tw i guess? half or i guess a third of this chapter is .

lucifer does not return to the meeting even when angels and demons are sent to her back. a powerful mortal stands in their way; even if she trembles at the sight of them, she keeps the devil behind her, offering a sense of protection that seungwan has never had the luxury of experiencing.

with hell seemingly descending into chaos, the fates decide to show a rare moment of kindness to the demons by postponing the meeting. the angels, however disgruntled, silently relish in the chance to prepare for uncertain times ahead.

returning home, seulgi is surprised to see them back earlier than expected. the demon opted to stay back with sooyoung since the mortal has no place in a meeting of realms and she was more than happy to not be stuck in a long meeting.

“you’re back early,” seulgi comments while munching on a piece of toast, “how’d it go?”

shaking her head, joohyun hints to the clueless demon that it’s not a good time but seulgi seems to have missed it.

“yah, did something happen?”

crunch.

seulgi’s chewing sounds grating against the couple’s silence and seungwan releases a soft exhale. while joohyun may have intervened in her self-destructive spiral, the devil is far from fine.

“i just want to be alone.” seungwan murmurs, glancing at joohyun before extricating herself from the mortal’s grip. 

a teleport takes her to the river styx and leaves seulgi blinking in surprise, turning her attention to joohyun for answers.

seungwan finds herself at her favourite spot by the styx, resting her back against the bark of a dead tree while she watches boats drift past. her own mortality weighs on her a little; perhaps her soul wouldn’t feel as heavy if she could start afresh every once in a while.

most days, she doesn’t think about the ones that have died at her hands. most of them deserved it, others are nothing but faceless collateral. she’s always done as she pleased even if it meant hurting others, that is the way of the demons, that is their definition of freedom.

now, the very freedom that they view as the pinnacle of their existence has been tainted with the notion of evil, which forces seungwan to confront her actions over the years. 

who would she be if she wasn’t the devil? if she never left heaven, if she stayed an obedient warrior under the control of god. perhaps she would’ve been content if she never had a glimpse of the sheer desire for life that lilith had, but that life would’ve been nothing short of dull.

simply being son seungwan would’ve been nice, as boring as it may sound. though, she wonders how she and joohyun would’ve crossed paths. would the fates have brought them together once again?

the idea of living a life free from her duties sounds enticing yet a part of her knows that she won’t be the same. she is the way she is now because of everything that’s happened to her — a product of chaos and happiness beyond a mortal’s comprehension.

somehow, despite how wrong it feels, seungwan concludes that she would never give this part of herself up. perhaps a part of her is innately evil. she lets the thoughts run through her head, yet each one seems to reinforce the fact that there is no other way forward other than change. inhaling deeply, she shuts her eyes, allowing herself a moment of silence to quell the turmoil within her. laying down, she lays her arms out against the grass, feeling every blade distinctively. the crisp, cool air of the styx feels nice against her skin. for a long time, she allows herself to melt into her surroundings, thinking of nothing more than the sensations her body feels.

her peace is ultimately interrupted by clumsy footsteps approaching from behind, alerting her of the presence of the fallen angel of dreams. before seulgi can even say anything, seungwan’s words cut through the silence.

“leave me alone, seul.”

a soft sigh escapes the demon as she settles next to her best friend, “joohyun tried to explain the situation to me but i’d rather hear it from you instead.”

“it doesn’t matter.” lucifer mutters without bothering to crack an eye open.

“it does, wannie. you know i’ve always supported your choices, so talk to me.”

the devil acknowledges the demon with a quiet exhale. feeling the soft grass of the styx beneath her fingers, she turns to her best friend.

“is it wrong for me to do this?”

beelzebub furrows her brows as she tries to find the right words, “if it’s because of what happened… it doesn’t feel like the right response.”

“is there even a right response?” seungwan allows a wry scoff to slip, jolting upright as a spark of anger threatens to build in her chest.

the demon shrugs, motioning with her hands, “maybe not, but there might be better ways to go about all of… this.”

“then tell me seul, what the should i do?”

the answer comes naturally, “the same as you’ve always done, wannie. appease the angels and then let things die down, then everything returns to normal in a while.”

“this is beyond appeasing angels, seulgi. the fates want me to fix this — whatever we’ve become. hell needs a new leader.”

“you think everyone will accept it just because you said so? the fates want you to fix it.” seulgi counters, “we respect you as our leader for a reason, wannie. if hell truly needs change, there’s no way we can do it without you.”

for the longest time, she’s held the position of the true king of hell but she hasn’t felt like that in a long time. not when she lost control of the entire realm after lilith died.

quietly, she speaks, her tone carrying a low warning, “i’m not the right person for this.”

“then who is?” seulgi demands, “a third of the kings are gone and the rest put you in this position. they didn’t listen to me and they never will. so, who else is left?”

seungwan tightens her jaw, “it doesn’t have to be a king.”

“don’t lie to yourself, wannie. you wouldn’t listen to an imp, you’d punt them into the sun if you could. as much as we say we despise hierarchies, we tend to obey those stronger than us. you can’t put a lower-ranking demon in charge and expect the likes of byleth or belial to obey them.” the fallen angel of dream sighs.

seungwan buries her face in her hands and her shoulders sag, almost as if she’s caving in on herself. the burden of her responsibilities has never felt this heavy, exceptionally more after what seulgi has just said.

“tell me, how did you come to this?” her best friend asks softly, she wants to understand why, not to try to fix hell but rather ease the suffering of the devil.

how did it come to this? 

it started with the fates. one simple insinuation was all it took to shatter the reality she has known for centuries. 

“have you ever wondered why violence is our answer to everything?” the devil asks quietly, “was there no other way? why have we always resorted to fighting as a means to end problems?”

“was it joohyun that led you to this epiphany?” seulgi quirks a brow but a prolonged silence answers her instead, so she continues speaking instead, “i used to, all the time. there’s always another way, just a matter of what works best.”

the morality of celestials differs greatly from the mortals and being confronted with such a question, seulgi tries her best to piece her thoughts together. circumstances change everything, despite their immeasurable power over mortals, they too have higher powers above them. without wars or conflict, they would still be angels of heaven. fighting for what they want has always been a core of who they are.

“we were fighting the powers that be, wannie. primordial powers beyond our comprehension. do you think god would’ve let us leave if we asked politely? do you think the fates would have struck a deal with you if we didn’t show them how important lilith was? fighting was the only way that worked, it was the only way we had any control. the wars we fought weren’t pointless, it was for our freedom, it was for love and it was how we defined our place in this world.”

a heavy silence envelopes the duo, almost as if seulgi’s wisdom has caused an epiphany to blossom within the depths of the devil’s mind. her shoulders tense up as she shoots beelzebub a harrowing glance.

“yet… at the end of the day, we’re still under their control. will we ever truly be free?”

seulgi stitches her brows in confusion, “you mean the fates?”

“i mean… him.”

him, their creator, god.

“he’s gone, wannie, you killed him yourself. there’s no way he has any control over us now.”

“you don’t understand, seul. he’s not dead, rather he’s everywhere.” seungwan tightens her jaw, “do you remember why we even stormed up there in the first place? it wasn’t lilith.”

memories of the war of heaven return, none pleasant. as much as the fallen angel of dreams is known to be a pacifist amongst demons, most seem to have forgotten that her hands are stained with the blood of angels just like baal’s. it wasn’t lilith — unlike the others, when she fought with seungwan, they were fighting for something more than just free will, something they believed that they had the power to change if they unshackled themselves from god. 

“we wanted to end suffering, we wanted to be free.”

“and did we?” seungwan presses, “or did we become what we sought to eradicate?”

seulgi falls silent, steadily processing the words of lucifer as she stares into the horizon. this is the real reason why seungwan wants to strip herself of her title. it’s not due to guilt, nor the supposed violence they’ve grown accustomed to, it’s her association with evil and suffering, or rather god himself. he has been the villain of their lives, a terror that they vanquished in the name of making the world a better place, but as they stand in the aftermath of it all, it seems that they are beginning to understand that evil can’t fully be eradicated — something or someone else will take his place.

“would you have known peace without suffering?” a rhetorical question, though unsaid between the two, they both know their answers are no different. seulgi continues with a soft exhale, “do you remember the days before we fell? before the wars. we had our doubts, but can we deny that our ignorance was bliss?”

lucifer’s memories of her days in heaven have long been tarnished by ones of the war. dredging up old memories of the good old days seems to be harder than it should be, her fragmented memories barely go beyond the lush gardens in the house of the seraphim.

bitterness seeps into the fallen angel’s words, “he was right all along, wasn’t he?”

“probably,” seulgi lets out a wry chuckle, “one cannot exist without the other, it’s the balance he spoke of.”

“i don’t want this, seul. i don’t want to live according to his will. he’s been gone for eons but i feel like i’m still doing what he intended for me to do.” seungwan admits in a tormented whisper, her voice threatening to crack.

seulgi slips an arm around her and pulls her close. “i don’t think you’ve been under his control since you met lilith but things are merely playing out in his favour now. it’s not as bad to consider it a matter of coincidence. you were his strongest weapon and banishing a mortal was unheard of until lilith. don’t you think it’s odd that he tried so hard to keep you at his side unless he realised he was losing control of you?”

“you don’t know that for sure.”

“and neither do you. we’ve never known their true intentions, including the fates, but you’re the one who can still make conscious choices while he’s practically gone from existence. he can only have power over you now if you let him.” seulgi sighs, “you are more than just his tool, you are lucifer for hell’s sake. and hell needs you, heck, the world too. if we’re all the evil that exists, i’d say humanity has got it good.”

the world is in a much better place compared to centuries ago when lilith was still around. suffering still exists, but much of humanity thrive now. in a twisted sort of way, be it thanks to the rebellion of demons or not, the world seems to be in equilibrium now.

“it’s better that it’s us than something else, don’t you agree?” seulgi nudges her lightly, “at least we can still choose to do good.”

the devil nods in agreement, their hunger for freedom is what sets them apart from the other beings of this universe. 

“now that you’re thinking clearly again, what do you say about making joohyun queen?” 

a sense of serenity washes over seungwan and she bursts into a laugh at the thought of joohyun ruling over demons, “there’s no way joohyun would want to rule over a realm of demons.”

the tension slips from her body as seulgi begins to laugh as well. underneath the demon’s harmless facade lies a once perspicacious angel of dreams who many seem to underestimate. some have called her a fool for someone of her ability to follow the likes of lucifer but perhaps she merely understood the angel of dawn’s role in the universe before anyone else could.

“be real, wannie. you need her. without her, you wouldn’t have even considered change. you’re reckless and impulsive and you’d do anything for her until she disagrees with your methods.” seulgi’s words are light and free of tension now that seungwan has seemed to relax as well, “it’s what lilith would’ve done for you.”

the mere mention of lilith brings about an air of solemnity as it always does but seungwan tackles it with a soft sigh.

“she would’ve stood with me and fought god if she could,” the devil notes, “but all joohyun wants is tteokbboki and cuddles.”

seulgi snorts, “i think you’re the one that wants cuddles.”

“i’ll admit the feeling is mutual.” the corners of the devil’s lips lift into a small smile before it falls just as quickly, “i suppose there are perks to having lilith reincarnate as someone so mellow. as much as i need joohyun, the last thing i want is to ruin her life with my demonic existential crisis.”

“whether she likes it or not, she’s already tangled in all of this, just as lilith was. and it’s not your fault, the fates created her soul for this.” beelzebub speaks softly, “she cares for you and she will be there if you want her to be. it’s still your choice to make ultimately, be it searching for a successor or making her the queen of hell. all that i know is nobody will be able to accomplish what you want to achieve and having someone with a proper moral compass could be useful.”

“that’s real encouraging, seul.” she deadpans.

“i’m just being honest, wannie.” seulgi chuckles, “you have my support regardless of what you choose. naturally, i’d want you to stay but if you really want to step away, i’ll help you.”

seungwan hums softly, “i’ll… think about it.”

“where’s seungwan?”

the voice of baal bounces against the emptiness of the devil’s residence as she barges in, she growls, and a wave of raging anger rolls off her frame. the meeting between realms had gone awry after lucifer dropped a bomb on them. now, she’s nowhere to be found. normally, yerim, having grown used to cleaning up her messes, would’ve begrudgingly tried to sort this one out as well — but lucifer has taken her by surprise this time and she feels betrayed that seungwan didn’t even think to talk to her first.

joohyun, who had been silently sitting on the couch, jumps at the sudden appearance of the demon. she takes a breath to collect herself before replying.

“seulgi’s with her, but i think she’ll need some time and space after.” 

“she needs to deal with this, not run away.” yerim grinds her teeth, “i need to talk to her.”

hardening her gaze, joohyun shakes her head. a strong sense of protectiveness envelopes her and she finds herself wanting to keep the demon safe from anyone that might push her over the edge. locking eyes with yerim, it seems as if the two are thrown into a heated competition over the devil’s best interests.

“not now, yerim. she needs to clear her head.” joohyun’s tone is surprisingly firm, if she startled the demon, yerim doesn’t show it, “her decision has taken everyone by surprise, including me. maybe we should take a step back and try to understand how and why this was what she decided to do.”

looking away, the pink-haired demon quells her initial rage upon acknowledging that joohyun makes a good point. she offers the mortal the understanding she should’ve given to seungwan and relents with a slow exhale. “fine, but the longer she takes, the more we’ll have to deal with from the angels.”

“they’re the ones that need seungwan, they can wait for all i care.” joohyun retorts.

baal chuckles softly, glancing at the mortal with nostalgic affection — that was what the queen of hell would have said though she doesn’t say it out loud.

“did she tell you anything?” yerim asks, shuffling her weight from one foot to another.

joohyun scrunches up her face as if hard in thought, she runs through everything seungwan has said but nothing disturbs her more than how different seungwan felt after her return from meeting with the fates.

“only after i dragged her out of the meeting, she blames herself for hell turning out the way it did.” joohyun murmurs, “but i think it’s more than just that, i think it had to do with the fates, something they said to her led her to this.”

apart from lilith and joohyun, the fates are the only beings capable of bringing lucifer to her knees. yerim can’t help but feel a burst of anger on the behalf of her friend, she would make them pay if she could. 

the sudden touch of joohyun draws her out of her thoughts abruptly, she finds the mortal’s hands on her arm and a concerned look plastered across her face.

“figure things out with her, will you?” joohyun requests softly, almost pleading with the demon, “she shouldn’t be doing this alone.”

“of course,” the answer leaves yerim’s lips reflexively as she pats joohyun’s hand lightly, “when she’s back, tell her she knows where to find me.” 

joohyun nods and the demon bids her farewell, though unsaid, the responsibilities of lucifer fall upon her shoulders in times like this. there are plenty of problems to handle while she waits for the return of her leader.

seulgi returns hours before seungwan does, though she reassures joohyun that seungwan would be fine, her usual cheery demeanour seems to have dulled after her conversation with the devil. the mortal tries to press for more information but seulgi doesn’t say much beyond a simple she’s fine. it’s a relief when seungwan returns after what feels like a day later — being in the underworld where the sun doesn’t shine is sure to warp one’s sense of time.

joohyun happens to be in bed when seungwan quietly reappears and she slinks into the space that joohyun makes for her. the devil doesn’t hesitate to snuggle close to her, relishing in her charge’s soothing embrace. she presses her head close to the mortal’s chest, listening to the consistent beating of her heart lulls her into a sense of serenity. it feels like hours pass by before joohyun even dares to speak.

“how are you doing?” 

joohyun’s voice is quiet and comforting, yet a tint of worry lies beneath each word. her hand the back of the devil’s head gently, bringing a much-needed solace to her soul.

“i don’t want to think about it anymore, hyun.” she croaks weakly, the traces of defeat in her voice more evident than ever. 

in the time that they’ve gotten to know each other, joohyun can’t think of a moment when seungwan has felt more broken. vulnerability exists in rarity but this feels like an unfamiliar territory to them both.

the mortal presses a soft kiss to the crown of her head, “okay, you don’t have to.”

it’s much easier said than done, as such things tend to be. seungwan’s head still swirls with countless thoughts, none of which brings her to a gratifying conclusion but the mere act of being in joohyun’s presence helps to still her thoughts.

she tilts her head towards joohyun, eyes tracing her features as if she’s trying to take her in all at once. a small breath escapes her lips and somehow, it feels like joohyun simply understands what she wants. though hesitant, the intimacy of the moment urges the mortal forth and she leans in for a kiss. sensing no resistance, joohyun deepens the kiss, pressing her lips harder against the celestial’s.

the shy slide of joohyun’s tongue as it enters is enough to strip seungwan of every unpleasant thought. their bodies move almost of their own accord, joohyun pushes her into the bed as she shifts herself over the devil, all without their lips parting. seungwan relishes in the softness of her mortal lover, listening to the increased thrumming of her chest as their lips collide over and over until joohyun’s lungs begin to burn with the need for air.

unwillingly, she pulls back, her teeth catching seungwan’s bottom lip in the process. a soft breath hitches in seungwan’s throat, eliciting a gasp from her. hovering over the devil, her chest strains with the effort to catch her breath but seungwan sees her as nothing less than beautiful. with her hair falling over her face, part of joohyun’s features are obscured but the gentle orange glow of the distant, fiery waters of river phlegethon pours through the windows, offering just enough light for seungwan to catch a glimpse of the darkened intensity in her eyes.

despite her fervency, she takes a moment to assess seungwan’s reactions. the expression on the devil’s face seems to be a mixture of anticipation, surprise and the same desire that runs through her veins. the devil’s glowing red eyes tend to hold an otherworldly intensity, though as hard as joohyun searches, it seems to be absent now. indescribable vulnerability dances in her gaze as she merely lies underneath the mortal, lips parted in wanting as if she’s been rudely denied of more of joohyun.

it hasn’t been that long since they’ve admitted their true feelings for each other, at least to joohyun. with everything going on, it almost feels wrong to be exploring a new part of their relationship, one that should be a product of passion and not a means of distraction.

thumbing seungwan’s cheek gently, joohyun can’t help but ask, “is this… the right time?”

the question leaves the devil with a confused expression on her face, not a single moment exists in the span of their brief time together where she has never wanted joohyun. how is she to pinpoint the right time when the only time the world feels right is when she’s with joohyun?

“i can’t think of a moment where i don’t want you.” seungwan swallows, her words slithering through and out in a shaky whisper, “i want this, i want you.”

joohyun nods, once then twice, perhaps to reassure herself or to confirm seungwan’s words. either way, she gives seungwan what she wants. urged on by her, joohyun doesn’t feel as hesitant when she dives in to capture seungwan’s lips with hers.

joohyun’s breath is hot against her skin and seungwan welcomes every touch. her fingers graze the devil’s soft skin, for the monster that heaven thinks she is, joohyun thinks otherwise. her touches are light and experimental, and only when she locks eyes with seungwan does she gain a little more certainty in her actions.

she pulls the hem of the devil’s shirt up, revealing her toned stomach and eventually, all of her. lucifer lays bare beneath a mortal, surrendering herself in ways she never thought possible. joohyun spends a long moment trying to trace the figure beneath her, it’s only when her chest tightens does she remind herself to breathe.

long ago, she begged for god’s forgiveness for finding the devil attractive. now? she’s in the depths of hell, about to the very angel that killed him. 

the mortal presses their lips together once again before she shifts her attention to the rest of seungwan. her lips and hands begin to roam south, exploring parts of her that have remained hidden for what feels like too long. her hands trace every curve, fingers sliding across muscles that she’s longed to touch. seungwan’s breath catches in when she feels the wetness of joohyun’s tongue against her s, her hands curl around her lover’s small back to steady herself.

ignited by her soft sounds of pleasure, joohyun’s hands begin to part the devil’s legs. a gentle and deliberately slow swipe between them leaves a warm wetness on her fingertips, helping her to gauge just how much seungwan wants her.

she wastes no time in lowering herself further, burying her head between lucifer’s thighs and offering herself up for the devil’s pleasure. the first taste of seungwan rewards her with a satisfying gasp and it awakens something within joohyun.

the realization that this is a side of seungwan she’s never seen before, something beyond mere vulnerability.

the increased intensity turns seungwan’s soft gasps into audible moans, her fingers tangling in joohyun’s hair as she nudges her head further between her legs. the mortal doesn’t even need to look up to feel the desire oozing off of her, but she does anyway, the image of lucifer arching her back in pleasure is a memory for her and her alone.

she slows in her efforts to bring seungwan to the edge, forcing the devil to look down at her. time seems to slow as they catch each other’s gazes, a whimper is heard before seungwan draws a shaky breath, locking eyes with joohyun, the mortal would have never expected someone of her stature to start begging.

“h-hyun… please…”

the fact that she, a small, frail human of all beings, has such an effect on one of the most powerful beings in this universe brings about a feeling of immense exhilaration. it drives her to please seungwan, hooking her arms beneath her legs, she presses them to her shoulder while devouring her with every swipe and flick of her tongue.

to say her mind has gone blank wouldn’t be right; seungwan struggles to focus on anything but how soft joohyun’s tongue feels and how close it’s bringing her to the edge. it doesn’t take much longer for the pleasure to fully build up and she makes it known with a gasp.

“i’m… i’m close…”

doubling down on her efforts, joohyun gladly guides her across the unseen thresholds of an , picking up speed even as seungwan arches her back and comes with a choked cry. the devil thrashes, basking in the waves of pleasure that seem to never end until joohyun deems it’s enough; until all the tension slips from seungwan’s body and she fully relaxes into the bed.

joohyun releases her tight grasp on her thighs and crawls her way back to seungwan. they exchange a deep kiss, offering seungwan a taste of herself. joohyun’s hands roam freely along her body until seungwan decides to pull away.

despite seemingly drowning in the afterglow, seungwan begins to tug joohyun’s clothes off. for a moment, the mortal goes along with it, but the thought of seungwan feeling so broken under her fingers reminds her that tonight isn’t for her.

“you don’t have to, i just wanted you to feel good.” she reassures gently, stopping the devil from removing the clasp of her bra.

“i want to,” seungwan murmurs, a small smile appearing on her lips, “besides, you’re telling me you can resist these abs?”

groaning, joohyun can’t help but let a chuckle slip. she retorts, “god can’t send me to hell if i’m already here, right?”

“exactly,” seungwan laughs while her fingers move over joohyun’s body with trained motions, “if you’re already sinning, you might as well sin more.”

“sounds like something the devil would say.” joohyun rolls her eyes as she allows seungwan to flip them. now, she’s the one who lies beneath the devil, but she feels safer than ever.

a sly smirk appears on her face, “the devil would like to say a lot more but… i think you’d prefer if i just showed you.” 

their lips brush against each other as seungwan brings her head close, she can’t help but lean in for another taste of joohyun’s lips — something about it is wonderfully addictive and she can’t seem to get enough.

the tremors of a hum escaping from joohyun could be felt as seungwan’s hands kneads the soft flesh of her s. as joohyun explored her body, seungwan reciprocates it with her hands and tongue as well. she slowly makes her way down from joohyun’s lips, peppering kisses down the side of her jaw to her neck and then down to her chest.

unlike joohyun’s tenderness, seungwan ensures that marks are left on her skin, more so in places that could be seen. the one on her collarbone is sure to stick for a while, joohyun doesn’t seem to mind now but it’ll certainly change once they’re done for the night.

“tell me if you want me to stop.”

before joohyun can process her words as a warning, her hands are pinned over her head with seungwan’s hand locking them in place. it takes her by surprise, though it isn’t shock that runs through her body, but rather a new thrill she’s yet to experience.

the devil’s hold on her is tight but nowhere near painful, just enough strength to keep her in place. with her free hand pushing apart her legs, seungwan dips her head and kisses the sides of her inner thighs. her actions are slow and deliberate, bent on getting joohyun riled up. 

she looks up and sees a new look in her charge’s eyes, hazy with arousal. she decides it’s enough teasing as she presses to her core, lightly at the sensitive nub. the mortal squirms as the devil works but this isn’t all she has to offer. pulling back, she makes a show of running her tongue over her teeth and joohyun’s breath catches in .

normally, she would find it goofy but words can’t even begin to describe the flush she feels when she’s pinned under lucifer of all demons.

seungwan pushes a finger in, then another. joohyun’s walls clench as she begins to move her hands, but the addition of her thumb on her is what makes joohyun struggle in her grasp.

a subtle flick of her wrist marks the beginning and seungwan begins gliding her fingers in and out of joohyun. the mortal squirms helplessly beneath her but a simple squeeze of her pinned wrists makes joohyun surrender entirely.

her s pick up speed, fingers curling as they draw quiet moans from joohyun. she’s shy at first, hesitant to make a noise until seungwan makes it impossible for her to stay silent. the devil shows no restraint, seemingly rough and gentle all at once, she brings her closer and closer to release. her breaths become ragged with need and seungwan is more than happy to give her everything she wants.

the first coherent words cause seungwan to pause, for fear that she might be pushing too much onto her lover at once.

“more…” she croaks, words are harder than they should be and half of seungwan’s name is lost to lust, “wan…”

seungwan bites the urge to smirk and obliges by thumbing joohyun’s sensitive core. she inserts another finger and the visible twist of her expression encourages seungwan to continue. she picks up the pace, fingers ing relentlessly until she feels the first signs of joohyun’s impending .

the squirming increasing in frequency along with the lifting of her hips. her eyes are clamped shut and her jaw seems to be locked in a pleasure-filled gasp. it won’t be long till she reaches her limit.

what a sight to behold, though seungwan thinks she can push it further. thanks to her celestial physique, increasing her speed isn’t an issue, she only worries how much joohyun can take — and so far? she’s taking her pretty well. the bed shifts and creaks but neither of them pays it any mind because joohyun is teetering on the edge of release and it’s all they can focus on.

in the lifetimes they’ve been together, seungwan has more or less figured out what makes her soul unravel. the devil leans close, nipping at her ear before whispering lowly.

“i got you.”

perhaps it is a matter of timing, or the huskiness in the devil’s voice, either one of those things sends joohyun’s crashing into her. she jerks violently as seungwan releases her hands, allowing her to claw at her sweat-slicked back while she continues to ease her off her pleasure, albeit a little too quickly than she thinks she can handle.

“good girl.”

joohyun whimpers, her body shuddering as wave after wave of pleasure wash over her. her nails dig into seungwan’s skin, leaving marks but the devil feels no pain. gradually, as the aftershocks dissipate, seungwan slows her s and flops lazily next to her lover. joohyun attempts to catch her breath but seungwan catches her in a brief kiss first.

“my god.” joohyun murmurs when seungwan pulls her into her chest, exhaustion has washed over her and she isn’t capable of resisting at all.

the devil whines, “come on, he’s getting credit for this?”

“technically, you wouldn’t be here without him.” joohyun quips as she melts into seungwan’s arms, “but no, you get full credit for ing my brains out. my god.”

the devil blushes slightly, and whistles at the intensity of her charge’s language. joohyun hardly curses so maybe she’s done something amazing. “was i that good?” she beams.

joohyun tilts her head up to gaze lovingly at her, “yeah but good girl? really?”

seungwan’s cheeks begin to turn a bright red and she looks away. “i…”

the mortal bursts into a loud laugh and pushes herself up to leave a small kiss on her cheek, embarrassment is a rare expression for someone like seungwan. “i’m kidding, you were great.” she settles back into seungwan’s side before asking, “how do you feel now?”

seungwan hums softly, joohyun has certainly succeeded in distracting her entirely. “better,” she bobs her head, “how could i ever feel bad when you’re in my arms? you have no idea how long i’ve dreamed about this.”

a smack echoes in the room and seungwan snickers softly, she tightens her hold around joohyun and plants a soft kiss on her head.

“i’m okay, seulgi helped me to realise some things,” the devil softens her voice, “but there’s something i wanna ask you.”

joohyun quirks a brow as she watches her lover closely.

“can we do this again?”

“i’m going to strangle you, seungwan.” 

“my goodness, you remembered i’m into choking?”

“yah!” joohyun attempts to reach for but seungwan naturally overpowers her with ease, forcing her to relax with a loud laugh.

“okay, okay. it’s kinda a big deal,” seungwan quietens down with a sudden seriousness and joohyun stills as well, “i need you… i don’t think i can change hell without you.”

tenderly, she reassures the demon, “i’m not going anywhere, seungwan.”

“i know, but… i want you to be my queen, the queen of hell.”

joohyun regards her with a serious gaze, knowing that this is not a light matter. as far as she knows, lilith has been the only queen of hell, and seungwan has never crowned another as her equal — until now. a recurring doubt swirls through her head, how could she ever compare to lilith? to joohyun, she has always seemed to exist in the shadow of the huntress, especially when it came to loving seungwan. she’s overcome that but now seungwan is asking the impossible of her — to take up lilith’s role and act in her place.

even if she does agree to it, there’s only so much she knows about the celestial realms and their politics, how is she supposed to guide the entirety of hell? the glaring fact that she’s lacking in all ways makes her hesitant to say yes.

“i don’t know, seungwan… after everything that happened, i don’t think anyone would want me as queen. besides… i don’t know the first thing about hell or demons beyond what you tell me.” the mortal admits quietly, hints of reluctance seeping into her words.

“it’s more of a title, to show everyone how much i value you,” seungwan says softly, “i… i think i’d feel better knowing that you were with me.”

cupping her cheeks, joohyun shoots her a small smile. “i don’t need a title for that, you do it in your own ways already. you can tell me everything that goes on here regardless. maybe you should discuss this with your kings first, and see what they think about everything. i know yerim wants to help too.”

seungwan sighs; joohyun is right. she’s neglected to talk to her kings, especially yerim for a while now. she owes them a proper explanation and resolution to it all.

“i’ll talk to them soon.” seungwan murmurs, “right now, this might be my only chance to sleep with you .”

before she can stop joohyun, a pillow collides with her face and the mortal attempts to smother her.

the next morning, joohyun wakes to the absence of seungwan in her bed. last night’s activities have left her surprisingly drained, a dull ache running through her muscles as she leaves the bedroom in search of the devil. 

the only one she finds is her sister, who gladly greets her with a teasing remark the moment she steps into the kitchen. 

“is that what i think it is?”

“what?” joohyun murmurs quizzically as she attempts to throw breakfast together for herself.

sooyoung releases a dramatic sigh, resting her chin in her hand, “the huge hickey on your neck, unnie. did you finally sleep with seungwan?”

hearing the words huge hickey stuns joohyun, she freezes and blinks before she slowly puts down the carton of milk she’s just pulled out of the fridge. she calmly walks over to the nearest mirror which happens to be in a bathroom not far from the kitchen and tugs the collar of her shirt down, revealing the huge hickey in all its glory. 

her fingers clench around the porcelain sink as she eyes the monstrous purple bruise that starts from her collarbone and spreads like an infection up the side of her neck. furthermore, peeking down the inside of her shirt, she sees that her chest is dotted with more marks and bruises of all sorts. 

she’s going to kill seungwan, again. this time, with her bare hands.

she quietly returns to the kitchen, fully aware that sooyoung has the biggest grin on her face but she makes the conscious choice to ignore her. her sister clicks her teeth sharply, clearly wanting the hot gossip of what it’s like to sleep with the devil.

“yah, it finally happened and you’re keeping the details from me?”

“yes,” joohyun says as she pops a piece of bread into the toaster, “you don’t need details about my life.”

sooyoung cries, “sure, if you were in love with a human but she’s the devil for god’s sake! i need to know!” 

“you know we slept together, that’s all you need.” joohyun folds her arms across her chest nonchalantly, “besides you have seulgi, i’d assume she offers a similar experience.”

the younger girl narrows her eyes, “you guys probably had some boring , that’s why you’re not telling me anything.”

“we did not!” joohyun feels her ears reddening, “i-it was fine!”

sooyoung can’t help the cheeky smile from growing on her face, “was it everything you ever dreamed of?”

the ding of the toaster as her toast pops out saves joohyun from an awkward conversation her sister seems bent on having. sacrificing the need for breakfast spreads, joohyun shoves the toast in and makes a hasty exit.

after days of a state of unrest consuming the entire realm, the kings of hell are uncharacteristically quiet when lucifer finally calls for them. naturally, there had been discussions and rumours floating about the circles — a new king? most talks assume baal would be the one who takes up the mantle. after all, she’s done a good job of acting as lucifer’s right hand all these years and she commands the respect of the demons, there’s nobody more fitting than her.

ryujin is another potential candidate, though younger than most, with her father obliterated from existence, some think that she’ll take his seat amongst the kings. plus, her unique birth might give her an edge over others, a demon-angel hybrid to act as a new peacekeeper between realms didn’t seem like a far-fetched assumption.

nonetheless, these are merely rumours sprouting from drunken demons who have no clue what goes on in the mind of lucifer.

the king of hell regards her remaining kings with a solemn gaze. their numbers have dwindled by a third but more so the absence of paimon and asmodeus leaves the room with a gaping emptiness like pieces stripped from a completed puzzle.

lucifer folds her arms across her chest when she finally finds the will to address them, “what a show, huh?” she laughs wryly, hoping it eases the heaviness lingering in the air.

a few brief snickers are heard but they die almost instantly, the guilt of laughing when their fellow kings are dust has jumped forth and it brings the room to silence yet again.

“i don’t blame anyone for doing what they did, i would’ve done the same for all of you.” seungwan starts softly, eyes skimming over the demons before her, “but i think we can all agree that a line has been crossed, the fates didn’t deem a punishment necessary but they want a fix to ensure we’ll never commit such atrocities again.”

the kings are quiet for a long moment as if trying to process lucifer’s words in their own ways and then yerim speaks up.

“so you think by stepping away you can take responsibility for your actions?”

seungwan hardens her gaze and nods, “that’s what i thought. aren’t all leaders a reflection of their people? the angels look to the seraphim for direction.”

“i think you’re forgetting something, lucifer,” byleth, a demon king known for his sleaziness rarely speaks on matters regarding the realm but it seems that recent events have called for a change in him too, “the thing that separates us from angels is our free will.”

balam grunts in agreement, “he’s right, luc. at the end of the day, you don’t control us, nobody does.”

the devil bobs her head, “i’m beginning to understand that now, alongside the fact that we were dealt a ty hand from the start. our choices were limited and we were doing all that we could but that hurt and killed many people in the process. i’m not saying our actions weren’t justified, we couldn’t have established ourselves without them but i think circumstances have changed since then.”

varying emotions run through the demons as they take in lucifer’s words, seeing a truth in them that they’ve never noticed before. for a brief moment, seungwan could feel the edge that most demons falling away as if they were contemplating who they would be without slaughtering a mortal.

she too has thought about her role in this world, the role that god intended for her to have and what she would be without any of those things. the conclusion she gets is she doesn’t know, for these are all the things that make her a demon.

“i’m not asking for us to completely do a 180 and never kill anyone again, there are still going to be people out there who deserve it but there are many more who don’t.” seungwan murmurs, casting a glance at seulgi who shoots her an encouraging thumbs up, “the universe has always made us out to be the evil ones, and it shouldn’t matter. we’ve always defined our existence in our own ways, we can do it again. this time, hopefully, no one has to suffer.”

wanting to let someone else enact change upon the realm of hell seemed like the only way initially, when the idea of change felt so abstract and out of reach. now, as she stares at the confused, hopeful gazes of her kings, it feels possible. it’ll take time, years upon years perhaps, but just as they did the impossible of ripping god from his throne, they can do anything they want. 

“so, how do we go about this?” yerim asks with a light smile.

a brief beat of silence envelopes the room before seungwan declares with b enthusiasm.

“therapy!”

end notes:

heyhey. been a hot minute, i was jumping a lot between other AUs and struggling with school. also started reading again, which is slay because i'm realising how my writing is haha but fear not it is all 4fun here and likely i won't be posting anymore after this fic ends.

some thoughts regarding this chapter, i haven't felt like i really had a proper grasp on seungwan's conflict but hopefully, it kinda made sense. i've gone over her conversation with seulgi so many times over the past three months and until now i still can't help but feel like it's messy. and then the scene, my god. if you're on my priv twt i hope you felt my struggle while writing it. i'm not capable of writing anything overly , like... i like my sounding more intimate instead of LMFAO. but that's that, i wanted it to start softer and more hurt/comfort vibes but then i was like WELL. since i'm already here why not try something more. also seungwan her teeth was an actual clip i saw on twitter and i was like :flushed:

anyway, i was planning on posting two chapters at once to finish this but it's a lot of words and i haven't exactly pieced together the ending yet. if it's not done in a week then it'll likely be after july. so cheers, thanks for reading, we're really almost at the end now.