A Different Point of View
Second Kiss

"Man, what was Beato getting so pissy about?" asked Battler, slumping back in his chair. He ran a hand through his hair distractedly, making it even messier than usual. That was quite an accomplishment.

"Milady is quite prone to bouts of anger," said Ronove. "Please don't take her words to heart. She's at a difficult age where she has rather too many emotions and not enough ways to express them."

"A difficult age?" Battler repeated. He couldn't help but smirk at that. "I thought she was meant to be, like, one thousand years old. You're making her sound like a whiney teenager."

"Well, we're all young at heart."

"Pfft." Battler rolled his eyes. "So much for her 'I'm an amazing witch and you should respect your elders and betters' claims, then. Not that I ever believed them in the first place. I mean, if that's true, then Beato looks pretty fii~iine for an old hag, ihihihi~"

"Whilst I am inclined to agree with you, don't let Milady hear you say such cheeky things," Ronove chided gently, his voice laced with humour. "I'm sure you're aware by now how creative her punishments can be."

"Huh? Are you worried for my safety?" asked Battler. He raised a brow, smirking- a cutting expression he hadn't practised for hours in front of his bedroom mirror so he could look cool in front of cute girls, of course not! …Ihihihi. "How sweeet~ And here I thought you were meant to be the ruthless thirty-fifth demon of hell brought here to make my life miserable, or whatever."

"Twenty-seventh," Ronove corrected. "The third-fifth would be Marchosias."

"Thanks for the useless information. It's not like I'll remember that."

"I wouldn't expect you to. Even I have trouble remembering the names of my numerous colleagues. I think seventy-two might be overkill."

"Haha, you don't say~ And I thought Beato was bad enough. Keeping track of seventy-two demons must be a pain."

"You get used to it after a while."

"Guess you came from a pretty big, dysfunctional family, then?"

"It's not really a 'family'. To be more precise, the seventy-two demons are more like… hmn… A group of people forced to spend a lot of time together, whether they want to or not."

"And in most cases it's 'not'?"

"However did you guess? Although, because I'm so charming myself, everybody enjoys my company, pu ku ku~"

"Ihihi~ You wish."

Ronove smiled genially. It looked more sincere than his usual expressions; genuinely comforting. Battler was surprised to note how easily he could distinguish the subtle shifts in emotions behind those smiles. He'd only known Ronove for a few hours, and Battler wasn't particularly perceptive when it came to people's emotions. Jessica always called him a 'blockhead' (not that Jessica had a right to talk, given how clueless she could be sometimes). Battler had been honestly surprised when he learnt about George and Shannon's relationship, even though the signs had been so incredibly obvious. Why, then, was Battler able to pick apart Ronove's enigmatic smiles so easily?

It's because he's a demon and he's Beato's butler and he shouldn't exist and you don't trust him. You expect he's going to try and attack you at some point, so you're being unusually hyper-alert and aware. That's all.

Hn. That sounded like a valid excuse.

Not that it was an excuse, of course.

What did Battler need to excuse, anyway?

"Would you like some more tea?" asked Ronove, derailing Battler's train of thought. It was a good thing he did, too, as Battler's mind was slowly becoming so cluttered he must have had enough emotions for twelve different people.

Tea was nice and simple compared to Beatrice and genocide (which were topics that seemed to go hand in hand).

Battler sipped the tea Ronove had made (more like 'created' from thin air, with fucking butterflies, but Battler wasn't going to question it). He was caught off guard by just how good it was, even though he'd already drunk it a few times before.

That tea was concrete proof Ronove was most definitely some kind of demon. No human could have made tea that delicious. Tea wasn't even that nice to begin with.

Haha, that's a little sad. You keep trying to deny Beato when she shows you all those closed room murders and goat-headed butlers, but you suddenly start to believe in magic because this guy can make really nice tea?

I guess the way to a guy's heart really is through his stomach.

Ahh, I'm so weak willed. I think Beato'd be pretty annoyed if I gave into her that easy, though.

"To put your mind at ease, I don't exist merely to aggravate you," said Ronove, taking a seat at the white table opposite Battler.

The color of the table was not a great surprise. Everything in the meta world was white. Battler was 90% sure he'd need glasses after this horrible experience was over. He'd probably begin to associate the color white to Beatrice and her cruel-natured 'game' through some strange Pavlovian response, and then he'd go completely insane and end up in a hospital, with more white.

This seemed like a rather bleak future.

"You mean you're not just sat here to annoy me?" asked Battler, a touch of sarcastic incredibility to his voice. "Really?"

"Really."

"Damn. And here I thought I was special. I was feeling pretty important, all these demons and big-boobed sisters fussing over making my life as miserable as possible. Ihihi~"

"It's nice to you can take such things in your stride. I'm a little awed," said Ronove, laughing. "But, nevertheless, if I wanted to annoy you I wouldn't have offered you any tea. I'm afraid, after being a butler for so long, I can't quite shake my base impulse to be as hospitable as possible. I'm sorry if I don't live up to your mental image of a demon," said Ronove, still smiling.

Battler could only grin at this. He didn't realize Beato's butler could be… actually kind of… fun to talk to. Those sexy sisters were nice on the eyes, but the last time they 'spoke' to Battler their words had been taunts, jeers and insults spat between a fun session of driving their stake forms into his skin. That was a little different to the conversation Battler was having now.

He was actually talking to somebody, and that person was responding, and there weren't any death threats or insane laughter involved. In fact, Ronove was- despite his strange greeting- rather normal.

Maybe everybody in the meta world greeted each other by kissing their hands? Didn't they do that in Europe?

Strangely enough, Battler was actually enjoying himself. He knew he'd probably regret it later, but this was the closest he'd come to being able to relax ever since Beato appeared and flipped his life sideways and upside down.

"I'm also concerned for your safety. It seems Milady has taken a liking to you," said Ronove.

"A liking? She has a weird way of showing it."

"The 'game' she's constructed entertains her, much like a child playing with a few dolls. But Milady, whilst she attempts to act like an all-powerful witch, is very childish herself. She's not necessarily nice to her toys. However, I have a feeling she'd be very upset if she truly broke you… So be careful," said Ronove, smiling enigmatically.

"Hmn? You sound like you speak from experience," said Battler, smirking his 'no-I-did-not-practise-to-attain-these-levels-of-awesome-they-come-naturally' smirk. "Does Beato like to fuck around with her own furniture, too?~~~"

"…Milady can be quite cruel," said Ronove, after a small pause. "I think we can leave it at that, no? Let your imagination do the rest. Teenagers have quite vivid imaginations, yes?~ Pu ku ku~"

Battler found himself laughing as well at this comment. Oh yeah, he knew about Beato's cruel side. He knew all too well. Maybe that dehumanising 'furniture' kink Beato had, complete with grinding faces into the dirt and chains, was a little (well, a lot) disconcerting, but Battler couldn't help but snigger at how ridiculous it all was.

As both Battler and Ronove laughed, Battler was suddenly struck with a worrying thought.

Was he… actually bonding with Beato's creepy butler?

…Nah.

He couldn't be.

"Seriously, Beato was spouting complete bullshit back there, though. And so were you when you took up the telling of her little fairy story, come to think of it," said Battler. He took a sip of tea slowly, savouring the taste, before he set the cup back down on the table with a chnk. "I mean, all that stuff about homunculus…es…?"

"Homunculi."

"Whatever." Battler then paused, a small frown flitting across his lips. "…I say that a lot, don't I?"

"Indeed. But it's fairly typical for somebody of your age- and you have more excuse than most, being at the epicentre of such a bizarre situation. I'll forgive you for your inelegant speech."

"Ihihi~ Thanks very much. I'm not really looking for your approval, though. I could live without it. But…" Battler stared down at his reflection in the teacup, resting his head in his hands with his elbows on the table. "Geez. Beato overreacted. I mean, it was obvious from the start I wasn't going to believe her stupid story, so why'd she get so… upset? She didn't need to leave because of it."

"Ha…" Ronove laughed softly. Like Battler, he leant forwards across the table top, closing the space between them; staring at Battler intently, in a manner that made Battler feel distinctly uncomfortable. "You were commenting that I do not appear to be a 'proper' demon, but you're not talking in a manner that suggests you are Milady's opponent. Why, if I didn't know any better… I would say that you're worried about her. Didn't I tell you to be careful?"

"I'm not worried," Battler retorted, trying to force his gaze to meet Ronove's. He didn't want to look away first- that would be weak. "I'm just confused, that's all. I don't like it when my opponent acts unpredictably. Then it's difficult to form a counterattack."

"Mm. I'll take your word for it," said Ronove, in a tone of voice that suggested he didn't believe Battler at all. "But you must remember, Battler, Milady- regardless of how she may appear to you- is still a person with emotions not all that dissimilar to yours."

"Huh? So you're saying I should sympathise with her?" asked Battler. "Does she have some really long, saaad sob story about how she turned into an evil bitch, and it's not really her fault, she's really a poor victim of circumstanceee? Ihihihi- get real!"

Battler had intended his flippant comment to be a joke. After all, sympathetic villains with weepy back stories only existed in romance novels, right? Sometimes people did shitty things because they could, not because they had any particular justification for it. That was what Battler thought about Beatrice.

Sure, Beatrice needed sacrifices as part of her 'ceremony', and she needed Battler to accept her, so maybe the closed room murders (infuriating though they were) were excusable. However, mashing people's faces into red pulp and stuffing corpses with candies…

That was simply barbaric.

Completely unnecessary.

Only a rotten person through and through would be able to do something like that and then laugh. Battler would never forgive Beatrice for smirking at the corpses of his family.

Never.

However, the small sliver of uncertainty that passed across Ronove's face made Battler pause. Beato's butler was almost always smiling. This sudden change was… strange.

"What?" asked Battler, his grin fading. "You're not seriously saying Beato has some horrible dark angsty past, are you? Are you going to flip this chessboard over and turn me into the villain for upsetting her or something? 'Cause I'm not going to start cackling like Beato does, you know."

"Please don't adapt Milady's laugh. I quite like yours as it is."

Ronove might have been teasing Battler, but it was a little difficult to tell, given his usual smile was somewhat strained.

"It… would probably be rude of me to discuss Milady's past in too much detail," said Ronove, after a short pause. His eyes, bright blue, pierced into Battler's. Ronove's stare was intense; so much so it made Battler shudder. "I am afraid I cannot divulge sensitive information about Milady without her permission. I wouldn't want to upset her."

"Or piss her off."

"Naturally. That too," said Ronove, smiling slightly. "She can be quite ruthless. Nevertheless… please remember that Milady is not a two-dimensional monster. She may be cruel, but she still has emotions. Be mindful of them next time you speak to her."

"Urgh. Is this another one of those 'she's a girl so be nice to her!' things?" asked Battler, slumping forward on the tabletop. "I don't think gender is an excuse when it comes to murder, you know. If you're a horrible person, then you're horrible."

"I agree with you."

"Huh? You do?" asked Battler, lifting his head up slightly.

"Of course. I know a vast number of demons, many of whom are female, and I doubt you could excuse their cruelty based on their gender. That would be incredibly unfair," explained Ronove. "However, I think anybody would feel a little perturbed if they devoted themselves to telling somebody a very personal story, and another person cut across it with a comment like- and I'm quoting your here- 'that's complete bullshit'. You were too harsh."

Ronove really didn't sound right cursing. Battler wasn't sure why he thought that, given he'd only known him for a few hours (was it 'hours'? It was difficult to keep track of time in the meta world). However, the expletive still made Battler feel odd.

"Wellll… maybe…" said Battler, after a pause. He ran a hand through his hair again, sighing. "But… After all Beato's put me through, she can hardly expect me to unwaveringly believe everything she says. If that story was in red, maybe…"

"You're quite right not to trust her. Just do it more gracefully next time. If you irritate Milady too much the game will come to a standstill. I merely have both your best interests at heart."

"I'll bet," said Battler, voice teasing. "And being a demon, your 'heart' is non-existent, right? Or it's all black and dead."

"Not a bit of it. I have a very kind heart."

"In a jar on your desk. Iihihi~"

"I resent that comment," said Ronove, smiling. "Appropriations of body parts, cannibalism, child murder and the like are untruthful charges given to the witches in the 16th century. Real witches and demons are more elegant in their practices than that~"

"Apart from Beato."

"Compared to most witches, Milady is but a child. You'll have to be lenient with her."

"But not too lenient, right?"

"Mm. I suppose. And, though I wish we could talk pleasantly like this for longer, you probably shouldn't trust me too much either."

"Like I'd trust you anyway," said Battler. He scoffed. "You're thinking waaay too highly of yourself there."

"Ahh, how foolish of me."

"Yep. Pretty stupid, really."

It was bizarre, Battler reflected, being able to converse so freely with somebody. It felt a little like talking to Jessica, or George, or any of his cousins. This was, quite simply… nice. A welcome change. Even if the contents of his and Ronove's conversation had been completely removed from Battler's usual sphere of interest.

"But, just to clarify," said Battler, leaning forwards slightly. His eyes narrowed, filled with the fire of an unspoken challenge. "What would happen if I did, foolishly, decide to place a little faith in you…?"

Ronove paused, seeming to ponder this question. Then, he lent forwards-

(Battler felt his breath catch in his chest)

-and said, quietly, "Mm… Maybe something like this."

Battler saw it coming- but he didn't move away. Instead, he sat there, eyes widening slightly-

-as Ronove pressed a light kiss against the side of his mouth.

a/n: Muu… I really fangirl over this pairing quite a bit, eheheh ^_^;;
I mean, srsly tho, it's not all that cracky. These two characters genuinely seem to get along rather well in canon, bitchin about Beato behind her back XD At least these guize actually have conversations together and the like XP

I really love the idea of all 72 demons being together in some bizarre dysfunctional family thing, where most of 'em grew up together… because the idea of chibi Gaap, Ronove, Zepar and Furfur going on fun adventures is really, really cute XDD And I totes see chibi Zepar being really overprotective of Furfur, for some reason… XD;; (although something like that isn't really relevant to thisfic, I guess, eheheh XD)

~renahhchen xoxo