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Jinxed-Part 1

Calum’s so used to fucking up that when a second chance comes his way he’s not sure what to do with it. Demon!Calum. Black!OC.

CW: 18+ Content (Smut), Blood, Gore, Violence, and Death mentions.

Series Masterlist | Calum Hood Masterlist | Main Masterlist

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He wasn’t sent here to find companionship. He was here to wreck havoc, collect the souls that needed to be returned, find the ones that managed to escape the other Hunters. One such soul was proving difficult for Calum. He sat at the bar, just about every night, drinking whiskey straight. The bartenders were starting to recognize him. Always donned in his leather jacket and his dark curls always pushed back just a little from his forehead. All his intel was leading him here, at this bar. So he sat, and waited, and waited and sat.

Tonight is no different. The attire, all black from the beanie to the boots. The jacket was the only thing that distinguished him from staff. Tucked in his corner, Calum sipped at the glass. It didn’t taste like much to him anymore. His human form still taking perks from the previous demonic state. Alcohol truly had no effect on him and it all started to taste somewhat the same. Except for vodka and whiskey. And he couldn’t sip on just vodka at the bar. So he nurses his whiskey just like any other night.

Women approach his table, twirling hair, batting eyelashes. Calum wasn’t going to ignore them either. He smiled, flirted with some of them, went back to their place with some of them. He never made it a habit to do that. But he indulged himself. He let himself enjoy the visceral pull of his gut to be satisfied, even if it would never actually satisfied. Calum watches as the doors open, a group of girls walking in. Nothing about them reads highly distinctive. Yes, they’re attractive. But in the short skirts, and dresses, and high heels, they look like every other girl here.

There’s another girl that trails behind the main group, shirt hiding practically nothing of her bust. The black pants with a high thigh slit, revealing an assortment of tattoos on her upper thighs. That’s all Calum catches of her, besides the red undertone of her dark brown skin and high ponytail. As she disappears into the crowd, catching up the group Calum watches. Her smile is dazzling. But he thinks he shouldn’t get caught up tonight. Something in the air tells him he’ll find the guy tonight.

The night progresses, slowly, like watching the second hand of a clock go around. Maybe this asshat won’t show. Calum looks over the crowd, hoping he can spot that girl again. When his gaze does land on her, she’s at the bar. The guy he’s here to snatch up is leaning in mighty close. When she withdraws her arm from his touch once, Calum’s already pushing out of seat. When she steps back a second time from this guy, Calum barrels his way through the crowd. Everyone knows his human form. Everyone that should be scared of him does at least.

Approaching the bar, Calum smiles at the girl, sliding right up next to the asshole. “Tell me, miss,” he shouts, “is this asshole bothering you?”

She eyes him, unsure of what the hell is happening but she still nods. “He is,” she answers, watching the fear overtaking the creep’s face.

Calum smiles, taking the collar of their jacket into his fist. “Well, good thing he’s leaving. If you’d like, take a crack at him.”

The guy is stumbling over his words, pleading with her that he needs help. But she doesn’t feel for him. She doesn’t have it in her to punch this guy though. Even though he’s definitely a creep, she doesn’t have the heart. She shakes her head, looking down to the worn wood of the bar beneath the spill mat. “I-I can’t.”

Calum looks at his side profile. “You should thank her. Much too sweet to push your teeth in. Now, let’s apologize. And you and I, we’re going to have a little chat.”

At first, the only words the guy gets out are how she has to help him. But with a quick strike to the back of his knee from Calum, the man buckles and apologizes, holding himself by leaning into the sturdy bar. “I’m so sorry,” he rushes out.

Calum waste no time hauling the man up and dragging him out. She watches the dark man, in the black beanie haul out the creep, his feet literally dangling above the floor. That can’t be real, she thinks to herself, blinking as if to see straight. But she has to be seeing straight. She’s only one drink in for the night. She’s not that drunk. Not even drunk at all. But how the hell did he get over to her so fast? And how the hell was he able to carry that guy out like that?

She watches the door, like he’s going to walk back through them any moment. She saw him early, perched in the corner, sipping from a glass. She didn’t know what it was. But he just sipped occasionally. Was he security? She knew from her dad’s stories that sometimes bouncers had “drinks” but never actually drink so they could blend in when walking the dancefloor. But he never walked the dancefloor, at least not from what she could tell.

“Rubs, you okay?” Kourtney’s, Ruby’s friend, voice is clear over the bars of Cardi B’s mantra about money bags. Rubs, short for Ruby, though it was never really short. It was a name she used for herself. She never liked giving out her real name. She disliked it too much. Heard it too many times with anger and malicious intent behind it. So she makes sure she never hears it again.

“Yeah-yeah, I’m okay,” she breathes. But her gaze never leaves that door. “I’m just--feet hurt from all the dancing,” she says finally turning her gaze back to Kourtney. “I’m just going to chill here. If you want, I can hold you guys’ stuff.”

“You sure? It’s your birthday. C’mon, just dance. Cut loose.”

Her laughter falls out of her, watching her friend’s attempt to seduce her back to the dance floor by twerking in her face. Rubs taps Kourt’s ass a couple times before giving in. It is her birthday. And even though that creep had tried to sour her night, someone else had been right there to make it better. She watches that front door. Never lets her gaze fall too far from it. She’s dancing into a girl, she’s not sure who really. Ruby catches their perfume though and lets herself be pulled back into them.

She’s grinder deeper into the girl. Her knees aren’t hurting her, but she straightens back up, ass still clapping behind her when she catches the beanie covered head moving through the crowd. There’s no need to even try and apologize, to try and excuse herself. She just straightens up and shuffles through the bodies. No amount of excuse me’s are ever heard and people will still give her dirty looks for bumping into them.

As she clears the dance floor, she sees him settle back into his corner. At a high table just big enough for two. This is her chance. At the bar, she smiles. All the bartenders know it’s her birthday and she manages to squeeze a free drink for herself and the mysterious man. “Vodka cranberry and whatever he’s drinking up there,” she says nodding her head in his direction. The drinks come out a few moments later.

Before walking over to his table, she adjusts the shirt, pulling more of it up over her chest, situating the girls back into position. The chair scrapes against the floor and his dark eyes dance in shitty strobe lights of the club. He pretended not to notice her, but she saw her immediate bee line off the dance floor. She sets the drink down first before climbing into the seat across from next to him. He’s moved them so they both face the entire establishment. “What’s your name? Hawk or Eagle Eye?” she teases.

Calum twists his mouth up, pondering for a moment. “Close. It’s Calum.”

“Ruby,” she returns. Then it’s silent for a beat. “Look, I-I wanted to say thanks for earlier. That guy was a total creep. And you didn’t have to step in like that. But I really appreciate it. So I got you a drink. To say, thanks.”

He doesn’t call attention to the one already in his hand. His smile is genuine. “You’re welcome. And thanks.”

She watches the way he twirls his first drink in his hands, the rings sometimes softly clinking against the glass. The tattoos on his hands, they’re initials. She wants to ask, but she swallows that curiosity down. “If you want a dance, I’ll be somewhere down in there,” she offers and then slips from the seat. Doesn’t wait for Calum to confirm, or to say no. She disappears back into the thick of the crowd. Calum decides not to take her up on that offer but does offer to return the drink favor. Whenever she’s up for another one of course.

She dances for a while. Her smile big as she dances with the group she came in with. It’s a bit before she takes her herself back to the bar. He slips from his spot, second drink in hand this time. While at the bar, he learns it’s her birthday. “I feel terrible,” he teases. “Don’t have a present for you.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll count the drink, Calum. Thanks.”

He nods, looks over the drink, nothing’s been tampered with it and then settles back at his perch. He watches her and her friends, even as they pile into the back of the Uber. He follows from a distance, watching as the all pile into one house. It’s probably not the smartest thing to follow her. But he has to make sure they get home safely. Especially since it’s her birthday.

When Calum returns to his apartment, he flicks on the TV, knowing nothing will be on. But it’s habit. It’s background noise. He feels bad if he please music this late, his neighbors need their sleep and he doesn’t want to be that asshole. So he settles for late night reruns of shows he knows almost too well and feels ashamed for knowing them as well as he does. Already sitting on the kitchen table is his list. More people that have bargained with the Devil and have forgotten that there is still a price to pay. It’s all ironic. His job is never done, their hope never seems to faltar until they see his face. Until they are forced to realize, time has run out.

___

It’s crazy to go back to that bar a few nights later. She knows it. She knows that she really shouldn’t be expecting Calum perched in that back corner, eyes catching everything. But when she walks in and actually sees him, she thinks there must be a payoff for being crazy sometimes. Because why else on earth would she have dragged herself nearly an hour across town just to get a glimpse of this guy?

There’s no beanie this time. But his hooded eyes and brown skin are more than enough to ease her worries. Calum spots her too, the second she cracks open the door, he notes her scent. That’s insane he thinks to be able to pick someone out of a crowd just by the way they smell. But he does it. Her hair is the same, braided on the sides, the top slicked back and it all leads to the ponytail. The ends are wavy this time instead of the sleek, straight look when they first met.

He shouldn’t be so delighted to see her. He should be telling himself to get up, slip onto the dancefloor before she has the chance to catch him and slip out the backdoor near the restrooms. Someone that comes back once will come back again--he’s learned that over his years. Though years feels much to short, much to finite for the time he’s been alive and serving. He was human once. He remembers the way it feels to feel so invincible.

She pauses at the bar, eyes still flicking up to meet his. Calum wonders if she knows. It would be impossible for her to know. He’s not in his other form. He’s never even hinted to it. All he did was save her from a creep. But she watches him, like he’s going to suddenly evaporate from existence. Not that Calum couldn’t zip away without being detected. But instead he sits perfectly still. She’s in jeans this time, her top black and sheer with a bralette beneath it. She’s in sneakers though, a style the resembles Keds.

Her climb into the chair is smoother this time. No chunky heels in the way. “It’s a shame you don’t have a drink yet,” Ruby smiles, sliding the glass towards him.

“Another thank you drink?” “No.” She’s not sure how to explain what the drinks means. Unsure on whether to call it a I think you’re cute drink or a I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m definitely flirting drink. Maybe it’s better undefined anyway. Maybe she doesn’t have to label everything to death. “It’s just a drink. Because I saw you empty handed.”

“Well, I think I should return the favor. What’s your poison?”

She gives a head shake no. “Nothing tonight. I drove over her.”

He scoffs. “They have a whole line of sodas. What’ll you have?”

“Sprite.”

He nods, slips of his chair and walks to the bar. It’s not a long wait until the fizzy clear drink is in his hands. He hands it to her before climbing back into the chair. “What brings you out tonight?”

The word ‘you’ dangles from lips. But she swallows it down with a sip of her drink. “Just out. What about you?”

“Just out too, I guess.” They sip on their drinks in a lull. It’s not awkward, shockingly. She takes in the cut of his jaw, the way his eyes are always moving over the crowd.

Words are falling over her lips before she can stop herself. “You’re not a bouncer, are you?” Calum shakes his head no. “So, are you like ex-military or something? Ex-law enforcement?”

He wonders what gives her that impression. But she must know someone that was for those to be her first guesses. He gives another shake no. “Where is the prefer not to say box?” he jokes, looking over to her.

“Fair, that’s fair. Only asked because my dad. He used to do something similar. Sit with his back to the wall, see all the exits. Ex-SWAT, but you never take the officer of the person. Just the badge and the gun.”

He wonders if she grew up with a lot of discipline. The thought really only crosses his mind when he notices the way she sits perfectly straight in her hair. Not a slouch or a curve in her back. “Sounds intense,” Calum offers.

She shrugs, going in for another sip. “At some point I think my brain just shut off. I always knew there was a chance he wasn’t coming home. I just didn’t compute it. Whenever he was in bed in the morning, it was great. But when he wasn’t, I never panicked. I just--kind of went on autopilot. Went to school, did work, played, did homework. Annoyed the shit of my younger sister. Just went about life.”

Calum reaches for the glass and swirls it around, taking a dramatic inhale. “Just making sure nothing is in that sprite. I watched them pour it too.”

Ruby laughs, eyes closing, reclining into the chair a bit more. “I know. Heavy for the club. Sorry.”

“Don’t.” The word falls just by itself at first. Nothing else. And then Calum sees the shift. How she sits back up straight. Was his tone harsh? He then adds on, “You don’t have to apologize.”

She nods, hiding in the glass. She can’t just ask to hook up with a guy, can she? She’s kind of used to it but not this sober. Calum can feel the tension build up. That there’s something she wants to say but can’t bring herself to say it. So instead he throws out a compliment, about her shoes. She laughs. “In all honesty, I had to drive nearly an hour out here. I wasn’t going to attempt to do that in heels. And I was too lazy to change out of them.”

“I thought you were just out?”

The heat of her cheeks makes her fan herself a little. Is she going to be this forward? She might as well, since she’s already put one foot in her mouth. What’s another one? “I might have driven all the way out here, in hopes to see you.”

Calum nearly chokes on his drink. An hour to potentially run into him? Calum’s always the chaser, always running after someone else. He’s never once stop to think about how nice it is to actually be persused just a little. She hands him a napkin, laughing at the wide eyes. “A shock I take it?”

“Sorry. But I hate to think you could’ve wasted that time and gas.”

Her eyes twinkle, the skin crinkling around her eyes just a little as the smug grin crosses her face. “But I didn’t.”

Turning to her, Calum thinks he’s done enough for tonight. Those people won’t disappear off the face of the earth. He can always find them tomorrow. He reaches out, brushing her cheek with the back of his fingers. “No, trust, you didn’t. I live three blocks from here.”

The walk to Calum’s place isn’t long. They keep mostly to themselves, talking about random things, Calum tells a story about the dinner they passed on the way when he got a face full of burger by accident. Ruby tells a story in rebuttal how she used to be a waitress and spilled coffee on someone once. As they reach the steps to his apartment, Ruby reaches out, nails scratching right at his scalp. Calum pauses his work at twisting the key, eyes closing. A small shiver runs down his spine.

Her tone is dripping with desire as she speaks, “Cat got your tongue.”

“No, but my tongue will have something else,” he quips.

There’s no wasted time when both of them cross the threshold. Calum pins Ruby to the wall, kissing across her jaw, fingers make quick work of her belt and pants. His fingers trail the band of her panties. His lips find her collarbone, sucking purple marks into the dark brown flesh. Her fingers dig into his shoulder beneath the leather jacket, before trailing back into his hair. The air is filled with her soft moans.

She works at getting his belt undone as his fingers trail down into the thin material of her underwear. Lace by the feel of it. She’s not quite soaked-- there’s some slickness there. Calum knows all too well what buttons to push though. He brings his hand back up, trailing over the hem of her shirt. She’s pulling his belt free from his jeans, shoving down the denim. Her fingers trace over the tops of his thighs.

“Eager, aren’t we?” Calum teases, pulling back from her. He slips the jacket over his arms, pulling the shirt up and over too.

Her eyes dart over the two tattoos right along his collarbones. She watches him pull his shoes off and toes hers off herself. His pants are the next to go as well. Her jeans are tight. She hates the way they catch sometimes around her hips and thighs. Before she can get them down to her knees, Calum takes both her wrist and pins them to the wall above her head.

Ruby huffs, hating the fact she can’t touch his skin, can’t pull him in close. She bucks and he presses down harder. He can’t press down too hard, or he’ll actually hurt her. “Relax,” he commands. “You’ll get a taste.”

A low growl escapes her throat, chest heaving as she tries to pull against his hold. God, he’s strong and that turns her on more. She clenches, squeezing to relieve the ache building. Both of them gaze at each other. He waits--she must say something. But her lips don’t so much as quirk. “Cat got your tongue?” Calum quips.

“Your mouth is doing a lot right now but it could be doing better things.”

Calum’s laugh is dry, more of a bark too. “My dear, I’m not the one who drove all this way.”

“You’ll be glad I did.”

“You’re almost too sure about that.”

She shakes her head, hair shaking with the movement as well. Calum runs his fingers through it of his free hand. The strands are soft and silky, the black a contrast to his skin. “I’m not being cocky about this.” His hand slides across her chest, over the scratchy material of her shirt before closing around her throat.

“I wonder if you’re a beggar.”

“Beg? For you? You’d love that, wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t that just make your cock twitch?”

So, she’s a brat. He likes a brat. A bit of a challenge. Most women he goes home with like one thing. To get straight to the point. But there’s something to Ruby, this sweet girl with a pointedness. Not quite socially awkward, but still reserved in a sense. But now here she is, pinned to his wall, throat tucked neatly under his palm. She doesn’t shy away from it, she doesn’t look away. She stares directly at him; she waits. There’s no fear.

“If you so much as think about lifting your arms from the wall, you’ll be sorry. Understood?” He adds a little more pressure to her throat, watches as her eyelids flutter.

She speaks, albeit in a whisper because of his hand. “Understood.”

Calum releases her wrist, and slowly peels his hand from her throat before sinking to his knees and tugging the jeans down and off her. Her thighs are soft in his hands, a prominent jiggle when he gives them a stern slap. A laugh falls from her throat. Calum looks up to see her eyes closed, arms still pressed into the wall.

He half-way expected her to grab his hair, disobeying his order. But then he thinks back to the bar. The way she snapped up straight when he told her not to apologize. She gets off on obeying. But enjoys the rile, seeing someone worked up. Her skin reddened from his palm. Ruby lets her knees buckles just a little when Calum kisses her thighs. He can see now a small wet spot forming at the crotch of her pink panties. He finds the mix match endearing. But doesn’t dwell too long before pulling them down her legs.

She glistens and all Calum wants is a taste. When his mouth connects, Ruby’s whole body relaxes. The apprehension finally cut. Though his tongue flicks at her clit and the pleasure courses through her. Her muscles tense. His large palm cups her ass, pushing her off the wall. The noises are sinful as Calum holds her closer to his tongue. Her pants bounce off the ceiling. A string of curses falling from her lips.

Her hands eventually fall from the wall. Her nails trailing over his shoulders but never daring to delve into his hair. He pulls from her core, tugging lightly on her clit before releasing it. “Scared to touch me now, sweetheart?”

Her only response is to grip his hair, pulling his mouth to meet her center. His laughter vibrates against her. A yelp falls from her lips at the sensation. Calum hums when her grip tightens. He’s always liked a little bit of pain. It’s always sparked a fire deep in his gut. So he doesn’t shy away from her harsh grip. A moan falls from her at a moment or two later Calum replies with his own. Her thighs are shaking in his hands. Ruby’s arched into the wall, to keep some balance. Calum can sense she’s wobbling. Wrapping his arms around her legs, he pushes her into the wall, legs thrown over his shoulder. Most of her weight now pressed up into the wall, but he helps keep her supported.

When she comes, it’s with a whine and a chorus of swears. Calum pulls away from her. She could keep herself up if she wanted, but instead Ruby lets herself slide down the wall. “Got anything else smart to say?” he questions.

His remarks earns him a shove to the shoulder with her foot. “I always have something smart to say.”

He captures her ankle, kissing the joint and the trails butterfly kisses up the inside of her calf. “I’d like to hear them.”

Ruby pulls her leg back and Calum watches as she pushes to her hands and knees, crawling, though the distance is short, to him. “I bet.”

Calum scoots back, butt sliding over the hardwood floor with ease. She follows. He scoots again, pushing to his knees. Would she actually crawl all the way to his bedroom? From his knees he stands, walking backwards. She follows, grinning. “What? This get you off to? Someone on their hands and knees for you?” Her voice is still breathy.

“If I said no, I would be a liar.”

They walk, and in Ruby’s case, crawl to the bedroom. Right outside the threshold, Calum extends his hand. She takes it, only a few pops can be hard as she straightens. “You didn’t hear anything.”

“Not a single sound.”

Up close, she can still see her mess on his face. It’s not easy, but she gets up on her tippy toes and swipes her tongue over his chin and lips. Calum holds her face with his hands, keeping her there as they kiss. Somewhere in the heated touches, her shirt and bra are discarded. The air feels different now. Electric but somehow a vortex spiraling her further and further down. Calum is the only thing that keeps her grounded, kissing his warm skin, biting at his muscles.Her arousal is leaking from her again, he can feel it.

He kisses up her shoulder, over the side of her neck. His breathe right in her ear. “Since you like being on your knees so much, why don’t you kneel for me, face down, ass up?”

Arching up, Ruby situates herself in the middle of the bed, ass up, face pressed down into the mattress. It’s a gorgeous sight, Calum thinks, tearing open the foil packet. He gives each of her cheeks a swat, watching as they turn red and bounce. “You hit hard,” she pants. Nerves strike his chest. Did he really hit too hard? “I like it.”

He exhales, slipping the latex over his cock and gives her another two swats. “Since you like it so much.”

Her laughter is muffled, but still audible. “Thank you.”

Calum lines himself up, slowly pushing into her. He’s used to always taking the intial thrust slow but Ruby settles back onto him. Clearly he is wasting too much time with being gentle. He gives her another swat to her right cheek and then another to the left. She doesn’t try to outpace Calum, though, occasionally she bounces back. He has none of that. He takes his hips into his hands, stilling her. Her arch never falters, face pressed harder and harder into the mattress by Calum’s sharp thrusts. Her hair, all too inviting. Calum reaches for the ends, just to play with it before finding the hold of the ponytail. He pulls her upward, her hissing is music to his ears.

“Fuck,” she sighs, arching more to keep the angle.

Her curses are matched by Calum’s own. “Look at that ass bounce for me,” he growls. He slows on purpose, just to give her another swat. But she can feel the fire in her gut. She is not in the business of playing too many games. Pressing herself back, she tries to encourage him to go faster again. All it does it make him slow until she’s fucking herself on his sock. “Such a good girl,” he mutters.

His hold is still wound around her hair. Her moans reach a higher pitch, beginning to sound like a bit of a whine. But her hips never slow. “God, fuck,” she sighs. Her orgasm falls over it, thighs shaking. She wants to collapse, to just give in. But she hears the way Calum groans, the quiet, ‘Oh shit’ he breathes and she pushes herself up. She knows one thing she wants more than sleep, his release.

Pressing back hard, she arches a little more. “Cum for me, Calum. You know you want to. You know you need it.”

Need it--what he needs is for her to never stop riding him like this. God, what he needs is her whines imprinted into his brain. “You gonna make me cum?” he returns. She says nothing, and needs not say anything as she snaps back and forth of his cock. “Oh my god,” he groans, letting go of her hair. His release is close. He can feel it in his toes, the way it’s knotting in his stomach. “Just like that, baby,” he breathes.

“That’s right,” she encourages. “Cum for me.” She can’t quite feel the start of his releases, but he hears it as he comes, the way his hips rut up. He holds her by her hips, buried deep inside her. His cry is a grunt that’s choked out towards the end.

Ruby finally lets herself fall into the bed, Calum’s weight mostly on top of her. He kisses down her spine before pulling out gently. She pushes herself up, laughing as she asks which way to the bathroom. Her clothes are everywhere after her trip to the bathroom. But she finds her underwear and jeans up front and walks back into the bedroom to find her bralette.

“Dressed already?” Calum’s spread on the bed, his boxers pulled back up over himself. But that’s all. Ruby doesn’t speak. It should be obvious that she can’t say. “You’re an hour from your house. It’s almost two in the morning.”

“I’ll be fine,” she assures, pulling the straps up.

“You have to walk three blocks just to get to your car. I’m not letting you do that. Not this late at night and definitely not by yourself.”

“What are you going to do? Walk back with me to my chair?”

“Yeah. In the morning.”

“That’s going to be awkward.” She doesn’t miss the eye roll. Somehow it stings. She knows it’s probably a better idea to just wait until morning.

“It won’t be awkward. Take those jeans off, put your shirt down and lay down.” Ruby tosses the shirt onto the chair in the corner of his room. Everyone has that chair where clothes, jackets, and junk are deposited. Shimmying down the jeans a second time tonight, she steps out of them, throwing them onto the chair too. As she settles onto the mattress, Calum brings the sheets up. He doesn’t miss that she wears her bra and panties still.

“I’m a side sleeper, so I’m not ignoring you I promise,” she laughs.

“Noted.” Sleep never finds Calum anymore. He’s never needs it anymore. But he lets himself fall into the springs, eyes closed. He lays, arms folded behind his head and keeps himself still. For the moment. It’s not too much longer that he can tell she’s asleep, the sheets move slower now. Her breathing deeper now.

This isn’t how these nights usually go. He’s never really brought someone over to his place. But he finds a certain spark of joy in having someone in bed next to him. Yes, they’re practically a stranger. But for the small moments before he slips out of the bed, it’s nice.

___ That would be the end of his story with Ruby if not for a week later, he runs into her. On her side of town. The girl he’s after is crafty. She’s changed her hair since they last time she was spotted. But he knows she hangs around the beauty salon as a nail technician. So he decided to make an consultation. He’s no stranger to a hair salon and isn’t afraid to use whatever means necessary. From the front entry, he can almost see clear to the back. There’s something behind part of the wall, he can’t see, but as the door chimes and he steps in, he figures once he gets into the ladies chair he can scope it out.

There’s a chorus of a welcome from the women working. Some ladies sit off to the side, waiting as well. He walks up to the front desk, smiling at the young girl there. “Hello, how are you?” she greets.

“Good. You?”

“Well. How can I help you today?”

“I have an appointment with Dione,” he answers. “Under Hood. Calum.”

She looks over the book and nods. “She’ll be with you in just a moment. Feel free to have a seat.”

Calum nods before walking over to the seating area, and plops down. From this angle he can see the nail area. Though it’s empty for the time being. But from the back, he spots Ruby, walking up front, someone behind her. He must’ve called her name because she looks up, brows pulled together in confusion. Her features soften after they settle on him. Of all the places the girl could be, he’s shocked. No, scratched that he’s floored.

He can’t help but think she’s gorgeous even in the black apron and crocs. He snorts, mostly to himself when he sees them. She turns back to client. They talk lowly and after she’s paid she turns back to Calum. “Well this is a surprise,” Ruby laughs. “How’d you find me?”

“I didn’t. I just needed a good stylist.” He could ask her. She’s sure to know everyone that comes through this salon. But before he can ask his name is called.

So he stands. But stops pulling Ruby in close. “Can you squeeze me in after this?”

“You know I do brows right?”

He grins. “Have you seen these caterpillar? I need it.”

“Yeah I can squeeze you in.” The hair consultation doesn’t take long. But he’s hoping that if he lingers just a little longer that she’ll show up. When it’s done, Ruby waves for him to follow. They walk down the corridor. She’ll have no questions no doubt. But he’s less concerned about that. He needs answers and fast.

Calum settles into the chair but Ruby doesn’t recline it. She studies him for a moment, brows knitting back together.“Do you really need your brows done or is this some sort of excuse?”

“In all honesty, I need your help.”

“With what?”

“Niq. I need to know when she comes in again, or if you know about were she hangs out.”

“Niq keeps to herself mostly. She works everyday the shop is open. She’s a good kid.”

They’re all good kids he thinks. They always are on the second or third leg. He can feel the sincerity off her. The concern. He wonders for a moment if she’s older than he figured. He aged her at about early twenties, the physical age his human form stopped aging. “Look, she’s in some trouble. I’m just trying to help her.”

Ruby’s features soften. She’s worried. Niq isn’t the type to be in major trouble. Granted, she doesn’t talk about her past. She just needed a place to lay low she said, make money to make ends meet. And that’s all she ever did. They didn’t hang out on the weekends but she never fussed with anyone. She never went out of her way to be spiteful. “She’s out getting lunch for us.”

“When will she be back? I really need to speak with her. Keep her out of trouble.” The words fall so easily. Calum doesn’t even have to think about what he’s saying. From the front, the door chimes. Ruby holds up a hand for him to stay seated and she peeks out the door. Niq stands at the door, bags and cup holders in her hand. Whatever trouble she’s in, Calum will surely help her out.

Ruby turns around. “That’s her. She just walked in. Should I get her to come back here?”

While Calum knows Niq to be evasive, she’s never been hostile. He shakes his head. “We’ll go up front, I’ll pay, like nothing happened. She knows who I am.”

“Okay. Is she gonna be alright? Like what’s going on?”

He keeps quiet, just stands from the seat and waves for her to walk first. He won’t answer her. She takes it as she’s better off not knowing. Her heart hammers in her chest when she starts to the front of the salon. What trouble had Niq gotten into to? Ruby knew gang violence was huge in the surrounding area. Had Niq gotten involved with the wrong guy? Was Calum connected? All her thoughts raced along with her heart but she tried to keep up appearances.

Niq smiles at Ruby and even at Calum. He nods in return, sliding Ruby a twenty. A silent conversation in nods occurs between Calum and Niq. He heads out the front door. He considers the possibility that Niq could try and bolt out the back door. So he pats his pockets, snaps his fingers and spins back around. Calum knows he hasn’t forgotten anything. But if he can keep his cover for just a wee bit longer, he can walk back into the salon without a single batting lash.

“Forget something?” Ruby asks.

“Keys,” is Calum’s simple reply, noting Niq shuffling towards the back of the salon. She’s making good distance before Calum figures he’ll have to be had.

Ruby feels the hairs on her arms stand up with Calum behind her. The air buzzes, she can feel it in her chest. Calum’s never going to catch her if Ruby is in the way. Niq won’t make it far. Ruby veers into the room to double check the seat for any sign of keys when something cracks, a deafening sound with a flash.

She turns around and Calum’s holding one hand up, something black wrapped around it. “So that’s where my whip went?”

Whip? What the hell is he doing with a whip?

“I’m not going back,” Niq hisses.

“On the contrary, I’ve got direct orders to take you back. DOA. So this is really your choice.” A swift yanks brings the whip and Niq closer to him. It burns as the handle leaves Niq’s hand. It burns her everytime she touches it, it knows who it belongs to. But she figured if Calum were so powerful to hold it, it would make her powerful too. And it did, minus the burns. Calum brings the hilt to his hand. Her flesh still melting into it.

Is this his idea of helping, Ruby wonders This can’t be it. If so, he’s got a fucked up idea of reality.

Niq figures this is her last shot of escape. The next time it won’t just be Calum. It will be him and the hounds. She knows if she faces them, there is no chance of being brought back alive. But she’d rather be brought back dead. “You’ll have to kill me,” she says and attempts to turn.

Another crack sounds around the salon, a stripe across her body. It burns, not even because of the poison leather, just the sting of her pride. Niq knows she fucked up, that she broke her word. But she really deserved a second shot at life. It wasn’t her time to go. She figured this would give her that second shot. She didn’t think Lucifer would take so strongly to a verbal agreement.

Calum would rather not kill her. She is, as Ruby called it, just a kid. She’s a got caught up. She was given a deal and when Calum discovered his whip missing, knew she had to be the one that had taken it. Always had sticky fingers. He was willing to let it go, but he wasn’t the one to call the shots. Lucifer demanded she be found and brought back. Scarred. To be made a lesson of.

Niq touches the blood, making sure it’s real and hers while collapsed onto the floor. Calum winds the whip back up, pulling out the bag from his jacket pocket. “You said you were going to help her?” Ruby snaps.

Calum walks past her, not even blinking at the punch she throws. It connects, even has some power behind it. “I am helping her,” he returns.

His tone is too even keeled. “This is not helping her!” She shrieks. She’s helpless as he lifts Niq over his shoulder. “I don’t know who you are. But this is kidnapping. I will call the police.”

“Call ‘em babe. “ He spins around. Eyes blacked over, a grin on his face. Ruby wishes she could wipe it off his plump lips. “And when they ask for a description of the man, tell them. not a man, not a who. But a what.” He tongue flicks out, forked like a snake. When he turns again, she notes a black tail, slender with a spear at the end. It waves as he pushes open the back doors.

Ruby doesn’t run into Calum after that. At first, she wants to confront him. Demand all the answers, even attempt to kick his ass for lying to her. She hangs around that bar. She drops by the apartment building only to find that he broke the lease and left. Every search on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter yields her nothing in the wake of a Calum Hood. It’s as if he isn’t even real. As if he didn’t exist for those two weeks to her. She knows he did though. He can’t escape without a trace. He has to exist somewhere, to somebody. Even if he paid everything in cash, there has to be something left. Something that will bite him in the ass.

Calum watches her. Sometimes from Lucifer’s viewing room. Other times from right outside her windows. He watches the way she combs through the internet, telephone books, leases to see if there is anything left. The number he used was from a burner phone, one anyone can get from a local gas shop or WalMart. He broke his lease, but it’s easy enough to forge legal documents after doing it for so many years. The thing is, he’s no stranger to a lie. There’s something in his gut that feels for her though.

Sure Niq might’ve been a good kid to them. But she broke a contract with Lucifer and it’s in Calum’s best interest not to question him too much. It’s not that he feels awful for having to use Ruby. But he feels something. Ruby cared. One of the few people in the last few decades that seems to give a shit about anyone. For fuck sake, she couldn't even hit the creep that was harassing her in the club.

Calum grins, thinking about the punch she landed on his ribs. No, it didn’t hurt but there was a fierceness behind it. In that moment, she probably didn’t care because all she was worried about was the girl. Calum can give Ruby that much, give her props on that she actually cares about people. He wishes he didn’t have to manipulate that. He wishes he could’ve let her still have that much--that giving a shit wouldn’t backfire on her.

He knows he’s an asshole. Just wishes he wasn’t an asshole to those that give a shit. He preferred being an asshole to those that deserved it. That’s his thing. Ruby didn’t deserve it. But he had a job. “Watching her again?” a voice hisses behind him.

Calum’s all too familiar with the high octave. “Just making sure she’s not potentially blowing any still usable covers.” It’s an easy enough lie.

“Oh, she’s nothing special. Even if she opens her mouth, she won’t a second time.”

His fingers curl into a fist. He won’t let that happen. Ruby is not someone that deserves damnation over him. “She won’t be a problem, my liege. I can assure it.”

“Be careful of her, Hood. I need your head on straight. Or it’ll be your head staring back at you. Now wouldn’t that be a sight? If only you’d be able to see it,” Luckifer laughs.

Calum watches him leave. It felt like a threat, but there is something in the laughter that makes Calum wonder just how serious Lucifer is about that.

___

Ruby groans when there’s a knock at her door. Having just settled for the next three episodes of her latest Netflix binge, she’s not pleased at the unplanned guest. As she gazes through the peephole her heart skips. That is most definitely not who her eyes are telling her is standing right behind her door. “Shit, no,” she whispers, pressing her forehead into the door. Maybe she can just avoid it.

“Your car’s parked outside. I can see your feet under the door.”

Hearing his voice reignites the anger in her. She thinks about the lies. The way Niq was limp over his shoulder. She unlatches the hook, swinging the door open. “You asshole. What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Attempting to apologize.”

“You can’t apologize. Not for lying, not for using me.”

Calum holds his hands up. “I technically, can apologize. You just may or may not accept it.”

“Fucking asshole. Does it look like I care what you can technically do?”

He looks over her attire, the sweatpants, camisole, the silk scarf around the edges of her braids. It’s a new style after the ponytail. The chunky box braids still look good on her. She’s had them for two weeks now, he’d figured. He’s lost all track of time really in Hell. It’s not important there anyway. “Looks like you’re about to settle in for the evening.” He steps closer, the leather jacket rustles just a little. “Mind if I join?” It’s not truly a question as he slips inside. He knows he really shouldn’t be pressing his luck. But he really does need to apologize to her.

She stares at his once occupied space and nearly shouts. Instead she closes the door and continues to stare at all the chips in the paint. “You really need to get the fuck out of my house,” she sighs, whipping around. The braids fly up with her action.

Calum’s already settled into the cushions, boots slipped off, the jacket halfway down his arm. “What are you watching?”

“Get the hell out of my house.” Her voice is calm, though she pushes it out between her teeth.

“Can I just explain?”

“No, you can get the fuck out of my house!”

“Ruby, look, I-I know I was an asshole. I’m a Hunter. It’s my job. I don’t always like it. But I do what I must.”

“You could be blue, red, or purple, Calum. I don’t give a single fuck what your job is. I don’t care what you are, the truth is you lied to me. You used me and I don’t want to see your face eva’ ‘gain.”

“I apologize. You really didn’t deserve it.”

Her voice is nothing but a shout, a curdling cry in the air of her apartment, “Get the fuck out of my house!”

He doesn’t bother sliding his shoes on, just grabs them and turns the door on the knob. He pauses, goes to give it one last try, but she shoves his back. The only word leaving her lips is, “Out.” So Calum dares not push it and slips between the small crack of the not fully opened door. He leans against the wall, listening to her shout. He has half a mind to tell her be mindful of her neighbors. When the door across the hall creaks open, he apologizes.

“Sorry. I fucked up. She’ll be okay in a second.”

The elderly gentleman looks to Ruby’s apartment door. “Must’ve messed up real bad there. She been living across from me for four years and I ain’t ever heard so much as a peep from her, besides the occasional song.”

Calum nods, tossing his head back into the wall. “Yeah, yeah I did.”

“You apologize?”

“I did.”

“Well, sometimes that’s all you can do.” He can see the boots in his hands. “You can bother me for a seat, maybe even a cup of joe if you want to give her some time.”

Calum shakes his head. “Thank you though.”

The old man nods before giving a wobbly smile. “Try again ‘morrow, yeah?”

Calum likes the idea of hope. The idea that he might have a second chance at this. “Yeah. Tomorrow,” he whispers. The shouting has stopped, nothing left but a faint sniffle behind the sounds of talking. She’s probably started whatever show. There’s no fixing this. He tried, that’s all he could do. Not that he really deserves a second shot. But he had hope maybe, just maybe he could get it.

Calum did always feel hexed. Everything good that happened, he somehow always managed to fuck it up. He at first just blamed it on the universe, that time and fate had conspired against him. But he realized it was just him. He was always the asshole that managed to fuck up nice things. And his powers seemed to have struck again.

___

He’s not even supposed to be over on this side. He’s not even supposed to be in this state. But he takes the risk, just to make sure she’s okay. Calum tries to tell himself he’s only checking in so his cover isn’t blown. But there’s something else. He won’t admit. He refuses to admit the pain in his chest when he notices her leaving a date. It has to be a date. There’s no other reason for a sweater dress and heels. She’s tying the coat close as the door shuts behind her.

She looks good, finally wearing her natural hair out. It’s cut extremely short on the sides and back. The top straightened, but the ends curled just a little. He realizes then, it’s just a grown out and better styled version of his hair cut. The short looks really suits her face though, he thinks. It helps with her strong jaw line.

But something is wrong. From the porch of this classy bar, he can see the way she shuffles down the sidewalk. The guy is trying to catch up, shouts out her name. Calum appreciates the darkness and the drunkenness of most of the people here. He sets his drink down, arms resting onto the railing and lifts up. His descent is fast and if it weren’t for his demonic status the sharp landing in a crouch would surely break his ankles. The street is clear of cars, so Calum jogs across, catching up easily. “I thought we were having a good time together.” The closer he gets the more he realizes that is not a man.

He’s shocked for a second but that doesn’t stop the fact that this person is clearly pushing the boundaries. Ruby doesn’t slow, heels still clicking against the pavement. “Dinner was great, Tre. But I just--”

The last part of her sentence is cut off by the other woman’s retort. “You owe me!”

This stops Ruby in her tracks and Calum leans against the brick building, pulling out his phone. The blue light fades in his vision as he listens in. Just in case things do go south. “I don’t owe you anything. Not a goddamn thing. A date isn’t a ticket for sex. If you wanted a fuck, you should’ve just asked for one. I’m sure someone would’ve been okay with it you piece of shit.”

“I hate bitches like you. Y’all so stuck up. Just give me my money. All I’m looking for is a good fuck.”

There’s rustling; Ruby’s blood is boiling. And she hasn’t missed Calum’s figure still leaned up against the building. She throws the two twenties, enough to cover her half of the bill in Tre’s face. It falls to the ground. “Next time, open with that. Don’t pressure anyone into anything you cunt.”

“All y’all bitches are crazy. You not even worth it no how.” She picks the cash up and walks back towards the restaurant.

“I don’t need saving, Calum,” Ruby states.

He looks up. His smile is tight lipped, almost as if he’s too scared to actually look her in the eye. Thankfully Ruby doesn’t sound pissed. Just tired. He clears his throat. He should say something. Anything. Well, maybe not anything. He can’t risk sounding like an asshole again. “The haircut looks nice,” he finally speaks.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He gives just a curt nod before turning around. Ruby watches him, the jacket is longer this time. Goes down to his nearly the tops of his thighs. The boots are a little different, but he’s dressed in all black like usual.

“Traded in the leather jacket, huh?” She calls out to his retreading figure.

He stops, a small grin lifting his cheeks. “Too cold.”

She pulls her coat tighter around herself. “Used to warmer weather, I assume.”

He laughs. A genuine from the gut laugh. “Yeah you could call it that.”

She nods over her shoulder. There’s nothing but darkness cut by streetlights and storefronts. “What about a cup of coffee? Or tea? Whatever your heart desires.”

Maybe he hadn’t jinxed it. Maybe this is a second chance. He never gets them often. “You sure?”

“I’m sure.” They walk in silence to an ice cream shop nearby. He gets nothing but does pay for hers. “Thanks. For being there.”

“Looks like you didn’t need me.”

She sets the spoon down. Takes note of the avoiding gaze and soft voice. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you feel remorse.”

This finally gets his gaze directed on her. “I’m an asshole. Not a psychopath.”

“Well,” she teases, voice tittering higher up.

“Okay, okay,” he huffs. “Maybe I deserve that. I also realize it’s creepy as fuck to be keeping tabs like this.”

“Creepy indeed.”

“Sorry. There’s no sane excuse.”

“There isn’t. But I guess if you’re lingering around this long, it might be for a reason.”

He twirls his rings around his fingers. It sounds insane when he goes to utter it over his lips. “Was really hoping you’d accept my apology.”

“You know me. Lover, not a fighter.”

“Could’ve fooled me. Got a mean left swing.”

“I deserve that, I guess.”

Calum wonders, looking at her downturn gaze if this is over, if he’s pushed his luck. He might have. But he’s glad that they are able to clear the air. They talk until closing and the air has dropped again in temperature. He walks her to her car, occasionally bumping her elbow. She huffs, before bumping his in return. At her car, she leans into the driver side door. “Where you headed?”

“Back.” Just one word. But there’s something in her gut that knows where back is. Back is below. Back is Hell. But she can’t bring herself to utter the words. “You know normal people run away. Most people find out someone’s not what they thought they were and they leave well alone.” There he goes again, sticking his foot in his mouth.

“Not most people, I guess. In this reality, monsters are all around us. They don’t need whips or horned tails. They speak with forked tongues and are just as human as me.”

It’s an honest and sometimes hard take to have, to know the veil between human and supernatural isn’t as thick as one thinks. “Is this like, over? Did I cross the creep line?” Calum’s never been this honest, this vulnerable.

“Cross the creep line, yes. But over, no. I know you mean well. Just next time you’re around, just send a quick message, snail mail or something. Don’t jump from the second story.”

Calum grins, it’s small. Nothing big. Just a quick upturn of his lips. “Thanks.”

Ruby looks out into the still night. She hasn’t reached for her car door so Calum doesn’t move from his spot. “Tiff doesn’t remember what happened at the shop. No one does. Why’s that?”

“Clean up,” Calum explains. “Crew told me that one person fled the scene before they could get there.”

“Guess you caught me. So why haven’t they track me down? Do the whole Men In Black erase thing?”

“I lied.” He says it so easily. Not even hardly a blink or the gaping second before the words gather. Just a simple fact.

“So you lied about me?”

“I fudged the numbers. Made an eight look more like a nine. It happens. My handwriting is shit.”

“Was I that special?” Her throat thumps. She can feel the pulsing in her neck. Her mouth dries a little. Would Calum lie to her right now?

“You are.”

“Aren’t you worried? Shouldn’t you be concerned about getting into trouble?”

Calum shrugs. “Boss man only knows that you saw me at the club. When clean up said that they were missing one, I went back to the shop, staked it out. Only one missing was you. Went back, said that I had found the missing one and covered our asses. Never mentioned you were in the shop.”

“Do you normally keep tabs on the women you take home?”

Calum quirks an eyebrow. “This a conversation best had over whiskey, don’t you think? I’d offer more ice cream but I think every shop in town is closed.”

Ruby runs her fingers over her key fob. She finds the button, eyes never faltering from Calum’s. The headlights blinked, the doors unlocking. She throws her head back, a gesture for him to hop in. “Luckily we’re on my side of town. Fifteen minutes out from my place, if you care to bum a ride.”

Calum half jogs, noticing the shiver that runs over Ruby. The night has gotten colder since they got ice cream. He’d rather her not freeze. The heat is blasting before she pulls out of the parking spot.

“I should probably explain what I do,” Calum starts, knee and leg bouncing a little in the passenger seat. How does he explain with words what he does? He prays it doesn’t scare her off.

“I don’t care,” Ruby says. “Honestly, I don’t.” That feels like too much knowing, too much weight if he dulvges it all to her. Some things are better left unknown she figures.

Calum nods. Not what he expected but he likes that she just accepts things for what they are. “Well, I don’t keep tabs. To answer your question. I just noticed you looking me up. So I had to tell Boss that it was nothing. And eventually, you stopped. But I really did want to apologize. You give a shit about people. You don’t run across that a lot. I did use you. And I wish I hadn’t. I wish I didn’t take advantage of that. I could I wish I didn’t have to take advantage of it and blame my job. But the truth is, I’m so used to people doing whatever to get over that I just thought you were like that. And you’re not.”

Ruby is silent. At least he recognized the wrong doing. At least he’s not a complete soulless asshole like many others out there. “What do you say if we start again?” Her question comes after a minute or two of silence.

“I’d like that.”

Inside Ruby’s apartment, she drops her coat and purse onto the couch. Calum watches her immediately head over to her dining room table. It’s a high table, pushed up against the wall next to a window. She grabs one of the barstools and moves it a foot or so away from the table. Calum grabs two and pulls them away. She grabs the corner of the table and looks over to Calum.

He grabs the other corner and lifts. Ruby realizes she’s not even helping as he pulls it out from the wall withouth having to drag it an inch. Pulled away from the wall, she moves two stools behind it into the gap. Her next stop is to the kitchen, grabbing whiskey glasses. “I like the mason jars better,” Calum says from behind her.

“Mason jars it is then”

“Don’t have whiskey. Will Hennessey do?”

“I’ll have to rectify that error later.”

Ruby pours two glasses and gives one to Calum. It clinks against the metal of his rings when he grasps it. He’s glad he didn’t take the jacket off or the beanie. She grabs a third glass and pours straight cranberry juice. She can forgo alcohol for the night. “All actors ready?” he teases, lips sealing around the screw top rim. The dark liquor is warm as it goes down.

“Ruby and Calum meeting at the bar, scene 1, take 2,” Ruby laughs.

Calum settles into one of the barstools behind her table, watching her in the kitchen. “We’re missing music,” he muses.

“My neighbors would kill me if I played club music this late. They’re all old. Let them rest.”

Calum decides he likes Ruby’s smile. Even the shy quiet ones. “Since you asked so nicely.” He looks away, taking another sip and hears her giggling. “This is serious,” he reprimands, still staring out into her living room.

The dark gray couch looks nice with bright yellow throw pillows. Her coffee able is black metal, a simple chic design. The entertainment stand is metal too. Her rug is black with dark gray trim. The art on her walls are of plants, a soft dark green but not distracting. He doesn’t miss the record player sitting on her bookshelf.

He’s tempted to spin a record. But when the glass lands on the table in front of him, he forgets about it. “Come here often?” Ruby asks, a tuft of laughter escaping her.

He grins behind the first glass before putting down onto the wooden table. It’s a pretty dark gray stain over the wood. She’s careful to slip a coaster under the glasses too, Calum notices. “First time around here actually.”

As Ruby climbs into the chair next to him, she laughs even more. “Well, let me show you a good time then. Name’s Ruby.”

“Calum,” he gets out over his fit of giggles. Ruby falls into his shoulder, the wool a little stratchy against her face. Her laughter spills from her lips too. “Tell me would you have really used that line with someone?”

“Hell no. It’s cheesy as hell.”

“Then why did you use it just now?”

She shrugs. “I figured why not. We were starting over. What harm would it cause to try it out?”

“A lot. Especially if this weren’t our first meeting.”

“Good thing it’s not.”

Soon Calum’s slipping out of coat, nursing one glass. He could have both. They’re not strong to him and he does feel bad since she poured both. “You don’t have to have both. I just--it fit the scene.”

He nods, slouching a little into the seat, arm thrown around the back of her chair. Ruby reclines back, head falling onto his shoulder again. He gently brushes over her shoulders. “Do you sleep?” The question falls before the yawn from Ruby’s lips.

“Technically, no I don’t need it. I do rest, I guess. But I don’t sleep like you’d think.”

“So I guess I don’t need to offer my couch to you then, huh?”

“I should probably get back.”

“You know where to find me though,” Ruby counters.

“I do. And I’ll send snail mail the next time I’m around.”

Calum keeps to his word and slips a letter under her door when she’s at work. So by night time, if she has the energy, she can call. The number is different at the bottom of each letter. But Calum’s always on the other end.

They meet sometimes for ice cream if it has to be a quick stop. Other times they might meet at her place, sipping a combination of alcohol and watching the latest episode of her shows. Those nights Calum stays, never terribly late. Just long enough into the morning that she knows he’s leaving. He makes sure to give warning of his departure.

“You really have completed the whole aesthetic,” Calum comments, refilling his glass. He won’t admit that he’s partial to the mason jars as cups. Instead he pokes fun at it.

“You leave my interior decoration alone. Lest we not forget the state your place was in,” Ruby shouts from the couch.

“It doesn’t count,” Calum counters. “It was temp. This is your home.”

“Fuck off. And hurry, I let ads play for you to you mess around. You’ve got thirty seconds left and I won’t pause.”

“Please leave my chocolate pretzels alone,” he huffs as he watches her grab a handful from his bowl.

“Whatcha gon’ do about it sweetheart?”

When weeks roll into months, and months roll into a year, it feels unreal. That somewhere in all this of the time he’s been blessed with a friend. He stays a little longer behind. His captures are no less perfect. But Lucifer is not necessarily pleased that he does take longer. But Calum’s doing his best to keep him at bay. He suspects it won’t be much longer before some sort of punishment will be dished out. There always is.

At her apartment door, he knocks. He thinks he should’ve brought a carnation to replace the last one he bought. Though he figures, she’ll be asleep in a couple hours and he can sneak out and find one. Before the door opens, he notes the change in the air--it feels warmer.

Ruby opens the door with shaky hands. Before Calum can ask what’s happening, someone else walks up behind him. Lucifer. Immediately, he can feel the shift happening, his blackened eyes taking over. “My liege,” he answers with a curt nod.

“Oh, if it’s not my favorite Hunter. Come in, come in,” he urges. Calum steps inside. If his heart still pumped the same, it would be racing in his chest. He steps in front of Ruby, watching as Lucifer strolls about, tail whipping about. That is not a good sign. “I love the decor. Very chic. The pops are color are divine, don’t you think?”

“It’s a wonderfully decorated home,” Calum returns.

With a dazzling smile behind pink lips, Lucifer points to Ruby. “She’s got a great eye. I’d hate for something to happen.”

Calum takes a step back, pushing her further into the door. A silent plea for her to run if she can take it. Ruby clings to his jacket. She doesn’t have to be told something is going to happen. She can feel it in her bones when his gaze lands on her again. “Is there an issue, sir?”

“An issue? Hm, yes. My issue is that my best Hunter is out here falling for a human.”

“It’s not like that. We are just--” Does he say it? Does it dare let the word cross his lips. “Friends, sir. Just friends.”

She exhales. They’ve never really labeled whatever this was. But she likes hearing him say it. Friends is nice. Lucifer hums again. “What a nice thing to say? But I don’t like is that your friend is messing with your work.”

“Sir, I am perfectly capable--” The sentence is not finished when Lucifer’s tail wraps around his throat.

“I don’t give a shit. I know you’re capable. Why the hell else would you have such an esteemed title? But we don’t get cozy with humans. There are rules for a reason. Understood?”

A choked, “Yes,” falls from Calum’s lips before the hold is released. He wants to reliate, lash out. But that’s frowned upon. Calum bites his tongue.

“Move for me.”

Calum doesn’t like that tone. That gleam in his eyes. Ruby’s the first person to listen to him, to give a shit about someone other than herself and even if Calum’s an asshole, she gave him a second shot. What she does not need is whatever Lucifer has planned up his sleeve. “My liege. With all due respect, she’s just human. She’s not worth it.” He winces a little as the words leave his lips. He doesn’t mean it like that. Doesn’t mean that she doesn’t hold value to him. But she is not worth Lucifer getting bent out of shape over.

“Oh, but she’s your friend. She is worth it. Now you will move, or I will move you.”

“Sir, please. I’ll leave with you right now, just please. Leave her out of this.”

“Don’t be silly, Calum. There’s no way to leave her out of it. She knows too much.”

He gets it now. This isn’t about Ruby. It never was. It was solely about him. She never had to open her mouth. She never had to slip up, say the wrong thing. All she had to do was get close. She had to witness once or twice his true form and it was over for him. There was a warning that had not been heeded.

There’s no way to trace a ghost. The fortunate thing for Lucifer here. It’ll be like Calum never existed. Though he hasn’t for a while now. This was just a shell. Still powerful but effectively empty. Calum’s flesh is temporary and what’s beneath cannot survive on the surface.

Calum takes a small step forward. Ruby holds onto his wrist. “I won’t tell a soul. I haven’t told anyone,” she pleads.

Calum’s chest caves. He hates the way it cracks. This isn’t about her. He pleads with Lucifer, but there’s no sympathy. He steps forward again, squeezing her hand one last time before their connection falls. “Calum, what-- No, please, I haven’t done anything.”

He speaks to her without looking away from Lucifer. “No, you haven’t. I have.”

It finally clicks. “Calum, no. He can’t. That’s not fair!”

When she finally steps forward, a black tail stops her. Calum. He can’t risk her getting in the way, getting hurt. The tip hurts, even though there’s no pressure behind it. It’s sharp just resting against her skin. Lucifer makes a circling motion with his finger and Calum closes his eyes as he spins. His tail drops and Ruby is frozen as he strips his leather jacket, pulling the beanie from his dark curls. He just shaved the sides down, she notices, the top still long. He peels his shirt over his head, dropped into a heap next to him.

Everything in her body is telling her to look away. But she can’t. His normal brown colored eyes are blacked out. Wings appear from his back, smoke billowing all around them. She wonders for a fleeting moment if the smoke alarm will sound. They are beautiful, black, with tufts of smoke blowing from the feather tip. He furls them, reaching into the pile of his clothes and brings out his whip. He drops to his knees and lifts the sacred leather whip up. It will soon no longer be his.

Ruby sinks against the wall, her eyes are swimming. “This can’t be happening,” she whispers. “You can’t do this!”

“Sweetheart, I can. And I will,” Lucifer grins, cracking the whip. A red welt appears across Calum’s chest. The only sign of pain is the muscle the jumps in his jaw. She pushes herself up to her knees. If she could plead to any god willing to listen, she would. But there’s no god here. The whip sounds again, an X appears in angry red across his chest.

Ruby crawls to him. Part of her brain remembers the last time she did this and she cracks a watery smile. Calum sees it, knows what she’s thinking. “Don’t you dare,” he threatens, clearing his throat.

“What? Telling me now is an inappropriate time to ask if someone on their hands and knees gets you off?”

Calum shakes his head with a quirk of his thick brow. “Very inappropriate time.”

Lucifer watches the exchange with a smile. “Well at least you two had some sort of history.”

No one pays him any mind. Calum focuses on her, the way her hair is still cut short on the sides and back. The curls on top are tighter now. She raises to a kneel on her knees in front of him, hands trembling as the cup his jaw. “You’re a good friend, you know? An asshole, but still a good guy.”

Another crack of the whip sounds in the room. The blow across the bone where wing meets Calum’s vertebrae. He tries not to groan, tries to swallow down the pain. But another blow comes and he buries his face into her shoulder. “I tried,” he whispers. “I’m hexed though. Jinxed, something.” Lucifer brings the whip down again, the bone is snapping, blood trickling down his back.

“No, you’re not hexed,” she whispers. “You’re a good guy.”

The final crack of the whip brings the last of the wing away from his spine. He lets out a grunt into her skin, arms winding around her dark flesh. The room is spinning for Calum. This is way worse he thinks. Having her here to witness. He wants to push her away, tell her to get out of here before it happens. But a larger part wants her in his arms. He wants someone to lean into.

“You-you shouldn’t be here for this,” he breathes. It’s hard to focus on anything other than the way she smells like pressed hair and a hint of apple. Maybe from her body wash.

“No, no, I’ve never left a man behind. I wasn’t raised that way. Dad’s Ex-SWAT remember.”

Lucifer brings another blow against the open wound. Calum lets himself cry out that time. She holds his head, forearms blocking it from the blows. She knows she could get hurt. It doesn’t matter. All she’s focused on is how Calum’s grip is loosening around her waist. “Tell me,” he pants. “Why Ruby?”

“Why the name?”

“Not your real one.”

Snot drops onto her lips. “No, it’s not. To make a long story short, my mom was abusive and manipulative. I hated the way she screamed my name. She always said it so nasty, like it was poison. So I had people call me Ruby. After my dad’s birthstone.”

It may not be solace. It may not bring her peace. “We sent her below,” Calum wheezes after another blow.

“Below? Like Below Hell?”

He gives a small nod. It’s hard against the tight squeeze of her forearms. Ruby kisses the top of his head. The whip falls to the floor before Lucifer hovers over Calum’s tail. He lets his tip hover, a warning for Calum of what’s to come. “We have our own sense of morals,” Lucifer interjects. “We’re not all bad.”

“Fuck off,” Calum spits. He turns his head, his lips brushing against the skin of her neck. “We are. We are bad.”

“No,” Ruby protests. “You’re not. You are not all bad, Calum.”

Lucifer drops his tail, point severing Calum’s. “Speak out of turn. This will be your final chance.”

Calum pushes himself up, it’s a slow process. But he does. “I had a sister. When you see her, on the other side, tell her I loved her. That I remembered everything she taught me.”

Ruby holds his face, cheeks squishing in the strong hold. “I will.”

“It’s gonna take you a few decades to meet her. But you’ll know her when you see her. Now, don’t watch this part.”

“Calum I can’t leave you.”

“You won’t be. Just close your eyes, face the wall. You’ll be right there. Just don’t watch.” He knows the gore, the shock that overtakes someone when the final blow is delivered. He can spare her that. He can do one last good thing. “Ruby, I’m not asking.” His breath is labored. “Don’t. Watch.”

Her eyes dark around his face, trying to remember the moles on his cheek, the way his nose sat, how plump his lips are. She kisses him, a short peck. Resting her forehead to his, she lets her tears fall. “I love you. I never said that. Didn’t know how you’d react.”

He takes his hand, curling it around hers, and motions for her to turn. “I love you.”

It’s a platonic love. A love that made Calum feel human again for just a little over a year and a half. He will go, remembering the way she laughed, and how to never drank coffee with no less than three sugars. He will go remembering that someone saw something more in him. Calum’s wasn’t looking for companionship. But he found something better.

She doesn’t turn fulling away, more like three quarters, eyes closed. But she reaches out her hand. He takes it. They give each other a squeeze. He won’t make a sound for her. It’s hard. His breathing already ragged. But he inhales once.

Ruby’s holding Calum’s hand one moment, squeezing with all her might. She can feel him squeezing back and then it feels like hours. She’s waiting for it go limp, praying to every god that something changes this outcome. The pressure disappears and then so does his warmth. Nothing just dust settling into her palm. A sob pierces her chest, scratches over her lips and when she turns, there’s nothing but his shirt and jacket left. Not even dust is left but the little that she clutches in her hands.

Ruby cries, clutching his t-shirt in the middle of her living room. If she could go back, and tell herself not to go into that bar again, looking for Calum, she would. She would in a heartbeat.

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