Ex-V: I hope you like it!
This must be punishment from Heaven…Maou cursed, muttering to himself, sitting cross-legged at the table, in silence, eyes drifting shut.
A plate of food lay untouched before him; "Eat, my lord-" Alciel protested, and Lucifer nodded, loudly slurping his noodles.
"Yeah, It's actually kind of good today-" The fallen angel added, squinting thoughtfully, and Rika chuckled, leaning her head on Alciel, who grimaced.
"Silence, you." The cook grumbled. "My lord, you need nutrients-"
Maou just glowered, frustrated, glancing briefly to the side, to his left, where Emi was sitting, calmly munching her dinner, beside him.
At one point, the king of Hell would've given anything to be rid of her, and she'd refused to leave him alone.
He frowned at the memory.
Now, his feelings for the Hero caused him to crave her presence, and she still wouldn't leave him alone…
Irritated, Maou couldn't decide which was worse.
"Thank you, General…" Emi patted her lips, dignified, with a table napkin, sniffing, and climbed to her feet, brushing down the back of her skirt, glaring briefly over at Maou, meeting his eyes. "But I think I should be off-"
"Why were you here in the first place-?" Maou trained his eyes on her, aggravated.
Emi bristled, faintly red, and Rika giggled. "Don't be silly, Maou…Obviously, she came to be with you-"
A moment of silence.
"N-No! Not even-!" The Hero squeaked, hastily, flushed, fidgeting. "I…I came for...Alciel-"
She stammered, fixing her gaze firmly on the far corner of the room, crimson red, lying ineffectively.
Three pairs of eyes shifted towards her, and she blinked.
"H-He's…A really good cook-" She managed, half-lamely, hushed, eyes wide, looking down at her shoes.
Lucifer snorted, and Rika smirked, turning slightly away. "Oh, oh…Is that right?"
"Indeed." Alciel seemed satisfied, nodding, eyes proudly shut. "I should say so…"
Emi mumbled something, weakly, faintly red, to affirm this, with the hint of a nod.
"Funny…I thought-" Rika snickered, smug. "You came here to pretend that you and Maou don't love each other-"
Maou averted his eyes, exhaling.
Emi yelped, flinching, squealing, as a blush spread through her cheeks, covering her face with both hands; A moment passed, and she tried to answer, mouth opening and closing impotently, as Maou just grinned, twitching, eyes wide.
She stormed away, flushed, heart hammering, and her chair scraped along the floor, yanking her jacket off the hook by the door, stammering a feeble protest all the while. "T-That's…You…!"
Emi flung the door open, flustered, and stomped out. "H-hate you…" She squeaked, under her breath, blushing wildly, glaring at Maou, in passing.
She could be heard distinctly tripping, and falling, violently, down the stairs, squealing, before thudding into the ground outside.
Ringing silence.
Maou held the bridge of his nose, eyes shut, and Rika felt a drop of sweat trail down her face, smile wavering on her lips.
Outside, Emi whimpered and hissed, chest heaving, picking herself back up, and walked away, cursing and muttering.
The cool air was refreshing through the open door; Maou rose to his feet, taking a moment to deal with his conflicting feelings, and stepped outside, unsettled by the strange, empty twinge in his chest.
(Three months later)
Maou rubbed his nose, frustrated, at Mgronalds, hard at work trying to instruct a new recruit.
"S-So…So, if the fryer isn't working…" The intern mumbled, nervously, unsure of herself. "Can…Can we use the grill-?"
Maou sighed, ducking his head, and grabbed Emi by the shirt as she made to wander by, carrying a tray of fast food.
She squeaked, eyes wide, and he snagged the tray out of her hands. The Hero turned to the Demon King, glaring at him, indignant. "Hey-!"
"I'll take care of this." He adjusted himself, sparing her a passing glance, and walked away, waving. "You train the new girl."
"M-Maou!" Emi protested, faintly red, as he stepped up to the front desk.
"Train the new girl-" He called back out to her, ignoring her summarily, handing the tray to a hungry customer, smiling warmly.
"Fine!" The hero huffed, crossing her arms, and turned to the intern, sniffing. "Fine. Listen, the first thing you need to know…That guy is completely incompetent-"
Maou twitched, hearing her. "Shut up, Emi-"
"You shut up-!" Emilia shrieked back, before facing the trembling, terrified new girl. "As I was saying, he may be the boss, but he can't do anything right, so-"
"Emi I swear to god-" His voice echoed sternly back into the kitchen, highly annoyed. She grinned, smug, staring over at him out of the corners of her eyes.
(Ten minutes Later)
Maou drummed his fingers on the front desk, by the cash register.
The Hero and the Demon king loved each other.
Everyone knew it, it was obvious; even they knew they were in love.
As a result, their relationship had changed dramatically.
Maou had taken to mocking her, relentlessly, about her feelings for him, and she spent most of her time provoking him, hoping to get a rise out of him.
He mused, quietly, for a moment, watching the empty restaurant. Maou laced his fingers together, eyes drifting shut, listening to the ringing sounds of traffic outside, quiet footstep; Ambient noise.
Her voice seemed to seep through the restaurant, and he spent a moment trying to get an image of her smiling face out of his mind.
They had descended, perilously, into a fierce competition, to see who would be the first to break, to make the first move; Neither one was willing to concede…
A phone rang beside him, snapping him out of a contemplative silence.
"Yes, How Can I help you-?" He answered, readily, smiling, focus clearing, glad for a moment's distraction.
"Maou, I need you to close tonight-" the General manager whispered, into the receiver; the King of hell could hear what appeared to be a raucous party in the background. He grinned, annoyed. "You need to stay late."
"There's nobody else on the schedule tonight-" he answered, dryly. "I'd need another willing employee."
"Find someone!" The general manager snapped, before hanging the phone up.
Click.
Maou just stood there, for a moment, and sighed, shelving the receiver, turning away.
His first thoughts drifted to Emi.
The king of Hell laughed, shaking his head. As if.
One cue, the Hero called out to him, tentatively, across from the Dining Area. "Hey, Maou-?"
He lifted a brow, affixing his gaze to her.
She stared across at him, wearing a relatively confused and helpless expression. "I think the door is stuck-"
The new girl tugged on it from the other end, uselessly.
"It's fine." He turned away again, flatly, unfazed. "You're just stupid."
"Can you come help us out-?" She grumbled, clearly irritated.
"Gotta make some calls." He replied, briskly, avoiding her.
Emi glared at him, wringing her hands, desperately wishing he was dead.
Pensively, Maou stared up at the schedule, picking the phone back up, dialing another employee's number.
It rang twice, and a young man answered, sounding bored. "Hello?"
"Yes, can you come in tonight-?" Maou paused for a moment, before clearing his throat.
A brief silence. In the Background, Emi tugged on the door, with the new girl.
"Errr..." The employee coughed, awkwardly. "…No, no…I'm really sick, I…I think I caught something-"
"Is that right-?" Maou's eyes narrowed, suspicious, tilting his head, staring out into the dining area.
Emi yelped, as the door slid open, tossing her to the ground.
"Y-Yeah, can't make it…Sorry-"
Click.
Maou rapped his knuckles on the desk, waving to the new girl, gesturing towards the cash register when a customer stepped in through the double doors.
He dialed another number.
It rang three times, and an older woman answered, gruffly. "Hi."
"Loraine, can you close tonight?"
"No." The older woman snapped, instantly.
Click.
Maou shook his head, grinning. He dialed another number.
Chiho picked up immediately. "Hey, what's up-?"
"Chiho, I need someone to help close." Maou turned, briefly appraising the new girl, as she struggled, helplessly, with the cash register, utterly unable to take an elderly woman's order.
Maou waved to Emi, who had made her way to the fryer in the back. She caught his eyes, and sighed, grumbling, making her way over to the intern, helping her take the order, apologizing fervently to the customer.
"I can't come in, I'm so sorry-" Chiho offered, sullenly, weakly. "I have to take care of my grandma tonight…"
"I know." Maou droned, eyes drifting shut. "Don't worry about it."
Click.
A brief moment of silence, and Maou turned, hesitantly, towards Emi, who was rushing back into the kitchen, muttering something under her breath.
He leaned on the counter, watching her, grinning faintly, out of options.
Well, if the hero was going to love him, he might as well use that to his advantage.
Maou rubbed the bridge of his nose, scheming.
The sunset streaked the sky in reds and gold.
(Two hours later)
The king of Hell cornered the Hero, in the staff room, running a hand through his hair, as she pulled her visor off, and made to unbutton her work shirt.
"Hey, Emi." He stepped up beside her, coolly, confronting her, and she jumped a bit, startled, turning to him, eyes bright and wide, faintly red.
Her heart fluttered, just a bit, in her chest, hearing something in the tone of his voice…She slouched her shoulders, mindlessly.
"W-What-?" She stammered, awkwardly, drawing a breath, looking nervously up at him, heat filling her face, as he leaned on the lockers, crossing his arms.
"I need someone to help close." He looked away, grinning, and her eyes clouded over instantly.
"No way!" She snapped, flushed, aggravated, placing her hands on her hips, glaring up at him, heart still racing, just a bit, in her chest. "Do it yourself, I have plans-"
He stood straight up, eyes flashing, rounding on her, stepping slowly into her; meeting her eyes, smiling, and grabbed her braid in one hand, raising it to his lips. She squeaked, bright red, fidgeting, backed into the lockers, breathless, eyes wide.
"So do I-" His voice was smooth, like honey to her ears, interrupting her, and Maou grabbed her arm, softly, when she raised it, fidgeting, flustered, alarmed; Emi put her hands on his chest, trembling. "Let's suffer together."
She blinked, bright red.
They were so close, her tiny breaths were warm on his skin, and his thoughts raced, eyes locked on hers, calculating.
"M-Maou…" She whispered, hushed, voice tiny, furiously red.
Her heartbeat hammered inside her, and she wriggled, helplessly, in place, heat surging up in her breast. Her hands trembled on his chest, and he still held her arm, held her braid up to his mouth, grinning faintly at her.
He tilted his head, and so did she, stammering weakly. "O-Okay…"
"Okay?" He brushed her cheek with one hand, eyes flashing sweetly, narrowing at her.
"Okay." She mumbled, looking nervously away, flushed. "Fine."
He snickered, winking at her, and stepped away again, hand lingering, briefly, on her face, before dropping away, and he walked back to the staff room door, waving coolly. "Excellent."
In the silence, alone, Emi squeaked, indignant, fuming, grabbing her chest with both hands, tugging impotently on her own shirt, bright red.
(An hour later)
"I can't believe you talked me into this-!" Emi whined, sweeping the floors, in the darkened restaurant, as Maou counted the money in the cash register, smug, by the light of a small desk lamp.
"You had a choice, didn't you?" He retorted, dryly, snickering, shutting the cash register.
Emi huffed, grumbling, crossing her arms, leaning back against the grill. "Not really…"
"Sweep." He grinned, lightly scolding, shaking his head, smiling faintly, and checked the fryer.
Emi glared at his back, and busied herself, calculating, scheming, slightly red, plotting her revenge.
"Over there, will you-?" He waved her towards the back of the kitchen, without bothering to turn towards her, testing the knobs on the grill machine.
She sniffed, turning her nose up, but followed his instructions, muttering to herself.
Emilia swept, in silence, scowling, thinking, still flushed, of him stepping into her, standing so close, holding her braid up to his mouth, staring into her eyes…Her heart fluttered, and she tilted her head.
So its gunna be like that, huh-? She flipped her hair over her shoulder, folding her hands on top of the broom stick, resting for a moment, glaring out at him, as he checked the dining area, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
She set the broom down, away in its closet, by the dustpan, and followed him out into the dining area. He turned to her, hearing her soft footsteps.
"Done?" He took a seat at a booth, drumming his fingers on the table.
She sat across from him, fuming quietly. "Done."
They stared across at each other, for a moment, glaring faintly.
The awkward silence, the unbearable sexual tension, was excruciating.
His eyes narrowed at her. "Something to say, Emi?"
She flushed, bristling. "Don't you have more work to make me do?" the hero grumbled.
Maou laughed, turning slightly away. "Now that you mention it…"
"Oh, stuff it..." Emi glowered at him, twiddling her thumbs, with a light blush dusting her cheeks. "Why'd you need my help, anyway-?"
"I don't like sweeping." He grinned, eyes flashing faintly, meeting her inquisitive gaze.
She squeaked, outraged, rising to her feet, storming back into the kitchen. "Moron! Jackass-"
"But you're so good at sweeping, Emi-" He teased, following her, snickering. She was storing the fryer pans on a shelf when he leaned, casually, against a closet behind her. "You'll make a great housewife, some day..."
Emi yelped, bright red, flushed, glaring sourly, nervously, off to the side, facing away from him, eyes wide. "S-Shut up!"
"It's a gift, Emilia." He continued, smug. "You're sure to make someone very happy-"
A moment of silence, as he trailed off, suddenly.
She took a deep breath, turning to him, fidgeting, flushed, lashes lowering over her eyes. "Who, though...?"
Maou twitched, grinning faintly, speechless for a moment. "Someone."
Emi looked up at the ceiling, heartbeat racing in her chest, feeling heat in her cheeks. She met his eyes, confidently, smile wobbling on her face, sensing an opportunity for revenge.
"Hey…Hey, Maou…" She peeked over at him, tentatively, ostensibly shy. "Can you…Can you get that pan off the top shelf, for me…?"
She pointed up, at a pan just out of her reach, and Maou blinked.
His eyes narrowed at her, suspiciously, but he stepped over towards her, reaching up to the top shelf, pulling the pan down. She didn't step away, and, instead, stepped closer to him, haughty, breathing shallowly.
He met her gaze, turning slightly in place, eyes wide, and handed her the pan, slightly nervous; She took it, and set it immediately down on the counter beside them, stepping into him, staring up at him through half-lidded eyes.
They were so close, again…
Emi folded her hands behind her back, smiling, leaning towards him, shoving her breasts out, at him, bending slightly forwards at the waist, looking suggestively up into his gaze, with wide, innocent eyes.
"What about you…?" She whispered, seductively, eyes twinkling. "Maybe I'll make you happy…"
He rubbed the back of his head, faintly red, heart thudding inside him, thoughts racing; He couldn't look away from her eyes, as she leaned even closer, up, towards him, bending even further forwards at the waist.
His other hand reached half-way up, unconsciously, but stopped, frozen, shaking slightly, in mid-air, inches away from her.
Her body was incredible, it was absolutely unreal, tormenting him, her hips cocked backwards, jutting her ass out, and her breasts towards him, wringing her hands behind her back, looking up at him, expectantly, smiling nervously, invitingly, and her wide eyes shimmered with innocence and sweetness. "Hmmm…?"
"E-Emi…" He managed, weakly, overwhelmed. Her little breaths were driving him mad, her body was setting a raging fire inside him, and she was so close…
"Hmph." She sniffed, triumphantly, smug, turning her nose up, twirling around, strutting confidently away. "Now we're even-"
She glanced back at him, over her shoulder, haughty.
He grinned, eyes wide, twitching, heart still racing inside him.
A brief moment of ringing silence.
"What-?" She glared at him, turning back around, facing him, crossing her arms over her chest; tapping into her deep well of feminine pride.
He struggled with his impulse to seize her, and kiss away the rising anger boiling up inside her "You must think I've been playing games with your heart."
She flushed, after a moment, half-lamely. "Well…Haven't you?"
"No." He answered, dryly, eyes flashing. "I really love you."
Silence.
She fidgeted, trembling, for a moment, bright red, breathless, eyes growing wide.
She stared, poignantly, nervously, away, flustered. "T-Then…Then why not make the first move-?"
He grinned, wickedly, twitching. "Why don't you?"
She glared up at him, trembling faintly.
"I…I bet I can make you do it-" She stammered, at last, defiantly, glaring into his eyes, confidently.
"Yes, you've been so successful thus far-" His eyes narrowed at her.
She sniffed, aggravated, slightly red. "I've come close…"
"That much is true." He muttered, looking awkwardly away.
"L-Let's see, then…" She managed, screwing up her nerve, hardening her resolve, and he met her eyes. "We'll settle this tonight."
Tension sparked between them, and the atmosphere seemed to crackle with electric charge; they glared each other down.
"Do your worst." He answered, dryly, and the grin flickered on his face.
She huffed, competitively.
Ex-V: Did you have fun? Did you enjoy it?
I hope so! I've had a lot of fun writing this. It's been on my schedule forever, and I finally got the first few chapter done. If you're into it, I'll put the next chapter up within the next few days~
Please, let me know what you think, and I'll be eternally grateful!
See you in the next chapter :D