Of Hellfire and Kings...

Fredrick’s face formed a frown, though he stayed quiet until he was hugged. “Perhaps you’re right…” He sighs though, and then looks to the other a bit confused. “We can’t just leave the detective agency— nor can we leave without Simeon or Anna, so how would that even be possible.” It was more of a statement than a question in his head— excuses, excuses.

“You can. Simeon and Anna are barely at the house from what I hear and the agency will do just fine with you two taking a break. Either we’ll close it or our darling Alma will figure out a way to keep it running - it isn’t just you anymore.” Aurelio smiled a little with a soft sigh before ruffling the other man’s hair a little. “However, you don’t have to worry about her leaving. I can promise you that just from what she feels when she thinks of you. I almost feel like puking it’s too cute.”

Fredrick stayed quiet at the comment, not responding to his first before he spoke again. “That’s the thing that’s troubling me thought— I don’t know why I’m worried. Look— can I reason with you— I’ve been having the nightmares again, and I shouldn’t be— though I know Lorena can probably already sense it.”

Aurelio was quiet as the other talked, and then he sighed quietly. “She can, and she’s worried about you, as usual. Fredrick - you’re working too hard.” His lips pursed a little as he looked the man over, and Aurelio’s arms crossed over his chest quietly. “You’re worried she’ll walk out due to stress, and that worry is stressing you, and your stress triggers those nightmares due to your thoughts. This always happens, you know that.” He pulls the other into a hug and hums a second before talking again. “You two need a vacation.”

“And so you choose to disrupt the peace at my office simply because you cannot be pestering your wife. Interesting.” He reaches down then, underneath the top of his desk and pulls out a water gun and squirts him back. He then cackles and runs off.

“Exactly.” As the demon got hit with the water he grinned, droplets evaporating into steam even as they hit his skin. He chuckled then, portaling in front of the detective and scooping him into Aurelio’s arms. “Water, dear brother?” He walks through a different portal and dumps the detective into a pool.

“A little jumpier? I walked in while she was scrolling through on her tablet and it looked like she nearly broke the damned thing.” He sighs then, though not saying anything for a bit after. “I don’t what I’m worried about specifically, I just know I’m worried and it hurts. I feel like I can’t breathe whenever I think of her, and I don’t know why. I feel like something bad is going to happen, and I don’t know what.”

“Mmmh...you know, generally if you’re worried about an individual, especially one you care about as much as you do your wife, you’d talk to them about it?” It wasn’t meant maliciously even as the demon shifted in his seat, but then he sighed. “What could you possibly be worried about, though? Her stress becoming a breaking point? She’d never walk out on you, you know that.”

“Speaking of your wife, shouldn’t you be bothering her instead of bothering me? It’s only fair, she’s the one that promised to spend her life with you, not me.” Fredrick grinned at the comment, until he got squirt at with a water gun. Then he merely gave the other man a dull stare. “Really? You better be prepared for the consequences of that.”

“She’s not to be bothered right now - something about dangerous chemicals and not blowing up the house.” The demon grinned and shrugged lazily, spinning the plastic weapon lazily around his finger as his eyes narrowed. “Good.”

Aurelio was laughing as he was pushed off, laying on the ground a little splayed before coughing and rolling on his side to get up. "I have a life. I also have a wife, and a knife, and a distinct lack of strife." He grinned at the other and winked, squirting him with a water gun the demon pulled from his pocket. "And you can try."

Aurelio peered at the man a little curiously - humming quietly to himself before answering. "I do actually. How differently is she acting? She does seem a little jumpier than usual, but aside from that she hasn't been that much different. What exactly are you worried about, brother?" His tone was calm and pondering as he regarded Fredrick again, feeling the worry and anxiousness pushing against the man's core.

Aurelio's laughter rang out as he started to run, really run, and a smile danced at his lips as he started to outpace the other. "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES, A FREDRICK IS AFOOT!!" The demon ran a while longer, capitalizing on his physical ability, before flopping onto Fredrick's bed and bouncing off to tackle him.

"You don't know something? Shocker." The dry tone of the man was paired with half-lidded eyes and a raised eyebrow, his chin in the palm of his hand as he stared at his friend. "It can't be worse than what's behind us, Freddy, so talk. What's up?"