Summary: Have you ever fucked up so bad that it actually circles around to turn out good?
Gavin wonders if this is one of those situations when he summons a couple of messengers that...don't act like messengers. Are Jeremy and Michael who they claim to be?
And does it matter when Gavin starts falling for them?
AO3, Get Chapters Early On My Patreon (at least two weeks) (Ch. 2 is up there now)
Ch. 1
The symbols look right...he hopes. A bit wonky and the chalk has smudges in places, but Gavin figures they aren’t that big of a deal. It should all work the same, right? He is just summoning a messenger after all so he can deliver a letter. The shadow creatures were mischievous, at worst. They mostly just liked to play around and did what they were told. If the messenger got out, Gavin figures he can handle it.
Still,l he bites his lips and considers going over them again. This would be his first time summoning, well, anything by himself. Geoff usually overlooks these things, but Geoff is in a multi-dimensional meeting and Gavin had promised to send letters informing him how the store is holding up (and that he had not burned it down, no, Geoff why do you keep saying that?)
Deciding the best method is just to get it over with, Gavin claps his hands. The air seems to still, growing denser. Gavin takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. When he opens them again, they are a lighter green, electricity sparking behind them. He throws his hands out and the circle of symbols he drew bursts into flames.
When Gavin speaks, his words hold power to them, a language that has taken years for him to learn. Now, it slips off his tongue easily.
The flames grow higher and higher, twisting and turning around each other, ready to break and engulf everything in their sight. With a snap of Gavin’s fingers, they go out, only leaving a dim light in the room. He sighs and the room seems to sigh with him. With another few words, the symbols grow brighter for a second and then the lights lift up out the ground, curling around like smoke. As Gavin continues to speak, the smoke starts to solidify into...two shapes?
Gavin didn’t ask for two messengers but it’s too late now. The spell has started and he can not stop. So he continues to chant and hopes that the two won’t be too much trouble for him. Details start to come in, the shapes becoming more humanified, another thing Gavin finds odd. Messengers tend to come in more animalistic shapes.
Then he can see their features, how one of them is bald while the other has curly hair. The bald one is shorter but more muscular than the curly haired one, wearing pants and a black wife beater. Short nubby horns stick out of his head, blending into the scales that scatter around his skin. A tail waves behind him as he crosses his arms.
The curly one’s horns are longer, curling like a ram's. He wears glasses, a plain looking t-shirt and jeans. He cocks his head, hands on his hips, his own tail wrapping around his waist. All in all, they don’t look like any messengers that Gavin remembers seeing. But hey, he isn’t one to judge what image they want to take. All they need to do is get his letter to Geoff.
Gavin swallows before squaring his shoulders. He reaches into his pocket, grabbing his letter, and steps forward. “Messengers, I task you with giving this letter to Geoff Lazar Ramsey in exchange for some of my magic.” His voice doesn’t wobble and he’s proud of himself.
The curly haired messenger narrows his eyes, then smirks. He steps to Gavin, baring his teeth as he grabs Gavin’s hand. Though Gavin startles at the movement (messengers usually aren’t so aggressive) he still manages to begin the transfer process. “I don’t know who you think you are-” the messenger begins but chokes to a stop as Gavin gives him a bit of his magic. He seems to be in a daze.
“Michael?” The other one asks, uncrossing his arms. He too walks forward, bearing sharp teeth. “What’d you do to Michael?”
Gavin takes a step back but the curly haired messenger-Michael?- still has a tight grip on his arm. “I’m-I’m performing the magic transfer for messengers,” he says.
The other messenger takes another step forward, snarling, but Michael throws his hand out. “Jeremy, it’s alright.” He smiles at Gavin, finally releasing his hand. “I’m sorry about that. It’s been a long time since anyone has called us to be...messengers.”
Gavin hesitantly nods. Fidgeting, he tries to give them the letter again. “Can you please take this message to Geoff Lazar Ramsey? You can find him in the 6th dimension conference room.”
“Yeah, we can do that.”
Gavin lets out the breath he had been holding. They weren’t going to give him trouble after all. This is going a lot smoother than he thought. “Thank you.”
Michael takes the note, nodding. He gives Gavin a wink before looking the note over. “A note to your lover?”
Gavin chokes. “No, bloody hell no. He's my boss. Closer to my father, actually.”
“Ah,” Michael says. “Well, if you ever need us again, feel free to call. I certainly wouldn't mind working with someone so cute.” Then, with a puff of smoke, both of them disappear.
Ha, take that Geoff. First solo summoning went perfectly. You know, despite the messengers being so weird.
Gavin wobbles a bit, blinking. The energy transfer took a lot more out of him than he thought. He should go lie down.
~
Michael and Jeremy puff into a large dark red room, the rocky ground beneath them trembling. Around them, little black shapes scatter, pest and bugs of spirits they torture. The little creatures run to escape their sight.
The red rocky floor is warm, curls of smoke wafting up from it. If anyone but their kind were to step on the surface, they would burn.
“What was that about?” Jeremy demands, shedding his human skin. Black scales sprout out of his skin, covering the weak flesh, a hint of green shining in the light.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Michael says, throwing a smirk his way. His scales are red and his curly horns grow larger, turning sharper. He walks slowly to the two large rock thrones that sit in the middle of the room, uncaring when one of the pests don’t get out of his way quick enough and he squishes it beneath his shoe.
“Don’t fuck with me, Michael,” Jeremy stomps after him, baring his rows of sharp teeth. “We get a human, a witch, dumb enough to summon us, with a weak ass circle, who treats us as messengers and you let him go?”
“Oh, Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy,” Michael clucks his tongue. He sits on one of the thrones, crossing his legs. His black eyes dance with mirth. “You don’t know what has been dropped into our lap.”
“Then enlighten me.” Jeremy crosses his arms.
“That witch tried to do an energy transfer with me.”
“So?”
Michael gives him a look. “Do you really think I’d pass up an opportunity like that? A witch, new enough to mistake demons for messengers, and whose mentor is gone, certainly wouldn’t be able to control an energy transfer. It was the perfect opportunity to start our torment. Drain him of all his energy and magic, have him helpless for us? Perfect.”
“But you didn’t,” Jeremy says it slowly. “Why?”
“Oh, I tried.”
“Stop playing games with me, Michael.”
Michael juts his lower lip out. “Spoilsport. Fine. I tried to take his powers, his energy, but...there was so much of it that I couldn’t get it all.”
“Wait. What?”
Michael nods. “It was like he had an endless supply of it. I don’t think I even scratched the surface. And little J,” Michael leans forward. “I feel fucking awesome. That little bit I got? I’ve never felt more energized.”
Jeremy frowns. “If he tasted so good, how come you didn’t allow me a taste? And why would we allow him to go?”
“Jeremy, you’re thinking too small. If we kill him, that supply runs out. Torture him and the same thing happens.”
Jeremy narrows his eyes. “What are you thinking?”
Michael’s smirk is wide, all sharp teeth. “We milk him, for as long as we can.”
Jeremy pauses. Then he smiles back. “And how do you plan to do that?”
“With this.” Michael holds up the letter the witch had handed them. He turns it this way and that, looking at it. “Sure would be a shame if this never made it to the receiver, wouldn’t it? He might have to call us back, wouldn’t he?”
