About five minutes later, I find myself heading downstairs meeting with Demetrius. It was already strange that my son wanted to speak to me, but what was even stranger was that he was already out of the hospital. I get downstairs and noticed that He's standing up behind the bar drying off some glasses. I sit down in the bar stool in front of him, "so how are you even out of the hospital? You were stabbed twelve times?"
He sets the glass down on the shelf and sits down behind the bar. He lets out a sigh before grabbing a bottle of whiskey and downing it, "Well, I guess I never told any of you that I'm a supernaturally fast healer." I widened my eyes and my tail sways back and forth, "so, you're like Wolverine?" He laughs in my presence for the first time and it warmed my heart to see my son smile. "Yeah, I guess you can kind of say that.
But that doesn't mean I'm indestructible either. I can still be hurt. Killed even. Hell, if it weren't for Jessie, I probably would've died. I can't heal as quickly when I'm wounded with an angelic blade but if I get medical aid to get stitches, then that helps me to recover faster from those type of weapons.
Normal weapons however don't really do much damage to me at all though." I let out a heavy sigh, "would it have killed you to all of us that in the first place?" He flattens his ears and looks down at his hands before muttering, "I didn't really think it mattered." I sighed and placed my hands down on the bar counter, "why would you think that?" He continues looking down and then closed his eyes for a moment, "well, I don't really know anyone here and none of you really know me so, why would you care?"
I let out sigh and looked down to the side feeling sad for him, "you know, Junior you don't need to know someone to have compassion for them." He scoffs at that remark, "sounds a lot like piety to me." "Oh, there's a difference though, trust me. To feel piety, means that you feel sorry for someone and implies judgement. Compassion is caring for someone regardless of what they said or done without judgement.
I know it's a lot to get used to but you'll learn to trust everyone in time and vice versa." He lets out a sigh and looks up at me apprehensively, "I guess..." I let out a sigh, "also I've got something that I need to get out in the open too while we're both here." He raises an eyebrow and takes a sip from his glass, "okay..." I scratched at the back of my head, "well,... I kinda bought your soul from Alastor."
His eyes widened and he slams his glass down on the counter a little harder than I would have liked. "Why would you do that?" He asks with a stern and cold tone to his voice. I flattened my ears, "well, before Alastor had ownership over your soul, he owned my soul. So I know first hand what it's like to be his, 'property'."
He takes a sip from his glass, "why didn't you even come and ask how I'd feel about that firsthand?" I looked down and let out a sigh, "I don't know. I should have asked you first but I was just so focused on trying to protect you. " "By buying my soul?" I shook my head, "no by setting you free."
He sits up looking stunned, "and what did it cost you?" I let out a sigh, "I don't want you to worry about that—" "The cost, Dad." I let out a sigh, "I just have to kill some people. The people that attacked you, that is."
He lets out a sigh, "but what about your redemption? Won't that set you back in your progress?" I shrugged my shoulders, "perhaps, but I've already killed one demon and that was his boyfriend. I think that's why he attacked you. I think he heard our conversation through the security cameras and found out that you're my son."
He lets out a sigh, "well I just wish you would have talked to me first." I sighed, "I'm so sorry, Junior." He shrugs his shoulders, "I guess what's done is done. So I guess I have to do what you say now?" "Well, technically yes but, I don't have any intentions to make any deals with you or to force you to do anything you don't want to do."
His eyes watered up and then he quickly wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, "uh so I needed to talk to you about something else." Sit up straight in my seat, "can I get a glass of water, please?" He nods his head and reaches over and grabs a glass and pours me a glass of water and sits it down on the bar in front of me. I take a sip from it, "okay, so what did you want to talk to me about?" He lets out a sigh and sits back down in his seat, "Jessie Hart."
I grinned and took a sip from my water, "let me guess, you're catching feelings for her, aren't you?" He looks side to side and blushes bright red before scratching the back of his head, "is it that obvious?" I chuckled, "uh to put it lightly, yeah it's pretty obvious. I've noticed you staring at her constantly from the very first day you met her and every day since. It's practically the ONLY time I've seen you interested and interacting with anyone or anything.
Well, with the recent exception of Angel and I." He lets out a sigh and flattens his ears,"oh wow... that's pretty bad then." I raised an eyebrow, "how so?" He lets out a sigh, "don't laugh or judge me too much if I tell you this, okay?" I smiled feeling happy that my son is starting to open up to me, "no, I wouldn't dream of it, kid."
He lets out a sigh of relief, "well,... I've been with A LOT of girls, even as a teenager I was always messing around but... this feels... different and I don't like it. It's terrifying. Actually, I find her to be terrifying." I smiled knowing exactly what he's talking about, "so what is it that feels different exactly?" He sighs and props his head up with his hand, "well, I have this warm and fuzzy feeling in my stomach when I see her but when she notices me or talks to me, I feel like I'm going to throw up or something. Then, when she visited me in the hospital, she uh, she got close to me and I thought my heart was going to explode.
I mean, with every other girl, I would have just fucked her brains out and been done with it but— but with her I just— I feel like I could just listen to the sound of her voice all day. I don't even understand what she's doing here in Hell. She seems like she should be in heaven. Not here in this shit hole. Just everything about her; her smile, her laugh, the way she walks and how she carries herself, the way she talks like someone much wiser than her years—" he trailed off for a moment with a dreamy gaze on his face before he notices what he's doing and shakes his head vigorously.
"But she's so sweet and innocent. I'd only corrupt her." I looked up at his face and saw that the sadness and the pain had returned. I let out a sigh, "I used to think the same thing about Angel." He looks over to me questioning.
I smile, "yeah. With Angel he just— he always had this light about him. I mean when I met your mother I loved and adored her and sure, she made me feel invincible. But with Angel, I— well, I was terrified. It didn't help that he was harassing me nonstop but, the moment he brought his walls down and I was able to see him for who he truly is, I just— I felt like I couldn't even breathe with him in the same room."
He smiled, "yeah, that's how I feel about Jessie." I smiled at him and took a sip from my water, "it's okay to be in love." He looked at me with a baffling expression, "In—In love?" I nod my head toward him, "it's obvious that she's your soulmate. It's not the same as some of that high school crap.
It— it transcends beyond that. When you find, 'the one' it almost feels like the world has stopped spinning and everything is frozen in time with the exception of them. Then, I don't know. Your heart just knows." The reality of his situation sinks in as he tries to process it all, "I— I've never been in love before.
How do I make it stop?" I chuckled, "I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you I swear. I just find it ironic and refreshing how much you take after your old man." He smiled at me with a boyish grin. I continued on with what I was going to say, "unfortunately, there's nothing you can do to stop it.
It's all part of having a human soul." He lets out a sigh, "well, that sucks." I flattened my ears, "because you're afraid to get hurt so you believe that if you don't fall in love then no one can hurt you. Am I right?" He nods his head and wipes the tears with the back of his hand.
I let out a sigh, "I used to be the same way, but I can tell you from experience that if you find the right person, it completely changes everything." He raises an eyebrow and wipes away another tear, "really?" I nod my head toward him, "I was scared to give into my love for Angel but when I realized, he was Anthony. My Anthony, and that I've known him and loved him all along, I finally felt safe enough to let go of my fears. It'll happen for you in all good time, whenever it's meant to happen."
He lets out a sigh, "I just get so nervous around her and it's almost like my brain stops functioning or something. I mean, it's all so complicated. I want love but I'm scared of it too." A thought just dawn on me all of a sudden, "oh, sorry this is a little bit random but I needed to ask you something." He raises an eyebrow in confusion, "okay.
What's up?" I let out a sigh, "Angel and I were wondering if you could be one of our wedding singers." He smiled for a brief moment and then it suddenly faded, "wait, what do you mean, 'one of'?" I snapped my fingers in the air, "right I forgot, Angel is planning to ask Jessie tomorrow. We were kind of hoping you guys could team up and sing together."
He instantly blushes and scratches the back of his head, "uh... really? I—I didn't know that Jessie sings." I nodded my head, "yeah she's generally very shy about it and doesn't do it often unless someone asks her too. He makes a smirk and raises an eyebrow, "you and Angel wouldn't happen to be playing Cupid, would you?" I blushed, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
He chuckles and puts my glass in the sink before cleaning up the bar and locking up, "uh huh, sure you don't." He steps out of the bar and walks around to where I am, "I'll think about it but, it all depends." I raise my eyebrow in confusion as he starts walking up to his room, "on what?" He turns back to me and grins, "it depends on what Jessie says."