

Alcor glanced up. He heard his name. Not his demon name, no, his name . He glanced at each of his friends, all on varying levels of intoxicated. He wouldn’t lie and say that he didn’t have a few too many to drink himself, but at least he wasn’t trying to eat the Uno cards like Maria was. Alcor was more surprised Mark was still there, presumably for his brother’s sake. He wondered where the boy would sleep that night.

He heard it again, calling out to him like a siren. “ Dipper… ” A weak voice cried, from some distant part of the house. Alcor stumbled up and floated towards the sound, opening a door to a bedroom. His shoulders drooped as he laid eyes on the fussy demon, tossing and turning while calling his name. Carefully, he approached Amon and picked him up like he was the most delicate baby to ever grace this Earth and cradled him in his arms. He sat in the air, floating in place as he gazed at that squishy, sleeping face. The world seemed to slip away as he gently brushed some hair away from his eyes. Brief worry consumed his movements, he didn’t want to scratch his baby’s perfect skin. Amon felt so tiny in his arms, the way they fit together like puzzle pieces reminded Alcor of a simpler time. He couldn’t bring himself to speak, so he remained mostly motionless as he held him close.

Amon felt the burning stop, and he looked up. The light seemed so comforting now, almost begging he grabbed it. He reached out to touch it, and it grew to be blinding. His eyes shut themselves to shield his eyes, and when he opened them he was… in a field? Hesitantly he began to look around, the soft grass gently squishing under his weight. Eventually Amon found a flock of sheep, all of them strange and weird. He approached the flock, and he noticed how they immediately snapped their heads to stare dead at him. He nervously glanced away as they approached.

To his surprise and delight, they didn’t attack or torment him. Some of the sheep began to gently push him to be laying down, licking his cheek and the blood off of his hands. He giggled, squirming lightly as the sheep piled around him. After a few seconds, they settled around him and their wool pressed against his skin. His eyes began to drift shut as he took in the security of this strange place. It felt like a second home, the gentle breezes brushing hair away from his face and moving the grass.

“...Do you think we should tell him?” Eduardo asked, leaning against the frame of the door. He hadn’t seen Alcor act this way before, and he wasn’t sure how to react to it. Thomas sighed, his arms crossed across his chest.

“Just… let him have this one. He hasn’t had anyone to care for in a while.” Thomas watched carefully, examining that particular look Alcor had on his face. His pupils were mega dilated and filled with fondness and love. It felt weird to watch and comment upon, as if this intimate moment was nothing more than a movie meant to be critiqued. He heard the loud noises of Mark ripping a bottle from Brad’s hands, and it alerted Alcor almost immediately. He stood on solid ground, exiting the room and entering the living room.

To his surprise, Mark had managed to wrestle Brad onto the floor, holding him there as he tried to keep the alcohol away from the man. He approached, gaining another set of arms to carefully pluck Mark from where he was and put him on the couch. He grabbed the near empty bottle of alcohol and put it on the table, and sent Maria to the guest bedroom to go to sleep.

“I can take Brad home. You have enough on your plate.” Eduardo offered a kind smile, but he couldn’t help but keep glancing at Amon. After a brief set of goodbyes, Alcor sighed. He walked back to the room and sat on the bed, but didn’t let Amon go. He couldn’t will himself to do so. Thomas joined him shortly after, watching Amon with him. He didn’t get it at first, admittedly. Despite being the one to suggest they keep him he never thought he’d be sitting here. Watching this precious child grow. Caring for him as if he was his own flesh and blood. In that moment he understood Alcor a little more.

Chapter Text

Maria was awake, and barely managing to stay stable when she heard faint clicks, like a beagle with overgrown claws entering the room. She glanced over from the pot of coffee to see that weird demon kid who played Uno with her last night. What was his name… Aaron? Alex? Amon? Yeah, Amon. Probably. She almost winced at the sorry state of the poor boy’s hair. She watched his tired eyes wander until landing on her, eyes locking onto her head. His expression softened.

“What’s that…?” Amon weakly pointed to the bonnet she wore. His head was tilted, tired curiosity filling his eyes. Maria’s eyes widened, and he laid a hand on the silk keeping her hair concealed.

“...It’s a bonnet. Keeps my hair healthy.” She stated calmly. Her eyes trailed over the tangled mess of hair on this poor child’s head. The damage his curls had to them made her nearly choke. She hadn’t expected him to know how to care for his hair, but she was more surprised Thomas never said anything. “You know, you could probably use one. I bet if you ask Tyrone he’ll buy you one.” Maria turned her attention to the pot of coffee, taking it off of the coffee maker and filling her cup.

Amon paused for a moment before tilting his head. “Tyrone…?” He mumbled softly. Maria turned to him once more, bewilderment covering her face.

“Your daddy?” She clarified, to which Amon gave her another look of confusion. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and sighing. “Alcor.” Her voice dripped with annoyance that Amon didn’t seem to catch. He smiled.

“Ooooh. Maybe!” Amon drummed his hands on the table for a second. He wasn’t hungry, but he was bored. Maria looked at him for a long moment before sighing.

“You like coffee, kid?”

Alcor yawned as he wandered into the kitchen, wearing a “BABBA” shirt and sweatpants. His wings fluttered behind him as he rubbed his eye to wake himself up. He immediately noticed the sound of the TV on from the other room, but assumed it must’ve been Mark or something. Alcor approached the coffee maker and pulled the pot out of it. It had little to no coffee in it. He could’ve sworn he heard it running earlier. “Hey Maria, how much coffee have you had?” Alcor asked, still looking into the pot.

“A cup, but so did your kids.” Maria called out from the other room. Alcor sighed and put the coffee pot back. He approached the living room, and was met with Maria and Amon sitting on the floor watching a Barbra movie. For a moment he was a little surprised, watching Maria braid Amon’s hair absentmindedly with a soft smile. Despite himself, he huffed quietly and sat down on the couch next to them. No one was dressed, but at least Amon was happy, right?

He heard the door open, and Mark entered with Thomas. They were talking about demonology homework like nerds, but seeing the two of them so happy made his heart warm. The two of them sat down next to him, rummaging through the plastic bag and pulling out a clip in bow. Mark tossed it to Maria, who clipped it into Amon’s hair.

“Aaand… done!” Maria tied off the braid and let go of Amon’s hair. It was loose, but it was the best she could do with no good sleep and a hangover. “That feel good? Not too tight?”

Amon nodded vigorously. “Thank you Aunt Maria…” He yawned, but continued to watch Barbra swim around as a mermaid to unlock the secrets of whatever part of the ocean this was.

Maria was too stunned to mention anything about her name, and no one else mentioned it either. God, they’re never getting rid of this kid, are they?

Chapter Text

Amon tilted his head as he stared into his reflection. His deep black eyes stared back, the previous light was gone. He watched himself with a sort of clinical detachment, as if he wasn’t gazing at his reflection, but rather an experiment. Something to be noted down, kept alive just to satisfy and exhaust all options. His brain had separated himself from this… thing that was staring back.

Those glowing eyes, the eyes of a monster.

You did this.

You were the one who killed them all. You were the one who put an end to so many innocents. The cultists weren’t the first and you know that. How many more have to die by your disgusting, horrifying tendrils? How many more until you’ll be satisfied?

Will you ever be satisfied?

Mark stood, gently clenching his chest. The full moon was coming up soon, just the thought made him shiver with fear. He hated being left alone, abandoned in a dark, cold room until he turned back to “normal”. He wasn’t supposed to be left alone, something about it felt wrong. And the idea of not being able to-

…No. He couldn’t tell his brother. He couldn’t. What would he think, what would he say? Amon has enough going on as is, he couldn’t bear the thought of telling him. He could wait until the next cycle. Or the next. Or the next. He could wait an eternity until Amon was ready, and if he never was that was okay. It’s been what, 18 years? He could last more without help, without comfort. He’s been okay so far.

Here they were.

Alcor had his hands clasped together, sitting next to Amon on the bed. He didn’t glance up, for fear of breaking the mood, but he so desperately wanted it broken.

How does he even approach this?

“…You know I’m not mad at you, right?” His voice was quiet, and so faint he was almost about to repeat it louder. He wasn’t surprised at the beat of silence that followed, yet he could see Amon’s hands clench into tiny fists as they gripped the bedding.

After too long, Amon nodded. Relief nearly flooded Alcor’s being, the last thing he needed was him to be upset. “I know what you did, you didn’t want to do it. But… I’m proud of you. You know that, right? You know I’ll never be mad at you for defending yourself?” He didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that he was pleading. He was supposed to be better than this. He’s the dreambender for star’s sake, and here he was near grovelling at the feet of a child. His child.

There wasn’t much of a conversation after that. No matter how much Alcor thought, he couldn’t think of a way to comfort or console him. He was a monster, they both were monsters, and it wasn’t as if that was changing anytime soon. It felt wrong to consider Amon, a kid so happy and full of life, a monster. He was just a kid.

And when Alcor thought about it more, he supposed that, in a way, he was too.

The silence that had gone on too long, that had morphed into a heavy weight on both their shoulders, was suddenly shattered by the sound of Amon’s weary voice breaking through the haze like a rock through a window. “I… I can’t keep this form. Not anymore, it’s… it’s no good. Unlucky.” Amon didn’t glance up, his gaze fixed on the ground below, stomach twisting itself into knots. He could barely bear the thought of what he had done, he couldn’t handle the thought of staying like this. This body he’s lived in for years has taken too much and not given enough, he found that he wasn’t ready to move forward without some major changes.

“…I don’t mean to pry, but how does it feel… wrong?” Alcor gently asked, hesitating on his words for far too long. He felt concern for his child, one he was too soon to throw out or cast aside. He knew the feeling, how suffocating staying in the same form could be, but for him it was like that for thousands of years in the same body. He could tell by Amon’s body language the young demon had never shifted before, and a pang of sympathy flooded Alcor’s chest. He couldn’t imagine how tight that skin must feel. The first shift is always the worst, especially for a physical form, having to force the new one out of the old like breaking free from a cocoon.

Amon hesitated for a long moment. How does he explain what he’s done in this body? How does he tell his caretaker of the lives he’s taken, of the people he’s played with like dolls long before he gained any shred of humanity. By human standards he’s been technically alive for only around a thousand years, but only now has he gained consciousness. Only those seven years ago, on the day he considers his birthday, did he stop to realize what he had been doing for those thousand years. Only then did he stop to realize how sick his actions had been. That was the first time he’s ever cried. “It’s too human. I’m… I’m not a human. I don’t want to look like one anymore.”

Alcor felt a bit taken aback by these words. He… didn’t want to be human? How could he say such a thing? His brain couldn’t comprehend it at first, then all at once he understood. Then he nodded, slowly, and took in a long, shaky breath. “Do you think you look… different, under that skin of yours?” Alcor started, finding himself scooting a bit closer to the younger. The silence returned, but no answer.

“Very much so.” Amon nodded, his voice quiet. He thought of himself as just a mass, a humanoid shape with wings and eyes and limbs that didn’t bend correctly and a maw that could unhinge to reveal rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth leading into his throat. The thought was comforting, and given by Alcor’s expression he made the mistake of trying to read his soul to find the most comfortable form to take.

Alcor took a moment to comprehend the eldritch horror he saw within the fragments of soul his child possessed, somehow unable to comprehend it. He couldn’t speak for a while, but he did soon clear his throat. “…Okay, that’s… a little above my pay grade. How about we learn how to do this together, okay?” He smiled faintly, and Amon turned his head to look at his face. That expression of weary hope made him want to cry, and he nodded hesitantly.

“…I’d like that.”