An Odd Summer Vacation…
Abaddon and Reader
summary: Staying at an old, broken down, hotel was certainly not what you were expecting upon your forced family visit. It only took one step within the decade-old hotel to recognize it was filled to the brim with paranormal activity and creatures you thought hadn’t existed until now.
Growing close with a demon trapped in a Victorian child’s body certainly wasn’t either…
word count: 2.5k
originally posted on A03 under BURNING_STARS
Your eyes fluttered open as you slowly began to regain consciousness. Light begins to pour into your vision as objects blur together. You face towards the old ceiling, which you swear some creature you weren’t even aware existed could fall through at any moment.
How did you even manage to get sleep? You weren’t exactly sure. You’d be grateful if you even got at least an hour. Although with how loud the dust-coated floorboards creaked and the shrieks of not-so-recently deceased residents of the hotel were, you thought you might as well give up on the human need altogether.
So, yeah, you suppose you could say your summer vacation is splendid so far! Who wouldn’t want to listen to the sound of screams accumulating within the darkest depths of the locked up rooms your aunt, Katherine, directly warns you not to enter.
Your cousins, Ben and Esther, were of some help, luckily. They mostly taught you the ropes of their incredibly haunted and not-exactly-humble abode. It included Esther gifting you a ‘necklace’ wrapped in red wire and yarn that looked only a few scratches away from completely unraveling. The so called ‘necklace’ also included a bone in the very middle acting as the pendent.
“I feel like this places some sort of curse on me…” You spoke, suspicion painting your tone and expression. “No! Not at all! I wouldn’t do that to my favorite cousin… it’s for.. protection! Yeah, protection.” Esther attempted to reassure you, though her words reeked with an underlying tone of trickery and deceit.
You tossed the necklace the moment she turned her head to be scolded by her mother.
Speaking of her mother, Kathrine was doing her best to attempt and make the place “a little less terrifying,” and you quote. Unfortunately, you do not believe such a feat is achievable.
You were told to make yourself comfortable, yet you do not believe that to be possible. The walls were decorated with dirt and grime,
which you also ponder if you saw crimson stains splattered along there as well. You turn a blind eye to boarded-up doors and the shattered windows typically located in the much lower and higher regions of the hotel.
It felt as though you walked into the set of a horror movie, except none of it was fake. And you were starring in this film, the unsuspecting main character, who each and every individual watching screams at whenever they commit a stupid action.
You tossed over in the slightly uncomfortable bed. Fingers wrapping around the vintage bed linen as though they would provide even a minuscule of comfort in the dim bedroom.
You had not come here willingly, as your mother insisted you spent the summer with family. She didn’t even bother to stay with you. Though, if she did, you supposed you then wouldn’t be spending the summer with your aunt and cousins.
Never mind, that wasn’t exactly a thought you should be focusing on in particular. Perhaps the fact that you reunited with your recently deceased uncle was.
There is a numerous amount of things that you were not aware were going to occur upon this forced trip, but speaking with your dead uncle was certainly one of the last things. Not that you were upset, the actual opposite, but it took you around three days to get used to it.
Kathrine, Ben, and Esther didn’t blame you, well, Esther perhaps a little, but besides the point. You went to the man’s funeral, spent months crying over his tragedy, only to find he was a ghost haunting a hotel with peeling wallpaper and filthy carpets. You almost fainted—no, scratch that, you did faint.
You woke up on the blood-red couch with four worried faces and a youthful one, with an intimidating look in his eye, staring down at you. That was your first day, by the way, it really did set up your mindset and the occurring events for the rest of your stay: absolutely, undeniably, certainly-hallucinatory insanity.
You soon come to the realization that you had shut your eyes once more. A small sigh leaves you as you attempt to force your eyes open, assuming you’ve slept long enough. You’re not even sure why you wished to sleep more… after all, this room wasn’t the most desirable or sleep-inducing—
You yelp and quickly shot up from the large comforter. Upon cracking your eyes open, you were met with the sight of another pair of eyes looking right into yours. Disturbingly intensely as well. Your fingers clenched the white of the covers, wrapping around them as though they were some sort of protection against forms of evil.
A pale Victorian boy stares at you with an expression akin to a stalker locking eyes with their victim. “What the—… what the hell are you doing in my room?” You exclaim, trying to calm your suddenly quickened breathing. Though your eyes remained wide and your heart still beat like a rocking ship sailing upon high tides.
“I was instructed to wake you for breakfast.” Abaddon informed, his voice was cold and straightforward. His words caused you to settle down somewhat. It was comforting to know that the boy didn’t intend to drop you into the darkest corners of hell… possibly, hopefully..
“You intended to wake me.. by scaring the shit out of me.” You say, combing your hand through your frizzy hair. It was tangled likely due to the fuzzy roughness of the pillows and sheets, but also from all the tossing and turning you did in the night-time. Goodness, how you missed your old bed. It was much more warmer and comfortable—quite the opposite of the one that looked as though it hadn’t been touched in decades.
“Precisely, yes.” Abaddon responded. You squinted your eyes. Staring at him with pure disapproval. “You’re no better than Esther…” You sigh, pushing the sheets forward. They scratched your legs and the cloth of your pajamas rather uncomfortably. You made a mental note to ask your aunt if you could change the sheets.. or better yet, get a room where a ghost hopefully wasn’t going to shriek in your ear. Was that possible? You prayed it was possible.
Your gaze travels back to the demonic child. He was simply staring into your soul once more, you pondered if her was picking apart all your weaknesses, making some sort of attempt to cage your soul, or had an extreme staring problem. All three seemed like the most logical option with how Abaddon operates.
You met Abaddon the first day you arrived. He creeped you out. Reasonably so. His voice was far too deep for his false youth. His diction and overall demeanor gave you the sense he was something far more sinister cloaked underneath the appearance of a young boy. Katherine did her best to place a facade on what Abaddon truly was: a centuries-old demon in the form of a Victorian boy. Yet, it quickly crumbled when Esther spat out he was, in fact, a creature from hell. Alongside the fact that it was painstakingly obvious he wasn’t at all a human. You caught a glimpse of his eyes flickering to the color of blood through the cracks in one of the many, many broken mirrors.
Though, he wasn’t as cold as you’d expect a demon to be. Sure, he held a stare as sharp as a knife—it cut through your confidence often—but it seemed he held a fondness for your family. Did that include you? Eh, let’s give it a few weeks.
“No, I am definitely better than Esther in terms of style, power, and agility.” The demon spoke. This led you to narrow your eyes, facing something you’d rather not during the period of post-unconscious. But, typically, that is common nowadays.
“Yeah, yeah… I get it, man. You’re powerful and stuff…” You reply lazily, your words dragged out and slightly airy. “‘Powerful and stuff’?” He quoted you, his eyes widening while his hands crumpled into fists and his hips. Your feet slowly make contact with the carpet as you straightened your back.
Abaddon stares at you like he was expecting something more to come from your mouth. “What? Is that like… offensive?” You inquired, your fingertips lying upon the surface of the cotton sheets. Abaddon appeared to be even more displeased with you. He gazed at you like a parent peering down at their child after they knocked over a glass vase. Which was actually quite humorous considering the demon was borrowing the body of a young boy.
“Yes, yes it is! You spoke with not dwelling on the full extent of my power! Do you know how undermining the words you speak are?” He whined as though he was denied his favorite flavor of ice cream. “I’ll have you know I used to rip the vocal cords out of any mortal who dare challenge me.. Raise horrific ancient beasts, and yield the most deadliest of weapons that could kill thousands of people in the blink of an eye!” His eyes flashed to that crimson color once more. A shadow loomed over his face, giving you the impression he was someone to be intimidated of. You didn’t shudder—no one ever did.
You blink slowly before a soft sigh leaves your lips. “I’ll buy you a pack of Fruit Loops later as an apology.” You respond, finally pushing yourself off the rather uncomfortable comforter. The mattress rose as the weight of your form ceased to weigh on it. “Just please don’t pour quarters in my mouth again.. I almost choked on one and swallowed it. Also, you know how dirty those things are?” A slight yawn wedged its way in between your words.
The spawn of satan seemed to consider your words. Eyes squinting as if he were deciding between two very difficult options: have you acquire the fruit loops he so desperately wanted or cease to tournament you the entire day. The silence started to slowly form into a certain type of awkwardness.
You were quite aware of Abaddon’s unusual habit of gazing directly into a person’s soul, capturing it and shattering any remaining self-esteem an individual had left. Yet, his piercing stare seemed to soften just slightly. “Very well.”
He answers, lightly bowing his head as to confirm he accepted your proposal.
A smile carved onto your lips as you observed the demon. “Okay! Sounds like a deal.” You responded. Now waving away the earlier fatigue weighing on your shoulders.
. . .
For whatever reason, Abaddon had been standing adjacent to you for most of the week. Staying near you, staring at you with his piercing blue eyes that look like they belong to a being outside of Earth’s atmosphere. Why? You weren’t quite sure.
“I think he’s taken a liking to you.” Esther offers an answer. You tilt your head to the side like you’re attempting to solve a complex math equation that just won’t click. Numbers pass in your brain as your back presses against the softly dusted over table behind you.
“Yeah… but why? I mean, sure, I offer him treats often—but that doesn’t explain why a demon trapped in a child’s body keeps following me around.” You earn a chuckle from your chaotic cousin. “Well, you are part of the family! You’re gonna have to get used to things like that.” Her lips turn upward into a lopsided smile. A golden light casts over one side of her face. The source being the light of the setting sun spilling in through the lightly dirtied windows.
A gentle hum of thought leaves your lips. You stare at the various candles within the crate Esther was carrying. “What are you summoning now?” You inquire, raising a brow. A giggle dripping with mischief and dark intentions drifts through the spacious hallway. One that you were all too used to. “Ohh, you’ll see!” Her lopsided smile stretches into a wide grin. You can only hope that you’ll still have all your limbs when it comes to the end of the trip.
Not too long after that instance, you find yourself back in your room. Silence dripped from the walls as you sat upon the bed. Luckily, you were able to bother your aunt enough that she was able to change the blankets. They were less scratchy, thankfully, and felt soft to the touch.
You turned your head to face the large TV facing your bed. You decided that you needed some distraction—sitting around and staring at the wall wasn’t the most entertaining activity. That is, unless you were contemplating every possible decision you made.
Your fingers curl around the remote as you comfortably lean back against the bed frame. The buzz of noise from the digital screen filled the empty silence. Your eyes focused on the colorful pixels faced towards you.
Though soon, as you were used to, a heavy presence seemed to fill the room like smoke drifting through the wind. No, wait… perhaps it just smelt like smoke. The sound of soft banging startles you. Your head turns to where you suppose the sound originated from.
Piercing blue eyes stare at you from the vent in your room. You don’t shiver, you don’t scream. You knew exactly who the eyes belonged to.
“Hey, Abaddon.” You greeted as the cover of the vent popped out of the wall and onto the carpets. There, the familiar demon crawled out and landed upon the cushioned ground. “Salutations, mortal.” He responded, his regular deep voice echoing throughout the room. You were used to it by now. “Wanna watch TV with me?” You question, and in return, Abaddon’s eyes narrow like you’ve asked him to watch a candle melt.
“Come on, there’s a lot of stuff on here I think you’d like.” You smile, patting the spot on the bed next to you. “TV commonly lacks my interest…” He sighs but begrudgingly lifts himself onto the bed.
“Yeah, but I think you’ll like this horror movie!” You reply, switching through the different movies. You finally spot the one you had been looking for, pressing the remote to select the option as Abaddon settles down next to you. You pull the non-scratchy covers over you two for warmth as you both direct your attention to the movie. As the suspense and terror rages on, Abaddon seems to genuinely be intrigued by it.
“Hm, I suppose this TV does indeed have things that interest me…” You pick up on Abaddon grumbling under his breath. “See? I knew you’d like it.” You answer, slouching down a tad to enhance your comfort.
The movie was much longer than you expected, as moonlight’s touch had already pressed up against your window. Abaddon's eyes are still hyper-focused on the movie playing. Yet, your eyes began to feel heavy, and gradually began to droop more and more.
Abaddon flinches as your head rests against his. He freezes—unsure if he should push you off or something alike to the first option. But he doesn’t. Instead, he stays still like a star kept from burning. Your arms are gently tucked around him, grip loose enough he could leave your embrace that bound him at any time. But he doesn’t.
For some odd reason, he stays. He leans into your ginger hold, even though softness was rare. The feeling wraps around the demon like silk, yet for once, he allows himself to simply rest. The sound of the movie fades into a gentle blur that eventually lulls you both into a sweet slumber.