Chapter Text
‘Iruma’ had been the name mom and dad had written on his birth certificate. It even had the character for ‘human’ in it.
Eventually, late in the night, Opera would tell him it had been lazy and cruel but for years Iruma had not thought about it. He had more important things to busy his mind. Like figuring out his next meal, or how to survive until the next day.
So, as his parents had barely named him, their daemons hadn’t bothered to name his.
For the longest time, she and Iruma had not fully considered this. There was no space for names in the wild or on the streets or stowed away in the back rooms of sketchy businesses where a kid could work with under the counter wages. But he had been to school once or twice and managed to overhear some kids whispering the names of their souls into their daemons’ ears.
So, eventually, one night as the shadows in the cold, dark apartment grew long and both she and Iruma camped out in the front rooms—- Iruma watching the one bedroom door as his daemon took the shape if a hyena pup, using her jaws to crush the admittedly flimsy locks on the pantry—— Iruma whispered a word. Just one word.
Maybe when he was younger, he would have called it a prayer.
But running his mind over the memory now, her eyes glittering in the dark as hyena pup and human had stared at each other, soul and body, both their mouths watering in anticipation for the first meal they would have in two days—— Iruma would call the word a desire.
“Taberu” he had said and her black tongue had run over puppy teeth, already sharp.
Perhaps it had been an omen for what was to come, that the hungry little boy in that small apartment had named his own soul ‘to eat’.
But she had smiled at him, as much as a thing like her could smile anyways, as hyena puppy melted away into the shape of a much smaller thing. A moth, or jumping spider, were her favored shapes in those days. Small, and easy to hide away.
Iruma had eaten until they were both sick that night. His parents left in the morning, not even checking the pantry. The streets had welcomes him with open, bloodied arms.
Years down the line, his parents sold him to a demon.
Taberu was tucked away in his hair, a tiny jumping mouse hanging off his ear.
“Im not sure about this” she whispered to him. And, because she said it so often it was strange for her not to, she said “we are hungry.”
“I know” Iruma had whispered back as he allowed the too-tall, too-gangly creature to carry him in its arms. Off to some nightmarish realm like something out of a twisted fairytale.
Grandfather had practically demanded to be introduced to Iruma’s daemon, jumping at the chance to speak with her.
Opera had been skeptical but intrigued too.
Grandfather had even said please.
“Oh!!” He had practically shrieked when Taberu had nervously presented herself, half sheltered inside her red-eared slider shell. “what a lovely little specimen!”
Opera had bowed to Iruma and Taberu both even as he tucked her into his coat. Her shell turned to scales and as a garden snake she rested hungrily, wound around his forearm. Waiting as he ate at the table. And ate and ate and ate.
It was not for a few hours before Iruma realized what had been so strange about the demons. Well, besides everything.
Despite Opera’s twitching ears and long lashing tail, too sharp eyes and too-long, clawed fingers.
Despite Sullivan’s too much, too-tall, too-long, limbs bending in ways that was wrong——
Despite everything else, Iruma and Taberu lay in a too-big bed on too-soft sheets discomforted for a reason niether could name. She was a long limbed thing tonight, some sort of small money or lemur, making them both the only apes in the demon world.
“They dont have daemons” Iruma realised as the red moon outside the window cast the dark room into bonfire light. Taberu’s eyes shone in the dark. They gleamed with hunger. As they always did.
“I’m good at hiding” she replied.
And they had nodded to eachother. Eventually falling asleep. Her, under the pillow, him, curled above her.
But even as they drifted into dreamland, despite them both having eaten their fill and more that day, she whispered as she so often did—-
“We’re hungry.”
Demons did not have daemons.
Of course they didnt, animals on earth did not have daemons, only humans did, and demons weren’t human.
But this revelation did not make seeing people, even strange inhuman people, walking about with only their own selves any easier. Bodies without souls. Like living corpses.
School was a strange sort of hell all of its own, the press of bodies jostling so close, shoulder to shoulder, wingtip to wingtip, packed together. The sensation burned against Iruma’s arms. Without daemons, there was no need to keep distance, Iruma supposed. Taberu shared her amusement with a twitch of a long ear against his neck. Clinging to his back under his jacket. A little bat shaping a convincing silloheutte of wing roots that had left even Opera impressed that morning. Even with the noise and chaos and the, uh, the school song…
Even with all of that, Iruma almost thought that everything was going to be okay.
And then, a familiar too-gangly demon walked on stage and called Iruma out by name.
He survived, somehow.
And figured that maybe the worse was over.
“We’re cursed” Taberu whispered when the courtyard they were stood in exploded with noise and Iruma found himself agreeing with her.
The demon that challenged them was perhaps the most beautiful creature Iruma had ever seen. Like snake scales in sunlight. Features that curved softly into wickedly sharp points and a face that was far too semetrycal to possibly be human, like it was carved of marble.
He was angry, a riot of fire and flame, it was all Iruma could do to dodge and dodge and dodge.
“Just fight me already!” The terrible beauty roared, charging as he clucthed an Excalibur of fire. Iruma, of course, dodged.
“He’s going to hit her!” Taberu snarled, claws scrabbling at his back even as Iruma’s arms wrapped around the demon’s middle. Hauling them both backwards. Iruma was sure that they were both about to collapse into a heap when suddenly he felt his own body course with something almost electric.
Distracted as he was by somehow completing a Textbook german suplex, Iruma almost missed that his daemon was practically careening around the makeshift arena on four too-long legs. Keeping the crowd from surging forwards and trampling the still shaking girl collapsed on the ground.
Keyword. Almost.
They carried the demon to the nurse’s office. Taberu practically right under Iruma’s feet. Long ears twitching at every noise. Both were sure they were doomed, prey revealed to predators as clearly as Taberu’s rabbit shape.
But no one approached.
Just whispered, watching.
It wasnt until later that he’d learn why.
“Of course a demon of your caliber would already have tamed a familiar!” The demon who had introduced himself as Asmodeus and knelt on the floor had cheered. Grandfather practically cackling behind Iruma. He could feel his daemon shaking all the way down his spine from where she perched on four, catty cornered legs on his shoulder. Watching the demon with wide, prey animal eyes.
“I have never seen a creature such as your familiar. Something so unique is of course your due! Please, my lord, allow me to be your underling.”
Oh, no, no that was quite unpleasant. That would not do at all.
“Oh no, you dont have to be” Iruma said, trying to get Asmodeus to stand. “Lets be friends instead?” Iruma has never had a friend before. Not really. He’s seen them though. Kids all bunched up together, daemons wrestling or napping or bundled close, together.
Not even dad’s cuckoo bird or mom’s tarantula hawk ever touched Taberu. Except to peck her eyes or sting her nose when she and Iruma were caught stealing food, or didnt bring home enough money, or spoke too loudly.
Sure, Asmodeus didnt have a daemon for her to cuddle with, but the smile he gave to Iruma, the warm hand in his own, the very warmth of his happy eyes—-
It almost felt like a hug.
But even with Asmodeus’ help, School continued to be terrifying.
No one kept space, although Asmodeus did his best when he realised how…unsure Iruma was with handling the lack of personal space.
Everyone and anyone asked about how Iruma ‘had a familiar already’ and begged to see ‘it’.
Iruma refused as much as he could, and he found his appreciation for Asmodeus growing exponentially with every fireball thrown.
And then they met someone they couldn’t chase away.
Clara careened into their life like a bowling ball.
Literally.
Nearly knocking them both over. Taberu having to dig her mandibles into Iruma’s skin where she rests over his heart in order to keep from falling.
But Iruma had never had so much fun as he had with her.
Her laughter was infectious and Iruma was left collapsed and breathless like he’d just run for his life, but without that sickening feeling that so often left his shaking afterwards. Instead it fely like it ballooned in his chest and left him flying.
When he saw those boys bullying Clara…he never felt Taberu’s teeth grind like that. Ling ears twitching and her back legs thumping on his shoulder where she perched.
“This is definitely our fault” Iruma whispers to her ages later, after they watched Clara throw a whole vending machine at those very same boys.
“Fault?”
“Doing? Influence?” He tries to amend. Taberu only chuffs a laugh.
“Prideful, ive got a feeling this is all her.”
They quiet and watch Clara bodily throw her bullies out of her little courtyard before doing a little dance and skipping off, singing about finding them.
Them being Iruma and Azz of course but Taberu’s not one to be offended.
“All her.” Iruma agrees. And what a wonder she was.
and when she turned and noticed him, like the sun, she smiled at him through the doorway and both body and soul froze. All he knew was that her smile felt like coming home.
“We are hungry” Taberu whispered later that night when they were burrowed in bed. But for once, with his belly full with Opera’s lovely cooking and his mind full of memories from the day, Iruma felt like she didnt mean it about food.
“We need to be careful” he replied. And Taberu, small and prey like, not that fleeting hyena puppy shape so long lost, only shivered.
But for a moment, just a moment, he almost saw her eyes shine in the pale dark.