The Demon Soum
*** Based heavily on the movie 'Lo' from 2009. This will contain the same twist ending as the movie. If you've seen it, you know how this will end, if not and you want to see it, this fiction will be a bit of a spoiler. Details will be changed to better support some properties of the characters.***
Before we begin let me give you a linguistic heads up:
In Swedish:
Ja = Yes
Ärtsoppa = split pea soup
Nej = No
Skit = Shit… and it's pronounced the same. The Swedes have something going on with their Ks.
Herregud = An exclamation of "Oh my God."
Håll käften! = SHUT UP!
Rövhål = Asshole
Gud = God
Finnish:
Perkele = A general nasty word that literally means "devil."
Russian:
Da = Yes
Privet = Hello
Drugu = Friend
Malutka = Little One
Fignya = Bullshit
Danish:
Svenk = A Swede
The scene opened on a dismal place. It was in total darkness save for six tall, floral scented candles. Tino had liked those candles. Perhaps that's why they were the ones Berwald was using for this incredibly crazy endeavor.
The Swede kicked the empty white paint can into an unseen corner of his darkness swallowed apartment. Nothing could be in the way for this to work; at least that's what that scary little book seemed to dictate. He'd always been proud of his ability for following directions and had he not been plagued with the pain of the claw marks on his chest and the pain of the broken heart under them he would have been proud of his abilities to paint the giant, rune filled circle on the floor. Not a mark was too long, too short or out of place. This had to work. It had to.
He swallowed the lump in his throat. This was madness. This was insane. But it was the only way wasn't it? He sat down in the specified area of the circle and thumbed through the marked pages of the book before him and ran down the list, confirming that he was totally prepared. 'Candles, marks, knife, book… words.' He confirmed. He hoped he would pronounce everything right. He'd just say the words slow.
Wincing, he dragged the kitchen knife along his palm; clenching and relaxing his fist over top of the indicated rune for his blood. When the blood covered it completely he wrapped the piece of gauze around it tightly and turned his attention back to the book. Licking his dry lips he recited the words penned there, beside a horrific illustration of some water monster.
"Voco te ex inferus Daemon Suom. Potens es. Tu terribilis. Faciam vobiscum fœdus pro mihi dare volo. Daemon venit coram me Suom."
He held his breath. Waiting for movement or a sign. When none came he sighed and rolled his eyes. What had he done wrong? He painted the symbols, boarded up every source of light, lit six candles, cut his hand and filled the designated rune with his blood, stabbed the knife into the eye-shaped rune, chanted the words- … wait. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He was already fucking this up. He'd never see Tino again if he didn't get his shit together! He scooped up the kitchen knife with his good hand and stabbed it into the wood flooring of his apartment.
He'd been expecting to have to read the chant again, so he gasped when there was the sudden sound and feeling of violent, bitter cold winds blowing against him. (Though they did not affect the candles). Finally the winds died down and the Swede was met with the grotesque sound of some… THING… dragging itself across the floor ahead of him; towards him.
Berwald's initial impression of the sound could have been easily applied to the creature that entered into the candle light. It made his skin crawl. Its skin looked like it was comprised of some malleable ice, under which was some viscous fluid. In this fluid several organs, none of which were connected together, were floating. Under a patch of stringy hair were the creature's eyes, bloodshot, magenta orbs.
"A-are ye the Demon Suom?" The Swede sputtered. The creature burbled as though it were drowning, "Yes." Was all it said. That lump from earlier crammed itself back into place in the Swede's throat. "I… Y-Ye have great p'wer?" He questioned.
Suom cackled, or at least the way a cackle would sound if it was garbled by a mouthful of goo. "Yes." It moaned again, grinning its ice-white teeth at him. The demon pointed to a spot in the room, where an overhead light somehow illuminated a patch of emptiness. With a flick of its wrist dust started to come together until it created the figure of a doll-sized little boy, with thick eyebrows and seagull features sitting there. Suom blew a kiss in its direction, and it sprang to life. But it merely waved to Berwald before lying back down and falling asleep.
"Ye are p'werful." Berwald licked his lips as he face the creature in front of him, flinching a little at the sight of its grin. This made the creature go into a cackling fit again as it dragged itself nearer to Berwald, as near as the circle would let him. The cackling stopped suddenly and the creature spoke in a normal voice. "Now clean the shit from your pants and tell me what the hell you want." There was no burble or wheezing. Suom threw himself down to lie on his belly and stare expectantly up at Berwald with his unblinking eyes.
"H-Him." Berwald answered, holding up a picture of his dear little Tino once he had come back to his senses. He remembered taking the picture. It'd been on Christmas and Tino had gone to build snow men in their front yard. It was Berwald's favorite photo, it captured everything he loved about the Finn. That big smile, the open eyes, all made more beautiful by the snowflakes stuck to his eyelashes. "Ye took'im."
"Hey now! I didn't take anybody!"
"No, not ye, but one'a yer kind."
The creature gasped. "I knew it!" His eyes wide in disbelief. "You're a racist." He clucked.
The Swede pinched the bridge of his nose. This demon was a pain in the ass. Why had Tino marked THIS page in his book if this demon was going to be such a little shit? He pulled up his shirt to reveal the claw marks. Suom didn't seem to be impressed. "Are you sure he wasn't taken by a bear? I hear they've been getting pretty bold what with habitat destruction and all."
"'M not an idiot. He was take'n by a demon, some-something like ye."
"Relax, I know what you're talking about. He's cute, in an expected kind of way. It was always on the fence about whether It wanted to be a male or female when It dressed in human skin. I can see It picked a sickeningly happy medium. Gross. Okay. Big, Broad and stupid. What's your name?"
"Berwald."
"Berwald? That's a stupid name. You need a better name, one that reflects your future greatness… OH OH I got it, I got it! I baptize you… Supper." The demon grinned at him again.
"Can we skip the stup'd chat. I want ye to go into hell an' bring Tino back t'me." Berwald growled shaking the picture in the demon's face. Suom burbled again, his jovial expression becoming a glare. "Hell is filled with thousands of souls spanning back to the dawn of man. We don't keep good records. What you're asking me to do is impossible! How am I to find one soul in that misery soup? Look, here's a little bit of advice for you, go to the last page of that book. It's a closing spell. Close this charade, give up on Tino. He's gone forever."
Berwald swallowed that lump and growled at the demon. He slammed the book shut. "I'm not leavin'. Not without Tino. Ye can't say it's imposs'ble. Ye ain't e'en tried yet." He glared into the magenta orbs. Suom rolled them. "Fine… Master… but if you set so much as a toe outside this circle I will have you floating in my gullet for 90 years. That's how long it takes me to digest a little bitch like you." It burbled before snatching the picture of Tino away from its love struck owner who had mistakenly set it down with a corner outside the circle. "This Tino. Tell me about him. Personal details if you could; let me feel your pain for him."
"Tino. W-well he's a little more th'n five feet tall, his hair is blond, lavend'r eyes, an'-"
"Supper, Supper, Supper… shut up." Suom rolled over on his back and smacked a hand over his eyes. "I don't want his STATS, I want personal details about him. Personal! I can't find him based on hair color and stuff like that! I have to know things about him, feelings, things that made Tino into Tino. I want to know about how you met, how you held hands, how you kissed how you fought, how you FUCKED!" He burbled, his chesire cat smile returning.
"H-How we met?"
"Sure. Go for it. REGALE me with your story of love, lust and loss Supper. My cytoplasm is quivering in anticipation." The creature rolled back over onto his belly, waving his hand to encourage the Swede to continue on.
Berwald scratched at his neck and cleared his throat. "W-well, it was more'n a year ago. I was on break from work, so I go o'er to the café 'cross the street. An'-" he paused as a few feet away a stage, with simple setting, appeared from nowhere. What was even stranger was that Berwald could see himself sitting at the prop table, news paper in one hand and the spoon for his bowl of ärtsoppa in the other… this was a strange little rendition of his memory!
Speechlessly he turned his attention back on Suom who grinned those white teeth at him again. "Flashback time. I'm pulling the images from your mind and projecting them with this scene. Now hush and just enjoy the show." He clucked, pulling out from behind him a cola and a bag of licorice. He munched as though it was a seat grabbing action thriller. Berwald simply pinched the bridge of his nose again and watched his memory unfold.
His heart froze in his chest. That's right. That's when Tino had come into it all. He even appeared in this campy little theatrical rendition of the Swede's memory.
The small Finn carried a worn out trunk with him, and quietly he craned his neck to stare at the pea soup on the table. "I-Is that good?" He'd asked, startling the quiet Swede into looking up and paying attention to him.
"Uh, Ja. I s'pose."
"C-Can I try some?" He asked. This surprised the Swede. That certainly wasn't something you would normally just ask a stranger. "Oh… Your silence says no, I'll just go then." The tinnier man stuttered, turning as though to leave.
"N-Nej, wait. M'sorry. Please sit, ye can have some." Berwald remembered his hospitality, and besides, something seemed somewhat lost about this boy. Immediately the Finn perked up and he threw himself into the chair opposite Berwald and accepted the spoon from him to take a taste of the ärtsoppa. "MMMMMMMH! Perkele, this is so good!" He moaned like he'd never had anything good to eat before.
"Ye like? Would ye like me t' order a second?" Berwald smiled gently, though still a little confused by the strange boy's behavior.
"I can have more? Really? Oh yes please."
Berwald held up his hand and the very sleepy waiter approached. "Can I order 'nother ärtsoppa?" He mumbled. The waiter raised a brow. "I thought you were going to be eating alone?" He asked, surprising Berwald a little. "Well, I was, but he-… … s'that a probl'm?" He raised his own brow. "Guess not. I'll put a rush on it." Yawned the weird waiter as he disappeared into stage left. The large man pinched the bridge of his nose and returned his attention to the Finn, who was going at the soup rather ravenously.
"Yer real hungry hm?"
"Heh, I don't eat a lot. Well, at least I never did. But I plan to eat a lot from now on if I have any say in it." He chortled, one of the sweetest smiles ever crafted gracing his features. This stuck in the Swede's heart for some reason, but also worried him.
"Are ye in some kindda trouble?" He mumbled, catching the Finn off guard.
"Well, actually. If you must know I'm on the run… HOHO I'm just kidding you silly. I really had you believing me." The small one chortled again.
"Tha's funny. M'name's Berwald." The Swede added, taking the chance to introduce himself. The Finn took his offered hand (of course though, he took it with his left which looked incredibly awkward). "Berwald." Considerately. "Berwald." Sternly. "Berwald." Satisfied.
"An' ye are?"
"Are what?"
"Yer name."
"OH! My name. Um. I have a name. And it's a good name. It's-" He chewed on his bottom lip in thought, but heard a conversation from another table; "Would you like some tea?" "No, thank you."
"Tino." He said finally. "My name is Tino."
"OH OH OH WAIT! WAIT! Supper! Supper I have a question!" The heart-felt scene was interrupted by the burbling demon. "Did your boyfriend just make up his name on the spot? … And you thought that was normal or okay? Well, I'm going to give you some words of advice; that screams 'Look at me I'm a demon' in my expert opinion." He chortled, using Tino's voice for the quote. This gave the real Berwald goose bumps. "Tino? Demon? Yer jus' messin' with my memories. Stop it!" The Swede huffed at the creature rolling around in the middle of a chuckle fit.
"No, this would be manipulating your memories." The monster giggled.
Once again the figures on the stage came to life. Suddenly Tino's clothes and hair were a lot more disheveled... Sexier. His soft pink lips were parted in the process of panting as he stood from his chair. "Berwald, I've been wandering this plane seeking a big, strong man like you to make my body quake with sex!" He threw himself on the table. "Fuck me like a lesbian in front of all these jerk offs!"
At this the Swede, cramped in his little circle, glared at Suom, who looked quite taken aback. "What? That didn't happen?" The demon smiled, fluttering his eye lashes… if he had any… "Alright fine I'll put it back, but keep an open mind Supper. Seeing your past is sometimes a little different than remembering your past." And with a snap of his icy fingers the show was back as it was, and starting again.
The Play-Berwald looked over at the trunk Tino had been carrying with him. "What's that ye got there?" He asked quizzically.
"Oh, that. It's nothing. Just what I keep my book in."
"Book? Locked up?"
"It's nothing. Just a really old, really rare book I couldn't part with when I ran away." He explained, his eyes sparkling when the second bowl of soup arrived, and his smile only grew when Berwald suggested that Tino have that one as well.
"If ye ain't got no place t' go, ye can stay at my place fer a while." The Swede offered. "Is big, an' I ain't got a soul t' share it with. Wait here an' I'll see if m'boss'll let me out early an' I can walk ye there." The giant gently offered. For some reason this angel faced little run away tugged at his heart strings. He'd wanted to help him. The Finn smiled and took his hand. "Thank you Berwald. I'd like that." And with that the curtains fell and faded away into darkness.
The Swede stared into the darkness where his memory had played out before him. At that moment in his past he hadn't intended to fall desperately in love with the ragamuffin, even if it had happened rather quickly after that point. He'd just felt the need to help. "Tino." He sighed, sadly, his heart throbbing bitterly under his wound.
"That is quite a shame Da?" Questioned a voice. Berwald turned his attention back sharply. Suom was gone, and another demon, almost human looking, sat in his place. "You!" The Swede snarled, but the demon never looked up from his book.
"Privet! Have you ever read of Faust? He was brilliant man Da? But very very stupid compared to us demons."
"Yer that demon that took Tino an' did this t' me!" The Swede spit, glaring daggers as he lifted up his shirt to reveal the grotesque scars, still pink, shiny, and in the early stages of healing.
"Da! That is my best work. You are lucky to be living still. Your blood was so tasty. My name is Bragin. I got medal for bringing your Tino back with me. See?" The heartless creature flashed the medal in Berwald's face. "When I hear you is in the plane between worlds I have to come and see you. You are the mortal that tamed the greatest of beasts…" He praised, maintaining his soulless smile. Why were these demons so cheerful?
"I have met many humans in my past, da? And I have felt some things for them; disgust, humor, HUNGER, but I could never LOVE ONE." The demon drawled on in its thick Russian accent. "Like me, It had everything It could want for, so why?"
"Why whut?"
"Why did It fall in love with you?"
Berwald met this answer with an incredulous expression. Was 'It' supposed to be Tino? Bragin seemed to take his expression as one of confusion, however, and gleefully smiled as he stood. "I will explain everything." He said. "In the form of ballet!"
With that the stage reappeared and Bragin commenced prancing about on it. Theoretically, there was some story or point his dance was supposed to be making… but it was lost on the Swede. He really didn't understand what a pirouette was supposed to represent in the world of dance! He most certainly didn't dance (even if he had a quiet, guilty pleasure for disco music). Though, on some level he gave Bragin some credit. The demon was incredibly graceful and could dance ballet rather well considering he was clad in a military garb and was wearing combat boots. Luckily the dance didn't last incredibly long, it ended just as Berwald's patience was about to. With a great sweeping bow Bragin returned to the darkness whence he came.
"That was interesting." Burbled a voice. Berwald turned his head sharply. Suom was back. "Look, if you didn't understand Bragin's dance- because no one does- let me explain it to you. Tino… how do I say this in a way that you'll be able to understand? … Tino. Is. A. Demon. He's not just any demon. He's one of the more powerful demons in hell. What Bragin was trying to convey was Tino's story. He was born when Satan had been roaming a frozen battle field; before him laid a soldier, barely clinging to life. Satan ripped the soldier's heart from his chest and tossed it into the frozen lake. The demon that you call Tino came to be, and unlike all other demons he has a heart. It's such a pain in the ass. He'll get restless and not understand why no one else is! Calling on people in the middle of the night sobbing 'I don't know why I feel this way! I enjoy slaying while I'm doing it, but when it's all over and the blood's dried I regret it and become disgusted with myself! What is this heart even good for!' He could kill without a drop of mercy and then hours afterwards mourn it!" Suom once again used Tino's voice for the quote. It was bothersome to poor Berwald. "What am I supposed to say! I can't explain it! I can't make it go away! I don't have a clue what a heart is good for! All I can do is tell him to learn to get over those feelings of disgust… but that answer never satisfies his restlessness… perhaps that's why he cleaned off his sword and ran away." Sighed Suom, as he stared off into the darkness.
Berwald came to the realization. "Ye was'is friend."
"No." Suom glared and gargled.
"Ye was. Ye act'd like ye didn't know'em."
"I lied. I do that sometimes."
"Yer vile."
"To call me so is to call Tino so. We're of the same cloth you know. Let me explain it to you Berwald. Demons, all demons, EVEN TINO will attack, kill, and eat ANYONE. Tino loving you was no more than a whimsy of that pesky little heart of his and you expect me to just reach into the ass of Hell and produce him in front of you?"
Berwald looked at Suom with a puzzled expression and licked his lips before talking to him again. "Ye can't bring Tino here, can ye? Ye don't have the strength… for goodness sake yer'a cripple!" Suom roared and pushed himself up with his arms and glared into Berwald's skull with his magenta orbs. Suddenly the Swede began to cough and gag, the sensation of being underwater filling him and his lungs, making it hard to breath.
"Can you feel that? The sensation of me drowning you? I may not be able to kill you from here but I certainly have the power to convey my desire to, Supper!" And with that Suom vanished into the shadows leaving Berwald to stew.
'Skit skit skit skit skit skit skit!' He cussed internally a few times… until he noticed that he could hear his thoughts being projected audibly. 'Herregud! My thoughts, I can hear them! Why? Where is it coming from? Herregud! Say something out loud idiot!'
"Kuuuugggrrrrnnn!"
'Skit! That's not a word! That was just me making noise! Come on Berwald, form a REAL sentence here!'
"Jack an' Jill went up th' hill!"
'That's it? That's my sentence? That was terrible! I-… wait…' and here he took notice of his injured palm, bringing it into the light and unwrapping the gauze to better inspect the wound. 'Did that get bigger?' The edges of the wound moving like a mouth. 'SKIT! My thoughts are being spoken by my hand! Why! Stop thinking! Clear your mind, oh skit, no, stop thinking, skit STOP! … Okay, think, think. Tino's a demon. He was always a demon, so did he ever really love me?'
"'Course he loved me!"
'And we're sitting in a circle, that was probably made with lead based paint because I'm sure you didn't double check the pail, in some dimensional skit-hole between our world and Hell hearing tales of how he killed people for fun!'
"But th' demons are liars, Suom e'en said so 'mself!"
'But Tino's book! No normal human would have a spell book for summoning demons! He could only get it in one place!'
"Hell?"
'Hell. Tino came from HELL!'
"But, Tino loved me. He tol' me!"
'But did he really? Maybe you were just the perfect person to hide from the demons with! A patsy! He USED YOU!'
"Tha' BASTARD!"
'I KNOW RIGHT!'
"…Herregud... 'm talkin' to m'self... through m'hand... What's wrong with me?" He moaned, covering his eyes with his hands and doubling over on himself. He was losing his mind! He had to be.
"You're so silly. You know, the circle is closing in around you. The longer you stay in the more you run the risk of going mad." Suom had reappeared with an ice filled glass and a tall bottle of something dark.
"Where'd ye go?" Berwald questioned of the crippled demon that was pouring itself a drink, but inspecting his hand. The wound no longer was gapping and no longer resembled a mouth… it was back to simply being a normal gash.
"To get my spirits."
"Demon's drink?"
"I'm a demon, I can do whatever I want." The creature chortled and slammed the drink, its dark beverage staining the fluids under his icy skin momentarily before dissipating into his body. "I brought you back a present beautiful." It cooed at him.
"Tino?" He asked breathlessly.
"Oh, no. No no no. Supper. He's in some serious trouble. He's locked up and suffering through an ordeal worse than anything Hell has ever thrown at anyone. But I brought these two to speak on his behalf. You know. Character witnesses. I named them for you Meatball. Den and Nor." Motioning once more to the wall where two shadows… nothing more, slide their way up. They had no substance, no physical form to be casting them. They were simply shadows. But how can something cast a shadow unless it has a physical body to block the light? It just didn't make practical sense… but then again what did in this dimensional pit-stop?
"Herregud, what are they?"
"They were human… at one time… guess what cute little demon killed them?" Suom snickered, slamming another drink.
The silhouettes moaned, screaming out, describing their pains and the ordeals they had to suffer through repeatedly in their internment in the underworld. Horrors that Berwald had never imagined were these two unfortunate souls subject to.
"Why are ye show'n me this?" The Swede asked of Suom, feeling his stomach churning at the vivid descriptions.
"This is good!" Suom answered, downing another drink. "This is our business, our jobs, what we do! If you want to find Tino maybe you should better understand what he does… and has done." He waved for the two specters to continue.
"It tricked us, the demon tricked us! We were two noblemen, we united our armies… and ourselves… we were in love, but as two men we couldn't produce any heirs. The demon tricked us! It promised to use magic to create a baby out of bits of earth, with both the blood of Nor and myself in exchange for our eternal souls. It gave us our wish. And for a year and a half I knew that I enjoyed fatherhood, and that both Nor and myself had found our purpose in loving that child." Den wailed.
"I told you we should not have played with magic. That we should have simply stolen a baby from a people we had conquered! But you wanted a blood heir! You couldn't have just raped a slave woman? I would have cared for it and loved it as my own!" Nor bitched in reply.
"You were the one who said we needed candles!"
"If we were going to do it I would rather we have done it right!"
"I'm sorry Svenk, the torture down here makes him into a real little BITCH!" the two specters fought between themselves. It took a garbled roar from Suom to bring their attention back to the matter at hand. "The child?" questioned the demon.
"He died." Nor explained, as Den's arms came around him, and together they began to wail and sob. "The child was made of magic; he was doomed from his creation! We sold our souls and lost the most precious thing in our lives!" Den sobbed, clutching onto the shadowy form of Nor. "Please, please Mister, take us with you! Don't make us go back! Take us with you, take us with you!" They wailed, their shadowy arms gliding across the floor, reaching out to him, but unable to penetrate the circle. Their figures circled him like two sad, heart-broken shark, pleading and begging him! Their voices growing louder until they sounded like nothing more than a constant wail and persistent moaning!
"NEJ! I cannot help you! Go back t'hell!" Berwald doubled up into himself, covering his ears and squeezing his eyes shut. He could do nothing. They had sold their souls. He wished they would just leave! … and the specters faded into the darkness. "Herregud, please! Jus' get Tino for me." The heart-broken giant begged of Suom once more. The small demon rolled his eyes.
"I can't. And it's not because I'm crippled! If you must know why my legs drag behind me? Tino. My legs were crushed when he was brought back. It was my punishment for my involvement. A demon, heart or not, should never believe that love is the answer to its questions or its problems. Now he is back home, but he will never be free and he will be subject to the most painful punishment. So painful that it wasn't even in the book of punishments for demons… they created a punishment FOR him. Would you even want to see him again? Knowing the truth? If you really want to see him again, think about him, remember him, and keep Tino alive in your heart. That's the best you can hope for." Suom's words touched something inside the giant Swede, he couldn't bear to stare into those creepy magenta eyeballs floating around in its head. He turned his back on the beast, but only for the stage to light back up.
Christmas. It had been Christmas day. The same day the picture had been taken. Tino sat on the floor, staring up at the tree he and Berwald had decorated the night before, absentmindedly sipping his forth cup of hot chocolate, watching the blinking lights with childlike wonderment. He'd refused to be moved from watching it the night before and had actually fallen asleep, curled up with the tree skirt, and Berwald had to carry his little Christmas angel to bed. Now he was right back to staring at the pretty lights on it. He'd told Berwald that he had never had a Christmas tree… ever. He was excited about the tree. Berwald stood in the doorway with his coffee, (and a brightly wrapped package behind his back) and just admired how Tino's eyes danced over the tinsel and how he would reach out and caress the pine needles.
Finally Berwald cleared his throat and broke the silence, catching Tino's attention. The lavender eyes stayed on him as he wandered over and parked himself on the floor right in front of Tino and handed him the box. Once more the Finn's eyes lit up brightly, and he turned the box over several times admiring the metallic, shiny red paper and the gold and green puffy ribbon. Satisfied with his inspection he put the box down on the floor, tucking his knees up into his chest he just smiled at Berwald. "Everything's so pretty." He cooed. One thing Berwald had always loved about Tino was how everything seemed to fill him with childlike awe, as though it were the first time he was seeing, hearing, or experiencing everything.
The Swede just chortled and picked the box back up, directing Tino's attention to the side of it and pulling the edge back. This seemed to fascinate the Finn again and he took it back to finish the job of unwrapping it; getting more and more excited as he lifted the lid and pulled back the tissue paper and found… "Oh, a book." He said quizzically as he lifted it out and read the cover aloud, slowly. "The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus." He always read things slowly, as though he was not very used to reading.
Berwald nodded and elaborated. "I thought ye'd like it, 'cuz ye seem t'like ol' books, seein' as ye keep yer's under lock'n'key. It ain't the oldest copy, is a 1663 reprint, but still very old. Do ye like it?"
"You know what? I think I do! I've never read a book before, except-for-mine." He quickly added.
"Ye've never read a book?"
"Except for mine." Tino affirmed.
"Not e'en in school?" The Swede looked at him incredulously.
"Oh, well… I… I never went to school." Tino looked up at Berwald through his eyelashes, pink painting his face in shame. That was it, Berwald was certain at this point that Tino mustn't be just an ordinary run-away… he had to have been running away from some form of abuse or neglect. Quickly though Tino seemed to change the subject… he never lingered on his past for long. "So what's this book about?" He asked, immediately changing his expression to a bright one.
Berwald was used to the subject being changed by now, he simply didn't push it. Tino would tell him when he was ready to confront his demons right? Right. "Is about a man named Faustus, who sells'is soul t'the Devil for knowledge n'power."
"Well that's stupid of him." Tino snorted. "There's nothing to know, nothing worth that kind of suffering at least."
"Really? Ye been there?" Berwald teased gently.
"No." Tino quickly replied, looking up sharply, but seeing Berwald's gentle expression he laughed. "So you thought I would like this and you just got it for me?" He asked, clutching the book to his heart.
"Well… Ja, is yer Christmas pres'nt." Berwald explained.
"Christmas present? I thought the tree was a Christmas." The small man replied, looking incredibly confused.
"Nej, the tree is a Pine. Christmas is a hol'day. Is when we dec'rate a tree and we exchange gift with people we luff. I got ye that book cause I luff ye." He explained, his heart sinking when the Finn looked up at him with sad eyes. "I- I didn't know… I've never done a Christmas before… I don't have anything for you Berwald." He misted. Berwald had been about to reach out and comfort him when the tiny man seemed to be struck with an idea, and scampered away as quickly as possible into the bedroom. Leaving Berwald there to muddle in his mind over what he'd just come to realize about Tino.
Tino didn't even know what Christmas was. He'd thought the Christmas tree meant that Christmas was a kind of tree? Now Berwald was starting to wonder if Tino was one of those rare cases of someone having been kept indoors their entire life and allowed access to only that information that the person keeping them there would allow them to have. Tino seemed to understand certain aspects of religion, perhaps he was the victim of some radical religious whacka-doo! One of those End-Is-Near cult people? He never talked about having a family, he never talked about anyone who took care of him; whenever his past was brought up he quickly changed the subject to something applying to the present or future or he would plead with the giant not to bring up his past… that it wasn't something he could talk about. All sorts of terrible ideas entered into Berwald's head. He imagined Tino having been kidnapped as a child from a loving family by crazy cultists and kept locked up and ignorant to the world around him until such day that he escaped. He always referred to his entrance into Berwald's life as 'running away' never as 'left' or 'moved out' or 'kicked out' or 'asked to leave.'
The Swede was gnawing on the inside of his cheek when Tino reappeared. "Ye can't give me sumthin' I already own." He sighed, smiling, hoping to hide his dark thoughts from Tino.
"It's not." He had his beat up old trunk. He'd must of dug it out from under the bed. Settling next to Berwald once more he opened it, reached inside and handed Berwald one scary looking book. The cover looked like it was made of some wrinkled, old leather, and had what must have at one time been a horrifying illustration etched or burned into the cover. There was no title on the face or spine and only one red ribbon sticking out of the top as a bookmark. This only made Berwald wonder more if Tino escaped from some Revelations-Calling-Cultists. It looked so cult-y.
"Yer book? Yer givin' it t'me?"
"Well, yes, you gave me a book and you said you loved me. When I met you this book was all I had and it was the most precious thing to me but now I have you and you've become the most precious thing in my life. I don't need that dumb book anymore." Tino smiled softly, making the Swede feel like his heart was inflating. He made a motion to open the book and see what was inside it, but with surprising speed Tino had thrown himself over on his belly in order to snap it closed. "NO! No, Berwald. You must never, ever, ever, EVER read the book." He warned. Well… that seemed odd.
"What c'n I do with a book I c'nnot read?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he gently accepted the book back from Tino.
"Destroy it, burn it! Berwald. Please. No questions. Promise me that one day when I'm not around you'll destroy this book."
"Tino," Berwald was stunned by the earnest in Tino's eyes. "Tino… what is this?" He questioned, taking a sideways glance back at the book.
"… My past…" The Finn mumbled. "Never ask me that question ever again. Burn this book… And wish me a merry Christmas." He added, once again trying to change the subject and switching over to a smiley face. To try to give it more power he peppered kisses along Berwald's cheekbones, the bridge of his nose, and his lips.
"M-Merry Christmas." He muttered, and shared one more kiss with Tino as the lights of the stage faded out into darkness.
"Give me a D, give me an E, give me an M, give me an ON what does that spell? … Tino!" Suom muttered, tracing circles with his finger on the floor. He was trying to be a smart ass, but his heart just didn't seem into it.
"Why wasn't he honest with me?" The voice of Berwald's mind asked again. "He didn't trust you with the truth."
"He was 'shamed of 'is past."
"No. He had a plan! And you fell right into it! Look at you! You're pathetic! You have zero social skills. No friends. No family. You have nothing and no one! Tino was all you had, the only thing that made you feel anything other than bland! Tino made you feel alive instead of feeling like you just existed and he knew it."
"Nej, nej, nej. We were p'rfect 'cuz we were dif'rent. We completed each other."
"You were perfect because that's what he WANTED. You were a safe place to hide, food in his belly, you served the same function as a fake moustache!"
"Håll Käften!" He bellowed, slaming his fist down into his hand, then crying out at the pain he'd just inflicted on himself, the voiced silenced, he cradled his injured palm to his chest.
"The circle is closing in on you Supper." Suom warned, tracing his temple with his index finger. Berwald merely glared. "I c'n manage." He mumbled which threw Suom into a fit of giggles. "You have no idea what you're playing with… idiot." Just as the giant was opening his mouth to throw his own vulgar Swedish retort the sound of a cart being rolled caught his attention to his right.
There stood another waiter, like the one from his memory only this one was a scrawny man with unruly tufts of corn colored hair and obnoxiously thick eyebrows. "What'll it be chap?" He questioned, motioning to his cart and the drink paraphernalia on it.
"I dun wanna drink. I want Tino." He grumbled.
"I assure you Gov, I'm the best bar tender in this room."
This had Berwald peering around him. Suom had piddled off somewhere again, that left only the little seagull boy in the corner peering at him, turning his head, peering at him again, and then waving with a great big soulless smile on his face.
"Ja, I dun doubt ye." Berwald replied. "But I still dun want anythin' t'drink. Jus' Tino."
"I will craft for you then the greatest drink ever mixed and I will call it 'Tino'." Spoke the very British sounding bar tender as he collected his shakers and containers and … from somewhere… a cha-cha kind of beat started playing. The bar tender danced and performed tricks with the shakers and going along with the music. Berwald simply pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to will his boiling temper back down. What was wrong with this place? Why could things materialize out of nowhere? Half the creatures or people or whatever they were that he encountered were of no help to him and served only as a momentary distraction. He was becoming tired of all of this. Especially when he noticed that there were no fluids in the bartender's bottles. Nothing was being poured into that shaker! But he was too weary of all of this to say anything at this point. Wait it out. He'd finish his little show. And then he would leave Berwald so the Swede could refocus his energy on the subject at hand.
Finally, the little dance ended with the tender downing the empty shaker and blowing a breath of fire into the air. Applause rang out from some unseen corner of the apartment. After a sweeping bow in all directions the bar tender plopped three ice cubes in a glass and poured in some blue fluid from a bottle on the underside of his cart. "Tootle-oo Old Bean. Enjoy." He winked, setting the glass just on the edge of the circle, before he too rolled away into the darkness.
The Swede had to fight the urge to send it flying across the room. "I. Dun. Want. It." He prophesied in a harsh staccato.
"It's not poison Supper." Suom had reappeared. "It's a potion that will weaken you, significantly, but it will temporarily loosen your soul from your body and allow you to travel…eeeehhh… MOSTLY unharmed through the belly of Hell. I just can't bring Tino to you, but maybe I can bring you to him. Trust me, I don't want to be babysitting you any longer than I have to and this might be the only way to get your stubborn ass what you want." Suom pledged, drumming his fingers impatiently against the hardwood flooring. "Is Tino worth it? Is he worth what you'll have to do just for a chance to see him?"
Berwald didn't answer this question. He didn't even think about it. If it was the only way, it was the only way. And he would see Tino dammit! He scooped up the glass and downed it all with one gulp then tossed the glass unceremoniously out of the circle. "Le's go." He rumbled, wiping his chin.
Suom convulsed in probably his most animated giggle-fit since Berwald had summoned him.
"What th' hell ye laughin' 'bout?" He asked, glaring at the vexing demon.
Once Suom had seemed to contain himself and his rolling around clutching his guts, he sighed out "OH! Oh Supper that WAS poison!"
Berwald's jaw hung loose from his skull. He had been tricked. The ultimate trick! He'd just been duped into downing some kind of demonic poison. Suom… you son of a bitch. But Berwald was distracted from his reignited temper by the acknowledgement of a chilly presence behind him, turning suddenly, there sat Bragin once again.
"Is only me Drugu." He smiled, wiggling his fingers in greeting. Berwald merely sighed, defeated, and rubbed his eyes. "Drugu, drugu, drugu! I have heard that you have fallen for oldest trick in book da? OLD 'drink this and you will be walking through hell' story. I had to come watch."
"Bring. Back. Suom."
"Heh, I am not that malutka's keeper." He chortled, wagging a finger.
"Am I gunna die?'
"Oh da, but slow. We demons we like the slow poisons… it so fun to watch you twitch da?"
Berwald sighed. "Is there 'nthin' I can do?"
"Da. Close spell, get to hospital, pump stomach out. Then you be fine." He smiled, as though Berwald would actually take the advice. As predictable, the Swede glowered.
"'M not leavin' without 'im."
At this Bragin rolled his eyes and met Berwald with his own glare. "Stop calling It 'him.' It is not a male nor is It female. It has no gender. That is human limit; we demons are not bound by that limit. We are not defined by sex. Tino is not 'He' Tino is 'It.' It probably did not even make genitalia for itself until It could guess which kind you liked best. Tino did not introduce self as man or woman until It could guess that you wanted It to be a man, da?" He questioned. Berwald's silence was a good enough answer. "So… this 'love' thing, what is it?" Bragin added, wanting to continue on the conversation. "I torture man once and ask him same question, da? Before he finally die he say 'it is like lump in throat that you cannot swallow' but I think that is something that would be annoying, da?"
"I dunno."
"Oh come, you know, pretend I am Tino. 'HI BERWALD I IS TINO BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH.' Heehee."
Berwald pinched the bridge of his nose, the poison already giving him a headache. "A'right. He was wrong… a lump 's too s'mple."
"AW! So whole lump theory is fignya?"
"All theory's are 'fignya'. I can't define s'mthin' that ye'll never feel fer yerself. Ye demons say ye c'n do anythin', but not a one of ye c'n love… Jus' Tino."
"Being unable to love is gift! Let me give you proof! Look at self. You are a fool, sitting in circle, dying slow and painful waiting for someone to bring you a love that was lie and who you will never see again. Why would you do that?"
Now, Berwald smiled; proudly. "Tha's m'secret." This seemed to infuriate the demon, which gave Berwald a little more confidence. "What's wrong? Not h'ppy that ye dun know everythin' Bragin?"
The demon roared at him. "When you die in that sad little circle between dimensions your soul will be mine." He snarled.
"Ye got a lil' soft shoe 'bout that?"
"… Da, but the music isn't mixed and the second half is not choreographed SO YOU DO NOT GET TO SEE!" He spat, displaying a nasty Russian hand gesture. And with that, the darkness swallowed up Bragin.
And Berwald was left alone in the circle… again.
It took only the matter of two or three hours (he was quickly losing track in this place) before his mind started to wander again.
"You're going to die."
"Ja."
"You're afraid of death, more than anything else… and you're just going to sit there and die?"
"Wh't should I do? Give up? Close th' book? Abandon Tino an' all I done so far?"
"I don't want to die."
"I dun wanna die."
"I Don't. Want. To. Die."
"But I dun wanna live without'im either."
"Rövhål... you had to say it out loud? Herregud. I have to get rid of it. It'll just keep talking and it'll betray me! ... Am I seriously thinking of cutting off my own hand? Herregud, I have to! It's just as manipulative as everything else here! Alright. You can do this... Herregud this is going to hurt so much...skit Skit SKIT SKIT!"
"IDIOT! STOP!" Suom had returned. "Are you trying to die sooner?"
Berwald stared down at his wounded hand, and the knife clenched in his good hand. With a clatter he dropped it to the floor, quickly trying to forget about his momentary plan to mutilate himself but not forgetting his grudge with Suom. "Ye poisoned me."
"And?"
"… GUD! Why ye! Why did it hav'ta be ye! WHY DID TINO MARK YER PAGE!" He heart-broken man roared.
"I don't know Supper. Maybe it was an accident… or maybe he just thought I was cute as the dickens?" Suom answered, being his usual evasive self.
"Why can ye give me a damn straight an'ser! Why! Why did ye help'im escape?"
"I do what I want."
"They crushed yer BODY! Why was it worth it to ye!"
"I DESERVED IT! I paid the price for what I did! You were not meant to travel through Hell. Berwald, close the book! Tino and I broke a sacred law and we are being punished! He is a vile, disgusting, putrid betrayer!"
"I. Dun. Care! That was Tino in yer world… not th' Tino from mine." He spat, resisting the prickling feeling of tears forming near the corners of his eyes. He would never let this demon see him broken down. Tino was not those things. Tino was sweet and kind. Tino received joy from doing kind things. Tino loved to hear the words 'thank you' and they made him go above and beyond for the one thanking him. Tino was a sad, small creature. Tino was a victim that Berwald loved, sheltered, and protected!
Suom sighed and rubbed his face. "Berwald… an escaped murderer is still a murderer. He was running away from himself."
Berwald choked slightly, his fury at Suom and everything around him had his heart racing and was speeding up the effects of the poison. How could he make Suom see? Tino wasn't like other demons. Tino loved him. Tino would pay any price for him. Tino was good. This time he found he had the power, himself, to will the stage to appear.
The setting, once again, simple. In the middle of the stage sat a large bed with two bedside tables and a lamp on each. In this bed laid cuddling two lovers. Tino was wrapped in his blanket burrowing his face into Berwald's shoulder. Their breath was even and content, at least until something started to stir within Tino. Very quickly his gentle snoring became sounds of distress, his occasional nocturnal twitches a weak struggle, all culminating in a climatic (almost inhuman) screech as he flailed and clawed at nothing but empty air. Berwald was immediately started awake and he leapt onto Tino, clasping his wrists and pinning him back down and trying to use his weight to get the Finn to stop struggling. Only too many times had Tino hurt himself in the middle of one of his all too frequent nocturnal terrors.
Finally his struggle subsided and Tino reached a more complete level of awareness in his surroundings. He was safe. He was in bed. No one was after him. With a sigh he flopped his little head back down on the pillow and relaxed his frame as best as he could, signaling to his worried lover that he was, in fact, now calm. Berwald rolled off of him and gave him some space to breath. The little Finn reached for the glass on his bedside table and the bottle of Koskenkorva beside it and poured himself a generous drink. He did this all too often after night terrors to calm himself back down.
"Ye think we should take ye to a doctor yet?" Berwald asked, gently rubbing the smaller man's shoulders as he sipped his drink.
"About what?"
"Yer dreams. I been readin' 'bout night terrors an'-"
"Berwald. They're just bad dreams. Everyone has them. I don't want to go to the doctors. I'm more afraid of doctors than I am of my bad dreams." He said, but couldn't hide the tinge of a snapping tone under it.
"Tino, ye been talkin' more in yer sleep lately." Berwald confessed, planting a kiss on the reluctant Finn's cheek.
"Yeah? And what have I been saying?"
"Mostly jus' apologizin'. Chantin' 'I'm sorry' over an' over again. Tino, I really think-"
"Berwald, hush… do you smell something?"
The Swede paused at this and sniffed the air… well… that was funny. "Ja, I smell… sulphur…"
"Perkele." The Finns eyes widened suddenly and his glass slipped from his hand, shattering upon impact with the floor. Berwald only had a second to turn his head and see the giant of a monster looming over their bed. Before he could even process a thought the man had grabbed a fistful of Tino's hair and ripped him off the bed.
"TINO!" Berwald screamed, trying to get up, but he was stopped in mid stand, the feeling of invisible icy hands around his neck. The monster made a motion as to elbow the air behind him, but Berwald felt the effect of it on his midsection and he was toppled, winded, over the edge of the bed and into a crumpled heap on the bedroom floor.
Screeching, Tino was able to break Bragin's hold on him and push the giant back against a corner… putting some space between them.
"Privet Malutka. You are looking cute." Bragin greeted, putting on his big, fat, fake smile. "You are telling me you left us… for this sad creature?"
"Go home Bragin." Tino spat, the skin around his eyes crinkling, drying, and peeling.
"Or what Malutka?"
"I mean it. I'm stronger than you ever were. Get out of my face and leave this place."
Bragin laughed boisterously. "Malutka, you are very out of practice." He rumbled.
Gasping for air Berwald watched as the battle raged through their bedroom. Invisible hands clutching and attacking each other; Bragin seemed to be winning as Tino's small frame was thrashed against the walls and even the ceiling. But on a trip against the floor boards he was able to break free and perform his own offensive, knocking Bragin's head back with an invisible hand and then using them to choke him. Sadly, the larger demon quickly shook loose of this hold and physically pounced on Tino, sitting on the smaller's waist and squeezing the air out of his throat. Deeper panic filled Berwald, perhaps it was this panic that gave him the strength to find his feet and lunge for the hellion. Valiant a move though this was, it didn't have the desired effect. He never made contact. Invisible claws caught a hold of him in mid-air, rending open the skin of his bare torso and sending him sprawling into the wall before he landed, a bleeding mess, on the bed.
This, however, provided Tino the distraction he needed, cocking his fingers in the shape of two imaginary guns he directed his index fingers to point into Bragin's temples. Before the larger demon even saw it coming parts of his brains were blow across the floor.
With Bragin dealt with Tino threw himself at the bed, turning his wounded love over to examine the claw marks. "Perkele… oh Berwald… Berwald…" he sobbed. Sadly, Bragin recovered all too quickly and once more the monster's fingers clutched into Tino's hair, trying to pull him away from his beloved mortal. "NO! PLEASE! He's dying!" Tino screamed, clawing at the bed spread as he was being dragged away, trying to get at his love.
"Da. I know. I sunk my claws in deep. He SHOULD be dying." Bragin rolled his eyes, pulling Tino up to his feet.
"Please." The Finn sobbed. "Oh please let me help him. Let me save him and I'll go with you without a struggle." He wailed. "I won't kick or bite or claw, I'll accept every punishment in the Underworld for him. Please let me save him Bragin." Hot tears poured down his face. He wasn't struggling to get free of Bragin, but only to return to Berwald's side. To save his life.
Bragin considered this and stared down at the creature in his grasp. Previously the most powerful Hellion after Satan himself, reduced to a sobbing, pleading mess all over one mortal… all because of love. This was too interesting to merely let it pass; he released Tino.
Without so much as a thank you the tiny Finn propelled himself back to Berwald, slowly climbing up on the bed to push his hands down on the convulsing invalid.
"T-t-t-Tino… N-Nej T-t-t-t-."
"Shh, Berwald, my love, my soul, my everything… I have to go away now." And with that he gently pressed his lips to Berwald's one last time as he ghosted a hand over the deep wounds, ebbing the blood and stitching the muscles back together. "I'm so sorry." Leaving him there he approached Bragin, who disgustedly questioned the sobbing creature about the book. Glaring, but complying, Tino dragged his beat up trunk out from under the bed and allowed himself to be lead away out the door.
"Tino… Tino… Tino…" Berwald chanted, his hand reaching for the door as though he could will it open and bring Tino back to him… the chant continued as the final show of that stage was bled into darkness.
Berwald's attention was brought to the sound of the gurgled breathing behind him. "You came here for love?" questioned the demon. "Heh. You're no better than Faust. Love my ass. You seek no less than Faust did! Knowledge and power! If you truly loved Tino you would have destroyed that book as you'd promised him! A demon cannot destroy it, only a mortal! It was the only thread still tying him to his demonhood! Had you destroyed it as promised he would have lost all his power, and been reduced to a pathetic, bleeding, sticky little human like you! He loved you! You betrayed him! You kept the book! You betrayed the love that supposedly sits you before me." He snarled, glaring daggers into the Swede.
"Tha's where we're dif'rent. 'M human. 'M 'llowed t'make mistakes. 'M an imperfect creature. Ye demons act like yer all powerful, but ye dun know skit 'bout us 'sept what ye get out of torture. Ye think yer so great, but yer undone by yer jealousy. Tino would know that I would never do sumthin' to hurt'em. I loved'em too much. But I'll be honest. I wouldda done what 'e asked… but I couldn't find th' damn thing. I didn't know 'was so import'nt or I'dda looked harder fer'it. I found it in th' mornin'. I'd jus' stuffed it in with my catalogues. It'd been right there the whole time an' I kept puttin' it off an' puttin' off thinkin' we had our whole lives t'worry 'bout that dumb lil' book. Tino's past meant nuthin' t'me. It was our future t'gether that was gon' be import'nt." Berwald had never been a chatty kind of guy, but Suom had to understand this. Had to be made to see. He normally wouldn't care what other's thought of him (especially not demons) but when it came to his love for Tino he didn't want anyone to question it even for a minute.
Suom seemed dumb founded for a moment, but then he began laughing. Nothing like his previous giggle-fits, but deep, side splitting, obnoxious laughing. The laugh grew into a chorus as the waiters, Den and Nor, Bragin, and even the little seagull boy appeared to join in. The sound, the faces, Berwald couldn't stand it anymore! Everywhere he looked was some face, laughing at him, laughing at Tino, laughing as though he were stupid! Laughing at his pain, his loss, his suffering, his FRUSTRATION! OH THE FRUSTRATION! That was it! He couldn't bear it anymore, clutching at his hair and convulsing he screamed!
Deep! Thunderous! Vibrating from his belly out his throat and through the room! Berwald screamed as he somehow found the will to launch himself to his feet. Enough! Enough of all of this! Enough of the games! Enough of the stage! Enough of the guest appearances of I-don't-give-a-fuck to distract him from his reason for being in this God damned circle! IT WAS HIS REASON FOR BEING ALIVE GOD DAMMIT! He was so enraged that he was no longer inhibited even by his accent!
"DEMON! Foul, vile, retched little demon! I am your MASTER and you are my DOG! When I summoned you I summoned the power to bring you under MY COMMAND! If I say roll over you do it! I have watched you throw yourself around this room in a million different shapes, planting seeds of doubt and frustration in my head and giggling all the while as you watch them grow and drive me mad! NO MORE! I am done with your games! I am done with your tricks! I will not close the spell! I will not go away! No matter how many times you poison me or send your little figments to tell me to leave! I SUMMONED YOU! NOW I COMMAND YOU! DEMON SUOM!" He was enraged, as he towered over the crippled demon.
Suom stared up at Berwald with a shocked and incredulous expression, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.
"Scour the depth of Hell. Find my love. Set him down before me… and then. FUCK. OFF!" He spat, shaking with his fury and he sent wave after crashing wave of assertion and authority over his hell spawned slave.
Unable to respond, Suom merely cowered and slunk away back into the darkness. After a few moments Berwald's rage subsided and all he could do with his worn out, weakened, injured and poisoned body was to just fall to his knees within the circle and stare into the eyes of the Tino's photograph and sob. He sobbed and shivered and cursed all things including his own retched life… until he fell into a fitful slumber as the candle light faded.
Finally, he woke, and took notice that once more the candles were tall and burning brightly, but what made the air catch in his throat was not the nature of the candles but that in their golden light was bathed the sleeping figure of Tino, curled up in a little heap, directly before him. Suom had done it. He had retrieved Tino!
"Tino." Berwald breathed, almost afraid that if he said it aloud that the vision before him would be swallowed up by the darkness.
Eyelashes stirring, the demon that Berwald knew, and loved, as Tino slowly opened his eyes and fixed them on the teal ones that held so much pain, want and longing. "Hello, Berwald." Tino cooed. "This is a strange place to find you."
"Heh, Ja." He smiled, finding that he was still shivering. Oh… that's right. The poison. He felt so weak that even in a seated position he was doubled over and using one elbow for support. Tino, kind Tino, compensated but laying on his stomach so he could still look up at the giant who had protected him, cared for him, kissed him, loved him, made love to him… the mortal that gave him a mortal life worth living and rendered him incapable of ever killing again.
"You kept my book. They were sure pissed when they found Faust in the trunk instead." He cooed, licking his lips and ghosting his worried glance over Berwald's body.
"'M sorry. I meant t'burn it… I jus' kept puttin' it off 'til the future. B-But Tino, that's not import'nt. 'M here t'take ye back home with me." He coughed, staring into his love with hazy eyes. "I- I need ye t'tell me the ch-chant t'bring ye b-back with me."
"You still want to save me and protect me, even after everything you've heard." Tino looked down at his fingernails, shame painted across his face.
"I dun believe a w-word of it. I know yer real heart. I know it's not capa'ble of such bad things."
"But it is! Berwald… I'm Hell's MVP. I'm everything they said I was." He moped, flopping down on his belly, his face buried in his hands to hide his shame. Berwald only chuckled a little. He couldn't help it. Tino was always cute even when confessing to being a mass murdering, people eating, monster from Hell!
"If ye prom'se not t'eat me, or the kids we'll 'dopt, then I'll make ye m'wife. And I'll burn the book. And ye'll never have'ta go another day without love." He vowed.
"You love me… … … … Page 1108. Recite after me."
Even weakened by the poison Berwald felt happiness soar through his veins along with it as he whipped through the pages trying to reach his destination as he and Tino read the spell together.
"Intemeratasum. Valeo. Interfeceromeparietes per circuitum. Exposurenon timeo."
Berwald was graced by the sudden feeling of a breeze, the signal that the spell had worked. Slowly Tino eased himself into the circle. Berwald had toppled his only protective barrier… but the only demon outside it was the one that he most desperately wanted inside. Tino's soft, chilled fingers came and caressed Berwald's sweating brow before soft pink lips met chapped ones. The kiss was deep and loving and Berwald felt every ache and pain in his body ebb with it. Did love have this power?
Well… if it didn't, Tino did, as when he pulled back from the kiss he had a mouthful of something. Reaching out of the circle he found Suom's abandoned glass and spat out the blue toxin Berwald had swallowed. Once again Tino had saved Berwald from a death at demonic hands. With this endeavor complete he returned to his love, planting kisses along his cheekbones and nose before settling with their foreheads pressed. "Berwald." He sighed. "I can't go back with you."
"'Course ye can. We'll hide. They'll never find us."
"No. They will. And when they do they'll kill you and destroy every shred of happiness I have left. Every little bit of me that is Tino will die with you."
"Then let m'stay here."
"No. I won't let you stay here for eternity. I'm not letting you have a choice in this matter."
"Tino." The giant sobbed, clutching onto his lover's face and kissing his hair and holding them as close together as he could. "Please! There ain't nuthin' in my life worth livin' for if yer not there!" He begged, but slowly Tino edged the calloused fingers from his face so he could look Berwald in the eye.
"I'm not a man Berwald, or a woman, or even a human. I'm a demon. Being what I am I can never return to the human world."
"But ye love me."
"… I do… Berwald. Please. I beg you. Keep your word to me. Destroy the book… so that I never have to kill or destroy anyone again. Let my only punishment be my pain at being separated from you. I will only barely be able to survive that as it is. If you love me, set me free." And with that he planted one last, final, tear-flavored kiss on Berwald's lips before crawling away from him out of the circle and towards the shadows.
Berwald's heart ached under his skin and hammered against his sternum as he watched Tino leave. The love of his life, the only source of happiness, as it slinked out of his life. Unable to stop himself the Swede called out for one last, pain dripping time. "TINO!" He sobbed. And as his beloved turned to face him he watched the disguise blow away like snow over a frozen lake. Salty tears tip-tapping against the floor as they leaked, uninhibited, from the magenta eyes of the Demon Suom as he hung his head and slowly dragged himself back into the shadows.
The very next thing that Berwald was aware of was the sensation of waking and hearing the pigeons outside his windows cooing, despite the darkness. With a pained grunt he forced himself to his feet and removed the planks of wood that were blocking out the light of the sun. Tossing them unceremoniously aside the Swede turned his attention to the circle and the book, Tino's final words ringing in his ears. 'Set me free.' He loved Tino. He couldn't let him suffer any longer. Clutching the candle lighter he pulled the trigger and set the book ablaze. He left it to smolder on the floor of his apartment and threw himself onto the sofa. And cried. And cried. And cried.