“i know that you don’t get out much, love. it’s rather obvious. but there are plenty of people that want to fuck you, that much i know. just look at you --- you’re art.” it wasn’t common for a to compliment those that had summoned him. actually, he rarely complimented anyone, unless he was attempting to get something he wanted ( which he always ended up getting, regardless of how hard he tried; a perk of his position ). the corners of his mouth curved upwards as he pulled the reaction he had been hoping for out of the human, a wicked smirk now lingering on his lips as he studied over the other male. he was able to hear q’s heart beating, as well, but he decided not to comment on it. the last thing he needed was for the other to have a heart attack before they even started what he was there for. “that’s better. look at you, already getting the hang of it,” he cooed as q wrapped his arms around his shoulders, tongue darting out to run along his lower lip. he was clearly teasing him, not feeling awkward in the slightest. like he had already said, he had dealt with worse cases. humans with breath that smelled like garlic, with craters in their faces and with hair that hadn’t been washed in a few days. they weren’t his proudest moments, but he did his job. and that’s all it was, really --- a job. “the bed will work. we’ll move there in a few minutes, yeah ? once you’ve relaxed a bit.” with that, he leaned forward, closing the small distance that was between them and pressing his lips to the others. for a demon, his touch was surprisingly gentle. he knew that he needed to take his time with this one, and he didn’t mind it. part of the fun came from the chase, from warming up and getting the other to relax, and figuring out what he was into would be well worth the time it took to get the male to relax.

asmodeus failed to stifle a laugh as he watched the human in front of him; he was clumsy, not graceful in the slightest, and that was always amusing to the demon. besides, being the demon of lust didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun with humans every now and then, right ? he enjoyed knowing that he had the power to scare someone, if he truly wanted to ( though none of the other demons thought so ). “right, of course. twenty-two year old virgin. s’hard to believe. you’re not the worst case i’ve seen.” he shrugged his shoulders, green eyes lingering on the smaller male as he took a few steps closer to him. there was a temptation to laugh as the other flirted, but, this time, he managed to hold it back. he couldn’t fault someone for trying, and he was having fun. it was a win-win situation. “don’t get too ahead of yourself, love. just because they call me the demon of lust doesn’t mean i’m going to cater to your pain kink ?” a was teasing him, again. and he didn’t give the awkward boy much time to think before he was moving towards him. each of his movements were quick, not human-like in the slightest, and he easily grasped onto the male’s waist, spinning him around so that a would be able to press him against the wall. now, there were only a few inches between them, and a was able to really get a glimpse at the male who had summoned him. his eyelashes were long, thick, and his eyes were a deep brown --- not to mention, his face still looked as though god had spent hours alone crafting it. “and where do you want this to happen ? i’d assume the bed, but perhaps you’re a closeted freak. and i’m not one to judge.” 

it wasn’t often that bentlix got annoyed --- really, he considered himself to be rather chill. but sitting in the diner, staring towards some stranger who had a sarcastic comment to make following everything he said, he found himself getting annoyed. he wasn’t sure what to do about that, either; he wasn’t used to feeling this way towards anyone but his father, or some of the other adults in halloway. ❝ look, i know you’ve got a reputation to keep up, or you just like being a piece of shit to prove a point, but could you try and have an actual conversation with me ? not everything needs to be an argument. ❞ somehow, he managed to keep his tone calm, and after he had spoken, his gaze fell back to the table. which meant he missed the other glancing towards him, which might have been a good thing --- he didn’t want to see his expression when he noticed how fucked up bentlix already was. ❝ well, you’re sitting there, so i don’t think my shoes can do much worse to the seat, hm ? ❞ it was a shitty comeback, but at least he had one. to him, it was better than staying silent and taking his feet off the seat --- now, he wanted to leave them there to prove a point. his eyes made their way back to the other male as he spoke, corners of his mouth angling downwards to form a bit of a pout. ❝ don’t say that ? life is shitty, but there’s no reason to off yourself. maybe... there’s a way to beat death. we don’t have to die when they tell us we do, y’know ? ❞

bentlix rolled his eyes as the other spoke, realizing that a lot of his comebacks had the same message: he didn’t know him, and he never would. he almost shot back with an ‘ i don’t care ’ but... that would have been a lie. ❝ is there anything that you do care about ? family, food, reputation ? you’ve gotta care about something. or, at least... once upon a time, you did. ❞ his eyes lingered on the stranger as he seemed to notice that his feet were beside him. of course he had expected it to irritate him; everything that bentlix did seemed to piss him off. and now, he just wanted to see how much he could get away with. his feet moved about three inches on the seat when they were pushed, though he didn’t bother to put them down on the ground again, folding his hands in his lap and glancing around the diner momentarily. he didn’t much appreciate the idea of eating in silence, but he had done it before, and he figured that it couldn’t be too bad. at least to everyone else, it looked like he had company -- a friend. his head immediately snapped back to look at the other at the mention of a death date; more specifically, ten years. ❝ you’re going to die in ten years ? wait, no -- i know that’s what you just said. but i am, too ? i’ll hardly make it to thirty before i’m dead. ❞ he never really told people when he was going to die, because he liked to pretend that it wasn’t real. if he didn’t say it, it wouldn’t happen. but he allowed for a moment of silence to let his words sink in, more for him than the other, before he realized that he needed to continue their argument. ❝ but, i mean... i manage to stay positive. and i’m going to die in the same amount of time. so, it’s possible. ❞  

    ❝ can you stop talking to me like i’m an idiot ? please ? i know you aren’t the nicest person, i got that, but you don’t have to talk down to others. i get that life isn’t fair all the time, i fucking know that. don’t i look like i do ? ❞ he wasn’t used to speaking out of line, but he kind of liked it. he didn’t want a stranger to feel like he could walk all over him, and now he was daring him to look at him again ( since that seemed to be such an issue ). he still had a black eye and busted lip from the night before, which couldn’t possibly have gone unnoticed... right ? ❝ i don’t view this as wasting my time. sure, you might not give a shit about what i’m trying to prove, but my plan had been to come here and get something to eat. i’m going to do that, whether you’re here or not. ❞ with that statement, however, his feet moved to rest beside the other male on the booth. it felt good to stretch his legs out, and he wanted to ensure that it would be a little more difficult for him to try and leave. truth be told, bentlix enjoyed the company, rude or not. life got boring when you didn’t have anyone to talk to. he rolled his eyes as the menu went up between them, glancing back down at the one in front of him on the table and chewing on his lesser lip. thankfully, a waitress came to take their orders and menus, bentlix unable to hide his smile as he glanced towards the other. ❝ you do realize you’re basically pouting all the time, right ? you’d think that if you knew how unfair life could be, you’d also know that it helps to be positive. better things happen when you’re positive. ❞

and my skype is annarules95 so just lemme know who u are if you add me

bentlix hardly paid attention to the other rolling his eyes this time. it was sad to say, but in the thirty minutes that they had known each other, he had already gotten used to that concept: the stranger rolling his eyes. he wanted to tell him to be careful, they might get stuck that way, but he decided against it. he didn’t want to make a fool out of himself, or piss the other off any more than he already was. ❝ i’m giving you a chance right now? you realize that you sound a bit ridiculous. i mean, so do i... but if i’m giving you a chance, and i’m from halloway, then you can do the same for me. that’s fair. ❞ he could already guess the response that he was going to get. something about how people from halloway weren’t fair, or how life wasn’t fair. some bullshit that he already knew, but didn’t need reiterated. ❝ i can’t stand the royals. they annoy the shit out of me. that’s why i spend most of my time here. ❞ he shrugged his shoulders, the action casual and calm, unlike he had been just mere moments before. but that was because, this time, he wasn’t lying. though, his body tensed once more as he realized that the other was looking at him and their eyes met again. it wasn’t that it made bentlix uncomfortable ( maybe a little ) but the male’s gaze was just so... powerful. that was the only way to describe it, really. ❝ sorry, didn’t expect you to get so defensive. it was all in good fun. ❞ there was a hint of a smile lingering on his lips now, even if he had just promised to try and follow the rules and refrain from smiling. he didn’t know why he was getting so much joy out of this, but he had a thing for watching the other squirm. mainly figuratively, but if he were to start squirming, also literally. ❝ that can easily be changed. you could tell me your name any time you’d like, you just choose not to. so... you’re the only one to blame, hm? maybe you’re the one who should be punished. ❞  

bentlix considered it a major accomplishment to have made the other laugh, even if it wasn’t over something that he found particularly funny himself. he could already infer that the male he had bumped into wasn’t the most pleasant one, which meant him smiling or laughing was a rare occurrence. ❝ in order for us to do that, you’d have to give us the chance? maybe you can give me the chance. i don’t think i’m like most people from halloway, but... you can give me your opinion in a few weeks. ❞ it wasn’t that he was offering to hang out with him on more than one occasion, but... maybe he was. bentlix didn’t have too many friends, especially not from gerret, and from the way the other was acting, he couldn’t possibly have many friends. somehow, he found the courage to take his eyes away from the menu and look towards the male that was sitting across from him. there was a second where they actually made eye contact, but he didn’t dwell on that too much. he knew that their conversation would be more of a push and pull, and he didn’t expect much of a connection to be made. ❝ i’ll try my best to refrain from smiling, but i make no promises, babe. ❞ there was a pause, as bentlix thought over his next words. before they were even out in the air around them, he knew that they were going to earn him a smack to the face. or worse. ❝ but if i can’t restrain myself, who is going to arrest me? certainly you don’t have any handcuffs that you’d want to use on me. ❞

     he should have expected that response from the other boy, and it had been rude for him to even comment on the other’s clothing in the manner that he did. but he really did only have good intentions. his lips had parted to respond, to apologize for even mentioning the clothes that were on his back and their condition, but then there was a mention of death and he could feel his muscles tense. it was common for people to discuss death; everyone knew when it was going to come, and spent more than half of their lives ( however long they were ) discussing it. bentlix was the opposite. he would sit around and discuss it with anyone, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed it. the thought of his impending doom was enough to drive his anxiety levels up, and he didn’t care much for hearing how someone else was going to go, either. ❝ it was just an offer, that’s all. but i understand. it’s clear that you can take care of yourself, yeah. and your clothes aren’t... bad. i like them, they look good on you. ❞ he could only offer a shrug of his shoulders, then, his eyes studying over the male that was standing in front of him. in the grand scheme of things, perhaps it should have been bentlix taking advice from him on how to dress. no matter what he wore, people always seemed to know that he was from halloway, and they were always quick to put him into a category. not to mention, looking tougher than he actually was would do him well. ❝ no, not really? i just... well, i don’t know them as well as you do. and people aren’t always nice to the ‘kid from halloway’. ❞ that was the nickname that he heard whispered whenever he would walk by, and he never had the guts to say anything about it. not that they were wrong, anyway. his face lifted, however, upon the offer of having some company. ❝ right, ‘course. i’ll buy you whatever you want? a full meal, even. it’s no problem. ❞  

there were a number of replies that bentlix had been expecting when he first collided with the girl, but none of them had been as sweet as the one that he was gifted with. perhaps it was his lucky day, but he knew that, in gerret, everyone was fluent in sarcasm. and that rang true for halloway, in some aspects, because bentlix had learned early on that you could never trust someone’s word. so, unsure of what to say, he allowed a soft laugh to slip past his lips, offering his hand to the girl to help her off of the ground. “that’s a good one, i don’t think i’ve heard it before. but i don’t think that’s exactly true. thanks for stroking my ego, though?” it was a weak response, but bentlix wasn’t used to this sort of attention. he was used to keeping to himself when he was in gerret, and if he ever did have a conversation with someone, it was never pleasant. but, he was also as socially awkward as they came at times, so the only one he could blame was himself. “yeah, of course. whatever you want? i was heading to rico’s diner, actually. for a late dinner. if you wanted to join me, i wouldn’t mind buying you something. a burger or whatever you’d like.” 

❝ you shouldn’t lump us all together? just because i’m from halloway, doesn’t mean i’m like everyone else you’ve met from there. it’s the same as me not lumping you together with everyone else from gerret. everyone is different. ❞ his tone was calm now, because he really didn’t want to argue with the other boy. he also didn’t want to risk getting his face smashed in because he had said something to really piss the stranger off, so... he was still tiptoeing around certain things. he couldn’t help but to roll his eyes, however, as the other male opened his mouth to speak again. no one believed that bentlix was capable of doing anything bad, mainly because he never acted like it. but that wasn’t the truth. if he was given the opportunity, he was sure that he could be bad. he wanted to join the resistance, after all, and that was pretty bad, right? ❝ don’t judge a book by it’s cover, love. sometimes those that appear to be the most innocent are actually the total opposite. ❞ it wasn’t really a lie, either, but he was sure that the other wouldn’t believe him. not for a second. the smile was quick to vanish off of his face, as well, because the male seemed to be puzzled by the action entirely. another strike for bentlix. he let out a frustrated sigh, grabbing onto his own menu and holding it up so that his eyes could skim over the page. he knew what he wanted -- he always got the same thing at rico’s diner. the only thing he changed was whether he got soda or a milkshake to drink. finally, he spoke again, though his eyes remained on the page. ❝ i’m sorry. i didn’t know that it was a crime to smile? you’d look much better with one, you know. ❞