Pip woke up to his blaring alarm, rolling over and swinging an arm out to shut off his alarm. Instead of hitting the archaic object, his arm hit something hard with a dull thud. Immediately, Damien sat up beside him, yelling out and holding his face in his hands.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Damien hissed, turning his head to glare at the Brit, black eyes flashing red. Pip sighed. He'd thought the whole thing had been a dream last night, but proof that it wasn't, and that it was in fact real, was still cursing beside him.
"I'm sorry, Damien, I'm not used to having someone else in bed with me," he apologized, leaning over the antichrist and turning his alarm off before his sister came up to complain. He looked down at Damien, who was still rubbing his face where he'd been hit. "Damien."
His supposed guardian angel scowled, looking at him. "What."
"I need to get ready for school, and you need to find somewhere else to go," Pip said, scooting down to the end of the bed and standing up, heading to his dresser to find clothes to wear. He heard Damien shift in the bed behind him.
"I can't leave," the antichrist clipped. "Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me."
"I didn't ask for you," Pip said quietly, pulling out his outfit for the day. "I asked for someone who could help me. How can I be helped by someone who's caused such a traumatic experience for me in the first place?" He walked to the door without looking at the other boy in the room, opening it a crack and peering out to make sure no one was in the hallway. "I'm going to the bathroom to get ready for the day. I want you gone by the time I get back."
He shut the door behind him, walking down the hall to the bathroom and turning on the shower. He waited for the water to heat up a bit, though he knew it wouldn't get as warm as he'd like it. Sucking it up, he stripped his pajamas off and stepped in, shivering at the ice cold water that attacked him. He quickly washed his hair and body, rinsing and shutting the water off as he desperately reached for a towel. It didn't bring him much warmth but it was better than nothing. He quickly dressed, thinking about how he would avoid his bullies today. He could leave a bit earlier and just run to school so he wouldn't have to deal with the bus.
Nodding, he walked back to his room, opening the door and growing frustrated at the sight of Damien still sitting up in his bed. "Damien, I thought I-"
"Who hits you?" the antichrist asked, not really appearing interested. Probably his way of changing the subject. "I know you get bullied."
Pip rubbed his temples, just wanting Damien gone. "It's never been a secret," he said. "You were one of them, after all. And all I'd ever done was try to be your friend." Damien sighed loudly, falling back onto the bed and closing his eyes.
"You're still stuck on that?" he groaned. "That was just some stupid prank I did to get into that fat ass kid's birthday party."
Pip fumed, staring at the teen in his bed. "Damien, I want to show you something." The Devil spawn opened his eyes, looking toward Pip. The blond removed his jacket, setting it on the dresser before pulling his shirt over his head.
"Um," he heard Damien begin, and then a quiet gasp as his shirt came off, revealing the scars that the 'prank' had left behind. They covered parts of his torso and back, faded but still visible. He hated them; they only served as a reminder of how the first person he'd considered a friend had stabbed him in the back. "Pip-"
"This is what you did to me," the blond clipped, pulling his shirt back on, followed by his jacket. "You did this. Three seconds of fun for you, but a lifetime reminder for me of what a terrible person you are."
Damien sat up, swinging his legs over the bed. "I was only a child! You can't expect-"
"This is why I cannot allow you to stay here. You're a monster who shows no remorse for what you did!"
Damien stood up, scowling, and Pip looked away as he realized the other was still only wearing his underwear. "I told you already, I'm not leaving. There's nowhere else for me to go. I understand that I've permanently hurt you, but now I'm here to fix things. Maybe if you weren't so stuck on the past, you'd give me a chance."
Pip took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Damien irritated him to no end; he didn't understand that what he'd done was unforgivable, and he refused to leave, even though Pip showed no interest in having his help. The blond opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by his sister's voice calling from the other side of the door.
"What the hell is taking so long? You better be up, I swear to God! If you're not-"
"I'm coming now, Mrs. Joe!" Pip called. "Just getting dressed!" He rushed forward toward Damien, grabbing his arm to lead him to the closet. He gasped loudly and retracted his hand, however, when he felt how hot Damien was. "Get in the closet," he hissed, throwing open the door and ushering the antichrist inside. He shut the door just as Mrs. Joe slammed open the door to his bedroom.
"Get your ass down to the bus stop," she practically growled. "I'm not calling the school again if you miss the bus."
"Yes, ma'am, I'm going now." He bent down and grabbed his backpack, looking back at the closet door before moving past her and running down the stairs and out the front door. This was bad. Damien was in his house alone with Mrs. Joe. If she found out that he was there, there was no telling what she'd do to Pip. 'Please, Damien, please stay hidden,' he thought, frowning as the bus stop came into sight. He sighed in relief, however, as he noticed that Mason wasn't there. He was surprised when, minutes later, the bus pulled up and there were still no signs of his bully. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad of a school day. He only had to worry about what was going to happen to him when he got home.
Xxx
Damien kept quiet in darkness of the closet. He could hear that woman slamming things around Pip's room, and he slowly crept up the wall of the closet, perching himself on the ceiling in case she decided to fuck shit up in the closet as well. What a horrible woman she seemed to be. However, it was her attitude that had him keeping silent. He had a feeling she would not be very keen on letting him stay here should she open up the closet door and find him hiding there.
He remained this way for about twenty minutes, growing bored, when he finally heard her leave, slamming Pip's bedroom door behind him. He dropped down from the ceiling, landing on his feet silently. 'This is ridiculous,' he thought to himself. How was he going to live here if he couldn't even be seen? Not to mention how hostile Pip was being towards him.
Well, he wasn't going to be stuck in this damn closet all day. He did have a job to do. He opened the door, peeking out in case, for whatever reason, that crazy woman was still in the room. Noticing it was clear, he stepped out, immediately getting dressed before going to Pip's window and slipping out, letting himself fall down the several feet to the ground.
He straightened up and began to walk around the town, seeing if he could feel any strange energy. He explored the town, shivering slightly as he walked but not minding the cold. It sure beat the heat that enveloped Hell. It was nice up on Earth; very open and bright and not confining at all. He found a bench and decided he would sit there, admiring the quiet town. He picked up some snow and watched it melt in his hand, a small smile forming at the corners of his mouth.
And then he felt it.
A feeling that something holy was near. He glanced around; the feeling wasn't strong enough, it couldn't be an angel. He watched as people came and went past him, busy with their errands and ignoring him. It wasn't until he saw a figure walking past, clad in all black save for a bit of white around his neck, that Damien discovered where the holy vibe was coming from.
It was a priest. Damien recognized him from when he'd come up to Earth with his father all those years ago. Father Maxi.
The priest walked past, and then stopped, turning his head slightly and giving Damien a squinted glace. The antichrist turned his head away, ignoring the man and hoping he would go away.
He didn't. Instead, Father Maxi approached the teen, stopping three feet from him. He opens his mouth to speak but us interrupted by a woman, who grabs both of his hands and begins gushing about how one of his services had changed her life. Damien uses this opportunity to disappear before Father Maxi can glance at him again.
He wanders around town for a few hours, looking at how it's changed since he'd last been here. There's new buildings and shops, and new people. It's become quite a busy little town. He doesn't sense any angelic forces, save for the lingering feel of Father Maxi's aura, though Damien isn't worried about him for now.
He grows hungry, but there's nothing he can do about that unless he wants to steal something. He's not that desperate yet, and he'd rather not draw attention to himself this early in his mission. He decides he'll wait until Pip comes home from school and force him to bring him food from the kitchen. With that in mind, he spends another few hours sitting by Stark's pong to think and admire the scenery before he heads back to the Pirrup's home on the poor side of town. He passes by Kenny's house and figures if Pip really does end up kicking him out that he could always stay there.
Damien scales up the side of Pip's house, peeking into the window to make sure that horrible woman Pip calls his sister isn't anywhere in sight. Seeing the room empty, he pushes open the window and crawls inside. To be safe, he sits in the closet and waits for Pip to arrive home.
He doesn't have to wait long. He can hear screaming downstairs, Pip's soft voice, and then footsteps up the stairs. He remains in the closet until he hears the bedroom door open and shut, and a soft sigh from Pip. The closet door opens, surprising Damien, and he looks up at Pip with a smirk. "Welcome home."
"Damien…" Pip stares down at him with a frown. He appears to be thinking about something.
"How was your day?" Damien asks, to distract the blond. The Brit shrugs.
"It was alright. No incidents. It was actually a rather nice day, and I was in a good mood until I came home." The antichrist frowns and opens his mouth to say something, but Pip cuts him off. "However, because I was in such a good mood, I did some thinking, and I've decided to let you stay."
Damien's eyebrows raise in surprise. He'd never planned on leaving anyway, even if the stupid Brit tried to kick him out, but if Pip was going to cooperate, it surely would make things a lot easier. "Really?"
"Yes." Pip steps back out of the closet to allow Damien to come out. The demon stands and stretches his cramped muscles, moving to sit on Pip's bed. The blond shoots him a look. "However, if I am to allow you to stay, there are a few rules that I'd appreciate if you followed."
Damien rolls his eyes, crossing his arms. "Fine, let's hear them."
Pip points to the corner where his hamper resides. "If you're going to be out of the closet, you're to stay in that corner." The antichrist scowls, glaring daggers at the blond.
"I'm not going to sit in the corner like some naughty child! There should be no problem with me sitting right here on your bed. Or anywhere else in the room! Why does it matter?"
The blond merely shoots Damien his own look, continuing to point. "If you'd like me to call Mrs. Joe up here, I should have no problem in explaining to her that you've snuck into my room and refuse to leave."
"I'll just hide," Damien argues, refusing to budge.
"Then maybe I'll advise her that my bedroom door should remain open at all times," Pip argues back. "I don't think you'd like staying in the closet for so long."
Damien practically growls, holding a staring contest with Pip before finally relenting, standing up from the blond's bed as if he didn't like sitting there anyway. He pushes past the Brit, brushing his shoulder roughly, and sits in the corner, face heating up a bit.
"Thank you, Damien," Pip says, smiling a little. "If Mrs. Joe happens to come in, I'd appreciate if you went back to the closet to hide."
"Obviously," the demon mutters.
Pip nods, looking at Damien uncertainly. "What did you do all day while I was at school?"
"I walked around town a bit. I sure as fuck wasn't going to stay in this hellhole all day."
The blond looks relieved. "That's good. I'd like if you could do that everyday while I'm gone."
"Whatever, is that all of your stupid rules? I'm fucking starving," Damien growls, refusing to make eye contact with the blond. Pip smiles.
"Dinner's not for another few hours, but I'll see if I can sneak you something up afterward," he says. He moves to sit down on his bed, pulling out his homework. He appears as though he's going to pretend Damien's not there, which doesn't bother the antichrist in the slightest. He just sits in his corner and thinks about his situation. Things aren't so bad, considering everything. He's secured his spot in this home; his father would be furious if he couldn't even manage that. Though Satan was a bit of a pussy when it came to certain aspects of his life, he had high expectations for Damien, and the consequences were harsh when he didn't meet them.
He'd literally be damned if he couldn't manage this little mission. Damien glanced at Pip, watching the blond writing in his notebook, tongue partially out in concentration. How annoying it was that part of his job was to make sure the kid didn't end up offing himself. Annoying, but it seemed to be doable. The Brit seemed pretty content right now.
"No bullies today?" Damien found himself asking, startling both himself and Pip, who seemed to have forgotten he was there.
"Mason was out ill from school today." He continued working on his homework, sparing Damien only a sideways glance.
"Mason? Is that who's kicking your ass now? Whatever happened to that fat ass kid?"
Pip sighed, trying to concentrate. "Oh, he's still around. Only really bothers me if I'm actively in his way. He's more concerned with his girlfriend, however, so I've not had much of a problem with-"
"He has a girlfriend?" Damien asks, completely floored. "How the fuck did that happen?"
Pip merely shrugs, moving his pencil across his page. "There's someone for everyone out there."
The antichrist rolls his eyes. "Honestly, Pip, you really believe that? I'm surprised someone like you would have faith in something so stupid."
"That's enough, Damien. Just because you don't personally believe in something doesn't mean it's stupid," Pip scolds. "Now please be quiet, I have to get this done before dinner."
The demon scowls, but decides he doesn't want to talk with Pip anymore, either. As long as the Brit's not talking about suicide, he really shouldn't need to have any conversations with him anyway. "Fine, I was only trying to get some information about you. You don't have to be a dick about it."
Pip only sighs, sparing another glance at Damien before continuing with his homework. He's not happy with the situation, but when have things ever gone his way? As long as his new guardian angel isn't caught by his sister or Joe, things shouldn't be too bad.
Dinner comes and goes, and Pip manages to bring up a roll for Damien. The antichrist seems extremely offended by the food, but eats it when Pip assures him that was all that was left.
"Fucking piece of shit poor house. He couldn't have put me anywhere else?" Damien mumbles under his breath, picking at the roll.
"I know it's not much, but it's all we have. Your father didn't leave you any money?"
Damien merely glares. "No, he didn't. It doesn't matter, though, because I'll just go steal something to eat in the morning."
"Damien!" Pip exclaims, but he can't say he hasn't thought about doing the same before. However, his morals always stop him. He could never take something he hadn't earned himself. What right did he have to steal something that someone else had worked hard for? "Damien, please don't. You can have my breakfast tomorrow, if you'd like."
"Fuck off, Pip," the antichrist growls after a moment's thought. "You're so pitiful, it's sad. I don't need your fucking handouts. I'm supposed to keep you alive, don't starve yourself trying to take care of some asshole who forced his way into your home."
"I…oh, alright, then…"
"This is why everyone always steps all over you, asshole." Damien stands up from his corner and walks into the closet. "I despise people like you," is the last thing he says before shutting the door, leaving Pip alone with his thoughts.