~Awkward Reunion~
'How the fuck did I end up in this situation?'
Was that even a question?
"Oh yeah, my girlfriend wanted me to be the bigger man and reach out to my estranged mother to patch up our relationship."
If it wasn't already obvious Stanley was nervous, incredibly so. That really stinks because he's been hyping himself up for this meeting for days now. In hindsight he was actually distracted trying to act natural in front of Ezraphel who was luckily too preoccupied with working on his birthday gift. They only had sex every other day because she sometimes pulled all nighters. Or rather she sneaks off whenever he falls asleep because she wants to be last thing he sees when he sleeps and the first thing he sees when he wakes up.
With that kind of dedication he could only imagine what kind of harebrain scheme she was cooking up. He's at least reasonably sure it wasn't a sex thing because Ezraphel wouldn't have Natalie working on it if it was. This unfortunately narrows the scope outside of his purview so he didn't have a guess as to what it was. It made him oddly excited to see the results of what she's been cooking all this time. Anything that could distract Ezraphel from sex was bound to be something big.
Before he could further ponder the nature of Ezraphel's birthday gift to him, Stanley arrived at his destination. After finding a spot to park the car Stanley took a moment to just stare. He never really questioned where his mother chose to have their meeting due to being preoccupied with other thoughts.
Now that he's actually here he couldn't help but think to himself 'why would she want to meet here?'
'Here' being a quaint little café at an intersection. Now that he thought about it when their conversation veered into a potential meet up she's the one who chose the venue that he reluctantly agreed to. As in, she gave him a name and address right then and there which suggests a level of familiarity.
'Has she been here before?'
The question made him wonder because as far as he knew there wasn't anything in the area that would be of relevance to his mother. You know, other than its proximity to his house, which had some mildly concerning implications.
"…whatever."
It didn't matter in the end.
He also he recognized the subconscious stalling tactic for what it was.
So without anymore preamble he got out of the car, locked up, set the alarm (taking a moment to reassure himself that Ezraphel's magical protection will prevent any kind of vandalism), and made his way into the café.
*Ting-a-ling* an overhead bell chimed as he entered through the door. The café interior had that cozy hipster aesthetic going on with random art on the wall and a three-seater couch in the corner among the chairs and tables. He spotted extra sockets on the walls for charging electronics and he didn't need to check his phone to figure out the place had free WiFi.
Being that it was mid Monday morning there were not many customers so he was able to find who he was here to meet. Likewise the sound of the bell alerted those inside of someone entering the establishment. Though barely anyone paid attention, save for the staff and those who happen to be expecting someone.
Like the woman sitting at the corner table designed for a group.
While he'd been surveying the room she has been looking at him since he came in. The moment their eyes met hers lit up in recognition with a tinge of disbelief and uncertainty. Stanley felt his pulse race but with a silent breath he made his way towards her. The closer he got the more he noticed the initial uncertainty vanish as recognition took root, giving way to certainty and disbelief. When he finally arrived, she got to her feet and briefly noticed the cup she had been nursing.
"Stanley?" she asked hesitantly.
'Here goes.'
"Hey mom," he replied awkwardly with a little wave of his hand.
A moment later, Stanley was enveloped in a hug that caused his brain to stall, rendering him frozen. By the time he figured to raise his hand up to reciprocate the hug, it was over, and the woman pulled away yet still keeping her hands on him. She let loose a sigh before giving him an once-over. She seemed to be at a loss for words before finally commenting.
"You're so big now," she said while looking at him.
As someone who was making frequent contact with people who were 6 feet in height or taller, one of the little known quirks that didn't come up was Stanley's height. It turns out the height boost he got from his Incubus transformation wasn't a flat one. Stanley has actually grown several inches in height after the inch or two he got from the initial transformation. He may or may not continue to grow incrementally, but he doubted he would ever not be short by modern standards.
This is partly because Ezraphel liked him that way, but the other reason is because of good old genetics. At least he can take solace that he is now firmly out of the dwarf range he had been walking on for most of his life. Although in this situation it meant that he was just as tall as his mother, who was five feet five.
It's clear to see that he inherited mostly from her side of the family, such as his hair color, eye color, and even complexion. He could point out the differences between the woman he was seeing now and when he last saw her nearly a decade ago. There were a few more wrinkles, worry lines, and noticeable more graying hair taking root in her otherwise brown hair.
'Is she using hair dye?'
"Stanley?"
The man blinked, "huh?"
The woman's expression turned wry "still getting stuck inside your head?"
He frowned and looked away. His eyes conveniently landed on one of the baristas, who has probably been watching this intimate moment between mother and son.
Stanley scowled at her, 'mind your own fucking business.'
He might have put some intent behind those thoughts because the woman averted her gaze with a light shiver. His mother must have seen the byplay because he felt a light smack on his shoulder, bringing his attention back to her. Upon seeing the look of disapproval on her face, his scowl vanished as memories surged, and he mentally braced for the admonishment.
"Stanley, stop scaring the poor girl."
"She should mind her own business," he muttered.
"Well can you blame her for staring at the handsome young man who just walked in looking like one of those online models?" She said this as she took a seat.
"Mom!"
'Da fuq?'
"Well, you can't expect me not to comment on how my handsome little man became even more handsome."
'Yeah,' he thought to himself while taking a seat, 'was hoping you wouldn't actually.'
He's gotten used to how he looked and even how people react to him. It's still weird when people point it out to him and especially give him compliments.
"So," the amusement in her tone and expression lessened as she directed her full attention to him "how have you been?"
And here comes the hardest part.
"Good," he answered a bit too abruptly, "I—ahem, I've been...good."
"Well clearly!" His mother half exclaimed
"Yeah…" he trailed off, unsure.
Under the table his leg started bouncing.
His mother must have sensed something because she lowered her enthusiasm and reached over the table to grasp his hand.
"Stanley."
Her touch and her words made his leg bounce stop as he directed his attention towards her.
"What have you been up to since…we last saw each other?"
He took a deep breath and replied "nothing too exciting."
That wasn't what she wanted to hear. He knew that even if she didn't say anything... or so he assumed. Her expression did not betray anything, but the motherly patience of someone who knew their child had issues with talking to people and properly expressing themselves. It's funny because as an Incubus he had an instinctive ability to get around such hiccups in interactions but for some reason he couldn't summon up the effort to do it.
Maybe because said ability had a mild charm effect and he'd rather stab himself than mess with his mother's head.
In any case his mother wasn't having any of it "I don't care if you think nothing exciting happens in your life Stanley I still want to know. And if that is the case I'm… I'm actually glad your life is boring. Lord knows I'd take 'boring' over any kind of excitement any day."
Stanley frowned, knowing exactly what he's talking about "he's not giving you any trouble, is he?"
"Don't worry about it."
Why did she have to go and say that?
"What about-"
"This isn't about him, Stanley," she interrupted sternly "this is about you and your apparently boring life."
He didn't like that she was deflecting but he knew where he got his stubbornness from and decided to drop it. The good news is that the brief detour in topic to that asshole managed to distract from his nervousness and restore some of his confidence. With a clearer mind he began to mentally go over his life after their fight. He found that while a significant portion of his life was indeed a monotonous grind of waking up and playing videogames with eating takeout and drinking soda in between sessions there were outliers in the monotony.
The more he scrutinized these thoughts the more interesting tidbits he found himself confident in sharing. Since she seemed eager to know everything about his life he decided to just spill it. He basically gave her an abridged recap of his life following their fight, his subsequent dropout from college, and their estrangement. He ended up telling her a lot of things, maybe too much but once he started he just couldn't stop.
Because whether he wanted to admit it or not the fact of the matter was that Stanley felt vindication. He was right and while it wasn't exactly smooth sailing getting here he was sitting before her a young, wealthy, and successful young man in his mid-twenties. He acknowledged that she was well within her rights to be skeptical of his gamble as well as his unreasonableness in what he expected of her back then but it still chaffed that she didn't believe he could make it work.
That she didn't believe in him.
But everything had worked out for him in the end even if you don't factor in Ezraphel. Her presence was just the cherry on top. Whereas before he was content he can say without a shadow of a doubt that now, with her, he was happy. Stanley Berkowitz was happy, and once that realization hit he couldn't help but to recount the journey it took to reach this point.
So he told her:
How, after dropping out of college, Natalie put him up rent-free until he got back on his feet.
How he saved up to rent a cheap apartment in a shitty neighborhood and a storage unit for his belongings he refused to risk getting misplaced or stolen.
How he spent nearly every waking moment for two years ensuring the success of his YouTube channel.
How he got a million subscribers and a golden plaque.
How his email started blowing up with sponsorship offers.
How he created a website to funnel his affiliate links that got decent traffic.
How he eventually moved out of his cheap apartment in a shitty neighborhood into a not-as-cheap apartment in a better neighborhood.
How he got inspired to get educated on stocks and investments.
How he made it big on a risky investment with emerging crypto he did partly for the memes.
How he hired a financial advisor that helped him make smarter investments.
How he bought a car that he still uses to this very day.
How he eventually bought a house in a good neighborhood.
How he spent the following years cementing his financial stability through multiple investment routes, amassing an Airsoft collection, making actual friends online he would meet IRL every once in a while to play, and...
His mother listened to his story without once interrupting. She was seemingly content to hear him out. He watched her expression go through a myriad of minor and major changes, though she tried to keep it placid at all times. There was no judgment in her eyes even when she obviously had something to say about his choices.
"I met someone-" he coughed a bit.
"Stanley?" His mother looked worried.
He waved her off his voice hoarse. "I'm fine, I just—" he coughed once again feeling his throat sore.
'Fuck, how long have I been talking?'
He spared a glance at the clock and almost boggled. Fifty minutes have passed since he entered the café meaning that he had been talking uninterrupted for at least forty of those minutes.
'Damn'
His mother hummed, "I think it's about time you ordered something anyway."
"Yeah, okay. Do you want anything?"
"I would like a Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea," she responded causing Stanley to raise a brow.
"You drink Boba?"
"I decided to try it a few years ago after watching a video on Facebook."
Stanley almost rolled his eyes 'figures she's using Facebook.'
"Alright," Stanley nodded.
"You should get one for yourself, Stanley."
He made a face at the suggestion "eh, I'm good."
His mother huffed "I doubt its price will make a dent in your expenses Stanley."
That wasn't the reason why he declined but he winced having realized that he literally just told her his rags to riches story so he couldn't even use the cheapskate option. Well he could but that would just be in poor taste.
So instead he says "I'm probably not going to like it."
"How can you say that without trying one first?"
Because Ezraphel is a culinary trend chaser who is always on the lookout for trending new food that she could prepare for him. As one of those 'trendy foods' influencers love to tout in recent years it was only a matter of time before she got to bubble tea or boba tea. It just so happened that Ezraphel's boba tea was the first time he actually tried one. Of course he enjoyed it very much which was a problem here because since Ezraphel's food is perfection there was no way a café-made product could compare.
She really did spoil him with food.
"At least try the mango grapefruit sago."
'The what?'
He looked to the menu and found that she was referring to a type of boba tea.
He looked back at her with a raised brow to which her smile widened "I promise you won't regret it."
His lips pursed 'I probably will but…fuck it, we ball.'
With a nod he went to the counter to order.
~A Mother's Story~
As Dana Berkowitz watched her son walk away, the motherly smile she managed to maintain broke down into an expression of melancholy. With a sigh leaving her lips Dana was starting to feel her age which was a feeling she had been feeling more often as of late. She supposed she was lucky to be aging gracefully but nothing will ever make her feel her age like seeing her children grow up and at some point her Stanley did indeed grow up without her knowing.
That part hurt; it hurt in a way that she could not describe with words. And all of this happened because she put her trust in a man that didn't deserve it, her ex-husband. In hindsight it should have been obvious that putting those two together in such a situation could have only ended in disaster. She wasn't oblivious to the fact that they hated each other but she underestimated just how much.
She took a gamble back then out of worry and desperation. What should have been a simple conversation that she thought would at best result in a verbal dressing down ended escalating in a shouting match with threats being thrown around. Then an ultimatum was issued that boiled down to Stanley either getting in line or getting out.
This wasn't the first time such a threat was made, and usually it was enough to end the argument and get Stanley to capitulate. Unfortunately, at that point Stanley hasn't been living under their roof for the better part of a year. He's been living alone, getting a taste of true independence. He even found an alternate (if untested) source of income and had started to amass his own personal savings. Coupled with his hatred for that man and what was supposed to be a threat for him to behave turned into an excuse to leave and cut ties with them.
At first she didn't believe he would go through with it, and she was ashamed to admit that her ex-husband had much to do with assuaging her worries. Even when she told him about his ideas and his progress, he scoffed. He didn't think Stanley had the wherewithal to brave the real world and yet he wasted no time in locking Stanley out of the monitored bank account. His excuse for doing this had been that the 'tough love' approach was for the best and that a firm hand was needed.
It was horrid and she said as much but he was able to convince her that he was making the 'tough' decision to teach Stanley a valuable lesson. He didn't think Stanley had it in him to survive in the real world without their support and she believed him. Even when her stomach twisted into knots of worry she believed him that Stanley would eventually come back to them when things got too tough.
Several days later Natalie came to the house to take Stanley's belongings at his request. And there was another relationship that her ex-husband soured. Luckily Natalie's reservation was only held for him and she was fine with giving Dana information about Stanley since she was the only one he was willing to keep in contact with.
The day Natalie carted away Stanley's belongings was the day she realized the full scope of her mistake. Stanley had dropped out of college, moved out of the apartment they paid a deposit on and blocked their numbers. Not even Natalie knew what he was up to was a lie because her son just got done telling her that he lived with his sister for several months. She should have known because while Natalie would become her only means of acquiring information about Stanley at that point in time they were not on good terms.
Or rather Natalie wasn't on good terms with her father after a major incident set the two of them against each other. Much like with Stanley Natalie cut ties with them and vice versa, though she only held animosity towards him. It made her and Dana somewhat estranged but at least Natalie wasn't going out of her way to avoid her. It was a good thing too because Stanley made good on his promise for better or worse…for eight years.
For over eight years Dana hasn't seen her son and the only information she got about him were sporadic and incomplete updates from Natalie.
Thankfully it didn't take as long for her to file for a divorce.
Funnily enough the divorce came as a result of a group of hackers stealing and later distributing the client list of an online dating website. Said website differed from the rest because it was geared towards married individuals and went so far as to promote having affairs. Dana never even conceived such a thing could exist so of course she never heard about it. Natalie did however and she was all too happy to reveal to Dana how her ex-husband's name and information was part of the notorious client list.
It turned out he was not only a frequent user but she would later find out that he had several mistresses all of them younger than her and in some cases too young for her sense of decency. This was the true answer as to why he had those late nights working overtime and unaccounted withdrawals from their bank account. Needless to say she filed for a divorce immediately but regardless of how in the right she was for doing this the proceedings were not so cut and dry.
Bastard that he might be the man had a steady-paying job and wealth in reserve. Because of this Dana hadn't worked a day since she got married she didn't need to. She left the finances to him to focus on her duties as a housewife and mother. It was a very traditional setup that worked for them...or so she thought. What this meant was that she couldn't afford a lawyer long-term something he was very aware of and was vindictive enough to capitalize on.
She had to depend on Natalie's help despite knowing that the expense would be a burden on her daughter's finances. Or so she assumed until Natalie gave her money in excess of what Dana thought possible. With the new cash influx, she was able to afford a good lawyer and reach a settlement that was in her favor.
Natalie revealed the money to have come from Stanley, who asked not to be named, but Natalie ignored the request because she felt it unnecessary to keep it a secret. Clearly Natalie was playing for her own team but it worked out in Dana's favor. Happy as she was with how the divorce settlement turned out she was even happier knowing that her son still cared for her.
Or so she assumed from what Natalie told her. It really did seem that her son's estrangement came more as a result of her ex-husband than it did her. It gave her hope especially when Natalie gave her his number. Dana had changed her number as consequence of getting rid of the phone her ex-husband had gotten her and being the petty and vindictive man he was demanded it back.
In any case with a new phone and new number she would be able to call her son and talk to him for the first time in years. It took her days to work up the courage to contact him because even if she knew the reason for their estrangement didn't lay with her the thought of his rejection stayed her hand. When she gathered the courage to go through with it the call went to voicemail.
She tried several more times to no avail and after checking with Natalie to make sure she got the right number it was revealed that Natalie shared her number with him. Stanley knew her number and was ignoring her calls. It was heartbreaking but the fact that it was ringing out instead of going straight to voicemail meant that he hadn't blocked her. A theory she proved by sending him a text with a simple 'thank you' for his assistance. The message went through as she saw the icon indicating that he did indeed see it but otherwise did not acknowledge it.
It was the best she could hope for given how obstinate she knew he could be. And so she would continue to send messages to him and even make the odd attempt at a call. She did this for years, but Stanley kept his silence, and sometimes she wondered if he even cared. Once again her worries were assuaged by Natalie who assured her that Stanley did not hate her but was too stubborn to meet her halfway.
Dana wasn't so sure about that but then Natalie did something that she never expected and gave her Stanley's new address. She urged her to visit him and confirm for herself, citing that the worst that could happen was an awkward conversation and reprimand on her part for how messy his house was. Dana was not so optimistic, and her imagination ran wild with various worst-case scenarios which ultimately prevented her from visiting himfor the longest time.
She came close, however.
Oh, how she came close to throwing caution to wind just to see her son. More than once she did but in the end her fears got the better of her and she ended up not going through with it. Dana was not happy or even content with their then current relationship; no mother worth the name would be satisfied with not being able to see their child, but she was too fearful to disrupt it. She wouldn't be had she not known for a fact that Stanley could and would cut all ties with her.
It didn't matter if the decision was impulsive or turned out to be foolish or just plain wrong in hindsight. Stanley was the type of man to follow through on his decisions and live with the consequences either out of sheer stubbornness or a twisted sense of integrity. She hated that part of him because, whether he realized it or not (which she assumed he didn't), he got such a twisted mentality from her ex-husband.
Her ex-husband was a conservative man who preached conservative values and liked to teach conservative sentiments to his children, especially the boys.
A man must never be soft.
A man must stand up for himself.
A man must provide for his family.
A man must have integrity.
Oh, how much she hated him and how his ideals poisoned her children in one way or another.
'I should have-'
Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Stanley, who placed her order of brown sugar boba tea on the table before taking a seat opposite her.
"Thank you" she spoke before sipping her drink.
Stanley watched her do so for a moment before speaking "since when did you start drinking boba tea?"
"A few years ago," she answered.
Admittedly she wasn't exactly in the right headspace at the time which turned out to be a positive in that instance because it made her susceptible to taking what she considered a harmless risk. She didn't expect to enjoy it as much as she did, and boba tea ended up becoming a guilty pleasure food for her.
"Aren't you going to try yours?"
Stanley looked at his order in contemplation before, with a shrug of resignation, sipped the drink through the wide straw.
Dana watched in anticipation as he paused to smack his lips "well?"
"Not as bad as I thought it would be" he grunted.
She couldn't help but chuckle at that, "I knew you would like it."
She went to drink more of her own when she saw his lips purse as he scrutinized her, causing her to pause her drink.
"What is it?"
"You've been here before."
The question that wasn't spoken like a question made her freeze for a moment, which she covered up by chewing a tapioca ball.
"I have" she answered then added "a few times."
"What were you doing out here?"
Dana's mood became dour as she looked down for a moment before looking him square in the eye.
"I was visiting you…or I tried to anyway" she added "I never did follow through with it, even when I promised myself that I would. This place ended up being as far as I got before I turned back."
Stanley had a complicated expression at this revelation but ultimately spoke "Natalie gave you my address."
"She did."
"Since when?"
"A few months after I started texting you after...you know."
That was a long time, and she saw he realized this and prepared herself for the next question.
"Why didn't you..." he trailed off.
"I was afraid," she admitted.
She didn't need to say anymore for him to understand, which was good because part of her was chaffing at showing this amount of weakness in front of him. Disregarding those thoughts it seemed he was at a loss for words and didn't know how to continue the conversation leading to an awkward silence. Luckily, even through her introspection Dana kept track of where the conversation was heading before it got derailed.
"So," she began, "you said that you met someone?"
He took a moment to gather his bearings before answering.
"Yeah, I met someone."
Now things were getting interesting.
"Oh? Who is she?"
She could see a bit of apprehension in his expression before he decided
"Her name's Ezraphel, and she's…she's amazing."
~A Mother's Judgment~
He saw his mother perk up "Ezraphel?"
Whoop there it is. He said it. Admittedly, it took a lot longer than he thought to get here because he genuinely thought he wouldn't have any meaningful things to talk about, but this conversation he knew to be inevitable. So here he was an hour after he arrived finally talking about his girlfriend.
"That is quite the name," his mother commented, "sounds exotic."
"Yeah, it's foreign. European, I think."
"It's Hebrew Stanley" his mother informed in a chiding tone "like Berkowitz."
He just about stopped himself from making a snarky comment that would earn him her ire.
"Right…so anyway, we met last year and..." he trailed off for a bit before adding "and we started dating."
*Gasp*
Stanley felt his eye twitch at the expression of disbelief, relief, and joy present on his mother's face.
"Stanley, you have a girlfriend!?"
He'd ask why she was so surprised but having just gone over the last six or so years of his life, which was now at the forefront of his mind, her reaction made a depressing amount of sense.
"Yeah mom, I have a girlfriend" he sighed.
"Tell me more."
Stanley swallowed.
This was the part he's been working on since he agreed to meet her. Clearly there were some holes in Ezraphel's background that needed to be ironed out. Frankly the whole idea of Ezraphel coming from a subculture of modern religious nonconformists and living in an ultraconservative community was ridiculous.
Other than a lack of modern credentials, an online footprint, an inclination towards traditionalist values pertaining to women in the household (that is more of a personal preference than a stringent belief), and a lack of knowledge on modern technology and culture (which she has since rectified through exposure to both), she didn't have anything in common with the 'Plain People' community.
The first and most obvious thing about Ezraphel is that there was literally nothing conservative about her. From the way she looked to the way she dresses, from her personality to her very presence everything about her was geared towards being loud, bombastic and generally getting as much attention as possible. She also didn't have any religious inclinations even in her old world. When the only thing separating your mother from genuine Godhood was a technicality you don't tend to get into religion.
So with all that said Stanley decided not to bring up her origins and instead focused on the relationship itself. Unlike what he thought about his life post independence, he actually had a lot to say about his relationship with Ezraphel. It helped very much that he rehearsed talking points since his retelling became an exercise in ways not to hint at Ezraphel being anything more than an incredibly beautiful, somewhat airheaded and very eccentric but otherwise loving individual with questionable taste in men.
Despite the parameters limiting him, Stanley still found a lot of safe things to talk about in regards to Ezraphel. He was surprisingly honest about the various aspects of their relationship. He told her about how she metaphorically (but not really) dropped in his life, how she was very persistent about pursuing a relationship with him much to his disappointment, how he made sure to in his own way vet her authenticity through being himself (an obnoxious asshole), and how she eventually won him over.
He then went on to very carefully explain how she changed him for the better. It started with her constant presence in his life making him aware of his overall hygiene which caused him to eventually maintain a certain level of personal cleanliness at all times. Then there was his sense of fashion which he incidentally developed as a result of Ezraphel picking out the clothes he wore on their dates. This level of control also extended to his diet as she was the one responsible for his daily meals.
It was at this point that his mother gained a look of worry and skepticism in her eye that she couldn't quite conceal from him. So her next comment or rather the sentiment behind it didn't exactly come as a surprise to him.
"She sounds like quite the woman if you're comfortable with letting her take control of your life like this."
"I know how it looks mom but she doesn't have any bad intentions. Trust me, I'd know."
She hummed at his words clearly not convinced and he couldn't even be mad at her for it. Even if he tried his best, certain aspects of his story didn't quite mesh well with the image of a healthy and earnest relationship.
His mother took another sip of boba through her straw before she replied, "I won't insult your intelligence by making assumptions Stanley. I will trust your judgment."
"Thanks, I guess."
What a political way of saying, "I don't like what I'm hearing, but since you've proven me wrong before, I'll believe that you have a handle on this relationship for the time being."
*Strike One*
'I guess I deserve that.'
His mother didn't spare enough time for an awkward silence and got straight into interrogating-er questioning him about Ezraphel.
"So, what does she do for a living?"
'Oof.'
"Ez doesn't ah...have a job," he said, then proceeded to sip his boba though his mind was anywhere but on the taste currently entering his mouth as his mother scrutinized him further.
"I see" was her reply, and it didn't take a genius in social interactions to see her disapproval.
*Strike Two*
"Do you have a picture?"
Of course he did, though he didn't take any of them. Once Ezraphel found out about the phone camera, and long after his lecture on not leaving any kind of digital footprint featuring her true form, she was more than happy to leave a few pictures on the phone for him. Once he moved the NSFW ones to his private server he kept the rest in a separate folder. The reason he even bothered to keep the pics wasn't necessarily because he was preemptively preparing for a situation where he needed to show proof he had a girlfriend but more that he felt it was only natural for him to have pictures of his girlfriend on his phone in the first place.
He hadn't even checked on the pictures in the months since they were taken until literally the day before. So when he gave her the phone it was with the confidence that they were good SFW pictures that showed off how photogenic his girlfriend was. So you could imagine his nervousness when, aside from the initial shock of seeing Ezraphel for the first time, the more his mother swiped to look at the other photos the more she seemed... not pleased.
Oh she tried to hide it; she really did, but now that he had his emotions under control, his Incubus powers of empathy started working again. Now he could clearly see and even feel her displeasure as well as the increasing worry. When she saw enough she handed the phone back to him with a smile so plastic it was fit for a Barbie doll.
"She seems like a nice girl. I would love to meet her."
*STRIKE THREE*
"Like, right now? Today?"
His mother seemed mildly surprised but nodded all the same, though with some hesitance, "if it's not too much trouble."
Stanley clicked his mouth shut as he contemplated his answer. He considered the topic of a visit coming up during the conversation. The plan would be to put off the visit until a more convenient time. He could still totally do that and would be well within his right to but...
He did not like the expression on her face when she was looking at Ezraphel's pictures. It was clear to him that his mother did not approve of Ezraphel which rubbed Stanley the wrong way. He would have actually called her out on it if not for the fact that he also felt an undertone of worry mixed in with her disapproval.
From there his brain worked to find a reason for his mother's feelings and came to a conclusion that was frankly ridiculous to him yet obvious when looking at his situation from the outside.
So what was his mother's deal?
Well, she thought he was being taken advantage of by Ezraphel and was worried about him. He wasn't necessarily surprised by this since literally everyone he's close to had the exact same reaction to various degrees. On the one hand he's touched at their concern, but on the other hand, they immediately assumed he's the victim of thot manipulation which kind of pissed him off. The idea that he, Stanley Muthafuckin Berkowitz, would be caught simping was…completely fucking understandable.
He wasn't even mad that she was thinking this, but he couldn't let her get away with it. Not him being a simp that's getting taken advantage of (though that did irk him), but that Ezraphel was that kind of woman. At the very least he couldn't allow those thoughts to fester for however long until they set up a date for her to meet Ezraphel. And it was with this thought process stewing in his brain that Stanley Berkowitz made the first truly impulsive decision in recent memory that was in contrast to his actions thus far.
"You know what? Why don't I take you to meet her right now?"
His mother, clearly not expecting such an offer, was visibly taken aback. She recovered enough however to scrutinize her son and while it has been many years since she directly interacted with him she's spent enough time around him in this hour or so to pick up what's changed about his personality and what hasn't. So she knew that this offer of his was about as hasty and unplanned as it could get.
Which is why when she asked the question "are you sure about this?" it was in a deliberately slow and measured tone.
To her credit it seemingly had the desired effect of giving him pause as he considered whether or not he wanted to go through with this. Stanley shifted his jaw for a moment and one could literally see the gears turning as his mind raced.
After several seconds he replied "I need to make a call."
…
Dana watched him slip out of his seat, leaving her alone to enjoy the rest of her breakfast. For a moment she pondered the rather interesting life her son led; however, it didn't take long for her mind to go back to that woman. With the way her son described her she might as well be an angel but she could see the red flags as clear as day. And her son, being the clever boy she knew him to be, was at least aware of how it looked if he could call out her worries.
It was unfortunate then that despite this and the fact that he had proven himself to be smart and sensible that she just could fully trust he knew what he was doing. Especially in regards to this woman who from the sounds of it played a major role in her son's current positive physical and emotional changes. Hell she might have been the one to push him into meeting her in the first place.
She sounded too good to be true and then there's the relationship dynamic itself. From the sounds of it while this Ezraphel seemed to be driving force behind her son's change it also put her in a position of power over him. It felt like her son was being made to be dependent on this woman which was a dangerous prospect. It also hit just a bit too close home because Dana had just recently managed to get out of a toxic relationship that was basically the inverse of what she suspected her son was experiencing.
Still, even with her suspicions and worry for her son's emotional safety she did not want to cast aspersions on the woman just yet. It was a shame then that either she did not hide her emotions well enough or underestimated her son's ability to pick up on these things because he saw through her façade and was now aware of her thoughts on his significant other.
It was a mistake on her part but one that opened a possible opportunity. Obviously she did not expect to be invited to his house yet. She could hope but that was just wishful thinking at best. So naturally his invitation, hasty as it was, caught her by surprise, and she almost jumped at the opportunity but caught herself. Her question to him afterwards had been to calm herself down just as much as it was for him.
Now he was gone, most likely to call that woman, and it made her anxious. If it were just Stanley then Dana would know the answer but with that woman as a wildcard she genuinely had no idea what the answer would be.
'I suppose I'll find out now,' she thought, seeing Stanley making his way back to the table.
~While The Stan Is Away~
Left to her own devices without magic training from Ezraphel, there wasn't much for Natalie to do. She could be sleeping, browsing the internet, watching TV, playing videogames, or taking a shot at annoying her brother. Unfortunately the latter was taken out of her hands by Stan leaving the house to go meet their mother.
And isn't that a sentence she thought she'd never consider unironically?
Natalie was pretty sure she would have to work with Ezraphel to stage an intervention and get him to consider calling her, let alone meeting her. Yet once again she underestimated her brother's capacity for change which was starting to become a problem. How many times was he going to break expectations for her to reconcile the current man that he is now with the past boy she knew and raised for a significant portion of his life?
Luckily she didn't spend the entire time pondering on the meeting between her sibling and parent. Instead she returned to what she had been doing before getting sidetracked by her brother's attempt at sneaking out the house behind his girlfriend's back. She got right back on the couch and went to sleep.
Meanwhile…
"Hehehehehe"
In the confines of the Demon Realm, giggles of a deranged sort could be heard.
"It's finally finished—kukuku—HAAAHAHAHAHAH"
As Lilim broke down into gleeful hysterical laughter that would make anyone listening question her sanity, she just couldn't help it. She's been at this nonstop for literal days on end, only taking breaks to fulfill her customary duties as a wife. Even then, it was never for long, and in that time she had to leave right after to get back on this project.
"All for the perfect birthday gift for my Stanley~" More giggles followed before silence.
Then…
SLAM*
Ezraphel fell to her knees and began slamming her fist on the ground repeatedly, letting out all the stress and frustration accumulated over the past several days. Finally, she turned her head to the sky and let out an ear-piercing scream.
"AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!"
The scream amplified by her mana echoed across the vast emptiness of the Demon Realm for seconds even after she stopped. Ezraphel stayed hunched over on her knees for what felt like an hour but was more like a few minutes before she was roused by a hand on her shoulder. Looking up she found A looking blank-faced as usual yet conveying her reassurance through her brand of magical telepathy.
"How much of that did you see?"
"…"
"All of it?" The Lilim sighed at the 'answer' given.
The Golem continued rubbing her shoulder silently.
"I'm alright just…frustrated," she leaned against the Golem "I haven't had sex all week. You have no idea what that's like."
And that's when the shoulder rub stopped and the aura of reassurance dissolved like smoke in the wind. Noticing the change, Ezraphel looked to see A's blank expression looking more deadpan than usual. Then she realized she was just complaining about the lack of sex to a Golem who has to spend most of her days isolated in a pocket dimension and winced.
"O-oh, um..." she winced then cleared her throat "ahem, I think we've both earned some quality time with our husbands."
A gave a sharp nod that betrayed her eagerness and helped Ezraphel to her feet. Then without her usual gestures she teleported out of the Demon Realm and into the house proper. The plan was to take a nice long bath, make a mid-afternoon snack for her Stanley, and then convince him to give her a snack. That plan all but fizzled out when she realized that her Stanley wasn't in the house at all.
Now as surprising as this was it wasn't exactly uncommon for her Stanley to leave the house without prior notice. Plus with how busy she's been Ezraphel didn't expect him to go out of his way to tell her about it if it was nothing of consequence. Except she had the suspicion that this wasn't like those other times, and it all started with a particularly not-so-smelly smell.
*Sniff* *Sniff*
That was the scent of one of three colognes she picked up for Stanley and convinced him to buy. Stanley only wore cologne when he's going to be around people for a prolonged amount of time. The type of cologne he wore depended on the type of outing and the importance he placed on the people he may or may not be around. In the case of this particular cologne he only wore it for their dates which says a lot about where he went and, more importantly, who he might be hanging around with.
"Hmm…"
With a hum to herself and furrowed brows Ezraphel made her way to the closet where she confirmed her suspicion. One of the pre-assembled wardrobe sets she had made for their outings was gone. This meant that this outing was not for business but was of a casual affair and a rather intimate one at that. In other words it was important and he didn't tell her about it which did not sit well with her.
With a scowl on her face she attempted to reach out to him through their bond. The key word being attempted as before she could 'connect' Ezraphel was hit with the telepathic equivalent of a hand being shoved in her face.
Recoiling from the action Ezraphel took a moment to blink.
"What?"
She couldn't believe this. He was blocking her.
Her Stanley was blocking her.
"…what?"
This has never happened before.
His magic training wasn't going as well as it could have been, largely due to Stanley not being receptive to Ezraphel's teaching methods. Despite the setback he was able to gain an understanding of magic as well as being perceptive to changes in mana and spell activation in his general vicinity. Now she could no longer sneak up on him but while he could tell when a spell is being cast or mana is being utilized in his presence he never showed that he could do more than that.
Being able to even resist her attempts shouldn't be possible let alone outright blocking her. And for a moment Ezraphel simply stood there in shock before grabbing at her hair and releasing a scream of frustration and stomping her foot so hard that it shook the room. Luckily this localized tremor did not carry past the room itself
For a moment the thought to simply overpower his block entered her mind, but that thought was easily swept aside. There was probably a good reason why he was keeping this from her and she would find out about it when he returned anyway.
On the other hand...
"I am way too curious to just let it be!" she groaned.
And luckily for her, there just so happens to be another person in the house who might know what was going on.
Meanwhile…
Natalie was enjoying her nap until...
*Poke*
Her brows furrowed at the disruption.
"Natalie~" the mesmerizing voice came into focus as consciousness seeped into her mind once again.
*Poke* *Poke* *Poke*
"Hrm?"
"Wake uuuup~"
*Poke* *Poke* *Poke* *Poke* *Poke* *Poke* *Poke* *Poke* *Poke*
Finally having enough, Natalie's hand reached up to slap the offending appendage, disrupting her sleep away with a growl.
"I'm up, fuck," she groaned.
Pale red eyes fluttering open to the closed-eye smiling visage of a certain Lilim that was way too close for comfort. The shock was almost enough to get her heart beating...but not quite. It did succeed in knocking the sleep out of her.
"Uh, hey there," the Wight said awkwardly.
"Hello Natalie~" Ezraphel sweetly asked "did you enjoy your nap?"
"Yeah…?"
"That's great~"
Natalie's lips pursed as she decided to extricate herself from close proximity to the other woman, who was decidedly not acting like her normal self. Sitting up on the couch and scooting away for good measure, the Wight was now fully awake.
"Did you need something?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," the Lilim stood up "did you happen to catch Stanley leaving the house earlier?"
Natalie paused for a bit "yeah, he said he was going to be out for a while."
"Did he by chance mention where he was going?"
Natalie was already a bit perplexed by the line of questioning, but now she was actually observing the other woman.
"Shouldn't you already know?" She questioned "since you have magical surveillance and all that."
"I was a bit preoccupied at the time, as you already know."
'So she's not omniscient inside the house. Good to know but...
"That still doesn't explain why you're asking me about it if you've got a literal magical connection with him."
At this, Ezraphel's brows furrowed "you're being oddly reticent about answering my simple question, Natalie."
"Well Stan did tell me not to tell you what he's up to."
She did find it weird he would even say something like that given they were both aware of the reach of Ezraphel's abilities through their shared bond. At least Natalie thought she did, but apparently her brother knew something that she didn't.
"Now I'm curious why you're not using it to find him."
Ezraphel looked away muttering lowly.
"What was that?"
"I said Stanley is blocking me!" She snapped.
Natalie's eyes widened "oh! Oh shit. He can do that? I didn't know he could do that." She paused at the annoyed expression on Ezraphel's face "and I'm guessing you didn't either?"
Ezraphel collected herself and schooled her expression "Stanley continues to exceed my expectations."
"If you say so."
"Now will you tell me what was so important that he is going through all this trouble to keep it a secret from me?"
"What's in it for me?" She asked, and at the unimpressed look Natalie rolled and scoffed, "come on you should have known I wasn't going to just give you this for free."
"And I assume the thing you want is to be taught magic spells without the wager coming into play?"
Natalie grinned, "you know me so well."
"Very well."
"Alternatively, you could have just waited until he comes back."
"Natalie" Ezraphel intoned testily.
"Right, so Stan is actually meeting with-"
Just then her phone started ringing interrupting whatever she was about to say. Ezraphel looked about ready to obliterate the thing as her gaze snapped to the device so fast she thought she heard a whip crack. As for Natalie fearing for her phone, she snatched it away using her spectral hands to retrieve it and held it up to see who was calling.
"Speak of the devil," she muttered and answered the phone "hey Stan, I was just thinking about you."
There was a brief pause before, "is Ez in the room with you by any chance?"
"Standing right in front of me actually."
"Put me on speaker."
She did just that.
"You're loud."
That was Ezraphel's cue to speak, "hello Stanley, are you enjoying your clandestine meeting?"
"If you're asking that then Natalie hasn't sold me out yet," was his dry reply.
"Your call literally interrupted," Natalie informed. "It was kind of weird actually; it's almost like you knew what I was doing and stopped it."
"You're imagining things. So Ez long story short I took your not-so-subtle advice the other day and reached out to my mom."
Abruptly Ezraphel's frown dissipated as her hands covered her mouth dramatically. Not that it seemed to do much since the gasp she released was very audible if nothing else.
Natalie for her part simply asked, "how's that going by the way?"
The question had Ezraphel leaning in with a grin of anticipation, "Yes, Stanley, how is meeting your mother?"
"It's... fine, I guess. We talk a bit—look, that's not important right now."
"I disagree but continue."
"So some stuff happened and I may or may not be inviting her over."
The news stunned both women, who met each other's gaze before looking back at the phone.
"How did that happen?" Natalie questioned.
"That's not important."
"Bullshit/I disagree, Stanley," both women said at the same time, one again meeting each other's gaze.
"Look, I just want to know if it's cool if she could come over for a few hours; maybe stick around for dinner."
"I can hold an illusion disguise, so I don't mind" informed Natalie.
"Oh, uh…"
"What?"
"I kinda forgot to mention you were staying with us."
Natalie's expression turned to mild disbelief "you're fucking with me."
"..."
"It's been an hour, and you couldn't even mention that I was staying at your place."
"Not my fault you never came up in conversation."
"No, it's totally your fault!"
He ignored her and instead switched to addressing Ezraphel with "you're being very quiet, Ez,"
Luckily for him Natalie was curious about Lilim's silence as well and saw that she had an expression of intense concentration.
"I am not against the idea but why invite your mother now?"
"…She may or may not think you're a gold digging thot manipulating me for my money."
Ezraphel sputtered, "e-excuse me!?"
Natalie went wide-eyed but nodded "yeah, that makes sense."
"Natalie!?"
The Wight shrugged though, "I thought the same thing too," she admitted, and upon seeing the Lilim's expression, she added apologetically, "no offense, but you getting with my brother under normal circumstances falls under the 'not in a million years' umbrella of unlikely scenarios."
"Ugh," Ezraphel face palmed.
It wasn't as if she wasn't aware of what people thought about her when they view her and Stanley's relationship from the outside looking in. She could ignore it, but that didn't mean she couldn't get annoyed with people assuming that she's some floozy taking advantage of an unfortunate man. It just hit a bit harder when people whose opinions she actually cared about think the same thing.
"It's your decision Ez. You want to meet mom today or wait until—I don't know—like next week or something."
Well currently she's mentally tired, horny as all hell, and quite a bit spirit energy starved. The smart thing to do would be to postpone the visit until she's in a better condition physically and mentally. On the other hand, she really wanted to meet with her mother-in-law, so...
"Yeah, you should put a pin on that for another day."
Ezraphel blinked as Natalie answered for her "Natalie?"
"Your girl looks stressed enough as it is without worrying about mom breathing down her neck."
The Lilim's mouth clicked shut, and together they looked at the phone as Stanley seemed to ponder the answer.
"Ez?"
Ezraphel's gaze flicked between Natalie's raised brow and the phone before gathering herself.
"It is as she says Stanley."
"Okay, I'm going to stick around for a bit with mom, so I probably won't be back for a while."
"Understood"
"And don't tell her I'm staying here."
"Weren't you just pissed about me not mentioning you in the conversation?"
Natalie rolled her eyes and retorted "hey if you want to be the one to explain the circumstances behind why I'm staying here; be my guest."
"Wasn't planning to talk about you anyway."
"Because it's all about you?"
Rather than a reply to her, Stanley addressed the other woman in the room, "have something ready for me by the time I come back, and I'll take care of that stress problem for you, Ez."
The Lilim perked up at that, "I shall make a feast and for desert."
"I'll have you."
Then he abruptly hung up, leaving a mortified Natalie gaping at the audacity, "what the fuck?"
Ezraphel paid no heed to the Wight's words as she teleported away in preparation for her beloved's return.
Meanwhile Natalie, now left alone, muttered "fucker did that on purpose."
She put the phone down and dropped back on the couch to stare at the ceiling with a scowl.
"I need to get the hell out of here and get laid ASAP!"
~To Be Continued~
Author's Notes: Happy Holidays everyone going to be doing a double post this month because I missed November but it ain't going to be for the main story. The Christmas special will be posted in the Sidestories on the 25th so if you're not following that then now is the time to do that or if you want to catch an early peak then check out my Pa treon.