Summary:

Or not, YMMV, after all :D Introducing: Generic white-haired anime pro-tag, horn nubs(!), judgmental human friends, Mephisto being bad and Rin being worse. Amaimon suffers once again, the poor thing.

Notes:

This is it, you guys, the chapter I've all been waiting for is nigh :D If you haven't read up to the recent chapters in ane you may want to… not read this one? I guess? lololol It will be full of manga spoilers (the following chapters, too) :D

The problem for poor Amaimon in this particular chapter is that he has the unfortunate ability to draw on Rin's demonic side, where, ironically, Mephisto draws on his humanity.

And I can't tell whether Rin's little horn nubs are actual horns, or, like, pre-horns stuck under the skin, somebody help me out here bc the curiosity is killing me D: Also, I need to know for… scientific purposes :D

Song of the Chapter: Black Sea by Natasha Blume

Rin was more comfortable than he'd ever been in his entire life.

His mind was still waking up in increments, but his body instinctively knew where he was, surrounded by the familiar scents of Mephisto's bedroom and knowing he and Amaimon were nearby somewhere.

The covers were warm, and Rin wriggled further into them, content to drift back off before he fully awakened.

Something traced along his jaw and his nose twitched at the sensation, turning his head into the touch with a sigh.

A wet heat slid down his neck and Rin shivered when it cooled in the air, brows furrowing as he began to pull himself out of sleep.

Another moment and the warm cocoon of blankets he'd been wrapped in were tugged off. Rin reached out with a clawed hand to drag them back with a tired grumble only to find his hand gently pushed aside.

That wet heat mouthed down his chest, and Rin fought against the lethargic undercurrent keeping his eyes closed as awareness pressed with increasing insistence.

He managed to crack one eye open just as he was enveloped, warm suction sending a jolt of adrenaline right to his heart and he came awake with a gasp, trying to shoot up in the bed only to find himself held down to the pillow under his head.

Rin's eyes fluttered as an inadvertent moan left him, back arching as he tried to push into the mouth over his length and discovered he couldn't move his hips either, left to pant at both the surprise and pleasure winding through his body.

"Are you awake now, Rin?"

His eyes opened fully, Rin having clenched them shut without noticing, and looked up to see Mephisto smiling down at him.

"Wha-?"

Speech failed him, his mind still not caught up and a flush rising to his cheeks as he stared at Mephisto without comprehension.

"Not quite yet, then," Mephisto said, his smile turning sly as he leaned over to tease Rin into a slow kiss, running the pads of his fingers along Rin's jaw to follow up to the points of his ears and back down again.

"Mmf!" Rin tried to question around the kiss, hips twitching in the hold on them as another slow pull over his length sent a shudder straight through him he whimpered at.

By the time Mephisto released him Rin had gone breathless, limp against the bed and staring, openmouthed, up into green eyes.

Mephisto let his gaze slide away in a deliberate move from Rin's to skim down his body and Rin followed, clenching his teeth together to cut off the squeak that wanted to come out when he saw what had woken him up.

Amaimon paused in his ministrations when Rin met his eyes from where he'd been leisurely tonguing at his length to smirk at him, licking his lips and watching the way Rin tracked the movement with smug pleasure.

"Amaimon is going to apologize for the way he tricked you yesterday, Rin," Mephisto said against his cheek, his hair tickling where it brushed at Rin's skin.

"Oh," Rin croaked out, unable to look away as Amaimon drew his mouth up along him in a measured drag against his skin that had Rin trembling in anticipation

His heart pounded in his chest and his stomach tensed as Amaimon took him down just as slowly, mouth stretched and tapered tongue winding in twisting patterns of pressure and he still wouldn't let Rin move like he wanted to.

Rin whimpered, shooting a helpless glance back at Mephisto only to find him focused on what Amaimon was doing with possessive eyes as if he was contemplating jumping him where he lay.

The thought of seeing the two together sent a shuddering breath through Rin, drawing Mephisto's attention to him and making Rin lick his lips, finding he really wanted Mephisto to kiss him again.

"Mephis-"

The request cut off and Rin smiled into the kiss Mephisto dropped onto his mouth, reaching up to bring him closer as a purr rumbled in his chest.

He gasped into Mephisto's mouth as Amaimon decided to stop teasing, pulling away to moan and falling back to the mattress, body weak at the intense sensation.

Mephisto shadowed him down, sucking bruises into Rin's chest until Rin could figure out how to move his arms again and brought them to his hair to fist there.

His tail convulsed under where it was stuck beneath his body and Rin groaned in frustration when he tried to lift his hips to free the trapped appendage and Amaimon still wouldn't let him move.

"Amaimon, please," Rin managed to beg, unable to see Amaimon with Mephisto in the way, though somehow that just made what he was doing all the more intense, the shameless noises in the otherwise silent room teasing his ears and making him blush at how dirty it all sounded.

A pause, Amaimon holding in place over him, and desperation began to burn in his bones, biting at his cheeks to cut off the frustrated whine trying to force its way past his lips.

The sound broke loose anyway when Amaimon let a deep purr rumble through his mouth, vibrating around Rin and sending electricity singing along his nerve-endings until Rin tensed, body pulled taut like a string, and came into his throat with a long groan.

Mephisto untangled Rin's fingers from his hair, letting his hands fall limp to the bed as Rin trembled in the afterglow.

Through the slivers of his eyes, Amaimon withdrew from his position, mouth leaving Rin with a wet pop that had Rin blushing again, doubly so when he gave a satisfied lick to his lips, eyeing Rin from lowered lashes.

Like a predator striking prey, Mephisto pounced on Amaimon, hauling him into a domineering kiss and pressing their bodies flush together next to Rin's legs.

Mephisto growled into the kiss as Amaimon bit until he drew blood, rubbing his chest against the silk robe Mephisto wore in a sinuous glide of his body.

Buzzing built in Rin's ears, mind going numb as he propped himself onto his elbows and watched the display.

The scene unraveled before him as Mephisto got his hand around Amaimon's length, running a tight grasp over it until Amaimon moaned into his mouth and reached forward with his own hand to tug Mephisto out of his robe to reciprocate.

His mouth went dry, breaths coming fast and shallow in Rin's chest as the two fell against each other, their kiss turning sloppy and erratic and their movements becoming more frantic with every passing second.

"Ah!" Amaimon was the first to give out, coming with a cry in Mephisto's hand, his own stuttering its pace until he could recover enough to resume, twisting around his length with renewed focus until Mephisto followed suit with his own cry, slumping to rest over the smaller form and shuddering there.

Rin's mouth moved wordlessly as he tried to think of a way to convey exactly how hot the sight of the two together was and failed to think of anything, wishing he had a way with words like Mephisto did, or at least Amaimon's blunt approach to things.

"God, I could watch the two of you forever," Rin mumbled, eyes wide as he imprinted the way they intertwined with each other into his memory.

The sound of his voice had Amaimon opening his eyes to glance at him out of the corner of them, gold glinting as he registered the words.

Recovering next, Mephisto drew his head away from Amaimon's shoulder to give Rin a considering look.

Rin just sent them a wide smile, eyes crinkling closed, before dropping back to the bed with a whump. "Thanks, guys. Apology accepted."

He was joined a moment later by Amaimon, turning his head to nuzzle into his neck with a contented sigh.

"Going back to bed already? And after Amaimon worked so hard to wake you up?"

Cracking an eye open showed Mephisto cocking his head at him, arms folded in mock exasperation.

"It's winter break," Rin delivered, closing his eyes again and moving more firmly into Amaimon's arms. "I'm not getting up unless someone forces me out of this bed."

"Mmm," Mephisto breathed against his neck as he settled along Rin's other side, "I think I can live with those conditions."

With Mephisto's blessing, Rin got back to enjoying his well-earned lazy day.

The days he spent with the two demons went a long way in allowing Rin to cool his anger towards Yukio.

It was still an awkward affair when he made it to the train station to meet with the rest of the exwires to go to the wedding happening the next night and Rin was sure everyone noticed the way he and Yukio weren't really acknowledging each other.

He didn't want to ruin something like a wedding for his friends, though, so he forced himself to smile until he'd tricked his mind into a better state, spending the train ride catching up on how their breaks were going.

"Ah, Rin," Shiemi turned to him, frowning as she looked for something that wasn't there, "Ambrosia isn't coming?"

Rin shot a glance towards Yukio, darting it away before he could notice and smiling at Shiemi. "Nah, he didn't want to be somewhere surrounded by so many people for so long. It makes him uncomfortable. Plus, I'm not sure how well they'd take another demon showing up, I'm still surprised they like me enough to invite me."

Bon snorted from where he sat across from them, saying, "They like you fine, idiot. Although you're probably right that the wedding isn't a great time to introduce Amaimon to them."

They made it, heading up to Bon's home, the inn being the only place that had any space available for them with the number of family members already arrived.

Someone caught sight of their group and Rin didn't have time to worry anymore, swept into the chaos of helping prepare food and other miscellaneous last-minute tasks, the energetic spirits of the people around him doing wonders for his mood until he was genuinely happy.

It felt like no time at all until he collapsed in his seat beside Konekomaru, Bon, and Yukio, dressed for the wedding and watching Mamushi be led down the aisle.

He wasn't the only one not hiding tears at the beautiful ceremony.

When it was over, Rin looked around to find Yukio, blinking to notice him already gone. He found Shiemi instead.

"Hey, uh, you see where Yukio wandered off to?"

Shiemi bit her lip, frowning as if considering whether she would speak or not. "Um, Rin. Is there anything wrong between you two? It's just, I haven't seen Yuki talk to you once this whole time and…"

"Ah." Rin flinched, dropping his chin, of course he'd been noticed, though hopefully it had just been Shiemi and not the others, too. "We had…an argument after the party. I was staying with Amaimon the whole time until I saw him again at the train station."

Sad eyes overtook Shiemi at his answer, reaching forward to draw him into a hug that Rin found himself shuddering against, not realizing how badly Yukio's avoidance was hurting him until just then.

"I don't know how to reach him anymore, Shiemi," Rin whispered, voice breaking and tears burning down his cheeks into her hair. "He won't talk to me, and he's got this scary look in his eyes that won't go away, and I can't do anything about it."

"Oh, Rin," Shiemi murmured, her own voice thick with tears, "he'll come around. He has too. Maybe I can talk to him when we get home."

Rin sniffled, pulling back to give her a watery smile. "I always thought you got him better than I did, you know. But I don't want to put everything on you to solve, either. You shouldn't have to fix our messes."

"He's my friend, too, Rin," Shiemi said, voice firm, "and so are you, and I don't want to see either of you like this. So, let me help."

The relief her words sent through him made Rin feel guilty, knowing the challenge she was going to be facing in his stead and still not wanting to stop her. Because as it was, he was at a dead end and couldn't see a way out. If Shiemi wanted to wade into the turbulent waters to drag Yukio from them, then he wouldn't dissuade her at this point. He didn't have the energy to fight anymore.

"Thank you, Shiemi." Rin brought her back into a grateful hug, tension fading a bit at the shared struggle.

It ramped up again right after.

Someone turned the TV on, having heard about a major explosion in the city at the Ikebukuro Station and there was a cyclops demon attacking live for the world to see.

Despite the surreal situation, Rin was still aware enough to see Yukio enter back into the room, Bon and Shima trailing behind him looking wary. He didn't have time to wonder about it as Yukio gathered them together, letting them know Shura had summoned them back to the academy to deal with the sudden influx of demonic activity they were seeing.

Everything happened quickly. Yukio would be using a key to get on the frontlines quicker while they had to take the next train back to the academy. Somehow Shima also had a key that he was using to go do "spy stuff" as he said, causing Rin to glare because he still could not understand why they let the blatant spy off so easily when they couldn't be sure of his allegiances at all.

Rin moved down the train aisle a bit later, his knot of tension returning.

As he walked by, Rin noticed Bon already at his laptop, leaving him to work at whatever it was he'd probably been tasked with by Lightning.

But a call of his name had Rin stopping, a little uneasy at the somber look he received.

"Hey, there's something I gotta talk to you about," Bon said, holding his eyes over the screen of his computer. "Not right now, but soon. Does tomorrow morning work for you?"

"Uh, yeah, sure, Bon," Rin mumbled back, anxiety racketing up even further as Bon just nodded and returned to his work.

Ahead of them, someone pulled up their phone and Rin could see updates on their social media about what some were calling a prank on people in Tokyo because some people could see the cyclops attacking the station and others couldn't. Then another person found a new livestream of exorcists in action and Rin watched Shura take down the cyclops with help from General Jack Frost, summoned by Lightning to boost her sword and allowing her to unleash a devastating finishing move on the demon.

He shared worried looks with the other exwires as conversation in the train cart amongst the unaware civilians focused entirely on the situation they were heading into, fidgeting in his seat with the building tension.

They made it off in a rush, heading out onto the streets outside the academy station and began to head back to Rin's dorm to await instructions.

An entourage of high-level exorcists moving past them drew Rin up short, spotting Lightning, carried by his scruff in the hand of a truly massive giant of a man.

"Lightning!"

At Bon's cry, Lightning looked over, smiling without care at the worry in his tone. "Ah, looks like they caught me sooner than I expected. I probably won't be back for a while but keep working on that report for me, okay, Bon?"

They watched with helpless faces as he was carried away, though with nothing to do they had no choice but to keep heading home.

True to his word, Bon was already in the lounge working on finishing the report as everyone sat to eat a quick dinner Rin prepared in the dorm's kitchen nearby.

Besides preliminary reports of what was happening on the news, they didn't have anything left to go on and, with dinner finished, they decided to call it a night. Though Shiemi ended up heading back to her house and Izumo back to her dorm, the others didn't want to leave, not knowing when they'd be called on and not wanting to be alone just then.

It was snowing, and Rin could only wonder if Yukio had anything warm to eat, wherever he was.

When Rin made it down to the kitchen early the next morning, Bon and Konekomaru already had the TV on the news. Rin blinked to see Mephisto as a guest speaker, having been called in as an "expert" on the situation. The irony of it had Rin cracking a smile to see him get to enjoy being the center of attention.

The day passed in stilted conversation and uneasy silence, though Rin tried to maintain a facade of humor. It was evening when he gave up, thinking about making dinner for the three of them.

Then Bon sighed and looked up at him, closing his laptop with finality.

"Rin, I think I should talk to you now."

Not liking the foreboding tone in his voice, Rin nodded and left the kitchen to follow Bon into the hallway.

"I kinda don't know if I should tell you this," Bon began, rubbing at the back of his head and avoiding Rin's eyes.

"It's about your brother."

"Rin!"

They both flinched at the yell, turning to the door to see Shiemi looking like she'd run the whole way there as she panted for air.

Rin started to go over to her when her head shot up, tears in her eyes and red-faced.

"It's Yuki!"

His heart thundered as they moved to the cafeteria out of the hallway, Shiemi accepting the mug of tea Konekomaru brought her and sitting at the table to collect herself.

'It's your brother,' and, 'It's Yuki.' Why did everything feel so far away to Rin? When had it become so difficult to breathe? Things had moved so steadily the past few weeks and now he couldn't get time to slow down, couldn't get his feet under him as he watched Shiemi clutch her tea as if it were the only thing keeping her upright.

The story came out then, Bon speaking first while they waited for Shiemi.

During the wedding-the same one Rin hadn't heard a word from Yukio at, had worried at the absence he'd noticed-Yukio had pointed his gun in Bon's face, demanding answers about what the investigation was that he and Lightning had been working on, and what they knew about the mystery of he and Rin's birth.

Panic clipped Rin's heart, shaking him from the faraway place he'd been in as he flashed back to the conversation they'd had the night of the party, knowing the story was true.

Izumo had arrived in the middle of things, staring in shocked silence while Bon relayed what had happened at the wedding. Rin noted her, but couldn't focus.

"Yuki," Shiemi spoke up, then, drawing Rin's attention as he stared in morbid fascination, feeling his world crumbling as he wondered what news she would deliver.

"He told me he's all alone, without friends or family," she said as her voice broke, new tears building in her eyes as she clenched them closed at the memory. "I got so angry. I tried to tell him it wasn't true, but I think I messed up and he ran out."

He'd had it.

Rin bolted, feeling his body steam in the winter air as he made it outside into the snow, flames hissing just beneath the surface of his skin and fangs elongating in his mouth.

Yukio.

No more letting Yukio hide. He was going to drag whatever was up with him out if it was the last thing he did. He-

He didn't know what he was going to do.

His steps carried him from the worn-down dorm he'd shared with Yukio for months after the upheaval of his life. Rin ran, though he didn't know where he was going, exactly, then heading towards Shiemi's house through the city where Yukio's last known location was to track him from there.

"Hey! There's been gunfire-a shooting-at that government press conference just now!"

A shout pulled Rin's attention to the open-air restaurant he ran by, seeing the crowd of regulars staring at whatever was on the TV screen.

"Who was shot?"

"Wasn't it that guy from the Knights who kinda looks like a clown? It looked like the bullet hit him right in the forehead!"

In the time it took to process those words, Rin was on top of the bar and in front of the screen. A broken sound left his throat as he saw a view of a stage, unable to find Mephisto anywhere on it but the black form of an exorcist crouched to the side and behind the podium gave him a good idea of where he was-

-and a group of exorcists restraining his brother on the floor with the words "suspected shooter apprehended" flashing across his vision in a pulse of red.

"Where is this?" he snarled at the people who'd been irritated at him for blocking their view.

"The, er, Japanese Prime Minister's residence, kid."

Their answer reached his ears and Rin was already gone, surprised shouts following him as he raced to find a way to the train station, feeling like he was hyperventilating as concern for Mephisto and anger towards Yukio bit into his mind, feeling his vision tunneling.

The atmosphere changed and he stumbled, his heart pounding as a wave of miasma filled the air.

His eyes went sightless as he tried to comprehend what he was feeling, something pressed at his chest and he couldn't breathe, fully in the throes of a panic attack.

Around Rin, the sounds of fear began, and he looked up, eyes widening as the people near him stared like he'd grown wings and horns, fear in their gazes.

"Is that a monster?" someone whispered.

Others began taking up the epitaph, a rising wave until Rin felt ambushed, turning in place and finding nowhere to go.

They could see his demonic features, pointed ears and fangs suddenly visible to them, and while they might not have noticed them regularly, he'd let his fangs down and his eyes slit, and his ears must have elongated in his anger.

Had he flared up? His body steamed in the snow, but Rin couldn't stop the heat filling every vein a burning blue until they glowed beneath his skin.

All that was missing was his tail, and Rin knew what had happened, what the cause of the miasma was.

The Gehenna gate had been released from Mephisto's hold.

Rin bolted, needing more than ever to see Mephisto and assure himself that he was okay and not dead. He could take a few bullets. He knew he could, but logic wasn't ruling him at the moment.

He'd made it to a crowd of people, police keeping them away from the news van reporting on the situation and Rin was about to just hop over the whole knot before he saw the military convoy being let through and caught sight of Shura in one of the trucks.

In seconds, Rin appeared at the window to Shura's shocked face, though she rolled it down and had the driver stop so they could talk.

"Where's Mephisto!"

His question stopped her short, or maybe that was the faint growl on his tongue.

"You, you mean Yukio?" Shura corrected, looking at him with a strange expression that Rin couldn't place.

"Him too," Rin did growl then, feeling his fangs drop into wedges. He sensed that Yukio was somewhere nearby, probably even in the back of the truck Shura was in.

His flames licked harder under his skin.

"Rin," Shura drew his attention back to her resigned face, though something in the flutter of her pulse took his attention, "I don't think Yukio will be coming back."

That stopped Rin cold and snapped his eyes from the bead of sweat he'd been tracking as Shura told him exwires and lower-class exorcists were being ordered to stay on standby in their quarters.

"And, Rin," Shura dropped her gaze, voice coming out in a disbelieving whisper, "Yukio may have inherited Satan's flames. He's being taken to get tested. Just-it's not his fault, ok?"

The last brick crumbled, and Rin thought he'd been the one shot that night.

"Go home, Rin," Shura ended, already turning to sit back in her seat.

"Wait!" Rin shouted, voice almost a roar as his flames came out in a quick burst of blue light throwing Shura's face in startled relief as he grabbed at the door on the window, hand crunching through the metal there at his loss of control.

"Where's Mephisto?" He had to know.

"Rin!" Shura gasped, pulling back from the door and eyeing the damage he'd done, the fear she'd covered back in her body language making it so hard to think straight.

"He was brought back to Faust Mansion, he's there. But why do you want to know so bad? You're scaring me, kid."

Too late, Rin had gone, darting back through the crowd to Shura's yells for him to stop. He couldn't stop. If he stopped, he wasn't sure what would happen, what the ache in his head and his chest would make him do.

The mad dash for the mansion passed him by, flying through a blur of streets to yelps from people he brushed through until he took to the roofs.

He'd given up on pretending to be human for the night.

Rin hopped the gate to the mansion, pushing open the door and making for Mephisto's room without hesitation, unerringly knowing where he was.

His path took him past Belial in the hall, ignoring the way he eyed him with a wariness in his stance, backing away like he was dangerous.

Didn't matter. Rin had the last door open and shut in the next heartbeat, focus zeroing in on the still form on the bed in the darkness of the room.

Without his notice, he stood over the bed, unable to remember moving, but now that he was there, he found he couldn't move at all.

Mephisto was unconscious, not dead, that much at least registered, but he didn't know what to do with that revelation, stuck in indecision, claws flexing with every twitch of his hands.

He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry.

He wanted to kill Yukio. He didn't.

So, he stayed there, trembling and panting short breaths that left him feeling like he wasn't getting enough oxygen until his lungs ached.

"Rin."

A breath and Amaimon was there, though he didn't approach, staying at the door to the room and watching Rin with the same wary eyes everyone else seemed to have around him that night.

"He's gonna be okay, right?" Rin said, voice scratching out of his throat and heart too tight behind his ribcage so that every rasp threatened flame.

At his question, Amaimon gave a slow nod, still not moving from where he was.

Rin let out a wounded sound, not understanding why he hadn't moved, why he wasn't by his side.

"Amaimon, why are you over there?"

It was just like before, at the shrine.

"Why are you avoiding me again?" Rin felt himself ask, head dropping forward and bangs falling to shield his eyes as anger at Yukio and the whole situation twisted its thorns through his skin.

When Amaimon just froze by the door, Rin's lips pulled back over his fangs, startled to find that they had filled his mouth without him knowing.

"Come here, Amaimon."

Was that his voice? Rin had never heard it sound like that, a sibilant hiss that was more like a snake before it struck than anything human.

Whatever it was, it got Amaimon to finally come over to him, so he didn't think about it too hard.

He reached to pull Amaimon into his hold when he arrived at his side only to find him sinking to his knees by the bed, neck arched back as if it was an offering to Rin.

Rin set on the exposed throat before he knew what was happening, fangs closing around it as he pressed Amaimon to his body in an aching embrace. He didn't bite, just breathed as he shook against Amaimon, letting his wild emotions rip through him while he came undone.

Shot him, Yukio shot him, it wasn't his fault, he shot-

It was Amaimon bringing his clawed hands up to cradle his head that finally broke the spell and Rin gasped, sitting back to stare at him in total confusion at what had just transpired.

"Your eyes," Amaimon explained once he'd ascertained that Rin was himself again, "they warp when you're no longer in control. It's dangerous to approach you when you're like that."

"I," Rin gulped around his dry throat, "I didn't know that."

Emotional exhaustion stripped the energy from his limbs until he slumped down, staring at his hands on his knees as he felt shame burn through him in waves. That he'd made Amaimon scared of him, or at least cautious, like he might hurt him, dug into his mind.

"I'm sorry," Rin mumbled out, voice faint, as he closed his eyes, the shame growing further until he curled over his lap.

He froze as Amaimon shifted forward to press a kiss to his hair, lingering there.

"That human twin of yours didn't shoot him," Amaimon began after a while, wrapping his arms over Rin's shoulders.

"What?" Rin breathed, pulling away to look into Amaimon's eyes as hope tried to push its way into his heart.

"Mephisto told me to let you know. It wasn't him."

The gasp of relief that left Rin's lungs had him swaying in Amaimon's hold, dropping his head to his shoulder and clenching his fists at his coat.

"I have to get him out of there," Rin spoke, voice low, the realization hitting him as he remembered what else Shura had let him know about Yukio. About being tested for Satan's flames, like she already knew he had them and was just waiting for confirmation.

Amaimon sighed. "Mephisto said you would say that, too."

"Mephisto should have dodged," Rin growled, glaring at the still figure on the bed.

His statement just made Amaimon look at him with an unreadable expression, and Rin had the sinking suspicion that Mephisto, once again, had known something like that was going to happen.

Or, maybe Rin was just a blind idiot like everyone said, and it had been obvious from the start.

Movement came from the bed then, and Rin was up and leaning over it to watch Mephisto crack open his eyes as he woke.

"Who did it?" Rin found himself snarling again, swallowing the noise and shaking his head to force himself calm.

A wry smile flitted across Mephisto's lips, Rin's anger not phasing him, and the blankets shifted as he brought his hand out to rest on Rin's cheek despite the shaking in the limbs from the exertion.

"I have my suspicions," Mephisto said instead of answering, brushing his claw just under Rin's eye when his non-answer caused it to twitch in aggravation. "You shouldn't concern yourself with that. The truth will come out eventually, but you have more important things to worry about than me."

"No, I don't," Rin grumbled, averting his gaze to press his cheek further into Mephisto's palm, not wanting to see the knowing look in green eyes.

"I believe your brother needs you more than I do, or have you given up on him, finally?"

Rin glared at the dig. Mephisto knew he'd never be able to give up on Yukio and it was a cheap shot to remind him of that.

"No," Rin sighed, releasing his anger and bringing his hand up to Mephisto's. "I need to get back to the others and see if they'll help me rescue him. I'm glad you're okay."

"Go, then, Rin," Mephisto said. "I need to speak with Amaimon. I'll be sending him along to help you."

Closing his eyes, Rin breathed in Mephisto's scent, letting it calm him further as he prepared for what was ahead.

He opened his eyes again, lips quirked in a tired smile as he leaned down to place a kiss on Mephisto's head like a benediction right over the bandage where the bullet had hit.

Another moment and Rin got up, Mephisto's hand trailing away from his face and dropping to the bed.

Amaimon stood aside as he passed, face blank as if unsure what he should do. Rin let a wider smile form. The fact that the ruthless earth king didn't know how to handle emotions at all was still absolutely hilarious.

His smile threw Amaimon off and Rin went up to him to press a kiss to his cheek. "I'll see you later, then, right?"

As if lost, Amaimon looked to Mephisto, although at the weak smirk he got, he turned back to Rin and nodded, letting out a short noise of affirmation.

With nothing else to do, Rin left the two to make their plans, heading home to make his own.

"Amaimon."

Amaimon forced himself to look away from where Rin had exited, heart thudding in his chest because he could not understand why he hadn't tried to rip them apart for their clear deceptions yet and it was making him panic.

Especially knowing what was to come.

He knew how he would react if he'd discovered such machinations against himself.

But Mephisto already moved onto the next stage of his plan, outlining how he anticipated events to play out and making a script for Amaimon to read that was way too over-dramatic where Amaimon would prefer to just kill the annoying humans in his way and be done with things.

"You know very well how Rin would take you slaughtering helpless humans in his sight," Mephisto chided, causing Amaimon to grumble, because, yes, he did know.

Mephisto snapped, bringing a stack of the camo ponchos out to give to Amaimon for the humans, which Amaimon vanished away to pull out later.

The task set before him, Amaimon headed for the door, almost at it when a sound from Mephisto brought him up short, turning back to look at where he lay in the bed.

"Amaimon," Mephisto's eyes watched him, expression grave, and Amaimon had to resist clenching his fists together at the unease the tone made him feel.

"Be careful."

With that foreboding farewell, Amaimon left to catch up to Rin.

"Foolish humans. Can you feel it? The air is brimming with the madness of Gehenna."

Terrified gasps echoed his words from the pitiful humans below him.

Amaimon read from the script Mephisto had made with the barest inflection, not understanding the need for theatrics at all.

"While Samael is weakened, the king of earth shall bring chaos to Assiah."

"Waa hah hah haha!"

"Ha."

A sigh drifted unheard from his lips as Amaimon watched the humans scatter like ants, fleeing from his presence and leaving the area free for the exwires to sneak in.

He couldn't see them, but he smelled them well enough, and they eventually gathered around him, dropping their hoods so they were visible.

"Rin and Yukio escaped!"

Izumo had spoken, relief evident in her voice.

"We've gotta get out of here, too, before they realize what happened and catch us," Bon ordered.

"I'm going after them." Amaimon already turned away, ignoring their shouts and leaping to the railing far above. He hoisted himself up to the connecting walkway leading outside to the long terrace where he knew they were headed and ignored the smell of the spy coming from a hidden alcove to dart down the corridor.

The last door to the outside opened and he made it to see Rin facing off with his twin, a snarl rising to his lips at the expression on the worthless human's face.

Pleading from Rin reached Amaimon's ear, the desperation clear even at his distance until a blinding light appeared and Amaimon sensed Lucifer's work bringing the military copter to their location.

Like a pest from the woodwork, there was the spy, beckoning to the twin with his offer to join the Illuminati, and the rest of Rin's humans made it to the roof to witness it. Their cries of dismay at the betrayal they should have seen coming only made Amaimon scowl at the naivete.

When the twin pulled his guns on Rin, Amaimon almost snapped and destroyed him, damn Mephisto's plans anyway.

His claws dug into the concrete of the building beneath them, gouging crumbling rents into it when Rin went down, three shots to his head, his throat, and his heart.

That that creature would even dare-

Amaimon forced his fangs back, taking a calming breath through his nose, and drew his claws out of the concrete with a final frustrated growl.

Movement below showed him Shiemi running to Rin and Amaimon wouldn't let the girl get in the way. He didn't trust the damn twin not to shoot her, too, and Rin might never forgive him if he let his good friend get hurt when he could have stopped it.

He jumped down, reaching out to grab her shoulder and making her cry out in surprise.

"Hey, what gives?" Bon shouted at him.

Amaimon kept a steady grip on Shiemi as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"But why?"

"You can't stop them now," Amaimon tried to put as gently as he knew how. "Nothing can stop this now."

It wasn't something he could interfere with, this was what he'd wanted, after all. Rin, freed from the last of his human chains. A discordant twinge in his chest whose source he couldn't place had Amaimon turning to search for Rin

It was just in time to see Rin rise again, blue flames surrounding him as the attack triggered his instincts and he released his heart from its scabbard to bring down on his twin.

That damn spy turned his own black flame attack on Rin, only to miss pitifully, prompting Rin, in his enraged state, to tackle the fool and deliver a punishing blow that knocked him back into the wall behind him like the fly he was.

That left him free to turn back to his real target.

Rin broke his heart against the twin flames in his brother's eyes, the pieces shattering to the ground around him.

Excitement and dread speared through Amaimon's chest as a new presence entered the field.

Satan, their Father was here.

Trembling from Shiemi in his hold had Amaimon pulling her behind him in an instinctive move, unable to take his attention away from where Father's voice came from, drawn to the power unlike any he'd ever felt before.

Except for Rin's.

Father spoke to the brothers, and Amaimon caught the words but they passed through his mind in a hazy buzz of energy that had him swaying, hypnotized, as a wide grin pulled itself across his face.

Such unbelievable power.

"Please, you have to stop them!"

At the cry, Amaimon shook his head free of the effect, turning to see Shiemi had brought her hands to his arm as she pleaded with him, though it took him a moment to piece together what she'd said. Words seemed so pointless in the face of what was coming.

A chorus of angry agreements came from the other humans but Amaimon didn't pay them any attention, looking into Shiemi's eyes as the smile fell from his face.

"I. Can't."

"Bullshit, you can't!"

Amaimon snapped a glare at Bon for his accusation.

He didn't have time to put the human in his place, not when he could feel the storm about to crest, so he forced his gaze back to where Rin lay, glad when the humans followed suit so he wouldn't have to try reasoning with them anymore.

That spy was prodded awake and the human twin turned to leave with him, Rin fallen to the ground before them and watching, helpless as he was given one last word from his traitor of a brother to be left without a backward glance as they disappeared into the copter.

Lucifer's power echoed again and vanished, only the noise of the wind whipping around where its blades had been was left to fill the deafening silence.

"Rin!"

The humans darted around Amaimon, and at Shiemi's insistent tugs, he released her, too.

"Stay back!"

His eyes widened at the cry from Rin and he vanished to appear in front of the stupid humans, arms thrown wide to halt their advance before it was too late.

"Get out of our way!" Bon had the nerve to shout at him, fury in his eyes. "How could you just sit there while Yukio did that to Rin? What kind of shitty boyfriend are you?"

A groan came from Rin and he collapsed to the ground behind Amaimon before his body snapped upwards again, back arched, pulled taut like he was being electrocuted as his flames consumed him.

Amaimon stopped looking, narrowing his eyes at the stubborn humans just sitting there, watching the dangerous flames.

"His demonic heart was sealed in that sword," Amaimon hissed, jerking his head to where the broken pieces littered the ground. "When it broke the rest of his flames returned from Gehenna to his body."

He watched his words register with them, horror eating at their expressions as Rin's body began to blacken and smolder at the intense flames consuming it. Amaimon could smell charred flesh, could smell the Gehenna flame eating away bits of Rin, the self-immolation that would devour him to his core. The scent would have been intoxicating if he didn't know what it meant.

"What's going to happen to him?" Konekomaru whimpered.

"If his body can't take the perfect flame," Amaimon said as he finally turned to see Rin looked more like a burning corpse than anything alive and his face shuttered at his next words, "he'll die."

"What?" Bon breathed out, rearing back at that, before spitting out, enraged, "This is your fault! You let this happen to him, you bastard!"

Amaimon's pupils contracted, a snarl erupting on his face.

How dare-

No.

He leaped away, retreating to a tower nearby.

Any further interaction with the human would only make him react and if that happened he'd more than likely kill him-and Rin, if he survived, really would never forgive him, then.

From his new vantage point, Amaimon watched the flames dwindle until they disappeared, Rin's body a charred husk falling to the ground and felt like maybe his own heart might join it there.

It didn't make sense. He rubbed at his chest, not understanding the unusual feeling twisting in it that he'd never experienced before and not liking the sensation in the slightest.

Without him there to act as a deterrent, Shiemi approached the fallen form, kneeling down and getting the soot laying around it on her coat. What could she do? Mourn a hollow corpse, as so many humans did?

Useless, their tears were always useless, in the end. Amaimon scowled at the sight, at the formless destruction burning in his veins that was as useless as Shiemi's tears.

And then…

Rin's heart, surrounded by his blue flames and the most beautiful thing Amaimon had ever witnessed in all the countless years of his existence, appeared to hover over Rin's body.

He was alive.

A moment existed to enjoy the revelation, Amaimon staring as the chunks of charcoal fell away to let new skin show through, burnt by the fire until Rin was left whole and untouched.

Alive.

Previously black tufts of Rin's hair had gone an ethereal white, his eyes, when he opened them, were the dangerous warped form Amaimon had only seen when Rin was fully demonic.

Their appearance had Amaimon's hackles rising, wary as he realized something wasn't right.

The foolish humans crept closer and fear entered Amaimon's heart.

He couldn't react in time.

An explosion erupted from Rin, blue flames rising in a wide pillar around him to disappear into the clouds above until Amaimon lost sight of them, black spots in his eyes at the brilliance he couldn't turn from if he'd tried.

In the back of his mind he thought the humans were surely dead, Amaimon turned his eyes down from the spire to search for the remains of Rin's friends, dreading what he'd find and how he was going to explain himself to Rin when he came back from this.

Shock struck him, sending his claws into the building like it would offer any stability or explanation for what he saw.

A wall of trees fully grown into a forest had appeared between Rin and his humans.

And Shiemi had created it.

She was…

If that was true…

There was nothing he could do about it then.

Blue coalesced as Rin advanced on his friends.

Amaimon wouldn't let him.

He leaped down, dropping into the path of the inferno, just hearing the surprised cries of the humans behind the wall of trees as they saw him come between the two.

Even if he'd wanted to, he couldn't pay them any attention.

Those blue eyes had him in sight and Amaimon was caught in Rin's gaze.

"Amaimon! I'm so happy to see you!"

His statement, delivered the way it had been, made Amaimon shiver in terror, motionless where he stood like prey before a predator as Rin smiled at him with a smile that wasn't his.

The face that usually stared at him with such adoration was a façade now, and Amaimon could only watch as it twisted, the sinister being beneath it rising to the surface.

"Play with me, Amaimon."

That wasn't a request.

Amaimon took off, heart pounding an erratic rhythm against his ribs as he heard Rin follow after.

It was a cruel mimicry of the day they'd stormed Lucifer's labs when he'd been so sure Rin would punish him for his betrayal.

Compared to now, it was nothing, not with Rin calling out behind him to stop, come back.

Play with him.

He'd felt shades of fear then, at the lab, soothed over when Rin had finally caught him, and he realized he hadn't wanted to punish him at all.

Except this time Amaimon was sure he didn't want Rin to catch him. He didn't think he would survive the encounter.

The cat and mouse game pushed Amaimon to his limits, breath coming in harsh gasps out of his exhausted lungs, body screaming at the force he put into it. He was getting tired.

He could feel Rin getting closer.

His demonic features had come out, control failing him as fear bit at his heels, urging him ever faster to escape the creature in his shadow.

Amaimon made it to an abandoned construction site, leaping and dodging through the holes in the building, not knowing how close Rin was anymore as he came out into the empty courtyard in the middle and looked around for an escape. He had to keep Rin's attention on him, couldn't let him go back to the humans, couldn't get caught, couldn't-

Fire drove him down to the ground and he screamed.

"Caught you, Amaimon!"

There wasn't enough air to respond, his mouth opened in a choked cry.

A hand slipped around his neck, Rin pressing in with unhurried pressure until Amaimon gagged, his throat creaking as it threatened to crush under the force.

"Let's play now, Amaimon."

Despite the black spots eating at his vision, he could see the sadistic delight in Rin's warped pupils.

Rin released his throat and Amaimon retched out heaving breaths, body trying to heal the damage done to it.

He froze as Rin dropped his head to his neck, shuddering in an absolute panic under the power holding him down.

"Mmm, you smell like fear, Amaimon," Rin said as he looked up at him, long tongue coming out to lick at his lips. "You smell like mine."

Gently, Rin laid his palm flat over Amaimon's heart, smiling that false smile again.

Amaimon screamed, smelling cooking meat and not understanding why until he realized it was his body that burned under Rin's gentle touch.

His voice gave out before Rin decided to stop.

Everything faded and Amaimon thought he'd blacked out for a bit before he was shaken awake, blinking glassy eyes wet with tears that sizzled and evaporated in the intense heat Rin gave off when they tried to track down his cheeks.

He found his head tugged up by his hair as Rin made him look down his chest to see what had been done to him.

"I hope that doesn't heal, Amaimon," Rin said against his ear, "I want everyone to know you're mine."

A blackened patch of oozing flesh in the shape of Rin's hand laid over his chest. He could see the white of his bone poking out where the flames had melted straight through the muscle.

"You don't look like you're having fun, Amaimon."

Amaimon flinched violently, trying to jerk back in Rin's hold and finding he couldn't, hair held tight enough that strands ripped themselves out of his head at his frenzied movements.

"What's the matter, Amaimon?" Rin cocked his head when he heard his frantic cries. "I thought you liked pain?"

Before he could react, Rin flipped Amaimon onto his stomach, gravel biting into his open wound and bringing another torn scream to his lips as he writhed on the ground.

Blue flames flared and his clothes burned off his body, the fire eating into his skin until it was seared with third-degree burns and Amaimon froze at the sheer agony roasting his nerve endings away, uncontrollably shaking and eyes unseeing, unable to even scream, as he waited for Rin's next move.

"Hey, If I pull off your tail, will it grow back like a lizard's?"

Amaimon let out a moan of pure terror, renewing his struggles to escape.

Nothing. Just blue flame keeping his aspect pinned and a hand grabbing his hip before the searing fire returned where his skin had been trying to heal. Amaimon shrieked, eyes rolling in his head as he was reduced to an animal pain.

He collapsed.

Everything went black.

"Oh, Rin."

The sounds of Amaimon's screams had tapered off.

"What have you done?"

Mephisto stared down, feeling something almost like regret. He'd never once in his long life and all his years of lying, manipulating, and killing without remorse, experienced such a human thing and he didn't know what to do about it now.

He surveyed the scene in a slow sweep of his eyes. Amaimon had fallen comatose under Rin, the poor creature unable to handle the torture his body had just been through.

His words attracted the newly awakened demon's attention away from his unmoving prey.

The smile that was turned up at him was cruel and so unlike Rin's usual bright expressions that Mephisto wanted to claw it off his face, turn it into a bloody ruin until he'd removed all traces of the mask.

It wasn't a mask, just another side of a coin.

"Mephisto," that false voice crooned, turning away from where he'd been pressing at the burned mark he'd left on Amaimon's hip to crouch before Mephisto, tail lashing behind him in a sinuous wave of blue flames.

"Amaimon won't play with me, Mephisto," the demon pouted, though his lips twitched, a smile threatening to return. "Make him play with me."

Mephisto just shook his head, voice soft, "No, Rin. Amaimon will not be playing with you tonight."

That brought a twisted scowl to the demon's face at having been denied.

It disappeared just as fast, as capricious as the wind.

"Will you play with me, Mephisto?"

As he spoke, the demon crouched lower to the ground, getting ready to pounce as the flames of his pupils moved in slow patterns, hypnotic in their effect as if trying to lure Mephisto into a false sense of security.

"No, Rin," Mephisto said again.

The demon toppled playfully to his side on the ground, rolling to expose his belly to Mephisto.

Were he a lesser demon the display would have drawn him in immediately.

Which is what the little beast wanted.

When he didn't move in for the bait, the demon upped the ante.

"Mephisto," the voice crooned again, "I want you. You're mine, aren't you?"

His hips raised, back arching off the ground and neck stretching to reveal the pale column of his throat as his arms extended towards Mephisto to beckon him down into the deadly embrace.

"Let me have you, Mephisto," the demon moaned, stomach stretching in a play of muscles that begged to be touched. "I want to reach into your ribcage and eat your heart. Let me?"

Mephisto almost shuddered at the possessiveness, realizing with a sudden clarity what a true horror Rin was as a demon, stripped of his humanity. This couldn't be allowed to go on. He had to bring him back.

"Rin."

The focus in those eyes when he said the demon's name, the stillness that overcame his body as he prepared to attack, Mephisto ignored both.

"Look at what you have done to Amaimon, Rin. Amaimon, who is yours. You once told us that you didn't like hurting others, that you didn't know how. Look and see how you've left him."

Calling on that humanity he knew existed in Rin would be the only way short of knocking him unconscious, and he wasn't sure of the efficacy of either, not when the only reactions his words received were eyes drawn back to where Amaimon lay, uncaring apathy in them as he surveyed the broken body.

It seemed as if he'd be resorting to the second option, his words having failed him when the demon just quirked a vicious smile down at the evidence of his work.

A slow roll of shoulders, the demon luxuriating in his destruction, and he brought his eyes back up to Mephisto, opening his mouth to respond.

His breath choked off, eyes widening as an internal battle raged behind them in the flickering flames.

Lips parted, mouth gaping open, half snarl, half gasp, until something changed behind Rin's eyes and he blinked them in rapid flutters.

There he was.

"Mephisto?"

Rin looked at him without comprehension, total trust in those bright blue eyes that Mephisto wanted to flee to avoid.

Then Rin turned back to look at Amaimon and a long keen left his throat, the sound echoing through the hollow tomb of the construction site as Rin realized what he'd done.

"Amaimon!"

At the devastated wail, Mephisto's lips curled down. The sound coming from Rin grated against his ears, finding he didn't like it at all.

He didn't get a chance to do anything about it as it cut off, Rin collapsing in an exhausted heap to the ground and his flames guttering out until it was just his beautiful heart floating above his chest left to light the area.

Mephisto sighed a long breath that trailed into the cold air, closing his eyes.

No time to linger. He turned to Belial, having arrived behind him to stand back, awaiting his orders.

"Bring them," Mephisto said as he waved his hand. "We'll return to the mansion."

"Yes sir."

Mephisto didn't look back again, snapping his fingers and depositing the group into his room.

Following, Belial carried Amaimon to the bed first, laying him over the canvas tarp he'd put out to prevent the blood and fluids from his still-healing burns from staining Mephisto's nice duvet.

Next came Rin, set under the covers, body whole and unscarred from his awakening.

"Leave us."

And Mephisto was alone.

He gave one last long look at the bodies in his bed before turning to head out to the balcony.

Rin woke slowly, the comforting scents of Mephisto's room surrounding him. He snuggled further back into the warm covers, content to stay there, cocooned in a sense of safety and protection, for as long as he could.

He could smell Amaimon there, too.

But…

Something was wrong.

His nose twitched.

It wasn't just Amaimon he was smelling, but Amaimon's blood.

Lots of it.

The scent wouldn't dissipate, so Rin forced himself to wake up, blinking unfocused eyes as he tried to search out why he was smelling so much blood.

Another twitch of his nose and he turned his head on the pillow to where he could feel Amaimon's presence in his mind.

Everything came back to him in a rush.

A sleeping face stared back at him, Amaimon's skin cleared of the burns that had been inflicted on it, demonic healing having done away with the damage in the time they'd been out for.

There was still a faint hint of the palm-shaped burn on Amaimon's chest where Rin had placed it with such gentleness while he'd screamed.

Where Amaimon rested was the source of the alarming scent that had woken Rin up, a stained canvas soaked in drying blood and sticking in patches to his pale skin in stark contrast.

Panicked breaths began stuttering from Rin's throat at the sight, little hiccups bubbling out until he was crying, shaking against the bed.

He couldn't move.

He wanted to run. He wanted to reach out to Amaimon and take him in his arms and never let him go.

He couldn't, afraid of what he'd done and afraid of what might happen if he touched him again.

Amaimon's brows furrowed and Rin realized his cries had woken him up.

Further shifting made Rin try to stifle the sounds, not wanting to see the fear he remembered causing. The fear he'd delighted in, the possessive need to create it in Amaimon the only thing he'd been able to focus on.

Rin had loved the power he'd held over Amaimon.

Once he'd started, though, he couldn't stop his sobs at that point, the effort only making him cry louder. Messy tears soaked the pillow beneath his face and ran down his heated skin in wet trails until his head throbbed and his throat was sore.

In his state, he'd curled into a fetal position, hiding his eyes against his knees to avoid witnessing Amaimon once he'd fully woken.

A clawed hand pressed into his hair, carding through it in soft movements as Rin froze, cries breaking off at the unexpected touch.

"Why are you crying?"

The question broke Rin's heart and another sob tried to tear its way out of his throat.

"Rin."

"I hurt you!" Rin gasped out, curling further into a tight ball and trembling there, wishing he could disappear.

"You did."

Amaimon's confirmation had Rin heaving, ribs aching at the pain, as he felt sick with himself.

At his continued tears, Amaimon moved to gather him into his arms, enveloping Rin in an embrace and a purr rising out in a calming measure.

"Why did I do that? I hurt you and I liked it. Why did I hurt you?" Rin breathed, unable to understand what had happened to make him attack Amaimon like that.

"We did that to you, Rin. It wasn't your fault."

Rin jolted in Amaimon's arms, flinching away as if he'd discovered he'd hurt him all over again and falling back, moving to the edge of the bed to stare at Amaimon in horror.

"What?"

Blank eyes watched from where he'd left Amaimon, chest healed of the remainders of the burn mark.

Despite the undamaged skin, Rin thought he could still see the imprint there, a permanent stain in his mind.

"We knew your brother was going to abandon you."

The reminder sent another flinch through Rin, a hurt whimper leaving his throat because he'd lost his twin and he still didn't know why.

"We knew about the flames of Father in his eyes, and that if you struck with your heart, as you did, the force would shatter the sword containing it and you'd awaken fully."

Finally, the last nail in the coffin came down.

"We knew it might kill you."

Hot tears ran down his face at the revelation, wounded sounds leaving his lips as he looked up at Amaimon with wide eyes.

"Why?"

His broken question was the only thing he could think of to respond with and Rin searched Amaimon's empty expression for any hint of a reason.

"Because it's part of Samael's plan, and we're all just pieces moving on his board."

Sharp, sudden pain had Rin clenching his teeth against the harsh sob that wanted to escape, a choked sound coming out instead, and he found himself curling up again.

In an instant, his hand went to his chest, claws gouging into the skin there to try to rip out his heart, the physical ache better than the emotional one slicing through him in his state.

He'd worked his claws up to the first knuckle, eyes glazed at the pain of it and feeling spit running down his chin, making no effort to swallow as he panted in agony.

"Stop it! What are you doing?"

Dazed and staring through wet eyes, Rin barely registered as his claws were yanked from his chest, blood following them in spurts and he realized he may have hit something vital in a human body.

Amaimon gathered him back into his arms, leaning down to clear the blood with his tongue before it could reach the sheets, staining his skin when he gave up and clutched him to his chest until his healing could kick in.

"Why do you always hurt yourself?" Amaimon growled out. "I told you it wasn't your fault. You should be hurting us for betraying and deceiving you. Not yourself!"

An answer refused to come as Rin just moaned into his collar, the words only making him feel worse.

"I can't," Rin gasped out, gripping at Amaimon's arms and shaking. "I can't hurt you again, please don't make me."

Amaimon reared back, though he didn't let Rin go, lips trembling and pupils slivering as if Rin was scaring him, was hurting him. Rin whimpered at the thought.

"You stupid, impossible demon," Amaimon hissed. "We deserve it! We deserve your rage and anger and your retribution for what we've done! Not your tears!"

Blood rushed in Rin's ears, hyperventilating against him, and Amaimon let out a wretched groan at the sight, pulling him into a tighter hold as if to keep him from quaking apart.

The scent of fear was coming off Amaimon again and Rin shivered to realize it was because of him. He'd caused that fear. Wide gold eyes, unseeing from the ruined face and a mouth parted on a scream interposed itself over the one Amaimon wore now, and Rin remembered what he'd tried to do, what he'd wanted to do.

He'd had enough of Amaimon's pain.

Something shifted in Rin.

Then he stopped shaking, breath coming out in a long exhale that had Amaimon freezing against him to feel. Rin didn't want that.

Everything settled in Rin's mind, the earlier turmoil falling silent. He looked up at Amaimon, seeing the apprehension in his eyes, and frowned.

When he spoke, he made sure his voice was firm, locking his gaze on Amaimon's and not letting him escape it.

"I won't."

"What?"

Rin put his hand over Amaimon's heart where he'd burned it, feeling the flinch run through his body and hating that he'd been the cause of it.

"I won't hurt you."

It was Amaimon's turn to suffer panicked breaths, staring at him like he was incomprehensible.

His arms came to wind around the shaking form, Rin tucking his head into Amaimon's neck until he felt them abate.

Hesitating, Amaimon returned the embrace, his movements slow as if he didn't know whether it was a trick or not.

Rin gave him the time he needed.

"I told you already," Rin began when he thought Amaimon had calmed enough, "if you're angry at me, we'll talk it out. If I'm angry at you, we'll talk it out. Just don't run from me and I won't run from you."

A desperate sound escaped from Amaimon into his shoulder and Rin just let his mouth curve into a sad smile, rubbing his back until he got through it.

"Are we good?" Rin ran his fingers in soothing circles on the vertebrae at Amaimon's neck, tracing his way over each knob of his spine to ease the tension stringing through the nerve endings.

At his question, a nod came from Amaimon and he mouthed a firm kiss into his jaw instead of words, telling Rin all he needed to know.

Rin pulled back, smiling at Amaimon's helpless expression and leaning forward to press his own kiss to his mouth before pulling away.

"I'm going to go talk to Mephisto now, okay?"

Words failed Amaimon and he could only nod again as he watched Rin get up and leave the bed to head out to the veranda where he sensed him hiding.

After grabbing a striped robe that had been laid out on the chair next to the bed, Rin stepped out through the open glass doors, finding Mephisto leaning against the stone railing overlooking the city.

In the dark of the night sky, it was easy to see the small fires that had erupted throughout the area, sirens wailing in the distance as the chaos of the Gehenna Gate opening and people's exposure to demonic presences increased with every moment.

Mephisto was bundled in his own robe. The thick black material would be making his bruised eyes seem darker in the night, Rin knew, if he'd just turn to face him. He had his usual pink polka-dotted scarf wrapped around his neck, long, incredibly gaudy pants, and Rin realized he must be cold.

It was strange. Where before his body had still reacted to the cold in some ways, now Rin didn't feel it at all, even with the bitter winter winds teasing his hair and blowing through the thin fabric of his robe.

"Mephisto."

He watched his careful non-reaction to his name.

"The broken pieces of the Koma sword are in an appropriate place and your friends are all safe."

Rin smiled at the avoidance of the real issue. It wasn't just Amaimon who was allergic to his feelings, it seemed. Or maybe Mephisto just didn't want to face the consequences of his actions.

"I knew you'd take care of that," Rin offered him anyway, allowing the deflection.

Finally, Mephisto turned, propping his head on his hand with his elbow resting on the railing to look at Rin, though he didn't betray any of his thoughts on his face. His eyes were as bruised as Rin had suspected they'd be. Mephisto looked exhausted.

His eyes slid to the bandage still on Mephisto's forehead.

"Are you okay now that you released the gate?"

That prompted a slight widening of his eyes and Mephisto reached up with the tips of his claws to peel the bandage off, revealing pale, un-injured skin there.

"Good."

Mephisto quirked a frown at him, letting the bandage float away in the wind. "I'm still healing. This body is not quite recovered yet."

Content with that knowledge, Rin nodded. As long as he wasn't degrading like he had been anymore.

"You…have spoken with Amaimon, yes?" Green eyes narrowed, flickering to look into the room behind Rin where he'd left Amaimon in the bed.

"You mean you didn't hear all that?" Rin smiled, teasing until Mephisto's peeved expression made him let out a soft laugh, shaking his head.

"We talked, yeah," Rin said, voice wry.

"I see."

The caginess in Mephisto made Rin's lip tug up.

"You let me hurt him, Mephisto," Rin cut to the chase, moving on from letting him stew.

He leaned back against the railing as if to prop himself up for the beating he was about to take. Rin wanted to smirk at him but, also, he figured Mephisto deserved what was coming so he'd let him suffer a bit longer.

"I wanted to hurt you, too, you know," Rin added, eyeing his black claws, which, that was weird, he'd never had those before, even when they'd come out in his previous berserk modes. Something to consider later, but, "I'm glad you didn't come over to me when I called you. I wasn't planning anything nice."

His words caused a slivering of Mephisto's pupils and Rin wondered if it was a pulse of fear or something else his words had created to cause the reaction. You could never tell with demons, the weirdest things turned them on.

"You could have stopped me at any time," he continued when Mephisto didn't respond. "You could have even told me what would happen if the sword broke. Though I get the feeling you were waiting for it to break, probably even at that exact moment against Yukio."

"Everything you've said is true," Mephisto admitted, cocking his head at him, "have I hurt you enough, yet? Is this the final straw? Where are your limits when it comes to how much abuse you will take from me before you break like your sword?"

"Hah!" Rin laughed, harder, even, when Mephisto glared at his response, not understanding where the humor was coming from.

"It's like you told Amaimon at the festival, Mephisto," Rin let a giggle leave his lips at having to tell him something that seemed so simple. "You said you could never have anticipated the way these events would play out when you set things in motion all those years ago."

Rin smiled further at his confusion. "You're trapped in your own schemes just as much as we are. I think you might be hurting yourself more than anything else at this point, actually."

"Ah, that is-" Mephisto blinked at him, mouth dropping open in surprise.

"I don't know how you remember these throwaway comments we make to keep bringing them back to bite us when we least expect it. That you're not doing better in your classes is astounding."

"My classes aren't important," Rin shrugged, "you and Amaimon are important."

Was that a blush on Mephisto's face? Rin hid another laugh. He'd have to compliment the two surly demons more often if he'd always get such fun reactions from them like that.

"And after all the money I've put into your education," Mephisto grumbled, bringing a hand up to hide his face. Rin could see a glint of green where he still eyed him from between the cracks in his fingers.

Time to end it, then, Rin was getting tired of having his two demons be afraid of him.

"You know, this whole awakening as a full demon has some pretty nice perks I can think of right off the top of my head," Rin murmured, letting his lids drop, expression sly as he grinned at the suddenly wary Mephisto.

"Better vision, better hearing, better sense of smell," Rin trailed off, tapping his finger to his chin as if contemplating something before letting his eyes slide back to meet Mephisto's.

"And I can see my claim on you now."

Mephisto froze, hand still over his face as he took in Rin's meaning.

When his hand dropped Rin could see his words had had their intended effect.

"Can you now?"

"Yep," Rin drew the answer out, running his gaze up and down his body in a deliberate move. "I had no idea for the longest time what you guys were talking about. I thought it was just a scent thing and I was really pissed I couldn't sense it."

He heard a rumble building up from Mephisto's chest.

"I haven't told Amaimon about that yet," Rin added, scratching at his cheek, head upturned in mock consideration. "I think I'm gonna go back to him now and let him know."

Turning as if to leave ended with Rin finding himself pulled into a rough kiss that had his bare toes curling into the stone tiles beneath them.

Rin smiled into the kiss, pulling Mephisto closer to him and digging his fingers into his wind-chilled hair.

"You look cold, Mephisto," Rin said, then gasped as his throat was attacked next, pressing his body up along the taller one and shoving his perpetually warmed hands beneath the black robe to drag over the bare skin there. "I don't wanna be cheesy, but I think I know a way to fix that."

Groaning into his neck, Mephisto dropped his head to his shoulder. "You're terrible. I've never been so tormented in my life until I met you."

"Even with Amaimon?" Rin laughed, pulling away and darting over towards the room, grinning back at Mephisto's disgruntled face and twitching hands at finding him gone from them.

"Yes," Mephisto glared, "even with Amaimon. Congratulations. He's had over a thousand more years to perfect the art."

"I'm an innovator," Rin responded, hand on the glass door.

That was when he turned and saw his reflection in the glass and blinked, peering closer in utter confusion.

"What the hell?" Rin yelped, tugging at his hair that had somehow turned white since he'd last seen it, "is that me?"

And were those horns on his head?

Mephisto had made it over to him while he'd been distracted by poking and prodding himself.

"Just noticed, have you?"

He saw the wavy smirk in the reflective surface and pulled his finger out of the corner of his mouth where he'd been examining his fangs.

It was his turn to blush as Mephisto wrapped his arms around him and slid his hands into the open front of his robe, all mirrored back at him from the glass.

Still, "I think my tongue is longer, too. Look!"

Rin let his mouth fall open, watching Mephisto's eyes in the glass as his tongue lolled out between his fangs. Yep. Definitely longer.

There was a black clawed finger pressing into his mouth a moment later and Rin let his tongue curl around the digit to draw it in, eyes never leaving Mephisto's.

The possessiveness there had Rin shivering despite no longer having the ability to feel cold.

He sucked at the finger, licking the pad of it with the now tapered point of his tongue before drawing back to release it with a wet sound.

Sensation ran through him as the other hand at his hips squeezed and Rin felt claws needle into the skin there.

"You've listed out everything but the most obvious change, Rin," Mephisto hummed, hips rubbing against him from behind.

"What?" Rin asked, a little breathless at the teasing movements.

"Your beautiful demon heart is out."

Rin looked down at his chest, the glowing blue flames of his heart floating there.

"Yeah, I don't-" Rin furrowed his brows- "I don't actually know how to put that away yet."

Mephisto inhaled into his hair, another rumbling growl coming from him, as he said, "I'll help you with that later. Let's keep it out, for now."

"Okay," Rin stuttered, not quite understanding why it seemed to entrance him so much, but he'd work with it anyway.

He felt Mephisto's growing interest and poked a claw into the arm at his chest. "Hey, if anyone is getting rewarded tonight it's Amaimon. He's the one that keeps getting beat up."

Mephisto glowered at him from over his head and Rin smirked. "Actually. I think we both deserve something nice from you."

So saying, Rin reached behind him into Mephisto's robe to find the base of his tail and tugged, hearing the ragged moan that came out of his mouth as he let him go in surprise.

Having tugged the tiger's tail, so to speak, Rin bolted back inside, making a flying leap for the bed and startling Amaimon badly as he hissed like a scalded cat from beneath the covers he'd been hiding under, bloody canvas already disappeared from sight.

"Amaimon!" Rin knelt on the bed, smiling at the gasping demon staring at him with wide eyes, "I've got horns now. And my hair is white. This is so weird!"

"Also, I just tugged Mephisto's tail and left him outside, so I don't know how happy he is right now," Rin added with a guileless look, dropping down onto his stomach with his chin in his palms and letting his tail wag behind him under his robe so just the tip of it peaked out by his feet.

Amaimon whimpered up at him and Rin grinned as he felt the presence looming over them behind his back.

He reached forward to grab Amaimon's hand where it curled into the blanket by his chin, bringing it towards his lips and pressing a kiss to his knuckles.

"I told Mephisto," Rin said, letting his breath ghost over the trapped fingers, "I can sense my claim on you now."

A hand stopped his tail from its slow motions and Rin smiled from under his bangs, keeping his eyes locked onto Amaimon's as his robe was pushed up along his legs to pool at his lower back, the bed sinking with another body.

"Rin has suggested that I owe the two of you an apology, Amaimon," Mephisto breathed into Rin's ear, body a heavy weight over him and thumb rubbing at the tip of Rin's now white-furred tail.

Rin took a moment to enjoy the pleasure tingling through the furred length, tilting his head to press his lips to Mephisto's jaw and still holding Amaimon's gaze out of the corner of his eyes.

"I think," Rin hummed, bringing his attention to where he turned Amaimon's hand in his, "that it's Mephisto's turn to be tied up and at our mercy. Right, Amaimon?"

Throughout their exchange, Amaimon had stopped breathing, pupils lost in the gold of his irises at this point, and Rin was afraid he'd broken the poor demon.

He knew how to fix him.

"Mephisto," Rin began, his voice a light command, "I want you to lay back against the pillows for me, 'kay?"

Mephisto slid away from his body, letting his tail go with one last long pull over it that Rin melted into, purr coming from his chest and grip tightening over Amaimon's hand.

He waited for him to settle before sitting back on his knees, robe falling into place around him and releasing Amaimon with a long, teasing smile.

That accomplished, Rin shifted to face Mephisto, enjoying the sight of him sprawled over his own covers, purple hair fanned out on the pillow under his head and an answering smile on his face.

It widened as Rin moved to straddle his hips, leaning down to caress his lips in a slow slide of his mouth, one hand dropping to Mephisto's waist to knead there and the other rising to his neck.

When he sat up, it was to see a light flush across Mephisto's sharp cheekbones and to reveal he'd stolen the pink silk scarf from his neck.

"Raise your hands above your head, Mephisto," Rin said, bringing the scarf to his nose and inhaling the scent there, eyes half-mast as he watched Mephisto move to obey.

Amaimon chose that moment to reboot, poking his head up out of the covers with a disgruntled pout on his face.

"Joining us, Amaimon?" Rin cocked a smile at him.

"Yes," Amaimon grunted, dropping his chin to Rin's shoulder and trailing his black-clawed hands down his chest to pluck at the tie at his robe.

"Why are you still dressed?" Amaimon asked, voice a complaint as he undid the tie, tugging it off and tossing it aside to let Rin's robe fall open.

"Ah," Rin glanced down at Mephisto, "because he's still got his clothes on."

Just as he'd known would happen, Mephisto frowned at that, eyes flicking down his body. "I'm still not healed, Rin. You may not want to see what's under here."

Rin tilted his head, reaching to touch the black tie holding Mephisto's robe closed.

"Don't think I haven't noticed you hiding under your clothes or in the dark the past few times," Rin narrowed his eyes when Mephisto averted his gaze, "actually, I think you've been trying to hide yourself ever since the festival. The last time I saw you was in your office and that was only because I traded you for the information."

The observation just made Mephisto's face tighten.

"You're vain, Mephisto. Has anyone ever told you that?" Rin teased, slowly undoing the knot and parting the robe to reveal his body to him.

The signs of degradation had spread since Rin had last seen them on his couch. Now, instead of just being at his left shoulder, they traveled down his sides, one patch going over his hip to end at his thigh.

And the sickly-sweet scent of rot hit Rin's nose, then, freed from the confines of the robe to the open air. He had a strong suspicion that if he hadn't been a demon with their peculiar sense of smell, he would be gagging.

Once again, luckily, he was a demon, Rin decided, instead letting the point of his claw press just beneath Mephisto's belly button. He rubbed his thumb at the start of the trail of hair there between the length of his tail, watching the way the coils tightened and flexed at the touch.

Amaimon snickered at Mephisto's irritated growl. "He's right. You are vain."

Hearing him, Mephisto made to sit up, probably to teach Amaimon a lesson in manners, but Rin stopped him with a hand on his chest, pressing down and leaning over.

"Hands above your head, Mephisto," he whispered into his pointed ear as he intertwined their hands together, raising them until they were where he wanted them.

He bit at the tip of the ear as a sharp reminder not to move. He ignored Mephisto's heated gaze to bring his attention to where he'd trapped his hands with the silk scarf.

A moment later he neatened the poofy bow he'd made of the scarf with a discerning eye, surveying his work with satisfaction.

"I don't know how many of those you have, because I see you use them on like, everything you own," Rin remarked, arms crossed as he looked down at Mephisto, "but you're not allowed to move from this position or break that, no matter what. Got it?"

"Mmm, as you wish, Rin," Mephisto hummed, arching his hips to rub up against Rin's in a slow roll.

Rin grinned at his assent and ground his hips down, sparks lighting through his nerves at the friction.

"You know," Rin gasped as Amaimon bit at his neck and Mephisto surged against him, "it's too bad Christmas is over, I like having you wrapped up like a present."

"The bow is a nice touch," Amaimon agreed, gold eyes glinting.

"Next year I'm tying one of you up in a big red bow and leaving you for the other to find," Rin determined. "No idea who yet, but I'll just have to see who's earned it most."

"Actually," Rin reached behind him to grab Amaimon's hips and press them harder to his, feeling his length slide alongside him and gasping as heat started to build up in earnest, "you should thank Shiemi for this idea, but I've decided to celebrate your new birthdays and our anniversary on the day of the festival so that means two times a year I get to unwrap someone."

"I love the way your mind works, Rin," Mephisto said, breath hitching in his chest as Rin smiled down at him and dragged out one more slow movement of his hips that had both of them shuddering before he got off and sat to the side, though Amaimon let out a sound of protest at the loss of contact.

"Amaimon, this is his apology to you, remember?" Rin prodded, sliding his hand up Mephisto's arm where he sat next to him.

"You're right, I forgot," Amaimon's lips curled over his fangs in a wide smile as he poked his clawed fingers at Mephisto's hips, tugging him into a better position. Another motion and the brightly colored pants were tossed aside to join Rin's robe tie, leaving him bare to their eyes.

Instead of pushing into Mephisto immediately, Amaimon brought his tail around, watching the way Rin and Mephisto tracked it when he let it glide up along Mephisto's leg, just tracing the sensitive skin of his inner thigh.

His pupils were wide in his irises, unable to see when Amaimon let his tail dip down to press at his entrance but shuddering when it teased there.

Amaimon spread Mephisto's long legs apart to get better access, keeping their gazes locked as he toyed with him, rubbing but not breaching and letting the anticipation build until Mephisto looked ready to kill.

"Amaimon," Mephisto growled, body twitching at the effort of holding still and hands clenching at the scarf.

"You've done way worse to us, Mephisto," Rin murmured at his ear, tracing a claw at his throat and feeling the vibrations there. "I don't know if I've told you, but turnabout's fair play."

In the distraction Rin had caused, Amaimon plunged his tail into Mephisto, twin moans coming from them while Rin just smiled into Mephisto's hair and watched the expression on Amaimon's face.

Once again, Amaimon decided to torment Mephisto, tail moving slowly enough that Mephisto couldn't adjust, demonic healing kicking in and making sure the tightness remained the same.

He'd begun trembling, hips trying to push up into the tail but unable to as Amaimon raised it back, gold eyes molten with the heat of them as he watched his victim get more and more desperate beneath him at his actions.

Rin ran his fangs down the delicate skin of Mephisto's arm, watching the play of muscle there as he fought to keep them pressed to the pillow and not around Amaimon's throat.

It wasn't enough-for either of them-and Amaimon wasn't known for his patience. Rin could see the moment he was done with the teasing.

Instead of pulling his tail out, Amaimon hiked Mephisto's legs up and shoved in right alongside it, letting out a hiss at the tightness as Mephisto gave a loud groan at the sudden force, head dropping back to the pillow as his eyes squeezed shut.

The sight of the two had Rin shivering, feeling his pulse pick up when Amaimon began thrusting into Mephisto, nearly pressing him in half with his hands tight around the captured thighs, digging red lines into the skin.

Mephisto growled at the pain, fangs lengthening in his mouth and chest heaving as he fought against moving like he wanted to.

Rin saw all this, the way Amaimon's eyes seemed to glow in their intensity, the way Mephisto lost control of his appearance, long ears wedged into the pillows, tail locked in a quivering loop around his waist, each slam of hips rubbing his hardened length against the coils.

And he waited.

Snarling, Amaimon released into Mephisto, turning his head to lap at the trails of blood he'd drawn down his thighs around gasping breaths before sinking his teeth into the tender skin there, drawing a hiss of pain from Mephisto, who'd almost lunged to attack him for it.

Fire hummed beneath his skin and Rin pressed him back with a hand on his chest, rubbing a clawed thumb over the thudding heartbeat.

"It's my turn for my apology, I think," Rin said as Amaimon pulled back, letting Mephisto uncurl from the uncomfortable position he'd been in.

Amaimon tried to control his panting, drawing in a long breath as he looked into Rin's eyes, and then froze.

"Your eyes are warping, Rin," he said, face shuttering as if wary again.

"I know."

He watched the shiver go through Amaimon at his acknowledgment, feeling another under his hand from Mephisto, too.

"I can feel the change now," Rin added, bringing his body out of where he'd been laying over Mephisto in a possessive hold to move to Amaimon's side with leonine grace, pressing a fang-filled kiss to the rapid pulse of his neck.

"It's my turn, Amaimon," Rin breathed into the wet patch he'd laved against his throat, hand reaching down to splay over Mephisto's thigh next to his entrance where Amaimon was inside him.

Mephisto was still hard, intermittent tremors running through his frame as Amaimon slid out with a hiss, allowing Rin to take his place.

But, despite the anticipation of Mephisto's expression, canting his hips to give Rin better access, Rin just bowed forward over his knees until he had his cheek resting on the trembling muscle of his thigh.

His eyes widened, pupils slivering as Rin opened his mouth to expose dangerous, needle-sharp fangs within inches of the delicate skin there in a silent warning not to move.

A shuddering breath exhaled from him when Rin let his tongue out to wind around the base of his length.

Rin brought his hand up to grasp the leaking head, keeping it in place while he ran light licks of his tongue to the root, pulling back a bit to suck a bruise into the skin next to his thigh as Mephisto tried to get more pressure and was unable to with a frustrated sound that was music to Rin's ears.

"Keep your hands there, Mephisto," Rin murmured a reminder, breath ghosting along the wet trails he'd left and eyelids half-mast over the glowing blue fires of his irises.

At the soft growl that came out, Rin decided he'd teased enough, raising his head over Mephisto to let his mouth full of bristling fangs hang in another casual threat, watching how it made Mephisto suck in a startled breath, body freezing while Rin stayed there, suspended.

He gave a shuddering roll of his neck and forced the fangs back until just the regular ones remained, hearing Mephisto's breathing start back up again.

By then Amaimon had made his way to where Rin had been next to Mephisto's head, gold eyes spearing into him, though Rin didn't meet the gaze, keeping his full attention on Mephisto.

His tongue slipped out, winding it around Mephisto before pulling it off again in a twist, tasting the pre-come there and humming in pleasure.

"Did you know?" Rin finally spoke, breaking the stillness as he pinned his eyes on Mephisto's to see how his next sentence would affect him, "I've been teaching myself how to do what you and Amaimon can do."

Twin intakes of hissed breath reached his ears and Rin smiled, knowing he'd done his job.

Rin didn't give either of them any more time to process his words, getting his mouth around Mephisto's length and taking it down in one fell swoop until his nose pressed to the taut stomach.

The sound he got made him groan around Mephisto, taking tiny breaths through his nose as he gave himself time to adjust to the intrusion.

At the first long drag of his mouth, Mephisto arched his back, trying to push further into Rin's throat and once again unable to as Rin kept him in place, anticipating the instinctual reaction.

Already, his jaw ached, spit slicking his lips and the angle uncomfortable for him, but it didn't even matter when Rin looked up to see the way Mephisto came more undone with every pass of his mouth.

Mephisto was heavy in his throat, so much different from the objects he'd used to practice with and so much better too.

But he had another idea. Rin pulled back to look at Amaimon, releasing with a wet pop as Mephisto gasped, frustration blazing in his eyes.

His voice, when he spoke his name, was rough, throat raw from his efforts.

"Amaimon, will you help me?"

Amaimon let out a helpless moan through his teeth at that request, crawling over until he could bring his mouth to Rin's, tasting Mephisto on his lips before unwinding their tongues and fisting a hand in Rin's white hair, guiding him back down to take Mephisto into his mouth again.

The first push of Amaimon's hand against his head shoved him down an inch and Rin forced himself to relax as he was pulled back up, the sharp pain stinging where strands of hair were being tugged only adding to the whole experience.

He could feel Mephisto tightening and knew he was close.

Sudden pressure jolted Rin, letting out a muffled whine when Amaimon decided to start running a hand over his tail, the sound causing Mephisto to twitch in his mouth before the purr forced from the rough drags to his tail had Mephisto coming against the back of his throat with a shattered gasp.

Swallowing, Rin managed to capture most of the release before he had to push himself off to cough to the side, still unable to handle the sensation like the other two could.

Amaimon mouthed at his spine, running warm hands over his shaking sides while he panted at the exertion until he could squint up through the tears in his eyes at Mephisto.

A deeply satisfied smile spread over Rin's lips to see Mephisto exactly where he'd left him, arms stretched above his head and chest heaving as he came down from his release.

Then he was toppled onto his back and found Amaimon in his lap, already swallowing him down.

His head knocking back into the mattress, gasping at the wet suction around him and hands coming to grab Amaimon's hair, moaning at the sudden heat.

Amaimon didn't waste time teasing, and Rin pushed up without regard for pace or rhythm, eyes rolling back in his head as he came with a cry.

Sated, Rin stretched in a sinuous roll of his body over the twisted covers beneath him, a pleasant buzz humming through him as Amaimon sat back up.

There was one last thing to take care of before he could rest, though, so Rin twisted onto his stomach and crawled back up to where Mephisto lay, dropping to his side to nuzzle into his neck.

"Will you release me now, Rin?"

Rin peeked up from under his bangs to catch the green of Mephisto's eyes watching.

"Hmm," Rin pressed his teeth to the artery at Mephisto's neck in a mock bite, "I don't know, I kinda want to see how long you can last like this."

"Demon," Mephisto hissed, though Rin detected a hint of delight hidden in the word.

But he wanted Mephisto's hands on him more than he wanted to torment him further, so he propped himself up to gently pick the knot out of the bow and free him from his bonds.

He was already curled around Mephisto by the time he had enough feeling back in his limbs to wrap his arms around him, drawing Rin closer to his chest.

Amaimon lay on Mephisto's other side, tugging the blanket back over himself until only the top of his head could be seen.

"I hate the cold," he grumbled, shuffling until he could glare at where the glass doors had been left wide open to let the chill air in.

His complaints had Rin snickering as he pulled the blanket the rest of the way over he and Mephisto. "I'm so glad I don't have to deal with that anymore."

"You make a very convenient space heater, Rin," Mephisto said, snapping his fingers to shut the door, clean them, and turn the lights off.

"You're welcome." Rin stuck his tongue out at Mephisto before settling down with a contented sigh.

Rin could still see the lights from the city through the dark glass, knowing some of them were probably fires from demonic attacks or accidents caused by people who'd just discovered they could see the malevolent beings.

He also knew he had to have a very important talk with Mephisto soon about some things he'd rather not talk about at all.

But everything could wait until morning, he would be enjoying the peace for as long as it would last.

End Notes:

Well, here you go, thus ends the longest chapter yet for this fic (44 pages omfg). Probably because I'm punishing myself for not fitting everything into 10 chapters like I wanted :D Still one more to go and then I'll be waiting until the new ane chapters come out to see where they're taking the story so the main plot of this fic is pretty much done and I can finally catch up on all the sleep I've not been sleeping :D

Buuuuut I have side stories planned for all the behind-the-scenes stuff for this fic that didn't make it into the main one. I'll put those into Incandescence Sides where I get to write such fun things like: Mephisto teaching Amaimon to dance for the festival! And all the other Amaimon/Mephisto scenes that Rin missed out on witnessing! POV changes to see how Mephisto was actually feeling about Rin and Amaimon teasing him at the party! Maybe a future flash to that one-year anniversary red bow surprise Rin promised! And other fun things! (All of which will be wildly inaccurate as the new chapters come out for ane, I'm sure :D)