Ivior had not opened the door in 3 days and Aziphem was beginning to feel the aches of death pulling at him. 3 days no water. His body was starting to give out, weak and woozy. Demons still needed to drink and eat, and the dehydration was starting to take its toll.
“Your contracted time is up.”
“Well I’m still fucking using him.”
Muffled voices from behind the door. Aziphem didn’t even have the strength to lift his head, eyes closing. He would die and return thirsty, make it another day and die again. Torture.
“Well too fucking bad. Do you want me to get the council involved?”
A pause.
“Fine.”
The door opened, revealing Ko and Ivior. Aziphem glanced up, eyes sagging. Ko stared down.
“Youre not caring for him.”
“Part of the experiment.”
Ko glowered but turned from Ivior to lift Aziphem. He didn’t have the strength to fight, allowing it and slumping in Ko’s arms.
“Go to hell Sakamoto.”
“When presented the opportunity I didn’t.” Ko turned and walked away, carrying a weak little demon in his arms.
Arriving back in his lab, Ko laid Aziphem down on the hospital bed, placing a blanket over him and taking his arm. The needle pierced and for once Aziphem hardly cared. Ko nodded, pleased with the IV drip.
“Once this kicks in we will drink a little water, but for now, rest.”
“Please- I- I’m scared. Please? Ko?” He knew those words would appeal to his master.
A rough hand pushed Aziphem forwards, causing his chained legs to stumble. The thick black blindfold blocked any indication of what was in front of him until he stumbled into another body.
Body armor. Cold hard, shoving him back.
A muzzle of a gun pointed him to the left. The familiar sound of beeping reached his ears. A lab? Not Ko’s lab. Ko’s lab ran the heater and made the space more comfortable- a small luxury he often pretended to despise. Ko cared about him.
The owner of this lab did not.
A cold, gloved hand reached out and touched his chin, raising it with a gentle touch. A hint of a russian accent. “My my- I have truly wanted to get my hands on you for so long.”
Aziphem shivered and tried to pull away, only to have that gloved hand yank him back. Another touched his chest, running over his scars. “Now that’s no way to act. You need to be on your best behavior. We have so much to get to.”
""How the fuck-" Ko bolted up from his notes, jaw falling into a look of shock at the bright red haired man in front of him. "You- what- how-"
Ivior simply held up the key, a devious smirk on his red lips. Before he spoke Ko already knew. "The council is not convinced you are rigorous in your safety measures and sent me to investigate. Apparently they are correct."
"Oh you can go straight to hell, he's sedated."
"Sedation can fail."
"If I am to properly rehabilitate him then he needs to get used to being without restraints!"
"Still on that pipe dream? One last try of the holy water treatments before you lose it to me?" Ivior's teeth glinted under the florescent lighting. "It's a shame that its all for no-"
"He's mine." The words sliced through Ivior's, finally shutting him up for a moment. "Success or not."
"Yes you seem to have grown fond of it." Ivior's eyes wandered down Aziphem's front, lingering between his legs at the slight red stain. "Apparently you can't get off it long enough for it to heal-"
"Shut up." Ko's slap met air as Ivior nimbly stepped back. "My methods are sound. I just need more time. His will is weakening."
"Mm I am so sure. Maybe he will be weaker when I get him. And trust me, I will take a page out of your book for how to break him." A lewd grin tore through Ivior's lips as he took a step back towards the door. "I am sure the council will be very interested in this report."
"Get the fuck out of my lab."
"It will be mine eventually."
A crash rang out as the door closed, the beaker Ko had thrown at Ivior making contact with the door instead and bursting into pieces. Ko forced himself to take a deep breath, taming the growl in his throat and returning to his normal, neutral demeanor. At least his little demon hadn't been awake to see him lose his temper like this.
He would have to do better. Ivior could not take his little demon from him.
CW: Kinda more Lab than Medical whump, threats, mass murder mention
There was a knock at the door.
Nothing good ever came from a knock. Alejo and Haziel knew to let themselves in, and other than them, Ko would typically take visitors elsewhere. People in the lab meant people near Aziphem, people that could hurt his little demon and set back the progress he had made.
He had never cared this deeply for a subject. For as much as a little shit as Aziphem could be, Ko found himself fond of the creature. Protective even. Which was why he had no intent to answer the knocks if they would go away on their own.
They, of course, did not.
Maybe Haziel had forgotten his keys, Alejo needed him for something, or maybe there were just some papers he needed to sign. Ko knew he wouldn’t be this lucky, but he could hope.
“Doctor Sakamoto. Er, you go by doctor now, right? If I remember the rumors you were more of a healer than a scientist in life, but if that’s what you’re pretending to be I’ll respect it.”
“And if I believed every rumor about you, you’re really lucky you became an angel before the concept of a war crime was legally enforceable.” Ko quipped back, hardly missing a beat. He just- knew who would be there when the knocks refused to leave. “What do you want, Ivior?”
Curly red hair wound its way neatly around the other angel’s freckled face, matching the bright red lips and permanently flushed cheeks as Ivior smiled his almost fanged grin. “Is it too much to ask to see how your research of subject 011 is going? We’re peers, colleagues, two intrepid minds braving a new path through study and science-”
“The last time we talked you were cursing me out and demanding my project get shut down.” Ko interrupted, folding his arms and blocking the doorway. “You have made it very clear you have no care for my search for a cure than to do everything in your power to make it more difficult. As such, no.”
“Oh come on, you know your little passion project’s getting shut down soon enough. You got what, a year? Might as well show me now, while 011’s still yours.”
“The council will review my work in 9 months and 14 days, I am aware. At which time it will be up for an extension if my results prove a reasonable possibility that a cure for the demonic condition exists.”
“Like the last extension they gave you?”
Ko cringed slightly, nose crinkling at Ivior’s hardly subtle reminder that his last review had resulted in a cut in his time, not an extension. “I have high hopes. The current medication combined with the holy water treatments have produced physical and behavioral results. He is less of a threat now to both us and himself. My process works.”
“Your process is both labor and time intensive, hardly the results the council wants.” Ivior leaned forwards, meeting Ko scowl with a smirk. “Besides, we both know your treatment isn’t what made him submit.”
“Cut the shit, why are you here?”
“Mm there goes that ‘doctor’ attitude, I knew I’d get through to you.” Ivior extended his hand, glass vials clinking between his fingers. “I want samples. You’re right, there is a physical change and I think it may be useful to my research.”
“No.”
“I’ll get them through the council, you really want to make this difficult? That’s a lot of unneeded paperwork.”
“Good.” Ko snorted. “I hope you curse my name with every form you fill out.”
“Come on.” Ivior sighed, the coy demeanor faltering. “I can be in and out in 5 minutes if you restrain him for me. Doctor Sakamoto… Ko… you know that my research is what is going to end this conflict, return balance to this world. You’re a footnote at best, a fringe idea that maybe helps in the long run. We both want the same thing, no more demons. Help me save the world.”
“I want to cure those suffering of a condition outside of their control, to make their symptoms manageable and help them have a life similar to ours. To create allies where there once were enemies.” A quiet pause, broken only by the ticking of the wall mounted clock. “You want an efficient massacre.”
For once, the notoriously wise mouthed Ivior said nothing. Deciding he did not care to hear any response the other angel could make, Ko continued.
“Assuming those are all for blood, you can fill out forms 417 A-C for each sample. For other tissues you can check my index, I have all necessary forms listed there. If you want to do this in my lab you can fill out form 37-A, or if you want me to bring him to your lab you can fill out 37 B-D as well as the necessary transport forms. File with the council and I will find time for you within 3-5 days based on my schedule. If this is an urgent request you can-”
“Aziphem, that’s 011’s name right.” Ivior interrupted, finally finding his voice.
“That would be correct as far as I am aware.”
“You know what’s going to happen to Aziphem when your project gets shut down?”
“He will be either reassigned or terminated, I am aware. I have had other subjects.” The words felt– fake. Of course Ko knew Aziphem would be executed or taken from him- but the concept failed to realize in his mind. He would be successful. Aziphem would be cured. And - well he planned on continuing his rehabilitation. There was no outcome he could conceive that involved him losing his little demon.
The concern must have bled into his expression because Ivior’s dark leer returned.
“That’s right, and if 011 goes back for reassignment, you know who’s getting first pick for him right? He’d be useful for my tests, sure, something is different about him. But- I could just add him to another mass test. He could become just another corpse, pointless. Worth nothing more than the simple joy that I would get from turning your prized pet into just another body on the ground. All your work, just a data point on a graph for my resea-”
The resulting smack echoed off the hall, silencing Ivior as he rubbed his cheek in shock. The loud voices had drawn nosy eyes, peering through peepholes and cracking open office doors to see the bitter rivalry unfolding in the hallways but the slap silenced their hushed whispers.
“You fucking–”
“Hit you. Yes.” Ko shoved Ivior back, the redhead stumbling into the office hallway. “And if you say one more fucking word I will do it again.”
“I’d fucking kill you in a fight.”
“And our master would kill you for even trying.” Ko stepped back into the doorway, closing it except for a crack. “Show up at my door without an appointment again and you’ll be dealing with Alejo, not me.”
“Fuck you!”
The lock clicked before Ivior could pound his fist against the steel, but even the 3 inch door couldn’t muffle his words.
“You’re running out of fucking time Ko, your cure will fail, and I can’t wait to see how hard you fall for it.”
There was one last kick to the door, Ivior always needed to be dramatic, and Ko finally breathed as he heard the footsteps retreat down the hall. That problem was solved.
But Ivior was right, he was running out of time. And if he couldn’t save Aziphem…
No. He wouldn’t allow that. Ko had planned to give the demon the night off but he couldn’t be so gentle anymore. Time was short, and there was work to be done.
