UPDATE TIME!
So firstly, while I do have more fanart I could show you, I can't cos it's ALL ON DA DISCORD. Which ya'll should join! The link is on my AO3 page and should be a permanent link this time, unlike last time when it... wasn't. Because I'm a dummy.
Secondly, a BIG BIG HUGE THANK YOU to HeCallsMeHisChild for ALL the help on getting this chapter to work. It started out as one I was pulling my hair out over, but thanks to her assistance, it turned into one I actually really enjoy.
Finally, this chapter contains underage drinking, just a warning. Also, there's a reference in this chapter to 'fenrisian mjod'. To those who know what it is, well, you know what it does. To those who don't, all you need to know is it's super strong alcohol.
ONWARD!
"Uuuuugh."
From the moment Izuku woke up he felt as though someone had driven a dump truck through his skull, then reversed it, driven it back over, then dumped a bunch of trash into his stomach.
"What… what did we do last night?"
Last night.
Last night was another, distant country. A country which was shrouded in mystery and darkness and… drinking. Lots of drinking.
He rolled, almost literally, out of bed and fell to the floor. He managed to stagger to his feet, however, though he soon found himself putting a hand against a nearby wall. The world seemed intent on turning constantly to the left. He blinked his eyes in the light that was far too sharp, despite it being only a single line beaming through the otherwise drawn curtains of his window.
Somehow, he was dressed in his pajamas, though he had no memory of getting into them. That probably wasn't a great sign.
Izuku allowed Nemesis to bolster his system, cutting out the ache from his head and from his many, still healing, wounds as he stumbled through his guest bedroom and into the bathroom, where he planned to curl up under a cold shower and hope that he could hold down whatever the hell he had on his stomach.
As he turned the shower on, the sound of the water calming his nerves, he tried to think about what the hell he'd done last night. Most of it was a weird, fuzzy blank, though again as he felt Nemesis within his system, asking very much the same questions, he found some small, quiet flashes of memories were starting to form.
Some tastes came back to his tongue, strong alcohol, and… honey? He remembered talking about something too.
Something to do with another Fallen…
He shook his head, quickly brushing a hand over his shut-tight eyes. Now wasn't the time for this. Shower, then food, then maybe if he could keep the food down, some meditation.
The shower was pleasant and soon helped further sharpen his senses back to normal, as did changing back into some sweatpants and a slightly baggy t-shirt with All Might's face plastered on the front. Nemesis, however, did not ease up and Izuku allowed his Fallen-self to linger in his blood. It wasn't quite on battle-setting, more like a 'we don't want to throw up' setting.
Probably for the best, all things considered, though he found with Nemesis standing in his blood his hunger spiked even though the thought of eating made his stomach both growl and turn horribly. Maybe he would get something light. Some toast perhaps.
The smell of freshly grilled fish and rice hit the teenager as he made his way through the penthouse floor. He supposed Azrael might have woken up early, no doubt he didn't get hungover or some such celestial nonsense.
He could hear him moving around the kitchen as the boy lazily approached, his stomach rumbling and the distant pangs of his headache and bandaged wounds slowly becoming a distant memory.
"Hey Uncle Azrael, what- AGH!"
Azrael wasn't in the kitchen.
In fact, Izuku had no idea who it was he was looking at, only that as he did Nemesis quickly roared through his mind, sure of at least one thing. "DEMON!"
Before him stood a figure, tall, slim but not thin. Masculine in form, though Izuku knew that didn't mean much. Their skin was shadow black, a void black, all except for their eyes, teeth, and hair. Their eyes were white, with grey pupils, as if they were blind. Their messy hair was the color of bleached bone, as were the teeth in the shocked grimace they held on their face. They seemed to be wearing… a tunic? It was a dull, almost fog-grey, and it was tied at the waist with a belt that had many long, studded leather straps coming down to almost their knees. They otherwise had on no other items or adornments.
In one hand was a frying pan, and it seemed they were about to push the contents out onto two immaculately prepared plates of food.
Before Izuku could react further, the demon's grimace turned into a somewhat ridged smile and when they spoke, their voice was a course, whispering tone, "Ah, Prince Izuku, you are awake. I have-"
"WHO ARE YOU?!" Izuku demanded with an unlight-covered finger point.
"I am-"
"WHO ARE YOU?!"
"I am-"
"WHO ARE-"
"Izuku!" Both the demon and the teenager turned suddenly as a new voice joined them. Azrael came stumbling out his bedroom, rubbing his head and squinting harshly in the light. His t-shirt was inside out, and he was wearing a pair of striped boxer shorts. "Archangels get hungover just as bad as mortals, so, if you don't mind, would you please stop-"
He stopped suddenly as he noticed the demon.
"Uncle Azrael! It's a demon! They're… making us breakfast?" He had started panicked, but his tone became somewhat confused by the end.
"You," Azrael pointed a finger over the intruder, his eyes narrowing sharply and something of the warrior taking over him, "… I know you."
"Y-Yes," The demon backed up a bit, holding the frying pan closer to their chest, "I am-" They paused, their eyes flicking to Izuku as if expecting to be interrupted again, before they continued, "I am Kuroiro, They Who Walk In Shadow, Equerry to Lord Lucifer, King of Hell, Sixth Baron of Oblivion." There was another, tense pause. "… Please don't exorcise me, Lord Azrael, you gave me permission to be here last night, I swear."
"… did I?" Azrael then looked to Izuku, "Kid, do you remember anything of last night?"
Izuku shook his head, though he didn't take his gaze from Kuroiro, "No, not really."
"Erm, Lords," Kuroiro spoke up again, even braving a slight step forwards, "My King ordered me to make you breakfast, and I am under strict instructions to see Prince Izuku home safe."
"We are not a Prince," Izuku snapped back with Nemesis-like snarl, "Stop calling us that."
"Actually, actually," Azrael raised a hand to forehead where he ran his fingers and thumb across his skin as he screwed up his eyes, "… actually, I think they might be right." He sighed heavily and moved to the table, "Sit down Mini-Morningstar, its time for some flashbacks."
So, over an immaculately cooked breakfast that Izuku begrudgingly ate, the memories of the chaotic night before slowly began to re-enter his mind.
And oh, oh how Izuku was soon swearing to never get drunk again.
As the sound of a doorbell rang through the apartment, from somewhere in his kitchen Azrael called, "Hey, kid, can you get that?" Accompanied by the sound of clinking bottles and glasses.
Could he get that. As if his uncle had no idea who was supposed to be coming.
It was about eight o'clock at night, right about the time that their little get-together was supposed to begin. Typically, it seemed, Lucifer had arrived right on the second.
Izuku took a moment to gather his strength. He could get through this. He could just… dig his heels in, rely on his uncle, try and get as much information out of the both of them as he could then go to bed. Easy. No worries. He got this.
He was so screwed.
Izuku again swallowed his nerves down as he put his hand on the door, then twisted it open. There stood Lucifer, dressed and looking just as he was before, though he had lost the tie at some point and the top button on his shirt was undone. He had one hand raised to knock at the door, the other was curled behind his back.
He blinked down at Izuku through his glasses, then a warm smile formed on his lips, just as Izuku made sure to fix a deep scowl on his own.
"Izuku! I see you got back to the agency safe and sound. Are your wounds healing well?"
"M'hm."
"May I come in?"
"Uncle Azrael?" Izuku made a rather petulant show of turning and shouting into the apartment, "Can I let him in?"
"Did he bring wine?"
"Did you-"
"Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche," Lucifer announced with a smile as he brought the wine out from behind his back, "Two thousand and fifty vintage, a very good year."
Izuku only growled a rather low, irritated growl at this, but stepped aside. The King of Hell strode into the room, looked around, and frowned in what had to be a cross between curiosity and disapproval. "… so, this is how you're living these days, sibling?"
"Sure," Azrael called back as he came out of the kitchen. He had abandoned his hero outfit and was wearing jeans and a t-shirt that had a picture of a giant monster lizard and with 'King of Monsters' written on it. In his hand, he held three wine glasses. He had a slightly goofy smile on his face as if he couldn't believe all three of them were actually there, "Where are you living?"
"Not in some hero agency penthouse."
"Ha!" Azrael moved past Lucifer, slapping his sibling on the arm as he set the glasses on the table.
"Do you mind if I drop the glamor?" Lucifer asked as he watched his angelic sibling open up the wine, on which Izuku spied a price tag that made his head spin, "If we're to celebrate, I believe we should do it without masks."
"Hey, mi casa su casa," Azrael waved a hand at his sibling as he poured out some rather large glasses of wine.
Lucifer sighed, and with that sigh, the mask fell away. Fire spiked through Izuku's blood as he watched for the second time as Lucifer assumed his more natural form, the great torn wings erupting from his back, the spiked tail from the base of his spine, the long, sharp black fingernails and the curling twin horns. Around his head, he once again saw the flickering of that broken halo, though oddly, it vanished as Azrael turned around.
He again felt his Fallen-self move to the defense as a wave of undeniable terror washed over him, an instinctual knowledge that the thing that stood just a few steps away was the one and true Adversary of the Almighty, the enemy of all creation, the beast that ruled from the darkest pits of damnation.
And yet, again, it was followed by that strange sense of… hollowness. Of something missing from the unspeakable power of the King of Hell. He felt his own sharpened nails digging into the leather of Azrael's armchair, though rather than pull his own inner monster back, he allowed Nemesis to breathe through his blood, to settle on its own terms.
It was weary and tense, though comforted in their union… and the fact that Azrael was there with them. A solid ally should their father do or say anything they didn't like. Not to mention now they were more in sync, the power of the King of Hell seemed less… overwhelming somehow.
It almost seemed disturbingly familiar.
Azrael turned for a moment to look to Lucifer, his eyes narrowing as the Fallen Angel stretched his arms, and his torn wings, at the same time.
There was a strange, tense second before Azrael huffed heavily and motioned to Lucifer's head, "No crown?"
"This is informal, sibling," Lucifer smiled with a mouth of sharpened teeth and spoke with a voice that whispered of a thousand more, "We're here to relax. Crowns are for when I'm sitting in my throne."
"Throne," Azrael rolled his eyes as he handed a glass of wine over to his sibling, "There's only one throne, Lucy."
"Actually, there's seven, in Hell we mean," Izuku suddenly cut in with a voice that matched the slightly echoing tone of Lucifer's, drawing the eyes of the other two divine creatures. They looked to him, Lucifer especially with wide eyes, before he added, "We- we saw them. When we died."
"A regrettable occurrence," Lucifer nodded solemnly, "I wish I could have prevented it. I should have prevented it."
"You did beg Father to bring him back," Azrael slyly commented, "Wanna finally dish the goods on that little conversation?"
"Absolutely not," Lucifer replied stiffly, "That's between me and that Bastard Tyrant."
"Whatever it was, it hit you like a ton of bricks," Azrael casually commented as he moved to shove a glass of wine at Izuku, who took it with a slightly trembling hand.
Lucifer's oblivion-black gaze narrowed at his sibling, "I'm fine, Azrael."
"Whatever you say, sibling," Azrael shook his head as Izuku sniffed at the heady, slightly fruity scent of the wine, "But you've definitely changed."
"Speaking of change, you should also shed your glamor." Lucifer wagged a finger at Azrael, as the angel put a hand on Izuku's shoulder and pulled him over to towards his father. Izuku and Nemesis both really didn't want to get any closer to the damned monster than he had to, and his footsteps were heavy.
Azrael raised an eyebrow, "Oh come on, really?"
"Yes, really. We are here for him. Let us be open."
"… fine." Azrael sighed.
And once again Izuku watched as the veil fell away. Azrael's skin glowed with those flowing, delicate lines of light that danced across his form, his eyes shone bright and his whole being was engulfed by the purity, and holy divinity of his true being. A glory marred by a sense of unending sorrow, of greatly punishing guilt and mourning. Something that seemed to always follow Azrael, even without his golden light shining through.
Yet, while Izuku could feel the power and glory pouring off his uncle, he otherwise didn't react. It was odd what one could get used to in just a week.
"Right!" Lucifer announced with a smile, seemingly unaffected by the unearthly magnificence that stood before him.
Though it was indeed a broken glory just as, Izuku realized, Lucifer's was a broken blasphemy.
"They are… alike," Nemesis whispered, confirming his suspicions, "They've both been shattered by something else. Something greater."
"So," Azrael picked up the wine glass, and the wine within seemed somehow better simply by his touch. He turned and smiled at Izuku, who felt instantly braver just by looking at him, "Shall we toast?"
"Can I? I mean I underage and-"
"You're toasting, kid." Azrael chuckled and the amusement was matched by Lucifer, "Trust me. This is what we do."
"Indeed," Lucifer raised his glass as he looked to his son, "So. To Izuku-Who-Is-Nemesis, to my glorious son, to his victory over his foes, to carving his own fate."
"To Izuku-Who-Is-Nemesis, to my brave nephew, to mastering his balance, to bringing Heaven and Hell together," Azrael added as he raised his own glass, grinning at his utterly astonished nephew.
Izuku paused, then after a few seconds of awkward silence, realized he was supposed to say something too. He blinked and raised a glass in a nervous hand with his scars flickering with his azure flame, "To, erm, the future?"
The Fallen and Archangel laughed, then together, they agreed, "To the future!"
And with that, the two adults clinked their glasses with Izuku's, and began gulping down their wine. Izuku brought the wine to his lips, and internally Nemesis seemed to sigh, "Well, we should at least drink a little."
Izuku tipped the glass back and took a bare mouthful of the drink. It was bitter and sweet and fruitful all at once, and he screwed up his face as he swallowed it down. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not and decided he probably didn't.
… though maybe he wouldn't mind another taste.
"So, okay, so. Kids. How do we have em?"
They had moved to the couches, and Azrael had put on Songify on some in-built wireless stereo system that echoed through every room in the apartment. It was some British guy called Aldous Snow. It wasn't bad. Not like the heavy, fast metal that Izuku had gotten into thanks to Fumikage and Hitoshi's influence, but not bad.
"I'm not telling," Lucifer grinned as he drank down some wine. They were already on bottle number two though Izuku was still sipping away at his first glass.
"Come oooon," Azrael shoved his sibling and grinned, "Spill the beans. You know you wanna."
"Absolutely not," Lucifer leaned back in the chair, having put his wings away for the moment.
"Why not?" Azrael begged, "You don't think I'd be a good dad? I did a good job training Izuku up!"
"It's not that at all, sibling," Lucifer almost laughed, "It's my secret. I get to keep some secrets, don't I?"
"No. Fucking tell me, asshat," Azrael demanded, his good mood seemingly vanishing, "I want kids. Tell me."
"… perhaps when Izuku is older. When he's far, far out of any trouble that could befall him and we know exactly what is to entail with half-human, half-Celestial children. Perhaps then, perhaps." He grinned suddenly, "If you agree to take on another debt."
Azrael paused, pointing a threatening finger at his sibling as he took on the kind of expression one wore when one was holding back an awful lot of expletives. Finally, he settled on, "Oooooh, ho-ho-ho, you're so annoying I could stab you."
To this, Lucifer only grinned, "Get in line, my sibling. Besides," He poured out the last of the bottle into his glass as his expression fell, "We have something more important to discuss."
"More important than giving Izuku some cousins?"
"Unfortunately, yes," His eyes hardened, "We have to talk about Hosu."
The fourth bottle was out, and Izuku was now on his third glass. The taste was starting to become more bearable, and he wondered how much his body could take before getting drunk. After all, the two supernatural beings were four bottles in and barely seemed to notice. Besides, he felt oddly… grown-up sitting there, wine in hand, talking what seemed to be important details of the world with his father and uncle.
A small part of him might have even been proud.
"Those demons…" Azrael began slowly, pacing back and forth, "They were like… nothing I'd ever seen before. They were like… several demons shoved into one soul, like too many birds in a cage or… something." He drank down his wine all at once before putting the glass back onto the table and, to Izuku's quiet shock, he shuddered. "I thought I'd seen everything with what Apollyon could make, but those things…"
"Indeed," Lucifer nodded grimly, "They remind me of Legion, but…"
At the sudden mention of the demon, Izuku perked up and before he could stop himself he blurted out, "I- At the USJ, I- I mean- Nemesis fought something called Legion!"
"Yes, I know," Lucifer looked to his son with a nod of acknowledgment, "But when I read the reports, not one of the described the Legion I knew."
"You… you knew Legion?" Nemesis spoke through Izuku's lips, sharp and biting, "They were your-"
"They were not my demon, Izuku," Lucifer replied sharply, taking a moment to drink more wine, "But I knew of them, just as I know every demon worth notice in Hell. They were one of Beliel's Gorefield Champions, though what they were doing up here I don't know."
"So, what, you think Beliel is behind these attacks?" Azrael suddenly cut in, "Why? This isn't their style, usually it's more…" He waved a hand, "World war-y than this."
"Indeed," Lucifer turned back to his sibling, "Though from what I understand, these host bodies housing these summoned demons are a mix of all manner of biological components."
"Apollyon?" Azrael's eyes widened, almost in fear, "You don't think it's-"
"No, not Apollyon, again this isn't their style. I saw some of the early reports showing some of the hosts have biomechanical components, and I almost assumed it was Mammon, but even this doesn't match how they usually behave. No centers of knowledge were attacked, and there were no items of any notable power in the city."
"So… what?" Azrael frowned again, "This won't be Lilithia, it's too wide-scale and open, so that only leaves-" He suddenly stopped, his eyes again growing wide, "Oh fuck me."
"It's Satani."
At the name, Izuku suddenly started as the memory spiked in his brain. He practically leapt up as he exclaimed, "I know that name!"
Both the divine beings turned to look at him, both wearing a bizarrely matching frown.
"When, when we lost control of ourselves at the USJ," His voice echoed slightly as he spoke, "We heard him say it. The one who called himself Tomura Shigaraki. He said…" There was a pause as Izuku scanned his memory while trying to bite back the shame and disappointment he felt whenever he thought of the USJ, "He said… Ora Pro Vobis Satani,"
"Pray for us, Satani," Azrael growled out with the most bitter of tones. Suddenly he seemed… withdrawn, and deeply worried. He looked to his wine, frowned, then turned and stomped towards the kitchen. "I'm getting out the fenrisian mjod."
Izuku hadn't even heard of mjod before now, but he very quickly became acquainted with it and, oh boy, was it strong. He almost become drunk just from smelling the stuff, a hearty mix of honey and alcohol, though oddly when he tried it, he found he… liked it. Which was surprising even to Nemesis.
The Fallen and Archangel before him had been easily handling the many bottles of wine before them. However, the mjod was clearly something more on their level, and after the second bottle was finished, Izuku could finally hear the effects in the slight slurring of their voices
"Fucking… Satani… fuck." Azrael grumbled out, one hand rifling through a messy looking kitchen drawer, the other clenched tightly around a stein. It was a large, hand-carved looking thing that looked to be made from a kind of bone. What kind of bone, Izuku didn't ask.
He'd brought a stein for each of them and filled each one in expectation of them all drinking their fills.
They had also moved into the kitchen since Azrael had decided he was hungry and was now looking for some take-away menus.
"Who- who is Satani?" Izuku was a little surprised at the slurring in his own voice and fought hard to keep it down. He didn't want Lucifer thinking he was some kind of lightweight. Oh God, was he seriously now trying to impress his own father?
This night just kept getting worse.
"One of your uncles, though aunt-uncle, or maybe just relation would be a better term. Satani never did enjoy settling into one sex or gender or… whatever for too long," Lucifer replied as he leaned against the countertop. "And they're a very dangerous opponent."
His jacket was now gone, left somewhere on the couch, and the corner of his shirt had become untucked.
"The second to Fall," Azrael grumbled as he swallowed a mouthful of the mjod before speaking with exaggerating arm swings which Izuku had to dodge, "Lord of Desire. He Who Wants, She Who Takes. The biggest fucking drama queen-and-king in all creation."
"They were always jealous that I rebelled first," Lucifer chuckled and gave a lopsided, prideful smile, "Always chasing my coattails, trying to do whatever I did but better. Never could though, that's why I'm the King."
"You know," Azrael began as he paused his rummaging to look wearily at Izuku, "There was this one time, when we were kids, when Satani turned themselves into a snake and they know I loved snakes so I picked up the snake to admire it, and then they turned back and was like 'Agh it's me!' and then they stabbed me," He went back to his rummaging with a frown, "We were eight at the time."
"I…" Izuku raised a finger in confusion, "How-"
"Anyway, so, Lucy, what's their play? What are they up to?"
"I'm not sure," Lucifer shrugged in confession before looking to Izuku, "Frankly, right now, you've had more contact with their agents than I have. Not that I haven't been trying of course, but they've hidden themselves well."
Izuku huffed at this, giving Lucifer a harsh look for a moment, before taking another mouthful of the mjod. After he gulped it down and winced off the alcoholic taste he took a short breath and thought out loud, "During the USJ, the guy leading the attack, Tomura Shigaraki, called himself the Ender of Days." He paused, then Nemesis added, "Some Ender of Days, they barely took one swipe from our claws."
"Ender of Days, huh?" Lucifer mused and nodded, "Interesting. Not unusual, though, I've heard that line before."
"Really?" Izuku frowned in disbelief.
"Oh, sure. Doomsday cults are a great way to convince foolish mortals to hand their souls over," Lucifer shrugged, "I don't go for that kind of thing, though."
"What, doomsday cults?"
"Stealing souls," Lucifer pressed with a frown, "Izuku, understand I am the King of Hell, yes, and many humans throughout history have handed me their souls. But they have always done so willingly. I don't ever steal, or trick, or lie to get what I need. I prefer to simply…" He paused and seemed to be ignoring the look of glaring displeasure Izuku was giving him, "Offer them a debt. They are the ones to take or reject my offers."
"That's still manipulation."
"But I don't press them into it," Lucifer urged, "But Satani? Apollyon? Even Lilithia will do so. They will do whatever they can to secure souls for themselves, either to increase their own power or to use them as hosts for demons to spread their own plans."
Before Izuku could press this rather interesting line of questioning, Azrael quickly butted in, just as he pulled out a stack of take-away menus from a kitchen drawer, "So, you think this is just a power grab? You think they're going for your throne?"
"Possibly," Lucifer sighed, then looked to Izuku, "Or they've discovered you. How I don't know, but if so, then you're their true target. After all, you are the impossible miracle, and if I have a child, you can bet that they'll want one too."
Izuku decided now was a very good time to drink the rest of his mjod.
By the third bottle of mjod, they were eating donar kababs on the balcony as Lucifer explained, "You see, son-"
"Don't call us that."
"-the real trick, is making them think you were never there at all." The King of Hell wiggled his fingers before taking a huge bite out of his kabab.
"Also, being an asshole. That helps too," Azrael cut in as he dipped his fires in ketchup.
Izuku looked to his own kabab, or was it two kababs? No, it was just one kabab, he was sure of that, Nemesis was sure they had ordered only one kabab.
Then he chomped into it before simply asking, "So, okay, here's an idea," He glanced to his father, "If you're the King of Hell, why don't you just, I dunno, send a big army of demons to go stop Satani."
Lucifer shook his head sloppily, "I would need to place every one of my legion within hosts, and quite simply, I don't have the time to pull something like that off."
"That's if you'd ever get that far," Azrael wagged a fry at Lucifer, "Cos I'd stop your ass before you even tried, bitch. Legion or no legion."
"I thought Legion was a demon?"
"No, Izuku, I mean my legions. My personal army of demons," Lucifer chuckled before taking a quick drink of his mjod, "Every Archangel and Fallen Angel have their own legion. An army of angels or demons to do their bidding, usually about eight-hundred thousand to a legion, give or take."
Izuku coughed in shock, and Nemesis hissed out, "Eight-hundred thousand?!"
"You didn't think we could do everything we needed to on our own, did you? We're not omnipotent," Lucifer leaned onto the table and waved a hand, dismissively, "We had our legions and courts to assist us. Think of it… think of it like-like-"
"Like hero agencies," Azrael cut in, "Like, you got your top hero at the top, the tippy top, doing all the fuckin fightin' n' shit, right? And then you've got all the sidekicks under 'em and the staff and all that bullshit." He paused. "'Cept me, cos I had mine taken off me, fuckin… assholes takin' my damn legion. Takin' my damn court. Dicks."
"Okay…" Izuku blinked, trying to keep the world from spinning under him, "So, that's why Satani hasn't used his army here on earth, I guess."
"Exactly. Well, that and, think about it," A soft smile played at the corners of Lucifer's lips, "One of us shows up on Earth with our legion. Now, what would you do, as another Celestial being."
Izuku thought for a moment, though his mind felt sluggish with alcohol, "… I guess I would get my own legion to fight them."
"Ayyye, he gets it!"
"My son is so bright."
"Don't call us that."
"It's escalation," Lucifer continued, ignoring Izuku's comment, "One army shows up, so the others gather their armies and the entire earth gets wiped out in a big celestial war."
"Armageddon," Azrael added grimly, "We all lose."
Izuku took a somber gulp of his mjod, "So, what's a court?"
"A court are like, well, like your top angels… or demons, I guess," Azrael answered as he finished up the last of his fries, "You usually have six members, with an Archangel being the ruler."
"They're your generals, your councilors, your trusted advisors, and your strongest warriors. Usually, you develop unique traditions with them, give them individual titles and names to show their positions within your court."
"Names have power, right?" Izuku mumbled.
"Exactly. Titles, names, they mean more than just a way to address someone. They can tell a whole story and bring great respect. It's why demons so often list their many names when bragging about themselves. Anyway," he shook a hand to clear his thoughts, "I call my court the Privy Council, and the demons within are my Barons," He paused, and then sighed, "Of course not all of us treated our courts equally. My court is made of demons I can rely on, dare I say trust. Beliel's court, though, is a revolving door of their Blood Champions because they're constantly slaying one another. Nirgali's Blightmasters haven't been called in forever, and I don't think most of Satani's court even care to listen to their Lord anymore. They're all too busy screwing one another over, both figuratively and literally."
"I miss my court," Azrael bemoaned, "Sirius, Lyra, Auriga, Grus, Horologium and Cepheus. Ah, little Grus, they told the best jokes." He raised his mug up in a toast and tilted his head back to gaze at the night sky above, "Here's to you! To all you glorious bastards! Wherever you are!"
He drank and as if on cue, both Lucifer and Izuku did the same. There had been a lot of random toasts that night.
"Well, we don't have a court," Nemesis mumbled out as he licked the honey-sweet drink from his lips, "Or a legion."
"Perhaps not now, but maybe, one day, you'll have a legion," Lucifer grinned widely and even braved to poke his son with the sharp end of his tail, "And are you sure you don't have a court?"
"Yes!" Izuku frowned back, "We'd think we'd notice if we did."
"How many friends do you have?"
"Four," The teenager answered before his eyes grew wide, "Wait-"
"And that Todoroki boy came to your aid last night," Lucifer nodded his head and pulled a thoughtful expression, "Which makes five. Seems you're well on your way to me."
"I am not well on my way!" Izuku snapped back.
Lucifer grinned, flashing his sharp teeth, "Hello 'not well on my way."
"No."
"I'm dad!"
"NOOOO!"
The fifth bottle was accompanied by a lot of shouting.
"FUCK YOU, LUCY!" Azrael screamed as he threw the empty mjod bottle at the King of Hell, "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! IT'S ALWAYS BEEN YOUR FAULT!" The bottle went sailing past Lucifer, missing him by inches and smashed somewhere on the floor.
"I didn't do anything but try to open your eyes!" Lucifer shouted back, the very darkness of his being infecting the air around him and blackening the ground under his feet, his shirt was utterly untucked and his hair a mess, almost resembling Izuku's, "I tried to free you from slavery!"
"It's not slavery if you're loved!"
"He didn't love us, He was using us!"
Izuku was standing between them, literally, his hands held up towards either one.
"Father does love us! We're His firstborn! His children!"
"We were tools for His stupid little human experiment and we both know it!"
"We have to trust in His plan!"
"Oh, His plan!" Lucifer turned and staggered away for a moment, throwing his hands up as if all the answers had been revealed before whirling back dramatically, "Let's all just believe in- in this divine plan of His which He won't even TELL HIS OWN CHILDREN ABOUT!"
"Because we don't need to know," Azrael drunkenly slurred back, "That's the POINT!"
"IS IT?" Lucifer continued, his eyes blazing with anger and flashes of azure blue rushing along the exposed skin of his arms where he'd rolled his shirt up, "If I hadn't found Hell-"
"You were meant to find it!"
"WHICH PROVES MY POINT!" Lucifer snarled, at Azrael as he pointed an unlight-coated talon at his sibling, "He did this to us! To all of us! He made us as Lords and expected us to act like slaves!"
"We weren't SLAVES!" Azrael roared back, pressing against Izuku's outstretched palm, "We were meant to serve the Lord our Father WILLINGLY!"
"Will you both SHUT UP!" Izuku screamed so loud that he could taste fire in his throat. The two siblings stopped and looked to him, and with dark-tinted eyes he glared between the two, "You're-" hick "You're both, s-sss-stupid," He found himself leaning forward and quickly straightened up again, using his tail for balance, "And drunk, and stupid. Besides, it doesn't matter, does it?" Izuku waved a hand as he stormed towards the patio table and grabbed his drink, "All that matters is- is what's in your heart. It doesn't matter what your Father does, it's what you do that matters," He finished the mjod in one mouthful and felt it burning down his throat before grabbing the bottle and refilling it once again, "And besides, we're almost out of- out of mjod."
The King of Hell and Azrael the Unforgiven looked to one another, before they suddenly burst into laughter, with Lucifer almost stumbling back over the balcony before Azrael grabbed him and pulled him back into a tight hug.
"This is why this kid is the best!" Azrael grinned as he pulled back from his sibling, "He's the fucking- fucking Mini-Morningstar! Bringing peace back to our fucked-up family!"
"Mini-Morningstar, huh?" Lucifer finally grinned after wiping a tear from his eye, an eye that quickly caught a rather cunning spark to it, "That… that gives me an idea."
Izuku looked to his father with a narrowed gaze. "… what idea?"
"Hey, Izuku, son-"
"Don't call us that."
"-How many-" hick, "-birthday presents do I owe you?"
Two more bottles of mjod later and they were out in the agency parking lot with both his father and his uncle re-cloaked.
And with Lucifer pointing a katana at his head.
The night air was calm and chill, though not uncomfortably so. The parking lot was completely empty, of course, but overhead a few bright, humming street lamps lit the black, summer-dry tarmac. From somewhere behind the large, concrete security walls the city continued on, a world unaware of the bizarre scene taking place right under their noses.
"I- erm- you know it's fine, it's fine, we don't have to-"
"Nonsense!" Lucifer slurred out, swaying on the spot and causing the tip of the blade to wave before Izuku's nose, "Thish has been a long time coming! Too long! I shoulda done this… decades ago." He squinted at Izuku, even closing one eye, "You deserve it, son."
"Yeah!" Azrael called out from a few steps away, swaying on the spot and holding the eighth and apparently last bottle of mjod in his hand, "You deserve it!"
"What is our bastard father doing?" Nemesis drunkenly slurred through Izuku's mind, "They'll carve our nose off at this rate."
"Probably," Izuku mumbled out, trying to lean away from the crackling faith of the blades without falling over. Apparently, the handles were fine to hold, as Lucifer seemed to have no problems gripping them, "And don't- don't call me that."
"Now, onto one knee you go," Lucifer drunkenly gestured at the boy, "Go on!"
Izuku groaned and slowly took to one knee, though he had to steady himself with a hand as the world kept tipping to the left. He had no idea what was happening, of course, all he'd been told was that it was 'gonna be a great honor' and that 'it was super important'.
The teenager really just wanted to go to bed at this point. Sure, the ache in his wounds were blanketed by the numbing alcohol in his system, but he was also feeling nauseous and tired, and his head felt heavy and light at the same time.
Lucifer raised the blessed katana up, almost touching it to his nose before suddenly stopping and turning to Azrael, "We need another-" hick "-witness."
"Whaaaat?" Azrael swayed on the spot, "Why?"
"We need another witness, it's, you know, proper," Lucifer stumbled back a little before shaking his head, "So- so no one can deny it if-" hick, "-if anything happens."
"Nothingsh gonna happen, idiot," Azrael walked closer and pressed the whiskey bottle to Lucifer's chest, "We're fuckin' immortal n' shit, well, unless they drop some… fuckin' thermonuclear bomb on us or somethin'."
"Exactly!" Lucifer drunkenly waved an arm through the air, "Gotta be prepared! You never-" hick "-know when that Tyrant Bastard will try to screw us over!"
"Whatever, dickhead," Azrael shrugged, "I got no one so-"
"I know!" Lucifer stumbled back again, then took another swig, then shoved the bottle to Azrael. "One moment."
He turned and pointed the sword over to a rather dark corner, just as Izuku was getting back to his wobbling feet and sluggishly wondering if he was going to get out of whatever stupid idea his father and his uncle had decided on.
"Kuroiro! Kuroiro, attend!"
Nemesis shot through Izuku's blood as, quite suddenly, he heard something move within the shadow. No, not within the shadow, but from the shadow itself, as if being formed from the very darkness of the world. He stood up, looking in shock as a pair of fog-white, blind eyes formed within the shadow. Then a set of teeth set within an exasperated grimace, then a shock of bone-white hair.
The shadow seemed to grow a body around it, barely taller than Izuku himself, probably only coming up to around Hitoshi's height, but at least they were humanoid. His skin was of unlight-black, and he was dressed in a fog-gray tunic with a tasseled, dark leather studded belt.
"A demon?!" Nemesis barked through Izuku's mouth and quickly unlight rushed to his arms. Though it didn't quite work as intended, and splotches of it dotted across his body in random, drunken patterns.
The demon, Kuroiro, took several steps towards them before stopping, apparently noticing Azrael, then Izuku for the first time. They seemed to hesitate before, in a voice that was both a harsh grate, and an airy whisper, asked, "… My Lord? What is-"
"Aww, sibling? A demon? Seriously?" Azrael leaned heavily onto his sibling and pouted, "You're summoning a demon as a witness? Lame."
"Not just any-" hick "-demon!" Lucifer loudly exclaimed, grinning with sharp teeth, "But my-" hick "-personal equerry. This is Kuroiro, They-Who-Walk-In-Shadow, Sixth Baron of the Privy Council."
"It's an honor-" Kuroiro had begun to bow but was suddenly interrupted by Azrael.
"What happened to Mephisto?" He asked sharply, "I liked that one, you know, for a demon. They were funny." He waved a hand over his head, "You know, with the hat and stuff."
"They're busy-" hick "-I promoted them… and they can't get here in an instant," Lucifer waved a hand, "Whatever, anyway," He looked back to Kuroiro, pointing the katana at them, "You-" hick "-bare witness, I'm anointing my son."
The demon's eyes grew wide as they leaned away from the blade, "What-"
"Shuddup!" Azrael barked at the demon, "This ish important!"
The demon turned its blind eyes to Izuku, who simply waved his hand dismissively in a loose, sloppy manner. It was hard to feel sorry for the monsters of hell, but if one could paint the picture of a being dropped right into the middle of a madhouse, it might very well have resembled Kuroiro at that moment.
"M- my lord," Kuroiro stammered out, "I don't think now is-"
"Kuroiro, shut up! No one asked your opinion!" Lucifer snapped, his tail whipping, and for a moment it seemed as though blue lines of fire again traced their ways across his skin, but they faded almost instantly as he turned back to Izuku, "Izuku-Who-Is-Nemesis!" hick, "Take a knee," He again half-slurred as he raised the sword back up.
"We should go to bed, this is getting ssstupid," Nemesis grumbled out, even as Izuku ignored it to bend his knee, again almost flopping to the floor as the world tilted. His hand only narrowly avoided slamming onto the flat of his tail, which twitched away at the last second.
Izuku had no idea what 'anointed' meant, but he was drunk and tired and woozy and so he would do just about anything to get this over with so he could curl up under some covers… or maybe find the rim of a toilet bowl if his stomach decided to exit through his mouth.
"Now," Lucifer raised the blade back up, with the edge barely inches from the tip of his nose, "Who bares-" hick "-witness to this anointment?"
"I, Azrael of Heaven, Azrael the Unforgiven, Mentor of Izuku-Who-Is-Nemesis, bare witness," Azrael announced loudly, almost too loudly for two-thirty am on a Sunday, even if it was in an empty parking lot.
"I- I do?" The demon seemed to half-whisper out, the poor thing about as confused as one could be, "I, Kuroiro, They-Who-Walk-In-Shadow, Equerry of Lord Lucifer King of Hell, and Sixth Baron of the Privy Council of Oblivion, bare witness."
"Izuku-Who-Is-Nemesis, blood of my blood," Lucifer swayed a little and hiccupped again as he tried to stand still, while at either side of him the demon Kuroiro and Azrael watched.
"I name you, my son, my child, and rightful-" hick "-heir to my throne."
Lucifer lowered the blade, and for a moment Izuku thought it might chop into his neck.
Yet with remarkable control, the drunk King of Hell only managed to tap it lightly against each of his shoulders. Still, the faith embedded in the blade cut at him, like someone poking him with a sharp stick, causing him to wince slightly and his stomach to threaten revolt.
"I name you, Izuku-Who-Is-Nemesis, as the rightful Prince of Hell."
… oh. The sudden dawning realization of the moment hit him in full. This was what 'anointed' meant.
Oh, he really should have gone to bed an hour ago.
"And I bestow upon you the title of…" He paused for a moment before smiling, "Morningstar."
"Heh, Mini-Morningstar," Azrael called out, "Nice!"
"I haven't used that title since I threw it at my Bastard Father's feet… yet you, my-" hick "-son," Lucifer looked down to the quietly panicking Izuku and for a moment, the boy felt his part of his anxiety drift away. It was one of those strange moments in which Lucifer seemed so bizarrely… human. He was so proud, so incredibly proud of the boy kneeling before him, and he could see it in his blasphemous gaze.
Izuku wanted to get up and deny the title and spit at Lucifer's feet.
But… but he couldn't. He couldn't when the Fallen Angel was beaming down at him, so unbelievably happy at how far his child had come.
He also remembered Azrael's words spoken the night before. Lucifer was changing, he was acting selflessly, which to Azrael meant the world… and could possibly mean salvation for him. And so, Izuku kept his position on the ground, kneeling, and accepting the title from his blasphemous father.
Goddamn, he was going to regret this when he was sober enough to realize just what a terrible idea it was.
"You, my son, are the union of Hell and Earth-" hick "-and perhaps with time, you will join with Heaven also. You, the bridge between us all. Yes," he nodded suddenly, "You alone shall-" hick "-redeem the title. You, Izuku-Who-Is-Nemesis, shall be the new Morningstar."
"Morningstar," Nemesis's brushed through Izuku's thoughts, carried by the candle-flame though his scars, "… that's not a bad hero name, actually."
… it actually wasn't, was it?
"If we are to redeem the title, what better way than to take it from our bastard father and forge it anew? Let us make it something that is ours, not his."
"Arise, Izuku-Who-Is-Nemesis, Prince of Hell, Morningstar reborn!"
Izuku did as he was told, rising unsteadily to his feet and wobbling from side to side. Azrael clapped and cheered enthusiastically, and from Lucifer's side a still very confused looking Kuroiro clapped slowly, looking from his apparent new Prince to the King of Hell, "… Does this mean-"
"Shut up Kuroiro!" Lucifer snapped suddenly, "Go find the gift!"
"The gift?"
"The one for Izuku!"
"Sire I-"
The Lord of the Fallen turned suddenly on the demon, the sword barely inches from Kuroiro's face, "The one in the safehouse. It's in the-" hick "-suitcase. Go get it."
The demon nodded far too many times than melted back into the shadows.
"I don't want any more gifts," Izuku grumbled out, the dizziness starting to become a little too much.
"Nonsense," Lucifer chuckled with a drunken grin, "You deserve it! The Morningstar reborn can't go into battle naked, after all!"
The teenager blinked this with a confused dizziness, swayed for a moment, then turned suddenly, as he ran towards the nearest drainage grate where he threw up a night's worth of alcohol, fries, and his donar kabab, and collapsed onto his side.
"Uuugh," He groaned out after a moment of ignoring Azrael's roaring laughter. He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see Lucifer looking to him with concern. A swaying, drunken concern, but concern, nonetheless.
"There, there, my son-" hick "-We've kept you awake long enough I feel. It's about time we-" hick "-got you to bed. I suppose your gift can wait until the-" hick "- morning."
Izuku and Nemesis both were far too drunk and sick to argue as he felt a strong pair of arms scoop under his back and legs, lifting him easily from the floor. The world was descending into darkness as his eyes drooped from sheer, drunken exhaustion and his limbs felt as heavy as lead.
Though as sleep took him, he did manage to mumble out, "Don't… call us… that."
Azrael softly patted Izuku's back. The boy was face down on the table, one hand over his head while his horns gently poked out from his hair.
"… you gonna be okay, kiddo?"
"No," Came Izuku's muffled replied, "I can't believe I got crowned the Prince of Hell last night."
"In a parking lot!" Azrael offered unhelpfully, "Very classy I might add."
"I'm never drinking again."
"Yeah that's probably a good idea. Not that I think you'll stick to it," Azrael chuckled.
"The breakfast I have prepared should assist your hangover, Prince Izuku," Kuroiro offered helpfully.
Izuku raised his head and gave a squinting glare at the demon, who stood, awkwardly looking between Azrael and Izuku. Finally, he grumbled out, "… you know, every other demon I've known doesn't seem to believe I can exist. Why are you so fine with it?"
"I have been aware of you for some time, my Prince," Kuroiro offered with a smile which they perhaps thought was helpful, but came off as creepy, "I have been watching you for months, after all."
There was a long pause.
Azrael's tone was ice, "What?"
The demon seemed to panic and backed away, "I- erm- ever since the Prince started attending UA, I have been told to monitor his progress," A note of pride entered his tone, "As a member of his Privy Council, I was proud to serve in this role."
"And I never noticed you before because?"
"I am very good at hiding," Kuroiro's pride seemed to rise, and he put his hands behind his back, "It is my gift, after all. To be invisible within the shadows."
"… so not only have you been spying me for months," Announced Izuku, who was incredibly creeped out by this new information, though it did explain Lucifer's seemingly omniscient knowledge of him, "But you've been reporting to Lucifer. Who has just sat around and done nothing. All this time."
"… well, I'm sure my King has their own-"
"Okay, Kuroiro, please just… just go. Please go. Right now." Izuku commanded as he buried his head back into his arms. This was too much to take in when he was so hungover. "I am literally using my own powers to hold back a serious breakdown, so please, just go."
"… I cannot, I've been ordered to hand you your final gift. Only then can I return to Lord Lucifer's side. Though I must say, it was an honor to finally talk to you properly, Prince Izuku, and an honor to have born witness to your anointment."
This was accompanied by a groan from the boy, as Izuku realized this was his life now. Being addressed by demons in flowery titles like a member of royalty.
"We are never drinking again."
"Just drop the thing off and go."
The somewhat exasperated demon again hesitated, his eyes flicking to the Archangel before reaching down under the table and bringing up a suitcase.
Izuku looked up as the suitcase hit the table and was surprised to see it was a UA hero course costume case. He blinked, then sat up a little taller as his mind began to consider the implications.
"This is your last gift from King Lucifer," Kuroiro added with a small nod, "And I quote, 'May it protect you in the battles to come, as it protected me in the battles that have been.'"
And with that, the demon gave one more stiff bow before stepping away and melting into one of the few shadows in the kitchen.
There was a moment of silence before Izuku simply said, "They are so creepy. I mean, spying on me like that? What the fuck?"
"Tell me about it, I liked the old equerry way better. Huge anime nerd. Dressed like a Soho pimp though," Azrael chuckled, then nodded at the suitcase, "So, do you want me to keep it here?"
"No," The answered surprised Izuku, though as he looked to his uncle, he found himself continuing with a growing sense of determination, "I mean, my old uniform is ruined anyway and besides," He looked back to the suitcase, "Everything has changed. I'm a new me, a new us, so… maybe a new look is in order, right?"
"Yeah…" Azrael nodded thoughtfully, "That and, if that's what I think it is, it's gonna be tougher than any armor you can buy and not melt at your fire." He grinned and stood up, "Now, come on. You still have to do meditation and then I'll get you ready to be on your way."
"Text me if you need anything. Anything. Any time of the day or night. I'm here for you, kid."
Izuku and Azrael walked through the agency lobby, now newly dressed and feeling much better for it. The meditation had helped with the hangover, as had the surprisingly healthy food cooked by Kuroiro. Izuku was sure he could sense the demon around somewhere, though where he wasn't sure. As long as they didn't bother him, he supposed he could let it slide for now. Even if the idea of them always being close by was still super creepy.
The automatic doors whooshing open and a waft of hot, summer air hit them both. Above was a smattering of white clouds, and somewhere he could hear a bird singing gleefully, somehow making it above the distant sounds of a city waking up.
The two stepped out onto the street and the teenager took a moment to glance around, thankfully noting that, again, the street was quiet for the moment. Not empty, but quiet enough to have a private conversation without anyone listening in.
"I will," He nodded, finally looking back to his mentor.
"And be careful. Keep working hard and training harder."
"I will." He nodded again, his small smile growing wider.
"You know," Azrael looked aside, trying to seem casual but clearly failing, "I'm gonna miss having you around. It's been… an interesting couple of days. Honestly, I never thought I'd ever have a nephew, and," He paused, then nodded affirmatively, "I'm glad it's you, Mini-Morningstar."
A second passed. Izuku suddenly wrapped his arms around Azrael in one swift movement. The Archangel returned the hug without a word, folding his own arms tightly around his nephew with even his wings embracing him, "By my Father, you're gonna make me fucking cry. You know you're gonna be back here in, like, a few months, right? The second your summer break is over you're coming back here."
Izuku let out a strangled, yet joyous laugh into Azrael's coat and gripped him tighter. "Thank you… for everything."
"You're the one who did the hard work, kiddo," Azrael chuckled, "It was all you."
"But I…" He paused, then his voice changed, "We don't think we'd be here without you, uncle. Thank you, for everything."
"Now both sides of you are going soft?" Azrael laughed as he took Izuku by the shoulders, mutually pulling him back.
"Never," Nemesis whispered through Izuku's lips, though the boy smiled as he did so.
"Sure. Now go on, get going, your mother will be worried sick," His grin was like the shining sun, "Go, Morningstar reborn. Make us all proud."
SO! This was really the chapter that kinda 'ends' the first large character arc Izuku has. He's gone from zero to hero, just like that.
Well, zero to prince, anyway.
But yes, so he was crowned Prince! Which I'm sure won't lead to any trouble. And how did ya'll like the lore drops? AND KUROIRO AS EQUERRY! Also, I know at least one of you will be happy I finally brought up Mephisto. Will we see a cameo from the crazy weeb weirdo? Maybe!
Also, for those of you wondering how this chapter really went from nonsense to really fun, I heavily advise you all again to go Child's account here on and follow the links to her commission page. Child has years of writing experience, very sound advice, she's friendly, good prices AND has my personal seal of approval. Seriously, if you really do want to improve your writing, go drop them a line (and a few dollars while you're at it).
As for the fic, well, next update Izuku returns to UA, all new and improved, and ready to do some... showing off... Thank you for reading and being awesome, keep safe, and wash your hands! PEACE!
