Demonic Luke AU Lore
Merry Crisis/Happy end of the year everyone! Finally finished editing my incoherent rambling into something mostly coherent. This was copy pasted from my DMs with my beta into a massive block of text in a google doc, which was then edited. So if there's parentheses with an s at the beginning like this (s-) its something my beta reader said and was my way of keeping in her comments that I needed for context.
His great great grandfather was born normal, but he did have a near fatal accident at age 12. His personality changed then, apparently. They all figure that’s when the demon took over. His eyes are almost red, in pictures past age 12. The demon just kind of hung out in the meatsuit until it died of old age, apparently. They don’t think the demon expected being in the meatsuit for so long would affect the kids, but because it had basically entrenched it’s essence into the body, the kids all had…side effects. The first time great grandad managed to bend a piece of metal with his bare hands, he nearly gave his father a heart attack (or the meatsuit one, anyway) according to family lore.
It only passes down the direct line, only the oldest having kids that have the same ‘side effects’. The last few generations have been small, one or two, so his parents were very ambitious having three. Only Ben will have kids with…extra, him and Jack are fine on that front, so his kids won’t have to deal with any of this. (Doesn’t make almost setting his shirt on fire any easier to deal with, though. Of COURSE he ended up with flame conjuring and manipulation, no one had had that since great aunt Mary!)
Ok so sturdier than most, hard to hurt. He eats tons now but he won’t need as much once he’s done with puberty, stronger than normal people. Those are the basics, everyone in the family that’s affected has those. THEN it’s the extra physical things. Everyone either gets horns (less than an inch tall, more bumps, really) or eyes that flash red when angry (or in most photographs) (So maybe physical stuff manifests first? The healing/invulnerability, the strength, the eyes. Then the Extra thing/s come later) I want Luke to be able to conjure and control fire bc I just have this image in my head of him with a ball of fire in one hand, messing with it. No one’s gotten that one since Great Aunt Mary (one of the Original Kids, his great grandfather’s sister)
So the Original Kids were more powerful, it seems to dilute with age. Like, his great uncle caused an EARTHQUAKE once, and could almost move the earth with his mind (he nearly killed himself that way though, it takes a lot of mental energy), his great aunt Mary could conjure and control fire, and heat up her own skin so hot it burned others. His great grandfather could make thunderstorms and winds. His grandfather could summon winds, but not full storms. And his dad and his aunt were weak, in comparison. His aunt could read minds, sometimes, but it took so much out of her she almost never did it. His dad could move things with his mind, but like his aunt, it was so hard he rarely did it. Jack could feel fear, and sometimes make it worse (but never better). Ben could mimic anyone’s voice. Things seemed to be…diluting, over time. Which made sense.
Family lore said great great grandad (or the thing that wore him) watched them, a bit. Maybe to make sure they were ok? Maybe to make sure they didn’t go blabbing or doing impossible things on TV? Unclear, but he’d (apparently) saved his fathers life once. Andy had gotten into a car accident, and while he tried to stop anything from hurting him too badly he just didn’t have enough power for his telekinesis to help. And then he did. He was stronger than he’d ever been (physically and mentally) and he managed to walk away from a totaled car without a scratch. He remembers seeing red eyes, before the power surge. The power left once he was free of the wreckage (and the red eyes disappeared) but he was slightly stronger afterwards, and that never went away. None of them ever really left Sydney, until Luke. He remembers red eyes following him to London, and beyond. He’d always ignored it, thinking it a figment of his imagination (or thinking of the Family Lore and laughing). He didn’t know about his dad’s accident until YEARS later, and then he figured maybe his ancestor was just making sure he didn’t accidentally kill himself out in the wide world beyond Sydney? He didn’t know. He didn’t realize until after the fact, that great great grandad taking an interest in him and being in his presence (even just a bit) made him stronger. Much stronger than his siblings, maybe even stronger than the original kids, because now the demon wasn’t sealed inside a meatsuit, and his…energy? Life force? Was free to interact directly with Lukes. So, Luke is expecting maybe feeling emotions or something similar. And he gets WAY more than that.
I’m making family journals be really important, bc they WOULD BE. The original kids all kept journals (and that’s the only reason they know as much about Henry as they do) that was part autobiographical part ‘log of weird shit’. None of them knew if they’d pass it onto their kids or not. Only Harold did, and he encouraged his kids to keep similar journals, sharing his own with them in hopes he could help. The ‘journaling gene’ is passed down the same way as The Other Stuff, they joke, because there's only journals from those suffering the ‘side effects’. They have them from the original kids, Luke's grandpa and his sister, and his dad and aunt. There hasn’t been more than 3 kids in a generation of ‘afflicted’ since the original kids, but the more extended family has grown bigger once they realized they were in the clear. No one outside of the immediate family knows, or has access to the journals, anymore. Too much time has passed for them to believe any of the rumors of great grandma, or their other ancestors. Luke’s family, as the main line, keeps meticulous track of the family tree, though. Just in case. They didn’t know it only passed to the first born child’s kids for a few generations, so it’s possible there’s other stuff they don’t know yet. Maybe it will show up every 4 generations? 5? Anything new may not even happen in his lifetime, but he helps his mom (who, while not born into the madness, married and produced three kids with it and has taken over some of the paperwork) as much as he can. His kids won’t be afflicted, but maybe his great great grandkids WILL and he wants them to have the same net of support he did if that happens.
(S-Would it affect his kids tho? Especially with the demon thing following him and enhancing his abilities?) That’s the question isn’t it? Obviously he doesn’t know that when he’s helping his mom and thinking of the future (it’s pre-band. Also he doesn’t know about the Extra until it happens. He also doesn’t know how Weird it is to be seeing those eyes everywhere. He heard dad explain his accident and thought ‘oh so that’s why it’s following me, keeping me out of trouble. Ok.’ His dad never mentioned that that was the FIRST AND ONLY TIME he ever saw the eyes. Luke Does Not Realize This until later. He saw the eyes a lot those first few tours, when his mum was there, and assumed she saw them too? She didn’t, she’s not of the bloodline. So, more confusion later.) Also Sierra and Crystal don’t exist here because of TimeLine reasons (also idk how to write them) so. It’s not something he’s thinking about and this fic won’t cover it (but if I end up continuing to do one shots in this universe, either he’ll end up with an OC or one or all of the boys, and if it’s the boys bio kids aren’t really an issue) (s-I love the whole idea but where he doesn’t realize that only he can see the eyes) He sees them, thinks of the Family Lore of Henry watching and is like ‘ahh ok.’ Years later, he gets the Accident Story from Andy and is like ‘more pieces clicking into place, cool.’ But he STILL DOESN'T REALIZE HOW WEIRD IT IS! After he panic calls his dad about the fucking FIRE and they go through Great Great Aunt Mary’s journals and decide it’s the same as hers, they think about why??? Maybe it’s because he's the third son, and there haven't been three kids since the original kids. Mary was the third child wasn’t she? (She was). They brush it off as it being that and make notes in their respective journals (Andy, Jack and Ben) that a third child is more powerful. And, ok, that’s TRUE and he would have been stronger than the others anyway but not THAT MUCH. (Henry CAN watch them without the eyes giving him away and he’s CACKLING at the miscommunications happening. He didn’t even help anything along!)
The descendants all did research on what Henry might have been, especially after the internet popped up, but the only thing they could ever find was ‘demon’. And, ok, it DID seem to fit the bill but he’d never done anything BAD (that they knew of) and demon had negative connotations so they just referred to him as ‘an entity’. It was around that time they truly lost the majority of their faith, as well. (Henry very much appreciates not being called a demon. He was around before the Christian Faith, after all.)
Henry was originally kinda curious because he was a third child, and three is a powerful number. He was stronger than his siblings, but not by much. Not yet, at least. He kinda lost interest until the kid picked up Ben’s old guitar. He did…rounds? Kind of? Of his immediate descendants, checking on them. He was thousands of years old, but this was the first time he’d HAD descendants. It was a bit of a novelty for him. He remembers learning how to play an earlier version of it, during his human life as ‘Henry’ and Luke seems more keen to actually learn than Ben ever did. He starts stopping by that house a bit more often, to watch him fumble through learning. He’s getting rather good actually. Starts singing as well. The band happens, and he just. Watches. Considers. They have Potential. But he won’t do anything (not yet). They get a drummer and seem to click into place (Fate lines, he sees if he looks at them close enough. They were all destined to at least meet, at least once. But the Potential for more is there, if they decide to grab it.) (He’s nudged things one way or another, for his only descendants. A new job offer, a raise, an opening in a program they wanted in. Only things that were deserved, though, he doesn’t do handouts. If the band is still together and still wants it, in a few years he may tweak things for a record deal. If they deserve it, if they’ve worked for it. They have now, but they are so very young and he’s seen what the music industry is like. He wants to give them a few years. Then, of course, they get signed all on their own, no interfering necessary. He just Sighs and reads over the contracts) He watches them occasionally on their first few opening tours, watches them get better and better. They move to London, and he IS worried about them being so far from home so of course he follows. His other descendants will be ok without him for a short while. They are opening for a large artist now. There will be lots of exposure. He thinks of how hard they’re working and how far they have come and decides to tweak their appeal/popularity, if needed. It’s not. They manage it all on their own, and will be putting out their debut album soon. He’s never been prouder. (Mans is literally millennia old and has never had kids/grandkids/great grandkids etc before so he’s. New, but he’s EXCITED! Most of the others of his kind have descendants, lots of them. Mostly from the entity forcing their true physical form upon the mother. He had never done so, never felt the need, and was unaware children with his true essence could be sired from within a vessel. If there had been baby books, he would have read them. He’s that guy in your workplace that, when you ask about his grandkids, he lights up and brings out his wallet, which has one of those fold down picture holders that holds like 10 pictures)
(S-Does he develop a soft spot for the other boys as well?) He didn’t care about the other members of the band besides making sure they were as dedicated as his grandchild. Then he mostly ignored them. Until he witnessed his (idiotic, truly) grandson help them with their luggage for their first London trip and just. pick them up without thinking. He saw the newest kids eyes widen, and when he Looked he could see the suitcase was full of textbooks. He sighs, and prepares to wipe the boy’s memory. He follows him as he calls a ‘band meeting’ minus his grandson after they arrive at the hotel. He asks the other two if they have noticed anything…odd about Luke? (He sighs again, he doesn’t even have a physical form right now, damn it, and prepares to wipe THREE memories) The other two boys look at each other and ask, with grins on their faces, ‘you finally saw him do something impossible, didn’t you?’ (Henry pauses. If they had previously known, they may have told someone ELSE and wiping just their memories wouldn’t be enough. If that other person was already suspicious and these two kids suddenly had no memory of the events in question, LUKE might be blamed. He couldn’t allow that. He subtly weaved a need to be Truthful into the room, he needed answers.) Ashton described the luggage incident, and asked what they had seen? (Henry pushes out another pulse of ‘Truth’) Michael saw a knife bounce off his finger, when they were helping Mrs. Hemmings cook dinner. Calum saw him lift something far too heavy. ‘What do we do?’ The new kid asks nervously. Henry narrows his eyes. ‘What we’ve been doing’ the bright one says. ‘Ignore it, cover for him if he accidentally does something he shouldn’t in public. He’ll tell us when he’s ready.’ Henry feels a thrum of acceptance for this boy, he really should learn their names. ‘You haven’t told anyone but each other?’ New Boy asks. (‘TRUTH’) ‘No’ both boys say. ‘who would believe us anyway? He’ll explain, one day, when he’s ready’ the black haired boy says. ‘Ok. We tell no one and cover for him if he needs it?’ ‘And don’t let him know we know, it may scare him.’ Three nods. Henry unweaves the truth spell from the room. He’s heard enough, he’ll leave them be for now. He should really learn their names, it looks like they’ll be around a while. Henry was really READY to wipe these kid’s memories though. Like, ready and willing.
Very little can be found on the internet about what’s going on with the Hemmings, no one with similar family ‘things’. Almost all of ‘Henry's’ kind sired their children over a millennia ago, once they realized they could. The ‘effects’ fade after so many generations, so there’s no one left with anything similar. The others got it out of their system so to speak, the curiosity. None of them have touched a human in many centuries, and do not wish to. The only reason Henry did so was because he saw the opportunity to possess the dying boy and live out a human life, and he was curious enough to do so. The boy died shortly after he possessed him, and he healed the body enough to be nonfatal to himself as soon as the other soul was gone. He could leave the vessel at any time, and it would look like the body suffered an aneurysm, perhaps. He was fond of the woman who came to be his wife, and she was accepting of his…oddities. He was fond of his children, even before he realized they were truly his and not just his vessels. None of the others had any feelings toward the mothers of their offspring, he doesn’t think, besides maybe ‘curiosity’. They mostly saw humans as annoying little ants, in those days. The discovery that they could breed with them? That they could breed at all? It was chaos. He stayed well out of it, he had no reason to be on the earthly plane and he let the pandemonium pass right by him. He never regretted that decision, and he still doesn’t. He likely would not have bonded with his children and grandchildren like he did, had he had any all those years ago.
Luke IS the favorite grandson, for sure. He almost reminds him of his daughter. They have the same curls (he hates when the boy straightens them) and the same smile. They were both the youngest of three, as well.
Ok so in the main story I mention the red eyes before Luke falls asleep after the fire incident. So obviously Henry has been watching the boy this whole time. He’s become truly fond of the other boys over the years, he’s watched his (idiotic) grandson slip in front of them multiple times and the only thing they do is exchange glances and cover for him if needed. He needs to begin prodding Luke to tell them, he’ll feel so much better if he’s no longer hiding from the three boys he’s so Fate Entwined with (I’ve already mentioned the fate lines! They were always destined to at least MEET but the more they interacted and the closer they got the thicker and brighter those lines became. They’re more fate ropes now, honestly.). He’s there the night Luke manifests his ‘gift’ of course. Appearing as he felt the power swell, mildly curious about what ‘gift’ he would get. He would be more powerful than his brothers, as a third child. Perhaps emotional manipulation? All emotions, not just fear like his brother? And then the power swells and collapses, and the bed bursts into flames. His first thought is ‘oh shit’. His first action is to soothe and usher the panicked dog off the bed and out of the room. Luke is very fond of the dog and wouldn’t want it to be hurt. He stares a moment longer, and, again, thinks ‘oh shit.’ It’s a very familiar scene, he remembers his daughter Mary manifesting in a nearly identical way. But the power seems to dilute with each generation, how is Luke-? Hmm. He prods gently at Luke’s life force, making sure he stays asleep a bit longer as he investigates. Ah. Well then. It’s his own fault then, isn’t it? He should have thought of the repercussions of being within range of his grandsons life force without a physical body to act as a barrier. The boy seems to have….absorbed some of his own power. Not enough for him to ever notice, but more than enough to give the mostly mortal boy a….power boost, if you will. If he currently had a physical form, he would have sighed. He withdraws his presence, and feels his grandson begin to wake. He sticks around to watch the ensuing panic, feeling a tad bit of what may be guilt for being the cause. He follows Luke to the guest room, happy to note the dog is just fine. He let’s go just a tad bit as he feels Luke falling asleep, making sure he sleeps deeply enough to not cause any more, ah, incidents in his sleep. Perhaps he let go a tad too soon, though, he’s unsure if the boy saw him before actually falling asleep.
He hovers in the following weeks, he admits. He’s concerned, sue him. He is definitely ready to wipe memories or nudge minds if needed the following day, when the other boys come over to assist with furniture assembly, but it’s unnecessary. Once again, he feels a bit of fondness for the other boys. His grandson really needs to explain things to the poor boys. He’s heard some of their theories, and while amusing, none come very close to the truth. He would facepalm if he had a physical body as he watches his grandson slip (multiple times!). Luckily, he’s only ever slipped in front of the boys. He wonders if it has to do with his subconscious trust of them, perhaps? Something to think about. The fate lines have been getting thicker since the gift manifestation, seemingly increasing with each passing day. He’s squinted and poked at them a few times, but can’t figure out the reason. He’s been spending a bit more time observing them interacting than normal, trying to figure it out. He’s seen fate lines before, but never like this. At some point he sees the seemingly subconscious looks and gestures of affection between the boys. Ahhhh. Now that he’s seen it it’s glaringly obvious, though none of them seem to have noticed. He watches them all circle each other for several weeks before he decides to…take action, so to speak. Something needs to remove their heads from their asses. Forced physical touch, perhaps? Causing a malfunction with the bus heater is ridiculously easy, and he watches the ensuing physical contact with a sense of smugness. The next day, however, things seem to go right back to normal. If he currently had hair, he’d be ripping it out. Watching them interact the rest of the tour is almost painful, but he doesn’t interfere again. Perhaps he’ll wait until everything is out in the open first. Relationships are built on trust and honesty, right? Tour ends, and he sighs as his grandson proceeds to lock himself away until he has a sufficient handle on his new fire manipulation. It is past time for the boy to come clean to his souls mates, honestly. He nearly cheers when the boy invites the others over. Truths shall be told this night, or so help him! He can see the boys silently deliberating as Luke attempts to light the match for the candle. So what if he’s refusing to let the fire catch? This conversation needs to happen. The eldest finally speaks up, and oh he could collapse into one of the deck chairs in relief if he had a form. He stays as his grandson explains things as best he can, occasionally giving him a nudge in one direction or another if he’s forgotten something. He watches them go back into the house to settle down for a movie and watches lines of gold begin to wind into the bright white of the fate lines. He’ll leave them to it, for now. Hopefully he won’t have to interfere again. Perhaps he should check on his other descendants now, see what sort of chaos they’ve inevitably caused in his absence?
